## (Registered charity, number 1155645) **Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024**
|**Page**|**Contents**|
|---|---|
|2 - 5|Trustees’ annual report|
|6|Independent examiner’s report|
|7|Receipts & payments account|
|8|Statement of assets & liabilities|
|9 - 10|Notes to the accounts|
# **Trustees’ annual report for the year ended 31 December 2024**
**Full name** SFICE Foundation
**Organisation type** Charitable incorporated organisation
## **Registered charity number** 1155645
## **Principal address**
SFICE Foundation, All Saints Church, 75a Raleigh Street, Nottingham, NG7 4DL
## **Trustees**
Parminder Dhanjal Harvey Goodman Chris Skelly Tim Stonehouse
## **Independent examiner**
John O’Brien, employee of Community Accounting Plus, Units 1 & 2 North West, 41 Talbot Street, Nottingham, NG1 5GL
## **Governance and management**
The charity is operated under the rules of its constitution/trust deed adopted and most recently amended February 2022.
Parminder Dhanjal a trustee and she is the only person who has a senior management role. She is unpaid and receives no benefits from the charity.
We work in collaboration with Nottingham Community and Voluntary Service. They advertise for trustees on our behalf. We invite the potential trustees to fill in an application form and send it to us including two references and their CV. The applicants are interviewed by at least two trustees prior to selection.
## **Objectives and activities**
The relief of those in-need and the advancement of community development in the UK, by reason of age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantages.
## **Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit**
## **Social Café**
The SFiCE Café provides free meals to vulnerable adults using food which has been donated by local businesses, allotments and food waste charities. In 2024 we served, on average, 434 meals (up from 420 in 2023) per month and saved, on average, 255.30kg of food from going to waste per month.
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## **Health and Wellbeing**
Our health and wellbeing service provides health checks and support for those needing help with emotional and practical issues, or who require signposting to other mental and physical health organisations in the area.
## **ESOL Classes**
Our ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes help to improve the spoken and written language skills of local people who do not have English as a first language.
## **Music for Wellbeing Group**
This is a pilot project aimed at homeless and others who have mental health issues. The project ran as a pilot in funding in February 2024 we received funding to continue delivering the project. Feedback is indicating that service users are enjoying the sessions and are leaving in a better frame of mind, but the uptake of this service is low.
## **Support Hub**
In August 2024 we received funding from the Gemini Trust to launch a drop in morning, where service users can drop in for advice from a benefits advisor, access free laptops, internet, printing and receive IT support from our experienced tutor. In addition, a free cooked breakfast is provided.
## **Public benefit statement**
The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit, 'Charities and Public Benefit'.
SFiCE prides itself on being a part of the community as well as serving it. We have become well known amongst a community of vulnerable people in the area, many of whom are experiencing periodic or sustained homelessness, and harbour a strong sense of community spirit. Some of these service users have become volunteers after years of our support.
We see the café programme as meeting two core public needs: reducing food poverty and reducing food waste, as well as cultivating a strong sense of community cohesion by helping to de-stigmatise food poverty.
SFiCE has a good working relationship with local homelessness charities, Emmanuel House and Framework for example, both of which are involved in providing housing support.
As we exist to meet the immediate needs of our service users, many of which are experiencing homelessness, we receive referrals from them while also signposting some of our service users to them when appropriate. Filling this gap in services in the local community places us in a unique position and proves our relevance in meeting the needs of our local community. Currently, service User referrals are being made for our projects by YMCA, Framework Housing, St. Augustine school, Djanogly Academy, Claremont School, Begin, Nottingham College, the Job Centre, and other
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parties highlighting both the need for our services and our embedded status within the local community.
Primary beneficiaries of our projects include: Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic; and young people, and parents, living in poverty; Communities experiencing health inequalities; Older people; People who are pushed into crisis; People experiencing homelessness; People experiencing poor mental health; People experiencing loneliness and social isolation; Refugee, asylum seeker; People with addictions & drug or alcohol dependencies; People with learning or physical disabilities; People experiencing domestic abuse and violence. We support circa 500 people per year in addition to 20-30 volunteers, many of whom are former service users.
## **Summary of the main achievements during the period**
An Assistant Manager and Finance Manager were appointed in May 2024 and June 2024 and have further strengthened the staffing at the charity to allow Parminder to start to develop her new role focussing on strategy, net-working and fundraising.
The social cafe seems to be going from strength to strength in terms of the consistent attendance of frequent service users, quality of food, positive feedback and volunteer numbers and attendance. We consistently have 3 volunteers at the social cafe each day which is great and they are reliable, happy and good workers. The atmosphere at the Cafe is positive, service users are talking between each other and with staff and volunteers quite openly and people are happy to come here and be recognised, helped and fed.
The café has continued to provide an invaluable service.
The cost-of-living crisis continues and has resulted in an increased demand for all our services over the past year - the café served **5,208 meals in 2024** . Figures for previous years are 5,043 meals were served in 2023, which is over double the 2,467 meals served in 2022. There are no signs of the numbers reducing in 2025.
## **Financial Review**
We have a balance of £171,812 at the end of 2024. This has increased from £119,202 at the end of 2023.
We received a cost of living grant of £33,000 from Tudor Trust in Jul 2024, to support with ever increasing costs. Our 2-year funding with Reaching communities comes to an end in Aug 2025, we are fully staffed and need to secure new funding for staffing costs to continue the valuable work we do, to continue the range of services we offer and reach more service
## **Financial risks**
We face financial risks due to increasing costs. The costs of gas and electricity, food and wages are increasing significantly due to high inflation. We also face potential financial risks from decreasing income. We are dependent on grant funding and will face difficulties if funding bids are unsuccessful.
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**The charity’s policy on reserves**
In setting a reserves policy, the Trustees have sought to minimise risks to the financial stability of the charity. These could come for example from reduced grant funding or from increasing costs due to rising inflation and other causes. The Trustees have set a minimum reserves level of £20,000 and this will be reviewed every 3 months. The minimum reserves level will next be reviewed end of April 2025.
SFiCE Foundation is grateful to all funders who supported us in 2024. We had funding from:
- a) Reaching Communities
- b) Tudor Trust
- c) Derbyshire Trust
- d) Albert Hunt Trust
- e) Gemini Trust
- f) Hockley Hustle
We also want to thank all the local organisations, volunteers and paid staff who worked hard to ensure the charity continued to provide a high quality service in 2024.
## Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:
Signed ________________________________________ Date _______ 3-5-25 Parminder Dhanjal, Trustee 3-5-25 Signed ________________________________________ Date _______ CXNp\y Chris Skelly, Trustee
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## **Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of for the year ended 31 December 2024**
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of SFICE Foundation for the year ended 31 December 2024.
## **Responsibilities and basis of report**
As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’). I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
## **Independent examiner’s statement**
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
2. the accounts do not accord with those records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed _________________________ Date ______________________ 20/05/2025 John O’Brien MSc, FAIA, FCIE Employee of Community Accounting Plus
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## **Receipts & payments account for the year ended 31 December 2024**
|_2023_||||||**_2024_**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Total**|||**Unrestricted**||**Restricted**|**Total**|
|**Funds**|||**Funds**||**Funds**|**Funds**|
|**£**||**Note**|**£**||**£**|**£**|
||**Receipts**||||||
|133352|Grants & donations|**2**|54228||139838|194066|
|3280|Fundraising||1418||-|1418|
|314|Sundry receipts||-|-|-
-|-|
|**136946**|**Total receipts**||**55646**||**139838**|**195484**|
||**Payments**||||||
|739|Activities||283||1478|1761|
|-|Contractors||396||-|396|
|1444|Equipment||71||1251|1322|
|2388|Food and drink purchases||240||2160|2400|
|109|Insurance||- -|- -|- -
-|-|
|-|Marketing||-|-|361|361|
|2959|Office, Telephone & I.T||161||3257|3418|
|17907|Premises & utilities||7388||12529|19917|
|-|Professional fees||18||1661|1679|
|59892|Salaries||13070||95503|108573|
|43|Travel & accommodation||80||255|335|
|1608|Vehicle||53||2057|2110|
|-|Purchases||595||7|602|
|40|Volunteer costs|||-|-|-|
|**87129**|**Total payments**||**22355**||**120519**|**142874**|
|49817|**Net receipts/(payments)**||33291||19319|52610|
|69385|Cash funds at start of this period||67963||51239|119202|
|-|Transfers between funds||-||-|-|
|**119202**|**Cash funds at end of this period**|**Cash funds at end of this period**|**101254**||**70558**|**171812**|
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## **Statement of assets and liabilities at 31 December 2024**
|_2023_|||**_2024_**|
|---|---|---|---|
|£|**Cash assets**|**Note**|**£**|
|119197|Bank accounts||171552|
|5|Cash in hand||261|
|119202|||**171813**|
||**Other monetary assets**|||
|402|Debtors - Prepayment|**4**|410|
|402|||**410**|
||**Assets retained for the charity’s own use**|||
||Freezer, Cost £868, purchased February 2021|||
||Washer/ Dryer, Cost £1071, purchased November 2021|Washer/ Dryer, Cost £1071, purchased November 2021||
||36 Office chairs, Cost £821, purchased November 2021|36 Office chairs, Cost £821, purchased November 2021||
||Vauxhall Combo Van, Cost £6900, purchased March 2021|||
||Cooker & dishwasher, Cost £889, purchased January 2022|||
||Hand wash unit, Cost £540, purchased May 2022|||
||**Liabilities**|||
|(1475)|Creditors|**5**|(726)|
|(1475)|||**(726)**|
These financial statements are accepted on behalf of the charity by:
Signed Dated 3-5-25 Parminder Dhanjal, Trustee Signed Dated 3-5-25 Chris Skelly, Trustee
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## **Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2024**
## **1. Receipts & payments accounts**
Receipts and payments accounts contain a summary of money received and money spent during the period and a list of assets and liabilities at the end of the period. Usually, cash received and cash spent will include transactions through bank accounts and cash in hand.
## **2. Grants & donations**
|**2. Grants & donations**||||
|---|---|---|---|
||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|
|Hockley Hustle|1750|-|1750|
|Albert Hunt Trust|10000|-|10000|
|Gemini Trust|-|7500|7500|
|Derbyshire Trust|3000|-|3000|
|Reaching Communities|-|131049|131049|
|Tudor Trust|33000|-|33000|
|Nottingham Bid Company|-|1289|1289|
|The Charlies Littlewood Hill Trust|3000|-|3000|
|Sundry Donations|4896|-|4896|
||**55646**|**139838**|**195484**|
## **3. Funds analysis**
|**3. Funds analysis**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Opening**|**Receipts**|**(Payments)**|**Closing**|
||**balance**|||**balance**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|**Restricted funds**|||||
|Indian Project|12635|-|(54)|12581|
|Nottingham City Council - Christmas Dinner|1500|-|-|1500|
|Reaching communities Music group|-|20890|(3633)|17257|
|Nottingham Street Aid|-|1289|(773)|516|
|Reaching communities - Main grant|28146|110159|(112498)|25807|
|Drop in Morning|-|7500|(3561)|3939|
|Homelessness|8958|-|-|8958|
||**51239 139838**|**139838 **|**(120519) **|**70558**|
|**Unrestricted funds**|||||
|General Fund|67963|55646|(22355)|101254|
||**67963**|**55646**|**(22355)**|**101254**|
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## **Explanation of restricted funds:**
Indian project
Purpose of Fund: To fund Indian children's education.
Nottingham City Council Purpose of Fund: To provide a Christmas party for local residents.
Reaching Communities
Purpose of Fund: Music classes for wellbeing.
Nottingham Street Aid
Purpose of Fund: To support initiatives aimed at reducing homelessness.
Reaching Communities
Purpose of Fund: Community development and staff costs.
## Gemini Trust
Purpose of Fund: For the drop in/Support Hub.
## Homelessness
Purpose of Fund: To support those that are homeless.
## **4. Debtors & Prepayments**
||**£**|
|---|---|
|DVLA|84|
|Insurance|326|
||**410**|
## **5. Creditors**
||**£**|
|---|---|
|Independent examination fee|726|
||**726**|
## **6. Premises & staff**
The premises are provided by the All Saints Church, with a three-year lease of £8,100 pa until 22 November 2027.
## **7. Trustees’ remuneration**
Trustees received no expenses, remuneration or benefits in this period.
## **8. Related party transactions**
- No related party transactions in this period.
## **9. Glossary of terms**
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**Creditors:** These are amounts owed by the charity, but not paid during the accounting period.
**Prepayments:** These are services that the charity has paid for in advance, but not used during the accounting period.
**Restricted funds:** These are funds given to the charity, subject to specific restrictions set by the donor, but still within the general objects of the charity.
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## **SFiCE Foundation: Making a Difference**
In 2024, we worked tirelessly to support our community. Through projects like our Social Cafe, Health and Wellbeing and Benefits Advice Group, we made a real impact. Thank you to our volunteers, donors, and community members. Your support makes it all possible.
## **2024**
Annual Impact Report
**2,777 £85,198 5,208** KG of food waste saved Meals Served £’s of Funding Secured to support from landfill our projects
## Introduction
Welcome to the SFiCE Foundation’s Impact Report for 2024.
**"Happiness comes when we think of others, before we**
**think of ourselves." - Parminder Dhanjal, Director**
This report details our key outcomes, achievements, and impactful projects, while also outlining our vision for 2025.
As we celebrate 10 years of serving our community, we also mark a significant milestone: our first year of comprehensive social and community impact reporting. We're committed to understanding the true impact of our work—the difference we make to the lives of those we seek to help. This report, and those to follow, will explore these impacts and identify key trends as we continue to deepen our understanding of SFiCE’s benefit to the community.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Helping Vulnerable AdultsinMottinghamUK
Support For Individuals in a Caring
Environment
Strategic Overview
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## **Our Vision**
We envision contributing to Nottingham becoming a stronger, more resilient community where individuals facing age-related challenges, ill health, disability, financial hardship, or other disadvantages have the support they need to flourish
## **Our Impact on the Community**
## **Our Values**
SFiCE Foundation is guided by values of inclusivity, compassion, and community spirit. We provide a welcoming environment for everyone, regardless of background, operating on non-religious, nonpolitical, and non-sectarian principles. We are committed to supporting people during vulnerable periods in their lives, using community development as the foundation of our work.
In 2024, SFiCE's reach grew, enabling us to support an estimated **500** individuals. Participants themselves shared that attending our projects contributed to improvements in their mental health and nutrition.
## **Projects**
**Social Café**
**Health and Wellbeing**
**Support Services**
## **Details**
A hot, three-course meal should be a right, not a privilege. We serve free meals to all, removing every barrier to accessing vital sustenance.
Supporting individuals holistically, addressing their diverse needs, creating lasting impact.
We provide comprehensive support through our project, offering essential resources like emergency food, clothing, toiletries, and access to showering and laundry facilities.
## **Outcome**
**5,208** meals addressed critical food insecurity among vulnerable adults in Nottingham.
**45** individuals experienced transformative change through our support.
For **209** individuals, this project offered a lifeline by providing access to food parcels, clothing, toiletries, showers, and laundry services.
**ESOL Classes**
Free ESOL classes are essential for non-native English speakers, providing the language skills needed for integration, independence, and opportunity
**63** students achieved a greater command of spoken and listening English through our ESOL class
**Social Cafe** Who we supported
Financial Difficulties 1578
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Unknown
2313
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Homeless
1232
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I was struggling with food since I started rough sleeping but now knowing this place I do not worry as much as I am guarenteed a 3 course meal and the food is lovely and healthy.
In 2024, we served an average of 36 free threecourse meals daily—a total of 5,208 meals— providing vital nourishment and support to those in need. These meals were served in a safe, warm space, offering not just sustenance but also valuable social connection.
While many who accessed our services preferred not to disclose their personal circumstances, we know that among these meals, 1,232 went to individuals experiencing homelessness and 1,578 to those facing acute financial hardship. *
- Damian, Service User
*These figures represent meals served and may include individuals who accessed our services multiple times, highlighting the ongoing need for this essential community support.
## **Health and Wellbeing**
Since joining SFiCE in April 2024, our Health and Wellbeing Officer, Ro, has made a significant positive impact on the lives of our service users. Embracing a holistic approach, Ro develops bespoke plans for each individual, addressing their diverse needs and empowering them to improve their prospects. This has resulted in tangible outcomes, including securing accommodation, gaining employment, and improving mental health, among other achievements.
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Mental Health Suppport
31.9%
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Employment Support
31.9%
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Housing Support 36.2%
The help Ro gave me will have a very big impact on improving my life. I will be able to find a job again, I will be back on the right track in my life. The team who work in this foundation are great people. Here I feel at home
-Sandra, Service User
*Figures shown are from a 8 month period from MAY 2024- DECEMBER 2024
## **Support Services**
**125 61** Showers accessed
Loads of Laundry done
**65**
Food Parcels distributed
## **Music for Wellbeing**
of Service Users said their mood was improved after participation in a session
The Music for Wellbeing project has quickly become a valuable resource for our community. Under the guidance of a qualified and highly experienced music teacher, our group provides participants with a positive outlet for creative expression and fosters a strong sense of community through shared musical experiences.
## **Support Hub**
Our new pilot project, The Support Hub has quickly become a beacon of hope for those facing digital and benefits-related challenges. We've helped people gain essential computer skills, apply for jobs online, and access vital benefits, all in a welcoming and supportive environment. It's amazing to see how a little support can make a world of difference!
## **Celebrating our Volunteers**
**2,468** Hours of Volunteer experience Accessed
## **13**
Consistent Volunteer Roles available weekly
## **26**
Service Users accessed our Volunteer Programme
I was interested in volunteering in order to help the local community and at the same time gain some skills in order to get a job. I love what SFiCE does and it's a lovely welcoming environment where you feel kindness from staff and volunteers.
- Carl Biddle, Volunteer
Volunteering is the lifeblood of our organisation, enriching both our community and the lives of those who give their time. In 2024, our dedicated volunteers contributed an incredible 2,468 hours, supporting our vital services. From preparing nutritious meals in our kitchen, fostering community connections in our social café, to providing essential support within our ESOL training courses and supporting our Benefits Advisor, our volunteers fill crucial roles.
Each week, we offer around 13 volunteer opportunities, with the potential for even more as we develop new roles in areas like social media, volunteer coordination, and community activities.
Beyond the tangible support, volunteering empowers individuals. We're proud that several service users have transitioned into volunteer roles, demonstrating the transformative power of giving back. Even those who
regularly help with tasks like cleaning, though not formal volunteers, contribute significantly to our positive environment. Furthermore, our work with organisations like The Friary, Framework, Beam, Street Aid and our local Primary Care Network has enabled us to better support individuals, highlighting the broader impact of our volunteer programme.
These contributions, both big and small, strengthen our community and enable us to better serve those in need.
## Looking Forward
Looking forward, collaboration is key to unlocking even greater things for SFiCE! We're excited to build on our existing partnerships with fantastic local organisations and make connections with even more groups who share our passion for supporting vulnerable individuals. By joining forces, sharing ideas, and working together, we can create a ripple effect of positive change and build a truly supportive community for everyone we serve.
At SFiCE, we recognise the incredible value of our volunteers and are committed to their development, nurturing their talents and providing them with the support they need to flourish, benefiting both individuals and our community!
And, of course, a huge thank you to our wonderful funders and donors – your generosity makes all the difference! Together, with compassion and dedication, we can create a community where everyone's basic needs are met, their rights are respected, and they are empowered to live a fulfilling life
Generously supported by-
The National Lottery, The Tudor Trust, Albert Hunt Trust, Charles Littlewood Trust, Gemini, Hockley Hustle, Nottingham Street Aid
7| **www.sfice.org** Charity Reg:1155645