ASPIRE AND REACH
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT 2024
The Governors of Aspire and Reach Charity present their annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 and confirm they comply with the requirements of the Charities Act 1993, as amended by the Charities Act 2006, the trust deed and the Charities SORP 2005.
OUR AIMS
The Charity operates under a Declaration of Trust dated and signed in March 2014 and a scheme which was sealed by the Charity Commissioners for England and Wales on 30 June 2014 which included the regulations for appointment of trustees.
Aspire And Reach is a well-established Charitable Incorporated Organisation that is committed to raising people’s aspirations and hopes in areas of under privileged communities in the West Midlands, offering a unique package that links the benefits of Sports, Education and Mentoring.
The objects of the Charity are:
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(1) The promotion of community participation in healthy recreation in particular by the provision of facilities for participating in the sports in specific of karate, Jiujitsu and other Martial Arts Sports.
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(2) Mentoring support to young people and vulnerable adults, the services can be combined with sports
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(3) To advance the education of the public in the West Midlands in particular but not exclusively in foreign languages and IT skills
We aim, through our work, to provide a sound service to children and young people. We seek to provide a structured personal development environment that improves our member’s capabilities, competences, skills and foremost their undiscovered potential. We promote social and interpersonal skills, moral compass and physical development of our members through exercise, communication skills and mentoring. We provide an educational environment where each member can develop and fulfil his or her potential, building their self-confidence, motivation, drive, and inculcating a desire to contribute to the wider community. In so doing, we prepare our members for the opportunities, responsibilities and experience of current and later life.
OUR OBJECTIVES
Our objectives are set to reflect our primary aims and the ethos of the Charity. It is important to us that we maintain and enhance the success of the Charity in bringing change through personal development and community cohesion. This objective is, however, set in the context of the broader goals we set for the Charity and its beneficiaries. In setting our objectives and planning our activities our Trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit and in particular to its supplementary public benefit guidance on advancing physical and mental health and education of the public.
Our key objectives for the year included further development of last year’s aims:
To increase beneficiaries’ level and length of fitness and reduce idle time;
To improve Children’s and Young People’s self-esteem and confidence;
To broaden our services and extend the range of options to spread out to a vast community, particularly those who are hard to reach;
To provide continuing assistance to our beneficiaries already in receipt of support through courses/workshops;
To increase the provision of exit routes through signposting or referring to other agencies or services;
To develop our ‘Programme Links’ programme of co-operation and joint working with local Voluntary Sector Organisations;
To consolidate and expand our Holidays Activity programme, which we run on behalf of the City of Wolverhampton Council
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
Our Trustees are responsible for setting a strategy for achieving the objectives they have set. The focus of our strategy is on the development of our beneficiaries, their continued improvement of motivation and self-esteem to further contribute towards our community welfare.
In taking forward our strategy we:
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Review and benchmark the Charity syllabus, support practices and results;
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Ensure the range of activities available to our members is stimulating and challenging;
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Invest in service choice and the subsequent infrastructure of our Charity;
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Trailblazer - hubs of weekly FREE sessions to non-sportive young people (often in schools)
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Co-operate and share resources with local charities;
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Expand the Holiday Activity Programme to other geographic areas of Wolverhampton
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Provide further support to the homeless through our “HOT FOOD FOR THE HOMELESS 2 PROGRAMME”, which is the second year that we have been delivering hot meals to homeless people, particularly the rough sleepers in Wolverhampton.
The past ten years we have been partially successful in securing funding for projects supported by the National Lottery, Local Authority and other organisations, where we managed to reach a considerable number of members of our community. Due to the King coronation, we had secured a small grant that has enabled us to throw a party to the community to commemorate the new king. We have secured a considerable amount of funding sponsored by the national government through the National Lottery.
Nevertheless, we have continuously seeking funding to further current programmes and start new ones. We have managed to brainstorm and rethink on different ways to overcome our difficulties. The remaining cash we’ve used for administrative expenses which has allowed us to keep the minimum operational level. Young people have been up to the challenge and have found the volunteer activities to be both beneficial and fulfilling. This opportunity provided to local young people renewed hope, motivation and has engaged the community which has helped to build on community cohesion.
In addition, a great deal of time, thought and effort was spent in promoting projects in collaboration with local schools, initially at a Primary level but we have now reached secondary schools as well.
Most recently, we have been approached by more schools and people’s referral Unit staff keen to work with us on our Mentoring and Martial Arts Programme.
Since Easter 2023, we have delivered the Holiday Activity Programme on behalf of the Wolverhampton City Council in partnership with the Department of Education, which has been very successful among the young people who attended, their parents and carers and have been advocated by the Wolverhampton City Council to apply for similar Holiday Programmes.
The Heart of England Foundation has awarded a small grant for our Martial Arts programme, which is sill under way.
Our Magic Little Grant of £500 have allowed to extend out homeless programme a little further and it has been much appreciated.
We continuously recruit volunteers or other people onboard for work experience purposes, particularly on our Holidays Programme.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
Total receipts of restricted funds for the year was £ 32,108.66 and total resources expenses was £ 20,920.82 as per Financial Statements.
We have received funding from the City of Wolverhampton Council for three Holidays Activity Fund for the period of one week during the half terms. The Wolverhampton Voluntary Council Action have granted us with a small grant and sports England offered us a substantial grant, although small it was over 10K. The National Lottery awarded Aspire and Reach with one of their small grants which gave us the opportunity to develop a Homeless programme. Our organisation have developed substantial more projects when we compare with the previous year.
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
We do not have any changes to report regarding the structure, governance and management team.
Aspire and Reach
Income and Expenditure Account for Year Ended 31 March 2024
| Unrestricted £ | Restricted £ | 2023 £ | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income | ||||
| Loan | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
| Transfers/Interest | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
| Grants | £0.00 | £31,280.46 | £31,280.46 | |
| Donations | £0.00 | £728.20 | £728.20 | |
| Total Incoming Resources | £0.00 | £32,008.66 | £32,008.66 | |
| Expenditure | ||||
| Equipment | £0.00 | £2,108.11 | £2,108.11 | |
| Instructors/Mentors | £354.00 | £6,257.00 | £6,611.00 | |
| Marketing | £0.00 | £821.17 | £821.17 | |
| Lettings | £190.00 | £1,360.00 | £1,550.00 | |
| Volunteers | £0.00 | £1,350.00 | £1,350.00 | |
| Food/Drinks | £0.00 | £4,096.79 | £4,096.79 | |
| Admin | £242.86 | £356.60 | £599.46 | |
| Other | £0.00 | £3,784.29 | £3,784.29 | |
| Total Resources Expended | £786.86 | £20,133.96 | £20,920.82 | |
| Net Income for the Year | -£786.86 | £11,874.70 | £11,087.84 | |
| Total at 1 April 2023 | £611.18 | |||
| Total Funds at 31 March 2024 | £14,254.83 | |||
| Balance Sheet at 31 March 2024 | ||||
| Fixed Assets | - | |||
| Current Assets | ||||
| Bank and Cash | - | |||
| Current Liabilities | ||||
| Creditors: (Amounts due within one Year) | - | |||
| Net Asset | £ | - |
||
| Funds | ||||
| Unrestricted Funds | 14,254.83 | |||
| Restricted Funds | - | |||
| Total Funds | ||||
| £ | 14,254.83 |
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| Signed: | (Chair) | |||
| Date: 30 April 2024 |
Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
Report to the trustees/ Charity Name ASPIRE AND REACH members of On accounts for the year 2023 - 2024 Charity no 1157641 ended (if any) Set out on pages 2
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/03/2024.
- Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention (other than that disclosed below *) in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that:
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Accounting records were kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act
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The accounts are consistent with the accounting records,
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All receipts and invoices kept according to payments made,
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No matters of material significance were detected.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
- Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.
Signed: Paula Francisca Date: 03/11/2024 ~~Ps |~~ Name: Paula Francisca ~~Pe~~ Relevant professional AAT Certified accountant qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: 28 Vauxhall avenue WV1 4TA
1
IER
Nobember 2024
Section B Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .
2
IER
Nobember 2024