2025-03-31-accounts - Aspire And Reach

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ASPIRE AND REACH

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT 2025

The Governors of Aspire and Reach Charity present their annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 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

Aspire and Reach is a well-established Charitable Incorporated Organisation committed to raising aspirations and hopes within underprivileged communities in the West Midlands. Our distinctive approach combines Sports, Education, and Mentoring to support and develop individuals.

The charity operates under a Declaration of Trust signed in March 2014 and a scheme sealed by the Charity Commissioners on 30 June 2014.

Our charitable objectives are:

To promote healthy recreation, particularly through Martial Arts such as Karate and Jiu-Jitsu.
To provide mentoring support to young people and vulnerable adults.
To advance education, particularly in foreign languages and IT skills.

Through our structured development programmes, we aim to build self-confidence, motivation, and social skills, and to foster a sense of belonging and community contribution.

OUR OBJECTIVES

The Trustees have continued to focus on objectives that reflect the charity's ethos:

Increase the duration and quality of physical activity among young people.
Improve self-esteem and confidence.
Broaden our reach into harder-to-reach communities.
Continue workshops and support to existing beneficiaries.
Provide clear exit routes and referrals to additional services.
Strengthen collaboration with local voluntary organisations.
Further develop and expand the Holiday Activity Programme.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

In 2024–25, Aspire and Reach continued to grow in reach, ambition, and impact. We strengthened our services and deepened our commitment to the most vulnerable in our community.

Expansion of Our Programmes

We were proud to deliver a second year of HOT FOOD FOR THE HOMELESS , funded by the National Lottery , which enabled us to prepare and distribute more meals than ever before to rough sleepers and those facing housing insecurity in Wolverhampton. We have seen a notable rise in service users, including individuals arriving from outside the region, such as London, underlining the scale of need.

Youth Inclusion and Martial Arts Development

The Heart of England Foundation , through the Inclusive Communities Fund , provided valuable funding to expand our Martial Arts training for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. This enabled free and inclusive access to structured sports and mentoring, empowering our youth through discipline, confidence-building, and community.

Strategic Planning Support

The Postcode Local Trust provided an unrestricted grant that has proven crucial in allowing us to focus on forward planning, sustainability, and organisational development—ensuring Aspire and Reach can continue to serve our community long into the future.

Holiday Clubs and Local Authority Collaboration

We continued our strong partnership with Wolverhampton City Council , delivering Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programmes across several half-term breaks. These included food provision, physical and creative activities, entertainment, and emotional support—bringing joy and hope to local children and young people during school holidays.

Mentoring in Schools

Our Mentoring Programme has expanded in collaboration with Merridale Primary School and other educational institutions. We've worked closely with staff and pupil referral units to deliver holistic support that blends life coaching with Martial Arts, resulting in improved behaviour, emotional regulation, and academic engagement.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

During the financial year, we received:

National Lottery funding for our HOT FOOD FOR THE HOMELESS project.
Grants from Heart of England for Martial Arts expansion.
An unrestricted grant from Postcode Local Trust , aiding our strategic planning.
Continued support from Wolverhampton City Council for our Holiday Clubs.
• Smaller contributions from schools and other partners supporting our Mentoring Programme.

Total restricted £26,501.94 and unrestricted £8,670 funds receipts espectively amount to total receipts to £35,171.94 , with total resource expenditure of £44,399.75 (see Financial Statements).

The charity continues to seek funding opportunities to grow our services sustainably and ensure we can respond to emerging needs.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

There were no changes to report regarding our structure or governance. We remain committed to continuous improvement, transparency, and strong leadership.

We continue to recruit volunteers and support work experience placements, particularly through our Holiday Programmes, reinforcing community ownership and upskilling local residents.

Aspire and Reach

Income and Expenditure Account for Year Ended 31 March 2025

Income Loan Transfers/Interest Grants Donations Total Incoming Resources Expenditure Equipment Instructors/Mentors Marketing Lettings Volunteers Food/Drinks Admin Logistics/Other Total Resources Expended Net Income for the Year Total at 1 April 2024 Total Funds at 31 March 2025	Unrestricted £ Restricted £ 2024 £ £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £386.24 £386.24 £8,440.00 £24,914.50 £33,354.50 £230.00 £1,201.20 £1,431.20
	£8,670.00 £26,501.94 £35,171.94
	£8,440.00 £3,344.00 £11,784.00 £3,149.76 £13,250.00 £16,399.76 £0.00 £982.78 £982.78 £0.00 £4,655.86 £4,655.86 £0.00 £650.00 £650.00 £0.00 £6,070.71 £6,070.71 £133.70 £2,157.55 £2,291.25 £0.00 £1,565.39 £1,565.39
	£11,723.46 £32,676.29 £44,399.75
	-£3,053.46 -£6,174.35 -£9,227.81 £14,254.83 £4,774.60

Balance Sheet at 31 March 2025

Fixed Assets

Current Assets Bank and Cash £4,774.60 Current Liabilities - Creditors: (Amounts due within one Year) Net Asset £ 4,774.60 Funds Unrestricted Funds £0.00 Restricted Funds £4,774.60 Total Funds £ 4,774.60 Signed: (Chair) Date: 30 April 2025

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees/ Charity Name ASPIRE members of AND REACH

On accounts for the year 2024 - 2025 Charity no 1157641 ended (if any) Set out on pages 3

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/03/2025.

As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of

Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of basis of report 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 examiner's statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention (other than that disclosed below *) in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that:

Accounting records were kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act
The accounts are consistent with the accounting records,
All receipts and invoices are kept according to payments made,
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: 31/05/2025 Name: Paula Francisca Relevant professional AAT Certified accountant qualification(s) or body (if any): 28 Vauxhall Avenue Address: WV1 4TA

IER

1 May 2025

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 .