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2021-03-31-accounts

Hello and welcome to the Acts 4 Sharing Annual Report for the year ending 31[st] March 2020

INTRODUCTION BY THE TRUSTEES

This annual report outlines Acts 4 Sharing’s seventh year as a charitable organisation - a complete year working under the restrictions placed upon us all by the global COVID-19 pandemic, as was highlighted in last year’s report it was to be a very challenging year but with increasing opportunities to meet the objectives of the charity, in bringing relief of poverty, encouragement, love and compassion to all our service users.

As you will see in the report record numbers of people who would struggle to receive little or no support in other ways, have been helped, as the needs and workload increased throughout this year, the provision by the staff, volunteers and all those associated with Acts4Sharing has significantly grown to meet the increased challenge.

We have continued to develop the HQ to not only meet today’s needs but in readiness for the time when restrictions are removed, and the place can be used more effectively to help even more people.

We take this opportunity to give a special “thank you” to all our wonderful volunteers, our partner churches and organisations, the trustees, referral personnel and the many donors for their amazing support and dedication.

It has been wonderful in these very strange and unknown times to know that the work is being supported especially in prayer and through financial support, without this we would not find encouragement to seek the opportunity to help, grow and support others. Thank you so much!

“Acts 4 Sharing” is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation with the Charity Commission in England. No.1158033. so read on and be encouraged with what God is doing through A4S. We hope that you find this report helpful and informative and if you want to know more just visit our website http://www.acts4sharing.org/.

“Acts 4 Sharing” is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation with the Charity Commission in England. No. 1158033.

THANKS

First and foremost, we give thanks to God, our Father for His faithfulness to us as we continue to ‘Show His love in practical ways in our local community and beyond.” We’ve continued to stand together in prayer each month and are constantly grateful for positive answers in every area of Acts 4 Sharing, from practical needs for clients, for the availability of volunteers at the right time, through to our finances to enable us to keep doing what we’re doing, as we seek to honour and glorify God in all that we do.

We continue to be extremely grateful to each and every member of the Acts 4 Sharing team – those who pray with and for us; the hands-on volunteers who do an amazing job at Hope HQ sorting, cleaning and preparing items to be delivered; all those who drive the van, without them we couldn’t carry on; the individuals, churches and organisations who choose to support us financially and our amazing team of Trustees; and last but by no means least, our landlords at Hope HQ. The whole team are vitally important to enable Acts 4 Sharing to function and we are appreciative of each and every one.

This year has been quite a challenge with Covid-19 and all the restrictions that it has landed upon us. With this in mind we are particularly thankful h h b to all the hands-on team members who felt able to carry on volunteering throughout, as and when they were allowed to. We are also especially thankful to additional family or ‘bubble’ members who joined the team temporarily to travel in the van together, enabling collections and deliveries to carry on in spite of the pandemic.

HOPE HQ AND THE GARDEN

We moved into Hope HQ very near the end of last year and as mentioned in last year’s report it was very quickly transformed from its previous use into an amazing space for all of our storage and community needs. During this past year a few minor adjustments have been made, making it even better 😊.

When it was safe to do so a local company were able to fit our sign above the door, now it’s easier for people to find us 😊

Once the work was complete, we were able to fill the clothing bank with donations that had previously been made to COG (churches outreach group), as they made the decision to pass

“Acts 4 Sharing” is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation with the Charity Commission in England. No. 1158033.

on their mission to us. We have, for many years, considered a clothing bank but previously had no space to accommodate one. It took several weeks and extra hands (socially distanced, of course) to achieve filling all the boxes and rails. The clothing bank has been used a few times throughout the year, by appointment, with either clients or their support workers choosing items, from those in need of baby clothes through to homeless clients needing clean, new clothing. (All achieved whilst adhering to Covid-19 regulations.)

We also soon sorted, measured and filled the bedding, curtains and household linen bank with items that had previously been stored in the home of our CEO.

Sadly, due to the pandemic, we’ve not been able to fully open up; we’ve not been able to return to our ‘skill sharing’ sessions and have been unable to offer the opportunity of dropping in for a cuppa as we had hoped to.

However, we were able to make the indoor space available for a support group to meet once a week as they continued recovery from addictions; it was a privilege to be able to offer this encouragement.

During the year the garden continued to be transformed; we grew vegetables, many of which were offered to our clients when we were delivering.

The most recent addition has been a decking area giving amazing views of the river. This was achieved using reclaimed scaffolding planks which were very kindly donated to us.

A couple of our volunteers have whiled away many a Saturday morning working outside to accomplish all these changes in a beautiful and peaceful environment.

We are truly grateful to God for this oasis of tranquillity and beauty as we’ve watched the wildlife during our tea and lunch breaks. We look forward to sharing the space with clients as soon as we can.

“Acts 4 Sharing” is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation with the Charity Commission in England. No. 1158033.

TRANSPORT

The van continues to serve us well and is out and about most weekdays, often doing multiple jobs and has helped to spread the word that we are here 😊

Since July 2020 we have also helped Foodbank at least twice a week, collecting stock from their warehouse and delivering it to the three local distribution centres.

Sadly, last summer we arrived to find that the van had been broken into; this led to two weeks off the road, and a very large bill, whilst everything was repaired. We are thankful to local van owners who filled the gap for urgent jobs to be achieved.

On its return we fitted it with a wheel clamp to deter any further, would-be thieves.

- STORAGE CONATAINERS

Alongside Hope HQ, we still have our two containers, currently sited at Poulner Baptist Chapel. During this year one has been used as an overflow by ‘Tool Aid Ringwood’ who needed additional space to allow for quarantining incoming donations. The other one has been used by Foodbank as an overflow due to extra supplies being donated.

We have been looking into giving a container away to another charity, but as yet this has not come to fruition.

LOCAL WORK

We’ve spent the entirety of this year working within the Covid-19 pandemic and its restrictions. When taking on Hope HQ we never imagined that one of the first tasks we’d need to do would be a risk assessment

for such a thing! However, we were able to achieve it and with additional safety measures in place we’ve been able to continue working safely.

Some of our volunteers had to shield, but they were covered by others who came on board, even if only temporarily. Only one volunteer has had to isolate due to contact with someone else who tested positive. We are extraordinarily grateful that we have all stayed safe and well throughout.

“Acts 4 Sharing” is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation with the Charity Commission in England. No. 1158033.

As mentioned last year, it would appear that more people have found out about us, both those who donate and also those who refer. It was very evident with the amount of collections, drop-offs and deliveries that were happening that the work of Acts 4 Sharing was growing; by half way through the year we’d already exceeded the number of people helped and the number of items given out compared to previous years.

During this past year we have received donations from over 208 different people as so many more people have found out about us through 22 different sources including the logo on the van, the website, Facebook and, of course, word of mouth.

For many people, lockdown gave them the opportunity of time to sort through neglected cupboards, lofts and cellars, and we are thankful that they chose to offer their unwanted items to Acts 4 Sharing, whilst also saving them from landfill.

Sadly, for others, they have been faced with the difficult task of clearing the home of a loved one after they moved into care, or passed away. This task has been made harder by the Covid-19 restrictions, with many charity shops having to remain closed. It has been a privilege to get alongside these families, to hear their stories and to assure them that

others will benefit from the items that were special to their family member.

“Acts 4 Sharing” is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation with the Charity Commission in England. No. 1158033.

These donations have enabled us to assist 352 clients this year, more than double compare to last year. Each one of these individual people have been referred to us by one of our partners. The number of individual partners within various organisations have grown rapidly throughout the year. We network with housing, homeless prevention and resettlement team members across the local councils in the New Forest, Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole, Dorset and Hampshire. Alongside them we also take referrals from social workers, health visitors, support workers and other charities seeking to help people get back on their feet again.

More than 15,727KG of items have been given out, this amounts to over twice as many kilos of items compared to the previous year. This number represents all manner of furniture, white goods and household items, including: 80 beds, 80 sofas/armchairs, 27 wardrobes, 53 chests of drawers, 27 tables and 91 chairs, 15 fridge-freezers, 17 washing machines, 6 tumble dryers, 19 microwaves, 27 kettles and 22 toasters.

Additionally, we’ve given out 47 sets of crockery & cutlery and 53 sets of cooking items and utensils, 173 duvet sets, 224 towels and 98 pairs of curtains as well as clothing!

We also have a beautiful Blessings Box, created by volunteers; it’s kept filled with all those little extras that make a place more homely, such as pictures, ornaments, vases etc – a few clients have chosen their own items in person, whilst others have chosen over the phone.

It continues to cause us sadness that so many people are struggling financially for a variety of reasons. Those we help are of all ages and stages of life. Often those we help are young families, but also, we are increasingly being asked to assist elderly people as they are rehoused. For many 352 is just a number, but each one is an individual person and we aim to show them God’s love and to let them know that they are valued and worthy.

“Acts 4 Sharing” is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation with the Charity Commission in England. No. 1158033.

We can only speculate as to why we have seen so much more need; perhaps it’s simply because more referral partners now know about us, or maybe it’s because of the additional hardship caused by the pandemic. Either way we are so very glad that God called us to start this work over seven years ago and remain privileged that we can help and support as and when we can in our local community and beyond.

At Acts 4 Sharing we continue to offer a Bible and prayer to each person who we deliver to. So, we were delighted to discover that Gideons, now re-named ‘Good News For All’ were happy and willing to donate 1,837 NIV Bibles to us, which they delivered to us for free 😊 These will enable the Good News to be given out for many months into the future. We’ve also been able to pass whole boxes onto other organisations for them to give away too.

A new addition has been networking with Foodbank, which sees us receiving bakery products that we are able to add to deliveries on the day, or take to clients living locally. We are also able to offer to local clients, the opportunity of signing up to Fareshare Larder, which enables them to pay a small amount each week to receive fresh produce of a much greater value.

FUNDING

We remain totally gratefully to all the individuals, churches and organisations who choose to support us financially, many doing so on a regular basis. Without them we simply couldn’t function.

Obviously, moving into Hope HQ has incurred additionally monthly costs including rent, utilities and Wi-Fi. Furthermore, with so many more collections and deliveries taking place each month there is a higher cost of fuel to consider. The insurance on the van also increased after the break in.

Despite all these increases we have always had enough funding to cover all our costs, for which we are very thankful.

Due to the pandemic sourcing funding has become even more difficult, with some Trust Funds ceasing to operate at all. Additionally, some Trust Funds choose not to support Christian charities.

So, we continue to do what we’ve always done – trust God to provide for the work that He has called us to do, whilst applying to Trust Funds along the way, even though none have been successful this year.

“Acts 4 Sharing” is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation with the Charity Commission in England. No. 1158033.

COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION

We work very closely with Poulner Baptist Chapel ; their Mission Group keep a close eye on us and ensure that the work of Acts 4 Sharing is prayed for and spoken about regularly within the church.

We were very grateful at Harvest when they chose to ask for kitchen items to be donated to us, instead of the usual gifts of food being brought forward. This was in addition to giving everyone the opportunity to donate financially too.

At the beginning of the pandemic, we were able to share some of our stock, including hospital curtains that had been donated a few years ago, to enable drawstring laundry bags and scrubs to be made for NHS and care home staff, along with masks being made for the local community.

Since January, Foodbank have provided starter packs of essential items for people moving into new homes from B&B’s or homeless situations, giving them an extra boost for their first few days.

In February we were able to link with a church in London to provide support for a young family who moved into their area, where they knew no one. Through a network of people, we were able to put potential support in place.

Through Facebook we were invited to join a local group who offer and request items with no exchange of money. Many additional items have been donated to us through this group, and a new volunteer joined the team after finding out about us through the group.

Link Magazine very kindly gave us a free page, giving us room to have an article posted to tell the community in the outlying villages about us. The article was written by one of our volunteers. Focus Magazines which go out in Ringwood and Fordingbridge also, very kindly, gave us a free page, so with a little alteration the article also went out across these communities. Both articles have generated new support with donated items.

Wardrobe Foundation is a new venture in our local area; they wash sort and choose appropriate items for ladies in need of new clothing. They are now networking with us, so that we can provide for our clients if our own clothing bank doesn’t have enough.

“Acts 4 Sharing” is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation with the Charity Commission in England. No. 1158033.

TRUSTEES

During the year of team of Trustees have changed a bit. We are very thankful to Nick, who served as a Founding Trustee and Chair of Trustees for seven years. Nick has now moved on to focus on his new job.

In the meantime, we have been joined by two new Trustees; both have been part of our volunteer team for a long time. Keith and Paul joined us in November, and after a very short time, Keith took on the role of Chair of Trustees.

LOOKING FORWARD

Despite Sue’s (CEO) hours being increased at the beginning of last year, it has become apparent that even that increase wasn’t sufficient. Taking on Hope HQ along with additional workload of this past year has seen Sue working many voluntary hours to ensure everything gets achieved. It would be great if we could raise enough funds to make the role full time, or perhaps to pay an administrator as well.

As we end this year the two containers are still residing at Poulner Baptist Chapel, and we are grateful for them allowing this. As above, they are currently being borrowed by other charities. As time goes on, and hopefully, the pandemic subsides we will be looking towards finding new homes for them.

At the moment, due to the Covid-19 restrictions we have not been able to return to Cooking Club, and haven’t been able to begin other ‘skill sharing’ activities at Hope HQ. We hope, that as restrictions ease that we will be able to start up these activities safely, enabling clients to meet together, enjoy getting to grips with new skills and feel valued as they spend time with us.

As we said at the end of last year:

We look forward to being able to:

The financial statements for the year ending 31[st] March 2021 are on the following pages

“Acts 4 Sharing” is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation with the Charity Commission in England. No. 1158033.

Financial Report for the Year Ending 31 March 2021

Basic Information

Acts 4 Sharing was registered with the Charity Commission as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) on 28 July 2014 (registration number 1158033).

The Trustees are:

Nick Magor (resigned August 2020) Bev Whalen Steve Coffey (resigned July 2021) Keith Melrose (appointed January 2021) Paul Budgen (appointed January 2021) Registered Office: 5 Kiln Way, Verwood, Dorset. BH31 6GE Operating Office: Hope HQ, 29 Parkside, Ringwood BH24 3SG Telephone: 07810005763 Web site: www.acts4sharing.org E-mail address: office@acts4sharing.org

“Acts 4 Sharing” is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation with the Charity Commission in England. No. 1158033.

Statement of Financial Activities

----- Start of picture text -----
Acts 4 Sharing
Income and Expenditure Account
for the Year Ending 31 March 2021
2019/20 Notes Unrestricted Restricted Total
£ £ £ £
Income:
5,722 Gifts from individuals 1 9,196 42,672 51,868
5,605 Gifts from churches 8,060 180 8,240
11,110 Gifts relating to Hope HQ 2 40 40
658 Gift Aid recovered 790 790
299 Grants etc 3 633 633
12 Other contributions / donations 24 24
23,406 Total income: 18,703 42,892 61,595
Expenditure:
8,310 Employee costs 1 and 4 7,172 7,060 14,232
338 Travel and subsistence 571 571
67 Containers - expenses 145 145
5,564 Van - running costs and depreciation 5 8,017 8,017
2,126 Hope HQ expenses 2 8,767 8,767
1,788 Admin, insurances and other costs 6 2,636 2,636
18,193 Total expenditure: 10,524 23,844 34,368
5,213 Surplus / (deficit) 8,179 19,048 27,227
27,417 Balance brought forward: 12,434 20,196 32,630
32,630 Balance in hand at end of year: 7 and 8 20,613 39,244 59,857
----- End of picture text -----

As at 31
March 2020
(£)
Notes
£
8,820
Assets:
Van
9
6,300
23,810
Balances at Bank
10
53,584
32,630
59,884
0
Current liabilities - Creditors
11
(27)
32,630
Net Assets and Liabilities
59,857
12,434
Reserves:
Unrestricted
7
20,613
20,196
Restricted
8
39,244
32,630
59,857
Acts 4 Sharing
Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2021		 As at 31
March 2020
(£)
Notes
£
8,820
Assets:
Van
9
6,300
23,810
Balances at Bank
10
53,584
32,630
59,884
0
Current liabilities - Creditors
11
(27)
32,630
Net Assets and Liabilities
59,857
12,434
Reserves:
Unrestricted
7
20,613
20,196
Restricted
8
39,244
32,630
59,857
Acts 4 Sharing
Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2021
As at 31
March 2020
(£)
8,820
23,810		 £
6,300
53,584
32,630
0		 59,884
(27)
32,630 59,857
12,434
20,196		 20,613
39,244
32,630 59,857

The notes are on the next page.

“Acts 4 Sharing” is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation with the Charity Commission in England. No. 1158033.

Disclosures to the above accounts:

Specific gifts were given as follows:
Individuals
Co-op Stores
Ringwood Carnival
Churches
Expenses were as follows:
Rent
Energy, water etc
Set up costs
Other costs		 2019/20 (£)
6,818
2,542
300
1,450		 2020/21 (£)
40
0
0
0
11,110 40
2019/20 (£)
1,000
1,115
11		 2020/21 (£)
6,000
1,631
840
296
2,126 8,767
Insurance
Road Fund Licence
Servicing / repairs / MOT etc
Fuel
Depreciation (see note 6 below)		 2019/20 (£)
1,581
260
1,029
174
2,520		 2020/21 (£)
2,731
163
1,724
879
2,520
5,564 8,017
n the Restricted Fund are as follows:
Van (see note 5)
Pay and Pensions (see note 1)
Hope HQ (see note 2)		 2019/20 (£)
11,212
8,984		 2020/21 (£)
3,817
35,170
257
20,196 39,244
10
This is made up of:
Lloyds Bank
Nationwide BS		 2019/20 (£)
23,794
16		 2020/21 (£)
53,584
0
23,810 53,584

11 In 2020/21, this relates to employee costs for March paid in April.

Sue Wall May 2021

“Acts 4 Sharing” is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation with the Charity Commission in England. No. 1158033.

Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities

Charity Law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity as at the end of the financial year and of the surplus or deficit of the charity. In preparing those financial statements the Trustees are required to:-

The Trustees are also responsible for maintaining proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and which are sufficient to show and explain the charity's transactions and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with regulations made under the Charities Act. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Trustees are also responsible for the contents of the Trustees' report, and the responsibility of the independent examiner in relation to the Trustees' Report is limited to examining the report and ensuring that, on the face of the report, there are no inconsistencies with the figures disclosed in the financial statements.

Signed on behalf of the Board Keith Melrose, Trustee 17 July 2021

“Acts 4 Sharing” is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation with the Charity Commission in England. No. 1158033.

Acts 4 Sharing

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2021

Accounting policies

The financial statements of the Charity have been prepared in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 and Section 1A of Financial Reporting Standard 102 effective April 2008, as modified by the Statement of Recommended Practice for Accounting and Reporting issued by the Charity Commissioners for England & Wales, under the historical cost convention and the accounting policies set out in these accounts and as a going concern.

The charity maintains a general unrestricted fund which represents funds which are expendable at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the objects of the charity. Such funds may be held in order to finance both working capital and capital investment.

There three restricted funds. These relate to Pay and Pensions (note 1 above), Hope HQ (note 2 above) and the van (note 5) above. See also note 8 above.

If upon winding up or dissolution of the charity there remain any assets, after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities, the assets represented by the accumulated fund shall be transferred to some other charitable body or bodies having similar objects to the charity.

Neither the Trustees nor any persons connected with them have received any remuneration, either in the current year or the prior year

The Disclosures to the Accounts on page 3 should be read alongside these accounting policies.

Reserves policy:

The Trustees believe that the Charity should hold sufficient balances on its general and other accounts to allow it to continue operating even if there was a significant reduction in the level of giving.

This is the Charity’s fifth year of operation in its CIO status, and the Trustees’ consider there should be a reserve sufficient to cover at least three month’s operating costs on expenditure included in the unrestricted element of the accounts. On the basis of current estimates of expenditure in 2021/22, this should be in the order of £8,000 - and the balance at the beginning of the year, at over £12,000, is more than adequate.

“Acts 4 Sharing” is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation with the Charity Commission in England. No. 1158033.

Acts 4 Sharing

Statement of Public Benefit for the year ended 31 March 2021

The Objects of A4S are as follows:

  1. To advance the Christian faith for the benefit of the public in accordance with the basic tenets of historical Biblical Christianity.

  2. To prevent and relieve poverty initially in Hampshire and its neighbouring counties by providing: grants, items and services to individuals in need and/or charities, or other organisations working to prevent or relieve poverty.

  3. To relieve financial hardship by the recycling and provision of furniture, clothes and other household items.

  4. To provide or assist in the provision of facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation or other leisure time occupation of individuals who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, age infirmity or disability, financial hardship or social circumstances with the object of improving their conditions of life.

  5. To advance education for persons of any age by providing or assisting in the development of their mental, physical and moral capabilities through leisure time activities and by supporting other charities in England, the UK or abroad.

We consider that Object [1] above passes the “public benefit test” because advancing the Christian religion in our community has a positive impact on the moral and ethical behaviour of those with whom we come in contact. Furthermore, our Christian faith and our relationship with God – as Father, Son and Holy Spirit - gives meaning to our lives and encourages us to live in such as way as to benefit the wider society by being good citizens and following the Bible’s teaching on how we should conduct ourselves in society.

Objects 2 – 5 demonstrate public benefit because A4S:

“Acts 4 Sharing” is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation with the Charity Commission in England. No. 1158033.

Acts 4 Sharing

Report of the Independent Examiner to the Trustees on the accounts of the Charity for the year ended 31 March 2021

I report on the financial statements of the Charity for the year ended 31 March 2021, which are set out in this Financial Report.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner:

The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

Basis of independent examiner’s report:

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the next statement.

Independent examiner’s statement:

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

have not been met or

Andrew J Clarke cpfa

Kimball Smith (Consultants) Limited

The date upon which my opinion is expressed is 19 July 2021.

“Acts 4 Sharing” is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation with the Charity Commission in England. No. 1158033.