Michaelideswarner TT
Accountants and Business Advisors
Ms Sarah Gresty
Doorstep Library Network
X+Why Fivefields
8-10 Grosevenor Gardens
London
SWIW ODH
2 December 2024
Dear Sarah.
Independent examlnees rewt to the trustees of Doorrtep Ubrary Network
We report on the accounts of the Trustfortheyear period 31 March 2024, which are set out on pa8es
22 to 31 of the Trustees Annual Report and Accounts and signed by the Trustees on 20.11.2024.
Respective responslbilities of trustees and examiner
The charitrfs trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charivs trustees
consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 Ithe
Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is our responsibility to:
examine the accounts under sectlon 145 ofthe Charities Art,
to follow the procedures laid down in the general Direction5 given by the Charity Commlssion
under section 14SI51{bl of the Charities Act. and
to stste whether particular matters have come to our attention.
Basis of independent examinerfs report
Our examination was carried out in accordan with the general Dirertion$ given by the Charity
Commi55ion. 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 seekin8 explanations from you as trustee5 concernin8
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 falr
vie¥rf and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
102 Fulham Palace Road London W6 9PL Tel: 020 87414202 Fax: 020 87413554
Email: info
michaelideswamer.co.uk Web.. wvn¥.michaelideswarner.co.uk
Full list of partner5 available upon request
## **MichaelidesWarner**
##
Accountants and Business Advisors
## _Independent examiner's statement_
In connection with our examination, no matter has come to our attention:
(1) which gives us reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements:
- to keep accounting records in accordance with section 13 0 of the Charities Act, and
- to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act have not been met; or
(2) to which, in our opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
## _d.4"./4_ /£/
Paul Michaelides ACA CTA For and on behalf of
**MICHAELIDES WARNER** & **CO**
102 Fulham Palace Road London W6 9PL Tel: 020 87414202 Fax: 020 8741 3554 Email: info@michaelideswarner.co.uk Web: www.michaelideswarner.co.uk Full list of partners available upon request
DOORSTEP LIBRARY
Words take vou Dlaces
Annual
Review
2023-2024
## **Contents**
|**Contents**|**Contents**|
|---|---|
|CEO’s Report............................................................................................
3||
|About Us...................................................................................................|5|
|Reading With Doorstep Library..............................................................|6|
|Organisational Achievements................................................................|10|
|Annual Income..........................................................................................
11||
|Impact Results..........................................................................................
13||
|A Year In Volunteering.............................................................................|15|
|Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements.........................................|16|
|Thank You!................................................................................................|32|
## **CEO’s Report**
At Doorstep Library we aim to instil a love of reading for pleasure and give access to books for families with children under the age of 12 years old. In the past fourteen years of delivering our home reading projects, we have had the precious opportunity of witnessing how reading can empower children in a million different ways, as they explore books and begin to love sharing stories.
Low literacy carries life-long implications. Children living in under-resourced areas are statistically less likely to have access to books and are more likely to start school already behind their more affluent peers. We know that the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their better off peers is currently at its highest level in ten years. If you have a poor vocabulary at 5, then you are on average six times less likely, compared to other children, to reach the expected standard in English at 11. And you are more than twice as likely to be unemployed at age 34.
Our approach is unique, as it is home-based, empowering both the children and the parents by putting them at the heart of what we do. We are privileged to be welcomed into their homes; we base the sessions on their feedback and the books we bring are based on their interests. We take the time, returning week after week, to build trust, a love of books and the ability to read. We’ve found that this approach allows us to:
- Engage the hardest-to-reach families/children by meeting them through door-knocking in disadvantaged areas;
- Include the whole family in our reading sessions and promote reading for pleasure within the home;
- Offer interventions that challenge educational inequality before children even start school; Support parents, reduce social isolation, and promote community engagement through our programme of signposting families to other supportive and enriching services.
The attainment gap between the children we see and their more affluent peers is at the widest it has been since 2014. Many families living in the top 10-20% areas of deprivation in London are experiencing increased feelings of isolation, with less access to books, and less time for joy.
Working closely with our Board of Trustees, we took the difficult decision to reduce our staff team, and we said goodbye to a number of colleagues from across the organisation. We restructured, bringing our marketing and fundraising functions together under one Head of department, and uniting volunteering and project delivery under a new role, Head of Delivery & Engagement.
On top of this we also moved offices (which included relocating our entire book stock to a new storage facility), and were delighted to be one of the first charities to make our home at Fivefields, a new workspace established by the Grosvenor Estate/Westminster Foundation to bring charities together within the same space to work collaboratively and share ideas.
This year we have grown our volunteer numbers, and worked on improving our recruitment processes to ensure we can continue engaging with more volunteers into the next academic year.
There are waiting lists of children who we can't reach because we don't currently have the volunteering capacity. We want to reach out to them. We will continue to expand our existing projects, alongside expanding into Kensington & Chelsea this year. We want to work with more families, to ensure that they have access to the joy to be had from sharing books together.
I am extremely proud of the Doorstep Library staff team and extremely grateful to all our financial supporters, without whom we would not exist. We have continued working with some longstanding charitable trusts, some of whom have supported our work for over 13 years now, and we’re also delighted to be partnered with some new trusts and organisations. I also wish to express my gratitude to our volunteers and board of trustees, without whom we could not deliver our amazing reading sessions.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Katie Bareham, CEO
**----- End of picture text -----**
This past year has seen significant change for Doorstep Library. We recognised that we needed to operate more efficiently, and be a more flexible organisation, better able to adapt and respond quickly to a constantly changing environment, to help an ever increasing number of children living in inequitable circumstances.
3
**"My children’s love of reading has improved tremendously; they learn new vocabulary with every session. They are more enthusiastic to read without being prompted. I am happy there's an option to read online thanks to the amazing volunteers who take their time each week to help our children thrive with reading. I am grateful Doorstep Library gives us the opportunity to be part of their book community. "**
- _Doorstep Library Parent_
4
## **About Us**
## **What We Do**
Doorstep Library is a community-focused literacy charity dedicated to bringing the magic of books and the joy of reading directly into the homes of children who need our support. We are intent on breaking the link between poverty and low literacy, using the power of stories to change children’s lives. To do this, we recruit and train volunteers to work directly with families in their homes – or on the doorstep – to create a foundation of reading for pleasure within the home which families can build upon when they leave our service. Our volunteers are led by paid staff – our amazing reading project leaders – who work from bases within the local community or online during term time several evenings a week, coordinating each project and supporting their volunteers as they read with their families.
From our beginnings in 2010, with one project and four volunteers, we now run 16 reading projects across five London boroughs, in person and online and have over 170 reading volunteers.
## **Our Vision**
To see all children thriving in homes where a love of reading in embraced.
## **Our Mission**
Supporting children living in disadvantaged areas to become keen and confident readers; Supporting parents to take an active role in reading for pleasure with their children; Supporting families to connect to a wider range of cultural, social and support services.
## **Our Values**
We are in the unique and privileged position of working directly in the family home, where we can support families to embrace and encourage reading for pleasure. Everything we do to deliver this is underpinned by a set of values which enables us to establish positive and productive relationships with our families, our volunteers, our staff and be a force for change within our communities.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Community Family
Respectful Open Minded Committed
Focused Centred & Fun
**----- End of picture text -----**
5
## **Reading With Doorstep Library...**
## **OPENS DOORS AND EMPOWERS LIVES**
## **Benefits**
Words take you places. Here at Doorstep Library we believe that literacy is the foundation of every child’s future and we aim to fulfil every child’s right to read by giving families access to books and sharing stories in the home.
We want to help level the playing field for children living in disadvantaged areas. Our unique programmes go directly into the home and support both the child and the family to discover books and choose reading as a way of life. By helping to equip them with a love of books and the skill of reading, Doorstep Library empowers each child by giving them the tools they need to learn, enjoy and understand more about their world.
## **"My child was very behind in their reading and has made amazing progress. I really appreciate it . Thank you so much."**
_- Doorstep Library Parent_
Our impact is long lasting. Once literacy is embedded in a person’s life, it can never leave. It is the fundamental building block to further learning, development and achievement. It inspires imaginations. It triggers ideas. It can be a stepping-stone to new directions and greater opportunities in later life.
## **Our Impact 2023 - 2024**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
6
**----- End of picture text -----**
## **Reading With Doorstep Library...**
## **BRINGS PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES TOGETHER**
## **Benefits**
Doorstep Library’s work may be rooted in reading for pleasure and literacy, but our influence goes well beyond the page.
The regularity of our reading sessions and the long-term, supportive nature of the relationships with volunteers means that they are often focal points for the whole family. In addition, the sessions contribute to enhanced family life by offering support for parents who might be experiencing difficulty.
In many cases our volunteers befriend the families and are warmly welcomed into their lives. They are there to lend a listening ear, to offer support and to have a friendly chat with parents and carers. In return, our volunteers are able to watch the children develop and grow in confidence. They also have the opportunity to meet and spend time with a broad and diverse range of families, as well as other volunteers.
**“Kayla now really loves books, all her teachers at school commented how much she loves to read. Thank you.”**
_- Doorstep Library Parent_
Having reached out and established a trusted link with the family, Doorstep Library is able to help families form bonds with the wider community through our signposting of local services. Books and reading form the basis of a contract of trust – it gives us a valuable platform to help fill in social gaps and forge community bonds that might otherwise be lost.
## **Our Impact 2023 - 2024**
**“I would like to thank Doorstep Library for helping my son to read and to give eye contact. In the past he struggled to pay attention or to give eye contact, now he has started to speak and is really interested in reading.”**
_- Doorstep Library Parent_
7
## **Reading With Doorstep Library...**
## **PROMOTES POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING**
## **Benefits**
At Doorstep Library we believe in children having fun. Children who read for pleasure in the home and families that share reading together, are proven to have better mental health and general wellbeing. We aim to bring families together – helping to increase shared family time and encourage parents and carers to continue to spend time with children even after they are reading independently.
Our volunteers source books featuring characters from a diverse range of backgrounds and situations. We know that reading books with identifiable characters helps to create empathy and foster aspiration. Children become more aware of the richness and vastness of the world which opens their eyes to other cultures, backgrounds and life experiences. We also know that through books children can explore their emotions and vulnerability by observing a familiar feeling or situation from a distance.
**"The books are very diverse. My daughter had people within the books who she identified with and who looked like her. 10/10!"**
_- Doorstep Library Parent_
We encourage parents to join our sessions and to continue to read with children after we’re gone because we know that sharing stories together improves child-parent bonds, which in turn enriches family life, leading to better literacy and enhanced life opportunities.
## **Our Impact 2023 - 2024**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
8
**----- End of picture text -----**
**“They are so generous. We are extremely obliged to the team who even visit in bad weather, sometimes extremely cold, hot or rainy. It is about their love for the children and the community. Thank you so much to all of the team who make it possible.”**
_- Doorstep Library Parent_
9
## **Organisational Achievements**
**This year we ran 13 Home and Online Reading Projects across 4 boroughs. 305 526 Families benefitted Children benefitted** from Doorstep Library visits from Doorstep Library visits **131** s , **New children 78** joined Doorstep Library **New families** joined Doorstep Library as **56 473 Services Books 13,556** signposted gifted **Books shared** during home visits **5,104 Reading sessions** conducted _fi —— **1,498 71 eBooks shared Children** graduated zo 10
## **Annual Income**
## **[total income for the 2023-2024 financial year.] £902,628**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Other Organisations
Interest Earned
£20,441
Corporates £788
£49,587
Individuals
£20,355
Fundraisers
£51,376
Schools
£5,286
Local Authorities
£41,200
**----- End of picture text -----**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Trusts and Foundations
£713,595
**----- End of picture text -----**
**Income continued to grow this year by 9% to £903k (2023: £828k). This reflects the continued growth in income from Trusts & Foundations where we received several large grants to support our work. We are very grateful to all our generous supporters who help Doorstep Library continue to bring the joy of reading to children across London.**
11
**"From my perspective, the most valuable thing about Doorstep Library is the variety of books, they may not always even like them. The children are always into new things and I can’t always buy new books for them. None of the children enjoy going to the library so that has always been a stressful experience for us. It is so great to have you visiting!”**
_- Doorstep Library Parent_
12
## **Impact Results**
At Doorstep Library we evaluate the impact of our Reading Programmes by capturing both quantitative and qualitative data through a range of methods, measuring success in terms of reading ability, parental engagement and an interest in books.
In addition, each year we survey our parents/carers to find out how they think our service has impacted on their child/ren and on themselves.
## **Our 2023-2024 Family Survey Feedback**
## **69%**
of parents/carers said Doorstep Library has improved their child/ren’s reading ability.
## **99%**
## **68%**
of parents/carers are happy with the range of children's books we share.
of parents/carers said their child/ren enjoy reading for pleasure more since joining Doorstep Library.
13
**“I would just like to say thank you to Doorstep Library. My daughter, whom you come to visit, has Autism and you brighten up her Monday every week without fail. Can't wait to see you after the school holidays”**
## **- Home Reading Parent**
**Additionally...**
## **86%**
## **54%**
of parents/carers said their child/ren enjoy Doorstep Library reading sessions.
of parents/carers said their child/ren continue reading in between Doorstep Library visits.
**"My cheeks hurt so much after reading sessions as I can't stop smiling!"**
## **- Home Reading Volunteer**
_Results are based on respondents who answered 4 or 5 out of 5 on our annual survey (where 1 was ‘not at all’ and 5 was ‘very much’)._
14
## **A Year In Volunteering**
Our amazing volunteers are the heart of Doorstep Library, giving up their time week after week in support of our cause to give children living in inequitable circumstances an equal chance. Their dedication in giving children the opportunity to change their lives through a love of reading is second to none, and we simply couldn’t do what we do without them.
## **This year:**
We worked with 242 volunteers overall
- We received 111 new applications
- 87 new volunteers started with us
Our new Volunteer Committee, which launched in February 2023, met three times to discuss all things volunteering. This committee comprises eight volunteers representing their peers from Online and Home Projects, including regular and stand-in volunteers, and gives our volunteers a platform to help shape the volunteer experience. We have drawn on wider networks through our committee members, which has enabled promotion of volunteering. We also continued to encourage all volunteers to get in touch with the Volunteer Committee and share ideas on how we can improve the volunteer experience.
The Volunteer Engagement Team focussed on outreach, furthering links with local communities near projects and increasing online presence to attract more volunteers.
We built on relationships with corporates and partners, including One Westminster, Lloyds of London Foundation and BNP Paribas and were thrilled to have a presence at the Cheslea Flower with our Doorstep Library Garden:Words Take You Places (designed by Gini Denison-Pender, Philippa Craddock and Anna Garner) wining a silver medal. We attended the Queens Park Book Festival in September 2023 and two recruitment fairs hosted by the Camden and Islington Centre in July 2023 and February 2024. These partnerships resulted in thirteen new volunteers.
## **“I couldn't recommend volunteering more. Seeing [the children] smile and be imaginative brings out my inner child - what could be happier than that!"**
_- Stand-In Reading Volunteer_
We have linked with London School of Economics and University College London and attended their recruitment fairs, which resulted in seventeen new volunteers signing up to work with us. We targeted these universities, due to UCL being close to our Euston project and LSE being in close proximity to Pimlico, Euston and our Somers Town projects.
We have started to build community links to promote the volunteering opportunity for a new home project in Kensington and Chelsea (Latimer Road Project), which launched in autumn 2024 and an online Kensington and Chelsea Project which launched in April 2024.
We hosted our annual volunteer social event in November 2023 which was well attended by our volunteers - readers and trustees. This event is an opportunity for us to thank all of our volunteers and for them to meet each other and share their volunteering stories and experiences.
15
## **DOORSTEP LIBRARY NETWORK**
**(Registered Charity No. 1158197)**
## **TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED**
**31 March 2024**
_**Registered Office:**_ **X+why Fivefields, 8-10 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W 0DH**
16
## **DOORSTEP LIBRARY NETWORK**
## **Reference and Administrative Information**
## **Trustees:**
The following Trustees held office during the year to 31 March 2024 and up to the date of the
report:
Mrs C Campbell, resigned July 2023
Ms E. Dawson, Chair, _resigned April 2024_
Ms S. Gresty, Chair
Mrs A. Musiol Poole
Ms F. Jordan, _resigned July 2024_
Mr A. Seres, Treasurer
Mr P. Warwick
A. Ali, appointed January 2024
Trustees are appointed for a term of two years with a maximum of three terms. There shall not be more than ten Trustees.
## **Management:**
Mrs K. Bareham _(Director)_
## **Registered Office and operational address:**
X+why Fivefields, 8-10 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W 0DH
## **Charity number: 1158197**
## **Independent Examiners:**
Michaelides Warner & Co, 102 Fulham Palace Road, London, W6 9PL
## **Bankers:**
Lloyds Bank Plc, 417 North End Road, Fulham, London SW6 1NS
17
## **DOORSTEP LIBRARY NETWORK**
## **Report of the Trustees**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2024**
The Trustees present their annual report and financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2024. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) ‐ Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019).
## **Principal activities**
Doorstep Library Network is a registered charity. Its principal activities comprise the advancement of education of young children in primarily low‐income families in deprived areas of the United Kingdom, through the provision of doorstep library services.
## **Governing document**
The charity was registered as a _Charitable Incorporated Organisation_ on 8 August 2014 with charity number 1158197.
## **Our Objectives**
The Charity’s objectives are:
- The advancement of education in particular for children aged 1 to 12 years from deprived areas of the United Kingdom and low‐income families primarily by providing doorstep library services
- To provide books and book‐led learning
- The relief of need by working with low‐income families to support them to increase and develop their skills and confidence in order that they may better participate in their community and meet their own needs
- To further such other purposes as are charitable according to the laws of England and Wales as the Trustees from time to time decide.
## **Financial Review**
## _Income_
Despite continuing challenges in the fundraising environment income continued to grow this year by 9% to £903k (2023: £828k). This reflects the continued growth in income from Trusts and Foundations where we received a significant number of high value donations.
## _Expenditure_
Expenditure fell by 21% to £693k (2023: £875k). The savings resulted primarily from the reorganisation and restructuring which took place in July 2023, resulting in both reduced salary costs as well as reduced office rental costs due to moving from fixed to flexible office space during the year.
## _Financial Risks_
Looking ahead, the most significant financial risks include:
- The continuing challenging economic environment and the impact on our ability to achieve fundraising targets
18
- Our ability to continue to grow unrestricted funds and to build reserves to a sustainable level
## **Reserves**
The General Reserve Fund of £163,201 (2023: £53,795) represents the unrestricted free reserves of the charity arising from past operating results. The Restricted Reserves of £243,283 (2023: £142,852) represent the unspent balances remaining from donations received that have been donated for specific purposes and are not available for other purposes.
The Trustees’ minimum expectation is for the Charity to hold general reserves equivalent to at least 3 months of expenditure, whilst in the medium term, the aspiration is to build t he Charity’s reserves to 6 months of expenditure . At 31 March 2024, general reserves held were equivalent to 2.7 months of expenditure. The Charity reduced its cost base in 2023-24 through a reorganisation and restructuring exercise, and, as a result of the reduced cost base, reserves are expected to exceed the minimum 3 months of expenditure by 31 March 2025.
The Trustees have revised the reserves policy since the prior year accounts following review of the Charity’s financial position and an exercise undertaken to benchmark comparable peer organisations. The trustees will continue to review the appropriateness of the reserves policy on at least an annual basis.
19
## **THE DOORSTEP LIBRARY NETWORK**
## **Report of the Trustees (continued) For the year ended 31 March 2024 Independent examiner**
A resolution will be tabled at the next Trustees’ meeting to reappoint Michaelides Warner & Co as the independent examiner.
## **Trustee’s responsibilities in relation to the financial statements**
The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards. The law applicable to charities in England and Wales 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 and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that year. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:
- Select suitable accounting practices and then apply them consistently
- Observe the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting for charities
- Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent
- State whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
- Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Report) Regulations 2008, the provisions of the governing document and SORP (FRS 102). 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.
29 November 2024 Approved by the Trustees on and signed on their behalf by:
Sarah Gresty
Chair Of Trustees
20
## **DOORSTEP LIBRARY NETWORK**
## **Chair’s Statement**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2024**
Doorstep Library has been able to work with over 526 children and 305 families this year. The unique model that we have developed over our 13 years of operation continues to support children to develop a love of reading within their homes. I continue to be inspired by the individual stories of the difference that we are making in these children’s lives.
One of the reasons our unique home-based approach is effective is that we empower both the children and the parents, putting them at the heart of what we do. They welcome us into their homes and we base the sessions on their feedback and the books we bring are based on their interests. We take time, returning week after week to build trust, a love of books and the ability to read.
We’ve found that this approach allows us to:
- Engage the hardest to reach families and children by meeting them through door-knocking in areas of deprivation
- Include the whole family in our reading sessions and promote reading for pleasure within the home
- Offer interventions that challenge educational inequality before children begin school
- Support parents, reduce social isolation, and promote community engagement through our programme of signposting families to other supportive and enriching services.
Our 242 volunteers who visit children in their homes (both in person and via video) do a tremendous job every week and I am grateful for the way they generously give their time. We have started to experiment with offering different volunteer hours and schedules to look to attract more volunteers to work with more children and families.
This year we have raised more money than in any previous year and we remain extremely grateful to all of our financial supporters, without whom we would not exist. We are so thankful to everyone who has donated towards our work this year, enabling us to run more reading sessions, improve our stock of books and bring more volunteers on board.
We are pleased to have secured new funding to launch in another location in 2024-25 and look for more opportunities to grow in a sustainable way to reach more children.
Finally, I would like to thank my fellow trustees and also the employees of Doorstep Library for your dedication and ongoing focus on bringing the magic of books and the joy of reading directly to the homes of children who need our support.
## ~~Sd Groety~~
Sarah Gresty Chair of Trustees
21
**DOORSTEP LIBRARY NETWORK FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
## **Year ended 31 March 2024**
## **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES**
|**STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES**||
|---|---|
|**INCOMING RESOURCES**
Voluntary income
Note 3
Other Income
Note 3
**TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES**
**RESOURCES EXPENDED**
Costs of generating voluntary income
Note 4
Charitable Activities
Note 4
Governance costs
Note 4
**TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED**
**NET INCOMING/(EXPENDED)**
**RESOURCES**
**TOTAL FUNDS, Brought forward**
Note 5
**TOTAL FUNDS, Carried forward**
Note 5
**Incoming resources from charitable**
**activities**|**2024**
**2023**
**Unrestricted**
**£**
**Restricted**
**£**
**TOTAL**
**£**
**TOTAL**
**£**
376,514
525,326
901,840
828,487
**788**
-
**788**
-
**376,514**
**525,326**
**901,840**
**828,487**|
||**377,303**
**525,326**
**902,628**
**828,487**|
||93,783
29,038
**122,820**
137,238
154,069
388,427
**542,496**
709,085
20,045
7,160
**27,205**
29,165|
||**267,897**
**424,625**
**692,521**
**875,488**|
||**109,406**
**100,701**
**210,107**
(47,001)
53,795
142,582
**196,377**
243,378|
||**163,201**
**243,283**
**406,484**
**196,377**|
22
## **DOORSTEP LIBRARY NETWORK FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Year ended 31 March 2024**
## **BALANCE SHEET**
|||**2024**|**2023**|
|---|---|---|---|
|||**£**|**£**|
|**FIXED ASSETS**||||
|Office Equipment|Note 8|2,622|6,062|
|||**2,622**|**6,062**|
|**CURRENT ASSETS**||||
|Debtors|Note 9|1,548|17,855|
|Cash at Bank and in Hand||431,589|215,779|
|||**433,137**|**233,634**|
|**CREDITORS**||||
|Amounts falling due within 1 year|Note 10|(29,276)|(43,319)|
|**NET CURRENT ASSETS**||**403,861**|**190,314**|
|**NET ASSETS**||**406,483**|**196,377**|
|**FUNDS OF THE CHARITY**||||
|Restricted Funds||243,283|142,582|
|General Reserve Fund||163,201|53,795|
|**TOTAL FUNDS**||**406,484**|**196,377**|
The notes on pages 25 to 31 form part of these financial statements.
29 November 2024
Approved by the Trustees on ....................................... and signed on their behalf by:
**Sarah Gresty** _Chair_
**Adam Seres** _Treasurer_
23
## **DOORSTEP LIBRARY NETWORK FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Year ended 31 March 2024**
|**STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS**
**OPERATING ACTIVITIES**
**Net Income**
Depreciation Charges
(Increase)/Decrease in Debtors
Increase/(Decrease) in Creditors
**Net cash provided by operating activities**
**INVESTING ACTIVITIES**
Purchase of Office Equipment
**Net cash provided by investing activities**
**Net cash increase for period**
**Cash at beginning of period**
**Cash at end of period**|**2024**
**2023**
**Total**
**Total**
**£**
**£**
**210,106**
(47,001)
**3,989**
3,943
**16,306**
1,194
**(14,043)**
(8,379)|
|---|---|
||**216,359**
(50,243)|
|||
||(549)
(824)|
||**(549)**
(824)|
||**215,810**
(51,067)
**215,779**
266,846|
||**431,589**
215,779|
24
## **DOORSTEP LIBRARY NETWORK**
## **FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
## **Year ended 31 March 2024**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **1 Basis of preparation**
## **1.1 Basis of accounting**
‐ The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.
Doorstep Library Network meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy.
## **1.2 Accounting period**
The Financial Statements cover the period of 12 months from 01 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.
The prior accounting period was for the period of 12 months from 01 April 2022 to 31 March 2023.
## **1.3 Going Concern**
The Board of Trustees has reviewed Doorstep Library’s financial position, taking into account the level of reserves and cash and considers there is a reasonable expectation that the Charity has adequate resources to continue for the foreseeable future. For this reason, the Board continues to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the accounts.
## **2 Accounting policies**
## **2.1 Incoming resources**
Income is included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) when the charity becomes entitled to the resources and the resources have been received.
Grants and donations are included in the SoFA when received.
Tax reclaims on donations and gifts are included in the SoFA when received.
Gifts in kind are accounted for at a reasonable estimate of their value to the charity and are included in the SoFA when received.
Volunteer help: The value of any voluntary help received is not included in the accounts but is described in the T rustees’ annual report.
## **2.2 Expenditure and liabilities**
Liabilities are recognised as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to pay out resources.
25
## **DOORSTEP LIBRARY NETWORK**
## **FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Year ended 31 March 2024**
## **Notes to the financial statements (cont.)**
## **2.3 Depreciation**
Depreciation is provided on a straight-line basis over the economic life of the asset
## **3 Analysis of incoming resources**
|**Analysis of incoming resources**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
||||**2024**|**2023**|
||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**|**Total**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|_Voluntary income_|||||
|Autumn Stone Foundation|10,000|-|**10,000**||
|Bernard Sunley Foundation|10,000|-|**10,000**||
|Brighter Futures/ Young Westminster|-|13,816|**13,816**|13,750|
|Calleva Foundation|-|-|**-**|16,459|
|City Bridge Foundation|-|27,120|**27,120**|-|
|City of Westminster Charitable Trust|-|20,000|**20,000**|16,000|
|Corporate donations via Aksia fundraising|25,517|-|**25,517**|-|
|Derwent London|-|7,000|**7,000**|-|
|Earls Court Development Company|-|5,000|**5,000**|6,000|
|Grabiner Family / Blue Thread|‐|10,000|**10,000**|10,000|
|Groundwork UK|-|16,437|**16,437**|-|
|Grosvenor International|‐|‐|**‐**|‐|
|Hammersmith United Charities|-|7,000|**7,000**|10,909|
|Individuals|49,712|22,019|**71,731**|67,841|
|John Coates Charitable Trust|-|10,000|**10,000**|-|
|John Lyon's Charity|-|25,000|**25,000**|30,000|
|Julia Rausing Trust|-|120,000|**120,000**|-|
|Kusuma Trust|-|-|**-**|50,000|
|LBHF 3rdSector Investment Fund|-|33,600|**33,600**|34,736|
|Light Bulb Trust|‐|‐|**‐**|40,000|
|Lloyd’s of London|38,370|‐|**38,370**|25,00|
|Lucille Foundation|5,000|-|**5,000**|-|
|Other corporate donations|1,100|5,000|**6,100**|-|
26
## **DOORSTEP LIBRARY NETWORK**
## **FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Year ended 31 March 2024**
## **Notes to the financial statements (cont.)**
|Other local schools, charities and
organisations
London Borough of
Hammersmith & Fulham
Monday Charitable Trust
National Lottery
Other Trusts & Foundations‐£5k & under
Pantheon Charitable Trust
Peter Stebbings Memorial Charity
Pimlico Million
Posettes Foundation
Q Charitable Trust
Quintessentially Foundation
Scouloudi Foundation
Sobell Foundation
St Giles in the Field
St James Place Charitable Foundation
St Paul’s Juniors School
The Blue Thread
The Childhood Trust
TheClothworkers’ Foundation
The David Cock Foundation
TheDrapers’ Company
The Greg and Rosie Lock Foundation
The Mercer's Company
The Swire Charitable Trust
Vitol Foundation
Walcot Foundation
Wellington Management Trust
Westminster Almshouses Foundation
Westminster Amalgamated Charity
Westminster City Council
Westminster Foundation|9,776
4,775
**14,551**
37,687
-
-
**-**
32,000
-
-
**-**
20,000
-
20,000
**20,000**
9,760
19,832
36,976
**56,808**
60,665
10,000
-
**10,000**
-
-
10,000
**10,000**
-
-
-
**-**
5,000
50,000
-
**50,000**
-
10,000
-
**10,000**
10,000
50,000
-
**50,000**
50,000
15,000
-
**15,000**
-
-
10,000
**10,000**
10,000
-
-
**-**
16,250
-
10,000
**10,000**
-
-
-
**-**
15,730
-
10,000
**10,000**
-
-
8,482
**8,482**
54,153
‐
-
**‐**
10,000
10,000
10,000
**20,000**
10,000
-
-
**‐**
26,766
10,000
-
**10,000**
-
-
22,500
**22,500**
63,334
-
‐
**-**
15,000
12,208
-
**12,208**
-
-
30,000
**30,000**
3,000
40,000
-
**40,000**
50,000
-
8,000
**8,000**
-
-
10,000
**10,000**
-
-
7,600
**7,600**
-
-
5,000
**5,000**
37,456|
|---|---|
||**376,514**
**525,326**
**901,840**
828,487|
Other income of £788 is comprised of bank interest earned (2023: £19)
27
## **DOORSTEP LIBRARY NETWORK**
## **FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Year ended 31 March 2024**
## **Notes to the financial statements (cont.)**
## **4 Analysis of resources expended**
## **Generating voluntary income**
|Salary costs
Administration costs
**Charitable activities**
Salary costs
Administration costs
Project costs
**Governance costs**
Salary costs
Administration costs|**2024**
**2023**
**Unrestricted**
**£**
**Restricted**
**£**
**Total**
**£**
**Total**
**£**
73,839
24,185
98,024
106,461
19,944
4,853
24,797
30,788|
|---|---|
||**93,783**
**29,038**
**122,821**
137,238|
||128,996
319,063
448,059
583,162
24,971
26,530
51,501
70,295
102
42,834
42,936
55,628|
||**154,069**
**388,427**
**542,495**
709,085|
||17,925
5,978
23,902
25,986
2,121
1,182
3,303
3,179|
||**20,045**
**7,160**
**27,205**
29,165|
## **5 Movement In Funds**
|Main Restricted
Hammersmith and Fulham
Lambeth
Westminster
Camden
Online
Kensington and Chelsea
Volunteering
**Total Restricted Funds**
**Total Unrestricted Funds**
**Total Funds**|**Opening**
**Balance**
**Income**
**Expenditure**
**Transfers**
**Closing**
**Balance**
29,712
89,151
(104,051)
-
14,812
9,460
72,826
(64,647)
-
17,639
23,868
64,610
(67,802)
-
20,676
67,659
105,976
(922,749)
-
80,886
10,384
34,915
(41,822)
-
3,477
1,500
6,848
(4,828)
-
3,521
-
120,000
(31,811)
-
88,189
-
31,000
(16,917)
-
14,083|
|---|---|
||142,582
**525,326**
**(424,625)**
**-**
**243,283**|
||53,795
377,303
(267,897)
-
**163,201**|
||196,377
**-**
**-**
**-**
**406,484**|
Restricted funds are, in most cases, restricted to one of the five London boroughs that we work in or to the online programme and funds are held for each of these. The ‘Main Restricted Fund’ is made up of smaller funds that are not restricted to either a specific borough or to the online programme but have other restrictions in place.
28
## **DOORSTEP LIBRARY NETWORK**
## **FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Year ended 31 March 2024**
|**Notes to the financial statements (cont.)**
**6 Details of certain items of expenditure**
**6.1 Trustee expenses**
Number of Trustees who were paid expenses
Total amount paid
**6.2 Fees for examination of the accounts**
Independentexaminer’sfees for reporting on the financial statements
**7 Paid employees**
**7.1 Staff costs**
Gross salaries
Employer’s National Insurance costs
Pension costs
Redundancy Costs
Total staff costs
**7.2 Average number of full-time equivalent employees**
**in the accounting period**
Generating funds
Charitable activities
Governance
Total||**2024**
**2023**
**£**
**£**
**‐**
‐
**‐**
‐
**£**
**£**
**1,008**960
**2024**
**2023**
**£**
£
**485,650**624,775
**40,275**56,202
**29,522**34,633
**14,540**
-
**569,986**715,610
**2024**
**2023**
**Number**
Number
**2**
2
**12**
16
**1**
**1**
**15**
19|
|---|---|---|
||||
||||
29
## **DOORSTEP LIBRARY NETWORK**
## **FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
## **Year ended 31 March 2024**
## **Notes to the financial statements (cont.)**
## **8 Tangible Fixed Assets**
|**Cost**
At 1 April 2023
Additions
At 31 March 2024
**Depreciation**
At 1 April 2023
Charge for the Year
At 31 March 2024
**Net Book Value**
At 1 April 2023
At 31 March 2024
**Debtors and prepayments**
Other debtors
Prepayments and accrued income
Total|**2024**
**£**
**-**
**1,548**|Office
Equipment
**£**
11,830
549|
|---|---|---|
|||**12,379**|
|||5,768
3,989|
|||**9,757**|
|||6,062|
|||**2,622**|
|||**2023**
**£**
**5,491**
**12,364**|
||**1,548**|**17,855**|
- **9 Debtors and prepayments**
The reduction in Debtors and Prepayments relates mainly to the Office Rental deposit and prepayment which are no longer being held in 2024 since the charity moved out of fixed office space in June 2023 and is now occupying flexible office space since October 2023.
30
## **DOORSTEP LIBRARY NETWORK**
## **FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Year ended 31 March 2024**
## **Notes to the financial statements (cont.)**
## **10 Creditors and accruals**
|**Creditors and accruals**||
|---|---|
|Other creditors
Accruals
Other Taxes
Deferred income
Total|**2024**
**2023**
**£**
**£**
**1,691**
3,693
**6,269**
3,334
**13,685**
16,292
**7,632**
20,000|
||**29,276**
43,319|
## **11 Transactions with related parties**
There were no transactions with related parties in the year ended 31 March 2024, nor in the period ended 31 March 2023.
31
## **Together We Can Change A Child’s Story**
## **Share The Love Online**
Registered charity: 1158197
www.doorsteplibrary.org.uk