2021-04-05-accounts - Choices Pregnancy Centre Exeter

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CHOICES PREGNANCY CENTRE EXETER

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD 6 APRIL 2020 to 5 APRIL 2021

Reference and administration details

Charity name: Choices Pregnancy Centre Exeter

Registered Charity Number: 1159847

Registered Address: 5 Heavitree Road, Exeter EX1 2LD

Trustees who managed the charity during the period:

Dr Christopher Scott Hamilton (Chair)

Mrs Victoria Ann Neal

Mrs Danielle Nadine Crosby

Mr Graham Edward Barding (Treasurer)

Structure, Governance and Management

Choices Pregnancy Centre Exeter (CHOICES) is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, whose governing document is its constitution dated 11 August 2014. It is managed by its Board of Trustees and, In accordance with the governing document, those Trustees are appointed for a term of 3 years by a resolution passed at a properly convened Trustees meeting.

From 1 April 2019 CHOICES has employed a Centre Manager who reports directly to the Trustees. The Centre Manager’s duties include:

Administration: managing the office, ensuring all privacy, data protection etc policies are adhered to and regularly reviewed, collating statistics, chairing management team meetings and providing progress reports to the Trustees.

Counselling: organising initial assessments of potential new clients, allocating clients to volunteer counsellors, co-ordinating and facilitating supervision sessions for those volunteers and carrying out some personal counselling casework.

Fundraising: researching potential sources of grant income and making recommendations to the Trustees based on that research, initiating and co-ordinating general fundraising activities.

Training: co-ordinating the recruitment and training of new volunteer counsellors, organising individual and group programmes of professional development of established volunteers and ensuring that her own professional training is kept up to date.

Liaison: raising awareness of the charity’s activities within local organisations and acting as the first point of contact for the charity except where legislation dictates otherwise.

Objectives and activities

In accordance with its governing document, CHOICES’ objects are:

(a) Relief in need of those in distress by the provision of pregnancy choices counselling, post-abortion counselling and support for baby loss and pregnancy related concerns.

(b) The advancement of education for the public benefit in the subject of sexual health and relationships.

It does the following in pursuit of those objectives:

(1) Pregnancy crisis counselling – where clients faced with a pregnancy crisis meet with a volunteer to discuss their situation and the choices available to them.

(2) Baby loss counselling – where, over a period of 4 to 6 months or so, clients who have suffered baby loss are taken through a step by step programme with a view to helping them to process grief and recover from associated difficulties such as depression and anxiety.

(3) School visits – where the aim is to support local High Schools in the education of students regarding baby development, making informed choices regarding unplanned pregnancies and Sexually Transmitted Infections.

These services are provided by volunteers, all of whom have been trained by CHOICES. All of the counselling undertaken abides by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy’s Ethical Framework for Good Practice.

CHOICES recognises the national organisation known as Pregnancy Centres Network as a source of support and information in the areas in which CHOICES is active. CHOICES therefore makes small voluntary donations to them.

Achievements and Performance

During the year ended 5 April 2021 the CHOICES team consisted of 19 volunteers, 14 of whom were active practitioners. In the year we saw 17 new clients. For comparison, in the previous year we saw 55 new clients.

The Coronavirus pandemic affected CHOICES in several ways this year:

Face to face meetings with clients were not possible
Some clients were not able to take part in online counselling
Some volunteers were not able to work online
The planned face to face training of new practitioners could not take place
Fundraising opportunities were severely restricted

CHOICES adapted as well as it could under the circumstances. In particular, a paid-for Zoom account was obtained, so that online counselling and meetings could be held without time restrictions. Also, a successful online workshop was held for volunteers, helping them to improve their Zoom skills. Consequently we have maintained our professional, confidential service as well as we possibly could have, given the restrictions facing the population as a whole.

Financial Review

Our funding comes via a mixture of regular and one-off donations by individuals, our own fundraising events and grants made by various organisations and Trusts. We were very grateful to receive a substantial grant from the J Van Mars Foundation towards the cost of employing the Centre Manager this year.

For the year ended 5 April 2021 CHOICES had total income of £26,834 and expenditure amounted to £28,325, resulting in a net deficit for the year of £1,491. However, £22,000 of the £26,834 income was in the form of ring-fenced grants and £26,389 of the £28,325 expenditure was similarly ringfenced.

The Charity has a bank balance at 5 April 2021 of £39,685, of which £28,957 is ring-fenced (£26,424 for Centre Manager employment, £874 for running the Teignmouth office and £1,659 for conferences / training) and £10,728 is available for general use.

Going forward, the principle foreseeable expenditure will be the Centre Manager’s salary and rent payable for the Teignmouth office. The cash held at the bank means that the short-term future of the Charity is assured. However, with the very generous three-year grant from J Van Mars Foundation having reached its end, we clearly need to explore our options for further funding in order to secure our longer-term future.

As always, we remain very grateful to the following organisations who have provided valued financial support to enable us to run CHOICES:

The Andre Christian Trust

Yapp Charitable Trust

J Van Mars Foundation

Santander

National Lottery

Teignmouth United Reform Church

North Teignmouth Community Church

At the conclusion of our baby-loss counselling programme we ask our clients for feedback, with the aim of seeking to continuously improving the service which we provide. It is heartening to have received the following feedback from one such client:

“Thank you for walking with me on my journey through miscarriage and beyond. You have brought so much peace to every meeting and have a real gift of coming alongside and soothing. You are treasures and I appreciate all you have done for me. Choices is a Godsend and I’m so grateful that you exist in Exeter. May you go from strength to strength and reach more of those struck down by the grief of miscarriage.”

CHOICES PREGNANCY CENTRE EXETER Chari Number: 1159847 ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED TH 5 APRIL 2021 Beard & Co Accountants Primrose House 6 Blackboy Road Exeter Devon EX4 6SG

CHOICES PREGNANCY CENTRE EXETER Chari Number: 1159847 TRUSTEES IN THE FINANCIAL YEAR Dr Christopher Seott Hamilton (Chair) Mrs Victoria Ann Neal Mr Graham EdTrvard Barding (Treasurer) Mrs Danielle NAdine Crosby INL DEPENDEIYT ELthIIYER'S RF.PORT

CHOICES PREGN.4NCY CEYI'RL EXETER Chari Number: 1159847 ON ACCOUNTS FOR TIIE YEAR ENDED TH S APRIL 2021 SET OUT ON PAGES laDd2 I report to the Iruslees on my examination of ihe accounls of the above charity ("the Trust") for th¢ year ended 5, April 2021 Responsibilitie5 and basis of report As the Charity Irusieeb of the Trust, you are responsible for ihe preparation of the accounts in accordance with the r¢quir¢m¢nts of the Charities Act 2(Kii {"the Act") I report in respect of my examination of the TNsi's accounts earritxl out under section 145 01 the 201 l Act and in earying oul my examination. I have followed the applicable Directors given by the Charily Commission under section 145(i)(b) of the Act Independent examiner's statemeDt r have ¢ompleled my examination. I eonfirni that no material matters have come lo my aiienlion in Co[eCtIon with the examination which gives m¢ cause lo believe that I any material respect Accounting recor(Ls were not kept in accordance with Section 130 of the Act or The accounts do not accord with the accounting records I have no ¢onc¢rns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drdwn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts io be reached. E G M BEARD FFAIFIPA Date.. Hli lkn Beard & Co Accountallts, Primrose House, 6 Blackbo), Ro& E¥eter, EX4 6SG

CHOICES PREGNANCY CENTRE EXETER CHARITY NO: 1159847 RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT F R THE YEAR ENDED srH APRIL 2021 Unrest¢t¢d Restricted 5t Year Fund5 RECEIPTS Oonalions Fundraising Stewardship Granis Course Fees Received HMRC Gift Aid 1-981 18 2.419 1,981 18 2.419 22.000 2,974 266 1.122 26,750 240 409 22,000 416 416 TOTAL RECEIPTS 4.834 22,000 26,834 31.761 PAYMENTS Sundry Cosls Rent Meeting Costs Phone and Broadband Offl¢e Costs Creativè Resources Slab'onery and Books Training and superon Costs Travel Costs Insurance Postage DBS Ch6¢ks Website Costs IT Costs Conferences Fundraising Costs Office Fumilure and Equipment Teignmouth Launch Costs Donation Wages Professlonal Fges 49 49 3,960 48 3,478 69 590 63 108 698 63 320 108 819 1,140 508 426 91 234 240 120 25 2 320 25 489 42 182 42 182 144 144 2.207 685 3,139 320 101 21,446 112 112 21,443 678 21.443 678 TOTAL PAYMENTS 1,936 26.389 28.325 36,521 NET OF RECEIPTSIPAYMENTS 2.898 14.389) {1,491 } 14,7601 CASH FUND LAST YEAR END 7.830 33.346 41.176 45.936 CASH FUNDS THIS YEAR ENO 10.728 28.957 39.685 41,176

CHOICES PREGNANCY CENTRE EXETER Chari Number: 1159847 STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AS AT 5TH APRIL 2021 CASH FUNDS nre$trfded Fund5 Restrlcted Funds Cash al Bank 10,727 28,958 TOTAL CASH FUNDS 10.727 28.958 FIXED ASSETS t Fund Office Equipment including computers Office Furniture and Fillings 253 1.141 Restricted Fund Unreslricled Fund Restricted Fund Unrestricted Fund 1,472 3.850 GRAHAM EDWARD BARDING £LV_ @L DR CHRISTOPHER SCOTT HAMILTON

CHOICES PREGNANCY CENTRE EXETER Chari Number: 1159847 ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED TH 5 APRIL 2021 Beard & Co Accountants Primrose House 6 Blackboy Road Exeter Devon EX4 6SG