CHOICES PREGNANCY CENTRE EXETER
TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD 6 APRIL 2021 to 5 APRIL 2022
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 - resigned 20 November 2021
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 (PCN) 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 2022 the Choices team consisted of 12 volunteers. In the year we saw 23 new clients (10 crisis pregnancy, 5 miscarriage, 2 still birth, 5 termination of pregnancy and 1 anxiety during pregnancy). For comparison, in the previous year we saw 17 new clients.
The Coronavirus pandemic continued to affect CHOICES in several ways this year:
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Face to face meetings with clients were often not possible
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Some clients were not able to take part in online counselling
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Some volunteers were not able to work online
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Opportunities for fundraising events were restricted.
On a more positive note, though, CHOICES is proud to have played a significant role in pregnancy crisis counselling on a national level this year, with one of our volunteers obtaining the position of national training co-ordinator at PCN and two others becoming tutors in PCN’s training scheme.
Furthermore, two of our volunteers were among the first to complete the new, fully accredited national training course and a third is part-way through that training.
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 Andre Christian Trust towards the cost of employing the Centre Manager this year.
During the year we were also grateful to receive £2468 from a sister Charity in Torbay (Fernlea Trust register number 1031317) upon its dissolution. Fernlea Trust had very similar objectives to CHOICES and the plan is for CHOICES to expand into the Torbay area to continue the good work already done there.
As noted earlier, our scope for undertaking fundraising events has been restricted by the Coronavirus pandemic. However, as restrictions have lifted we have been able to start addressing this matter, beginning with a dinner dance planned for May 2022.
For the year ended 5 April 2022 CHOICES had total income of £19,709 and expenditure amounted to £31,104, resulting in a net deficit for the year of £11,395. However, £11,260 of the £19,709 income was in the form of ring-fenced grants and £25,525 of the £31,104 expenditure was similarly ringfenced.
The Charity has a bank balance at 5 April 2021 of £28,290, of which £14,693 is ring-fenced (£14,516 for Centre Manager employment and £177 for conferences / training) and £13,597 is available for general use.
Going forward, the principle foreseeable expenditure continues to 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 improve the service which we provide. It is heartening to have received the following feedback from one such client:
“I just wanted to say a huge thank you to Vikki and Liz. I was going through a very difficult time and doing it alone, and I don’t think I could have coped much longer. The compassion and kindness these two amazing people brought to me was greatly needed. They were caring and calm, guiding me through the programme when I was a complete wreck, always with humour and patience. I cannot thank you enough. I am in a totally different place now and I am grateful for what you have done for me every single day. With enormous respect and gratitude and best wishes.”
CHOICES PREGNANCY CENTRE EXETER Chari Number: 1159847 ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED TH 5 APRIL 2022 Beard & Co Accountants Primrose House 6 Blackboy Road Exeter Devon EX4 6SG
CHOICES PREGNANCY CENTRE EXETER Cbari Yumber: 1159847 RIISTEES IN THE FINANCIAL YEAR Dr Cbrlstopher Scott Hamllton {Chalr) Mrs Vlctorla Ann Neal Mr Grgham Tr'dward Bardin% reasUrer) Mrs Danielle NadlDe Crosby - re51gDed 20 )Tovember 2021
INDEPENDENT F.XAMINER'S REPORT CHOICES PREGIYANCY CEwfRF. EXETER Chari Number: l 1SW7 ON ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED Tll 5 APRIL 2022 SET OUT ON PAGES lind2 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above clwity ¢'th¢ Trust.? for the year ended 5° April 2022 Responslbllltles fdnd b#$i$ of rep)rt As the Clwity tnlee$ of the Trust. you are responsible for Ihe prepar81ion of the acwunts in acCOrde with the requiruncnts of thc Clwities Ath 2Th)I fthe Act,) I r4rt iTh rwt of my exami10Th of the TnJst'$ a¢counts CWTial out under section l45 of the 2011 Acl and in carrying out my examinali0 I have followa4 the applicable Directors given by th¢ Charity Comtnission undcr section 145(5Kb) of th¢ Ac¢ Independent examlD¢r'$ statement I hav¢ complctcd my examination. I confirni that DO n]at¢rial matters have come to my attention in conn¢dion with the examinalion which gives me eausc ¢0 believe that IN any material reSt Accounting records wer¢ not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or The accourfs do not accord with the aoUntIng records I have no concerns and have come across no othtt mattus in connection with the examination lo which aitention should be drawll in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts lo be reaLhed. EGMBEARD FAIFIPA Date: Beard & Co A¢¢ouDt*n Primrose Hous 6 Blitkboy Roa Exeter, EX4 6SG
CH ES PREGNANCY CENTRE EXETER HARITY NO: 115 RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENO 5TH APRI Unrestrlct•d Restrlcted La•t Y•ar Funds RECEIPTS Donations Fundraising Stewardship Grants Transfers from Fernlea Trust HMRC Gift 2.235 2.235 1.981 18 2.419 22,000 3,328 3,328 11,260 11.260 312 312 418 TOTAL RECEIPTS 8,449 11.280 19,709 26,834 PAYMENTS Sundry Costs Rent Meeting Costs Phone and Broadband Office Costs Stationery and Books Training and Supervision Co$ts Travel Costs Insurance Postage 08S Checks Website Costs IT Costs Conferences Donali¢)n Wages Professional Fees 49 3,980 874 4.320 589 10 57 698 83 10 57 375 42 454 49 142 791 320 25 42 454 49 142 42 182 194 144 1.952 1,952 112 21,443 678 21.443 21,443 465 TOTAL PAYMENTS 5,579 25.525 31.104 28.325 NET OF RECEIPTSIPAYMENTS 2,870 114.2651 111,395) 11.4911 CASH FUND LAST YEAR END 10.727 28,958 39.685 41.176 c$H FUNDS THIS YEAR END 13.597 14.693 28,29) 39,68S
CHOICES PREGNANCY CENTRE EXETER harlt Number: 1159847 STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AS AT 5TH APRIL 2022 CASH FUNDS nrestrlct und R•strl¢tod Fund5 Cash al Bank 13,597 14,693 TOTAL CASH FUNDS 13.597 14,693 A••ot Fund Office Equipment induding computers Office Furniture and Fittings Reslricled Fund Unrestricted Fund Restncted Fund Unrestricted Fund 836 1.251 3.133 GRAHAM ED D 8ARDING DR CHRI HER SCOTT HAMILTON