## **Minutes of the Trustees Meeting** **Date: Wednesday 16[th] March 2022** **Time: 7:30pm** **Place: Huddersfield Mission** ||**Minutes**(Face to Face and Zoom)|Action to
be taken|By...|Resolution| |---|---|---|---|---| ||**Welcome:**Andrea welcomed everyone to the meeting
– those in person and those online. She shared from
Romans 12 about each using our God given gifts to serve
God faithfully. Andrea read a prayer from Lent
reflections.|||| |1|**Present:**Andrea Hindson, Ruth Coates, Nicola Dean,
Christine Kirton, Steve Broadhead, Irene Dennison,
Cathy Davie, Dorothy Gough, Elizabeth Smith.|||| |2|**Apologies:**Bethan Aspland, Joanne Smith.|||| |3|**Minutes of the 2021 AGM:**The minutes were
distributed prior to the meeting and after consideration
were passed as a correct record of the meeting. The
minutes had been signed**.**|Proposed:
Nicola
Seconded
Steve|All in
favour|Accepted| |4|**Matters arising:**No matters arising.|||| |5|**Appointment of officials:**Dorothy is willing to stand
again as Secretary.
Andrea proposed Nicola to take on the role of Chair and
Dorothy seconded it. At this point there is no one to
take the role of Treasurer, and therefore given that
there are some absences this will be addressed at the
next Trustees meeting.|Chair:
Nicola
Proposed
Andrea
Seconded
Dorothy|Nicola
Chair: All
in favour
Dorothy
Secretary:
All in
favour|Accepted| |6|**Trustees’ Report:**Andrea referred to the Trustees
Report previously circulated by email. This covers March
2021-March 2022. This has been another challenging
year but the strategy we’ve had in place has helped
move us onto the new normal. At a time when we
couldn’t see a way forward, we’ve been very well
supported by Hand to Mouth supporters. Selling
Christmas cards and fundraising as well as the furlough
scheme have helped too. Cathy added thanks to Andrea
for all her hard work and that we must give thanks to
God for His provision. Andrea finished by thanking
everyone whogives Hand to Mouth their support and|||| ||that we couldn’t manage without everyone pulling
together.|||| |---|---|---|---|---| |7|**Treasurer’s Report:**On 31stDecember 2021 the bank
balances were £1993.91 and £42696.19. Steve spoke
about the comparison of figures from 2021.
Income has gone down, but so has expenditure and
therefore the surplus has increased. This is good for
reserves, although we are not trying to gain surplus. It
was mentioned that the rent is also still very good but
we expect this to go up from April 2022. Andrea
commented on how helpful the visual charts are for
seeing comparisons, using colour coordination to make
things clearer. There was a question about the
difference between the income from schools in the
previous year (being lower) but that can probably be
accounted for due to lockdown. Income from churches
has increased as two Churches have increased regular
giving and others give to us every second year, which
was reflected in 2021 figures. Someone enquired as to
what the HMRC figure was. This related to the furlough
scheme, which came to an end in September 2021.
Donations from Trusts have contributed a large
proportion of income, however these are not regular
income streams. We are looking into other possible
funding sources.
Volunteers do not claim expenses and this helps us to
keep our expenditure down.
Steve finished by saying he is very pleased with the state
of the accounts.|||| |8|**Manager’s Report:**Ruth welcomed the visitors to the
AGM, Irene one of our volunteers and Christine who was
appointed Administrative Assistant in November and
started in January. Another member of staff has joined
us as Schools Worker. Andrew Hunter was on a
temporary contract until February and has now been
made permanent.
Were the videos just for lockdown when we were on
Zoom? Are we selling them now? Yes, schools definitely
want us in school. However, we continue to advertise
the videos and also offer them to schools when we can’t
do Collective Worship in person due to Covid. We will
take videos to the Leeds Head’s Conference and try to
sell them there.
It was commented on that we’ve all worked on lots of
projects that we weren’t expecting and that all the staff
have said yes to everything that has been asked of them,
with energyand creativity.|||| ||We have got one more video in production, which will
be a promotion video aimed at schools, to be produced
at the end of March.
What’s the strategy for getting the video out there? We
are actually pretty full and don’t necessarily need more
school’s bookings, however there are more local
schools, which we’d like to engage. We have a grant to
be used to pay for some free work, to allow us to get in
and encourage them to book again. We regularly get
told that we are cheap, however the schools don’t have
more money to pay. Prices won’t be going up this
September.|||| |---|---|---|---|---| |9|**Policies and Procedures:**Ruth has checked and signed
all the policies and all the policies have been adopted.|||| |10|**Finances:**The accounts have been returned by the
Independent Auditor and cleared as a correct record of
the finances for the Charities Commission.|Proposed:
Andrea
Seconded:
Steve|All in
favour|Accepted| |11|**AOB:**None|||| |12|**Date of 2023 AGM and Pre AGM: Dates of Trustee**
**Meetings:**
Wednesday 4thMay 2022
Thursday 14thJuly 2022
Wednesday 19thOctober 2022
Pre AGM Thursday 19thJanuary 2023
AGM Wednesday 15thMarch 2023|||| |13|**Steve’s resignation as Trustee and Treasurer:**Steve has
asked not to have a gift and therefore donations were
made for him to give to a charity of his choice.|||| |14|**Andrea’s resignation as Chair:**Andrea was thanked for
her work as the Chair and given a gift of flowers.|||| |||||| |||||| ## **Trustees Annual Report 21-2022** Charity Number: 1159877 **Our Aim:** to enable children to explore Christianity, and reflect upon their own Spiritual Journey ## **Trustees:** Andrea Hindson (Chair) Nicola Dann (Vice/Acting Chair/Health and Safety) Steve Broadhead (Treasurer) Dorothy Gough (Secretary) Bethan Aspland Joanne Smith (Safeguarding) Cathy Davie The trustees continue to oversee all decisions made, practical and financial, and the Governance of Hand to Mouth. We usually meet face- to-face, at least 3 times a year, although this year, due to the impact of the pandemic, we have had a mixture of face-to-face and virtual meetings, via zoom. The election of officers took place at the A.G.M. on March 18[th] 2021. All officers were willing to stand again for the coming year, and were duly re-elected. At the forthcoming A.G.M. our Treasurer, Steve Broadhead, will be stepping down, and is also resigning as a trustee. Before becoming a trustee, Steve was one of our Schools’ Workers. He has been a valued member of the Hand to Mouth family for several years now, and we thank him sincerely for everything he has done, and we wish him every success as he moves on. At the A.G.M. I shall be stepping down as Chair of Trustees, but will be continuing in my role as trustee. I would like to personally thank Nicola Dann, our Vice Chair, for taking on the role of Acting Chair for the past couple of months. Recruitment of new trustees has remained as one of our key areas of focus this year. Two people have expressed an initial interest, but to date we have not had anyone actually join the team. During the year, the Chair and Secretary reviewed and updated the content of the new trustee recruitment pack. As COVID restrictions are eased, it is hoped that the new ambassadors film will assist us with our recruitment strategy for both trustees and volunteers. Due to the impact of COVID-19, this has been another challenging year for the whole Hand to Mouth team, however we have been able to continue to achieve our aim, and engage with schools. Having made careful strategic plans last year, in particularly around creating e- resources, we have been more able to respond flexibly to the ever changing circumstances. We were extremely grateful for the financial support provided by the Government, and in particular the furlough scheme, which enabled us to carry on our schools work during the period when Hand to Mouth could not go into schools. We also considered the Government “Bounce Back Loan Scheme” but decided that it was not something we needed to use. We have remained pro-active, wherever possible, following our Annual Strategy Plan. To ensure that our policies and procedures are regularly and systematically reviewed, we have introduced a framework to assist us in managing this process. Trustees have been formed into sub-committees who will take on responsibility for the reviewing and updating of policies. In line with Charity Commission Guidelines on strategic governance, we are continuing the work to future-proof the charity. To support the existing team of staff, trustees agreed to employ an office manager, who would take on a wide-variety of administrative roles, including grant funding applications. We have continued to work closely with the Managers and other staff. During the Autumn, Joanne and I worked alongside the Managers in the recruitment and selection of two new workers. Two of the trustees lead different training events - Cathy Davie led a team-building day, and I ran an Autism Awareness Training event. This event also led to the drafting of an Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity Policy, and also the consideration of how we could make Hand to Mouth an Autism Friendly Organization, by developing an Autism Strategy. Our annual “Big Thank You” celebration for volunteers and supporters was once again cancelled due to continued COVID restrictions. However, Cathy was able to put out a thank you banner at the Garden party fundraiser to let our supporters know how they are valued. Just before the last AGM in March 2021, Hand to Mouth Manager Ruth hosted a highly successful and creative online fundraiser called Mouthy Mocktails, which was attended by several trustees. As restrictions eased in the Summer months, we welcomed the opportunity to hold a face-to face fundraising event, and trustee Cathy Davie hosted a very successful Garden Party in July, which she hopes can be repeated this coming Summer. Ruth and I have been making and selling cards throughout the year, via the travelling box of cards. I also created some Christmas cards, which were sold during November/December. On behalf of all the trustees, may I thank everyone who contributed to the running of Hand to Mouth during the past year: our paid workers, our volunteers, supporters, fundraisers and prayer supporters-both churches and individuals. We particularly acknowledge their flexibility, generosity, patience and commitment to Hand to Mouth, which have ensured that we can continue to meet our aim-to enable children to explore Christianity and reflect on their own spiritual journey, during another challenging year. Without all of these people the work of Hand to Mouth could not continue, so a huge “thank you” to everyone involved. Andrea Hindson (Chair of Trustees for Hand to Mouth) ## Manager’s Report 2021 2021 began with schools closed to visitors due to COVID lockdown, however our staff quickly responded, rewriting lessons and Journeys in a suitable format for presenting online. Schools responded well, and we even had a couple of new schools come on board with us at that time. Others of course didn’t have the time, ability, or finances to have Hand to Mouth in. As we entered the summer term, we were back in a position to work with many of our usual schools in an almost normal way. Journey into Worship, our collective worship videos that are available to purchase as downloads began being used, and comments were extremely positive. Autumn was a fresh start, and a ‘new normal’ was beginning to establish, Flexibility is the key, with both our staff and school staff having to postpone work due to illness. We have been able to rearrange all schools to their satisfaction, which feels a miracle! We are increasingly concerned about schools being unable to afford our modest charges, even though we are told regularly that we are not expensive. One of our volunteers is now looking into applying for further grants and funding for us. This is time consuming and may only be one or two a year, but for this we are very grateful. We are establishing a pattern of offering schools we don’t currently partner with an introductory half day, which is being well received. New schools have come on board, replacing the few we have lost due to the pandemic. Hand to Mouth is busy again! As always, we offer a huge thank you to our volunteers for the hours that they donate to us each year, to our trustees (this has been a particularly busy year establishing new and amended policies) and to our schools for welcoming us in as much as they can. Thanks are particularly important this year to the Huddersfield Mission, who have been generous in our use of the building, going above and beyond to ensure we could continue to work. Our staff are amazing. They have adapted to many challenges this year, and I thank them for all they do. In particular for sharing their ideas and good practise with management and each other, leaving Hand to Mouth in a stronger position than they have ever been. Well done team Hand to Mouth, and THANK YOU! Ruth Coates Manager Cash In H•nd 01L)1r21-bld 24.276.56 Rel￿O1101f21. 17.214.42 3.1W.IXI 44.792.62 I￿11.95 802.14 2.527.73 12(0.08 183. 1,859.14 101.45 1.lYX). 1.043.10 Wages *ThJ N.L 22.788.20 12,101.17 3.731.45 12.fKKJ.f¥) 413.89 Tthp *J￿nIetr4t￿fj Lknaik¥)•. &Jndr*• Pa￿n9 Tox RofurMI ondl t.981.14 8.$27.71 Cabh kn ￿nd 31112r21. (Id 28.310.98 31112r21-dd TOTAL 103 019.09 103 019.09 Hand to Mouth Treasurer's Report 2021 2021would have a uniqueyear, had it not followed 2020. The year5tarted with a lockdown and school closures. then conts'nued to have Ihe Coronavirus Pandemic in the background and thoughls ol everything thatwas planned and done. However, Hand to Moulh was Prepa￿￿. The adaptatKJns undertaken in 2020 meant that a new hybrid approach could be brought lo ourwork Some of our experiences can only be truly delivered in person. however, some can be done through the power of techrK)logy. Accompanying this report are the usualaccounts comparison of 2021 and thè prèvious year. This compari￿rn is to give a goocl indication of what this yeai knked like compared to the previotjs. something that is immediately obvious is the increase in income from schwLs (this has also b*n a large Niing in percentage of our income from 24% to 37%). We are heading back towards p￿-pandernl¢ figures howeverwe are not quite back lo the leve. The Job Retention Scheme Grant (more commonly known as Furlough) has decreased as this is no longer available and no longer n8ed8d with more work bèing available (this ha5 gone from 26% to ofour income). On-line video sales have decreased, as has donations from trusts and individuals Whe￿a$ donations from churches have increased. Overall, our income has decreased by &4.5u compared to 2020 income. OveraiL our expenditure has stayed reiat'velythe same Io 2020 expenditure. Wages have reduced overall mainly due to Ruth's decreased hours and this has meant the tax and pension payments have also ￿d￿Ced. A drop in a few other areas and increases to mileage all link to the change in how we are now debvering our work. Overall our eXFendItu￿ has decreased by £6.208 from 2020.. This means an increase to our surplLJS of £L694. Giving us a 2021 surplus of £2,933. HTM maintains a healthy reserve balance which is in line wth our Financial Poticy. If theworst were to happen. HTM would be able lo meet their financialobtigations for the 3 months outlined in the polry. As Treasurer ft)r Hand to Mouth. l am pleased with the state of the accounts. the reserves held and extend mythanks to the trustees. supFx)rters and staff of Hand to Mouth for aiithey do to enable children to expbre Christianity and refie¢l on th￿r own spiritualjourney. steve Broadhead Treasurer r•D'. I?SX77 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND ANO WALES Independent examlnerfs report on the accounts lot Ch•rlty no Imany) IiSq&II i to the tWSt•tt ￿ ry ey•rninal n of tho w)unts cdth• wty llhè TnJ8fifiyU* ￿8r 8TrYed Rasp￿•￿** Ind As ￿ i*artybUlt￿ of tho Tfu¥L aro ￿p￿sIbk? Icrf the preparat 2011 llhb Nrfl. I r••pct of my wftlnatK*I Trust'B •¢counts carrtod e 145 01 the 2011 aThJ in c¥rrykng out my exam1Ml￿n, I ¥ppIK8bkn Dlr8ckns gfv&n by th• Chgrty Cornml8sK)n uThl8r Sec1*￿ 145(5Mbl d the A¢* I ttrt7M*ted my •xaminB1￿tin. 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