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← Autism Angels Ltd

2024-08-31-accounts

——) —— Annual Report & Accounts Annual Report & Accounts Year ended 31 August 2024

Throstle Nest Farm Summerbridge, Nr Harrogate North Yorkshire HG3 4JS

Web: www.autismangels.co.uk Email: info@autismangels.co.uk Tel: 07376 134007

Registered Charity 1160289 Company No. 08168948

Contents

TRUSTEES’ REPORT
Foreword 1
What makes it work at Autism Angels 2-3
Values 4-6
Case Study 7
A word from our families 9-10
The Need 11
Team 12-13
Trustees 14
Volunteers 15-16
Kindness of others 17-18
Fundraising and Events 19-21
The Future 22
Autism Angels Ltd Information 23-24
ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 25-33
Independent Examiner’s Report 34

Foreword

Each year before I start to write the next annual report I go back to revisit the previous one. I am always looking for improvements; Are we delivering what we aimed to deliver? Can we improve our services? Can we improve how we share our achievements? and more…

The one thing that I always find hard to get across in words is the full impact of our services and the miracles that happen at the farm every day. We take a lot of photos and videos and they speak a thousand words but often people won’t know the heartache that came before these moments were captured. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to fully capture these transformations in this report so we will continue to invite people to visit us at the farm to see it and feel it for themselves.

We used this year as a bit of a ‘holding year’. We had been flat out establishing ourselves at the new farm, building environments, getting to know the farm, welcoming new families and really getting to understand their needs. This year the pause really helped us tune into where we needed to go and how best we could support our children and their families with lasting impact that would set them up for life.

As we relaxed into a year of enjoying what we, the team and families had created, I was surprised to see our families thriving even more. It was like the less we did (eg not organising every detail in the day), the more the children actually wanted to do. This taught us a lot about how ‘less is more’ and how it works better for all of us, not just our families. An example of this could be our abseil fundraiser. Previous fundraisers we have completed something like the Coast to Coast trek with horses. It took a lot of preparation time, 3 months of training and 12 full days to complete. This year we did a one day abseil that was facilitated by someone else and we had the most magical day together, doing something new and off the farm. It was a lot less work for the team but still had the impact we wanted for our families. WIN-WIN

I’d to share the overview of the year, our statistics which are still increasing and also our values, alongside photos and a short description to capture our families special moments.

It has truly been another wonderful year where our team and community continue to thrive in coming back to their true selves and creating the life they want in spite of their continuous challenges.

I hope you enjoy our report

Sarah

1

What makes it work at Autism Angels

When Autism Angels was founded we began by delivering summer camps to families so they had somewhere to go, a place where they would be accepted without shame or judgement and could be with other families on a similar journey. The model was simple- nature, animals, love and a tent.

Over the last 13 years Autism Angels has developed and fined tuned its services, listening to and meeting the needs of our ever evolving community.

We now offer support four days a week; including 3 days as a mental health and wellbeing alternative provision to school and 2 sessions of kids clubs on a Saturday. We also offer private sessions for children and families who are not ready for group work.

Family events are also run throughout the year with Halloween and Bonfire event in October, Duck Race and family fun picnic in July, a fundraiser in April for Autism Acceptance month and our Charity Ball in November.

Autism Angels has a very clear vision to provide a safe and nurturing environment where children and families feel welcomed and accepted. A place they can overcome trauma, heal and learn to thrive together.

Often by the time our families arrive at the farm, they are lost, sometimes because they took a wrong turning, but mostly emotionally. They have lost faith in themselves. They have lost hope in a happy childhood for their children. They have lost hope in a life they thought they would have. They have even lost marriages, friendships and often the support and understanding of their families.

Isolation has become an everyday occurrence for them alongside bullying and public shaming.

Somehow from what feels out of the blue Autism Angels appears, usually on Facebook. They book a Taster and arrive at the gate.

We welcome them with open arms saying, ‘We got you, let’s have a cuppa and tell us your story’. We listen, we cry together, we eat cake.

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Now this is where it might be different from what you expect….

We don’t all have lived experience of being autistic at Autism Angels, BUT we do all have lived experience of,

Overcoming loss,

Overcoming trauma,

Overcoming many things, but most of all Overcoming our FEARS.

So when we turn to our families and say we got you , we don’t say this lightly. We say it because we know the road well and have travelled it many, many times.

When our families arrive what they feel is,

You see me... You see my pain... You understand my fears...

There are so many stories of our families’ journeys it is impossible to pick just one to share. Here are some of the amazing miracles that happen at Autism Angels…

The list goes on....

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Values

----- Start of picture text -----
JOY
----- End of picture text -----

COURAGE

We remind the children and families that joy is possible and is often found in the present moment. Animals and nature help us to return to the present where joy is waiting.

Often we can let our fears rule and take over making our lives smaller. When children learn about the LOVE/FEAR concept, they learn to understand their fears and face them straight on.

TEAMWORK

Often when we ask for help we can feel vulnerable or not good enough. At the farm we encourage team work, speaking up about our needs & asking for help.

TRUST

CONNECTION

Often our children have lost trust in a world that hasn’t understood them. However when they come to us the first person we want them to trust is themselves. Once they can trust that they will stay their authentic self, speak up and boundary, they can feel if others are trustworthy and trust again.

We put connection at the heart, firstly getting the child to connect back to themselves, to recognise what makes them happy & what they love to do so they actually want to get out of bed every day. This also includes connecting to the team, other children and making new friends.

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Values

FAMILY

The whole family is welcome on the farm and to share time with us and other families on a similar journey. The farm is a place for everyone to enjoy.

PRAISE

An older brother praising his younger sister for completing the abseil after he pushed through his own fears and showed her how to do it.

PEACE

When people arrive at our door there is often alot of noise going on in their heads. What will people think of me, my child, my parenting? What if I make a mistake? We support individuals to come back to themselves, their authentic place. We support them to recognise what’s important to them (their values), their beliefs and help them see where they might have some limiting beliefs that no longer serve them. This is where they can finally find their peace when they accept themselves as the incredible being that they are.

SELF EXPRESSION

Two children unable to access mainstream education having lost all sense of self worth, now accessing a special education place full time after expressing themselves fully at the farm and sharing their needs.

COMMUNITY

Parents supporting parents, children supporting children. Families who have been through similar experiences and understand the challenges supporting each other on the journey.

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Values

FUN

Our days are filled with fun on the farm. Children learn more when they are regulated and relaxed. Fun is an important daily practice.

STRENGTH

When a young girl thinks she can’t do anything for herself begins to realise how capable she really is. This also includes speaking up and putting in boundaries.

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

When we support someone to see their part in any situation it helps them to take action from their learnings. When we stay in the ‘blame game’ we can never fully feel empowered in our life. Everyone at the farm is encouraged & coached to recognise what they could have done differently if they had the chance again.

TEACHABILITY

We are all learning. At the farm once we have shared our wisdom with someone they are then able to share what they have learnt with others. This builds their self worth & confidence back up very quickly. Here an older student is teaching a younger one.

ADVENTURE

Having an adventure is good for the soul. In our community we encourage our families to adventure with us on the farm but also get back out into this beautiful world and see it.

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Case Study

Our daughter is 12 years old. Her experience of primary school was not a happy one and was characterized by a pattern of burnouts, meltdowns, high levels of anxiety, low moods and low self-esteem. By the time she received an EHCP, she was only able to engage in education for a few hours a week and our family was at crisis point desperately trying to meet her needs whilst juggling work demands and our own mental health and wellbeing.

We first attended Autism Angels in 2022, around the time that our daughter received her diagnosis. To begin with, we had some private riding therapy sessions as a family which were wonderful as we could begin to process the trauma of navigating under-resourced and often adversarial health and education systems. We also attended some family days which really helped us connect with other people who were having similar experiences.

Autism Angels is such a nurturing space, and these sessions were the first time where we felt truly seen and accepted instead of different.

The biggest difference came when our daughter could start regularly attending Wellbeing Wednesdays. School had always resisted this because they believed that if children weren’t in school, they couldn’t be supported. We used a part-time timetable as the mechanism to attend and self-funded the sessions.

When our daughter began Wellbeing Wednesdays, she had huge OCD around cleanliness, she barely spoke to anyone other than through me, she didn't trust the dogs, she didn't want to make any friends or eat lunch with anyone. Despite these challenges, she absolutely loved the sessions and couldn’t wait to return to them following her transition to secondary school. The consistency of attending the sessions during the transition was a huge help as it gave her stability and consistency as well as a trusted group of people to speak to about new challenges. The icing on the cake was that she made a really good friend at Wellbeing Wednesdays who is in the same school so they can support each other every single day.

The staff at Autism Angels have worked really hard to help to meet our daughter’s needs which include not liking to feel challenged, having limited nonverbal communication, not being motivated by or misunderstanding social interactions, needing scaffolding to develop peer relationships and difficulties with emotional regulation.

As parents of autistic children, we fight so hard to advocate for our children and it takes its toll on our own wellbeing. The staff and other parents at Autism Angels have been an invaluable support network to me as well – propping me up when things get too much, sharing information and advice, and celebrating when things go well. All this joint working means that our family is now in a much happier, more positive place with our daughter’s new school fully supporting (and funding!) her attendance at Wellbeing Wednesdays as respite provision and a therapeutic intervention. I am starting to go off-site for longer periods of time, knowing that our daughter feels completely safe and secure, and as a result I have more headspace and can begin to engage in some of my own interests. We can book additional private sessions when we hit bumps in the road, and these are really effective as we have such great relationships with the team.

We love being part of the Autism Angels community and have such a positive outlook on our future, thanks to them!

7

Statistics

Demand for our support continues to increase every year. Between 1st September 2023 and 31st August 2024 Autism Angels have supported 178 families, overall supporting 606 unique individuals across the family unit.

Between 1st September 2023 and 31st August 2024 Autism Angels have delivered 472 therapeutic sessions. Private Riding Therapy and Taster Sessions continue to be our most popular sessions followed by Wellbeing Days and Saturday Kids Clubs.

Total of 472 Sessions delivered Sept 23 to Aug 24

Taster Conversion Rate

40% families who attended a taster session returned on one or more sessions. This figure remains unchanged from the previous year. This can be because funding isn’t in place yet or school isn’t in support. Very occasionally a child visits who isn’t interested in animals or being outside and our placement isn’t the best fit for that child.

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A word from our families

“When I tell people Autism Angels saved my child’s life people think I am exaggerating, but it gave them the safe space to discover who they were and start to visualise what a future could look like.”

“The team are so patient and so kind. They understand the needs of each individual child which is so refreshing.”

“Autism Angels have been a shining light in our lives”

“The taster gave me hope when no other service did. We were broken and desperate for support but all agencies kept saying we didn’t meet the criteria.”

“Wonderful Halloween event as always, thank you for everyone’s hard work”

“Autism Angels is an incredibly supportive, caring and inspiring place. Everyone is welcome, everyone is included and everyone is made to feel right at home”

“It is a place where my child feels safe, included, accepted and happy”

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A word from our families

“At a recent visit to Autism Angels I was lucky enough to meet some of the children and their parents. It was evident how the children thrived with the animals and just how comfortable they were in the environment. I was also impressed with how much the parents of the children benefit and how the service encompasses them and their needs. This is a fantastic service and must always continue.”

Young Persons Social Prescriber, NHS Primary Care Network

“After a school day my son doesn’t share with me how his day went. When he goes to Autism Angels he is always so eager to share his day with me which means the world to me and my family.”

“It’s a happy place for our whole family”

‘”Thank you for all that you do to help our young people on their journeys.”

“A good community feel with everyone getting involved and helping each other”

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The Need

There are currently estimated 700,000 autistic people in the UK that’s more than 1 in 100. If you include their families, autism is a part of daily life for 2.8 million people. However these figures are only estimates and with over 200,000 people on waiting lists for assessment the actual figure is thought to be significantly higher. (Source: National Autistic Society 2023).

Autism is a wide spectrum; identifying and qualifying need has become complex for education, care, and social service settings all of whom are currently in crisis resulting in significant issues with meeting needs as a result of underfunding, lack of training, resources, and educational provision issues.

As a result demand for support at Autism Angels is increasing every year. We have never seen as many children out of education, struggling with their mental health and wellbeing including selfharm, and talking about and attempting suicide.

The current crisis across services continues to be featured in both national and local media nearly every day including The Times, The Guardian, BBC and ITV news.

. Mh Children and Young people referred for autism assessment can expect to wait 'f approximately 40 months. (April 2025, A.;~ a— a Harrogate and District NHS Foundation «|A , a | i aad.7 er SOT TOT Trust ny 4 out of 5 autistic young people experience mental health issues (Source: Ambitious about Autism) Almost one million children and young people had active referrals for mental health services in England in 2022/23 (Dame Rachel de Souza, Children’s Commissioner for England)

A significant number of children waiting for mental health support. In 2023/24 78,577 were waiting over a year and 44% over 2 years. 59% of young people reported their mental health getting worse while waiting for support. (Source: Young Minds)

“Every child has a fundamental right to an education, yet more than 100,000 children each year are being denied this basic right. These children, many of whom have slipped through the cracks of our education system, are not just numbers—they are young lives at risk of being forgotten. I am deeply concerned about this situation, as it reflects a troubling gap in our ability to protect and support some of the most vulnerable members of our society.”

( Dame Rachel de Souza, Children’s Commissioner for England Report: Children Missing Education: The Unrolled Story, September 2024)

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Team

Meet our inspirational Team who continue to dedicate their time way beyond renumerations given and really do add to the uniqueness of what we can offer at the farm.

Sarah

Sarah is the founder and beating heart of Autism Angels. When she meets new clients, it is like being welcomed by sunshine. Her vast experience and intuition enable Sarah to guide families on their initial steps of their journey within the Autism Angels community.

Sarah manages to balance encouragement, love and challenge when working with our families. She is especially successful when working with parents in private or group sessions including the landmark Parent Programme and a range of empowering experiences, challenges, and adventures.

Sarah can be found working on all our sessions along with her malamute, Yume, and her kelpie, Toffee bar. A talented and instinctive horsewoman, Sarah has trained the team members in her equine-facilitated therapeutic approach and ensures that the volunteers are also constantly learning and developing their skills.

Thank you Sarah for all that you do.

Amanda

Amanda’s smiling face is a welcome sight for our families first visit to the farm. Amanda leads on Tasters, Safeguarding and Portfolio work.

a

She loves to work with Blackjack and specialises with children who may be nervous to start. Amanda is often seen at the farm setting up early, visiting the horses and walking her dog Ziggy.

Amanda was previously a Special Needs Teacher and Teacher in Charge of an Enhanced Mainstream School for children with Communication and Interaction needs – supporting children with autism in 41 primary schools. With her knowledge Amanda also supports our families in understanding the pressures of school on children and writing reports for EHCPs to ensure that children are able to access the support they need.

Thank you Amanda for all you do for us.

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Yvonne

Yvonne is a qualified Life and Equine Facilitated Coach. She can often be found in the field checking the horses, in the tack room sorting things out or teaching our children valuable horse skills. Yvonne brings a wealth of experience to the team both from the horse perspective but also as a Mum of an autistic child, so knows all too well of the challenges for our parents.

Yvonne specialises in body work and helping the children reconnect with their internal world. She leads on Licensing requirements, bio security and yard management, creating and ensuring policies and procedures are carried out. With her hard work she recently improved our licensing score from 1 star to 3 stars.

Thank you for all you do Yvonne.

Katharine

Katharine is our business manager and she works tirelessly behind the scenes to support both the charity and our families. Being a Mum of a child on the autism spectrum she knows all too well how hectic things can feel. She is dedicated to creating as much as ease as possible for our families by developing easy booking systems, adding informative posts about what is going on at the farm, answering enquiries; all which is critical in helping our families access us.

Katharine also writes grant applications and fundraising bids for us continuously trying to reduce fees for our families.

You will often see Katharine and her family at events always making sure things are running smoothly and volunteering her help on the day. Thank you for all you do for us Katharine.

Rachel

Rachel currently shares her time between Autism Angels and Evolve College in Ripon where she is a Progress Coach. Rachel studied at York University were she gained a BSc (Hons) Psychology in Education. She then went on to get a first class MSc in Mental Health and Wellbeing in Education and even wrote her dissertation on the experiences of equine facilitated learning programmes at Autism Angels for parents of autistic children and young people.

Thank you for all you do Rachel.

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Howard

Howard is our designated Health and Safety Officer and brings a wealth of knowledge to the charity. He carries out risk assessments, ensures health and safety procedures are in place all to help us run a safe environment allowing our families to access the farm’s natural environments, horse activities and fundraising challenges.

Howard can often be seen walking on the hills to achieve the latest challenge all whilst supporting our families. He also loves to visit the farm to see how everyone is doing (when he is not playing golf). Thank you Howard for all you do for us.

Paddy

Paddy is a Dad of a child on the autism spectrum and knows all too well the challenges of day to day life our parents and families can face. Paddy also supports us through keeping an eye on costs, seeing where we can make savings and keeping the charity running.

Paddy also fundraises for us and can be seen running a marathon or climbing mountains. Paddy has recently completed facilitator training with Andy’s Man Club and wants to expand wellbeing support and strengthen the support network for our Dad’s. Thank you for all you do for us Paddy.

Catherine

We welcomed Catherine to the board of trustees in 2023. Catherine is also a Mum to children on the autism spectrum. She brings a wealth of lived experience as a parent and fully understands the challenges many of our families can face.

Catherine has supported Autism Angels for a number of years regularly arranging fundraising events and raising awareness around autism. Catherine is a fantastic ambassador for the work we do and we are very thankful for her ongoing support. Thank you for all you do for us Catherine.

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This year we would like to focus on our volunteers and the integral work they do to support our families.

Often our volunteers have been clients to start with which means they are clear in the way we work, familiar with the farm and have seen the standards we aim for in our environments. Knowing how it feels to be a client is a great asset to helping them support our families especially when they first arrive because they know how daunting this can feel. They also know how hard it is to share vulnerabilities, heal past traumas and trust people again, all things that can be hard to teach if you haven’t been there.

This is why our volunteers start from a unique place; often having personally experienced the transformational impact they want to share it with others so move from being a client to being a volunteer and then can even go on to train up to be a Coach or Equine Facilitated Coach in our methodology.

Sarah has developed a series of models and fine tuned them over two decades having worked with thousands of families and children. She first began her training as a Horse Whisperer in the UK and then in America becoming a part of a development team to open a learning centre where people would travel from across the globe to learn how horses were communicating with us. They were sent the most difficult horses (perception of?) to work supporting them to overcome their past traumas so they could be integrated into the equine world. Horses would arrive with riding issues such as bucking, rearing, bolting and other issues such as trailer issues, wont be caught, tacking up problems and going into the racing stalls. These horses lives would be transformed by listening to their fears, working at a pace that best suited them and holding sure boundaries. Not dissimilar to what people need when they want to heal their traumas. The difference is, horses don’t speak English so a deeper kind of awareness is needed such as high self-awareness and body language to create two-way communication.

With Sarah’s background in working with 500kg of frightened horses she has learnt a unique way of working with frightened families. She takes her own personal lived experience of overcoming her own life traumas, combined with learning a non-verbal language and over two decades of fine tuning the models and has come up with a methodology that can support not only the person delivering the models but each individual that you come in contact with (or any living being). And this isn’t only limited to when you are on the farm, they can be used anywhere at any time with anyone throughout the world. This is what makes them so transformational.

The volunteers are given basic training to get them started but then trained on the job as they go along. Each session is started with a check- in which is a way of seeing how each individual is feeling as this will impact how they deliver to the families. Depending how each individual is will depend on where they are placed throughout the day and this can change at any time. If the team is to remain ‘strong’ then their needs must be taken into consideration too, as must the horses, dogs etc.

Everyone is then put in a role that matches their ability and wants for the day (Strength zones). There are plenty of opportunities for volunteers.

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As the volunteers develop their skills they can step into other opportunities such as licencing, bio-security, portfolios, team leader etc. The opportunities are endless and skills can be taken into any environments and working with people away from the farm. This builds an enormous amount of self-esteem and self-worth.

It takes away a lot of the ‘shame’ around having struggled in the neurotypical world and helps our volunteers realise that they too are of value and have something to offer this world. It brings back their meaning and purpose which massively supports their mental health.

Teamwork is of high value at the farm. We advocate collaboration and everyone is highly praised for asking for help and working as a team. Teambuilding activities are an integral part of our training and can be most amusing when Sarah brings the horses in to be a part of the team. Learning to trust again and recognise that we are stronger together is enlightening for our volunteers as they have often been let down by others. We show them how to create a strong, authentic team that works to their strengths but also recognises their vulnerabilities and knows how to ask for help.

Often throughout the year we also get in other specialists in their areas such as farrier, horse dentist, licencing, Uni students doing research or their doctorate and maximise extra learning for everyone, volunteers and families. This also shows just how many pathways are out there that can be turned into a vocation. The licencing is always a useful one as many of our volunteers have had very negative experiences with ‘exam’ style process. We show them a new way of dealing with these situations which again reduces stress and anxiety.

Our volunteers are integral to the success of Autism Angels and we repay them by supporting them personally, training them in this unique way and support them to find a pathway that is fulfilling, meaningful and gives back. Because they know the power of the work themselves it is easy for them to show and believe in the families that come to us that they too can overcome their challenges.

This year our young team of volunteers achieved all their goals that are set at the beginning of each half term. Some of these included making friends, speaking up, improving their horse skills, developing their paperwork skills and understanding, leadership, teamwork and their goal was to go away together on a riding holiday. This was a thrilling experience for them all as some had not been away without parents before, some had to learn to ride and some were struggling to make friends. Both the core team , parents and the volunteers were all overwhelmed by the success of their achievements. They transported their team building learning into a brand new environment and supported each other, stayed safe and had a lot of fun on their trip away. It was what dreams are made of. We will continue to deliver high quality training and support to our volunteers as the win-win of this is vital as these relationships are so rich for all involved and also enable us to support the ever increasing needs from our families.

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Like many other charities Autism Angels relies heavily on the support of generous donations and fundraising to help us to deliver our vital services and make a real difference in our community. Over the last 12 months the funding landscape has been difficult with many other charities struggling in the cost of living crisis making grant applications oversubscribed and more competitive than ever.

The team and trustees continue to have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to reduce running costs, volunteered more hours, raise awareness and getting creative in finding different ways to support both the charity and our families.

At Autism Angels we never want cost to be a barrier to families seeking the help and support they need. We are extremely thankful to all in our community who are active in their support of us whether that be with fundraising donations, raising awareness of our charity or volunteering their time helping at the farm.

Thank Yous

The Together Group Construction Ltd Lauren Walker Strensall Community Cafe £300.00 Victoria Sharpe, Leeds Dash £512.50 Donation in memory of Margaret Gardiner £500.00

Lianne Jack, London to Brighton Cycle ride £1,424.00

Todwick Village Ladies Coffee Morning £100.00

Caty Potter, Yorkshire Three Peaks £591.00 Bonnie Lawson Jewellery Sale The Gilby family, donation in memory of Helen.

Faye Kenny-Broom, Northern Heart Photography Aaron Rydquist, Ultra MMA £237.50 Birchfield Ice Cream Farm Asda House Supply Teams, Leeds Skipton Slimming World

In April 2024 John Peet and friends took on the epic challenge of climbing the Yorkshire Three Peaks raising a fantastic £1,381.00

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Other Donations

Co-op Local Community Fund £1,541.50 W.L.Pratt Trust

The Openwork Foundation £10,000

The Loriners’ Charitable Trust £1,300 Ken & Edna Morrison Charitable Trust DLA Piper Stonehouse Projects £744.00

Pets at Home Foundation £10,000 Farrah’s of Harrogate Tesco Stronger Starts £500 The Basil Samuel Charitable Trust The Beauty Cabin TX Maxx Community Grant £500 The Malvern Highland Pony Show £1,000

Corporate Volunteer days at the farm:

GM Supply Team, Asda

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We continue to deliver our fundraising and inclusive family fun events throughout the year offering our families somewhere to come to enjoy time together with other families who are also on a similar journey. Understanding that when you arrive at the event you already know the team, the facilities and that the others attending just ‘get it’ helps remove a lot of the usual stress.

This year we have been able to deliver our annual Halloween and Bonfire party, Christmas party and Duck Race and Picnic all which were a great success.

We also introduced some new additions to our events calendar this year including our first ever Charity Ball and an Abseil fundraiser.

We will continue to do these events as we feel it is a great way for our families and community to come together, to meet each other and socialise throughout the year.

Halloween and Bonfire Event, October 2023

Our Harry Potter themed Halloween and Bonfire event was just magical...our families enjoyed lots of Halloween fund around the farm including a trail, face painting, crafts including wand making and biscuit decorating and more.

A huge thank to Mandy Clare Abbott and her son Sori who brought some very special guests along to visit. The event finished with a traditional bonfire and sparklers.

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Charity Ball, November 2023

This year saw Autism Angel’s first ever Charity Ball. The evening was packed full of fun and entertainment including games, a raffle, casino tables, photobooth and entertainment. Huge thank you to Amy Cawthray, Catherine Gamble and Victoria Martin from our community who volunteered their time, fully organising the event on our behalf to raise support and funds for our charity.

A huge thank you to all the amazing local businesses who supported this event either through event sponsorship or donations. We were truly overwhelmed by your generosity.

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Abseil Fundraiser, April 2024

This year saw another first for Autism Angels with an abseil fundraising event at Brimham Rocks held in April for Autism Acceptance month. The event brought together children, families, team and supporters from our community who stepped out to brave this new challenge, pushing through their fears and nerves, taking on something new and unknown. Everyone absolutely smashed it and we couldn’t have been any more proud.

Huge thank you to Olly Roberts and John Proctor who facilitated this event for us and were incredible in supporting and encouraging all the children and participants.

Duck Race and Picnic, July 2024

July saw our annual Duck Race Fundraising Event, Once again the event was an amazing success and a fantastic event bringing together the community- from all the fantastic prizes donated by local businesses and supporters, to Birchfield Ice Cream Farm who supported us with ice creams, Pretty Little Faces Face Painting and of course everyone who sponsored a duck for the race.. . Despite the typical summer weather of rain, everyone had a ‘quacking’ time

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As our year came to an end I could really see and feel the benefits to taking the ‘pause’ in our year. We were still able to meet need for our team and families but also have time to regroup, to all agree on a way forward.

As I reintroduced the concept of increasing our services to include an Alternative Provision this was now taken with a sense of excitement and not dread as it had been the year before. The time for our children to ‘de-school’ and families to recover from burn out, exhaustion and stress was just what they needed.

So now as we look forward to our next year we embrace the new challenges of offering an educational element whilst understanding that the new pace we have come to know works better for everyone.

As our team grows we continue to keep our own mental health and wellbeing at the forefront, modelling for our families an enjoyable work life balance. It is critical that we don’t burn ourselves or the animals out but show instead how to look after ourselves whilst supporting others.

We will continue to improve our learning spaces around the farm so all aspects can be enjoyed from the river to riding, from the library to walking the dogs. The 60 acre farm continues to work its magic as it nurtures each individual who visits.

We will journey steadily into the year bringing our creativity as to how the educational element works alongside our mental health and wellbeing, and not instead of it. We believe both can be achieved.

We hope you have enjoyed our report. If you would like to see more or have any feedback please get in touch.

Take care

Sarah

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Registered Charity number: 1160289. Company limited by guarantee number: 08168948

Directors and trustees

The directors of the charitable company (the charity) are its Trustees for the purpose of charity law. The trustees and officers who served during the year were as follows:

Key Management Personnel for 2023 - 2024

Trustees/Directors

Sarah Kekoa

Howard Whittaker Patrick Hammond Catherine Flynn-Cartwright

Chair

Sarah Kekoa Treasurer Patrick Hammond Secretary Howard Whittaker

Structure, governance and management

Governing Documents

The charity is governed by its articles of association, which are based on the model articles for a charitable company. These were initially approved on 06 August 2012 and subsequently amended 10 October 2014.

Appointment of trustees

Trustees are appointed by the members in accordance with the provisions contained in the Articles of Association. Trustee training and induction

New trustees are briefed on their obligations under charity law, the constitution of the charity and on the Charity Commission Guidance on public benefit. Trustees attend external training events to facilitate the undertaking of their role, where appropriate.

Organisational structure

The Board of Trustees administers the charity and appointed Sarah Kekoa (Shearman) (a Trustee) to act as Chair on 13 February 2015. She also deals with the day to day operational matters and manages the Centre.

Objects of the charity

For the public benefit, the relief of those in need by reason of autism and other disabilities, in particular but not exclusively by:

• Advancement of education through training programmes and development activities to improve their skills, capacities and capabilities.

• Advancement of education through training and development programmes for the families, carers and professionals who have a role in supporting the individuals with disabilities.

• Advancement of health and wellbeing, in particular but not exclusively, by raising awareness and removing limiting beliefs of the benefits of the natural environment and working with animals

The trustees have given due consideration to the Charity Commission’s published guidance on the Public Benefit requirement under the Charities Act 2011 and its activities are detailed with this report.

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Financial review and reserves

The total income for the year ended 31 August 2024 was £146,826, an increase of £16,065 from last year.

Demand for services and growth of the charity has remained steady over the year. A large proportion of the charity’s income is from charitable activities and services. Other funding sources include grants, trusts and fundraising activities. The trustees continue to develop and maintain ways the charity can increase income whilst working towards its charitable objectives. As a result, this year the charity made a total surplus of £1,453 (an increase of £12,554 from last year.)

As at 31 August 2024 undesignated funds were £4,131, an increase of £13,291 from last year. The Charity has worked hard this year to secure unrestricted monies which has enabled the Charity to meet its restricted funding commitments and restore the undesignated funds to a surplus. The trustees continue to review the charity’s finances and expenditure as part of the charity’s regular budgeting processes

Risk management

The trustees have a risk management strategy which comprises:

This work has identified that financial sustainability is the major financial risk. Attention has also been focused on non-financial risks arising from child protection issues, fire, health and safety of employees, associated members and members of the public. A key element of the management of financial risk is the retention of adequate working capital.

The trustees are satisfied that systems and procedures are in use to adequately manage the risks to which the charity is exposed.

Reference and administrative details

Charity number 1160289

Company number 8168948

Principal / registered office Throstle Nest Farm, Summerbridge HG3 4JS

Advisors

Related parties Related party transactions are set out at note 8 to the financial statements.

Trustees responsibilities in relation to the financial statements

The trustees (who are also directors of Autism Angels Ltd for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). Company and 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 charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources for that year. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

In preparing this report advantage has been taken of the small companies exemption within Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006.

Approved by the Board of Trustees and signed on behalf of the Board of Trustees on 23rd May 2025

Independent Examiner:

Sarah Wearing, Partner: HPH Chartered Accountants LLP, Conyngham Hall Business Centre, Bond End, Knaresborough HG5 9AY

Patrick Hammond

Bankers

Barclays, 15 James Street, Harrogate HG1 1QX

24

The notes on pages 27 to 33 form part of the accounts.

25

The notes on pages 27 to 33 form part of the accounts.

26

The address of its registered office is Throstle Nest Farm, Summerbridge, North Yorkshire, HG3 4JS

27

AUTISM ANGELS LTD (A Company limited by guarantee) NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024 ACCOUNTING POUCIES (contlnued) 2.5 Expenditure Expenditure is recognised on a accruals basis. Expenditure indudes any VAT ￿1th cannot be recovered and is reported as part of the expenditure to ￿lch it relates. Cosls of generating funds costs associated vthh attracting voluntary income. Charilable activities counselling services to clients. It includes costs that can be allocated directly and those of an indirect nature necessary to support them. allocated to charitable acts'vities on an actual basis. costs assoaated wth meeting the I￿nStItutIOnal and statutory requirements. Support costs Governan￿ costs 2.6 Tanglble flxed assets and depreclatlon Fixed assets for the Charitable Company to use are capitalised at cost. Donated assets are valued at market value on donation. They are stated in the accounts at cosuoriginal value less dep￿ciation. Depreciation is calculated to wrrte off the cost or valuats'on of fixed assets, less their estimated ￿sidual value. over their expected useful lives on the followng bases.. Equipment, fixtures and t¢)ols 10% to 33.3% straight line basis per annum 2.7 Debtors Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid after taking account of any trade discounts due. 2.8 Cash at bank and In hand Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash on hand and call deposits, and other short-term highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to a knovm amount of cash and are subject to an insignificant risk of change in value. 2.9 Creditors Creditors are recognised where the Charitable Company has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds lo a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estsmated reliabty. Creditors are normally reco9nised at their settlement amount after allowng for any trade discounts due. 2.10 Flnanclal Instruments The Charitable Company only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transacb'on value and subsequently measured at their settlement value. 28

AUTISM ANGELS LTD (A company limited by guarantee) NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024 Unrestrlcted Funds 2024 Restricted Funds 2024 Tolal Funds 2024 Tolal Funds 2023 3 DONATIONS AND LEGACIES Donalions and gifts Grant income 19,769 21,5(h) 19,769 49,842 13.742 37,847 28,342 £ 41,269 £ 28.342 £ 69,611 £ 51,589 Restricted donations and legacies in 2023 was £25.182 The Charilable Company also benefits greatly trom the involvement and enthusiastic support of its many volunteers. In accordance ￿￿th Charrties SORP, the eCI￿omiC contribution of general volunteers is not retognised in the accounts. 4 INCOME FROM CHARITABLE ACTMTIES Session fees £ 72,804 £ 72,804 £ 72,084 Restricted income from charitable ath'vities in 2023 was £nil. S TOTAL STAFF COSTS The key management personnel of the Charitable Ct)mpany comprise the trustees, see note 8 for details of transactions. No staff are directly employed by the charity. 6 FUNDRAISING EXPENDITURE Fundraising and event costs Advertising and promotion 1,158 3,402 1,158 3.402 270 3,342 £ 4,560 £ 4.560 £3.612 29

AUTISM ANGELS LTD {A company limited by guarantee) NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024 ANALYSIS OF TOTAL EXPENDITURE Unreslricled Funds 2024 Restricted Funds 2024 Total Funds 2024 Totsl Funds 2023 7.1 Charitable actlvitles Horse and animal expenses Facilitators Food and refreshments Equipment Training Subcontractor costs Management fee Support costs Ibelowl Governanr£ costs Ibelowl 477 26.816 4.335 2.117 30 3,754 20,800 43,169 1.815 10,CK)O 27.1)42 10.477 53,858 4,335 2.575 30 3.754 20,800 43,169 1.815 7,784 59,525 4,110 3,179 1.217 853 20,900 37,930 2,752 458 £ 103,313 £ 37,500 £ 140.813 £ 138,250 In 2023 £16,212 related to restricted furKIs 7.2 Support costs Rent and facilibes costs Office costs Computer costs Telephone and internet Printing and stationery Repairs and Maintenance Insurance costs Travel costs Sundry costs Dab debts wloff Depreciation 13,411 15,361 252 439 264 181 9,117 13,411 15,361 252 439 264 181 9,117 10.382 14,329 307 596 129 161 7.476 1,224 700 2,626 2.680 2.680 £ 43,169 £43.169 £ 37,930 In 2023 £nil related lo restricted funds 7.3 Governance costs Independent examinerfs fee Professional fees 1,200 615 1,200 615 1,200 1,552 £ 1,815 £ 1,815 £ 2.752 In 2023 £nil related to restricted fijnds 30

AUTISM ANGELS LTD (A Company limited by guarantee) NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024 RELATED PARTIES AND TRUSTEE TRANSACTIONS Trustee Transactions An amount of £52,50012023 - £54,900) was paid to a business operated by S Kekoa la trustee) for time spent in management and facilitation. In 2024 £8,63012023 £8,330) was paid to that business under shared services agreement to cover of propety and other costs, such as phone, utilities insurance and horse care jointly incurred by the charity and the business. No trustees were reimbursed for expenses other than the transactions disdosed above. Related Partles During the year payments were made lo members of Irustees, families. An amount of £16,187 {2023'. £14,275) was paid lo A Whittaker in respect of facilitators fees and £17.278 12023 £16,848} to K Hammond in respect of administrab'on fees. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS Flxture8 & Flttlngs Equlpment Total Cost Al 1 September 2023 Additions 11,600 2,620 1,142 14,220 1,142 At 31 August 2024 11,600 3,762 15,362 Dopreclatlon At 1 September 2023 Charge for year 9,280 2.320 2.352 360 11,632 2,680 At 31 August 2024 11,600 2,712 14,312 Nel Book Amounts At 31 August 2024 £1,0 £1,050 At 31 August 2023 £ 2,320 £268 £ 2,588 2024 2023 10 DEBTORS Trade Debtors Accrued income 3.887 1,927 £4,367 £ 1,927 31

AUTISM ANGELS LTD (A company limited by guarantee) NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024 2024 2023 11 LIABILITIES: Amounts falling due within one year Trade Creditors Accruals 4,020 5,411 1,365 £ 5.380 £ 6,776 12 RESTRICTED FUNDS Balance at 1 September 2023 Balance at 31 August 2024 Income Expendlture Transfer8 Current year Playground Recording equipment Parents and carers Kids Club Wellbeing days Animal costs Equestn'an equipment 2.699 2,699 1,500 (3￿> 110.0001 {2.042} 115,000) 110,0001 {158} 10.CrfJ) 2,042 15.000 10,OCWJ 11,1421 £ 14.499 £ 28.342 £137,500) £11,142) £4,199 Balance at 1 September 2022 Balance at 31 August 2023 Income Expendlture Transfers Prlor year Playground Recording equipment Pnvate Iherapy days Parents and carers Kids Club Wellbeing days 2.699 2,699 1,800 1,030 (1,030) 10.oc 6.332 8,850 10,000 (6.332) (8,850) £ 5.529 £ 25.182 £116.2121 £ 14,499 Playground - Monies received for the installab'on of a playground from the local fence dub. Recording equipment- Money was re￿iVed for the purchase of recording equipment. Parent5 and carers- Grant fijnding received for parents and careers projects. Kids Club- Funding re￿iVed for Saturday kids dub. Wellbeing days - Monies received for the provision of Wellbeing sessions held during the year. Animal costs- Grant received for animal related costs during the year. Equestrian equipment- Monies received for equeslnan equipment. 32

AUTISM ANGELS LTD {A cornpany limited by guarantee) NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024 13 UNRESTRICTED FUNDS Balance at 1 September 2023 Balance at 31 August 2024 Income Expendlture Transfers Current year D¢¥ignat8d Fixed assets 2,588 12,6801 1.142 1,050 Undeslgnated Free reserves 19,160) 118.484 1105.1931 4,131 Total Unrestricted Funds £16,572) £ 118.484 £1107,873 £ 1,142 £5,181 8alanco at 1 September 2022 Balance at 31 August 2023 Incomg Expendlturn Transf8rs Comparatlvo yoar Deslgnated Fixed Assets 5.214 12,6261 2.588 Undeslgnal8d Free reserves 8.285 105.579 1123.0241 9,1601 Tolal Unreslricied Funds £ 13.499 £ 105.579 £1125.6501 £16.5721 Deslgnatod Fund¥ The fixed asset fund represents the level of money invested in r￿ed assets for the use of charty. 14 ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS Unrggtrlcted Undeyignated Designatèd Funds Funds R•strl¢t Funds Total Fund5 Current year Tangible fixed assets Current assets Current liabilrties 1.050 1.050 13,710 {5.3801 9,511 {5,3801 4.199 Al 31 August 2024 £4,131 £1,050 £4,199 £ 9,380 Comparntiv& year Tangible fixed as¥el$ Current èssels Current liabilrties 2.588 2.588 12,115 {6.7761 12,3841 16.7761 14.499 Al 31 August 2023 £19.1601 £ 2.588 £ 14.499 £ 7,927 33

AUTISM ANGELS LTD

A Company Limited by Guarantee)

Independent examiner's report to the trustees

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the company for the year ended 31 August 2024, which are set out on pages 25 to 33.

This report is made solely to the charitable company’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and the charitable company’s trustees as a body in accordance with section 154 of the Charities Act 2011. My independent examiner’s work has been undertaken so that I might state to the charitable company’s trustees those matters I am required to state to them in an independent examiner’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, I do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company, the charitable company’s members as a body and the charitable company’s trustees as a body for my independent examiner’s work, for this report, or for the opinions I have formed.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity’s trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (‘the 2006 Act’).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:

  1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Company as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

  3. the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or

  4. the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Sarah Wearing, FCA, DChA 23 May 2025

HPH, Chartered Accountants Conyngham Hall Business Centre Bond End KNARESBOROUGH HG5 9AY

34

AutismAngelsUK

E: info@autismangels.co.uk w: www.autismangels.co.uk Registered Charity No. 1160289