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← Kingston Voluntary Action

2024-03-31-accounts

Ji Trustees, Report and Financial Statements 2023-2024

Contents

Contents
Page
Reference and Administrative Details 3
Introduction 4
The Chair’s Report 5
KVA’s Purpose and Outcomes 10
KVA’s Activities and Approach 11
1. Capacity Building 12
2. Representation 24
3. Projects 29
3.1. Health, Care and Social Prescribing 29
3.2. The Buddy Scheme 35
3.3. Children and Young People 36
3.4. Kingston Eco-op 37

Structure, Governance and Management		 42
Financial Review 45
Responsibilities of the Trustees 47
Independent Auditor’s Report to the Trustees of KVA CIO 48
Financial Statements
 53

2

Reference and Administrative Details

Registered charityname: Kingston VoluntaryAction
Charitable Incorporated
Organisation (CIO) number:		 1160403
Address: Siddeley House, 50 Canbury Park Road, Kingston upon
Thames, KT2 6LX
Telephone number: 020 8255 3335
Website: www.kva.org.uk

Trustees

Name Position Organisation Appointed Resigned
Nigel Newby Chair RaKAT February2015 -
Tarlochan Johal Treasurer - August 2020 -
Archie James
Manister-O'Neill		 Trustee Creative
Youth		 March 2023 -
Helena Pohl Trustee - August 2020 -
MaryMcDonald Trustee - May2022 -
Michael D'Souza Trustee One
Norbiton		 February 2015 -
Nigel Evason Trustee - September 2022 May2024
Patricia MaryMonro Trustee RAK March 2023 -
Ranjit Dhillon Trustee ASCA February2015 -

ASCA Addiction Support and Care Agency RAK Refugee Action Kingston RaKAT Richmond and Kingston Accessible Transport

Independent Auditors

Independent Auditors
Goodman Jones 40 – 50 Tottenham Street, London, W1T 4RN
Bankers
The Royal Bank of
Scotland		 Drummond House, 1 Redheughs Avenue, Edinburgh, EH12
9JN
CAF Bank Limited 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, Kent, ME29 4JQ
Virgin Money 15 – 17 Castle Street, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 1ST

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Introduction

The Board of Trustees has pleasure in presenting Kingston Voluntary Action’s (KVA) Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2024.

The Chair’s Report sets out an overview of the year. This is followed by more detailed information on KVA’s achievements across the wide range of the organisation’s activities, as well as by the Financial Review and the detailed Financial Statements.

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The Chair’s Report

The financial year 2023/24 presented a range of local, regional, national and international challenges (and opportunities) affecting the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector – all of which have an impact on KVA’s work.

Austerity and the cost-of-living crisis continued to effect individuals, communities and institutions alike. However, the consequences were particularly felt by those supported by the VCSE sector and the VCSE organisations themselves.

We saw increasing inequalities in health, arising from multiple inter-linked social, economic and environmental factors. This was exacerbated by the long-term impact of Covid-19 involving ongoing pressures on the NHS and social care, growing complexity and numbers needing support and changing patterns of working and ways of accessing services. In addition, there was a growing awareness and anxiety arising from the climate emergency and various national and international issues and disputes.

KVA itself has developed and changed over the years, both as an Infrastructure support organisation and as a provider of specialist services, with evolving relationships with our funders and partners. During this year, the Trustees felt it was timely to redefine what it means to be Kingston Voluntary Action and how, as an organisation, we can continue to thrive and develop in an increasingly complex working environment. During the year we looked again at our strategy, structure and ways of working, initially by redeveloping our Vision, Mission and Values as the basis for a three-year strategy, encapsulating all our areas of work under two main themes of Healthy VCSE Organisations and Healthy Communities and Residents. The strategy will be launched towards the end of 2024. We believe that this will set us in good stead, internally and externally, to face the future robustly.

The year started with renewed contracts from Kingston Council for the work of Kingston Eco-op and The Buddy Scheme (both under a ‘framework’ agreement for Day Opportunities and Meaningful Occupations), for Infrastructure Support, including digital and tech support and for the work focused on identifying and supporting those most disadvantaged in Kingston under the Health, Care and Social Prescribing contract.

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KVA continued to work closely with statutory partners, particularly Royal Borough of Kingston Council (RBK), the South West London Integrated Care System (SWL ICS), and Kingston University. We established good relationships with the Leader and CEO of RBK and have continued to raise the profile of the sector through KVA CEO’s membership of many strategic boards and groups across the borough led by both RBK and the SWL ICS. These now include the Kingston Place-Based Partnership Committee. The sector's voice is represented by KVA and other local VCSE organisations through the Leadership Group of the VCSE Alliance, the Prevention and Health Equity Partnership group, the Older People’s Delivery Oversight Group, the Workforce Development Group and the SWL ICS Digital Board.

KVA was chosen as one of five Community Research Hubs of the SWL Abundance Project, developed in partnership with University of Arts London, Kingston University and five other South West London organisations. The Abundance Project is a collaboration between the arts and health sectors, working alongside community organisations to create opportunities for everyone, no matter background, to feel included and supported with their mental health. The project is part of the UK Research and Innovation’s ‘Mobilising Community Assets to Tackle Health Inequalities’ programme, which aims to tackle deep-rooted and longstanding health differences in Britain's poorest communities. This includes exploring how the UK’s community assets, such as museums and parks, can be integrated into healthcare systems with the aim of reducing health inequalities. 2023/24 involved working jointly on funding application and mobilisation. We expect to be able to report much more in the next Annual Report. The project will run until February 2027.

We continued to connect with both VCSE sector organisations and public sector partners through our well-attended networks, including the Health & Wellbeing Network and the VCSE Sector Forum, where statutory partners can engage in discussions on issues affecting the sector. The VCSE Forum now includes a standing item on Community Resilience, led by RBK’s Borough Resilience Manager.

KVA remained active in the development of the VCSE Strategy, led by RBK’s Executive Director, Residents and Communities and their Programme Director for Community Hubs, focusing on ‘Empowering People, Strengthening Communities’.

We maintained our support for VCSE organisations to set up and grow through our wide-ranging training programme and through ‘Ask the Expert’ one-to-one support on issues arising around governance, finances, strategic planning, income generation, Human Resources (HR), marketing, Communications and digital requirements. During the year we piloted a new capacity building programme, designed and delivered by

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an experienced consultancy team to identify and meet the priority needs of local organisations. Financial resources brought into the borough amounted to £244,574 .

Communications were as significant as ever in maintaining our reach into the sector throughout the year with frequent e-bulletins, regular network and information sharing meeting and with the design and dissemination of regular surveys. We continued to work closely with Public Health and the SWL ICS to disseminate important messages about accessing help and promoting targeted services.

Our Superhighways team worked with organisations in Kingston and across London to help them gain the digital, data and tech capabilities to achieve their goals. Their invaluable work enabled small grassroots organisations to engage in activities towards creating a more equal London, funded by a three-year Trust for London grant. This ended in December 2023 but Superhighways was awarded a two-year extension to continue the work from April 2024 to April 2027. Their work on digital inclusion continues in Kingston, providing basic digital support to people in a range of community venues so that they can keep abreast of a rapidly changing digital world and make their voices heard.

A particular highlight was the launch of Superhighways’ Small Charities Data Journeys report, the findings of which illuminate when key challenges emerge and where additional support or collective intervention could help organisations progress with their use of data.

Kingston Eco-op continued to expand their service delivery and partnerships further, and moved towards being more client-centred, with key workers helping clients to identify their aims and find ways to meet them. A new Team Leader role allowed the manager and deputy manager to focus on developing new activities that particularly focused on health and wellbeing, including chair-based exercises, accessible cycling and cook and eat sessions. In addition, the Larch Club was launched in August 2023 to provide a weekly social club for adults with autism with a much-needed safe and supported space where members could gain confidence, develop social relationships and express themselves without fear of stigma or judgement.

The Buddy Scheme was awarded funding from RBK for a further two years and continued its highly valued work with our amazing volunteers offering their Buddies much needed companionship and activities, with regular leisure activities, day trips and picnics. The Buddy Scheme retained its popularity and ability to bring so much to the lives of the participants. It continued to receive new referrals, recruit new volunteers and create new Buddy pairs.

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Connected Kingston continued to grow. By the end of March 2024, the Connected Kingston website listed 676 services from 409 organisations. Five Connected Kingston Champions were also trained online throughout the year to support residents across the borough, bringing the total number of Connected Kingston Champions to 429.

The Good Food Group continued to build community and advocacy support around food to improve economic, social and health outcomes for everyone in Kingston. A new Good Food Group Coordinator, funded by the Greater London Authority (GLA) Food Roots programme and RBK, was recruited working four days a week. The Group continued to expand with current membership of over 30 organisations.

We are very grateful for the funding and support that RBK and the NHS have given us over many years and for their recognition of the value that KVA, as the local infrastructure support organisation and VCSE sector partner, has brought to the borough.

We are also grateful to the many other funders, including City Bridge Foundation, London’s biggest independent charity funder, The National Lottery Community Fund (TNLCF), SWL ICS and Trust for London who have supported a range of projects, particularly those run by Superhighways across London.

And of course, no report from KVA would be complete without expressing our heartfelt thank you to our colleagues and friends in the VCSE sector who work tirelessly to support their users and contribute so much to the strength and resilience of our communities. What we learn from you every year makes what we can offer to you more informed, relevant and current.

None of this would have been possible without the exceptional dedication of the staff team, led expertly with tireless enthusiasm by CEO Sanja Djeric Kane. They have worked exceedingly hard to maintain and most importantly develop our services. The team’s many skills, experience and knowledge of the VCSE sector in Kingston and beyond continues to help build connected and resilient communities. Despite some staff changes and recruitment issues over the course of the year, we were fortunate to be able to recruit a talented and experienced manager, Emma Hill, as our new Deputy CEO/ Health Programmes Manager. We also recruited a new post – The VCSE Development Manager, Eneida Capaldi, equally talented and experienced, who joined KVA in April 2024.

For more information on our whole staff team, including the great new people who also joined us in 2023/24, please visit the relevant page on our website.

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Our expanded Trustee Board continued to bring a wide range of experience and perspectives to KVA’s work and I would like to thank all of them for their invaluable support and direction throughout the year, particularly in our review/refresh of KVA’s strategy and ways of working. A particular thanks are due to Helena Pohl and Tarlochan Johal.

Facing the future

KVA is facing the future with confidence and determination to continue supporting local VCSE organisations and partners in the best way possible. The organisation will continue to develop in a way that is collaborative, innovative, flexible and responsive to changing needs and circumstances, as we face challenges such as:

We look forward to developing our new structure and creating a strategic plan that will support the VCSE organisations that we work with to thrive and continue to offer so much to the life, diversity, health and wellbeing of the people that they serve.

Nigel Newby

Chair of the Trustees

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KVA’s Purpose

KVA’s main role is to be the umbrella organisation and infrastructure body for Kingston’s VCSE sector and to improve the quality of life for all Kingston’s communities. It does this by empowering the VCSE sector with tools, skills and knowledge as well as by championing their independent voices and achievements.

However, during 2023/24, as KVA re-evaluated the scope of its work, the organisation recognised that the needs of the sector and communities had been changing and in response some of KVA’s work had been with organisations outside the boundaries of our borough. For example, KVA’s Superhighways team supported organisations in different parts of London, funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, Trust for London and City Bridge Foundation.

KVA works towards:

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KVA’s Activities and Approach

KVA’s main areas of activity encompass:

  1. A comprehensive capacity building offer that includes:

  2. Advice, support, guidance and training on a wide range of topics that help VCSE organisations set up, develop and grow

  3. Support, guidance and training focusing specifically on funding

  4. Digital, data and tech support through the Superhighways team, which offers technical advice, troubleshooting, training, and one-to-one support to both Kingston and London VCSE organisations

Representation, support and amplification of the ’voice’ of the VCSE sector through a range of networks, partnership working, participation on strategic boards and codesigning of activities.

  1. In addition, KVA runs projects with an aim to improve the health and wellbeing of our communities:

  2. Health Care and Social Prescribing (including Connected Kingston, the Good Food Group and Core 20 Plus 5 which addresses inequalities in health)

  3. Kingston Eco-op

  4. Buddy Scheme

  5. Children and Young People

These key areas of activity reflect the objectives of the charity and clearly show how KVA meets the requirement to provide public benefit to those it has been set up to help, in line with the Charity Commission’s general guidance.

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1. Capacity Building

Empowering VCSE organisations to set up, expand and thrive has always been the driving force behind KVA.

KVA continued to provide ongoing general and specialised advice and support to Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations throughout the year, taking into account the changing needs and environment. This included addressing the cost-of-living crisis, an increasingly competitive funding landscape, the impact of severe financial pressures on local authorities and the challenges posed by the postpandemic circumstances. Despite these challenges, KVA persevered in making a significant and diverse contribution to growth and development of the VCSE organisations through their capacity building offer.

KVA continued to utilise online platforms for one-to-one meetings, group facilitation, training and other activities to ensure maximum accessibility, while also addressing the increasing demand to return to face-to-face interactions. The topics and areas covered by the KVA capacity building offer remained diverse and relevant to the current environment, encompassing governance, strategic and business planning, funding, finance, communications, safeguarding, organisational development, staff and trustee support, as well as digital, data and tech offers across London.

This would not have been possible without KVA securing a new contract from RBK for VCSE sector infrastructure support in early 2023 to run from April 2023 to March 2026 with two additional years, subject to monitoring and achievement of the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and additional funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, Trust for London and City Bridge Foundation – London’s biggest independent charity funder for digital data and tech support of organisations across London.

1.1 Advice, support, guidance and training on a wide range of topics

The offer consisted of:

KVA’s popular ‘Ask the Expert’ service provided local organisations and residents with

three complimentary 45-minute sessions with experienced professionals per topic of

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their need, such as setting up an organisation, fundraising, finance, business planning, charitable law, governance, volunteering, safeguarding, digital, data and tech.

KVA automated the ‘Ask the Expert’ process during the year to ensure easy and efficient access for individuals seeking advice, effectively matching them with the most appropriate experts and conducting thorough follow-ups for assessment purposes. KVA received 126 ‘Ask the Expert’ requests from 56 unique organisations and one individual. Out of those, 120 requests were successfully resolved by 31 March 2024.

The ‘Ask the Expert’ sessions received positive feedback with respondents saying their knowledge and skills had increased. KVA collected feedback from 42 participants about the quality of advice provided. The overall satisfaction score was 4.79 out of 5.

KVA’s Finance Manager, Jacky Fung, in his capacity as Community Accountant, was one of the most popular experts on the programme, in high demand and greatly valued. His support covered a range of topics including finance policy, bookkeeping, budgeting, eligibility for business rates relief, using digital tools for financial data, HMRC services, National Minimum Wage, Childcare Vouchers and preparing annual accounts. Additionally, he included useful postings on finances in the KVA e-bulletins.

‘It's always an absolute pleasure working with Jacky. He explains things clearly and patiently, and always goes the extra mile after we meet by summarising what we've discussed in an email. He is completely professional, and utterly reliable - and he makes me laugh too, which is a talent indeed when you're dealing with bills and invoices.’

Client, ‘Ask the Expert’

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KVA’s training programme offered 39 training and information sharing sessions on a range of topics, with a total of 328 attendances. The topics included digital strategy, emergency first aid, strategic planning, network building, fundraising and funding bid writing skills, safeguarding, data protection, governance, measuring outcomes and impact, managing finances, equality, diversity and inclusion and cyber security. These sessions were well received, as 100% of respondents in the post-intervention evaluation agreed that they were accessible and highly relevant.

Attendee, ‘Getting started with Excel’

‘Fantastic trainer, very approachable, personable and knowledgeable, and a lovely group of attendees. Thank you!’

Attendee, ‘Emergency First Aid at Work for Charities/Community Groups’

KVA wanted to better understand the development needs of smaller VCSE organisations to further inform KVA’s offer. To achieve this, the organisation ran a bespoke pilot capacity building programme in partnership with Orange Consulting & Training and KN Walford Consultancy for nine small, local organisations to test and learn how a programme of support might be delivered to a diverse cohort of organisations to test engagement, impact and level of interest in working together in this way.

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The programme provided diagnostic checks, tailored support, consultations, and master classes for the participating organisations, fostering reflection and peer sharing. For report, see Pilot Capacity Building Training Programme for Kingston report and the Capacity Building Programme video produced by KVA.

1.2 Support, guidance and training on funding

Securing funding continued to be a key priority for VCSE organisations.

KVA’s range of funding support included one-to-one support, training programmes, assistance with funding searches and reviewing applications, identify and raise awareness and publicity about potential funding opportunities through various communication channels, including dedicated e-bulletins, the KVA website, social media and encouraging and initiating collaborative funding applications.

KVA also continued to work with Kingston University on developing resources for the sector to improve voluntary sector organisations’ fundraising skills.

Overall, KVA successfully helped 26 different organisations and brought £244,574 into the borough from a range of funders.

KVA secured a total of £85,354 from health inequalities funding, of which £10,874 was received during this financial year and the remaining amount will be received as the project progresses in the following years.

Health Inequalities Grant

Bereavement Project

Cost of Living Fund

Kingston Community Resilience Fund - RBK

With funds secured from RBK, KVA distributed £51,600 of Community Cooking Grants to the following organisations as part of our Good Food Project:

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KVA distributed GetUBetter App Grants to six organisations, one in Kington and five in the neighbouring boroughs, at a total value of £3,500, of which £1,650 was distributed during this financial year and the other three organisation will receive it in the next year.

KVA supported the following organisations which received £77,000 of direct funding:

In addition, KVA secured £84,742 to support VCSE organisations and their activities as well as wider communities in Kingston specifically, as well as in wider London.

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KVA participated in several partnership bids and was successful on the UK Research and Innovation bid ‘Collaborative community research to tackle health inequalities’ led by Kingston University. The three-year programme will start in 2025.

KVA effectively utilised a wide range of communication channels to actively publicise funding opportunities. The funding page on the KVA website was updated on a weekly - basis. Between April 2023 and March 2024, KVA’s funding page Funding Kingston Voluntary Action (kva.org.uk) saw 3,854 visits. In the 12 KVA monthly e-bulletins sent out from April 2023 to March 2024, funding news and updates was accessed 1,747 times. KVA also sent out a separate ‘Winter Engagement Fund’ e-bulletin, which was opened by 265 subscribers. KVA subscribes to Idox GrantFinder and ten organisations have used this service during the year.

KVA ensured the dissemination of dedicated e-bulletins that highlighted funding opportunities and offer comprehensive bid writing and dedicated training support. The organisation consistently made use of opportunities to promote its funding support at meetings, such as presenting its funding page to the Kingston Community Club Forum which had 58 individuals from 37 different organisations present.

1.3 Digital, Data & Tech Support

The Superhighways team supported small charities and community groups across London in gaining the essential digital and data skills, backed by the right tech, to achieve their goals.

Across all funded projects and consultancy services, Superhighways supported over 362 unique small organisations. 179 unique organisations accessed one-to-one advice and support with using digital, data and tech and 264 unique organisations accessed

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Superhighways training sessions and events to upskill their staff, trustees and volunteers. 43 of these organisations delivered services in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.

Digital Support

In the second year of the Digital Foundations programme (working in partnership with the HEAR Human Rights and Equalities Network, Refugee Council and VOICE Online Communities CIC) funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, Superhighways engaged with 156 small charities and community groups from 30 London boroughs.

A new Tech Development Advisor joined the team in April 2023 bringing much needed additional capacity to this programme, resulting in 257 one-to-one advice and support sessions covering a range of tech infrastructure and digital skills issues, along with 61 training sessions and events.

Superhighways continued to convene the London CVS Development Workers Network – a space to share and learn from each other, with a focus on relevant digital and data topics including AI and community spaces mapping.

Superhighways continued to work with VOICE Online Communities to improve and provide support and training for small charities and community groups to use the free VOICE platform to build and host their website while also running a seven-week ’Build your own Voice Website’ course for a cohort of small organisations.

Across all Digital Foundations training, 88% of training participants completing feedback forms, rated sessions a 4 or 5 out of a maximum score of 5.

63% of organisations accessing training and support had an income of under £500k, and 32% had an income of under £100k.

“Brilliant facilitator made everyone feel at ease regardless of the level they're at or what kind of organisation or group they were from. It felt like a very personal delivery and experience despite it being online.”

Attendee, ‘Digital Foundations training’

Superhighways provided digital support to 33 Kingston organisations as part of the RBK funded infrastructure support contract, running eight training sessions during the period.

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Client, ‘Voice website one to one support'

Data Support

A three-year grant from Trust for London to provide a data support programme for London’s small grassroots organisations working towards a more equal London, ended in December 2023. However, Superhighways successfully applied for a two-year extension grant which enabled them to continue this work from April 2024.

In this period, Superhighways ran 30 training sessions attended by 195 participants, which included the popular Excel three-part series. Feedback from this practical skillsbased training sessions included:

‘Today's training has helped me to think of the type and usage of data we will be collecting. On a personal level it has helped me see data collection, analysis and usage is much more than a task necessary for funders impact report but very useful in the design and implementation of projects.’

Attendee, ‘Excel Training’

Superhighways provided 86 one-to-one support sessions on a range of issues related to better use of data to shape services, raise community voice and influence change.

During the year, Superhighways continued its Cornerstone Round Two funded Datawise London programme, working in partnership with the HEAR Network and collaborated with London Plus, adopting a systems change approach to better use of data in the sector.

In October 2023 we launched our Small Charities Data Journeys report, hosting an event to share learning with funders, infrastructure organisations and data support providers. Superhighways further developed its support resources for choosing and implementing a CRM, supporting small charities on a consultancy basis or via the Lloyds Bank Foundation’s Funder Plus Enhance Programme.

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Superhighways peer user groups continued to enable organisations to come together and learn from each other with currently AirTable, AIDE CRM and Power BI groups.

Superhighways have also progressed our work exploring how to better make data about the VCSE sector in London more accessible, developing a prototype tool to interact with Charity Commission data and test and iterate based on feedback from a range of organisations.

Consultancy work with London councils building interactive dashboards for funding programme data continued and new work with London Funders explored piloting a funder collaborative shared due diligence platform for grantees to only upload this data once. Superhighways also worked with London Plus and a small team of data experts to source and analyse data relating to the impact of local infrastructure organisations in London.

Tech support

The Superhighways Membership package provided tech support to 44 organisations (13 of which delivered services in Kingston). Superhighways continued to help members with day-to-day tech challenges, resolving 1,072 issues. The team also provided procurement advice, proactively alerting organisations to end of life software needing upgrading and charity discounts available.

With the rise in phishing emails, a focus continued to be providing best practice cyber security guidance. Superhighways directly supported 14 organisations to respond to suspected hacks, checking whether this had resulted in unauthorised access to data and working with them to improve their set up e.g. enabling Multi Factor Authentication to reduce risks of future breaches.

‘Thanks for your telephone IT support over the past few weeks, the system, back-up and SAGE email set-up are all working really well again, another great example of pain free and excellent resolution to our IT problems.’

Member, ‘Superhighways’ tech support service’

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As part of the Digital Foundations programme, Superhighways ran two ‘Bring your own Tech’ days – a new initiative enabling small organisations to bring tech devices to partner’s offices, successfully supporting 11 organisations.

‘Thank you for all you and your team's help! That was a really worthwhile session for me and it seems to have sorted out problems with both laptops I brought along.’ Attendee, ‘Bring your own Tech day’

Digital Inclusion support

Superhighways digital inclusion activity continued to be supported by RBK’s Infrastructure Support funding and a UK Shared Prosperity Fund grant.

Superhighways distributed sim cards from the Good Things Foundation led National Databank to over 60 Kingston residents referred by local charities, community groups and the local authority, as well as laptops to care leavers.

‘Having access to sim cards, both data and calls, is transformational to the clients that attend the wellbeing days and the refugees that come to our sewing group.’ Co-ordinator, ‘Wellbeing day events’

Collaborations

Superhighways delivered 22 digital and data training sessions and workshops on behalf of London CVSs, other infrastructure organisations and networks.

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‘We deeply appreciated the expertise and insight that Superhighways offered to the organisations involved in London Challenge Poverty Week through the workshops they ran in collaboration with us. Attendees were clear that this was just the sort of practical support they needed. I personally learned something every time. Such a lovely bunch of trainers! They helped to make it one of the most digitally active years ever!’ Co-ordinator, ‘London Challenge Poverty Week’

One to one basic digital skills support was also provided at a range of community venues including Queen Mary Hall, Alfriston Day Centre, Kingston Pantry, and Mind in Kingston’s supported accommodation.

‘Just another note of thanks for helping my client set up his new Ipad. Your patience with him was amazing, often repeating instructions to solidify his knowledge. He is so happy to be able to access his favourite music etc on YouTube.’

Referrer, ‘Digital inclusion support service’

Superhighways continued to convene the Kingston Digital Inclusion Network with two meetings in this period and represented the VCSE across the six boroughs on the SWL ICS Digital Board, resulting in a pilot small grants programme for VCSE organisations to support adoption and use of a long-term conditions support app in their communities.

Plans for the future

KVA will:

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2. Representation

Relationship with statutory partners and other stakeholders

KVA’s role in representing the voice of the VCSE sector during this year was as important and challenging as ever, with further significant changes in the local landscape affecting the VCSE sector. Maintaining the quality of KVA’s relationships with statutory partners and other stakeholders in volatile and demanding circumstances remained one of KVA’s key roles. The year also saw greater involvement with Kingston University and the SWL ICS.

Over the year, KVA:

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phase 2 engagement, co-produce the phase 2 SWL bereavement ‘gaps’ survey, analyse survey results and the SWL community engagement feedback from workshops, produce the ‘SWL Bereavement Gaps’ Appendix Report and attend SWL EoLC SG and other key meetings. NB: This work will continue throughout 2024 and 2025

KVA continued to represent the voice of the VCSE sector on strategic boards and steering groups and to influence the development of local policies and plans as well as kept VCSE organisations informed about developments across the borough and further afield.

KVA had increased engagement with the SWL VCSE Alliance at system level to represent the sector and influence decision making across all six boroughs covered by the ICS. In addition, KVA worked with other Kingston VCSE organisations to ensure that the sector was well represented on SWL ICS Board sub-groups and working groups: Digital (KVA/Superhighways), Health Inequalities (Kingston Race and Equalities Council - KREC), Workforce Development (KCIL) and the Older People’s Delivery Oversight Group (Staywell).

KVA continued to make efforts to widen the representation of the VCSE sector locally, so that a range of voices could be heard. KVA negotiated four full representatives from local VCSE organisations (KVA, KREC, Mind in Kingston and RaKAT) to sit on the Kingston Partnership Board, with Citizens Advice Kingston and Staywell as deputies.

KVA sat on the following local and regional Boards and Groups:

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Gathering the views of the sector and keeping in touch

To successfully fulfil its role as a representative and advocate, KVA continued to gather views from the sector in a variety of ways, including regular e-bulletins, through social media and the KVA website.

KVA ran a Community Resilience Survey in October 2023 as part of its work (GLA funded) with the Kingston Borough Resilience Forum to find out more about how prepared local VCSE organisations would be to emergency events, what help they needed and what support they could offer to their communities. This helped to inform Kingston Council’s risk assessment and local plans for training and support, particularly around developing effective communications in an emergency.

KVA continued to use the data derived from the previous year’s State of the Sector survey to inform our understanding of on-going needs, particularly around support for funding and the challenge of facing rising and increasingly complex, demand.

In addition to surveys (e.g. the Community Resilience Survey in October 2023) KVA reached out to the community with:

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Networks, Forums and Events

KVA’s own networks, forums and events, remained vital spaces where local agencies could exchange information, raise issues, build relationships and share best practice and learning among peers. Representatives from public sector partners and from associated organisations outside the borough found them particularly useful to disseminate information and engage with the sector on their initiatives, projects and plans.

KVA’s networks and forums include:

These networks overwhelmingly receive positive feedback and clearly demonstrate the value that people find in working together within and across sectors.

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Plans for the future

KVA will:

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3. Projects

3.1 Health, Care and Social Prescribing

KVA continued to identify, develop and sustain projects that addressed inequalities in health and improved the wellbeing of communities in Kingston. With the development of two new projects in 2023 (Kingston Community Football and Come Rhyme with Us), the successful development of the Core20+5 work in the community and the targeted focus of Connected Kingston campaigns, KVA remained committed to empowering individuals with the knowledge and resources they need to make informed decisions about their health.

Core20+5

After a successful first year, KVA secured further funding from SWL ICS to continue to deliver the CORE20+5 project. The project actively addressed health inequalities in the borough through the Core 20+5 approach. This national NHS initiative targeted 20% of the most disadvantaged populations, focusing on five key clinical areas to accelerate improvement.

KVA's commitment extended to robust outreach efforts providing training, support and facilitating better access to primary care services to strengthen community health outcomes. KVA’s work through the project exemplified a collaborative effort in partnership with RBK Public Health team, healthcare professionals at Kingston Hospital Cancer Centre and the South West London Macmillan Cancer Support Service. KVA’s efforts were concentrated on working with local community organisations, with a special focus on ethnic minorities. KVA engaged nearly 700 people through its initiatives from August 2023.

KVA conducted regular health checks and talks at various community events throughout Kingston, fostering a proactive approach to community health and wellness. This included:

Cancer awareness sessions

Breast and cervical cancer screening with Macmillan Cancer outreach team for community groups included:

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Health checks, talks and events

Joining various health and wellbeing events was instrumental in not only listening to the voices of the local community but also providing much needed support for Kingston’s most disadvantaged communities.

When attending health fairs, KVA’s presence facilitated open dialogue and enabled the organisation to build trust and rapport with individuals from diverse backgrounds. Through these interactions, KVA were able to offer guidance, resources and advocacy for those facing barriers to accessing healthcare services or experiencing disparities in health outcomes, creating a more inclusive and equitable healthcare system for all.

Examples of events and initiatives we supported:

Kingston Community Football

Following the feedback at a health event at Rivers of Water Church, KVA sought further funding through the RBK Resilience Fund to set up and run free community football sessions on Fairfield Recreation Ground for men, primarily from Black African and Caribbean communities who are more at risk of developing long term health conditions.

KVA partnered with Parkside FC to identify a coach (from the same community) to lead the sessions and provide an exit route if people wanted to join a more competitive environment. The sessions were well attended and continued to grow with an average of 15 men attending each Sunday with a total of 32 men engaged. As part of the programme, the coach achieved the Introduction to Football Coaching Certificate.

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Come Rhyme With Us

Following the success of the ‘Real Estate Poetry Project’ delivered in 2022/23, KVA used some of the RBK Resilience Fund, to set up a second poetry project, named ‘Come Rhyme With Us’. The project targeted people interested in addressing their mental health and wellbeing issues through spoken word poetry sessions.

The sessions were facilitated by Michael Groce and supported by a resident from the Cambridge Road Estate identified from the first Come Ryme With Us programme. The programme successfully engaged 32 people from October 2023 to March 2024 with 90% of participants stating that the sessions improved their confidence and wellbeing.

The Good Food Group

The KVA Good Food Group (GFG) is a partnership of voluntary and community groups, organisations and residents from across Kingston which works towards making healthy, nutritious and delicious food accessible and affordable for all. It also builds community and advocacy support around food to improve economic, social and health outcomes for everyone in Kingston.

KVA recruited a new Good Food Group Coordinator who works four days a week. This was possible due to a successful funding bid with GLA and their Food Roots programme.

KVA continued to provide the Good Food Group with advice, support and training opportunities. GFG run three network events and meetings with subgroups such as ‘community cooking’ and ‘growing’. Many of the groups are now providing a wraparound offer as well as food provision to those experiencing food insecurity. To offer them support and strengthen their skills in that area, KVA partnered with Kingston Adult Education and offered relevant training to the members of the group - a Level 2 NVQ Certificate in Advice and Guidance qualification. People from five member organisations attended. Additionally, one organisation in Kingston was provided tailored wrap-around support training delivered as part of the Food Roots programme and delivered by the First Love Foundation.

The Good Food Group continued to expand with a membership of over 30 organisations with consistently good attendance and growing engagement at its meetings. As well as regular emails, we also sent out a quarterly newsletter and monthly updates which included potential sources of funding and training opportunities ensuring continuous professional development within the network.

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Community Cooking

KVA facilitated the expansion of the community cooking programme. The community cooking classes programme were designed to improve nutritional education, enhance cooking skills and foster social inclusion among diverse community groups, with a focus on promoting healthier eating habits and encouraging social interaction. Community grants were distributed to community organisations totalling £51,600.

The programme successfully reached 569 participants, with 424 unique individuals benefiting from over 200 tailored cooking sessions. Beneficiaries included young people (Young Carers, Kingston Carers Network), young people with disabilities (TAG Youth Club), people with learning disabilities (KVA/Kingston Eco-op), older people from the Korean community (Korean Culture and Arts Centre), migrant communities (Migrant Advocacy Service) and people suffering from diabetes (United Reformed Church).

The qualitative data gathered from community cooking sessions highlighted their role in promoting nutrition education, enhancing cooking skills and fostering social inclusion. The sessions, conducted by diverse organisations, addressed specific needs while providing a communal space for growth.

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Connected Kingston

KVA’s collaboration with RBK Public Health on developing, improving and promoting Kingston’s social prescribing platform Connected Kingston (CK) and all the projects and services on offer to support Kingston resident’s health and wellbeing continued through the year.

274 services were updated and a further 71 services were disabled or removed pending updates. By the end of March 2024, the Connected Kingston platform listed 696 services from 409 organisations.

Online training of Connected Kingston champions continued, and five new people were trained during the year to support residents across the borough, bringing the total number of Connected Kingston champions to 429.

KVA continued to promote and advise on Connected Kingston at events, including:

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KVA used the Connected Kingston communication channels to continuously promote health awareness campaigns such as vaccinations, keeping warm and well in winter, keeping active and smoking cessation.

KVA (together with RBK) produced 18 Connected Kingston e-bulletins sent to 540 subscribers. Five covered June 2023, Summer 2023, Autumn 2023, Winter 2024 and Spring 2024. One was a Christmas Campaign called ‘12 Days of Connected Kingston’, which was opened by 357 out of 540 subscribers. The campaign highlighted services on Connected Kingston relating to access to food, activities for families and children, money advice and bereavement support. KVA also paid for one Facebook advert which boosted the ‘12 days...’ campaign, reaching 3,623 accounts.

KVA (together with RBK) produced five videos of services featured on the Connected Kingston platform as well as in all Connected Kingston communication.

Plans for the future

KVA will:

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3.2 The Buddy Scheme

There were 18 ‘buddy pairs’ on the scheme during the year. The volunteers continued to support their ‘buddies’ (who have learning disabilities and/or autism) by accompanying and encouraging them to access and enjoy leisure activities. The volunteers provided trusted companionship reducing social isolation and loneliness and improving confidence and assisting integration into the local community.

A service user survey undertaken in early 2024 highlighted the positive effects of the Buddy Scheme. All respondents agreed that having a ‘buddy’ had helped them go out more, 82% of respondents felt less isolated since having a ‘buddy’, 100% confirmed that having a ‘buddy’ made them feel more confident and 91% agreed that their ‘buddy’ volunteer had helped them take part in activities they would not join on their own.

A volunteer survey carried out showed high levels of commitment to the scheme and to ‘buddy’ pairings.

Volunteers spent a total of 473 hours (the equivalent of 67 working days and a 40% increase on the previous year) with their ‘buddies’ during the year, with the more notable trips included Battersea Power Station, Chessington World of Adventures, Kingston Park Run, Hampton Court Palace (using their community access scheme) and Kempton Park Races. Regular outings included boat trips, cinema, bowling, ‘crazy golf’ and walking. Some trips met individual interests/circumstances e.g. dog walking, horse racing and visiting a ‘buddy’ in hospital while they were sick. Some volunteers took their ‘buddy’ out to celebrate their birthday or met up with them over the Christmas period. Group trips comprised bowling in Kingston and a day trip to/picnic at Kew Gardens under their community access scheme. Four new volunteers were trained, three of whom are now matched with a ‘buddy’.

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Regular emails were sent to volunteers to provide support and share information and ideas and a volunteer social gathering took place in February at which KVA’s Communications Manager captured video footage of the volunteers talking about their Buddy Scheme experiences, which were used to produce six Buddy Scheme videos, available on KVA’s website and YouTube channel.

15 referrals for new service users were received during the year, with the main referrers being Balance Supported Living Service, Kingston Adult Social Care, Kingston Buddy Up, Working Well Trust, Social Prescribers, Kingston Eco-op, family members and selfreferrals. At the end of March 2024 there were 17 people on the waiting list who would like to be matched to a volunteer.

Recruiting sufficient numbers of new volunteers remained challenging and the scheme’s budget is now insufficient, having been static for over a decade. KVA are exploring avenues to find additional funds.

Plans for the future

The priority for 2024/25 is to raise the profile of the scheme, to find, recruit and train new volunteers and explore further funding avenues to expand the programme.

3.3 Children and Young People

KVA’s Children and Young People (CYP) Project continued to inform and offer support and advice to voluntary and community organisations in Kingston that work with

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children, young people and families to ensure that they remained in touch and updated. KVA ran three CYP networks and published seven CYP e-bulletins which reached 80 recipients with a 50% open rate.

The project continued to work closely with partners, including the Kingston & Richmond Safeguarding Children’s Partnership (KRSCP) and Achieving for Children (AfC), to ensure that VCSE organisations were kept up to date with developments and that the sector had an opportunity to share its views with colleagues and to support the development of local policies and strategies.

Plans for the future

KVA will:

3.4 Kingston Eco-op

Kingston Eco-op supported vulnerable adults with a mild to moderate learning disability and/or a mental health issue, as well as those struggling with social isolation. By the end of March 2024, there were 40 clients ranging from 30 to 80 years of age accessing Kingston Eco-op's services.

Delivery of service

Kingston Eco-op moved away from being a work-based provision to being a service that identifies people’s aims and desires for achievements and creates ways to be all inclusive in their delivery. Key workers were introduced in April 2023, spending oneto-one time with clients to identity their aims and objectives and to liaise with their

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circles of support. Reviews take place on a six-monthly basis to measure outcomes and discuss any new aims with the clients.

Four key areas were addressed:

There was a growing emphasis on health and wellbeing. Kingston Eco-op introduced new activities as laid out below. The walking club continued to be popular and Kingston Eco-op encouraged its clients to undertake other physical activities such as gardening, table tennis and games on the Wii (games console). The sociable games helped with confidence, dexterity and interactions and the drumming group covered both physical and mental wellbeing.

Expanding services

Kingston Eco-op continued to expand their service-delivery and partnerships further. The introduction of a team leader role (started April 2023) has allowed for the manager and deputy manager to concentrate on development of the service. New activities included:

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(distributed by KVA) to deliver a further three eight-week cooking courses for six clients on each course

New Service

Kingston Eco-op identified a gap in the borough for a social group for people with autism. Provision was made for this to be explored and a working group was established to develop the provision. The group explored how best the club should be formulated, found a venue, secured funding and devised a name for the club.

The Larch Club was launched in August 2023 providing a weekly social club for adults with autism (without a learning disability). The Larch provides an inclusive, safe, supported space where the members can gain confidence, develop social relationships and express themselves without fear of stigma or judgement.

RBK Contract

RBK Adult Social Care developed a new model for Day Opportunities and Meaningful Occupations, intended to allow people who meet the RBK criteria to choose which service they would like to attend. All existing providers (including Kingston Eco-op) were successful with their tenders and were migrated to the new framework which also set maximum rates. For Kingston Eco-op this meant having to expand the offer from 5.5 hours to six hours per day without an increase in cost of the service.

Due to the lack of funding uplift to the RBK contract alongside increased staff costs, as of April 2023 Kingston Eco-op stopped cooking client lunches and asked clients to bring in their own.

To make better use of client time and to comply with the six hours of delivery Kingston Eco-op cut the lunch times from one hour to 30 minutes per day.

Partnerships

Richmond and Hillcroft Community college

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Plans for the future

KVA will:

Strive to build partnerships with other providers so that more activities can take place. We are currently in communication with:

Kingston Eco-op will also increase its in-house activities such as:

Kingston Eco-op will continue to promote their services to increase referrals/number of clients, develop and foster partnerships and innovate further ways for the service to grow.

In addition, Kingston Eco-op have begun liaising with other day service providers with the intention of creating a provider forum.

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The future for the Larch club

The Larch club has gone from strength to strength and is a well-received service. The RBK Resilience Funding is due to end in July 2024 and to ensure the club is sustained KVA will seek further funding.

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Structure, Governance and Management Governing Document

KVA is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), originally registered as an Association on 10 February 2015.

In November 2021 KVA changed its status from Association to Foundation CIO. KVA is governed by its ‘Constitution’ document which was changed in the same year to reflect that transition.

KVA’s charity number is 1160403.

Governance

KVA has a Trustee Board which can consist of up to 12 members and can operate on a minimum of three. The Trustee Board meets a minimum of six times a year and is responsible for the strategic direction and policy of the charity.

During 2023/24, the Board had nine members from a variety of professional backgrounds relevant to the work of the charity. The Chief Executive is appointed by the Trustee Board and has overall responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the charity.

Recruitment and Appointment of the Trustee Board

KVA Trustees may at any time decide to appoint a new Trustee, whether in place of a Trustee who has retired or been removed or as an additional Trustee.

The Trustee Board seeks to ensure that the needs of the charity are appropriately reflected through the diversity of the Trustees.

Any person who retires as a Trustee is eligible for re-appointment.

Trustees’ Induction and Training

KVA provides new Trustees with an Induction Pack to assist them with their duties. The Pack includes the Constitution, the latest Annual Report and Accounts, and the Charity Commission Good Trustee Guide. The Pack also includes details of their responsibilities, which are reviewed on a regular basis.

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KVA offer an Induction Programme, led by the Chief Executive. New Trustees are given an opportunity to meet members of the staff. Trustees are encouraged to visit the organisation on a regular basis.

Trustees receive detailed financial and operational information at each Board meeting, and they are encouraged to ask questions and seek clarification on the full implications of the information given.

Trustees are encouraged to participate in appropriate external or internal training events, where these will be of benefit – and to attend various events arranged by KVA which provide opportunities for networking within the voluntary and statutory sectors.

Related Parties

KVA is an independent local charity, based in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, and is responsible for its own policy, direction and funding.

None of the Trustees receive remuneration or other benefits for their work with KVA.

As part of its work, KVA co-operates and liaises with a number of other local charities. Where one of KVA’s Trustees holds the position of Trustee/Director or CEO of another charity, they must declare their interests before taking part in discussions regarding the other charity, and they may not participate in the ultimate decision-making process.

KVA is a subscribing member of a network of charities sharing similar objectives, known as the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA). To be accepted for NAVCA membership, KVA has to demonstrate that it meets the criteria of being a local infrastructure organisation and a Registered Charity providing support services to other VCSE organisations.

KVA contributes to NAVCA in several ways. It pays a subscription fee to the Association and separately contributes to the cost of regional meetings and networks. It also raises policy issues that may benefit from work at a national level. Locally, it pursues any issues raised at national level.

KVA is a member of NCVO (National Council of Voluntary Organisations).

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Risk Management

The Trustee Board has conducted its own review of the major risks to which KVA is exposed and has considered them according to the expected frequency and severity of loss. These include risks to funding and financial control, those arising from employment of staff and volunteers, and other operational risks.

The review covers core priorities, risk identification, revision of the Risk Register and response to risk. These processes, outlined in the plan, enable the Trustee Board to identify major risks to which the charity is exposed, and to put in place processes and actions to mitigate those risks.

The principal risk to the organisation is maintaining long-term sustainable funding. Such risks are mitigated by building relationships with funders, demonstrating achievement of outcomes and continuing to look at ways to diversify income streams.

The Trustee Board ensures that there is a fundraising strategy which seeks to provide long-term financial sustainability to the organisation.

Financial controls and HR management procedures are exercised to generate efficiency in the use of resources.

Internal risks are minimised by the implementation of procedures for authorisation of all transactions, including those made within projects, to ensure that expenditure is properly budgeted and approved.

The procedures, guidelines and policies of the charity are periodically reviewed and include external advice, where necessary, to mitigate risk to the organisation and staff.

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Financial Review

The Financial Statements show that the grants and other income received are expended on staff, and other costs on the specific Projects to which they relate.

Where contacts transcend the year end, and as appropriate in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP), any balance of income over expenditure is carried forward for use in the following year as a ‘restricted fund’.

A full list of remaining funds can be found in Note 14.

Principal funding sources

Principle funding sources for the Charity are currently Grants from Achieving for Children, ‘City Bridge Trust, the funding arm of The City of London Corporation’s charity, Bridge House Estates (1035628)’, Close Brothers Ltd, Croydon Voluntary Action, Forbes Trust, Good Things Foundation, Greater London Authority, Horticulture Society, John Lewis, Kingston Mencap, Local Giving, London Plus, NHS Southwest London ICS, Richmond CVS, Rotary Club, Royal Borough of Kingston, The National Association Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA), The National Lottery Community Fund, Trust for London, Waitrose, as well as other income. KVA continues to seek funding from other funders to meet the needs of KVA’s objectives.

Reserves policy and going concern

KVA’s aim is to hold a minimum of Unrestricted Reserves equivalent to three months’ running costs. Such costs would include salaries, overheads, including rent and standing commitments, as well as any statutory redundancy obligations. The reserves would be required in the eventuality of the CIO needing to wind down. This totals to £328,398 (£261,082 in 2023). However, this figure does not include the liability in case of withdrawing from the defined benefit pension scheme. This is because KVA is unlikely to leave the scheme, and the Trustees have reviewed and mitigated this risk.

As of 31 March 2024, KVA holds Unrestricted Reserves of £701,491 (£569,584 in 2023), of which £56,777 (£0, in 2023) is held as Health, Care and Social Prescribing Fund to ensure the continuity of the on-going project. £0 (£5,163 in 2023) were held as Kingston Eco-op Fund to ensure the continuity of the on-going project. £117,957

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(£104,070 in 2023) is held as Superhighways’ Development Fund to ensure the continuity of the on-going project. £151,222 (£79,623 in 2023) is held as Voluntary Sector Strategy Fund to support strategic engagement of the VCSE sector in the borough.

After making appropriate enquiries, the Trustees had a reasonable expectation that the Charity had adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason, the Trustees continue to adopt the ‘going concern’ basis in preparing the financial statement.

Investment powers

Under the Constitution, the Trustee Board has no specific power to borrow or invest in any other operation.

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Responsibilities of the Trustees

The Charity’s Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the Financial Statements, in accordance with the applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The law applicable to Charities in England and Wales, requires that the Trustees prepare financial statements for each financial year, giving a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity, and of the incoming resources and applications of resources of the Charity for that period. In preparing these Financial Statements, the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose – at any time and with reasonable accuracy – the financial position of the Charity enabling them to ensure that the Financial Statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, and the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008.

The Trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Charity, and for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Signed on behalf of the Trustees by:

Tarlochan Johal – Treasurer Date: 16-01-25

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Independent Auditor’s Report to the Trustees of Kingston Voluntary Action CIO for the year ended 31 March 2024 (‘the Charity’)

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Kingston Voluntary Action (the ‘Charity’) for the year ended 31 March 2024 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Statement of Cash Flows, and the related notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standards applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) in preference to the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice issued on 1 April 2005 which is referred to in the extant regulations but has been withdrawn.

This has been done in order for the accounts to provide a true and fair view in accordance with the Generally Accepted Accounting Practice effective for reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2015.

In our opinion the financial statements:

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditors' responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the Charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the United Kingdom, including the Financial Reporting Council's Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

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Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the Trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the Trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the Annual Report other than the financial statements and our Auditors' Report thereon. The Trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the Annual Report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements, or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

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Responsibilities of Trustees

As explained more fully in the statement of Trustees' responsibilities, the Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the Trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the Trustees are responsible for assessing the Charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Trustees either intend to liquidate the Charity or cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditors' responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

We have been appointed as auditors under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011, and report in accordance with the Act and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an Auditor’s Report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

We also communicated relevant identified laws and regulations and potential fraud risks to all engagement team members; and remained alert to any indications of fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations throughout the audit.

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There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above and the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely we would become aware of it. Also, the risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, as fraud may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery or intentional misrepresentations, or through collusion.

Based on our understanding of the Charity and industry, we identified that the principal risks of noncompliance with laws and regulations related to industry sector regulations and unethical and prohibited business practices, and we considered the extent to which noncompliance might have a material effect on the financial statements. We also considered those laws and regulations that have a direct impact on the preparation of the financial statements such as the Charities Act 2011 and UK Tax Legislation. We evaluated management’s incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements (including the risk of override of controls). Appropriate audit procedures in response to these risks were carried. These procedures included:

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council's website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our Auditors' Report.

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Use of our report

This report is made solely to the Charity’s Trustees, as a body, in accordance with part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the Charity's Trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditors' report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the Charity and the Charity’s Trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Signed Date 17-01-25 Julian Flitter FCA Goodman Jones LLP Chartered Accountants 40-50 Tottenham Street Statutory Auditors London W1T 4RN Goodman Jones LLP is eligible for appointment as auditor of the Charity under of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006

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Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 March 2024

Unrestricted
Restricted
Total Funds
Total Funds
Note Funds
Funds
2024
2023
£
£
£
£
Income and endowments from:
Income from donations and
legacies
Income from charitable activities
2
Income from investments
3
Total income and endowments
Expenditure on:
Charitable activities
4/5
Defined benefit pension schemes
11
Total expenditure
Net income/(expenditure)
Actuarial gains/(losses) on defined
benefit pension schemes
11
Net movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward		 362
2,815
3,177
7,431
564,320
607,117
1,171,437
1,199,593
13,104
-
13,104
4,305
577,786
609,932
1,187,718
1,211,329
(445,610)
(673,909)
(1,119,519)
(946,900)
(267)
-
(267)
(206)
(445,877)
(673,909)
(1,119,786)
(947,106)
131,909
(63,977)
67,932
264,223
(2)
-
(2)
186
131,907
(63,977)
67,930
264,409
569,584
460,224
1,029,808
765,399
701,491
396,247
1,097,738
1,029,808

The Statement of Financial Activities includes all gains and losses in the year.

All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.

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Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 March 2023

Unrestricted
Restricted
Total Funds
Total Funds
Funds
Funds
2023
2022
£
£
£
£
Income and endowments from:
Income from donations and
legacies
Income from charitable activities
Income from investments
Total income and endowments
Expenditure on:
Charitable activities
Defined benefit pension schemes
Total expenditure
Net income/(expenditure)
Actuarial gains/(losses) on defined
benefit pension schemes
Remeasurements – amendments
to the contribution schedule
Net movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward		 4,000
3,431
7,431
1,893
450,813
748,780
1,199,593
974,956
4,305
-
4,305
198
459,118
752,211
1,211,329
977,047
(320,105)
(626,795)
(946,900)
(867,839)
(206)
-
(206)
(267)
(320,311)
(626,795)
(947,106)
(868,106)
138,807
125,416
264,223
108,941
186
-
186
252
-
-
-
23,618
138,993
125,416
264,409
132,811
430,591
334,808
765,399
632,588
569,584
460,224
1,029,808
765,399

The Statement of Financial Activities includes all gains and losses in the year.

All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.

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Balance sheet as at 31 March 2024

Note 2024 2023
£ £
Current assets
Debtors 9 189,419 189,419
69,849
Cash at bank and in hand 1,040,229 1,000,246
Total current assets 1,229,648 1,070,095
Liabilities
Creditors:falling due within one year 10 (128,652) (33,312)
Net current assets 1,100,996 1,036,783
Liabilities
Creditors:falling due more than one year 11 (3,258) (6,975)
Net assets 1,097,738 738
1,029,808
The funds of the CIO:
Restricted income funds 13 396,247 396,247
460,224
Unrestricted income funds 13 701,491 491
569,584
Total funds 1,097,738 738
1,029,808

These Financial Statements were approved by the members of the Trustee Board on and are signed on their behalf by:

_______ ___________ Nigel Newby Tarlochan Johal Chair Treasurer

16-01-25

16-01-25

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Statement of cash flows for the year ended 31 March 2024

2024
2023
£ £
£
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities
Cash flows from investing activities:
Interest from investments

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities
Change in cash and cash equivalents in the reporting period
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the reporting
period
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the reporting period		 13,104 26,879
202,428
13,104
4,305
39,983
206,733
1,000,246
793,513
1,040,229 1,000,246

Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net cash flow from operating activities for the year ended 31 March 2024

2024
2023
£
£
Net income/(expenditure) for the reporting period (as per the
statement of financial activities)
Adjustment for:
Interest from investments
(Increase)/decrease in debtors
Increase/(decrease) in creditors
Amount paid to the defined benefit schemes
Reclassification of defined benefit pension schemes
Net cash provided by operating activities		 67,932
264,223
(13,104)
(4,305)
(119,570)
(5,125)
95,340
(48,585)
(3,986)
(3,986)
267
206
26,879
202,428

The notes on page 57 to 81 form part of these Financial Statements.

56

Notes to the financial statements

1 Accounting policies

Basis of preparation of the Financial Statements

The Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with ‘Accounting and Reporting by Charities: SORP’ applicable to Charities preparing accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standards (FRS) applicable in the UK, Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and Charities Act 2011.

Assets and liabilities are initially recognised as historical cost or transaction value, unless otherwise stated in the relevant Accounting Policy.

KVA meets the definition of a ‘public benefit’ under FRS 102.

The Financial Statements are prepared in Sterling, which the functional currently of the Charity.

Monetary amounts in these Financial Statements are rounded to the nearest Pound (£).

Incoming resources

All income is recognised once the Charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount of income receivable can be measured reliably.

Income received from the Government and other Grants, is recognised once the above criteria are met, together with any performance conditions attached to the Grant. Income is deferred only when the Charity has yet to fulfil performance conditions.

Income received from Government and other agencies that amount to ‘contract for services’, are included in income from charitable activities.

Resources expanded

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified by activity.

Expenditure on operational programmes is recognised in the year in which it is incurred. A designated fund is established for expenditure that has been committed to Projects by the Trustees but remains unspent at the year end.

57

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

1. Accounting policies (continued)

Resources expanded (continued)

The majority of costs are directly attributable to specific activities. Certain shared costs are apportioned to activities in furtherance of the Objects of the Charity.

Office costs are apportioned on the proportion of staffs’ time spent on the Project. Property-related costs are apportioned on the proportion of floor area occupied by the activity.

Staff costs and office costs are allocated in the same proportion as directly attributed to staff time.

Funds accounting

Funds held by the Charity are:

Taxation

The Charity is exempt from Corporation Tax under Section 505 of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1998.

Value Added Tax (VAT)

Value Added Tax is recoverable by the Charity on specific Projects, but where any irrecoverable VAT has been incurred, this is included with the relevant expenditure.

Redundancy or termination

Redundancy costs are recognised when the payment is due to an offer made to encourage redundancy.

58

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

1 Accounting policies (continued)

Trustee board remuneration and expenses

No remuneration has been paid to any Trustee during the period. However, reimbursement expenses are, on occasion, paid. The value of these are shown in the Notes to the Accounts.

Interest receivable

Interest on funds held on Deposit is included when receivable, and the amount can be measured reliably by the Charity. This is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the Bank.

Debtors

Trade, and other debtors, are recognised at the settlement amount and after any trade discount offered. Pre-payments are valued at the amount pre-paid and net of any trade discounts due.

Cash at bank and in-hand

Cash at the Bank and In-Hand, includes cash and short term, highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition, of opening of the Deposition or similar account.

Liabilities and provisions

Liabilities are recognised when there is an obligation at the Balance Sheet date, as a result of a past event. It is probable that a transfer of economic benefit will be required in settlement, and the amount of settlement can be estimated reliably.

Liabilities are recognised at the amount that the Charity anticipates it will pay to settle the debt, or the amount it has received as ‘advanced payments’ for the goods or services it might provide.

Provisions are measured at the best estimate of the amounts required to settle the obligation. Where the effect of the time value of money is material, the provision is based upon the present value of those amounts, discounted at the pre-tax discount rate that reflects the risks specific to the liability. The unwinding of the discount is recognised within interest payable, and similar charges.

59

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

1 Accounting policies (continued)

Financial instruments

The Charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as Basic Financial Instruments. Basic Financial Instruments are initially recognised at transaction value, and subsequently measured at their settlement value, with the exception of Bank Loans which are measured at ‘amortised cost’, using the effective interest method.

Pensions

The Charity operates a defined benefits Pension Scheme.

The Scheme is a multi-employer scheme where it is not possible - in the normal course of events - to identify on a consistent and reasonable basis, the share of the underlying assets and liabilities belonging to individual participating employers. Therefore, as required by FRS 102, Section 17, the Charity accounts for this Scheme are as if it were a ‘defined contribution scheme’.

The amount charged to the Statement of Financial Activities, represents contributions payable to the scheme in respect of the accounting period.

Where the scheme is in deficit, and the Charity has agreed to a deficit funding arrangement, the Charity recognises a liability for this obligation. The amount recognised is the net present value of the deficit reduction contributions payable under the Agreement that relates to the deficit.

The Charity also operates a defined contribution Pension Scheme, and the pension charged represents the amounts payable by the Charity to the fund in respect of the year.

Going concern

After making appropriate enquiries, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the Charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, the Charity continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.

60

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

2. Income from charitable activities

(a)
Income from charitable activities
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total
funds
Total
funds
2024
2023
£
£
£
£
Voluntary sector support and advice
Superhighways
Kingston Eco-op
Health and social care
Income from charitable activities		 243,365
224,638
395,739
429,394
141,643
307,722
449,365
517,572
121,312
74,757
196,069
189,627
58,000
-
58,000
63,000
564,320
607,117 1,171,437 1,199,593
(a)
Income from charitable activities
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total
funds
Total
funds
2023
2022
£
£
£
£
Voluntary sector support and advice
Superhighways
Kingston Eco-op
Health and social care
Income from charitable activities		 237,964
191,430
429,394
450,272
104,306
413,266
517,572
228,762
108,543
81,084
189,627
186,156
-
63,000
63,000
109,766
450,813
748,780 1,199,593
974,956

61

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

3. Investment Income

All of the investment income arises from money held in interest bearing deposit accounts.

4. Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities

Total
Total
2024
2023
£
£
Voluntary sector support and advice
Superhighways
Kingston Eco-op
Health, Care and Social Prescribing
Grant payable
Support costs
Total charitable activities expenditure		 245,957
222,948
429,747
369,414
180,457
170,370
57,112
62,002
132,104
44,577
74,142
77,589
1,119,519
946,900
Support cost Total
Total
2024
2023
£
£
Voluntary sector support and advice
Superhighways
Kingston Eco-op
Health, Care and Social Prescribing
Governance costs
Total support costs		 29,342
33,172
7,362
13,678
22,069
19,713
3,267
4,431
12,102
6,595
74,142
77,589

62

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

5. a) Analysis of governance and support costs

Subtotal
Admin Occupancy support Governance
expenses expenses cost expenses 2024 2023
£ £ £ £ £ £
General office expenses 13,741 - 13,741 - 13,741 27,814
Independent
examination/audit fees - - - 8,157 8,157 5,500
Under/(over) provision
independent audit fee - - - 2,656 2,656 300
Trustee indemnity insurance - - - 1,289 1,289 795
Rent and utilities costs - 48,299 48,299 - 48,299 43,180
Total 13,741 48,299 62,040 12,102 74,142 77,589
Subtotal
Admin Occupancy support Governance
expenses expenses cost expenses 2023 2022
£ £ £ £ £ £
General office expenses 27,814 - 27,814 - 27,814 29,073
Independent
examination/audit fees - - - 5,500 5,500 2,300
Under/(over) provision
independent audit fee - - - 300 300 500
Tax advice from Goodman
Jones - - - - - 1,250
Trustee indemnity insurance - - - 795 795 980
Rent and utilities costs - 43,180 43,180 - 43,180 49,143
Total 27,814 43,180 70,994 6,595 77,589 83,246

63

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

5. b) Analysis of grants and partnership payments (continued)

Grants
Partnerships
2024
£
£
£
Bereavement Project
Kingston Healthwatch Bereavement service
Cost of Living fund
RBKares
Communities Cooking Classes Grant
AuLaw Organic Farm UK CIC
Balance CIC
Community Brain
Connect North Korea
Kingston Carers Network
Kingston United Reform Church
Korean Culture and Arts
Migrant Advocacy Service
Moving on Together
Nanoom
Oxygen
Refugee Action Kingston
TAG Youth Club for Disabled Young People
Voices of Hope
GetUBetter Grant
Age UK Richmond
Power 2 Connect
Richmond Aid
Health Inequalities
Connect North Korea
Nanoom
Refugee Action Kingston
Cornerstone Fund - Data wise London
HEAR Equality and Human Rights Network
Digital Foundations - The National Lottery
HEAR Equality and Human Rights Network
Refugee Council
VOICE Online Communities CIC
Kingston Community Resilience Fund - RBK
KREC
Total		 7,000
7,000
5,000
5,000
3,600
3,600
3,600
3,600
3,600
3,600
3,600
3,600
3,600
3,600
3,600
3,600
1,200
1,200
3,600
3,600
3,600
3,600
3,600
3,600
3,600
3,600
3,600
3,600
3,600
3,600
3,600
3,600
550
550
550
550
550
550
33,300
33,300
4,200
4,200
32,954
32,954
4,800
4,800
4,800
4,800
7,200
7,200
15,150
15,150
6,708
6,708
132,104
38,658
170,762

64

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

5. b) Analysis of grants and partnership payments (continued)

Grants
Partnerships
2023
£
£
£
Health Inequalities Small Grants
Centre for Community Development
Connected North Korea
Kingston Carers Network
Kingston Centre For Independent Living
Kingston WelCare
Nanoom
Winter Engagement funding (SWL NHS)
Nanoom
Kingston Pantry
Doxa Deo Community Church
Communities Cooking Classes Grant
Kingston Carers Network
Voices of hope
Bereavement Project
Healthwatch Kingston upon Thames
Food Roots Winter Crisis (GLA)
Doxa Deo Comm Church
Cornerstone Fund - Data wise London
DataKind UK
Digital Foundations - The National Lottery
HEAR Equality and Human Rights Network
Refugee Council
VOICE Online Communities CIC
Total		 2,000
-
2,000
1,712
-
1,712
1,500
-
1,500
1,400
-
1,400
1,265
-
1,265
2,000
-
2,000
500
-
500
27,000
-
27,000
3,600
-
3,600
3,600
-
3,600
-
1,500
1,500
-
2,050
2,050
-
4,800
4,800
-
4,800
4,800
-
9,600
9,600
-
28,600
28,600
44,577
51,350
95,927

65

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

6. Net income / (expenditure) for the year

This is stated after charging: 2024
2023
£
£
Other pension costs
Independent examiner’s/Auditor’s remuneration
Under/(over) provision of Independent Auditor’s remuneration		 38,528
15,887
8,157
5,550
2,656
300
49,341
21,687

7. Staff costs and emoluments

Total staff costs were as follows: 2024
2023
£
£
Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Other pension costs
Additional pension contributions		 650,397
599,842
50,686
47,038
38,528
15,887
3,986
3986
743,597
666,753

Particulars of employees:

The average number of employees during the period, calculated on the basis of full-time equivalents, was as follows:

2024 2023
Number of administrative staff 19 20

No employee received remuneration of more than £60,000 during the period (2023: None).

No remuneration was paid to Trustees (2023: Nil). During the year, £14 was paid to one Trustee for expenses reimbursed (2023: £165).

Key management personnel remuneration incurred by the charity in the year amounted to £101,619 (2023: £60,947).

Redundancy payments

No staff were made redundant in 2024 (2023: None).

66

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

8. Operating lease commitment

At 31 March 2024 the Charity had commitments to make future minimum lease payments under operating leases as follows:

2024
2023
£
£
Not later than 1 year 7,595
8,250
7,595
8,250

9. Debtors

2024
2023
£
£
Trade debtors
Accrued income
Prepayments		 60,093
43,956
107,212
11,527
22,114
14,366
189,419
69,849

10. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

2024
2023
£
£
Trade creditors
Taxation and social security
Other creditors
Accruals
Deferred income		 86,938
12,113
-
-
32,917
12,595
8,797
5,500
-
3,104
128,652
33,312

Deferred income represents Tech Support Memberships and Tech/Digital consultancy work.

67

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

11. Pension commitments

KVA participates in “TPT Retirement Solutions – The Growth Plan” scheme, a multi-employer scheme which provides benefits to some 638 non-associated participating employers. The scheme is a defined benefit scheme in the UK. It is not possible for the company to obtain sufficient information to enable it to account for the scheme as a defined benefit scheme. Therefore it accounts for the scheme as a defined contribution scheme.

The scheme is subject to the funding legislation outlined in the Pensions Act 2004 which came into force on 30 December 2005. This, together with documents issued by the Pensions Regulator and Technical Actuarial Standards issued by the Financial Reporting Council, set out the framework for funding defined benefit occupational pension schemes in the UK.

The scheme is classified as a 'last-man standing arrangement'. Therefore, the company is potentially liable for other participating employers' obligations if those employers are unable to meet their share of the scheme deficit following withdrawal from the scheme. Participating employers are legally required to meet their share of the scheme deficit on an annuity purchase basis on withdrawal from the scheme.

A full actuarial valuation for the scheme was carried out at 30 September 2020. This valuation showed assets of £800.3m, liabilities of £831.9m and a deficit of £31.6m. To eliminate this funding shortfall, the Trustee has asked the participating employers to pay additional contributions to the scheme as follows:

KVA contributes to the define contribution schemes at the rate of 5% (2023: 3%) of salary.

68

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

11. Pension commitments (continued)

Deficit contributions

From 1 April 2022 to 31 January 2025: £3,312,000 per annum (payable monthly)

Unless a concession has been agreed with the Trustee, the term to 31 January 2025 applies.

Note that the Scheme’s previous valuation was carried out with an effective date of 30 September 2017. This valuation showed assets of £794.9m, liabilities of £926.4m and a deficit of £131.5m. To eliminate this funding shortfall, the Trustee has asked the participating employers to pay additional contributions to the Scheme as follows:

Deficit contributions

£11,243,000 per annum (payable monthly and increasing by From 1 April 2019 to 30 September 2025: 3% each on 1st April)

The recovery plan contributions are allocated to each participating employer, in line with their estimated share of the Series 1 and Series 2 Scheme liabilities.

Where the Scheme is in deficit, and where the charity has agreed to a deficit funding arrangement, the charity recognises a liability for this obligation. The amount recognised is the net present value of the deficit reduction contributions payable under the agreement that relates to the deficit. The present value is calculated using the discount rate detailed in these disclosures. The unwinding of the discount rate is recognised as a finance cost.

Present values of provision

31 March 2024
31 March 2023
31 March 2022
(£s)
(£s)
(£s)
Present value ofprovision 3,258
6,975
10,941

69

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

11. Pension commitments (continued)

Reconciliation of opening and closing provisions

Period
ending
31 March
2024		 Period
ending
31 March
2023
£
10,941
206
(3,986)
(186)
(3,966)
6,975
(a)
Present values ofprovision		 £
£
(i) Provision at start of period
Unwinding of the discount factor (interest expense)
Deficit contribution paid
Remeasurements- impact of any change in assumptions
(ii) Sub total
Provision at end of period		 267
(3,986)
2		 6,975
(3,717)
3,258
2024 2023
(b)
Income and expenditure impact		 £ £
Unwinding of the discount factor (interest expense)
Remeasurements-impact of any change in assumptions
Net movement within the year		 267
2		 206
(186)
269 20

Assumptions

31 March 24 31 March 23 31 March 22
%per annum %per annum %per annum
Rate of discount 5.31 5.52 2.35

The discount rates shown above are the equivalent single discount rates which, when used to discount the future recovery plan contributions due, would give the same results as using a full AA corporate bond yield curve to discount the same recovery plan contributions.

70

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

11. Pension commitments (continued)

Deficit contributions schedule

The following details the deficit contributions agreed between the charity and the Scheme at each year end period:

2024 2023 2022
Year ending £ £ £
Year 1 3,322 3,986 3,986
Year 2 - 3,322 3,986
Year 3 - - 3,322
Year 4 - - -
Year 5 - - -
Year 6 - - -
Year 7 - - -
Year 8 - - -
-
Year 9 - -
-
Year 10 - -

12. Analysis of movements in unrestricted funds

2024

Balance as at Incoming Resources
Transfer		 Balance as at
1 April 2023 Resources Expended 31 March 2024
£ £ £
£		 £
General Funds 380,728 16,831 (10,221)
(11,803)		 375,535
Designated Health, Care and Social Prescribing
-		 58,000 (1,223)
-		 56,777
Designated Kingston Eco-op 5,163 121,312 (138,278)
11,803		 -
Designated Superhighways Development Fund
104,070		 141,643 (127,756)
-		 117,957
Designated VoluntaryStrategic Action Plan 79,623 240,000 (168,401) - 151,222
Total 569,584 577,786 (445,879) - 701,491

71

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

12. Analysis of movements in unrestricted funds (continued)

2023

Balance as at
Incoming		 Resources Balance as at 31
1 April 2022
Resources		 Expended March 2023
£
£		 £ £
General Funds 303,881 219,769 (142,922) 380,728
Designated Kingston Eco-op -
108,543		 (103,380) 5,163
Designated Superhighways Development Fund 60,174 104,306 (60,410) 104,070
Designated VoluntaryStrategic Action Plan 66,536 26,500 (13,413) 79,623
Total 430,591
459,118		 (320,125) 569,584

Designated Health, Care and Social Prescribing

Health, Care and Social Prescribing focus on developing and supporting community and wellbeing initiatives.

Designated Kingston Eco-op

Kingston Eco-op is a day service that offers a range of developmental activities to improve on health and well-being for adults with learning disabilities, mental health concerns or other additional support needs.

Designated Superhighways

Superhighways supports small charities and community groups gain essential digital and data skills, backed by the right tech, to meet their goals.

Designated Voluntary Strategic Action Plan

This fund is designated to support the Empowering People, Strengthening Communities Partnership and the development and promotion of the Voluntary Sector Strategy for the VCS in Kingston, in partnership with the RBK.

72

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

13. Analysis of movements in restricted funds

Balance
as at 1
April
2023
Incoming
Resources
Outgoing
Resources
Transfer
Balance
as at 31
March
2024
£
£
£
£
£
Voluntary sector support and advice
Achieving for Children
Close Brothers Ltd
Croydon Voluntary Action - Core20Plus
Croydon Voluntary Action - SWL VCSE
Alliance
Forbes Trust- Buddy Scheme
Greater London Authority - Food Roots
Winter Crisis Grants
London Plus - The Community Resilience
Fund
NAVCA - Cost of Living Fund
NHS southwest London ICS - Brazil
NHS southwest London ICS - Bereavement
Project
NHS southwest London ICS - Core 20 Plus
NHS southwest London ICS - Health
Inequalities fund
RBK- Adult Buddy Scheme
RBK - Empowering communities through
food
RBK - Kingston's Community Resilience Fund
RBK - Moving on Together peer support
service
RBK - Test and Trace
RBK – Training
RBK - Voluntary Sector Strategy Actions
RBK - Young peoples climate
Richmond CVS - Embedding VCS
Southwest London Clinical Commissioning
Group - Bereavement project
Waitrose- Community Matters
Subtotal		 15,356
23,551
(18,762)
-
20,145
512
-
-
-
512
-
1,469
-
-
1,469
-
5,674
-
-
5,674
288
-
(261)
-
27
5,431
25,000
(5,158)
-
25,273
5,000
5,000
(132)
-
9,868
10,000
-
(10,000)
-
-
11,321
-
-
11,321
27,000
-
(7,000)
-
20,000
37,138
9,876
(15,069)
-
31,945
4,725
85,354
(74,160)
-
15,919
-
18,000
(18,000)
-
-
73,339
-
(51,581)
(3,600)
18,158
-
20,593
(10,701)
-
9,892
11,456
-
(3,355)
-
8,101
7,000
-
(7,000)
-
-
-
1,800
(510)
-
1,290
13,015
-
(13,015)
-
-
-
5,000
-
-
5,000
2,017
-
-
-
2,017
-
12,000
(2,800)
-
9,200
1,179
-
(48)
-
1,131
213,456
224,638
(237,552)
(3,600)
196,942

73

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

13. Analysis of movements in restricted funds (continued)

Balance
as at 1
April
2023
Incoming
Resources
Outgoing
Resources
Balance
as at 31
March
2024
£
£
£
£
Superhighways
City Bridge Trust - Cornerstone
City Bridge Trust- Development grant
City Bridge Trust- Stepping Stones
Cornerstone - Training
Digital impact
Good Things Foundation
Impact Aloud Training income
NHS Southwest London ICS - Health Inequalities
fund
RBK - Community Digital Upskill Volunteers project
RBK - Hack it Forward
RBK - Kingston Boys Club PC Refurbishment
The National Lottery Community Fund - Digital
Foundations
Trust for London
VCSE Alliance groups - community engagement
Subtotal		 63,118
109,000
(91,363)
80,755
5,612
-
-
5,612
2,604
-
-
2,604
1,165
-
-
1,165
-
3,000
-
3,000
120
-
-
120
11,262
-
-
11,262
16,657
-
(16,657)
-
-
14,400
(3,999)
10,401
1,248
-
-
1,248
1,644
-
-
1,644
33,064
145,947
(144,939)
34,072
19,411
29,535
(48,946)
-
-
5,840
(3,450)
2,390
155,905
307,722
(309,354)
154,273

74

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

13. Analysis of movements in restricted funds (continued)

Balance
as at 1
April
2023
Incoming
Resources
Outgoing
Resources
Transfer
Balance
as at 31
March
2024
£
£
£
£
£
Eco-op
Donations - Kingston Eco-op
John Lewis
John Lewis- ECO OP Life Skills project
Kingston Community Lottery
Kingston Mencap
Local Giving- Magic little Grants
NHS CCG
RBK - Community cooking class
RBK - Infection Control Training
RBK - Community Resilience Fund, The
Larch club
RBK - Together fund
Seaside Trip Horticulture Society
Subtotal
Health, Care and Social Prescribing
RBK - Connected Kingston
Communications
RBK - Connected Kingston Evaluations
RBK - Connected Kingston
Subtotal
Total		 2,469
2,613
(100)
-
4,982
400
-
(400)
-
-
1,000
-
-
-
1,000
339
202
-
-
541
600
-
-
-
600
197
-
-
-
197
-
54,882
(54,882)
-
-
-
-
(2,604)
3,600
996
9,622
-
-
-
9,622
-
19,875
(6,772)
-
13,103
5,287
-
(1,852)
-
3,435
1,500
-
(1,237)
-
263
21,414
77,572
(67,847
3,600
34,739
9,360
-
(1,067)
-
8,293
2,000
-
-
-
2,000
58,089
-
(58,089)
-
-
69,449
-
(59,156)
-
10,293
460,224
609,932
(673,909)
-
396,247

75

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

13. Analysis of movements in restricted funds (continued)

Balance
as at 1
April
2022
Incoming
Resources
Outgoing
Resources
Balance
as at 31
March
2023
£
£
£
£
Voluntary sector support and advice
Achieving for Children
Close Brothers Ltd
Forbes Trust- Buddy Scheme
Greater London Authority – Food Roots Winter Crisis
Grants
London Plus - The Community Resilience Fund
Merton Voluntary Service Council - Young Londoners
fund
NAVCA - Cost of Living Fund
NHS Southwest London ICS - Bereavement Project
NHS Southwest London ICS - Core 20 Plus
NHS Southwest London ICS - Core20Plus Connectors
plan
NHS Southwest London ICS - Health Inequalities
fund
NHS Southwest London ICS - Winter Engagement
funding
RBK- Adult Buddy Scheme
RBK - Community Vaccination Champions Block
Contract
RBK - Empowering communities through food
RBK - London Councils Repatriated Funding
RBK - Moving on Together peer support service
RBK - Test and Trace
RBK - Voluntary Sector Strategy Actions
Richmond CVS-Embedding VCS
Southwest London Clinical Commissioning Group -
Bereavement project
Waitrose- Community Matters
Subtotal		 16,666
-
(1,310)
15,356
606
-
(94)
512
288
-
-
288
-
8,461
(3,030)
5,431
-
5,000
-
5,000
-
10,000
(10,000)
-
-
10,000
-
10,000
-
30,000
(3,000)
27,000
-
10,000
(2,131)
7,869
-
29,269
-
29,269
-
30,000
(25,275)
4,725
-
500
(500)
-
-
18,000
(18,000)
-
-
25,200
(25,200)
-
116,763
-
(43,424)
73,339
9,545
-
(9,545)
-
-
15,000
(3,544)
11,456
7,000
-
-
7,000
13,015
-
-
13,015
2,167
-
(150)
2,017
5,723
-
(5,723)
-
1,231
-
(52)
1,179
173,004
191,430
(150,978)
213,456

76

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

13. Analysis of movements in restricted funds (continued)

Balance
as at 1
April
2022
Incoming
Resources
Outgoing
Resources
Balance
as at 31
March
2023
£
£
£
£
Superhighways
CAST Catalyst
City Bridge Trust- Cornerstone
City Bridge Trust- Development grant
City Bridge Trust- Stepping Stones
Cornerstone - Training
Good Things Foundation
Impact Aloud Training income
RBK - Digital Leadership
RBK- Hack it Forward
RBK - Kingston Boys Club PC Refurbishment
NHS Southwest London ICS - Health Inequalities
fund
The National Lottery Community Fund - Digital
Foundations
Trust for London
Subtotal		 -
15,000
(15,000)
-
5,231
127,000
(69,113)
63,118
6,300
-
(688)
5,612
12,106
-
(9,502)
2,604
1,165
-
-
1,165
120
-
-
120
11,262
-
-
11,262
-
40,000
(40,000)
-
1,248
-
-
1,248
1,644
-
-
1,644
-
19,920
(3,263)
16,657
-
156,511
(123,447)
33,064
26,244
54,835
(61,668)
19,411
65,320
413,266
(322,681)
155,905

77

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

13. Analysis of movements in restricted funds (continued)

Balance
as at 1
April
2022
Incoming
Resources
Outgoing
Resources
Balance
as at 31
March
2023
£
£
£
£
Kingston Eco-op
Achieving for Children – Kick start
Donations – Kington Eco-op
John Lewis
John Lewis – Kingston Eco-op Life Skills project
Jubilee fund
Kingston Community Lottery
Kingston Mencap
Local Giving- Magic little Grants
NHS
Percy Bilton Charity
RBK – Community Companionship Outreach Project
RBK - Infection Control Training
RBK - Kingston Eco-op Life Skills Course
RBK - Together fund
Rotary club
Seaside Trip Horticulture society
Sport England
Subtotal
Health, Care and Social Prescribing
RBK - Connected Kingston Communications
RBK - Connected Kingston Evaluations
RBK - Connected Kingston
Subtotal
Total		 2,210
12,586
(14,796)
-
2,026
1,701
(1,258)
2,469
1,000
-
(600)
400
1,000
-
-
1,000
-
7,642
(7,642)
-
109
230
-
339
600
-
-
600
197
-
-
197
-
54,882
(54,882)
-
-
490
(490)
-
628
-
(628)
-
12,359
-
(2,737)
9,622
83
-
(83)
-
-
5,484
(197)
5,287
100
-
(100)
-
-
1,500
-
1,500
3,290
-
(3,290)
-
23,602
84,515
(86,703)
21,414
9,559
-
(199)
9,360
2,000
-
-
2,000
61,323
63,000
(66,234)
58,089
72,882
63,000
(66,433)
69,449
334,808
752,211
(626,795)
460,224

78

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

13. Analysis of movements in restricted funds (continued)

Kingston Eco-op

Kingston Eco-op is a Project which promotes social inclusion and outcomes focused activities for clients who might otherwise be excluded.

The NHS provides funding for a cohort of clients from the original Springboard Project, to continue attending activities and training and for the Project to be both sustained and developed.

Community Development

These are small Projects where the organisation has received specific funding for a particular purpose. The Projects include:

Health, Care and Social Prescribing

This includes funding for the continuation of the Health, Care and Social Prescribing Project.

Superhighways

This project provides Capacity building support and training to the VCS to enable them better ` Digital and Data.

Funding from RBK has provided support for Digital Inclusion, City Bridge Trust has provided funding for the Datawise London programme under the Cornerstone fund.

In addition, Crisis response funding from City bridge trust and National Lottery Community fund, funded additional digital support.

79

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

14. Analysis of net assets between funds

Net Assets Total
£ £
Restricted income funds:
Achieving for Children 20,145
20,145
City Bridge Trust - Cornerstone 80,755
80,755
City Bridge Trust- Development grant 5,612
5,612
City Bridge Trust- Stepping Stones 2,604
2,604
Close Brothers Ltd 512
512
Cornerstone - Training 1,165
1,165
Croydon Voluntary Action - Core20Plus 1,469
1,469
Croydon Voluntary Action - SWL VCSE Alliance 5,674
5,674
Digital impact 3,000
3,000
Donations - Kingston Eco-op 4,982
4,982
Forbes Trust- Buddy Scheme 27
27
Good Things Foundation 120
120
Greater London Authority - Food Roots Winter Crisis Grants 25,273
25,273
Impact Aloud Training income 11,262
11,262
John Lewis- ECO OP Life Skills project 1,000
1,000
Kingston Boys Club PC Refurbishment 1,644
1,644
Kingston Community Lottery 541
541
Kingston Mencap 600
600
Local Giving- Magic little Grants 197
197
London plus - The Community Resilience Fund 9,868
9,868
NHS Southwest London ICS - Brazil 11,321
11,321
NHS Southwest London ICS - Bereavement Project 20,000
20,000
NHS Southwest London ICS - Core 20 Plus 6,553
6,553
NHS Southwest London ICS - Core20Plus Connectors plan 25,392
25,392
NHS Southwest London ICS - Health Inequalities fund 15,919
15,919
RBK - Community cooking class 996
996
RBK - Community Digital Upskill Volunteers project 10,401
10,401
RBK - Community Resilience Fund, The Larch club 13,103
13,103
RBK - Connected Kingston Communications 8,293
8,293
RBK - Connected Kingston Evaluations 2,000
2,000
RBK - Empowering communities through food 18,158
18,158
RBK - Hack it Forward 1,248
1,248
RBK - Infection Control Training 9,622
9,622
RBK - Kingston's Community Resilience Fund 9,892
9,892
RBK - Moving on Together peer support service 8,101
8,101
RBK - Together fund 3,435
3,435
RBK – Training 1,290 1,290

80

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

14. Analysis of net assets between funds (continued)

Net Assets Total
£ £
Richmond CVS-Embedding VCS 2,017
2,017
Seaside Trip Horticulture society 263
263
Southwest London Clinical Commissioning Group - Bereavement project 9,200
9,200
The National Lottery Community Fund - Digital Foundations 34,072
34,072
VCSE Alliance groups - community engagement 2,390
2,390
Waitrose- Community Matters 1,131
1,131
Young peoples climate 5,000
5,000
Total Restricted Funds 396,247 396,247
Unrestricted Income Funds 375,535 375,535
Designated Health, Care and Social Prescribing 56,777 56,777
Designated Superhighways Development Fund 117,957 117,957
Designated VoluntaryStrategic StrategyAction Plan 151,222 151,222
Total Unrestricted Funds 701,491 701,491
Total Funds 1,097,738

15. Related party transactions

One member of the key management team is also a trustee of Centre 70 and one member of the key management team is also the Chief Executive of Addiction Support and Care Agency (ASCA). During the year, £1,896 was received from ASCA for membership fees and consultancy services (2023: £636) and £10,776 was received from Centre 70 for membership fees and membership additional fees (2023: £7,044).

81

Kingston Voluntary Action Siddeley House 50 Canbury Park Road Kingston upon Thames KT2 6LX kva.org.uk Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) Number: 1160403