## **Newark Foodbank** (Charity number 1160698) **Financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023**
|**Page**|**Contents**|
|---|---|
|2 - 16|Trustees’ annual report|
|17|Independent examiner’s report|
|18|Receipts & payments account|
|18|Statement of assets & liabilities|
|19 - 20|Notes to the accounts|
## **Newark Foodbank Trustees’ annual report for the year ended 31 March 2023**
**Full name** Newark Foodbank
**Organisation type** Charitable incorporated organisation
**Registered charity number** 1160698
## **Company registration number** CE002765
## **Principal address**
Newark Community Support 21 Cartergate Newark, NG24 1UA
## **Trustees**
Stephen Charnock, Chair Lesley Marshall, Manager Andrew Ayre, Agency Coordinator Dee Fretwell, Treasurer Sue Stott, Volunteer Management James Kirkland, Projects Manager, resigned 14/10/2022
Cheska Asman, Volunteer Management Malcolm Jowett, Web & IT Manager Chris Charnley, Business Development
## **Independent examiner**
John O’Brien, employee of Community Accounting Plus, Units 1 & 2 North West, 41 Talbot Street, Nottingham, NG1 5GL
## **Governance and management**
The charity is operated under the rules of its constitution adopted 27 February 2015.
A selection process is adopted for the recruitment and appointment of new trustees and appointment at AGM.
## **Objectives and activities**
To relieve persons in Newark and the surrounding area that are in financial hardship in such ways as the trustees from time to time think fit, in particular, but not exclusively by:
a) Providing emergency food, essential toiletries and household items to individuals and families in need and/or for distribution by charities other organisations working to prevent or relieve poverty.
b) Such other means, including (but not limited to) the provision of support or signposting to relevant information and other advisory services.
## **Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit**
Provision of a Foodbank and Social Supermarket.
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## **Newark Foodbank**
## **Public benefit statement**
The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit, 'Charities and Public Benefit'.
## **Summary of the main achievements during the period**
## **Key Points**
The following summarise the key points raised in the report. Figures in brackets relate to 2022-2023.
## **Foodbank Operations**
- Donations received: 49.0 (34.0) tonnes
- Food distributed: 55.97 (36.0) tonnes
- In addition to food distributed through Newark & Tuxford Foodbank, over 3.1 (6.2) tonnes were distributed through a network of agencies supporting relief of food poverty.
- Number of referrals fulfilled at Foodbank: 2190 (1486)
- Clients supported: 4569 (2959) – Adults 3048 (1969) and Children 1521 (990)
- Largest group of clients: Singles 51% (55%)
- Meals provided: 41,121 (26,631)
- Deliveries to Clients: 17% (35%). Front of House Operations: 83% (65%).
- 30% (32%) of clients visit the Foodbank only once in a 6-month period
- 32% (28%) of clients visit the Foodbank over 3 times in a 6-month period
- Primary reason for referral to Foodbank: Low Income 54% (48%)
- Agencies registered with Foodbank: 91 (90)
- Total cost of Operations: £35,658
- Cost of each meal provided: £0.86p including stock purchases or £0.67 if stock purchases are excluded
- Value of Food Distributed: £65,331
- Monetary Value of Food Parcels:
Single Person: £21.66 Family of 5: £56.39
- Number of Volunteer Hours expended: 6500 hrs
## **Social Supermarket**
This was the first year of operation of our Social Supermarket (The Market).
- Membership During First Year: 121 consisting of 52 single members, 27 couples and 42 families
- Support provided to 1154 Adults & 583 Children: Total 1737
- Total Number of Visits by Members: 713
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## **Newark Foodbank**
## **Summary**
Newark and Tuxford Foodbank functions as a franchised operation under the Trussell Trust and aims to provide emergency food relief to those in need. We are not governed by the Trussell Trust but act as an independent organisation that agrees to follow an approved operating model. The Foodbank was set up under the auspices of Churches Together in Newark and the surrounding area and is part of a national foodbank network seeded by the Trussell Trust. Newark and Tuxford Foodbank is registered (under the name of Newark Foodbank) with the Charity Commission and operates as a separate charitable entity. This report covers the period up to 31 March 2023.
## **The National Situation**
The following information summarises data taken from the Trussell Trust website and paints a picture of the state of food poverty at a national level. As the reader will appreciate in this report, the overall scale of food poverty may not be exactly replicated locally but the trends highlighted by the Trussell Trust are apparent in the locality.
The Trussell Trust runs a network of over 428 foodbanks operating 1,300 food bank centres. In the year 2022-2023 it provided 2.9 million three-day emergency food supplies to people in crisis of which over a million were to children. This represents a 37% increase from 2021-22.
## **The Local Situation**
As we began to see a reduction in the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic we entered what appears to be a much more difficult period arising from the consequences of the cost of living crisis. Initially we felt the impact of a dramatic increase in energy costs but by April 2023 we were beginning to realise that inflation was also beginning to take its toll on people’s disposably income. Since then of course we have seen the significant impact of increasing mortgage costs. Although most of our Covid-19 pandemic precautions have been relaxed, the Trustees are aware that we need to be cognisant of the fact that the virus is still very much in evidence and that we should be vigilant and ready to reintroduce processes and procedures as required.
This report provides an overview of the performance of the Foodbank and also for the first time our newly established Social Supermarket – The Market. The Market was one of the initiatives we took forward from the lessons we learnt during the pandemic and was one of our strategic goals for the year. Unlike the Foodbank which is focused on providing support to those in emergency food crisis, the Market assists in providing support to those with longer term issues. As such it provides those who we invite to become members access to a range of food and household produce once a fortnight at a significantly subsidised cost. Membership initially lasts 6 months but can be expended if it is deemed necessary or appropriate.
We also commenced our Financial Inclusion Initiative with Citizens Advice. This is a three - year initiative, mainly funded by the Trussell Trust which aims to maximise the income of some of our clients and thereby reduce the future use of the Foodbank. An advisor from Sherwood & Newark Citizens Advice attends sessions of the Foodbank and the Social Supermarket and clients can make an appointment with the advisor there and then if they need help. Over the last nine months, 184 clients have been helped with a total financial
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## **Newark Foodbank**
benefit of £138000. The introduction of this very productive project was another one of our strategic goals for the year.
The Foodbank commenced operations in late 2012. In this its tenth year of full operations the Foodbank has collected donations of 49 tonnes of food. This is up 44% on the amount of donations we received in 2021/22. However, at the same time we also distributed 56 tonnes, itself a 55% increase over the previous year. As a result, over the last year we have provided 3 days of emergency food relief to 4569 clients (3048 adults and 1521 children). This represents a 54% increase over last year (2959). This shows the impact of the cost of living crisis and has put considerable pressure on our resources resulting in the Foodbank for the first time having to purchase stock. We continue to support as best we can a number of other welfare operations in the area but with the support needed to maintain operations of the Foodbank and The Market we have only distributed 3.1 tonnes to these initiatives.
A trend we highlighted last year continues to be very apparent. In 2020/2021 over 50% of our clients visited the Foodbank only once in a 6-month period. Last year that figure had dropped to 32% with more clients having to make two or more visits. This year that figure is down to 30%. We are now seeing over 32% of our clients visiting the Foodbank more than 3 times in a 6- month period. This is over double the figure of 14% we saw in 2020/2021.
By far the largest reason for a referral to the Foodbank is low income. This accounts for 54% of referrals – an increase of 6% over the last year. The second most common reason is issues with benefits which accounts for 16%. Debt accounts for 8% of referrals although in reality this is likely to be a much larger figure as it is probable that this issue is being captured under the Low Income category. In the next year, the Trussell Trust intends to completely revamp how such data is categorised.
We presently have 91 agencies registered with the Foodbank with 52 of these issuing at least one Foodbank voucher over the last year.
We are always looking at ways of expanding the services we provide to clients by operating alongside other referral and support agencies and continue to seek support from a number of business partners. The pandemic forced the Foodbank to suspend the old red voucher referral system. In its place we reverted to e-referrals giving agencies direct access to the client referral database, or more commonly emails and telephone support. In order to be compliant with GDPR we were keen to migrate referral agencies to more secure referral options. To that end we introduced a new web-referral system that not only provides referral agencies with an easyto-use web-based solution but also facilitates front of house staff with providing better signposting support. Although the roll out of this system has been a great success with an ever increasing number of agencies using it to make referrals securely we are keen to move the majority of our referral agencies onto the Trussell Trust’s own e-referral system as this would significantly reduce the admin burden we are experiencing using our own web-referral system.
Over the next year, we need to ensure that we have a sustainable base from which to conduct both warehousing and front of house operations. We have already re-located front of house operations to enable us to enhance the services we provide including the creation of a social supermarket which occupies the same building as the Foodbank but operates on different days. This joint venture operates under the name of “Newark Community Support”.
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## **Newark Foodbank**
The steering group wishes to thank all the volunteers, donors and all supporting organisations and businesses for their support over the last year. Without their support we would not be able to continue to carry out this work.
## **Charity Status**
Newark Foodbank originally operated as an organisation under the umbrella of Barnbygate Methodist Church. After considerable discussion it was decided that the Foodbank should register as an independent charity. An application was submitted to the Charity Commission to register Newark Foodbank as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) operating under the Association Model. This application was approved and Newark Foodbank became a charity on 27 February 2015 (Charity Nos 1160698). The Charity has a steering group consisting of the trustees and a wider voting membership consisting of all volunteers who are formally registered with the Foodbank. Any volunteer who does not want to be a member can simply inform the Steering Group accordingly. By registering as a CIO, the Foodbank is able to conduct a number of operations which it was previously restricted from doing. These include employing personnel and entering into contracts or lease arrangements for vehicles or property.
In accordance with the constitution of the Charity two trustees offer their position for election/reelection at each Annual General Meeting. The trustees are presently: Sue Stott, Lesley Marshall (Foodbank Manager), Dee Fretwell, Andrew Ayre, Cheska Asman, Malcolm Jowett, Chris Charnley and Stephen Charnock. The AGM took place on 14 October 2022 at Holy Trinity Community Partnership Centre.
## **Foodbank Donations**
Our weekly collections from collection points at supermarkets, churches and other organisations in Newark, Tuxford & Southwell accounted for 80% of our total donations. A number of organisations and individuals held their own foodbank collection initiatives which account for another 11%. The remaining 9% comes from purchases that we have to make to sustain our stocks. This is first year that we have had to resort to purchasing stock despite retaining a high level of donations. The total quantity of donations and purchases amounted to an amazing 49 tonnes. Excluding purchases this still represent an increase of 31% from last year. We are investigating a number of options to try and increase our donations especially with the significant increase in demand we have experienced since Apr 2023. To that end we now try to hold a Food Drive at one of the big supermarkets each quarter. At the end of March 2022 the warehouse held approximately 7.5 tonnes of stock however, this is heavily biased towards pasta, baked beans and tomatoes which represent close to 50% of warehouse stock.
All donations are taken to our warehouse for stocktaking and for preparation for onward distribution. The food needed by the Foodbank is varied but has to be non-perishable to enable us to store the food appropriately prior to distribution. We try and highlight through our website (https://newark.foodbank.org.uk) what products are in short supply and it is important that our supporting organisations use this list to target the food required otherwise there is a danger that excess stock of certain food types may go to waste.
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## **Newark Foodbank**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Where our Donations Come From
60000
50000
40000
30000
20000
10000
0
Kg Kg Kg Kg Kg Kg Kg Kg Kg Kg Kg
2022- 2021- 2020- 2019- 2018- 2017- 2016- 2015- 2014- 2013- 2012-
2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013
Charities Churches Community Groups
Corporates Educations Individual
Supermarkets Purchased Totals
**----- End of picture text -----**
## **Foodbank Donation Distribution**
Since opening in 2012, the Foodbank has received and distributed donations of just under 281 and 276 tonnes respectively.
Over 60% of our donations are distributed through our Foodbank Front of House operations at Cartergate. Another 34% is used in support of The Market. However, we also distribute supplies, in accordance with the Charity’s articles, to other support agencies including the Women’s Refuge, Help the Aged as well as to Social, Housing and Hospital agencies and other Foodbanks in need within the East Midlands area. We have continued to support these organisations although the amount we re-distributed has decreased to 6%.
|**Breakdown of**|**2022-2023**|**2021-2022**|**2020-2021**|**2019-2020**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Stock Issued**|||||
|**%**|**%**|**%**|**%**|**%**|
|**Other Food**|**6%**|**17%**|**20%**|**13%**|
|**Poverty Orgs**|||||
|**Barnbygate**|**60%**|**80%**|**74%**|**83%**|
|**Front of House**|||||
|**Tuxford Front**|**0%**|**0%**|**4%**|**2%**|
|**of House**|||||
|**Social**|**34%**|**0%**|**0%**|**0%**|
|**Supermarket**|||||
|**Spoilt/Out of**|**1%**|**2%**|**1%**|**2%**|
|**Date**|||||
|**Total**|**100%**|**100%**|**100%**|**100%**|
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## **Newark Foodbank**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
How Food Donations are Distributed
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Other Food Poverty Orgs Barnbygate Front of House Tuxford Front of House Spoilt/Out of Date
**----- End of picture text -----**
## **Voucher/Referral Distribution**
Prior to the pandemic, clients needed to be in possession of a voucher issued by one of our referral agencies in order to receive support from the Foodbank. At the beginning of the pandemic, when accessing referral agencies was almost impossible face to face, we suspended the existing red voucher system and reverted to primarily telephone or email support. Some agencies also signed up to the Trussell Trust e-voucher system. We have now withdrawn the red voucher system altogether but have put in place alternative more secure referral methods. In essence, there will be no more paper vouchers, with clients instead being referred electronically. A total of 2190 referrals were fulfilled in 2022/23 issued from a total of 52 different agencies. This represents an increase of 47% over the figure of 1486 vouchers fulfilled in 2021/22.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
The Number of People Using the Foodbank
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
Vouchers Redeemed Total Clients Adults Children
**----- End of picture text -----**
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## **Newark Foodbank**
As a result of the redemption of 2190 referrals made last year, 3 day’s emergency food relief was provided to 3048 adults and 1521 children (total of 4569) or putting it more basically a total of 41,121 meals were distributed. The number of clients supported in each referral has increased slightly this year to a figure of 2.1. This is reflected in the fact that the number of singles being supported has decreased from 55% to 51% while at the same time the number of couples has increased from 9% to 11%. The number of referrals from clients with no fixed abode remained the same as last year at 6%.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
The makeup of People using the Foodbank
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Couple Family Multiple Household Single Single Parent
**----- End of picture text -----**
What are the Ages of Foodbank Clients?
**----- Start of picture text -----**
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
17-24 Adult 25-64 Adult > 65 Adult Unknown 0-4 Child 5-11 Child 12-16 Child Unknown
Adult Child
2022-2023 2021-2022 2020-2021 2019-2020 2018-2019 2017-2018 2016-2017
**----- End of picture text -----**
The primary reasons for referral to Newark Foodbank are Benefit Issues 15% (down from 18% in 2021-22) and Low Income 54% – up from 48% in 2021-22. Debt as a reason for referral has remained at 8% from the year before, but is suspected that the true value of debt is being hidden within the low income category which has been increasing steadily over last 3 years. It is likely that the increase in the number of clients needing to visit the foodbank more than 3 times in a 6-month period is being driven by the joint issues of debt and low income.
The figure below gives a breakdown of the reasons for referral to Newark Foodbank. The two principal reasons for referral are Low Income and Benefit Delay.
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## **Newark Foodbank**
## Why People are Using the Foodbank
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Benefit Change Benefit Delay
Debt Delay Wages
Domestic Violence Homeless
Other Unemployed
70% Sickness Low Income
No Recourse to Public Funds Poly. (Benefit Delay)
Expon. (Low Income)
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
**----- End of picture text -----**
Trend lines have been added for these principal referral reasons which clearly shows the year-on-year increase in low income being a reason for referral. This suggests that despite being in receipt of benefits, these are not at a level that enable clients to satisfy everyday needs.
At the very beginning of the pandemic, all Front of House Operations were suspended. All referrals were satisfied through a delivery system. We were very fortunate to receive funding from Nottinghamshire District Council to help purchase a van to assist with this operation in addition to facilitate collections and distributions. As restrictions have been relaxed, we have re-established Front of House operations for the majority of our clients. Although we continue to move away from a delivery system to primarily a collection operation we do still carry out deliveries to the “out-of-town” villages. We have a dedicated set of volunteers who conduct these deliveries once a week although we also cater for emergencies when necessary. We also will conduct “in-town” deliveries if the circumstances are appropriate. As such we have seen a significant reduction in the number of deliveries we are now making. Whereas in 2021-2022, 32% of referrals fulfilled were deliveries this year the figure is 17% with a corresponding 83% of fulfilled referrals now being collections.
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## **Newark Foodbank**
The Foodbank recognises that its primary function is to provide emergency food relief to clients and must not been seen by both the public, who generously donate to it, as well as by clients, as a subsidised grocery service. As a Trussell Trust foodbank we follow their general guidance that we should seek reassurance from any client, who arrives at the Foodbank more than 3 times in a six-month period, that they are actively seeking to address their problems from appropriate support agencies. We do recognise that on occasions it may take a considerable amount of time to overcome the particular crisis that a client is experiencing and therefore provided we are confident that they have an action plan in place, we will support those who need assistance over a longer period.
The percentage of vouchers redeemed from clients who have accessed the foodbank more than 3 times in a 6-month period has remained approximately the same over the last year. In 2021/22, 33% of redeemed vouchers were from clients who accessed the foodbank only once in a 6-month period while 31% were visited more than 3 times in a 6-month period. This year we see that 30% of redeemed vouchers were from clients visiting only once while 32% needed to visit the foodbank more than 3 times. This is indicative of the need for longer term support rather than simply emergency food relief in the short term. This is one of the reasons why we believe a social supermarket may help those who have a more extended need for a Foodbank.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
% of Vouchers Presented by Clients who have visited the
40.0%
Foodbank "X" nos of times in a 6 Month Period
35.0%
2022-2023 2021-2022
30.0%
2020-2021 2019-2020
25.0%
20.0%
15.0%
10.0%
5.0%
0.0%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
**----- End of picture text -----**
The Foodbank’s operating area is extensive covering all of Newark and the surrounding villages and extending SW to Bingham, NE to Swinderby and North to Southwell, Clipstone, Ollerton, Edwinstowe and Tuxford. Some of these areas are also covered by other foodbanks supporting Mansfield and Ollerton and therefore clients may be redirected to other foodbanks nearer to them to satisfy their requirements. Since the pandemic, we have extended our operating area considerably as other foodbanks have not offered a delivery service. This would not have been possible without creating a dedicated volunteer group and the purchase of a van. Just under 63% of the foodbank clients this year reside within the 4 wards of Devon, Bridge, Beacon and Castle. This is a small reduction on 63% from last year.
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## **Newark Foodbank**
The chart below provides a breakdown of client usage by wards.
## **Agencies**
The number of agencies that are registered to issue Foodbank vouchers stands at 91. Of the registered agencies, 52 have issued at least one voucher in the last year. Obviously, personnel changes at these organisations require us to constantly engage with them to ensure that they are comfortable with the procedures in place to manage the issuing of vouchers. Inevitably some agencies issue more referrals than others due to the nature of their work, but we are keen to support any agency regardless of the size of their client base if they feel that the Foodbank has a place to play within their support structure. Any agency which is presently not on our registered list but would like to be is asked to contact Andrew Ayre through the Foodbank e-mail address (agency@newark.foodbank.org.uk) to discuss their requirements.
With the removal of the previous red voucher referral system, we have put into place a more convenient and secure web-based referral system to reduce the need to make referrals through emails and the telephone. This is necessary to ensure that we can show that we comply with GDPR and to protect the confidentiality of client personal and sensitive data.
We would like to thank most sincerely all the agencies that issue Foodbank referrals and encourage any that have any issues to contact us to discuss their concerns. Without their assessment of a client’s needs or otherwise the effectiveness of the Foodbank would be significantly decreased.
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## **Newark Foodbank**
|**Nos of Agencies**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Agency Breakdown**|2022-2023|2021-2022|2020-2021|2019-2020|
|Charity Sector|26|25|23|20|
|Churches|8|9|9|9|
|Community Groups|3|4|4|2|
|Statutory Agencies|49|48|48|49|
|Voluntary Agencies|5|4|4|4|
|**Total**|**91**|**90**|**88**|**84**|
## **Operating Days**
Newark Foodbank operates on Tuesday between 1500 and 1700 hrs and again on Friday between 1300 and 1500 hrs. We continue to support clients at Tuxford and the neighbouring villages through the warehouse at Newark and make deliveries accordingly. Warehouse operations now operate throughout the week with both donations, shelving and bagging operations taking place on multiple days with dedicated teams.
## **Market Operations**
Market operations run on top of the Foodbank operations utilising as much as possible the same infrastructure including warehousing and Front of House locations. In doing so we reduce the cost of running Market Operations. We have a team of volunteers who manage Market Front of House Operations and a purchasing and logistic team that help keep Cartergate the location for both The Market and Foodbank stocked. The Market operates on Monday and Thursday afternoons.
Since Market operations started in March 2022, up until 31 March 2023, we had a total of 121 members. Of these, 52 members were single, 27 were couples and 42 were families. Members are permitted to visit the Market once every two weeks. Up to April 2023 the Market has supported 713 visits and helped a total of 1737 members consisting of 1154 adults and 583 children. It should be recognised that without the Market at least some of these members would no doubt have needed to have recourse to the Foodbank. Members of the Market are not usually permitted to use the Foodbank in addition to the Market. Members pay a small fee every visit to offset some of our costs. To April 2023, this has helped raise a total of £3058. Over the year, the amount of stock we have had to purchase to support the Market in addition to the Foodbank has increased steadily. As of April 2023, the Trustees had authorised stock purchases to the sum of £1500 per month. This is constantly under review.
## **PR and Fundraising**
Our PR and Fundraising team have been very active over the year and maintain a good relationship and presence with those organisations who kindly allow us to set up collection points in their establishments. The PR team has also been active in encouraging a number of other organisations in town to act as collection points as well as maintaining our presence on the internet and other social media outlets such as Facebook.
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## **Newark Foodbank**
A number of individuals and companies have created their own fundraising efforts over the year and these have been particularly successful. We would like to thank all those who have both created these fundraising efforts and those who have supported them. Many of these efforts have made use of our Just Giving Fundraising page which has also been a great success.
We must however also thank the people of Newark and surrounding area whose generosity has been truly outstanding. Whether this has been through donating food at our collection points, resulting in the collection of 49 tonnes of food, or through personal cash donations, all these donations help make the Foodbank sustainable.
## **Volunteer Base**
The Foodbank currently has 67 registered volunteers. These volunteers operate in one or more capacities ranging from Front of House (Foodbank or Market), Warehouse, Transport, PR and Fundraising, Delivery Driving, Logistics Support and Management. We have adopted Assemble as our Volunteer Management System which helps us with recruitment and keeping volunteers informed about the activities of the Foodbank. Assemble also enables the Foodbank record the hours expended by our volunteers. The Foodbank is registered with the ICO (ICO Certification (ZA073582). Public Liability Insurance for the Foodbank and its volunteer base is provided by Zurich Insurance.
All areas are adequately supported although inevitably at certain times of the year finding volunteers to fill in the rota for Front of House operations can be difficult. All volunteers have to formally apply and provide references to ensure client safeguarding and confidentiality and to ensure that appropriate training is provided. Applications forms both in paper and digitally are available on the website.
We very much appreciate the time and experience provided by our volunteers. Over 6500 volunteer hours have been expended over the last year in the Warehouse, Front of House, Delivery Driving and PR Operations in addition to Steering Group and Coordinator Meetings. As a totally voluntary organisation inevitably without volunteer support the Foodbank could not operate. We try and take all volunteer views and comments seriously. Volunteer comments and suggestions are discussed at regular coordinators meetings chaired by Lesley Marshall. Any strategic issues are then fed up to the Steering Group for discussion.
At the start of the pandemic, we had to curtail the activities of many volunteers who were deemed to be at higher risk or older than 70 years old. Although some of the restrictions have been lifted, and some FOH operations have resumed, some of our more senior volunteers have decided that they are not in a position to return. We thank them for their service and hope that they will be able to join us later in the year when we celebrate our volunteers service.
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## **Newark Foodbank**
## **Quality Audit Inspection – Trussell Trust**
The Trussell Trust conducted its last formal annual quality audit inspection of Newark Foodbank in March 2018 although we have participated in a number of video and telephone inspections since. We have worked closely with the Trussell Trust to ensure that we remain compliant with any new procedures and methods which they have rolled out over the year including changes to the way client referrals are processed.
## **The charity’s policy on reserves**
We have set aside funds to cover 12 months’ rent on the Cartergate premise as this is our only major financial commitment.
## **Treasurer’s Report**
The treasurer’s report for 2022-23 is attached. As of 31 Mar 2023 the Foodbank has funds of £148,116 (£90,517). We have a three-year lease on the property at Cartergate for £11,000 per year. This lease will expire in November 2024. The Trustees will need to make a decision shortly on whether or not to negotiate an extension to the lease or seek new premises. We also continue to operate out of two warehouses at Cressey Farm for which we pay a total of £3,052 per year. In order to be able to claim back some of our costs we are also registered for VAT. As a registered Charity we claim back Gift Aid on any declared donations we receive. Over the next year, it is hoped that the funds we have available plus any future income generated can be used to take forward some of the strategic goals identified below.
## **Cost of Operation**
The total cost of Foodbank & Market Operations in 2022-2023 was £35,658. During the year we issued 41,121 meals through the Foodbank. This means that each meal provided by Newark Foodbank costs £0.86. This is 16% increase on the year before and reflects an increase in operating costs including £8,262 spent on stock purchases. In reality the vast majority of these stock purchases were in support of the Market. If stock purchases are excluded, then the cost of providing each meal is £0.67 or a 9.5% reduction in cost from the previous year. Assessing the contents of each of the food parcels provided to clients we estimate the value of each parcel, which provides three days of emergency food relief to be:
|**Value of Food Parcels**|**Value**|**Parcels**|**Total Value**|
|---|---|---|---|
|||**Issued**||
|Single|£ 21.66|1119|**£ 24,237.54**|
|Couple of Single & 1 Child|£ 25.28|404|**£ 10,213.12**|
|Family of 2 Children|£ 42.90|499|**£ 21,407.10**|
|Large Family of 3 Children|£ 56.39|168|**£ 9,473.52**|
|**Totals**||2190|**£ 65,331.28**|
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## **Newark Foodbank**
We also provide clients with a range of “extra” products which do not form part of the standard food parcel and include for instance toiletries, sweets, sanitary products and pet food.
For insurance cover purposes we also need to make an assessment of the value of stock held in the warehouse unit. As of 31 March 2022 the average value of each kilogram of stock held in the warehouse was approximately £2.10. This suggests that with a stock level at the end of March 2021 of 7.59 tonnes, the value of stock at that time was £15,939.
## **Strategic Goals**
We have updated our Strategic Goals for the year:
Ongoing
- Sustaining the Volunteer Base and enhancing engagement of volunteers with Assemble.
- Raising Agency Awareness
- Identifying ways of working together with other agencies and activities such as with the Severe Weather Emergency Provision Shelter/Well.
- Sustaining Operations at FOH and Warehouse Locations.
- Engaging actively with the Newark Community Network.
## 2023-2024
- Continue to Participate in the Financial Inclusion Program with the Trussell Trust
- Provide Face to Face Citizen Advice Support during all Foodbank and Market Sessions
- Maintain Market sessions at twice a week.
- Enhance range of products provided through The Market including fresh food options.
- Re-establish in some guise a Tea/Coffee and Biscuits facility
- Evaluate opportunity of engaging in creation of a Community Hub
- Investigate possibility of acting as a distribution point for Fuel Vouchers in conjunction with N&S DC
- Investigate opportunities for partnership with a credit union.
## Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:
Signed _____________________________________________ Date __________ 16.12.2023 Stephen Charnock, Trustee
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## **Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Newark Foodbank for the year ended 31 March 2023**
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Newark Foodbank for the year ended 31 March 2023.
## **Responsibilities and basis of report**
As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
## **Independent examiner’s statement**
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
2. the accounts do not accord with those records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed _________________________ Date ______________________ 18.12.2023 John O’Brien MSc, FCCA, FCIE Employee of Community Accounting Plus
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## **Newark Foodbank**
## **Receipts & Payments Accounts for the year ending 31st March 2023**
|2022|||||||2023|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||Unrestricted|Restricted|||
|Total Funds||||Funds|Funds||Total Funds|
|£||Note||£||£|£|
||**Receipts**|||||||
|50510|Donations||2|69459|17440||86899|
|3429|Gift Aid|||6161||0|6161|
|2|Bank Interest|||197||0|197|
|**53941**||||**75817**|**17440**||**93257**|
||**Payments**|||||||
|13186|Rent|||8881||0|8881|
|1249|Equipment|||93||0|93|
|108|Crisis support|||159||0|159|
|270|Printing, Stationery & Promotion|||1011||0|1011|
|0|Trussell Trust|||0||0|0|
|1366|Van, Petrol & Repairs|||830||0|830|
|1564|Insurance & Legal|||1592||0|1592|
|0|Events|||642||0|642|
|198|Just Givivng|||216||0|216|
|1234|Warehouse costs (ex rent)|||1480||0|1480|
|2068|Other|||8950||0|8950|
|19207|Cartergate|||68||0|68|
|538|Utilities|||2244||0|2244|
|291|Volunteer Expenses|||347||0|347|
|0|Stock Purchases|||8262||0|8262|
|2786|Professional Fees (Bank, Accountant, Legal etc)|||882||0|882|
|**44066**||||**35658**||**0**|**35658**|
|9875|**Net Receipts/Payments**|||40159|17440||57599|
|80642|Cash Funds at the start of this period|||89560||957|90517|
|0|Transfers between funds|||957||(957)|0|
|**90517**||||**130676**|**17440**||**148116**|
|**Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at 31st March 2023**||||||||
2022
£ **Cash Assets**
90517 Bank Accounts
**2023 £** 148116
## **Assets retained for charities own use**
Van, £10800, purchased Nov 2020 Racking, £1147, purchased May 20 Handwash Station, £723, purchased July 20 Shelving, £2836, purchased Dec 21 Shelving, £3121, purchased Jan 22 Stack Nest Container, £685, purchased Jan 22
## **Liabilities**
(780) Creditors 3
(816)
These Financial statements are accepted on behalf of the charity by:
Signed: Date: 16.12.2023 Stephen Charnock, Trustee
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## **Newark Foodbank**
## **Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2023**
## **1. Receipts & payments accounts**
Receipts and payments accounts contain a summary of money received and money spent during the period and a list of assets and liabilities at the end of the period. Usually, cash received and cash spent will include transactions through bank accounts and cash in hand.
## **2. Grants & Donations**
|Total||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|£||**£**|**£**|**£**|
|26954|Individuals|31309|0|31309|
|0|Just Giving|7702|0|7702|
|160|Churches|911|0|911|
|16550|Corporate|11771|0|11771|
|6846|Other donations|14707|17440|32147|
|0|Supermarket|3058|0|3058|
|50510||**69459**|**17440**|**86899**|
## **3. Creditors**
|||
|---|---|
|**3. Creditors**
Independent Examination Fee|£
816|
||**816**|
## **4. Trustees Remuneration**
Trustees received no expenses, remuneration or benefits in this period.
## **5. Related party transactions**
There were no related party transactions in this period.
## **6. Funds analysis**
|**Restricted Funds**
Crisis support
Advice & Casework service
**Unrestricted Funds**
General Fund|**Opening**
**Balance**
**Receipts**
**Payments**
**Transfers**
**Closing**
**Balance**
957
0
0
(957)
0
0
17440
0
0
17440|
|---|---|
||**957**
**17440**
**0**
**0**
**17440**|
||89560
75817
(35658)
957
130676|
||**89560**
**75817**
**(35658)**
**957**
**130676**|
Explanation of restricted funds:
Advice & Casework service - To support those accessing Newark Foodbank to tackle and resolve the issues that have led to their financial crisis.
The transfer from the Crisis support restricted fund to the unrestricted fund, respresents the lifting of any restrictions on the remaining funds.
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## **Newark Foodbank**
## **7. Glossary of terms**
**Creditors:** These are amounts owed by the charity, but not paid during the accounting period.
**Restricted funds:** These are funds given to the charity, subject to specific restrictions set by the donor, but still within the general objects of the charity.
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