iJ.n •nd IMpK￿l >w. FTVrn Its btylnnlw IR 2013 ** • •n*U p•rnnl.l•d Iniuatfv•. Th• PTrJ h•$ • thrmw y*svDoty th•nty th*t fvnllviiio 10 slay tni¢ ID Its T(KNtJ. lirt•niry 10 y •thr• . Yv4h aub •Thl Plus lo IAMM and knpstoTr . plfjJ • •ft•l rv1• In t￿lP￿t w(*J M temporJry prnnfsos hr tht Yguth and th• p•uJ• on th• Wi)rt3hq> prtyrarn our t••m IWJ rT3pofided with flexlblllty ind carn We'vt embrx•d the Jtdm •Jded vltw Jes%lon& and l•ld tht your&d*wrk to double caP￿ty whern poulbl¢ Itj * t*1 IThT w• •dw (wr forus on the Th•¢ds ofow M*M￿r (rqt ts to •xknl Isol•tlon . and I trnly bellm that's w￿t The Pod do•$ bML w* olfer. f*t brlnl people tO8ethr. b) le•rn Dew skills flTbd Suppo￿ j￿rE Vkn afvl stepped up In Incrtdlble wrys - from runnlng crnft stslls and crfftrnunity e¥erts to rtpresentln8 Tht Pod &$ Ambassador5 In xchool# and at careerx f*lr& Thlj W•5 beautifuny evmlent at our Trn Year Anniversary Party that wt held In September. organlsed aad CXwe(I by our Supporters Club, Bot to mln8le. chaL ar￿ dance together. Sp•rkty stwws offered 1dd1tkn￿ ¢ltter ro a wry happy Thls splrlt of shared purpose ts what IILW of thts be pl￿1ble wlthout our smalL dedi(3ted team of staff. our volunteer& our parry*rs and of coun¢ the families and Indlviduals who trust us to walk alongside thenL A heart￿￿ thank yua to e￿ry peT50n who contrlbutes to nuklng The Pod a place OfConr￿t10n and i• ahead we remaln commltted to 8rowlng In a wry that keeps people at the heart of eTh*ythi￿ do. Whether Its throuth new premlses, expanded sesslons. or deepenln8 communlty partDffththps keep Ilstenln& learnln& and doAn8 all we Ca￿ to help our members reach Molra Spence Chair of Tnutees Hl%lory . 'fiii' l) Iiil 1% il Iiri%%r¢?(?t% Iiiltlnllve, fiiuiiiliTril lty Piireiit carer% In 2013 In resp)nse to a lack i)1 %t'l%'lL"vi l¢br (Ii%il)li'¢l I'l)Ililribn Iii Mcin(Iii). M,Iliil.IliiliiK il ￿TrViC.C ih.ll Is memlyer led is esfjend￿ in Qhltrtlves - {I'.111 i%%li ill-l I I'iTr i)n)nii)le s(Iclal IncliiNlnii (Dr tho piihllc l)vneflt by preVentt￿ pwple Ii)Iii) Iir('iJiiiliikJ %(}( liill¥' exi'liiit￿1, mll(IvliiK the nLiiyI.% ()1 th()se perJi)le whcj are wjcially eKluded and The I'li,11ltv .ii-hieve4 thls tlin)uRli the follnwlnx 5ervlces.' Core actlvltles All other artlvltles •YtyJtht￿ts • P•ffj) •IoM •PodHu• •SEED #,6% 46. 35% •P(* DIKO Ib 4 io. I., 49. 41% JS.15 •JAMM p. sw. •Holld•y AttW•ilnt In summary: the number of sesslons/actfvltles across the year has increased by 12% 2025 - 270 (2023124 . 242) This Increase Lan largely be attrlbuted to commtssioned actsvltles, Pod Youth Club The Youth Qub welcomes chlldren aged 10 to 17 wlth addltlonal need& It rneets on Tuesdays from 5: 30 to 7..30 pm during terni tlme, wlth occaslonal se&slons durln8 hollday& The staff-to-chdd ratio Is 1.3, and the team Is skllled and experienced. dedlcated to helplng chlldren reach their full )tentiai. Particlpants learn Important life 5kllls and build friendships. AL'tivittes at the Youth aub. well as all Pod projects, are co-led by the attendees themselves. Thls year. favourlte actlvltles have largely been outdoors, as the group has been b&sed in temporary. smaller premlses for most of the year. Thls fjhlft has led to more outdoor sesslons and smaller group slze5 whlle the project has been In a holdlng pertod. Desp1￿ thls, there remalns a len8thy waiti￿ IISL Slgnlflcant effurts have been made thls year to engage wlth walting familles and prepare for duubling the pn)lect's capaclty when It relocate's back to Vallis Youlh Centre In April 2025. The 7A)ne The Zone Is a youth club for Young Carers who Inln between &16 year5 01(L The Zone runs on alternale Wednesday evenlngs In terni time and thls year the chlldren have enloyed regular holiday actlvltles Many but nut all the chlldren have a 51hllnK wlth ticldlliijiul needs, ur they ha¥e PLirents who hdve lung iern) health condlilons that impact ihelr Jlilliiy for their children to lead ni)rnial chlldhoods. The graup are dlvL'rse, and the aiilvllii4% chux'n to support these need& Chilili"('n may come to Z(Ine to enjoy resplte from h1￿7 enerFy households whereas other young cdrcri who attend prefl'r hlgh enery￿, often comwtltive ac'tivilies. The children really enjoy their nuitui-liig sek%li)n alongslde trip5 Oitt whlch th15 yvar InLludL,d.. Trdmpolinin& trips to the cinema pr)ttery palnilng and clnema. Prrfj Plus merts fTDm &JO to 0..30 #rnl lry youty •(￿lts yd 17 30. The tv*n wrNldn W al • rtlo of 1..4. kifvitla (rflen wvy¢ed by the therrth io the INM dmi to f*llltAte the•e whenever p*lble. ye•x. the ounry &¢ mp•lq Cmk challeryps t•# wlth (￿1 ¥￿￿1￿ IINI 0￿d00T my11di￿ ctniTe. The POP Ixxo • hlthlw on the Pod calend￿. wlth atterthe Xeqdfrly IrKT•Mlr Its r*ixitatMJn The f•I￿re5 * rnldent Dl, A m•n wlth addltlonal w erry arnl [￿lU￿ty to the exwIe￿& POP 1$ equally enliryed ty (am the w atxl Included karx>k4 sllent d1￿04 d￿e tur M- l•stA Meet4lp Chr meets orKe a n￿nth on a Monday from I￿12 ￿0￿ We Frovjde a spwce ID FMU* frDm th%￿ul i ¢h•Ke for parEnt carers to take a opportunlty to SIL ￿ and c0nrn[￿ arml frnm the Pod tea￿ ￿nVerSationS often revolve around lived exFthfflKes cth for thar chlld or your% •lulL Shari￿ Ideas on navl8atin8 emtlonal aThJ professlonal p)rL ed￿*Th>￿ and fun(Mn8 challerges or slmpty prnvidin8 a welcome djtrart10￿ Mary w)Iwt diTh*ons take pl¥e within thls supportive spac& Testlmonlals frnrn careT5 hithli8ht the value of this saf< non-jud￿ntal envtTDnmenL where attendees can kn enx)tioA% arml challaw lirte￿ aTha offer si1￿&t10n5 ba￿ on their own eXperiff￿ ortln* a "Make & Sell" PTDJecL Workshop has evolved Into a stand-alone program offering sklll.iwlJdts% ￿cIal ttme, and woWe experlenc& Currendy paused (2*25) as we cOlla￿rate wlth the IAKal Authority aThl SEN provlders to create an accesslble day ser4lce or short course This new nx)da WQJ ex¥Arhl oEwrtunities for Sndyndence. communicatioTh soclaL workplace. and confldw Sk11￿ Workshop provldes a fuTh supportlve envlronment to CODnert with the comoNuuty ￿elOP 5kn'11s that can lead to volunteering or employmen¢ Incluth'ng SUp￿rted orwrtunttses thrDu8h the knpstoTr projecL PTrJ knp*ore. Mw In ILq 4 year, ts developing into a vlable busAness model for Pod whlch hls enabled You[¥￿￿ts to 8wn valuable work experience and serve thelr community. rapstore Is the Ideal vehlcle for work experience, tralnln& and w)tentlal employment wlth a role for everyone Wha￿tr their level of skill or support nL*d& Feedback C¢lPtured reflerts that tw enloy feellng res￿)nsIble and belng an expert In somvthi scrap￿0￿ provldes the communlty wlth a resource for materlals that appeal to schools nurserles, chlldmlnders, famllles and creatlve people- The publlc n%ponse1s StronA and supportlv¢ Our customer and suppller base has growi) and we are nuw rrdding wtih scrdpstores In the South WesL >nY volunreers hwe lound cortaln (wlonxr iknloun or •ipKtstloM chlleTWW In reJw)nw, we've 11rtr(￿￿ clear leanrt4 Maff to help convrnmk•t• lh• neeth of i)ur t•irn ￿ the W• with lrnllvlduth un s￿(111¢ Alluatlnm ￿ cl4rtfy pTocmN r•duc• . erKouw Intvwtl0￿ Ilryilar debdrfs Iltor t￿h allow ￿ to r•nKt on l*•rn u • our ippn)•t h-whlle rn01n1￿I￿ IhAt curtom•r• mry I￿Ing thNr own ne￿ts challewy Into th• 4wc•. Been CThMthoned try Fh)mi Thwn councll to provld•"iA)O￿ Parts Plqy" m•t•rlals for th• Plry Trollry In a lotd P￿k Pop Up Play Box Prolert. Commlxsloned by Frome Town Q)uncll. Members were iupwjrt to ￿￿vide Krdp FAZY exF*rlences a¢ross parks on Frome diirlng the school IK)Ilday$, • Scryl play al the Fwme thlldren's Festlval In july, vlslted by over 100 chlldrerL ijttle 5craithre sltuated In the town centre contlnues to thrlvL Open to the publlc for 2hrJ weekty and on Market days for S hours monthly. The locatlon of the premlses hès ITKreased the proflle of Scrapstore. There Is a constant flow of donatlons from new )urres donoT5 Include cOMn￿rclaI waste provlder& Commls*oned by The Frome Independent MarkeL Pod member5 were supwrted to run cr3ft xtivitaes based on each mart(et's theme uslng Scrdpstore materlal& Thls was an Ideal oiyrtunlty to Sp￿ad the wonl about the prolecL kTipAore supplied matertals to festival and event oryanlzers creating dlsplays artworks aTMI artivitses across the town includln8 Terrestrla15'Klds Take Over the Town HaIl" evenL All Pod wolects are led by staff. wlth volunteers playlng a kry role In supp)rtlng sesslons, galnlng work expfflence. and cOn￿bUting meanlrfully to the communlty. Thelr Involvement helps ¢hallerfje steTrotypes and break down gxRI barrler& Pod krnpstore Is xtlvely seeldng fundlng and suitable premlses to expand The leadershlp team Is developln8 governanc¢ ￿lIcleS and procedures In preparation for a new space. The goal is to open rawre multlple days each week and establish a community base where The Pod can run Its projects-P)tentialty In pathrship wlth other or8anisation& AddllloDal Actlvldes. (￿mMU￿ty parthershlps are important to the charlty and remaln stron& Pod famllles enjoy taklng par¢ and volunteering at communlty event& Project members and familles are consulted when local ents planned and the charfty has led or taken part In numerous Initiattves Including Youn8 Drivers School, the Pod community aged IO+ to any a8e enjoyed drlving a car for 30 minutes with a driving instructor. Thls is an annual favourite and a fant&%tic opportunity for people to get behind the wheel of a rvdl car who may never experience th15 independent]y. Volunteers held a stall at the Cheese & Grnin Charlties Fayre, selllng our new hopes and dreams books and runnlng our popular PWLzle swap. Annual Panto trlp. Pod members and FrSends of Pod watched the accessible perfornunce of Sieeping Beauty. They had a great time joining in with the stage fun and son8& A coach trlp to Weymouth for Pod members families, and fnends of Pod. Fun with Sandcastles flsh and chips, pedalos, ice-creams and new frfendships. This 15 an annual favourtte for everyone. The Pod concluded its 10th birthday with an amazing prom styloglitr2y party &il Foxy's De Members. families, supporter5. Staff and trustees partied the night away. This was largely nwlt Ix).Kxlblp thn)u%h thf %iiiiix)11c'rn RTiiiiP miMpllnA r•￿ildflY Anil thiti•tliiA ilidr l)m* Pod i1￿MI)erS Anil sui?wrtti• rnn ilAIIA il the 14riilv41 Fiin I1￿ 4nd ljvim Prt*'i ts) rA Iinwd Marshal Tean A new opwjrtunlty to fundralse aThJ exwlffK¢ the festival from a crew perspecuve. 39 staff, beneflclanej and Vrlends ol Pod were supwjrted to work together. Crowd marshalling Is an Important ort of the InfrajtnK￿. 3 shifts of 8 hou￿ per person x 936 volunteer hour5 (not Included In volLmteer knurs) Cornmunlty Accesslble Bln80 Our weekly biTVI every Monday evenlng {partnershlp . Cheese & Graln) wlth thanks tD our wonderful group of volunteer& Including many wlth addltional need& The charity runs a sntsll Popup café providing the players with affordable snacks and drink& Volunteers SUpp)￿n8 the café may include people from the charlty's projects who f5nd It dlfficult to secure work experieTKe due to their sWPPOrt needs- thry appreciate being able to galn valuable work fAperience ￿On855de their club ¥t1￿￿eS or when they move on from accessing Pod pmlects to Supporting the charity. VolunteeT5 and attendees at the bingo are very proud of thelr 5UPPOrt for the charlty. and for nuny it is the highlight of their week. Thls years presenladons Included. BBC Radio Somerset, Scrapstore PTomoted through an interview at the Children's Festt"val Frome Community Lottery presentation following a donation to purchase a Feather Flag which is used in Scrdpstore and at all community events. Pod amba￿dOrS present to local schools and colleges. Frome lob Centre- Improving Lives Event. Aspiris Careers Event at the Cheese & Grain. Dlrect beneflclarles Community beneficiaries 4.2 ilpartMw*•p 106. 7X ?9J. 12X 163. 16% .5tLD(hhlTr ofpo ¥t4wA•ot%. IW,79% Thè ol beVbrf￿ th l.(th Sn zn25 (lip fn)rn 674 In 20241. parfy due to Imwyjved now In(lth wkltr Inwt thro￿ brDad¢r xdvltles and lkn hm (orfrmthl wowth Pod Prvfv(14 •cUvltle4 and COThWbxmky offerl The ¢hvtty rniylm conthtted ￿ Its Corn Y•lues . dellvertw Wh￿ nur Thd Tmktsr Pod wanL ￿ Ilrtenlty to f•mllla a￿1 IrNlfvldu4ls we arr rttadlty our •wl IncJw•lrqthe of Nx141 opN)rtunltl•J avall#ble to ￿1. r4tsor• contIM￿ to yow Its curtomff b￿e, dtllverlry 4 vdued *rvlce to the cOMrrw￿ty a v•luaAe lewnlw opp)rtunlty fDr our From th¢ Llttle ScrdF*tore conceFrt we hwe •XTwMled to WAY Cxaft Ktlvltlrt at the FroTh￿ IndeF￿dent MarkeL been ¢ornmlJ*orrtd to Ide th n¥tert￿l for the Play TrDllry In Vlctorla Part( and offered play seulor¥ throuth)ut hool Ix4ldrys In iround FTDme. Thls crnthl marry ny)re surwrted work expertence opportunitles for over.18s, whlle also ra151n8 our vtslblllty In the town arml ￿SIt￿elY Impartlng soclety. It helped break down preludlces and mlwortylons thiut the sk1115 a￿1 abllltles of our Pod communlty. Pod n￿rnberS are beIr￿ seen as capabl¢ skllle(L and valued Bulldln8 on these connectlons wlll open door5 In the future. Pod An*Mssthrs who volunteer at ScraF6tore and other projects have spoken to ￿hoolS and ConYnU￿ty 8rOUp￿ are amazlng advocates for WO￿ ofThe Pod and its Impact on thelr lives The 31* ￿refved for thdr courage to speak In publlc and the passion wlth which they tell thelr storles of the charlty, Is Insplrln& Their enjoyment, prlde In the thelopment of sklms and 5df-conrld￿￿e shSnes through - all bufilt on the foundation of trust and support they've received from the Pod POP Dlxo br1￿ together Indlvlduals from thfferent backwunds throu￿ thts vlbranL optrac¢ess prolecL It h&$ become a Space where nthv frlendshlps forni and connecdorns ow-ftwy of which continue iyond the event Itself. The result Is a wider, more Sncluslve soclal r*twork for ￿eryOne Involved we'￿ confident that, once a month POP Disco Is the [￿St Soyful place In Fron*1 The expertffKe of our Membe￿ famllles and communlty matters to u& It Is what guldes the charfity's work and enables us to strive to do mor& The success of our projerts is founded on buildirg strong trustEng relatlonshlps wlth famllles and member& Our pn)lect teanks capture and ￿COrd special moments or comments fn)m sessions, which we call "gerns" These statements hlghlight the s18nlflcant progress made by indivlduals-progress that might seem small to an outsider but represents vitsl step5 toward a more positive life experienc Both the team and peer5 acknowledge and celebrate each succes& The followlng testlmonlals give a pirture of the Soclal Impart of The Pod We are heartened to hear that they are happier, healthler, and more confldent as they fom frlendships and learn to be independenL Where prevlously they rnay have struggled to be accepted and understood. My daughter obsolutely loves comlng to Pod and would be very, very upset if it was to end. If Pod dldn't e￿5¢ J really don't know what else she would enjoy. It IS Sogoodfor theyoung people ond its o sufe place too. My dau9hter is a confidentyoung lady and thi5 sociolgotheriug is excellentfor her mentcl health as she can mix wlth otheryoung people. (Nicholo, Morch 2025) Myson has limited social contact with h15peern.£o nttendlng Pod hos been ofgreot volue to hlm ond us a5 0 fvmily. He hos made o lot of progress with his Lonversational skllls and Pod hos really boosred his confidenre. (Beth. Murch 2025) Pod ha.f n70de me fvel les.¥ unxiuu.f when meeting nvw i)e()iJle. If 1¢ wu.% not fDr Prld I wijuld he stuck for thiryq.s to do and nobody lo talk t(p ubout my worries. I con .see who I wont tn see and I'm not crits'ci.sed by nthers, thankyi)u Pod. (Churlotte 202.5 I just Nvnted th) poss on how involuoble the Zone has been for myglrls who areyoung carer5 wl¢hln ourfvmlly. It hosgiven them hours offvn, newfriendshlp5 and, probably must valuable, tlme owoy from home that they may not have had othenvlse. The whole leam ore so supportlve nf them. on open eor and olso sUppO￿ve to US 05 pofents os well. I couldn't imagine not hoving this opportunlty and outletfvr them ond they would be absolutely devastated if it ended. I can't say thankyou enou9h for all thot people Gt Zone (and Podj doforyoung carer5 and theirfamilies.you're all amozlng. Speclal thanks to Emmaforall herhord work ond support as well. (Becky 2025) Young corers had been o Godsendfor my chlld. Prior to attendlng she dldn't know onyone In o slmilar position to her andfelt very isolated t7nd lonely. My daughter looksfvrward to the Zone and wishes It could be weekly. She enjoys thefun pocked actlvitles and hos made lots offrlends. Shefeels safe wlth the adults and has developed a level of trust to confide In them when shefeels anxious or upseL (Georgina 202.SJ The team The Pod leadershlp team Includes l Founder Charlty Manager and I Prolect Development Manager who each work 20 hours a week. Day-to-day management, prolect development and fundralslng i.s undertaken by this team Trustees ensure that key policles are In place. revlewed and adhered tn. with safeguarding at the top of the agenda. SeNice delivery Is in the skilled hands of employed sessional workers who are often flexible and work across other projects run by the charity or provlde cover ensuring no projects are cancelled due to unforeseen stsff absence& The employed team around the projects also Include,. Administrator Pod Youth aub The Zone Pod Plus POP Disco Scrdpstore 20 hours perweek from January 2025 l Youth Leader/4 Youth Workers l Youth Leaderll Youth Worker I Project Lead/1 Assistant I Proji'ct LL'ad/l Pssistant/l resident Dl. I Scrapstore Co-ordinator Additionally the charity employs 2 people with additional needs,. One produces markiitin% materials fliers etr and is our resident DI. the other employeL' SUPPUrt.s the monthly bingu. Pud pr()vide5 a 5UPPOrt worker for each etnpluyev (funded by the Acce55 11) W()rk sc henie) We value our team of v()lunteer% (ind are very grJtÉ.fiil f()r the h()Lir% tliey d()n.Ite. This year volunteer hours totalled an impressive 2487 hour5 (2024.. 247()1 I'lie I'ull-tii)ie eLiiiivalviit would be equtvalent to 1.3 full time members uf staff. 'I'hLISL, hi)ur% are ('alc'ul.ItL¥cI as follows,. 596 Core projects requirkng volunteer support e.% Poll Plus, POV disLus exLluding Scrapstore 355 Scrapstrjrn t.g Uttle Scrnpstore openlng once a week/ market days and kKJPUP events 320 Cornmunlty prnleLtA e.8 Chlldren's festlval and 5ea50nal fete5 and market stalls 920 Weekly BlnRO 296 Additional houn worked lry l*adershlp team A total of 52 volunteers supw)rted Pod prolects thls year. Includlng 34 with addltlonal need& Their conlributlon Is vital to dellvering a diverse range of service& Howerfer, the charity relies on paid •e&slonal staff ts) provlde the expertise. consfstency, and 5tabllity needed to support vulnerable childrn alults. famllles and to traln volunteer& In 2025, salaries accounted for 74% of annual Mllture (down from 79% In2024]. Fundrnlsln8 Followlng the trustees, dedslon In 2024 to harness the fundraising expertise within the charity. management tea￿ thls Internal strategy has continued to yidd p05ttive result& At the same time. the charity has been actively preparing for ￿Wth, with plans to secure a lease on a premises to hoLLse atl Its projects. Includlng Scrapstore. The aim Is to build the necessary reSou￿e$ to enable thls nKwe as earty as possible, while carefully balancing the needs of existing pmjects to ensure they not compromlse(i Structure and Governance The tharlty Managers rep)rt to the board at every trnstee meeting this rep)rt provldes up to date Infornution on wach project, community activities, safeguardin& finance and anything pertinent at the tlme. Board meetlngs generally take place Rn March, lune, September & December- this year all In￿ took place face to face. Trus￿ liaise and individually meet with the charity managers to disC￿S artlons specific to their area of reskK)nsibility. The Manager line nunages the administrator and the leadership team supp)rt thelr desÈgnated Prolect Lead workers who in turn provide supervision to the project teams and volunteer& Reglrtered Charlty address.. clo Frome Tovrn Hall, Christchurch Street We¢ Frome, BAII IEB Banklng: Co￿perative bank. Po Box 250. Delf House. Southway, Skelmersdale, WN8 6wr Trnstees M Spence S Drake Z O'Gornwi D Klllah Michael Rhodes (app)inted 9 luly 2024) A aarke {resi9￿d 30 April 2024) Payroll: In-house ￿}ng Brightpay software. Insurance: Zurlch Insurdnce- Pollcy renewal date 25" Febntary 2026. Unaudlted accounts: Westcotts Chartered Accountants. kninster, Devon. EX13 SAD Ind•peMkn Ex*mlMllon: A UoplL F(X 16 &inny Hlll, Iltsnrny,11A114ND The fTrrrnd •* A ronThinlty RTOUP on Ihe I. May 201.1 aThJ became * rryJrt*rtd ch•rlry In(l) ¥Y•ilrq iin the 2* M•n h 2n15. Ifihe I:1() Is wound up; the membersofthe CIO lthbilitv to i'ortiilyJtr kn il¥ •kYrts #T￿ ￿l￿nna1 resryinilhility for ￿lIn% delrtx 8nd Ilahilitte( Mil￿ he Ill+ and me1n1￿￿hlp l* an •nnual renewal cnJtlnR £12 lor famlty •*1 £8 for lThllvldual ￿ul1& The number Of members In the year •rKllng 2025 Is 90 (20:4- 54) Fknuftlry ntw tn￿e1 to bn)alen the sklllset of the trx)ard remalns an ongolng prlortty. Whlle thrtp ts rK> immediats P￿Su￿ to flll vacancles, the IK)ard Is cnmmltted to malntalnlng a dlverse and we41.rounded r4we of wrtlse. Trustee 5kllls and l)oard need5 are carefully aSse￿ed and regularty a skills matnK ensurlng balanced c(lectlve. and strateglc governance. The menkn or the c￿rfity may at any tlme appolnt a new charfty trustee when there Is an Idennfied r•eed An Intensted trustee 5s provlded with an 'e&sentlal guldance on being a trustee, Tfv wdl artend a tnth meeting before their flrt appolntment In additlon to receiving a copy of the consts"tuttO￿ latest annual re￿rt arKI 5ratement of account& The 'new trustee, will be provided with a mentor fvr the first 6 months. During this tlme the mentor will be available to provide pport os ￿quIred. Ontrthird of tk charlty tntsrees retlre from office at the AGM. If the number of charity tn￿ee5 is TM)t thrne or a nwltiple of three, then the number nearest to one-third sh￿1 retire from office. i]wiry rrustees to rtirE ty rotation shall be those who have been longest in office since their last aprK)intmentor reap￿intrnenL All trustees tye their tlme voluntarlly and ￿ceIve no remuneration or benefits Sunw ofFlnandal Aclfvldes We alwtys alm to mlnlmize the cost of our Se￿ICe5 to disadvantaged families. however we do kmwlttlge an I￿oMe made up of voluntary contributions e,& weekly 'subs' In the report& In 2024/25 charitable activity and fuzxlraising income generated £27,016 (2024: £16.558} The charities traling activities generated an additional £19,993 (2024.. £12,373) against £5,820 in ¢¥pen￿ [2024: £7,215) team arouThJ Pod maintslns excellent relations with its funders and has a good track record with fundrai￿n& Charitable donations and grants gt'ven by individuals, groups and grant making Ixmth'es totaied £64,365 (2024: £68,974) with a further £9,997 received for commissioned young carers servlce& The trustees would Ilke to thank all our funders and donors both large aiid small for their support which has enabled us to develop and expand our provlsion. A full list ot donors is1)resented uii pagye 19-20 of this reporL The income for the year endlng 31 March 2024 totaled £121,371 {2024.. £97,gUSJ against expenditure of £89.258 (2024: £75,277) Rejervej and Flnanclal Plannlng Ststrment At the end of the 2024125 flnanclal year. the charfty holds unrestrlcted rese￿e5 of £41.546, wlth a lurther £.50.18.S In ￿$trIcted re￿rVeS allocated to Core prolects and awSated COTE Costs The Trustee5 acknnwled8e the consldorable challenges wlthln the current fundlng envIrOn￿￿n( IncludlnR IncTe&sed compett'tlon, the ongoing cost-of-llvlng crlsls, and rising demand for service& Thry will contlnue to monltor the level of unre5tr1cted reserves, whlch remaln wlthln the target range of £31.500 to £52,500 at year-en(L This rnnge represents 3 to 5 month5 of the charlry's annual operatlng costs for the year endlng 2025/26, based on current actlvity level& It should be noted that the Trustees have desigmated a further £30,000 from unrestricted funds 5rrtifically for venue hire. Sn antlclpation of securing new premises for the chariry in 2025126. I￿ldn8 forward. the TrLLStees have carefully considered the risks associated with the charity's anticlpated growth and strategic "step change" in the coming year. They consider the current level of unrestricted reserves. together with desi￿ted funds - appropriate and proportionate. tsking Into account the projected operating costs and developments planned for 2025126. Recognisln8 the growing financial pressures, the Trustees have revised the unrestricted reserves target for the next financial year to between £42.000 2nd £70.000, which continues to repwnt 3 to 5 montlLS of projected operatingcosts. The charlty Is In receipt of mu]ti-ye2r funding fmm the Gosling Foundation and the Barbara Ward Foundation. alongside various one-off grants and individual donatio￿ However. a funding shortfall remains, with a fundraising tWEet of approximately £96,000. Meeting this target is essential to maintain and expand the charity's vital services for vulnerable childrefy adults, and familie& It is Important to note that thi5 target is not solely reliant on ￿ts, reflecting the charity's efforts to build Its income from charitable, trading and commissioned activities to reduce dependence on grant fundin& In 2024125. self generated income represented Sl% of totsl income. up fmm 39% in 2023124. This budget projection includes plans to establish a dedicated base for the charity's operations by Autumn 2025, a key sts7teg)'c goal. though not yet secured The Tn￿ee$ will continue to monitor the fundraising stratw and reserves ￿sitiOn throU￿oUt the 2025/26 financial year to ensure financial sustainability and delivery of the charity's objectives. [T￿stee} io Th• Pod Tru•t•M' R•port (contknu•d} 11)• tr￿1￿•$ T￿￿￿7*11)* fvy tryM4nnq Ih• Inm1￿9, rorrf)rf ond th• Ilnanclal •lalom•nt• I ¥xYdwMY Arrxxinbnp SIHndBrdJ IUrHted Kingck)m Gen•r8lly *u8pted )•w gV*• • f8ff ol Ihe 31818 01 off8irs ol the ch8nly 8rKI r)1 Ihe Ir￿Orr￿n9 re8￿rCeS re￿(￿ of ch•nty IhAI perM)l. In pr•poring those fin8ncial slBtements. Ihe ••l•tt rKArn8 and Ih•n appty them consislenty.. 51al• 8t4kntAe standards have b8en lollowed, subject to any mat8nat ¢jv1￿ Ill￿jos￿d 8nd expl8in6d In ihe financial 3talemenls'. and e the ststements on the going corKem basis unless it is inappropriat8 Io Pfegume th01 ts (*• Tfvil Cffitsnuè In business. trustws we reSp￿St￿e for keeping proper accounling records that disdose with ￿asOnable xuacy al any the ￿a￿l81 wsition of th8 charity and enable them to ensure Ihal Ihe finanual stsleynents cryrwy the Chantses Act 2011. the Charities IAccounls and Reports) Regulatsons and the of the wnstitution. The trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets c4 d*nty ￿ hence tor takiThJ reasonable step5 for the prevents.on and deleclion of fraud The trLtslees a￿ the rna1ntenar￿e and integrty of the corporate and financial ttK*JJ8d the chantat￿e ijynpanls webwte. Legislation goveming the Preparat￿ a￿% dissw￿8tTh of stal8ments May differ from legislation in other jurisdictions. The ar¥*A reFK¥t *as approved by the trustees of th& eharlty on .. I.IS. and signed on its t*ake Page 3 q.G.Zo2f Page 4 T(A•l Tol 15.25 J).14T 56.537 7,432 74.731 55.402 121 371 {4.2241 {1.5961 15.820 17.2151 (21,488J (67,770L .(89,25￿& . L75,2TI} (25,712￿69,366￿9S,oT8L￿a2,4g￿) 29,6￿ _.￿3,3971 26.293 (3.397) 26293 15.413 39,707 74.479 69.397 46,788 116.185 The notes on p8ges 7 10 14 lorm an Integral part ol these financial slalements. Page 5 The Pod (ReglstTatlon numb•r: 1161092 Balance Sh••t as at 31 hlar¢h 2025 2025 2W24 Cwrnnt as$•ts 2.710 114.938 117.&48 C8sh al bank and in hand 89 133 91 731 Cr•dltorn: Amounts f*lllng (k* wlthln one y•ar N•t assets 10 116.185 Funds of th• charlty.. R•$bl¢t•d income lunds R9s1ricted luTrJs 46,788 50.185 Unf•stricted In¢om• fvnds Unreslrtcted funds 69.397 39.707 Total funds 11 116.185 The financial slalements on pages 5 to 14 ￿tre atvov6Yl by the trus￿, c .. and sMJned on th￿"[ behdf by. ke The notes on pages 7 to 14 forni an inlegral part of these fina￿¥31 statements. Page 6 Mot•• lo th• Fln•ncl•l St•t•rn•nt• lor th• Y••r End•d 31 14l•rch 2025 Ih h•v• b••n In or.cordBnc• wlth the 8ernrKb •dltk)n of lh• Charrti 0¢ PrACtir• In Ck.tr>hwr 2n19. lh• finAnr.IAI StArKIArd *t4• th It* UTht•d Kwlom 8rMI F4epubhc ol IfèlAr)d IrHs 1021 and Ihe Lharilies Ar.12011. ThFk mp•ts lh8 d8finllkn of A pubNc bengflt enllly under FRS 102. Th8 8ccounlB lflnanci81 stalpn*•tsi have ￿en wepared under tho hi8loric81 cost ￿nV￿nI￿On wilh Ilemj recffjnised al o)sl or t4•k* thess oth•￿430 51818d in the r•lov8nl nolel$l lo Ihts88 accounts. st••s ￿￿•￿ar Ih81 thore are no malert81 uncertBinlles about the charity's ability lo continue as The preparat￿ ol lh8 financial stal8m&nts Trquires management lo mak8 judgements. eslimales and thal affect the amounts reported. These eslimales and judgemenls are conkn"nually vt*e4 and are based on experience and olher factors, including expeclalions of fulure evenl3 Ihal are behe￿] to be re8son8ble under the circumstances. K•y Sourc￿ of •stlmatlon uncertalnty AccwntKig èslimales and assumptsons are mado concerning the futuro and, by their nature, will rarely equ￿ the relalgJ aclual ¢￿COrne. There aTr no key assumptions and other sources of 8slimalion uncwiainty that have a significanl risk of ¢au5ing a material adjustmgnl lo the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next financial year. Voluntary Income induding donations, gifts. legacies and grants that provide core funding or are ol a genwal naturè is recognised when Ihe charity has enli119menl lo the income. it is probable that the Inc(Mne b8 recetved and the amount can be measured with sufficient reliability. L>onatlon8 and legacles Donat￿9 and legaaes are recognised on a receivabl8 basis when receipt is probable and the amcyjnt wi be feliably measured. Grants receivable Grants are recognised vthen Ihe charity has an antillemenl lo Ihg funds and any conditions linkod lo the grants have been rnet. Where performance conditions are allached to the grant and are yel lo be l. the income is recognised as a liability and included on the balanco sheet as deferred income lo be released. Page 7 Nol•• lo th• FlTr•ncl•l 3tat•m•nts for th• Y••r End•d 31 M•rch 2025 (Con￿n￿•d) 41 •uxbrxl+hY• * mxw••d ttw• l• A I•￿1 or con*lnKllY• obllo•llDn to Ihal •xp•ndilyr•. 11 l• k¥￿*L4• *•tlI•nW￿ li T•giwrrAI WKI aiiKxiiII ¢•n b• iiTr•fi•ur•(I r•liAbly All ￿118 *1• Mll(MAl•d lo h•th*iw 11141 th]Ufogal• JiniiL•i (xK41* to that Liilwry Wl)•f• cJJi)rnl b• •ll.'ItMilfftJ lo wirtlLiiIAI hMdinuJ Ili￿V havo b••n AllocMi•d on a b4•1• consi8l•nl v41th lh• ol r••dxw¢•4. w•th C￿11*1 stall coqts •lloul•d on lh• bABli ol lim sp•nl. And d•pi•c.IAiion thwo•s ¢y) th• ol th• Is￿1.$ u8•. Oitw iupwrl colli 4r• All(￿Al•d bA$8d on th• stall ui)5ts ar• tt)sls M)(xwrttl in •ttr•cllng w)kJnl*ry Incom•, tho managtrmonl ol In¥•3lm•nlJ •nd lh￿& tr*lM)g Klivi1￿ ttwl raise ltsrnls. Chw)labl8 •xt*idittK• ccryiis•$ Ihos• costs IncurT8d by Ihe charity In Ihe delI￿ry of Ils aclivltlgs SeN￿S f￿ Ils l￿fil".1&D6S. 11 I￿Ude5 c0515 th41 c8n bg allocated diThctly to such aclivitios aThl ttM)se costs ol an iTrjlr￿ n8lurn n￿sS￿ry to SUPFXYt thom. Taxatlon Thtr chanty * consKSored Io p8ss tho tests Sel oul in Parngr&ph I Schedule 6 01 the Fin8nce Act 2010 aryl thernlor• 51 m88ts th& definilK)n of 8 d)oril8b￿ comygny lor UK coq)oralion IAX piirwses. Accrydingly. the charity is pol&nlially oxempl ITDM 18xallon In respect ol Incom8 or capi181 98ins received wilhin cate9(Ths cover9d by Chapter 3 Part 11 of the co￿>Or￿110n Tax Act 2010 or So¢lion 256 01 lh6 Tax81￿ of Char96able Gains Acl 1992. to th8 exlenl Ih81 such Incom• or gains appli8d exch1￿v0fy to chanlable purpos8s. C•sh •nd ca•h •qu￿1•￿tI Cash 8nd cash equivglents compri56 e8sh on hand and call deposits. and olhbr short-l&m highly I*]U￿ investments th81 8re readity c￿Vertj.b18 to 8 known amount of cash and are subject to on swfK8nl nsk of charo6 in value. Fund #tructufg UnTrstncled income funds are general funds Ih818re available for usg al the Iwsleg5 dis¢relion in ftsrtherance of the objectives ol the ch8nty. Ownated lunds are unreslficl8d fvnds $&t aShd8 for spwfic purposes al the dlscretion of the trustees. Resth'cled income fvnds are thosè donalgd for use in 8 P8fticul8r ar68 or lor speofic purposes, the use of which Is reslric18d to that area or purpose. Pago 8 Th• Pod Not•• lo th• Fln*n¢l•l Stat•fn•nt• for th• Y•ar End•d 31 March 2025 Icontlnu•d) A I#)￿(*•1 •$MI or M finDncial Il•blllty l• r•ccrfJnl•od onty wth•n the ontty t￿C￿ a to 11 8a•lc fina￿)•1 In•trum4￿11 arn Iniliolly rocognised 81 the 8mounl receivable or payab￿ indudiro any tr•ns8CIK￿ costs, unless Ihe arrangement conslilules a financing Iran8adKJn, where rt Is rw¥Jod al th• pr•sent value of ihe fulure paymen18 discounled al a markel fale ol interest for a mil•r d•bl instrumènt. Currwrt a￿•t￿ and ￿rrent HBbOlities ar8 subsequently measured al ￿ cash or other c￿￿MYera1M to be pa￿ ￿ recthved and r¢ol discounted. 2 kTrcryn• trom donatlons and l•gacle• Unrestricted funds General Re8tri¢tgd fund$ Total 2025 Totsl 2024 Donat70ns and legacies: Donabons VcAuntsry cx)ntn'buticffts Grants, including capital grants.. Grants from other chants.es Memberships 4.825 8.651 638 5,463 8,651 9.756 5.597 11,000 779 25.255 57.899 68,899 779 83.792 59,218 58.537 74.731 3 Income from other trading actlvltles Unrestricted funds General Restricted funds Total funds Total 2024 Trading Income Fundraising Tuck Scrapstore 7,827 15,137 698 6.485 30,147 1,311 1.751 9.138 16,888 698 10,855 37.579 8.934 10,067 734 3,439 23,174 4.370 7,432 Page 9 q¢ontxM*dl Tqthl 19.731 1.757 21488 873 75277 Tc4al 170 15 71 1131 1212 1.757 durw Ihe yew12024 NI) yea {2024 N￿) Staff co81• durlng th• y••f w•rn: charrty dufWYJ the yew was as folc•*s Ptye io The Pod Notes to thè Flnanclal Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 (continued) 2025 No 13 2024 No 13 Average he8d eounl of employees No employee received emoluments ol more than £60,000 during tho year12024.. Nil) 8 Debtors 2025 2024 Other debtors 2598 9 Cash and cash 8qulvalanls 2025 2024 Cash on hand Cash at bank 1,094 113.844 114 938 2.244 86 889 10 CrgdttorJ: amounts lalllng du• wlthln one year 2025 2024 Trade credilors Accruals 983 480 1.463 1,359 480 1,839 11 Funds Balaftco at 31 March 2025 Balanco at 1 April 2024 Incomlng Rosourc r•sour¢es •Xpon￿d Transhr• Unrestrlcted lunds General General Funds 39,707 55,402 125,7121 130,LKQ) 39,397 Doslgnated Designated Fund Total unrestrlcted fvnd$ 55.402 69 397 Restrlcted funds David Solornan Frome Town Rotary IAASG 650 393 314 (6501 13931 {3141 Page 11 J1 fBJ) 1779) (1.7321 (wx) 1523) 1169) 12Tr3) FASI 3.042 1.7J2 275 1.752 (1.6751 (750) {1.040) 150) 1800) 2250 573 13.977) (4.XI3) (1.0151 (16.8781 (5.5351 (615) 16.878 9207 3.672 CIAT C. Plgy Trthy FTC. Sewj Ptsj loY￿P (2.5601 11.6291 {1,414) (7(M)) (5431 11.7521 12.5C(I) {9,997) 15,8591 3.871 1,414 7(M) 5.457 1.752 9.997 8.5(Xl 2.fA1 1,850 46 788 Totsl fund• 121 332 116.185 Page 12 The Pod Notes to the Flnan¢lal Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2025 (continued) Unre5tnctad ftJrKling to supwrt core acb"wties and tharity growth includes grants and donations from the f(Ak)wing furKJers.' £10.000 from Somersel Council- lo deliver Young Carers seNce £10.000 from Poslcode Local Trust £l.(K)O frrmn SC & PAE MO￿and Balance at 1 April 2023 Incoming Resources resources expended Balance at 31 Transfers March 2024 Unrestricted funds Genernl General FuThls 38,820 42.977 {42,432) 342 39.707 Restricted fund$ Child￿n in Need SCF Discovery Gosling Foundation Local Gtving Frome Town Coun￿] David Soloman Frome Town Rotary MASG Douglas Arter FAST FTC - Business Plan FTC- Scrapstore FTR- Scrapstore Inner Whe81 Leonard Laity Stoate Mendip Shape Lottery National Lottery Frome Lottery Frome Town Rotary Access For All - DWP Albert Hunt Wilham Vale- Community Swim fundraiser ASDA PYC CO-OP fund Happy Families Lions Club Medlock SCF Core 7,702 1.408 813 281 17.4141 11,4081 18131 (2271 12.1301 18501 17941 11651 14371 14471 19001 17121 12881 1541 2,130 1,500 1,187 479 500 3,489 650 393 314 63 3.042 2,212 2.000 1.500 232 1,732 2,000 11.500) (2961 1831 } 17,558} (500} 704 169 7.558 500 750 485 750 1771 3,000 40 573 800 15621 3,000 1,000 1,623 800 638 (9601 11,0501 638 900 1.000 2.(K)O 5.000 1900} 1,000 2.000 4.309 16911 Page 13 Th• Pod Not•• to th• Flnanclal Stat•m•nt$ for the Y••r Ended 31 WJarGh 202S Icontlnu•dl B•l•nu •t I Aprtl 2023 Incomlng R•¥otsfC r••ourc•s expended Balanc• •t 31 Tranbf•rn March 2024 2,000 25.000 SC fvnd Neste 18,122} 793 16,878 9,207 342 Tot*1 fuTrd¥ 97,905 82,492 89.8g2 12 Anatysls of n•t ass•ts betwaen funds Unrestrtcted funds General Total funds at 31 March 2025 Restrict8d funds Current assets Current liabilities 70.860 46.788 117.648 Totsl rEI assets 116,185 Total funds at 31 March 2024 Unrestricted funds General Restrtcted funds Current assets Current liabilitss 41,546 50,185 91.731 Tr)tsl net assets 13 Related party transactlons There were no related party transactions in the year (2024.. Nil). Page 13