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2025-03-31-accounts

AMENDED

These accounts replace the original accounts. They are now the statutory accounts. They are prepared as they were at the date of the original account.

The Proud Trust Annual Report

(A company limited by guarantee)

April 2024 - March 2025

Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31st March 2025

Company registration number: 05585290 Charity registration number: 1161102

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Reference and Administrative Details

Co-Chairs: Melissa Surgey (resigned 7 July 2025) and Emma Hawley Deputy Chair: Jak Matthews Treasurer: Matt Smith (resigned 17 December 2024) Secretary: Chris Murphy (resigned 14 June 2025) Trustees: Chris Peake Jack Liepa Jodi Fox Amy Lynch Matthew Waites (resigned 15 July 2025) Geoffrey Thomas (resigned 28 February 2025) Sharmila Kar (resigned 28 February 2025)

Chief Executive: Susie Cuthill until 3 March 2025, then (interim) Rachel Williams

Principal Office: The Proud Place 49-51 Sidney Street Manchester M1 7HB Company Registration No.: 05585290 Charity Registration No.: 1161102 Solicitors: Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP 134 Edmund Street Birmingham B3 2ES

The charity is incorporated in England.

Independent examiner: DJH Business Advisers Limited

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Trustees’ Report

1. The Proud Trust Ltd

1.1 Our Objects

The Proud Trust has the following objectives as its charitable purpose for the benefit of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBTQ+) children and young people in England:

1.2 Our Strategic Framework 2018-2025

Our Mission:

The Proud Trust’s top priority is improving the lives of LGBTQ+ young people. Through our regional youth work and national support services, we empower LGBTQ+ young people and the adults in their lives to create positive change for the future. Our work is building a safer environment for LGBTQ+ young people to thrive and achieve their full potential in all the spaces they exist. We do this because we believe all LGBTQ+ young people deserve to live happy, fulfilling lives. We won’t stop until true equality is a reality for all LGBTQ+ young people.

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Our Vision:

A more inclusive world where all LGBTQ+ young people are able to thrive and be proud of who they are.

Our Strategic Themes:

Our vision is underpinned by the following strategic themes, on which we have based our Five-Year Strategy for 2025-2029:

1. Influencing

2. Developing our Talent

3. Storytelling

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lead to more prudent budget allocation, ensuring appropriate spend and financial health of The Proud Trust.

Our Values:

2. Chair and Chief Executive’s Report

2.1 A note from our Chair Emma Hawley

This report provides an overview of the past year at The Proud Trust, highlighting our continued mission to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ young people.

Over the past year, we, like many organisations in the voluntary and LGBTQ+ sectors, have encountered significant challenges. Increasing funding pressures have coincided with a growing number of young people reaching out for support. In response, the Board and staff at The Proud Trust have been working collaboratively to navigate and address these issues.

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Despite these ongoing challenges, thanks to the dedication of our staff, volunteers, and wider community, we have continued to achieve remarkable progress—working alongside and supporting LGBTQ+ young people.

Some of the year's key highlights include:

We extend our heartfelt thanks to our staff and volunteers for their unwavering passion and commitment. Their grace and resilience continue to shine through as we navigate an increasingly complex landscape for LGBTQ+ rights.

A note from our Interim Chief Executive Rachel Williams

The year here denoted was a difficult year for The Proud Trust. After a significant period of growth in previous years, we have had to undertake necessary changes and reductions to enable us to keep delivering our life changing work. This has been caused by multiple factors; the fundraising landscape for all charities has become much more competitive, and for us specifically, this is combined with the rise of anti-LGBTQ+, and in particular, anti-trans sentiment, which has impacted our ability to not only our ability fundraise and form meaningful partnerships, but also to gather income through traded services.

Upon my assuming this interim role in March 2025, it was clear that the immediate and longterm road ahead would be challenging, both external and internal to the organisation. While it is difficult to predict the external future, we have recognised internal shortcomings and implemented a much more robust set of financial mechanisms and checking processes which means that as we head into 2025-26, we have much greater confidence in our ability to recognise and pivot to ever changing circumstances before we get to crisis point.

Despite these difficulties, I am proud of and grateful for the resolve and resilience shown by our staff and volunteer team, determined to continue to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ young

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people, who in turn never end being our source of motivation, determination and inspiration. Our work is needed more than ever as we continue to ensure LGBTQ+ young people are connected to their community, feel like they belong in all the spaces they exist, are well, are hopeful about their futures and live in a world where they can be proud of who they are.

We gain further strength from the solidarity demonstrated across the LGBTQ+ sector through collaboration and shared projects, thinking and actions. I have no doubt at all that in the end good will out. Until then, there is work to do.

A message for those wanting to support our work

If you’d like to join us, there are several ways to become involved, including:

For more information on any of these opportunities, please get in touch at info@theproudtrust.org or visit our website at www.theproudtrust.org

“The Proud Trust resources are fantastic, they can just be downloaded and used straight away, they are actually built for young people unlike others that exist. Your work is incredible, it really is life changing what you are all doing” ~ School supported by The Proud Trust.

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3. Report of the Board of Trustees - year ending 31st March 2025

The Board of Trustees are pleased to present their annual report and the audited financial statements of The Proud Trust, for the year ending 31 March 2025. The financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006, the Memorandum and Articles of Association, and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1st January 2015). The charity was incorporated by guarantee on 6 October 2005. It has no share capital and is a registered charity. The guarantee of each member is limited to £1. The governing document is the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the company and members of the Board of Trustees are the Directors of the company.

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3.1 Structure, Governance, and Management

The Proud Trust is governed by our Board of Trustees. These volunteers come from various backgrounds and bring a wide range of expertise. Board meetings are informed by robust organisational reports, including safeguarding, finance, and detailed information on impact and reach of our provision. Our Board Chair and Chairs of our sub-committees are responsible for ensuring there is appropriate challenge, scrutiny, and discussion on each area of the organisation.

3.1.1 The Proud Trust’s Leadership Model

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Remuneration of staff is reviewed annually by the Board of Trustees. The Proud Trust benchmarks against comparable organisations in the sector with regards to pay and pay rises (where applicable).

The Proud Trust continues to work in partnership with other LGBTQ+ and youth work organisations both locally and nationally. This enables the sharing of best practice, benchmarking, and a collaborative response to policy decisions and other issues pertinent to the objectives of the organisation.

4. Objectives and Principal Achievements for 2024-25

4.1 Objectives and Activities

The Proud Trust’s objective is the promotion of equality and diversity for the public benefit by the elimination of discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, and by advancing education and raising awareness in equality and diversity.

All our principal activities support our objects and vision. Our services include a wide range of community, education, training, and support interventions, based on demand and evidence of need. The charity furthers its charitable purposes for the public benefit through the following principal activities:

  1. Youth work, including youth groups and 1-2-1 support

  2. Digital support services, including:

  3. a. Live Chat

  4. b. Mentorship

  5. LGBTQ+ community centre, including:

  6. a. Events

  7. b. Community work

  8. Training and Education, including:

  9. a. Rainbow Flag Award LGBTQ+ inclusion programme for schools

  10. b. Production of resources for schools and organisations

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c. Training for professionals

  1. Special projects, including:

  2. a. Trans systems change work

  3. b. Interagency work

  4. c. Research

  5. d. Advocacy

These goals are incorporated into our Five-Year Strategy, which informs our goals and progress on all levels of the charity. The Board of Trustees reviews the aims, objectives, and activities of The Proud Trust each year. The Board reports on the success of each key activity and the benefits which the charity has brought to those groups of people it is designed to help. This review also helps the Board ensure The Proud Trust’s aims, objectives, and activities remain focused on its stated purposes.

We have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aim and objectives and in planning our future activities. In particular, the trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives they have set.

Principal Achievements

The Proud Trust is a life-changing charity supporting LGBTQ+ young people aged 8-12, 13-19 and 18-25, and the adults who support them. This year we have:

Organisation Wide:

Youth Work:

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Support Services:

The Proud Place:

Training and Education:

Wider impact

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5. Delivering Services

5.1 Youth Work

We delivered 431 LGBTQ+ youth groups over the last year, which were attended 3320 times by 402 unique young people. 310 new referrals have been received for our youth groups during this period.

Our youth groups blend responding to the emerging needs of the individual young people that attend with the National Youth Agency's Curriculum for youth work. This ensures that our provisions are well rounded and help support the young people who attend in a balanced and holistic way.

Impact

Narrative

It has been a year of innovation and meaningful impact, led by the voices of the LGBTQ+ young people we serve. We have developed new provisions in response to identified needs, as well as strengthened existing programmes. Through active listening, we have ensured that our work reflects the needs and aspirations of LGBTQ+ youth across our communities.

In response to a multitude of requests for support for LGBTQ+ young people aged 8–12, we piloted and launched our Sprinkles group. Sprinkles provides a safe, play-based environment for LGBTQ+ children and their families. Developed in consultation with both parents and

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young people, the group offers opportunities for children to form friendships with other LGBTQ+ young people, while parents access peer support in a parallel space.

Feedback highlights the huge impact of the group, with one parent saying:

“Before coming here, we didn’t know anyone else like us. Now my child has friends they feel safe with, and I’ve made friends too. It’s changed everything.”

Although Sprinkles is still in its early stages, it will continue to develop in line with the needs of the families who attend. It has already become a trusted, inclusive space where young LGBTQ+ children can explore, build confidence and friendships, while parents connect and share their experiences through peer support mechanisms.

We also developed Side Quest, a transitional group for those aged 16–21. Following feedback from young people accessing our other provisions, Side Quest was created in direct response to young people expressing anxiety about transitioning out of youth provision at age 18. Many felt they were leaving behind their community and the friendships they had made. This transitional group offers a bridge between youth and adult spaces, combining social connection with skill development.

This year also offered some fantastic peer-to-peer learning opportunities. Young people from our groups welcomed visitors from Warrington LGBTQ+ youth group TAGS and took part in a cultural exchange with LGBTQ+ young people from Northern Ireland services. These exchanges were shaped by the young people themselves, giving them the chance to share their own experiences, learn from others, and build understanding across different communities.

The Northern Ireland visit included Manchester’s LGBTQ+ History Tour, creating space for open conversations about both the similarities and differences in LGBTQ+ experiences across the UK. These moments helped young people feel seen, heard, and connected to community on a much wider scale.

This year has shown just how powerful and important it is to keep youth voice at the heart of everything we do. Our core youth groups are thriving, with steady attendance and increased

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diversity, thanks to targeted outreach and a strong commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. Looking ahead, we are excited to continue growing these spaces with young people leading the way, ensuring their voices shape the opportunities, support, and communities that matter most to them.

Outreach

Pride In Youth Work

This year we expanded our Pride in Youth Work events for Youth Work Week by holding two themed sessions, the first was A Right to Inclusive Youth Work for All, welcoming 19 professionals to the in-person event. The second was Youth Work’s Role in Education, held digitally for nine professionals. The purpose of these sessions was to connect professionals, showcase good practice and encourage the professionals who engaged to embed these practices in their roles to better support LGBTQ+ young people.

“Thank you to The Proud Trust for hosting your Pride in Youth Work event! It fills me with joy and optimism knowing you are supporting young people so wholeheartedly, kindly and authentically - you are what progress looks like” ~ Youth Work Professional

Greater Manchester Pride

Across the 15 local pride events that we attended, we reached 8,482 people and engaged with 3206 (38%) of them in conversation about our offer as a service.

Wider Outreach

We promoted our services at 75 individual community events and multi-agency meetings, reaching 1744 professionals, 8958 other adults and 6,353 young people. Of those, 137 professionals, 464 other adults and 417 young people engaged in a meaningful way, leading to increased contact and referrals. Our goal has been to educate, empower, and create safer, more informed communities throughout Greater Manchester.

Our youth work outreach was equally strong, with 6,353 young people taking part in assemblies, school and college visits, and creative workshops such as zine making and Hate Crime Awareness sessions.

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LGBTQ+ Youth Summit - Inclusive Movement

We welcomed 125 young people from 15 different schools and youth organisations to our second LGBTQ+ Youth Summit, this year themed around inclusion in movement and sports. Due to the barriers created by its structure, we know that LGBTQ+ young people are less likely to engage in physical activities and sports than their peers. We wanted to understand why and how we could support young people to access these spaces. The smiles, energy and passion young

people brought to the space was inspiring!

The day began with a panel of inspirational speakers Chloe (she/her) an ex professional women's footballer and Teddy (he/him) a trans man who is a west end theatre performer. Young people also took part in a zine workshop exploring inclusion in sport.

During the lunch break, young people took part in movement activities - dance, mini-golf and drama games. The day culminated with a protest activity demonstrating what young people wanted from sports and activity spaces. It was incredible to hear directly from young people that they want to do sports and activities but feel uncomfortable or unwelcomed in traditional sports spaces due to being unsure if their identities will be respected or if they should expect to face discrimination trying to access the spaces.

We will be using everything they have shared with us to embed sports/movement and movement activities into our youth work and the opportunities held at The Proud Place!

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Youth Pride

In the lead up to Manchester Pride weekend we hosted three days of build up activities, which included placard making and a workshop exploring the event’s sponsorship issues. Over Pride weekend 236 people joined us for events at The Proud Place, LGBTQ+ young people, their families and friends were all welcomed into the building.

A huge choice of activities were available - skateboard customisation, panel discussions, walking in the Manchester Pride parade, clothing and shoe customisation, arts, crafts, zine making, live music from LGBTQ+ artists to name but a few! The incredible response

to the makeup station might have brought a tear to one or two eyes…

Here is some of the lovely feedback we received about the weekend:

“It was a wonderful day, thank you for making it possible.”

“Live singer was fab! Created great joyful atmosphere in The Proud Place”

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Outdoor Activity Day Trip

Following the findings from the LGBTQ+ Youth Summit where young people told us they wanted more chances to meet others from different LGBTQ+ youth groups and try sports and physical activity, we ran a trip! The goal was to create a space where they could connect, make new friends, and share experiences while taking part in outdoor activities. Young people from our LGBTQ+ youth groups came together for a day trip to Petty Pool Activity Centre. The day was all about stepping outside of their comfort zones, trying new things, and having fun. For many, it was their first time doing physical activities like rock climbing, archery, high ropes, and the zip line—and for some, it was a chance to face personal challenges they didn’t think they could overcome.

One young person shared:

“When I came this morning, I didn’t think I would do anything because I don’t have the confidence. But today has been so good. I think I’m going to look at joining a climbing club. I can’t believe how much I enjoyed it.”

We facilitate activities like these because creating safe, inclusive environments allows young people to quickly grow their confidence - once they got involved, they realised they were capable of much more than they expected.

For some, it was about trying something new and finding out that physical activities can be fun and empowering. Things that once felt scary or out of reach became moments of joy.

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Connecting with others helped them build friendships and feel more part of the wider LGBTQ+ community. For others, the trip gave them a safe space to face fears.

One young person shared:

“I honestly can’t believe I’ve done all the activities today. I didn’t think I’d be able to do it when I got here this morning. I have a fear of heights, and I was a bit worried because I didn’t know anyone. But it’s been so good, and everyone has been so supportive.”

For many LGBTQ+ young people - especially trans and non-binary young people, physical activities can feel intimidating. From worries about body dysphoria, fear of being judged, and a lack of inclusive spaces can make it hard to join in. But in this inclusive and understanding space, they felt safe and empowered to try new things. By meeting young people where they are and taking the time to truly understand their concerns we were able to create a supportive environment that made a big difference. By the end of the day, they had faced their fears, taken on new challenges, and felt proud of what they achieved.

A young person said:

“I get nervous really easily, especially around new people and doing new things. But today has been amazing. I’ve felt so supported by everyone. Being trans, stuff like this does scare me, because it’s like sport. But today, doing all these activities with young people like me (LGBTQ+), I have so much more confidence to do things I wouldn’t normally do.”

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5.2 Support Services

“Proud Connections” is at the heart of our national digital support, offering a lifeline to LGBTQ+ young people and the people who support them. Through our bespoke services—Live Chat and Proud Mentors —we provide accessible, non-judgmental assistance wherever it’s needed.

Live Chat

Our Live Chat service, the UK’s first helpline dedicated to LGBTQ+ young people, was created during the pandemic to combat the isolation felt by so many young people. Recognising the gap in LGBTQ+-specific expertise within other helplines, we built Live Chat to be a welcoming, non-judgmental space where young people feel truly understood. Co-designed with the community, and operated by LGBTQ+ individuals or strong allies, this service allows users to connect with someone who gets them. It’s been a game-changer in offering immediate support and guidance, breaking down barriers, and empowering young people to feel less alone.

Statistics

Feedback

Users of the Live Chat receive a simple star-rating prompt at the end of their interaction. In 24/25 the average rating was 4.4 out of 5 stars.

Of those young people who completed longer-form feedback following a chat:

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For adults completing the longer-form feedback following a chat:

Some highlights from longform feedback included:

Narrative

This year saw a large (40%) increase in demand for support via the Live Chat service. The team carried out an outreach campaign focused on the Tameside area (identified as an area of low visibility of The Proud Trust services) as well as a wider campaign of attendance at school events, careers fairs and a number of local Prides; awareness of and demand for the service appears to have increased accordingly.

In quarter two, the team set up a network specifically for managers of volunteer programmes; this now has a number of local and national organisations attending regularly and is led by the Volunteer & Live Chat Manager.

A consultation is ongoing with users of the Live Chat service around opening hours. Responses will be collated and used in to set up a pilot programme of extended hours in 2025-26, ensuring the service is accessible to as many young people and adults that support them as possible.

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Mentoring (for ages 16-25)

The Proud Mentors programme emerged from a peer-to-peer mentorship trial in 2019. While young people naturally offer each other informal support through our youth groups, we found that those accessing our services needed more structured assistance. In response, we shifted focus to an adult mentorship model, where trained volunteers could offer the guidance and stability that young people were seeking. Since 2019 this programme has gone from strength to strength, this year we received the ‘Investing in Volunteers’ award which is the UK quality standard for good practice in volunteer management. With this in place showing a firm foundation and infrastructure we will be expanding volunteering over the coming years.

Statistics

Narrative

In the past year the mentor programme saw 24 active pairings, a third of which were within the Greater Manchester area. This proportion is decreasing year-on-year, suggesting that nationwide outreach work is beginning to take effect in increasing the programme’s national profile.

A “Proud Mentors Morning” was held in November 2024 and used as an opportunity for mentors to both socialise and receive training outside of the usual monthly supervision cycle. This session focused on supporting neurodivergent young people, based on requests from mentors, and 100% of attendees agreed that the training was useful and informative. This model will likely be expanded upon, and include a peer training element, following mentor recruitment in 25/26.

In Q4 the team focused on preparing for a further recruitment of mentors, and a corresponding outreach programme for mentees, to take place in Q2 of 25/26. The hope is that this will ensure a managed increase in demand, alongside an increase in available support, and an increase in active pairings in 25/26.

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5.3 Training & Education

Training and Workshops

We provide training by working with schools, youthcentred organisations, and a range of professionals to improve understanding of LGBTQ+ identities and the issues they may face. Our training team is staffed by experts in inclusion and education. As a team, their purpose is to empower people to develop their spaces so that LGBTQ+ young people feel included, safe, supported, and able to thrive in all the spaces they exist in. They work with a wide range of stakeholders and organisations to educate on LGBTQ+ topics and issues in an approachable manner, encouraging positive change.

Statistics

Over the year we delivered workshops to approximately 1230 young people, and training to 1760 professionals:

Following training:

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Narrative

Over the past year the training have worked hard to ensure that all of the training courses we offer are CPD certified, this process was part of wider work to expand our training offer and improve how attractive it is as training for professionals. We also designed a brand new Safeguarding LGBTQ+ Young People course, responding to the identified need for this given the frequency we have been contacted by professionals requesting safeguarding help about a young person coming out as trans .

In May we updated our entire training offer, restructuring our courses to try and better meet the needs of professionals. This involved bringing our in-person offer and online offer in line with each other, reviewing the courses offered and adding extra sessions and bundles.

Highlights from received feedback include:

“The training was excellent, an environment was created where answers could be asked without fear of getting things wrong which enabled the group to ask questions. The facilitator was excellent and the way the day was structured with energisers and moving around to speak with different people was really good.” ~ Feedback from a Youth Professional

“We are all aware that there is a long way to go, but feel that your training was a great foundation for us to build from.” ~ Teacher

LGBTQ+ Groups In School Alliance (GSA)

The GSA reaches LGBTQ+ groups in secondary schools or colleges and makes it as easy as possible to set up a group. For many LGBTQ+ young people, having access to their community in their school environment is a meaningful way to improve wellbeing and a sense of connectedness.

Easing the workload of school staff, we provide detailed guides to setting up a club, complementary training, and ongoing support when needed. We send a weekly activity for group members to explore, creating an energising, educational, and empowering

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atmosphere. Further, we connect GSA leaders to other educators around the country, facilitating peer-to-peer support and creating a pool of shared knowledge that we all draw from.

““Love your stuff! Has really made a difference in the lives of our students!” ~ Teacher

Statistics

Narrative

Over the last year a variety of sessions were designed to support young people to celebrate LGBTQ+ key dates, explore LGBTQ+ history, and to highlight current events and improve the visibility of LGBTQ+ people. Sessions included celebrating the return of Heartstopper and exploring the different avenues for mental health support, marking Mother’s Day and recognising the importance of chosen family, and the annual month-long Pride themed sessions designed to support settings in marking Pride for young people who may be unable to attend an event in their area.

Feedback:

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Rainbow Flag Award (RFA)

The RFA is our national LGBTQ+ inclusion quality assurance framework for schools and colleges. We know that the school environment can be challenging for LGBTQ+ young people. Lack of information, training, and appropriate accommodations can make it difficult for young people to feel comfortable being themselves which can lead to barriers to pupils fully participating in their school communities.

To remedy this, the RFA supports its members to take a whole-organisation approach to inclusivity, accessibility, and equality. We ask our schools and colleges to self-assess and improve the quality of their LGBTQ+ inclusion in regards to six areas:

----- Start of picture text -----
Schools Colleges
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Skilled Staff
Supportive Governors and Parents
Effective Policies
Inclusive Curriculum
Pastoral Support
Student Voice		 Skilled Staff
Positive Outreach
Effective Policies
Inclusive Welcome
Pastoral Support
Student Voice

Statistics

In the year 24/25, we ran two cohorts of Rainbow Flag Award, made up of:

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Narrative

This year schools and colleges worked towards their Rainbow Flag Award following our new refreshed model. The new model has centralised the starter training and administration, reducing the workload for our delivery partners and helping us to ensure a more consistent ‘product’ for our schools and colleges no matter where they are located. An updated website and feedback mechanism has resulted in more regular quality assurance of the feedback being given to schools and colleges by our delivery partners and supports schools and colleges to simplify the handover of the award during staffing changes. The new model will end with a visit, either online or in-person. During the visit we ask to meet with young people (ideally from their LGBTQ+ group if they have one) as we wanted Student Voice to have firsthand prominence unlike in the previous model where staff fed back on young people’s behalf

.

So far, verbal feedback to the new model has been overwhelmingly positive. We are currently building an evaluation process to better capture feedback from RFA lead staff in schools and colleges, their colleagues, and their young people.

“Being a parent and governor at school, I get to spend a lot of time in and around the school, so I get first hand experience of how the school runs its vision and ethos. It is very evident that inclusivity runs through every fibre of how the school is managed… LGBTQI+ inclusive education allows students to

feel safe and happy in their identities. They know they are represented and welcomed at school…. As a result of these inclusive practices that are held so dear at school, children have developed a stronger sense of self, empathy and confidence… School has been outstanding for 12 consecutive years and its commitment to policies like inclusion, makes it such a wonderful community to be a part of.”

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Educational Resources

The Proud Trust training and education team writes a simple, easy to use, education and resource pack for LGBTQ+ History Month, which is celebrated each year in the UK in February. The lesson plans included are written with the National Curriculum in mind, with activities which can tie in to History, Relationships and Sex Education, Media Studies and English lessons.

This year’s resource includes:

In May we released our Pride Pack for Schools, which includes everything a school needs to help run a successful and positive Pride Month.

Following the success of the book, in September we launched our Alien Nation animation along with a new information booklet to support parents in having conversations about gender identity with primary aged young people, and an updated our accompanying Trans Positive Education for Primary Schools pack.

Responding to identified need (from young people and professionals), we will work extensively with specialist organisations and our young people to produce a resource that explores the intersection of being neurodivergent and LGBTQ+, which will be aimed at young people and contain information, support and signposting.

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5.4 The Proud Place

We are the custodians of The Proud Place, Manchester’s historic LGBTQ+ community centre. This was one of the first purpose-built LGBTQ+ community centres in Europe, and has been a beacon of support and community in Manchester since the 1980’s. We host events and training, providing opportunities to meet like-minded people and build networks. The centre also hosts local community and LGBTQ+ organisations, who use the space at discounted rates to conduct in-person activities.

Community Groups

The Proud Place is a cornerstone of the LGBTQ+ community in Manchester. We are proud to be able to provide low-cost, accessible and sustainable spaces to local community groups and organisations. Without this provision, many would not be able to deliver their services in person, limiting their reach and impact.

In 2024-25, The Proud Place hosted the following organisations and community groups:

Community groups are at the heart of The Proud Place, they show that it truly belongs to the city of Manchester. Community groups have always formed a special part of the building heritage and culture, this has become especially important as wider society has seen an increase in anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric in recent years. Some groups have been using The Proud Place (formerly The Gay Centre) since the 1980s.

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We are proud to provide a space for groups to continue their vital work. A representative from Connect said:

“We honestly wouldn't have the same attendance if we had to change venues. It's LGBTQIA+, it's wheelchair accessible, it's central. It has space for a quiet zone if needed. It's like our ideal meeting place drawn up and made real. I think we would be lost without it.”

Bookings

This year, The Proud Place has continued to be a venue for a wide range of groups and organisations to book to host their events. We have welcomed bookings ranging from events such as Ramadan Iftah for supporting Queer Muslims to Queer Art Markets, from team strategy days to CPD training around proving therapy inclusively of all types of LGBTQ+ identities.

Events

We are aware and acknowledge how vital having access to a sober space is for the LGBTQ+ community and how important the community events held by The Proud Place are especially during the challenging times faced by the community over the last year.

We hosted a variety of events at The Proud Place. Many of these ran on a ‘pay what you can’, free or solidarity basis. The LGBTQ+ community has been disproportionately impacted by the cost of living crisis with research showing a stark disparity between cis/heterosexual people being paid more than their LGBTQ+ counterparts. This paired with the increase in cost for essentials, means accessing truly inclusive and affordable events can be challenging.

Our most popular events held at The Proud Place this year were:

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Early work has been done to strengthen the communities engagement with the building and the events calendar, this work will culminate in a volunteer community advisory board whose role will be to ensure the building is responding efficiently to the evolving needs of the LGBTQ+ community.

Feedback

“Dim lighting, welcoming staff, quiet space, accessibility document. All made it super easy to attend as a disabled person”

“The amenities were great and the staff were very friendly and helpful. I was impressed by the sensory map online.”

“I always enjoy spending time at the Proud Place. It's always an enjoyable and atmospheric place to have open communication with people from all walks of life so I would not change anything.”

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5.5 Organisational Wide - Noteworthy Achievements

Awards and Recognition

Won:

  1. Manchester City Council Buzz Award

  2. Bolton Together’s Empowering Voices Award

  3. Investing In Volunteers Award

  4. All Equals Charter Bronze status

Nominations:

  1. British Diversity Award - Community Project

  2. Charity Comms - Inclusive Comms

  3. Manchester Buzz Awards - Children's Rights Champion

  4. Bolton Together - Youth Empowerment Award

Trans Inclusion Toolkit for Greater Manchester Schools

We officially launched our trans inclusion toolkit which is an in-depth and practical how-to guide for teachers and school staff, giving them all the information and tools they need to best support the trans and non-binary young people in their school.

Created through meaningful consultation with young people, parents and youth professionals, the recommendations in the toolkit have been checked by legal experts, so that schools can be confident that the advice given is reflective of the relevant legislation. The aim of this document is to provide schools with a clear, practical and easy-to-follow guide to creating a supportive environment in which all students can flourish.

Our Trans Inclusion Toolkit is now available to download for free here.

Organisational Wide Achievements - 33

Sector Collaborations

We are extremely proud to have strengthened our position as a strong voice in both the LGBTQ+ and youth sectors. Working with a wide range of partners and other organisations in the sector has meant we have been able to share young people's voices in spaces they solemnly heard. These stronger relationships have also allowed for exciting collaborations for the benefit of the LGBTQ+ community.

An example of this was an inclusive Carol Concert that welcomed over 800 members of the community into the event at Manchester Cathedral and was a coming together of Manchester charities The Proud Trust, akt, LGBT Foundation, The George House Trust, Sparkle, and Manchester Pride.

Organisational Wide Achievements - 33

Youth Voice Campaign ~ Letters to Downing Street

On 18 July 2024, we took a passionate group of LGBTQ+ young people down to visit 10 Downing Street. The group went to welcome the new Prime Minister and his government into their new roles, while encouraging them to listen to LGBTQ+ young people through the delivery of handwritten letters.

Our young people were

empowered to share their concerns, hopes and challenges for the incoming government. We saw our young people express their worries about the current state of LGBTQ+ rights, especially the rights of trans people. Letters from the young people from Greater Manchester addressed issues such as discrimination, mental health challenges and the need for comprehensive legal protections.

The below letter was written by a Proud Trust young person.

Organisational Wide Achievements - 33

Future Plans

Development of Digital Youth Work

Our delivery teams have been reflecting on our services and identified a gap with young people for support that bridges between our digital and Live Chat support and our in person youth groups. While we do offer digital youth work in different ways, we lack a consistent offer for young people. With this inconsistency identified the team began a scoping exercise of digital youth work happening in the LGBTQ+ sector and analysed what this a permanent youth group would look like.

Bespoke Strategy for The Proud Place

The need for a bespoke strategy for The Proud Place has been identified and the work to create this will be undertaken during 2025/2026, ensuring all work is sustainable and builds on the success of the building's use this year.

Broadening Volunteering Opportunities

During the restructure of the organisation, it was highlighted that we had a significant need for support beyond paid staff capacity. The organisation held a staff day where the team outlined what the different opportunities for volunteering were in the different strands of our work. Taking learning from our successful mentor programme, we will be expanding volunteering throughout the whole organisation including youth work, education and The Proud Place.

Continued Collaborations with the LGBTQ+ Sector

We deepened our relationships with LGBTQ+ organisations that do similar work across the UK and beyond, this deeper relationship has led to some exciting collaborations and discussions for sharing experiences and good practice.

The two standout pieces of collaboration are:

Organisational Wide Achievements - 33

  1. Joint bid to the National Lottery for expansion of our digital youth work in partnership with LGBT Youth Scotland

  2. Empowering Voices - A digitally delivered youth group exploring and amplifying LGBTQ+ young people's voices and stories from across the UK and Ireland. This project is delivered in collaboration with Belong To, LGBT Youth Scotland, Viva LGBT, and LGBTQ+ youth groups in the Education Authority in Northern Ireland.

Organisational Wide Achievements - 33

Financial Standards, Review and Results for the

Year

The funding landscape has been challenging and the political and economic uncertainty has impacted our ability to secure funds. In response to this we have been working to diversify our income streams, reducing the risk of instability in our funding and dependency on public sector income. Unfortunately, even with our work diversifying income streams, the challenging political, social and funding landscape has meant a reduction in our secured funding, we did undertake an organisational restructure to make the organisation more efficient reducing our running costs while ensuring we are able to deliver our mission of quality support to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ young people.

Funders

We would like to thank our funders for their generous financial support during 2024-25.

We are so grateful to all of our supporters, volunteers, donors, partners, advocates, and allies for their help during the year.

Reserves Policy

The aim of the reserves policy is to ensure that The Proud Trust’s ongoing and future activities are reasonably protected from unexpected fluctuations in its income and expenditure. The Board reviewed the reserves policy and agreed that a minimum level of unrestricted general funds, also known as free reserves, of £300,000 is appropriate, given the risks faced by the charity and the sustainability of its different income streams.

The total reserves as of 31st March 2025 was £2,138k (2024: £2,605k), of which £370k (2024: £346k) are held in restricted reserves. The balance held in unrestricted reserves at 31st March 2025 was £1,768k (2024: £2,259k), of which £(219k) (2024: £302k) are free reserves, after allowing for funds tied up in tangible fixed assets and designated funds.

Risk Management - 36

Risk Management

The trustees have conducted a review of the major risks to which the charity is exposed. Systems have been established to mitigate those risks. The risk register for The Proud Trust outlines and rates risks in relation to:

The risk register is being actively worked on but will probably need a fresh perspective/blank slate approach as much of it is a mix of different periods of time.

Risk Management - 37

Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities

The Trustees, who are also directors of The Proud Trust for the purposes of company law, are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ annual report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and the United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable group. and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure of the charitable group for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

Select suitable accounting policies and apply these consistently Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP Make judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent

State whether applicable UK Accounting Standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements

Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation

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

This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime of the Companies Act 2006.

The Trustees’ annual report has been approved by the Trustees on and signed on their behalf by:

............................ Jack Liepa Chair

Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities - 38

30/01/2026

The Proud Trust Limited Independent examiner's report TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE PROUD TRUST LTD report to the trustees on my examination of ihe financial SLatements of The Proud Trust Ltd Ilhe tharityl fgr thè year ended 31 March 2025. Re$ponslbllitres and basis of report As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation Df the financial 5taternents in accordance with the reqU1￿MentS of the Charilies Art 2011. I report in respect of my examlnalion of the tharity's financial statements tarried out under sertion 145 of the Charities Act 2011. In carrying out my examination I have followed the Oirections given by the Charity Comrnissitsn under section 14515){bl of the Charities Art 2011. Independent examln•Vs ststement have completed my examination. I confirrn that no rnatters have corne to my attentton In connettion with the examlnalion givin9 me cause to believe that in any material ￿Spect.. accounting records were not kept in re5peLt of the charity as required by section 130 of the Charities Act 2011. the financial statements do not accord with those records; or the flnancial statements do not comply with the applicable reouirements conceming the form and centent of financial statements sel out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulatlons 2008 other than any reouirement that the fjnanoal statement5 give a true and fair view, which Is not a matter ccn5idered as part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn Sn this ￿port in order to enable a prnper understsnding of the financial statements to be reached. Colette Lennon FCCA DJH Business Advlser5 Limlted BrKlge House Ashley Road Hale Altrincham WA14 2UT Dated.. &.Oi. &Gg10.

The Proud Trust

Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Total Funds
2025
Note
£
£
£
Income From
Donations & Legacies
3
137,994
-
137,994
Charitable Activities
4
257,011
500,991
758,002
Other Trading Activities
5
34,908
-
34,908
Investments
6
12,891
-
12,891
Total Income
442,805
500,991
943,795
Expenditure On:
Raising Funds
7
2,072
-
2,072
Charitable Activities
8
931,406
477,319
1,408,725
Total Expenditure
933,478
477,319
1,410,798
Net income/(expenditure) for the year
10
490,674
-
23,671
467,002
-
Transfer between funds
-
-
Net Movement in funds for the year
490,674
-
23,671
467,002
-
Reconcilation of funds
Total funds brought forward
2,259,103
345,893
2,604,996
Total funds carried forward
1,768,429
369,565
2,137,994
Statement of Financial Activites
(including Income and Expenditure Account)
for the year ended 31 March 2025		 Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Total Funds
2024
£
£
£
77,384
-
77,384
92,064
460,771
552,835
103,602
-
103,602
17,847
-
17,847
290,897
460,771
751,668
5,601
-
5,601
1,053,437
416,615
1,470,052
1,059,038
416,615
1,475,653
768,141
-
44,156
723,985
-
-
768,141
-
44,156
723,985
-
3,027,244
301,737
3,328,981
2,259,103
345,893
2,604,996

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities

The Proud Trust

Company number 5885290 Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2025

Note
Fixed Assets
Tangible Assets
15
Current Assets
Debtors
16
Cash at bank and in hand
Total Current Assets
Liabilities
Creditors: amounts falling due in
less than one year
17
Net Current Assets
Net Assets
The funds of the charity
Restricted income funds
19
Unrestricted income funds
20
Total charity funds		 £
£
1,941,683
28,138
216,693
244,831
(48,520)
196,311
2,137,994
369,565
1,768,429
2,137,994
2025		 £
£
1,988,071
65,685
619,236
684,921
(69,538)
615,383
2,604,997
345,893
2,259,104
2,604,997
2024

The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 August 2024.

The member have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 August 2024 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for

30/01/2026

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on ..................... and were signed on its behalf by:

......................... Jack Liepa Director

The Proud Trust

Statement of Cash Flow

for the year ending 31 March 2025

Note
2025
£
Cash provided by/(used in) operating activities
24
(413,137)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Dividends, interest, and rents from investments
12,891
Purchase of tangible fixed assets
(2,297)
Cash provided by/(used in) investing activities
10,594
(402,543)
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year
619,236
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year
216,693
Increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents in the year		 2024
£
(553,105)
17,847
(11,490)
6,357
(662,433)
1,281,669
619,236

The Proud Trust

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025

The Proud Trust Ltd is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is The Proud Place, 49-51 Sydney Street, Manchester, M1 7HB.

1 Accounting Policies

The principal accounting policies adopted, judgments and key sources of estimation uncertainty in the preparation of the financial statements are as follows:

a Basis of Preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) issued in October 2019 - (Charities SORP (FRS 102), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

The Proud Trust Ltd meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note

The financial statements are presented in sterling which is the functional currency of the charity and rounded to the nearest £ sterling.

b Judgements and Estimates

The trustees have made no key judgments which have a significant effect on the accounts. The trustees do not consider that there are any sources of estimation uncertainty at the reporting date that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amount of assets and liabilities within the next reporting period.

c Preparation of the accounts on a going concern basis

The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern.

d Income

Income is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the item(s) of income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.

Income from government and other grants, whether ‘capital’ grants or ‘revenue’ grants, is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred.

Income received in advance of a provision of a specified service is deferred until the criteria for income recognition are met.

e 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.

f Fund Accounting

Unrestricted funds are available to spend on activities that further any of the purposes of charity.

Designated funds are unrestricted funds of the charity which the trustees have decided at their discretion to set aside to use for a specific purpose.

Restricted funds are donations which the donor has specified are to be solely used for particular areas of the charity’s work or for specific projects being undertaken by the charity.

g Expenditure and Irrecoverable Vat

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified under the following activity headings:

Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.

h Allocation of Support Costs

Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the charity but do not directly undertake charitable activities. Support costs include back office costs, finance, personnel, payroll and governance costs which support the charity's programmes and activities. These costs have been allocated between cost of raising funds and expenditure on charitable activities. The bases on which support costs have been allocated are set out in note 9

i Operating Leases

Operating leases are leases in which the title to the assets, and the risks and rewards of ownership, remain with the lessor. Rental charges are charged on a straight line basis over the term of the lease.

j Tangible Fixed Assets

Individual fixed assets costing £500 or more are capitalised at cost and are depreciated over their estimated useful economic lives on a straight line basis as follows:

LGBT+ Centre 2% Furniture and office equipment 33%

k Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

l Cash at Bank and in Hand

Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

m Creditors and Provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.

n 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 subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

o Pensions

Employees of the charity are entitled to join a defined contribution ‘money purchase’ scheme. The charity’s contribution is restricted to the contributions disclosed in note 11. There were no outstanding contributions at the year end. The costs of the defined contribution scheme are included within support and governance costs and allocated to the funds of the charity using the methodology set out in note 9.

2 Legal Status of the Charity

The charity is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales and has no share capital. In the event of the charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the charity. The registered office address is disclosed on page 1

The Proud Trust

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

3 Income from donations and legacies

Donations
Donations for capital project
4 Income from Charitable Activities
Young peoples services
Training resources and research
LGBT+ centre
Infrastructure support for LGBT+ youth support
Total		 Unrestricted
Restricted
Total 2025
£
£
£
137,994
137,994
-
-
-
137,994
-
137,994
Unrestricted
Restricted
Total 2025
110,832
475,182
586,014
48,650
25,809
74,459
82,363
82,363
15,166
15,166
257,011
500,991
758,002		 Unrestricted
Restricted
Total 2024
£
£
£
77,384
77,384
-
-
77,384
-
77,384
Unrestricted
Restricted
Total 2024
34,885
395,577
430,462
37,657
45,194
82,851
5,151
20,000
25,151
14,371
14,371
92,064
460,771
552,835

The Proud Trust

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

5 Income from Other Trading Activities
Merchandise
Sponsorship
Other Income
Total
6 Investment Income
Income from Bank Deposits
Total
7 Cost of Raising Funds
Merchandise Costs
Total		 Unrestricted
Restricted
Total 2025
£
£
£
13,939
-
13,939
12,927
12,927
8,042
-
8,042
34,908
-
34,908
Unrestricted
Restricted
Total 2025
£
£
£
12,891
12,891
12,891
-
12,891
Unrestricted
Restricted
Total 2025
£
£
£
2,072
-
2,072
2,072
-
2,072		 Unrestricted
Restricted
Total 2024
£
£
£
25,445
-
25,445
67,667
-
67,667
10,490
-
10,490
103,602
-
103,602
Unrestricted
Restricted
Total 2024
£
£
£
17,847
-
17,847
17,847
-
17,847
Unrestricted
Restricted
Total 2024
£
£
£
5,601
-
5,601
5,601
-
5,601

The Proud Trust

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

8 Analysis of Expenditure on Charitable Activies

Current Year

Direct Costs
Support and governance costs
(see note 9)
Restricted expenditure
Unrestricted expenditure		 Young peoples
services
Training,
resources and
research
LGBT+ centre
Infrastructure
support for
LGBT+ youth
support
Total 2025
£
£
£
£
£
540,131
130,528
165,983
51,029
887,671
340,011
70,002
40,001
51,029
501,043
880,143
200,530
205,984
102,058
1,388,715
445,606
31,713
-
477,319
99,010
165,983
666,412
931,406
445,606
130,724
165,983
666,412
1,408,725

The Proud Trust

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

Comparative Year

Direct Costs
Support and governance costs
(see note 9)
Restricted expenditure
Unrestricted expenditure		 Young peoples
services
Training,
resources and
research
LGBT+ centre
Infrastructure
support for
LGBT+ youth
support
Total 2024
£
£
£
£
£
231,695
98,967
126,610
683,003
1,140,275
223,789
46,074
26,328
33,585
329,777
455,484
145,041
152,938
716,588
1,470,052
362,898
50,560
3,157
-
416,615
-
114,387
222,462
716,588
1,053,437
362,898
164,947
225,619
716,588
1,470,052

The Proud Trust

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

9 Analysis of governance and support costs
Staff Costs
Consultancy
Unreclaimable VAT
Accountancy
Admin Costs
Allocated as follows
Young peoples services
Training resources and research
LGBT+ centre
Infrastructure support for LGBT+ youth support		 Support
Governance
£
£
369,574
13,012
118,457
501,043
-		 Total 2025
£
369,574
-
-
13,012
118,457
501,043
340,011
70,002
40,001
51,029
501,043		 Support
Governance
£
£
155,640
-
-
-
675
173,462
329,102
675
32,910
675		 Total 2024
£
155,640
-
-
675
173,462
329,777
223,789
46,074
26,328
33,585
329,777

The cost of staff involved in managing and supporting the charity as a whole have been included in support costs in 2024 and allocated to charitable activities on the basis of time spent.

The Proud Trust

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

10 Net income/(expenditure) for the year

This is stated after charging/(crediting):
Depreciation
Auditor's remuneration - audit fees
Auditor's remuneration - accountancy fees
Total		 2025
£
56,201
4,200
-
60,401		 2024
£
56,732
4,200
60,932

The Proud Trust

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

11 Staff Costs

Staff costs during the year were as follows

Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Pension costs
Allocated as follows
Charitable Activities
Support Costs		 2025
£
966,408
85,791
36,797
1,088,997
719,423
369,574
1,088,997		 2024
£
936,916
86,711
46,465
1,070,093
1,070,093
155,640
1,225,733

No employees have employee benefits in excess of £60,000 (2024: Nil).

The average number of staff employed during the period was 39 (2024: 42)

The average full time equivalent number of staff employed during the period was 29.29 (2024: 31.44)

The key management personnel of the charity comprise the trustees, CEO and Deputy CEO. The total employee benefits of the key management personnel of the charity were £106,371 (2024: £109,258).

The Proud Trust

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

12 Trustee remuneration and expenses, and related party transactions

Neither Trustees nor any persons connected with them received any remuneration in year but expenses of (2024: £144.80).

Aggregate donations from related parties were nil (2024: £Nil).

There are no donations from related parties which are outside the normal course of business and no restricted donations from related parties.

No trustee or other person related to the charity had any personal interest in any contract or transaction entered into by the charity, including guarantees, during the year (2024: £Nil)

13 Government grants

The government grants recognised in the accounts were as follows:

2025
£
Manchester Health and Care Commissioning 10,000
Manchester City Council 85,955
BCRC Rochdale 26,150
Stockport Council 21,604
Trafford MBC 24,928
NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale CCG 30,402
Greater Manchester Combined Authority 60,000
Bolton Partnership 8,666
Early Break Oldham & Bury 32,555
Other Grants
BeeWell (UOM) 35,984.10
GM Moving 22,000
Global Make Some Noise 30,000
Children In Need 25,000
National Lottery 101,937
515,182

14 Corporation tax

The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within Chapter 3 of Part 11 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 or Section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects. No tax charges have arisen in the charity.

The Proud Trust

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

15 Fixed assets: tangible assets

Cost
At 1 April 2024
Additions
Transfers
Disposals
At 31 March 2025
Depreciation
At 1 April 2024
Charge for the year
Disposals
Loss on disposal
At 31 March 2025
Net Book Value
At 31 March 2025
At 31 March 2024
Long Leaseholds (over 50 years)
16 Debtors
Trade Debtors
Bad debt provision
Other Debtors
Accrued Income
Prepayments
VAT debtor
Total
17 Creditors
Trade Creditors
Accruals and other creditors
Deferred Income
Taxation and social security costs
VAT
Total
The net book value of the LGBT+ Centre
comprises		 IT Equipment
35,297
2,297
37,593.55
31,346
2,082
-
-
33,428
4,165
3,950
2025
£
1,926,518
2025
£
31,518
7,648
-
-
-
4,268
-
28,138
2025
£
16,628
4,200
-
21,862
5,829
48,520		 LGBT+ Centre
2,029,742
-
-
-
2,029,742
72,778
30,446
-
-
103,224
1,926,518
1,956,964
2024
£
28,140
7,648.25
-
-
40,000
-
5,193
65,685
2024
£
14,112
4,200
-
51,226
69,538		 Furniture and
office
equipment
72,705
-
-
-
72,705
45,549
16,157
-
-
61,706
11,000
27,157		 Total
2,137,744
2,297
-
-
2,140,041
149,673
48,685
-
-
198,358
1,941,683
1,988,071
Balance at 31 March 2025 £ - - - - - - - 22,124 2,260 3,864 47,022 1,155 (909)
Expenditure £ (59,303) (1,500) (1,489) (14,321) (2,145) (13,861) (2,540) (5,131) (5,192) (9,181) (20,878) (26,266) (103) (43,097) (10,727)
Balance at 1 April 2024
Income		 £
£		 59,303 1,500 1,489 14,321 2,145 13,861 2,540 5,131
-		 5,192
-		 30,402.48 902 1,534 21,604.11 5,203 24,927.65 20,974 26,150.00 19,252 25,000.00 1,151 8,666.44
Description of nature and purposes Package of LGBT+ support, outreach and training in Cheshire Employability programme programme LGBT+ young people whos mental health was affected by Covid-19 Package of LGBT+ support for young people in Oldham. Youth Voice work, ensuring that the voices of young people are centred in the work we do Providing Support to Young People In Salford Programme of Creative Projects for young people across Manchester LGBT+ Outreach support in West Cheshire & Safer Person Project Package of LGBT+ group work and one to one suport in Rochdale Package of LGBT+ support, outreach and training in Stockport Package of LGBT+ support, outreach and training in Trafford Package of LGBT+ support, outreach and training in Rochdale Help Services LGBT+ national support through online contact & content Fund youth groups in bolton
Funder and project name Young peoples services Cheshire West & Chester Borough Council - CWAC YP BBC children In Need - Youth Futures Early Break Oldham Blagrave Trust Salford City Council Children in Need - Trans NHS West Cheshire CCG Young Manchester Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group Gaddum (Rochdale) Stockport Trafford CCG Rochdale BBC Children in Need - A Million & Me Bolton Partnerships, Thrive

----- Start of picture text -----
- - - - - - -
1,202 35,984 16,856 5,731 22000 (884) 28,595 (42,052) 142,947 131,457 131,457 369,565
-
(94,552) (6,726) (20,513) (39,269) (10,884) (33,342) (102,052) (427,913) (16,499) (480) (16,979) (31,451) (31,451) (626) (350) (976) (477,319)
475,182 - 25,809 25,809 - - - - 500,991
22,000.00 61,937.00 60,000.00
- - 10,000.00 - -
480 626 350 976
9,799 85,955.26 6,726 35,984.10 4,814 32,555.00
15,000 30,000.00 190,838 16,499 105,648 122,627 31,451 31,451 345,893
Funding youth groups and wider support for LGBT+ young people in City of Manchester Beewell Frogs youth group Youth Work Trans inclusion within Sport Youth work Proud Connections Youth Work Sex and relationships education programme Fund to develop Trans inclusion Kit Fund to develop the RFA scope in schools Equalities Programme for LGBT+ communities through the LGBT+ Centre and community café Towards core salaries of senior staff LGBT+ Covid Reponse
Manchester City Council University of Manchester Bury Global Make Some Noise GM Moving MHCC National Lottery GMCA Training, resources and research Durex Training Co-op Foundation Rainbow Flag Award LGBT+ centre Our Manchester MCC Infrastructure support for LGBT+ youth support Paul Hamlyn Foundation MCC Covid Total
----- End of picture text -----

Balance at 31 March 2024 £ 5,131 5,192 59,303 902 1,534 5,203 20,974 1,500 19,252 1,151 1,489 14,322 9,799 6,726 4,814 2,145 15,000 13,861
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Transfers £
Expenditure £ (11,829) - (12,230) (12,664) (18,869) - (41,036) (7,474) (11,211) (62,156) (62,746) (43,274) (45,635) - (20,000) (6,329)
Income £ - - 64,424 - 7,239 7,500 35,622 - 50,000 2,750 7,980 41,629 80,702 - 32,555 - 35,000 20,190
Balance at 1 April 2023 £ 5,131 5,192 6,708 902 6,525 10,367 4,221 1,500 10,288 5,875 4,720 34,849 (8,157) 50,000 17,894 2,145 -
Description of nature and purposes LGBT+ youth support and services across Manchester Programme of creative projects for LGBT+ young people across Manchester Package of LGBT+ support, outreach and training in Cheshire Package of LGBT+ group work and one-to-one support in Rochdale Package of LGBT+ support, outreach and training in Stockport Package of LGBT+ support, outreach and training in Trafford Package of LGBT+ support, outreach and training in Rochdale Employability programme for LGBT+ young people whose mental health has been affected by COVID-19 Help Services LGBT+ national support through online contact & content Fund youth groups in Bolton Package of LGBT+ support for young people in Oldham. Youth Voice work ensuring that the voices of young people are centred in the work we do Funding youth groups and wider support for LGBT+ young people in City of Manchester Beewell Project - partnership to provide mental health and wellbeing support to young people in Manchester Frogs Youth Group Providing Support to young people in Salford
Analysis of movements in restricted funds Comparative Period Funder and project name Young peoples services Young Manchester Young Manchester- YMCR Creative 2020-22 Cheshire West & Chester Borough Council - CWAC YP The Gaddum Centre - Getting Help Rochdale Stockport SMBC Trafford MBC - 2020-22 Heywood, Middleton & Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group BBC Children in Need - Youth Futures BBC Children in Need - A Million & Me Bolton Partnerships, Thrive Early Break Oldham Blagrave Trust Manchester City Council University of Manchester Early Break Bury Salford City Council Global Make some noise Children In Need Trans
2,540 16,499 105,647 480 31,452 626 350 345,892
- - - - -
(7,446) - (24,456) (26,104) (3,156) - - (416,615)
9,986 - 42,194 3,000 20,000 - - 460,771
16,499 87,909 23,584 14,608 626 350 301,736
Sex and relationships education programme Fund to develop the RFA programme scope in schools Fund to develop Trans Inclusion Kit Equalities programme for LGBT+ communities through the LGBT+ Centre and Community Cafe Towards core salaries of senior staff LGBT+ covid response
NHS West Cheshire CCG Training, resources and research Durex Training Programme Rainbow Flag Award Co-Op Foundation LGBT+ centre Our Manchester, MCC Infrastructure support for LGBT+ youth support Paul Hamlyn Foundation MCC Covid Total

The Proud Trust

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

20 Analysis of movement in unrestricted funds

Free reserves
New fundraiser post
Designated property
Total designated
Total unrestricted
Designated funds		 Balance at 1
April 2024
£
302,139
1,956,964
1,956,964
2,259,103		 Income
£
442,805
-
442,805		 Expenditure
£
(963,924)
30,446
30,446
(933,478)		 Transfers
£
-
-
-
-		 Balance at 31
March 2025
£
(218,981)
-
1,987,410
1,987,410
1,768,430

Comparative period

Designated property
General fund
LGBT+ centre rebuild
New fundraiser post		 Balance at 1
April 2023
£
1,029,685
-
1,997,559
3,027,244		 Income
£
290,897
-
-
-
290,897		 Expenditure
£
(1,018,443)
-
(40,595)
(1,059,038)		 Transfers
£
-
-		 Balance at
31 March
2024
£
302,139
-
-
1,956,964
2,259,103

Name of

Description, nature and purposes of the fund

The unrestricted funds after allowing for all designated funds Funds set aside for the new building project Funds set aside for the new fundraiser post

Free reserves The unrestricted funds after allowing for all designated funds LGBT+ centre rebuild Funds set aside for the new building project New fundraiser post Funds set aside for the new fundraiser post Designated property The fixed assets are essential for the future operation of the charity and so are assets fund excluded from free reserves.

The Proud Trust

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

21 Analysis of net assets between funds

Comparative period
Total
Net debt
Cash at bank and in hand
Net debt
Analysis of net debt
Cash at bank and in hand
Tangible fixed assets
Net current assets/(liabilities)
Total
Tangible fixed assets
Net current assets/(liabilities)		 General
fund
£
(45,727)
196,311
150,584
General
fund
£
-
1,044,332
1,044,332		 Designated
funds
£
1,987,410
-
1,987,410
Designated
funds
£
1,956,964
30,750
-
At 1 April
2023
£
619,236
619,236
At 1 Apil
2023
£
1,281,668
1,281,668		 Restricted
funds
£
-
-
-
Restricted
funds
£
-
469,702
469,702
Cash flows
£
(402,543)
(402,543)
Cash flows
£
(662,432)
(662,432)		 Total 2025
£
1,941,683
196,311
2,137,994
Total 2024
£
1,956,964
1,544,784
3,501,748
At 31 March
2024
£
216,693
216,693
At 31 March
2024
£
619,236
619,236

22 Analysis of net debt

The Proud Trust

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

23 Commitments

The total amount contracted for but not provided in the financial statements was £Nil (2024: £nil).

24 Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net cash flow from operating activities

Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities
Increase/(decrease) in cash creditors
Adjustments for:
Net income/(expenditure) for the year
Depreciation charge
Loss/(profit) on sale of fixed assets
Dividends, interest and rents from investments
Decrease/(increase) in debtors		 2025
£
(467,002)
48,685
-
(12,891)
36,619
(18,548)
(413,137)		 2024
£
(723,985)
79,017
-
(17,847)
40,171
69,539
(553,105)

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