Home Community Cafe: Trustees’ Annual Report 2024/2025
Opening Statement
Home Community Café continues to provide a hub in the centre of Didsbury which is appreciated by regulars, occasional visitors and users of our facilities. The volunteer programme flourishes still with a strong demand for placements for our volunteers with additional needs which need to be managed carefully to ensure a safe offer within the current resources across the team. We are still encouraged by the progression of many of our volunteers, both personally and professionally. Group activities continue to thrive in the Living Room and Home has been an integral part of several large-scale community events over the past 12 months.
This year we regrettably had to say farewell to Bernadette Lomas who had done considerable work on the fundraising front for Home and was the Trustee responsible for Safeguarding. We are grateful to Maggie Jackson who has stepped into the Safeguarding role. We have also been actively seeking new Trustees and will be in a position to confirm these in the next Annual Report. I am grateful to a very strong and committed Trustee board who take on various responsibilities and also for the skilled small employed team under the able management of our Café Manager, Michael Pollard.
Miriam Jones (Chair of Trustees)
Home Trustees’ Annual Report
This Annual Report is for the year ended 31 March 2025.
Section A: Reference and Administration Details
Charity Name: Home Community Cafe Registered Charity No: 1161501 Principle Address: Home Community Café, Emmanuel Church 6 Barlow Moor Road, Didsbury, M20 6TR Website: http://homecommunitycafe.org
During the year the following served as trustees of the charity:
Miriam Jones (Chair) Hilary Lowe Jason Leach
Bernadette Lomas resigned Jan 2025 Phil Birchenhall Maggie Jackson
Section B - Structure, Governance and Management
Type of Governing Document: Constitution How the charity is constituted: Charitable Incorporated Organisation Trustee selection methods: Appointed by Trustees
Additional Governance Issues
Home Community Cafe operates from Emmanuel Church, Didsbury (Registered Charity 1131669: St. James and Emmanuel Church). The lease agreement with St. James and Emmanuel Church specifies that the PCC approve Home Community Cafe trustee appointments whilst the cafe operates from the Emmanuel premises. The lease agreement was reviewed, updated and signed by both parties in July 2023.
Consideration of Risks
Financial sustainability is the ongoing priority for the trustees to oversee and this is particularly challenging given the move to VAT registration, a crystallisation of a risk that has been a growing risk on our register. With carefully managed price increases as the key mitigation, the trading income has been encouraging over the year but the financial situation is monitored carefully and reviewed on a regular basis.
Related to the financial risk is the need to refurbish the small kitchen from which Home produces a surprising array of food and hot drinks. It is regrettable not to be able to report more positively on a successful funding bid to refurbish the kitchen despite considerable effort. But the trustees continue to identify appropriate grantmaking bodies that would support our community purpose.
Section C – Objectives and Activities
Objectives of the charity as set out in its governing document:
“To further or benefit the residents of Didsbury and the neighbourhood, without distinction of sex, sexual orientation, race or of political, religious or other opinions by associating together the said residents and the local authorities, voluntary and other organisations in a common effort to advance education and to provide facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation and leisure time occupation with the objective of improving the conditions of life for the residents.
In furtherance of these objects but not otherwise, the trustees shall have power: To establish or secure the establishment of a community centre and to maintain or manage or co-operate with any statutory authority in the maintenance and
management of such a centre for activities promoted by the charity in furtherance of the above objects.”
Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in support of these objects, key achievements and performance review
The café continues to be a popular and well used meeting place across generations who enjoy both the indoor and outdoor space. The Living Room is also used regularly by a range of different community groups with new ones over this period including French conversation class for over 60s, U3A coffee morning and Spanish lessons for tots. It is still used for Be Well drop-ins, the regular Hearing Voices Group and the very popular Stories and Songs led by one of the Home volunteers. A more recent initiative which has been reintroduced is the monthly Death Café which allows the sensitive and constructive exploration of a difficult topic for many.
As mentioned above, the demand for volunteer placements for those with additional needs is always high and we have had to be clear about permissible numbers and the requirement for a supporting carer in order to continue to provide a safe and rewarding experience. Our wider contingent of volunteers continue to thrive with encouraging progression into employment and visible signs of improved confidence and sense of belonging.
We hosted various community events this year with a repeat of our very successful Stories with Santa sessions which were well attended. Thanks to our Santas and Elf Story tellers. Again, we welcomed the generous support from Brsk and particularly the team who helped us at the events. We were able to make much appreciated donations to St Pauls Withington initiative for vulnerable families with young children and the Life Centre in Salford.
Didsbury Pride was another successful event this year at which Home played a central part. With 7000 attendees plus over the event which was kicked off with a parade through the village, it was both a memorable and enjoyable day and made a vital contribution to Home’s financial situation.
In Sep 2024 Home provided the catering for a national conference hosted by St James & Emmanuel to support church parishes move to greater LGBTQ+ inclusivity. This was attended by 250 people and was an innovative and successful event.
The staff team has been very stable over this year and we have weathered the various inevitable challenges arising from a busy operation. Thanks go to our Café Manager, Michael Pollard, who manages the café efficiently and with great enthusiasm. He is known throughout the area and is a popular member of the local community. As ever, the volunteers play a fundamental role in the feel of Home Café and it was encouraging to celebrate with them all again at a lively thank you event at the beginning of the year.
We confirm the trustees have had regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit.
Section D – Financial Review
Of the total receipts for the financial year of £94,643, £89,828 (95%) was from café sales, £3,170 in grant funding and £1,167 from fundraising events. The sales were approximately £6k higher than the previous year, mainly due to two significant events and which meant that we were required to apply to register for VAT as from 1 December 2024.
The major cost to Home continued to be staff at £45,664, 52% of the total expenditure of the café of £88,312. The other main cost was the purchase of stock at £24,915, representing 28% of total spend and giving 28% cost of sales, which indicates the high level of cost control. In addition, the charity repaid the remaining £2,000 of the original £8,000 loan and is now debt free.
The cash accounts show a surplus overall for the year of £4,331 and our cash reserves at the year end have increased to £14,040. It must be noted that our reserves will reduce by £4k once the VAT and PAYE liabilities have been settled.
Reserves Policy
With Home’s income being largely dependent on trading and having had a successful year in terms of “one-off” events in 2025, we are above our target level of reserves of one and a half month’s trading at £11,229. Now that we are registered for VAT, we anticipate a continuation of a difficult trading environment in 2026 where maintaining our reserves at our target level will be challenged.
Section E - Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report and signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees by the chair of trustees:
Signature: Date: 3 July 2025
Full name: Miriam Jones
| 1161501 Home Community Café 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 No (if any) Charity Name Receipts andpayments accounts Period start date Period end date To For the period from ~~rr~~ |
1161501 Home Community Café 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 No (if any) Charity Name Receipts andpayments accounts Period start date Period end date To For the period from ~~rr~~ |
1161501 Home Community Café 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 No (if any) Charity Name Receipts andpayments accounts Period start date Period end date To For the period from ~~rr~~ |
1161501 Home Community Café 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 No (if any) Charity Name Receipts andpayments accounts Period start date Period end date To For the period from ~~rr~~ |
1161501 Home Community Café 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 No (if any) Charity Name Receipts andpayments accounts Period start date Period end date To For the period from ~~rr~~ |
1161501 Home Community Café 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 No (if any) Charity Name Receipts andpayments accounts Period start date Period end date To For the period from ~~rr~~ |
1161501 Home Community Café 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 No (if any) Charity Name Receipts andpayments accounts Period start date Period end date To For the period from ~~rr~~ |
1161501 Home Community Café 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 No (if any) Charity Name Receipts andpayments accounts Period start date Period end date To For the period from ~~rr~~ |
1161501 Home Community Café 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 No (if any) Charity Name Receipts andpayments accounts Period start date Period end date To For the period from ~~rr~~ |
CC16a ~~_~~ |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section A Receipts and payments | ||||||||||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds |
Restricted | Endowment funds |
Total funds | Last year | |||||
| to the nearest £ |
to the nearest | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | ||||
| A1 Receipts | ||||||||||
| Grants | 3,170 | - | - | - | 3,170 | 3,000 | ||||
| Sales | 89,828 | - | - | - | 89,828 | 83,986 | ||||
| Interest | 58 | - | - | - | 58 | 30 | ||||
| Donations | 52 | - | - | - | 52 | 556 | ||||
| FundraisingEvents | 1,167 | - | - | - | 1,167 | 1,930 | ||||
| Othe Income | 368 | - | - | - | 368 | - | ||||
| - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) |
(Gross income for AR) 94,643 |
- | - | - | 94,643 | 89,502 | ||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). - - - - - - - - - - Sub total - - - - - Total receipts 94,643 - - 94,643 89,502 ~~——————~~ |
||||||||||
| A3 Payments | ||||||||||
| Stock Purchases | 24,915 | - | - | - | 24,915 | 24,410 | ||||
| Staff Costs | 45,664 | - | - | - | 45,664 | 46,663 | ||||
| General Overheads | 9,175 | - | - | - | 9,175 | 10,324 | ||||
| Outdoor Space | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
| Events and Marketing | 599 | - | - | - | 599 | 985 | ||||
| Maintenance and Consumables | 5,202 | - | - | - | 5,202 | 3,808 | ||||
| Training | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
| Finance Charges | 1,211 | - | - | - | 1,211 | 1,199 | ||||
| Other Expenses | 1,546 | - | - | - | 1,546 | 492 | ||||
| **Sub total ** | 88,312 | - | - | - | 88,312 | 87,881 | ||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) Loan Repayments 2,000 - - 2,000 2,000 Assets retained for Charity's Own Use - - - - - Sub total 2,000 - - 2,000 2,000 Total payments 90,312 - - 90,312 89,881 ~~———=—~~ |
||||||||||
| Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end |
4,331 - - 4,331 - 379 - - - - - 9,709 - 9,709 10,088 14,040 - - 14,040 9,709 ~~SSSS=~~ |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
16/10/2025
1
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Endowment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Categories | Details | funds | funds | funds | ||
| to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | ||||
| B1 Cash funds | 7,319 - 6,621 - - 100 - - 14,040 - - Current Account Deposit Account Petty Cash Total cash funds ~~—====~~ |
|||||
| (agree balances with receipts and payments | (agree balances with receipts and payments | |||||
| account(s)) | OK | OK | OK | |||
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Endowment | ||||
| funds | funds | funds | ||||
| Details | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | |||
| B2 Other monetary assets | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~~—==—~~ |
|||||
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (optional) | Current value (optional) |
|||
| B3 Investment assets | - - - - - - - - - - ~~7~~ |
|||||
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (optional) | Current value (optional) |
|||
| B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use |
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~~is~~ |
|||||
| Fund to which | Amount due | When due | ||||
| Details | liability relates | (optional) | (optional) | |||
| Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B5 Liabilities |
Unrestricted 3,077 Unrestricted 1,038 Unrestricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Date of approval 19/05/2025 Print Name H A LOWE Signature VAT Staff Costs ~~——~~ |
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
16/10/2025
2
INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF HOME COMMUNITY CAFE
I report to the Trustees on my examination of the Receipts and Payments Accounts of Home Community Café for the year ended 31 March 2025.
Responsibilities of the Trustees and the Independent Examiner
As the charity trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act').
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent Examiner's Statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with my examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
-
accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
-
the accounts do not accord with those records; or
-
the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fair view' which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report to enable proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Steven Nixon BSc (Hons) FCCA
Date 22 October 2025
Langers MN Limited Independent examiner 8-10 Gatley Road Cheadle Cheshire SK8 1PY