**Trustees’ annual report for the year ended 31[st] March 2021** _**Growing Old Grace-fully**_ Registered charity, number 1161765 ## **Financial statements for the year ended 31[st] March 2021** **Page Contents** 2,3 Trustees’ annual report 4 Receipts & payments account 5 Statement of assets & liabilities Page 1 of 5 **Trustees’ annual report for the year ended 31[st] March 2021** _**Growing Old Grace-fully**_ Full name **Growing Old Grace** _**-fully**_ **Registered charity number** 1161765 **Main address:** Diocese of Leeds, 11 North Grange Road, Leeds LS6 2BR **Committee members** Carol Burns, _Chair_ Pippa Bonner Anne Forbes Paul Grafton Cath Mahoney Mgr Peter Rosser, _Treasurer_ Ann West Maria Longfellow (resigned January 2021) Rachel Walker (appointed January 2021) **Bankers:** The Co-operative Bank, P O Box 250, Delf House, Southway, Skelmersdale WN8 6WT ## **Governance and management** Growing Old Grace- _fully_ is managed by a committee of between 5 and 10 trustees. The trustees have the power to: - i. Raise funds, receive grants and donations - ii. Apply for funds to carry out the work of the charity - iii. Co-operate with and support other charities with similar purpose - iv. Do anything which is lawful and necessary to achieve the purposes. New trustees are recruited either because: - a. vacancies have arisen or will arise b. existing Trustees have agreed that additional specific skills are needed. The trustees agree what skills, experience and knowledge are needed, and write it down in the form of a short job description and person specification to form the criteria for recruitment. The responsibilities and a process for recruitment are agreed and the whole board remains consulted. The best route to find new candidates is agreed and a short-list is produced. Interviews are arranged against the agreed criteria, with notes kept and similar questions asked. Preferred candidates are indentified and invited to join the trustees, subject to references and formal vetting. They then receive a formal letter of appointment including a copy of the Constitution setting out their duties, which they sign and return. Unsuccessful candidates are notified and thanked. A simple induction plan is agreed and all relevant parties, such as funders, are notified. ## **Aims and objectives** We are a charity working across the Catholic Diocese of Leeds. Our Mission is: _To enhance the spiritual, emotional and physical wellbeing of older people across the Diocese of Leeds through raising awareness, inspiring and supporting responsive action in parishes._ Our work is focused on supporting Later Life Friendly Parishes and promoting social inclusion of people who are socially excluded as a result of conditions which arise from old age. Page 2 of 5 **Trustees’ annual report for the year ended 31[st] March 2021** _**Growing Old Grace-fully**_ Our Current Aims are: 1. To inspire and actively support parishes to introduce models and approaches which enhance parish-based support and involvement of older people. 2. To enable, equip and support individuals and groups in parish communities as they seek to involve and support older people in their own parishes. 3. To champion a positive view of ageing and later life. 4. To share good practice and relevant information. 5. To use a consultative approach so that an increased understanding of needs, hopes and ideas of older people informs all that we do. ## **Achievements in 2020-21** As for all organisations 2020-21 was a year like no other. However, we were able to quickly review our work and offer a mixture of online and postal resources. We continued to commission freelance resources to support our work. The website was maintained with new material, useful information, updates and regular reflections by different older people. In April/May 2020 a resource booklet was designed titled ‘When you pass through waters, I’ll be with you’ which had prayers and reflections and practical advice for older people at the time of Covid. We recognised that not all people had electronic access and printed 200 copies of the booklet which were distributed through our network and even more through the St Vincent de Paul society. Liverpool Diocese also used some of the material to prepare their own booklet. A shorter booklet was distributed during Advent and GOG hosted an Advent Service online attended by over 40 people. Our partnership with Faith in Elderly People and Leeds Church Institute was maintained. However, our previously planned conference ‘ A Matter of Life and Death’ was postponed and instead four sessions were delivered online in Autumn 2020. We have continued our links with the Briery Retreat Centre in Ilkley and in March 2021 we hosted a joint memorial service with the Elizabeth Prout centre to remember all those who had died during the year especially those who had died with COVID. In 2019 we were delighted to receive support from The Ladies of the Grail for our plan to pilot a Community Lay Chaplaincy for Older People. Progress has been slow because of the pandemic, but we are now in dialogue with two parishes about taking this forward. ## **The charity’s policy on reserves** We aim to hold the equivalent of 3 months expenditure (based on last year’s costs) plus a proportion for legal costs and maintain the level of reserves from unrestricted income. The trustees may agree to designate some of the free reserves for a particular project or activity. They will ensure that these designated funds are spent within a reasonable period of time. This policy is reviewed at least annually. ## Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees: Signed _____________________________________________ Date __________ Carol Burns, Chair Page 3 of 5 **Trustees’ annual report for the year ended 31[st] March 2021** _**Growing Old Grace-fully**_ ## **Growing Old Grace** _**-fully**_ **Receipts & payments account for the year ended 31[st] March 2021** ||Unrestricted|Restricted|Total| |---|---|---|---| ||Funds|funds|funds| ||£|£|£| |**Income**|||| |Donations -|50|0|8,050| |Event Income|0|0|0| |Bank interest|0|0|0| |**Total receipts**|**50**|**0**|**8050**| |**Expenditure**|||| |Event expenditure|0|0|0| |Office expenses|687.13||687.13| |Freelance services|2,267.44|
0|2267.44| |Other|25|0|25| |**Total Payments**|2979.57|**0**|**2979.57**| |Net receipts/(payments)|**2929.57**||**2929.57**| |Bank and cash|||| |at the start of the period|4,881.70|
8,000|£12,881.70| |Bank and cash at the end|£1952.13|
£8000|£9,952.13| |of the period|||| Page 4 of 5 _**Growing Old Grace-fully**_ **Trustees’ annual report for the year ended 31[st] March 2021** ## **Growing Old Grace** _**-fully**_ **Statement of assets and liabilities at 31[st] March 2021** £ **Cash assets** Current account £9,952.13 Deposit account 0 Petty cash 0 **Total cash assets £9,952.13 Other assets -** None These financial statements are accepted on behalf of the charity by: Signed ___________________________________ Dated ___________ Mgr Peter Rosser, Treasurer Page 5 of 5