2024-08-31-accounts - Talk First

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Registered charity no. 1162110

Annual Report 2024

Foreword by Chair – May 2025 Growth, Learning and Innovation

Martie Delaney

Sustainability and Fiscal Responsibility

Our accredited family mediation service continued to grow and through our links with community organisations, social care and legal professionals we’ve simultaneously increased our unrestricted income capacity which in turn helps efforts to build reserves.

Our Connect 5 mental health training delivery in conjunction with Wigan Council Public Health, increased our visibility and added another strand to our unrestricted income stream.

With increased referral rates, our established partnership with the Brick-by-Brick project meant we could extend our reach of practical support to more families with everyday consumer items; helping household budgets stretch further.

Creative Philanthropy

What an epic year of fundraising successes we enjoyed! We worked in conjunction with community partner Rosebridge Sports and Community Club to host a Christmas Fair and an Easter Fair raising much needed funds in support of capital investment and service delivery.

We also supported other local events including Wigan Pride and a host of community fairs across the borough. Whilst our team may be small, the energy and dedication to raising both our profile and crucial funds has been fantastic.

Our achievements couldn’t have happened without the determination and drive of our staff and trustees. We are beyond proud of our achievements and are excited about the future.

As our links with local and community organisations expand, the possibilities increase and with a nomination for the Mayor of Wigan’s charity in the 2024-2025 season we looked forward to bigger and bolder collaborations through increased visibility.

About Us Sustainability and Fiscal Responsibility

TalkFIRST was established as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) in June 2015 and was operational immediately. The CIO is a development of its predecessor Resolutions, a Community Interest Company, set up in 2012, operational from 2013. All work, finances and staff were seamlessly transferred into the CIO. We are based in a central location in the borough, offering easy access from all areas.

We are proud to have celebrated our 10th Birthday this year and look forward to the next decade with energy and enthusiasm.

Trustees

Martine Delaney Chair

Damon Musgrove Trustee

Brian Rees Trustee

Lee Whalley Trustee

Emma Klieve Trustee

Shirley Martland Trustee

Tracy Sheppard Manager & Mediator

Martine Delaney Mediator

Christine Boydell Administrator

Stacey Keggin Building Better Relationships Worker

Beverley McIntyre Building Better Relationships Worker

Governance

Our trustees understand their legal obligations and are committed to ensuring solvency, and compliance under charity law. Our Trustee’s Code of Conduct reinforces all aspects of the constitution, our policies and practice which are subject to annual review. Trustee board meetings have taken place bi-monthly and all meetings minuted to ensure transparency and accountability.

Our Vision, Our Mission and our Charitable Objectives

Our Vision is:-

that healthy and supportive relationships are the cornerstone to aspire and achieve.

Our Mission Statement is:-

To empower individuals and families in all their forms to improve communication and build better family life.

Our charitable objectives are:-

To support children, young people and their families who are at risk of family conflict, anti-social behaviour, criminal activities or relationship breakdown, through the provision of family mediation, family support and group work activities.

What We Do And How

Guided by our Vision and our Mission Statement, we provide bespoke, future focussed relationship services, working with families in all forms including inter-generational, LGBTQ, non-blood, extended, step-families, carers and special guardians.

An overview of our services is set out below:-

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What we do and how
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• Grant funding, enables us to sustain and grow our free Building Better Relationships service supporting struggling families who are experiencing conflict and relationship problems.

• Family mediation provided through the Family Mediation Council (FMC) Accreditation programme empowers separating couples to navigate divorce and separation with an FMC Accredited Mediator to resolve issues including children arrangements, property and finance.

• Our accredited Child Inclusive Mediation service means we can work with children to give them a voice in an age-appropriate way that helps inform struggling parents about their thoughts, feelings and wishes.

• With the ongoing Ministry of Justice Family Mediation Voucher Scheme we supported families to access financial help with the cost of mediating about children arrangements.

• Our Tou-Can initiative supporting the perinatal agenda continued to grow through recommendations and increased visibility and through our Brick-by-Brick partnership we can support more families with everyday consumer items that help to stretch household budgets a little further.

Our Reach

Whilst our grant funded initiatives focused upon local service delivery in the Wigan Borough, our increased visibility across the family mediation arena, and the power of remote working, coupled with personal recommendations has seen referrals come from far and wide beyond Wigan’s and Greater Manchester’s boundaries.

Our Year 2023-2024 - Highlights

In December 2023 we hosted our TalkFIRST Christmas Fair and in
March 2024 hosted our Easter Fair. From stalls to festive guests and children’s activities, our year was packed with community engagement and opportunities to fundraise.
delivering mental health training across the borough’s voluntary sector contributing to greater visibility and more networking opportunities.
year giving children and young people, a voice, in decisions that affect them.
We pressed ‘reset’ on our Tou-Can project as funding came to an
end. We continued to deliver our weekly support group on a self-funded basis with the help of local community partners and our own fundraising efforts.
This year will mark the second year of our Building Better
Relationships (BBR) project in Leigh, funded by The Trusthouse Foundation, and the second year of our BBR project in Wigan, funded we
by The National Lottery Community Fund. Across both areas, supported 146 children, young people, and their parents – including special guardianship families – to work towards building happier, healthier family lives.

� Community Fund supporting our Building Better Relationships (BBR) project on the Wigan side of the borough arrived, work began to identify the right funding partner to develop the next phase of our relationship and family conflict services for 2024 / 2025.

� unrestricted income which helped sustain Tou-Can after perinatal funding concluded.

� We worked hard networking and raising our visibility amongst local legal and social care professionals to grow our accredited family mediation in pursuance of greater sustainability.

We heard the fantastic news of our nomination to be one of just two Mayor’s Charities of the year in the 2024 / 2025 season.

Accredited Family Mediation

Supporting families through the process of divorce and separation, our service has grown as visibility has increased in the community and through professional networking.

The continuation of the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme, a non-means tested offering from the Ministry of Justice has empowered many families who could not have otherwise afforded family mediation to navigate divorce and separation with cooperation and certainty, building new foundations for future co-parenting relationships that will benefit separated family life.

From a sustainability perspective, this service generates unrestricted income which supports financial independence and the ability to build reserves.

Building Better Relationships

Our Building Better Relationships project in Wigan courtesy of The National Lottery Community Fund’s Reaching Communities programme completed it’s 3rd and final year and our 2nd year building on the successes of the previous year.

on what we had learned with a view to informing our future service delivery.

80% of young people who work with us have a diagnosis for, or are awaiting assessment for Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or Autistic Spectrum Disorder. In excess of 20% of parents we see also have a diagnosis or are awaiting an assesment. We recognise this is a specialist area, so we have invested in training, and adhoc support and joint working from partner agency Embrace Wigan & Leigh.

Tou-Can supporting the perinatal agenda

In the absence of funding to continue our perinatal outreach and weekly support group, we looked at the best way to provide our service on a limited, self-funded budget.

We are proud to report that through determination and drive, we were able to sustain Tou-Can’s weekly group which supports parents and carers to promote a healthy parent – child relationship. We offer information, guidance, peer support, friendship, signposting whilst play, activities and singing are provided for children.

goods provided via the Brick-by-Brick project also helps families make stretched household budgets go a little further.

The Future – Creating Lasting Change

As our Building Better Relationships (BBR) campaign approached the conclusion of its project funding in 2024, we took the opportunity to take what we had learned from our beneficiaries, identify gaps in service and lay plans to expand our future efforts to better support the families and individuals we work with. Listening to our families and understanding their often diverse and complex needs we adopted a fresh approach that addressed their discreet challenges and vulnerabilities.

Throughout 2023 we laid the groundwork for two new initiatives:-

Taking Time To Talk (TTTT): We designed a dedicated space to empower
children and young people in that broader family conversation, to openly express and speak with confidence about their wishes and feelings.
child who is not able to live with their biological parent(s) and instead lives with a member of the extended family under a Special Guardianship Order.

so once the project essentials were in place, we carefully researched compatible funding partners that shared out vision and objectives.

our Tou-Can Project.

Building Financial Independence and Flexibility

Building an informed strategy that is dedicated and diverse that sustains, builds resillience and engages with well-matched partners who share our vision and support our endeavours has proved key to our successes so far.

Mindful however of the increasing pressures upon the grant funding industry with prospects of success often standing at less than 5%, our accredited Family Mediation Service (supporting separating and divorcing couples to work out a plan for separated family life) and our mental health training delivery enable us to play to our strengths whilst simultaneously delivering a stream of unrestricted income that promotes a degree of sustainability, and financial freedom which augments our independence and ability to respond to change.

2023/2024 has been a year to consider proactive planning for the long-term health and wellbeing of TalkFIRST into a new decade.

A Trustee’s Perspective

to reaffirm my unwavering commitment to the cause that sits at the heart of our organisation: Strengthening families through positive communication and healthy relationships. I’m so passionate about improving family communication because I believe it is the foundation of a child’s well-being and

development. Families thrive when they feel heard, understood, and supported. This belief has guided my engagement and is why I’m proud to be part of an organisation that recognises that ‘healthy and supportive relationships are the cornerstone to all we aspire to and achieve’.

Our services have supported families to have open, future-focused conversations, encouraged mutual understanding, and enabled change — even in complex and emotionally charged situations. Feedback received highlights just how transformative this approach has been for our beneficiaries.

Over the past year we’ve demonstrated resilience, compassion, and innovation. We fundraised to self-fund Tou-Can and re-shaped our family conflict and relationships initiative to curate our Taking Time To Talk project, - a vital addition to our services that addresses the emotional and mental well-being of children and helps families make positive changes in their communication and relationships that support a happy family life.

My dedication to supporting families stems from a personal commitment to ensure every child has the opportunity to grow up in a safe, nurturing environment.

entire community. Tou-Can, is a perfect example: By supporting good mental health and parenting confidence in the earliest days of a child’s life, families have the tools they need from the very beginning. This early intervention is essential, and I am immensely proud that TalkFIRST is playing a part in such critical life stages.

financial or emotional. That’s why accessibility, empathy, and sustainability are central to everything we do. Our team with over 75 years of combined experience brings a grounded, personable approach that families trust. They offer unwavering support with warmth and honesty, even when tackling tough conversations. This that makes TalkFIRST so effective and valued in what we do.

In today’s climate, the need for early, relationship support is greater than ever: Challenges are real, funding is tight, needs are rising, and the sector is evolving rapidly. Yet TalkFIRST continues to be a beacon of hope and a trusted partner to many local organisations. Our referrals come not just from professionals, but from families themselves, a true testament to our credibility and impact. Being part of this journey, helping shape strategy, advocate for sustainability, and push for innovation, is a responsibility I embrace. It is more than governance, it is commitment to creating change in real lives. As we look ahead, I am energised by the possibilities. We don’t just respond to need; we build on our learning, strengthening partnerships, and positioning TalkFIRST for long-term impact. To every family we have worked with this year: thank you for trusting us. And to every team member and fellow trustee: thank you for your dedication and vision. Together, we are helping children and families not just survive but truly thrive — and I am honoured to play my part.

Damon Musgrove

Fundraising Strategy and Next Steps

Our portfolio of strategic sustainability planning covers the following areas :-

Our Accredited Family Mediation service

We have a discreet skill set and with a growing (and competitively priced) family mediation service which provides our primary stream of unrestricted income. - We are able to play to our strengths. Whilst always working hard to develop and expand what we do, we’ve extended our geographical reach way beyond the boundaries of the borough and have an established position within the Accredited Family Mediation arena.

Remaining current and visible is key to growing our services and generating unrestricted income.

Our Business Plan will be reviewed and updated in 2024 / 2025 to ensure we remain pro-active. We continue to work on a range of opportunities to develop a robust delivery model and plan to review internal technologies to drive process efficiencies that will enable us to support more clients.

2023 / 2024 has also seen us develop an organisational structure that enables a real strategic focus upon funding needs and opportunities.

Corporate Partnerships:

In 2023 / 2024 we’ve worked with local businesses and organisations who have provided financial contributions including Nisa, to name but a few supporters of our Summer Fair and a number of local businesses including Little Fifteen, Bathtek, Co-op, Tesco, Morrisons and Asda who provided generous donations alongside other local and regional supporters from the

business community.

Trusts and Foundations Funding:

Wigan’s Brighter Borough Funding contributed to the success of our Seasonal Fairs and a second lot of Brighter Boroughs funding was also contributed towards Tou-Cangiving us confidence to secure facilities to make the day a success.

We continued to seek out funders who align with our values and look ahead to new strategic partnerships that match our endeavours.

Whilst we’ve built a strong portfolio of funding partners which helps instil confidence as to our integrity and capabilities, we remain ever mindful of the need for financial independence and an increasingly strategic approach to future partnerships, whether grant funded or corporate.

Charitable Fundraising

Following hot on the heels of our deep dive into seasonal fairs last year and with buckets full of enthusiasm and energy, we successfully hosted a Christmas (2023) and an Easter (2024) Fair. With both our own stalls and external crafters, makers and other VCFSE organisations and with this renewed confidence we teamed up with Nisa Local and the Nisa Charity, Making a Difference Locally to host a summer

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fair for local primary school, Ince.
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Looking ahead to 2024/2025 we rounded up a team to run the Wigan 10k,

Partnerships

Collaboration creates opportunities and whether this has been through learning from our own beneficiaries, engaging with other organisations to explore the possibilities or simply sharing expertise, the possibilities have come thick and fast this year. - We’ve embraced every moment and made some vital connections that will help drive our work forward.

We take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support. From Rose Bridge Sports and Community Club who hosted our seasonal Fairs, to Nisa Local who helped us make so many things happen, to our commercial and VCFSE partners and our neighbours in Ashland House and all those who supported our events and kindly donated gift bags and prizes.

Funding

This year, we have received £92,072 in grants from:

National Lottery Community Fund’s Reaching Communities, and Awards For All programmes, Trusthouse, Making a Difference Locally, Albert Hunt, Magic Little Grants, Enterprise and The Coalfield Regeneration Trust.

We thank our amazing funders for sharing our vision and for their support; without them we could not support children, young people and their families who are at risk of family conflict, anti-social behaviour, criminal activities or relationship breakdown.

MEDIATION:

We received 106 family mediation referrals for family mediation, many of which came by way of recommendation. Other routes to referral included legal experts, social care, schools and local VCFSE organisations.

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Registered charity no. 1162110
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BUILDING BETTER RELATIONSHIPS:

many services provided by Building Better Relationships.

Building Better Relationships (BBR)

A Family We Worked With

Chloe was referred to our service by Start Well. She described her relationship with her ten-year-old son, Lenny—who has ADHD—as very challenging. A recent incident involving violence at home led her to call the police. She shared that she currently feels there is little to no relationship between them, though she is motivated to make improvements.

anxiety, ADHD, and learning challenges. While she has received support in the past, finding herself in a similar position again left her understandably sceptical about what we could offer. Building trust was one of the initial hurdles in our work together.

Despite these complexities, and with continued support from her Start Well worker, Chloe has begun to make some meaningful changes in how she interacts with her son. She is starting to recognise some of the dynamics she brings to the relationship and how these may be contributing to their difficulties. She has also developed a better understanding of her son’s needs, particularly around his ADHD, which has helped her respond more calmly and effectively in challenging moments. While progress has not been without its challenges, these insights have marked a turning point.

Chloe also has an older child who no longer lives with her. At times, concerns around his wellbeing and placement—raised in discussions with social care—distracted from her focus on improving things with Lenny. However, joint conversations and collaborative support have helped her manage these demands more effectively.

We’ve taken a holistic approach to supporting Chloe. Whilst the focus of the work was to help improve the parent-daughter relationship, we supported other areas to help Chloe feel more stable and present, through self-care, confidence building and encouraging her plan to return to work

Feedback

Building Better Relationships testimonial – Partner Agency

in more constructive and worthwhile dialogue to support the wellbeing of those who need it, and I can’t think of a similar local provider that is either available, accessible, approachable or as understanding as the team at TalkFIRST, and I really value the joint work we have done together.

Andy Sampson Behaviour Support Coordinator Embrace Wigan and Leigh

Feedback

TOU-CAN testimonial – PARTNER AGENCY

“The Tou Can Family sessions delivered by TalkFIRST at Ince Community Centre have become a vital support hub for the local community.

single parenthood, and unemployment. The rising cost of living has only intensified day-to-day pressures, creating widespread worry and stress.

ents can connect while their children take part in engaging activities. Adults have the chance to chat, exchange advice, and support one another with the everyday challenges of raising young children.

navigating the benefits system. Emotional and practical support is always available from the TalkFIRST team.

HS Trust Manager, Douglas Valley Community

Family Mediation - Feedback

“I’m incredibly grateful for the compassionate, professional, and supportive mediation I received from TalkFIRST. During an extremely tough period in my life, your service was not only helpful — it was a true lifeline and source of strength.”

Ministry of Justice Family Mediation Voucher Scheme

The Ministry of Justice Mediation Voucher Scheme has been a real game changer for those struggling families who may never have been able to privately pay for Accredited Family Mediation.

In 2023-2024, 19 sets of separated parents mediated at TalkFIRST with the benefit of a voucher, to negotiate how they could press reset on their co-parenting relationship by improving communication and cooperation.

This Scheme has been invaluable, enabling parents to focus on the interests of their children and the future without associated money worries.

End of the year – vision for the next 12 months

current service provision means we are looking ahead toward horizontal and vertical expansion in our grant funded and income-generating sectors.

needs and to develop our skill set to enable greater reach.

Having capitalised on existing partnerships and explored new collaborations, we look ahead to 2025 with optimism and positivity, supporting more new families in the year ahead.

Reserves Policy

development of our principal activities.

maintain reserves at a level sufficient to cover approximately six months running costs plus requisite redundancy considerations.

Reserves will be utilised in the following manner:-

In the event of a drop in income to make provision for necessary redundancy payments should the organisation find it is unable to sustain staffing levels

3.

To allow TalkFIRST to take advantage of new opportunities aligned with its aims. To achieve this, we will aim to put £5k per year into reserves from unrestricted

Income £150,423 Expenditure £172,429

TALKFIRST Trustees. Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 August 2024 Registered number: CE003520 Charity number: 1162110

TALKFIRST CONTENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024 CONTENTS Legal and administrative infomiation Page 1 Trustees, report Page 2 Independent Examiners. report Page 4 Statement of financial activities Page 6 Balance sheet Page 7 Notes formlng part of the financial statements Page 9

TALKFIRST LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024 Trustees M. Delaney (Chair) E. Klieve B. Rees D. Musgrove L. Whalley S. Martland Company Registered Number- CE003520 Charity Reglstered Number- 1162110 Registèrèd Office 1 sl Floor Ashland House Dobson Park Way Ince in Makerfield Wigan WN2 2DX Accountants Bloomfield's Bloomfield Court 76 Factory Street Wesl Atherton, Manchester M46 OEF

TALKFIRST TRUSTEES. REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024 Reference and Admlnlstration Information The Trustees, who are also the directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006. present their report with the financial statements of the charily for the year ended 31 August 2024. The Trustees have adopted the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities, issued in March 2005 and updated May 2008. Talkfirst is a company limited by guarantee and a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under number 1162110. The Trustees of the tharity and the principle advisers of the charity are listed on page 1. Structure, Govemance and Management The report was prepared in aordance with the special provisions within part 15 of the Companies Act 2006. Objectlves and Act5vllles of the Charty The main objectives of the charity are to support children, young people and their families who are at risk of family conflict, anti-social behavior, criminal actlviiy or relationship breakdown, through the provision of fami mediation. family support and group work activities. Results A summary of the results of the year's activities is incorporated in the Statement of Financial Activities. All venue from the charitable activities are restricted and applied for the charitable objectives of the company. During the year Ihe charity received £56.418 in funding from the National Lottery Community Fund as part olthe Rea¢hing CommunitieslPartnerships programme. Directors and Trustees The directors and ttustees during the year were as follows'.- M. Delaney (Chair) B. Rees D. Musgrove L. Whalley E. Klieve S. Martland Related Party Disclosures During the year the trustee M. Delaney was employed by the Charity and received remuneration of £26,965 (2023'.£35.962).

TALKFIRST TRUSTEES, REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024 Statement of Directors, and Trustees, Responslbllltles The directors and trustees are required by law to prepare the financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the financial activities of the charity and of its financial position at the end of the year. In preparing those financial statements the directors and trustees are required to'.- Select suitabl8 accounb'ng policies and then apply them consistently., Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent. Prepare the financial statements on the going conrn basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company will continue in business. The directors and trustees are responsible for keeping proper aGGounting records which disclos8 Wlth reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevenlion and detection of fraud and other irregularities. Small Company Status This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions relating to compani8S subject to the small companies regime within Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006. Signed by order of the Board of Trustees and the Directors M. Delaney Chair Date 2025

TALKFIRST IMDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE DIRECTORS AND TRUSTEES OF TALKFIRST Respeetlve responslbllllies of trusteos and examiner The charity's trustees {who are also the directors of the company for the purpose of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity's Irustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charites Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed. The trustees have acknowledged, on the balance sheet, their responsibilities for ensuring that the company keeps accounting records which comply with section 396 of the Companies Ad 2006, and for preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view ofthe stst8 of affairs of the company and of its surplusJ(deficit) for the financial year. In accordan with the instructions, we have prepared the financial statements on pages 7- 12 from the accounting rewrds of the company and on the basis of infomiation and 8xplanations we have been given. It is my responsibility to: Examine the accounts (under section 145 of the Charities Act) To follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b> of the Charltles Act). and To state whether particular matters have come to my attention Basis of independent examinerfs statement My examination was carried out in accordance with General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a Comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from the trustees conceming any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit. and consequently no opinion Is glven as to whether the accounts present a "true and fair view" and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. Independent examiner's statement In the course of my examinaon, no matter has come to my attention 1. Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material PeCt, the trustees have not met the requirements: To keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act and S386 of the Companies Act 2006" and To prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply wilh the accounting requirement of Section 396 of Ihe Companies Act 2006 and with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities.; or 2. To which, in my opinion. attention should be drawn to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

TALKFIRST INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE DIRECTORS AND TRUSTEES OF TALKFIRST K Bloomfield CPAA For and on behalf of Bloomfield's Accountants Limited Bloomfield Court 76 Factory Street West Atherton Manchester M46 OEF Date:..lJ. L-h Ina

TALKFIRST STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024 Re$trl¢t•d funds 2024 Total fund¥ 2024 Totalfvnds 2023 INCOhllNG RESOURCES IOMing resources from generated funds Voluntary Income 12 562 126 S62 150242 TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES 126562 150242 RESOURCES EXPENDED Costs of gonorating funds Charitable a¢tiwties 117428 117428 172429 TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED 117428 172 429 NET INCOMINGIIOUTGOINGI RESOURCES BEFORE TrANSFERS NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS Fund balances at 1 September 2023 FUND BALANCES AT 31 August 2024

TALKFIRST BALANCE SHEET FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST2024 2024 2023 Note CURRENT ASSETS Cash and bank in hand 67.923 59,759 CREDITORS.. Amounts lalling du8 within one year Net current assets TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 61,537 54,507 CREDITORS.. Amounts falling dua after yèar NET ASSETS CHARITY FUNDS Resti7$ funds The directors and tnjslees consider that the company is entrtled to exernption from the requirement to have an audit under the provisions of S.480 of the Companies Act 2006. No notice from the members under S.476 of the Companles Act 2006 requlrNig the CoMpY lo have an audit has been dopo&ted with the company. The direclors and Iwstees a¢knowledge Iheir responsibility for ensuring that the eompany keeps accounting records which comply with S.386 of the CoMpanS Act 2006. and for preparing accounts, which give a true and fair VI of the stale of the affairs of Ihg coJnpany at 31*Augusl 2024 an(1 of tts nel expendf(ure for the year then end8d in accordan¢8 with the rgqulremenls of S.396, bul whh othe1$e comply with the requirements of the Acl relating lo the accounts so far as appllcable lo the company. Th& financial slatemonts have bèen prepared in accordance with the special provisions relating to companles subject to the small ¢cmpanles' regime within Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006.

TALKFIRST BALANCE SHEET FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024 These financial slalemenls were aptKoved by the Trustees on. 2025 and signed on their behaw, by.. M. DELANEY Chair 2025 The notes on pages 9 10 10 forn part of these financial statements. Company nnbel CE003520

TALKFIRST NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024 ACCOUNTING POLICIES Basis of preparation of flnanclkl statements These accounts have been prepared under the historical wst ¢DnvenlK)n and in accordan the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Enli11gS. The accounts have been prepared in complionce with the Statement of Recommended Pr8Ctice on Charity Accounts. Incorne and Expenditur8 is recognisad in the accounts on Ihe accrual$ basis at the date on which an asset is recogni5ed or a liability incurred. The company has taken aévanlage of the exemption in Financial Reporting Standard No. 1 from the requirement to produce a ca5hflow statement on the gfounds that il is a small company. In¢ome Al incorning resources are included on the Statement of Financial A¢livities when the charty Is legally enliued lo the income and the amount be quantified wllh reasonable accuracy. Taxatlon The company is exempt from Taxation on Sncome arislng from actsvliles In carrying out. and Investment income applied only for, the company's main charitable purpose. INCOMING RESOURCES FROM GENERATED FUMDS other Incomè 2024 Grants 2024 Totsl 2024 Total 2023 Vohjntary Income 126 562 150 243 COSTS OFGENERATING FUNDS Support ¢osts 2024 Total 2024 Total 2023 Charltable a¢tlvltles Ch8rilable expenditure CREDITORS: 2024 2023 Amounts falling due withln ono year: Social secu¥ity and other taxes Deferred irKomè Loans other Creditors 1.134 4,752 500 4,752 500 Amounts falllng duo 0¥or one yèar Loans

TALKFIRST NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024 ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS RKtri¢ted Funds 2024 Total Funds 2024 Totsl Funds 2023 Net Current as$glsllllabililiesl Cfedilors.. Due after one year 61.537 61.537 54.507 435 539 Total LIED B Y GUARANTEE The Company Is limited by guarantee and does not have a Share Capital. Each memb8r gives a guarantee lo contribute a sum not exceeding £10 10 the comp8ny should il be wound up. Al 314 August 2024 there were 5 members. 10

www.talkfirst.org

TalkFirst 1st Floor Ashland House Dobson Park Way Ince-in-Makerfield WN2 2DX

01942 243620