## **Annual Report 2022 – 2023**
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www.bromleybrighterbeginnings.org.uk
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|Contents|
|Our vision and mission & values|2|
|Our aims|3|
|Chair’s introduction|4|
|Our impact on local families|5|
|Team BBB|7|
|Healthy Homes|9|
|A Bed for Every Child|10|
|Christmas in a Bag|11|
|Treasurer’s report|13|
|Fundraising|14|
|Ways you can support us|15|
|Words from families / referrers /|
|supporters / volunteers|16-17|
|Financial Statement &|
|Independent Examiner’s Report 18|
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Bromley Brighter Beginnings Annual Report 2022/23
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## **Our vision and mission**
**Bromley Brighter Beginnings envisions a world in which children are not disadvantaged by growing up in poverty, and where their parents and caregivers do not have to struggle to provide them with the most basic items.**
Our mission is to relieve the pressure of poverty on families in a practical way by providing them with baby, child and household items. This support demonstrates that they are not alone in their difficulties and aims to foster long term social inclusion. Relieving stress, anxiety and depression in parents and caregivers has a positive impact on the early experiences of children, gives those children a better start in life and helps families recover more quickly from financial crisis.
## **Our values**
## **Community**
We harness the power of the community to support its most vulnerable members.
## **Inclusivity**
We aim to be thoughtful, inclusive and respectful of the diverse families we support.
## **Dignity**
We respect the families we support and aim to reduce the stigma associated with growing up in poverty.
## **Sustainability**
We are mindful of the environment and committed to reducing waste as much as possible.
## **Well-being**
We promote and are mindful of the physical and mental health of the families we support and everyone else in the BBB community.
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## **Bromley Brighter Beginnings’ aims are as follows:**
- to provide new and second-hand baby- and child-related clothing and equipment and essential household items to families in need
- to provide information to families in financial hardship to enable them to access support available from other charities and organisations; and
- to raise awareness about the level of poverty in the London Borough of Bromley and the impact of such poverty on the lives of children and their parents.
## **Public benefit**
In defining our priorities each year, the Trustees of Bromley Brighter Beginnings have regard to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit. In addition, the Trustees always ensure that the programmes we undertake are in line with our charitable object (the prevention or relief of poverty of families with dependent children in the London Borough of Bromley) and aims (as above).
The purpose of the work we carry out at Bromley Brighter Beginnings is beneficial as we provide basic supplies, such as children’s clothes and shoes, books and other personal supplies to help families and children in the London Borough of Bromley who are unable to afford them. That the public benefits from this can be demonstrated objectively through the data presented in this report - for example, the number of families we have assisted during the year and the referral system we employ.
We are not aware of any specific detriment or harm that results from the purpose of our work, but we are confident that any such detriment or harm does not outweigh the benefit. Regarding the environmental impact of our work for example, there is potentially some harm to the environment in our volunteers using their cars to deliver items to families. However, the impact that receiving these items has on those families outweighs any such harm.
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## **Chair’s introduction**
## I am delighted to present the latest Annual Report from Bromley Brighter Beginnings, which includes data from our last financial year, 1st August 2022 to 31st July 2023 that was presented at our Annual Meeting in September 2023.
During our last financial year, we have witnessed the cost of living crisis going from bad to worse. According to the latest figures published by Child Poverty Acton Group, 4.2 million children now live in poverty in the UK. That equates to an average of every 9 children in a classroom of 30, with 71% of those children living in families in which at least one parent is in work.
The London Borough of Bromley is a relatively affluent area, but despite that, 20% of the children in the borough still live in poverty, according to Trust for London. We have seen a sharp increase in the number of requests for help with absolute basics such as heating and food.
It is not surprising therefore that BBB has been busier than ever over the last year, and it was no longer feasible for us to continue as a 100% volunteer-led organisation. During our last financial year, we took on our first part-time member of staff, Amy Day, our new General Manager. Taking on staff means we have to be sure we have enough income to cover the additional costs, so we also now have Jenny Manning working as our Grants and Fundraising Lead one day a week. Both of these appointments have put BBB in a much stronger position for longer-term sustainability.
The BBB trustee board was strengthened by two new trustees, Emma Warren and Josephine Kench, after Mary Ion and Tracy Griffin stepped down due to personal reasons. Both Mary and Tracy were Trustees for years and we were sad to see them go, but grateful for everything they have done for BBB.
As announced during our previous Annual Meeting in Sept 2022, one of our key concerns in the last financial year has been to make BBB as environmentally-friendly as we can. We have taken part in Carbon Literacy training run by Greener and Cleaner, through which we learned that of all the current environmental challenges, including plastic use and pollution, reducing carbon emissions has to be the most urgent priority. We haven’t yet worked out how to provide the service we do in a carbon-neutral way, but we have produced an Environmental Policy and the Trustees consider the environmental sustainability of all decisions made. In the last year, for example, we have taken on two new storage spaces, one in Orpington and one in Beckenham, so that volunteers do not have to drive so far in order to collect items to be taken to families. We would like to encourage our supporters to minimise car use as much as possible, for example by making one trip to deliver several items to a volunteer, rather than several trips with fewer items, and perhaps even linking up with other supporters to making several drop-offs in one go. Having launched our uniform campaign in early June, we were donated over 1,800 items of quality pre-loved primary school uniform, including from school PTAs. All of this helps to reduce the carbon emissions produced by the service we are providing.
As always, we are grateful for the support we receive from the community, and the time that our volunteers give to ensure that we can continue to help the most vulnerable families in the borough.
_Emma Martin, Chair of Bromley Brighter Beginnings_
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## **Our impact on local families**
Demand increases for BBB’s service year on year, and this past year has been no different, with an increase of 16.5%. We completed 658 referrals in the year compared to 565 in the previous year. Those 658 referrals were for 595 different families, providing items to 1055 children across the borough (some of these children would have been referred to us more than once throughout the year).
We provided 63 newborn packs over the past year. 93% of new mums who received one told us that our support had helped to relieve pressure of getting ready for their baby. And the same percentage said that our newborn packs introduced them to items they didn’t know they needed for their baby.
## **What’s in a Newborn Pack?**
As in previous years, the 3 areas in the borough that we receive the most referrals for are Orpington (23.5%), Anerley/Penge (23.5%) and Bromley (19.7%).
We completed 340 general referrals this year which include the provision of items such as clothes, cots, buggies, toys and nappies, as well as specific referrals under our Healthy Homes (white goods), Bed for Every Child and school uniform projects, which we will cover in a later section of this report.
## **For mum**
- Maternity sanitary **• Toiletries:** towels Shampoo, conditioner,
- • Breast pads shower gel,
- • Hairbrush soap, toothbrush,
- • Towel toothpaste, deodorant
## **For baby**
- Nappies, wipes, nappy sacks
- Toiletries: baby bath, baby wash, baby lotion, barrier cream, toothbrush, toothpaste, cotton wool, sponge
- Towel
We also provided 12 Basics Bundles – these are a relatively new provision for BBB, comprising a monthly pack of nappies, wipes, formula & toiletries, delivered over three months to families in need who find themselves in exceptional circumstances for which there is no short-term fix (e.g. families with no recourse to public funds). Our supporters have kindly funded the purchase of the majority of items provided in our Basics Bundles during the past year – a significant contribution for which we are really grateful.
- Changing Mat
- 5 bibs
- 5 Muslin Squares
- 3 x bottles
- Clothing: 7 x vest, 7x sleepsuits, 1 x cardigan, 2x hats, mittens and booties
- Cellular or waffle blanket
- Room thermometer
- Digital thermometer
Our Referrals Manager, Kerri Rawley, works incredibly hard throughout the year to keep our service running, processing all incoming referrals, liaising with referrers, clients and volunteers, and keeping our database updated with accurate details of all cases received, enabling us to provide an efficient service to the clients who need our support, and for us to track demand and trends in the need for our service to help forward planning.
During the year, 157 new professionals referred to our service – 20% of those being social workers from the London Borough of Bromley, demonstrating the high level of need there is within the borough.
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We have also seen an increase in the number of schools referring to us and an increase in the number of referrals made to us by Citizens Advice for families who have no other professionals supporting them. We have seen these kinds of referrals increase since the cost of living crisis where families who were just about managing before and under the radar of any supporting organisations are now unable to make ends meet. As in previous years we also continue to receive referrals from midwives, health visitors, GPs and family support workers from other organisations.
91% of referrals were for single-parent families, 17% of the clients referred to us were employed but unable to afford essentials for their children, and 83% of clients referred to us were unemployed.
**100% of families said that support from BBB had helped to relieve the pressure and stress they were feeling.**
**BBB’s help contributed to relieving the financial worries and pressures of 98% of families we supported.**
We were saddened to see that 91% of our clients in the year were assessed by their referrer to be socially isolated, demonstrating that the families who have no one to turn to in their time of need struggle the most.
As the need for our service increases, we intend to do what we can as a charity to keep meeting this demand and providing the families referred to us with the essential items they require, and we know we are very fortunate that year on year we are in a position to be able to do this.
**96% of parents / carers said they feel better equipped to manage day-to-day life following the support BBB had provide them.**
**91% of families said that BBB’s support had made a positive impact on their children’s wellbeing.**
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## **Team BBB**
BBB remains a predominantly volunteer-led organisation, with 29 volunteers actively working within Team BBB.
Our volunteers are the heartbeat of Bromley Brighter Beginnings. Without them we simply could not do what we do! We are incredibly grateful for the passion, energy, and dedication that each and every one of our volunteers shows in their roles.
Our Trustees perform their role on a voluntary basis, meeting regularly to oversee the charity’s governance, strategy and finances.
Within the volunteer team, we have several types of roles:
- our management team oversees the operations of the charity on a day-to-day basis;
- our Family Liaison volunteers take on referrals, passing on items from our supporters to families in need across the borough; and
- our Fundraising and Communications teams focus on securing grants for our work, supporting individuals and organisations who fundraise for us, and keeping our supporters up to date with what their help means for local families.
In addition to those roles, we also have volunteers in positions of referrals manager, stock coordinator, referrer engagement, graphic & website design. Our Bed for Every Child, Healthy Homes and School Uniform project managers are also all volunteers.
At this stage we should mention Big Yellow Storage, who have very kindly given us free storage space in their Bromley base for a number of years, and it is here that we store all our newborn packs and other essential items.
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Last year BBB received 125 referrals for school uniform, with this year seeing an increase to 132 as of 31st July (our financial year-end) - many more will have been received since then as August and September see very high numbers of referrals for uniform.
_Our new uniform Hub at Orpington SafeStore_
With inflation and the cost of living eating into families’ budgets, the affordability of school uniform remains a significant financial burden for so many in the Borough.
_Bags of uniform ready for collection from one of our summer pop-ups_
Whilst some schools have made commendable changes to reduce costs, this positive trend is still not widespread enough, with the average cost of primary school uniform for one child being £325 and for a secondary school child £481, with the cost of a logoed blazer averaging out at £50 per item (fgures from the March 2023 CPAG report School Sums).
packaged up and eventually delivered by our volunteers or collected by our families at our nominated uniform collection days which took place in Bromley, Penge and Orpington.
Many families simply cannot afford to pay these high costs, which in turn has negative impacts on the children and parents. We know that a child faced with having to wear worn, ill-fitting or incorrect uniform can feel alienated or become a victim of bullying, which has a lasting impact on their mental health, self esteem and school work. CPAG’s School Sums report also highlights that the associated costs contribute to persistent absence from school.
Thanks to generous donations from our supporters, we were able to supply vouchers for all school shoes and trainers required by both primary and secondary school children, as we believe that all children should have well-fitting new shoes for their growing feet, as well as the dignity of being able to choose a style of shoes that suits them.
This year we changed the way we collected and supplied uniform to give greater efficiency and enable our FLVs to process more referrals. Having launched our uniform campaign in early June, we were donated over 1,800 items of quality pre-loved primary school uniform, including from school PTAs.
We also provided items such as water bottles, stationery sets, school bags and sports bags for children referred to us, as required.
This year, BBB took the decision to purchase all secondary school items as brand new. We know that the teenage years are a challenging time without the additional issues that poverty brings - allowing children to feel smart and proud of their school uniform when attending school and ‘fitting in’ is of real importance at this crucial stage of their life.
We had a fantastic team of volunteers who worked tirelessly over the summer months to fulfil all of the referrals that came into us, led by Kathryn Clarke who gave up a big chunk of her summer holidays to run this project!
We had a dedicated Uniform hub in a large storage unit in Orpington where all our donated items were stocked,
**97% of families told us that if they had not received help from BBB, they would have had to use money allocated for everyday essentials to purchase school uniform.**
**100% of families agreed that having correct, well-fitting school uniform had a positive impact on their child’s sense of pride and confidence.**
**100% of families told us that having the correct, well-fitting uniform had a positive impact of their child wanting to attend school.**
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## **Healthy Homes**
Our Healthy Homes campaign provides white goods and household appliances to families in need across the borough who are unable to afford these items for themselves. Often when an existing appliance breaks down, families are unable to afford a replacement; or they have been rehoused (often due to domestic violence) into accommodation which does not come with white goods provided.
Last year, 60% of the families referred to us were in need of a new appliance due to their old one breaking, and 40% did not previously own the appliance that they requested.
The lack of basic appliances such as a cooker, fridge or washing machine has a huge impact on families, meaning they’re unable to store or cook fresh food, or wash clothes, bedding or school uniform – essentials that are basic requirements for a family to be able to take care of the children (and adults) in the household. These issues affect families financially, physically and emotionally and can have long-lasting implications for everyone involved.
86% of families told us that their new appliance helped to relieve the stress they felt at not being able to provide fresh food for their family.
We work closely with referrers to identify families in need of these items, using an ‘enhanced’ referral process which requires a home visit by a professional supporting the family to ensure that the level of need has been assessed and that the proposed solution is feasible.
We then liaise with our supplier, Budget Appliances, to select an appropriate appliance for the space and requirement, and arrange to have it delivered and installed.
We are grateful to Budget for their excellent service, turning around requests within tight timescales and advising on fitting and logistics. They adhere to our high standards of safeguarding and confidentiality and are flexible with their delivery options.
Our volunteer Alisa has run Healthy Homes since it began in 2021, and devotes a huge amount of time and effort to the project to ensure as many families as possible can receive these items as needed.
**In 2022/23 we provided 68 households (that’s 119 children) with white goods or kitchen appliances, as per the breakdown below.**
**29 washing machines**
**18 cookers (gas / electric)**
**12 fridge/freezers**
**4 3 slow microwaves cookers**
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## **A Bed for Every Child**
BBB’s Bed for Every Child programme is another of our campaigns which sees a consistently high level of demand. Madeleine, our BFEC coordinator, tells us that people are often shocked when she explains her role, with a common perception that such a project wouldn’t be needed in the ‘affluent’ borough of Bromley. Sadly, the level of referrals to our service tell a different story.
93% of parents and/or carers agreed that the new bed enabled their children to get a better night’s sleep.
83% of families told us that their child seemed happier and was able to concentrate at school more easily following the delivery of their new bed, and 87% said that having their own bed has made a positive impact on the whole family.
Last year, we spent £59k on beds (with underbed storage), mattresses and bedding, providing 238 children with a new bed of their own. Some of those were bunk beds, and some were more expensive metal-framed beds, required by some children with particular developmental conditions.
Nocturnal enuresis (bed-wetting) is an issue for many of the children we support, and wipe-clean waterproof mattresses can make such a difference for these families, so we are pleased to provide these where necessary.
We are very grateful to our supplier Beacon Beds for their continued support for our work – Len, who carries out all our work, is respectful and understanding of the circumstances of the families referred to us. He embodies BBB’s values of dignity and self-esteem and provides a great service on our behalf to families in need of a new bed.
These beds are provided to families where children do not have a bed of their own, but instead are sleeping on sofas, cushions on the floor, sharing a bed with parents or siblings, or whose bed is broken or not fit for purpose. We also support many families who are moved at short notice when fleeing domestic violence and whose new accommodation does not have beds for the children to sleep in.
In the past year, 70% of the children referred to our Bed for Every Child programme did not have their own bed, and 30% had a broken bed or one which was too small for them.
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Christmas in a Bag
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Christmas in a Bag has grown over the years to become a major part of BBB’s calendar. Since we began, in our Christmas coordinator Nancy’s dining room 10 years ago, we’ve scaled up by about 1300% to the level we are at now,
Our Christmas bags are packed full of a mixture of essential and luxury items for everyone in a household referred to us – we aim to help to address the stigma of poverty in a practical way by relieving the stress and anxiety of Christmas at what can be a very difficult time of year for families living in financial hardship. We have worked hard to make the bags as inclusive as possible over time, including providing books that reflect a range of ethnicities and supplying shampoo for Afro hair as appropriate, as well as taking into account the families’ faith, gender make-up and size.
Focusing on sustainability, we have increased our purchases from local businesses, and encouraged supporters to ‘re-gift’ unwanted (new) presents throughout the year.
Last year, we provided Christmas in a Bag for almost 700 children, packing and distributing the majority of the packages from our packing day in November, but also continuing to fulfil last-minute requests right up until Christmas Eve to ensure no child misses out on having a magical Christmas.
Nancy would like to thank the BBB volunteers who help in the run-up to packing day and on the day itself, as well as delivering the hampers, and a special shout-out to Referrals Manager Kerri, who also manages the nominations and delivery schedule for Christmas in a Bag.
We’re also immensely grateful to local businesses, schools and groups who collect items such as advent calendars and toiletries for us, and to our supporters who, without fail, purchase all the items on our wish list, enabling all the bags to be stocked with age-appropriate treats. We also really appreciate the referrers who give up time on a Saturday to collect their families’ Christmas Bags and who deliver them on for us.
## **From this**
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To this
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## **For each child, every bag contains:**
- 2 toys/vouchers
- 1 book
- 1 game/voucher
- 1 advent calendar
## **For each family, every bag contains:**
- Supermarket vouchers
- Toiletries
- Chocolate selection box
- Stocking fillers for parents
- 1 bag of gold coins
- 1 new pair of pyjamas
- 1 preloved Christmas jumper
**“A quick note to say a massive thank you to Bromley Brighter Beginnings for the 3 hampers that we were awarded this year to help some of our families.**
**The gifts were thoughtful and amazing, and the supermarket gift card will be an enormous help. The families were very grateful , there were lots of smiles and words of thanks!”**
**“After work yesterday I took one of your hampers to a mum who has motor neurone disease and does not have much time left with her children . It brought a big smile to her face and she was extremely grateful for what was inside the bag. She was even more pleased with the Sainsburys card inside which will help with Christmas food. So many thanks for your kind generosity.”**
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## **Treasurer’s report**
2022 / 23 has been another year marked by positive achievements and rising demand in the community. We are incredibly grateful to our kind donors and grant providers for their ongoing support of our work. Key highlights from 1 Aug 2022, to 31 Jul 2023 (rounded figures (£k = ‘000’):
## **Highlights:**
**Received total inflows of roughly £202k which was a mix of fundraising efforts + donations (55%) and grants (45%)**
- £109k of the £202k was ring-fenced for specific projects/ causes selected by the donors
- The remaining funds (£94k) were general cause donations
## **Total outflows were £152k. The main drivers were:**
- Bed For Every Child £67k • School Uniforms £25k
- Healthy Homes £21k
- Hampers £18k • Referrals £6k • Employees £6k • Running costs £5k
**Net cash flow was positive with £50k retained.**
**Ending cash balance was £123k, of which £21k is ring fenced.**
**Remaining unrestricted reserves balance is £102k**
Further details of our financial activities and Independent examiner’s report can be found on pages 17 to 31.
_Chirag Jethwani_
Treasurer & Trustee
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## **Fundraising**
The 2022/2023 financial year was a hugely successful year for Bromley Brighter Beginnings in terms of fundraising. Thanks to this we were able to develop and grow the charity in new, exciting ways, enabling us to support even more families in need.
We were delighted to receive our largest ever grant to date from Global, who run radio stations such as Capital and Heart, through their Make Some Noise campaign. They donated a staggering £60,000 towards our Bed for Every Child project. This figure is enough to cover the costs of the new beds we provide for children across the borough for an entire year.
We also received grants from several grant-making trusts and foundations including the Edward Gostling Foundation, the Light Fund, the Doughty Family Foundation, the National Lottery and the B&Q Foundation, alongside generous donations from wonderful local organisations who are always extremely supportive of our work, such as Rotary clubs.
We were also very lucky to have many individual fundraisers, schools, clubs and teams who held events and raised sponsorship for us, with a special mention for our 5 runners who took part in the London Landmarks Half Marathon in April and raised thousands of pounds between them.
During the year, we also actively sought out and secured grants to cover the cost of employing our new part time staff - huge thanks to the Garfield Weston Foundation and the Albert Hunt Trust, as well as Global again who contributed an extra £5,000.
BBB simply couldn’t run its campaigns, such as School Uniform, Newborn Packs and Healthy Homes, and help the families we do, without all of this invaluable funding, so an enormous thank you to everyone who has supported us this past financial year, and all those who continue to do so.
_Jenny Manning Grants and Fundraising Lead_
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**Ways you can support us**
**Community Day: Easter 2024 – details coming soon!**
**Make regular donations via JustGiving**
**Social media follows & shares**
**Host a collection box for us**
**Hold a fundraising event (bake sale, quiz night, swimathon!)**
**Make us your ‘charity of the year’ Shop online via EasyFundraising or The Giving Machine**
**For details of all these options, visit - Fundraising guide Bromley Brighter Beginnings**
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## **Words from families / referrers / supporters / volunteers**
**“Thank you so so much from the bot om of my heart, I’ve been struggling so much with everything at the moment ”**
**“U guys are amazing you don’t understand how u are helping me I’m literally in tears”**
“Hello Trish, the kids want to appreciate you and say thanks for the e-gift card given to them. They really loved the school shoes they got yesterday. May God bless you’
## **Feedback from clients**
**“I appreciate your hard work, your personal interest in my daughter and me, your understanding and your help that you gave us”**
“The most amazing kind caring and helpful people I have ever had the pleasure of (not actually) meeting! Highly recommend to everyone in crisis”
“I want to thank you so much for the support you have provided to my family. It has enabled me to walk a little bit taller, knowing that there are people out there who care about what happens to me and my family. We were treated with dignity and respect right the way through and were never made to feel like a charity case. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have restored my faith in humanity.”
**“I received your help when I needed it most. I of er my heartfelt thanks you all .”**
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## **Words from our volunteers**
**“I’m proud of being part of BBB team as it is run by amazing human beings for families who deserve our time.” – Sandrine**
“I liaise with the families and our amazing supporters to try and give the families what they so desperately need. It makes such an enormous difference to them when they no longer have to worry about their children being able to sleep well, be comfortable, go to school etc and essentially just be kids. It’s a privilege to be part of Team BBB. I’ve met lots of amazing women, who give huge amounts of their time, experience, and expertise to help others.” - Rhian
**“I loved the idea that my pre-loved things could help a family in need….my background is in children’s social services so I’ve seen the impact of poverty on children’s wellbeing and development. I am so excited to be involved in providing practical help, giving families dignity and hope for the future.” – Laura M**
“It has really opened my eyes to the poverty that exists in our Borough and I feel honoured to be part of a charity making a real and immediate difference to Bromley children and families.” – Katie
“I wanted to help a charity in my borough, specifically to help families in need. BBB is a great charity to work for and I enjoy helping families in need directly. It’s extremely rewarding.” – Natalie
**“Everyone mucks in to get things done, it ’s a very welcoming team and I love seeing first-hand what donations truly mean to the community they support.” – Anna A**
**“It is incredibly rewarding and makes me feel like I am doing something valuable for my community.” – Emma J**
“It’s so important that we all help those struggling with difficult life circumstances, it could be any of us at any point.” - Louise M
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**Charity registration number 1162113**
## **BROMLEY BRIGHTER BEGINNINGS**
**ANNUAL REPORT AND UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2023**
## **BROMLEY BRIGHTER BEGINNINGS**
## **LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION**
## **Trustees**
E Martin N Lengthorn T Griffin L Freeman C Jethwani J Kench (Appointed 4 February 2023) E Warren (Appointed 4 February 2023)
**Charity number** 1162113
## **Independent examiner**
Louise Hallsworth, FCA Baxter & Co Chartered Certified Accountants Lynwood House, Crofton Road Orpington Kent BR6 8QE
## **BROMLEY BRIGHTER BEGINNINGS**
## **CONTENTS**
||**Page**|
|---|---|
|Trustees' report|1 - 2|
|Independent examiner's report|3|
|Statement of financial activities|4|
|Balance sheet|5|
|Notes to the financial statements|6 - 11|
## **BROMLEY BRIGHTER BEGINNINGS**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2023**_
The Trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 July 2023.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the Charity's Declaration of Trust dated 5th September 2014 (and subsequent amendments), the Charities Act 2011 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 1 January 2019).
## **Objectives and activities**
The Trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the Charity should undertake.
## **Achievements and performance Financial review**
It is the policy of the Charity that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level equivalent to between three and six months' expenditure. The Trustees consider that reserves at this level will ensure that, in the event of a significant drop in funding, they will be able to continue the Charity’s current activities while consideration is given to ways in which additional funds may be raised. This level of reserves has been maintained throughout the year.
## **Structure, governance and management**
The Charity is a charitable trust governed by the Declaration of Trust dated 5th September 2014 (and subsequent amendments).
The Trustees who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were: E Martin
N Lengthorn T Griffin L Freeman C Jethwani J Kench (Appointed 4 February 2023) E Warren (Appointed 4 February 2023)
The method of recruiting trustees was initially word of mouth and then as the Trust got bigger, it was advertising - originally by posting something on the main Facebook group, but more recently by advertising through other channels such as Reach and Community Links. Appointments have all been made either in the original governing government, or by subsequent Deeds of Appointment.
None of the Trustees has any beneficial interest in the charity.
The charity's current policy concerning the payment of trade creditors is to follow the CBI's Prompt Payers Code (copies are available from the CBI, Centre Point, 103 New Oxford Street, London WC1A 1DU).
The charity's current policy concerning the payment of trade creditors is to:
- settle the terms of payment with suppliers when agreeing the terms of each transaction;
- ensure that suppliers are made aware of the terms of payment by inclusion of the relevant terms in contracts; and
- pay in accordance with the charity's contractual and other legal obligations.
Trade creditors of the charity at the year end were NIL.
- 1 -
BROMLEY BRIGHTER BEGINNINGS
TRUSTEES, REPORT (CONTINUED)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JUL Y 2023
The Trustees. rewl was approved by the 8oarf ol Truslee5.
C Jethwani
TreasUr a
stee
Date-.
## **BROMLEY BRIGHTER BEGINNINGS**
## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT**
## **TO THE TRUSTEES OF BROMLEY BRIGHTER BEGINNINGS**
I report to the Trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Bromley Brighter Beginnings (the Charity) for the year ended 31 July 2023.
## **Responsibilities and basis of report**
As the Trustees of the Charity you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act).
I report in respect of my examination of the Charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act. In carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
## **Independent examiner's statement**
Your attention is drawn to the fact that the charity has prepared financial statements in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) in preference to the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice issued on 1 April 2005 which is referred to in the extant regulations but has now been withdrawn.
I understand that this has been done in order for financial statements to provide a true and fair view in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Practice effective for reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2015.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
- 1 accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 130 of the 2011 Act; or
- 2 the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
- 3 the financial statements 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 in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
## **Louise Hallsworth, FCA**
Baxter & Co Chartered Certified Accountants Lynwood House, Crofton Road Orpington Kent BR6 8QE
Dated: ......................... 31 October 2023
- 3 -
## **BROMLEY BRIGHTER BEGINNINGS**
## **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2023**_
||||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**|**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||**funds**|**funds**||**funds**|**funds**||
||||**2023**|**2023**|**2023**|**2022**|**2022**|**2022**|
|||**Notes**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|**Income from:**|||||||||
|Donations and|||||||||
|legacies||**2**|93,680|108,814|202,494|87,507|45,371|132,878|
||||||||||
|**Expenditure on:**|||||||||
|Charitable activities
**3**|||54,694|97,362|152,056|69,231|56,331|125,562|
||||||||||
|**Net income for the year/**|||||||||
|**Net movement in**||**funds**|38,986|11,452|50,438|18,276|(10,960)|7,316|
|Fund balances at 1 August|||||||||
|2022|||63,555|9,621|73,176|45,279|20,581|65,860|
||||||||||
|**Fund balances at 31 July**|||||||||
|**2023**|||102,541|21,073|123,614|63,555|9,621|73,176|
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
- 4 -
BROMLEY BRIGHTER BEGINNINGS
BALANCE SHEET
AS Af 31 JULY 2023
2023
2022
Notes
Current assets
Debtors
Cash at bank and in haThJ
1.403
123.211
73.176
124.614
73.176
Creditor5'. amounts falllng du* wtthin
one yèar
I1,()
Net ojrrent assets
123,614
73,176
Ineome funds
R85tricled funds
Unrestnct&l fund5
21,073
102.541
9.621
63,555
123.614
73.176
131,.113
The financial statements wEre approved by thè TNst88s on ........... ........ ...
C Jelhw
Trust¢e + ff¢4J(4 ce e
## **BROMLEY BRIGHTER BEGINNINGS**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2023**_
## **1 Accounting policies**
## **Charity information**
Bromley Brighter Beginnings is a registered charity in England and Wales (charity number 1162113).
## **1.1 Accounting convention**
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charity's governing document, the Charities Act 2011, and the Charities SORP "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 1 January 2019). The Charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The Charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.
The financial statements have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a true and fair view. This departure has involved following the Statement of Recommended Practice for charities applying FRS 102 rather than the version of the Statement of Recommended Practice which is referred to in the Regulations but which has since been withdrawn.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the Charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
## **1.2 Going concern**
At the time of approving the financial statements, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the Charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the Trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
## **1.3 Charitable funds**
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Endowment funds are subject to specific conditions by donors that the capital must be maintained by the Charity.
## **1.4 Income**
Income is recognised when the Charity is legally entitled to it after any performance conditions have been met, the amounts can be measured reliably, and it is probable that income will be received.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the Charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Legacies are recognised on receipt or otherwise if the Charity has been notified of an impending distribution, the amount is known, and receipt is expected. If the amount is not known, the legacy is treated as a contingent asset.
- 6 -
## **BROMLEY BRIGHTER BEGINNINGS**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2023**_
## **1 Accounting policies**
**(Continued)**
## **1.5 Expenditure**
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of contracted hours, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
## **1.6 Cash and cash equivalents**
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
## **1.7 Financial instruments**
The Charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the Charity's balance sheet when the Charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
## **1.8 Employee benefits**
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the Charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
## **2 Donations and legacies**
||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**|**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**funds**|**funds**||**funds**|**funds**||
||**2023**|**2023**|**2023**|**2022**|**2022**|**2022**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|Donations and gifts|86,680|23,564|110,244|87,507|45,371|132,878|
|Grants|7,000|85,250|92,250|-|-|-|
||||||||
||93,680|108,814|202,494|87,507|45,371|132,878|
- 7 -
## **BROMLEY BRIGHTER BEGINNINGS**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2023**_
|**2**|**Donations and legacies**||||||||||**(Continued)**|**(Continued)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Donations and gifts**||||||||||||
||Direct donations to||||||||||||
||BBB|38,733||-||38,733||45,965||-||45,965|
||Just giving / general|43,373||-||43,373||36,741||-||36,741|
||Paypal / Facebook /||||||||||||
||Amazon / Collection||||||||||||
||boxes etc.|4,574||-||4,574||4,801||-||4,801|
||Bed for every child|-||1,764||1,764||-||28,950||28,950|
||Hampers|-||19,672||19,672||-||6,067||6,067|
||Healthy homes|-||1,325||1,325||-||474||474|
||School uniform|-||803||803||-||8,339||8,339|
||Newborn hampers|-||-||-||-||1,500||1,500|
||Food poverty|-||-||-||-||41||41|
||||||||||||||
|||86,680||23,564||110,244||87,507||45,371||132,878|
||**Grants receivable for**||||||||||||
||**core activities**||||||||||||
||Bed for every child|-||51,500||51,500||-||-||-|
||Hampers|-||3,500||3,500||-||-||-|
||Healthy homes|-||10,000||10,000||-||-||-|
||School uniform|-||3,500||3,500||-||-||-|
||Newborn hampers|-||3,000||3,000||-||-||-|
||Crisis support|-||5,750||5,750||-||-||-|
||Employee|-||8,000||8,000||-||-||-|
||Other|7,000||-||7,000||-||-||-|
||||||||||||||
|||7,000||85,250||92,250||-||-||-|
- 8 -
## **BROMLEY BRIGHTER BEGINNINGS**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2023**_
## **3 Charitable activities**
||**2023**||**2022**|
|---|---|---|---|
||**£**||**£**|
|Staff costs|5,293||-|
|Bed for every child|66,578||50,735|
|School uniform|24,833||31,000|
|Hampers|17,600||13,038|
|Healthy homes|21,186||11,370|
|Referrals|6,334||6,890|
|Crisis support|757||1,844|
|Food poverty|-||4,386|
|Basic bundle|-||849|
|Newborn packs|3,123||1,278|
|Book for every child|-||63|
|Other miscellaneous|-||700|
|||||
||145,704||122,153|
|Share of support costs (see note 4)|5,352||3,409|
|Share of governance costs (see note 4)|1,000||-|
|||||
||152,056||125,562|
|**Analysis by fund**||||
|Unrestricted funds|54,694||69,231|
|Restricted funds|97,362||56,331|
|||||
||152,056||125,562|
- 9 -
## **BROMLEY BRIGHTER BEGINNINGS**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2023**_
## **4 Support costs**
|**Support costs**|||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Support**||
**Governance**|||**2023**|**Support**||
**Governance**|||**2022**|
|||**costs**||**costs**||||**costs**||**costs**|||
|||**£**||**£**||**£**||**£**||**£**||**£**|
|Running costs||4,311||-||4,311||3,240||-||3,240|
|Safeguarding||-||-||-||161||-||161|
|Team development||268||-||268||8||-||8|
|Advertising||773||-||773||-||-||-|
|Audit fees||-||1,000||1,000||-||-||-|
||||||||||||||
|||5,352||1,000||6,352||3,409||-||3,409|
|Analysed between|||||||||||||
|Charitable activities||5,352||1,000||6,352||3,409||-||3,409|
Governance costs includes payments to the auditors of £1,000 (2022- £nil) for audit fees.
## **5 Trustees**
None of the Trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration or benefits from the Charity during the year.
## **6 Employees**
The number of employees at the year end was:
|The number of employees at the year end was:|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**2023**||**2022**|
||**Number**||**Number**||
|||2||-|
|**Employment costs**||**2023**||**2022**|
|||**£**||**£**|
|Wages and salaries||5,293||-|
There were no employees whose annual remuneration was more than £60,000.
## **7 Taxation**
The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or section 252 of the Taxationof Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects.
- 10 -
## **BROMLEY BRIGHTER BEGINNINGS**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2023**_
|**8**|**Debtors**|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||||**2023**||**2022**|
||**Amounts falling due within one year:**||||||**£**||**£**|
||Prepayments and accrued income||||||1,403||-|
|**9**|**Creditors: amounts falling due within**||**one year**|||||||
||||||||**2023**||**2022**|
||||||||**£**||**£**|
||Accruals and deferred income||||||1,000||-|
|**10**|**Analysis of net assets between funds**|||||||||
||**Unrestricted**||
**Restricted**|
**Total **|**Unrestricted**|
**Restricted**|||**Total**|
|||**funds**|**funds**||**funds**||**funds**|||
|||**2023**|**2023**|**2023**|**2022**||**2022**||**2022**|
|||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|||**£**|**£**|
||Fund balances at 31|||||||||
||July 2023 are|||||||||
||represented by:|||||||||
||Current assets/(liabilities)|102,541|21,073|123,614|63,555||9,621||73,176|
|||||||||||
|||102,541|21,073|123,614|63,555||9,621||73,176|
## **11 Related party transactions**
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2022 - none).
- 11 -