2023-05-31-accounts

The Trustees’ Annual Report To the Charities Commission

June 2022 to the end of May 2023

HOBY UK is a registered charity number 1162859

Operating address: 3 Mossville Close Liverpool, L18 7JR

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1. About HOBY UK

HOBY UK is a charity for young people, run by young people, which has been developing young leaders since 2006.

A team of young volunteers run leadership workshops and an annual residential seminar, bringing together young people from different backgrounds, building their confidence, raising their aspirations, and inspiring them to improve their lives and the lives of those around them, locally and globally. After attending an event, those young people are supported to volunteer or further develop their leadership at our international partners’ seminar in Ireland or America. Most of our current volunteers have been inspired to take on a leadership role following their life-changing experience at a HOBY seminar.

A board of 5 trustees govern how HOBY UK is managed and run. They also oversee the charity’s drive to scale up the organisation, expanding its reach and impact, transforming the lives of young people through quality leadership training. Building the capacity to deliver this and ensuring a secure, sustainable future for the charity are important strategies to achieve this goal.

The Covid pandemic and the current cost-of-living crisis have created additional challenges for young people. Our role has never been more important to ensure that young people are supported, inspired and motivated to excel.

Our objects as a charity are

“To advance the education of young people between the ages of 14 and 18 for the public benefit by organising and facilitating leadership training programmes and by providing support for young people to undertake volunteering activities.”

The public benefit of its activities to young people are intended to be:

• Developing their skills, capacities, and capabilities.

• Helping them become independent, mature, and responsible individuals.

• Improving their self-esteem.

• Enabling them to become effective and compassionate leaders.

• Motivating and supporting them to make a positive difference within our global society.

2. This year’s activities

This year has been a period of change for HOBY UK. The volunteer team was re-vitalised by new recruits and the return of some older members, we ran a workshop in Liverpool and one for a school in Spain, the annual seminar was moved from the Easter holidays to the start of the schools’ summer break, and for a short spell, the charity employed an Executive Director, our first paid post.

COVID restrictions and the lack of HOBY events had meant that fewer new young people had joined our volunteer team. In the Autumn of 2022, Caitlin Robinson, Director of Volunteers, organised an awards celebration and general reunion to welcome new recruits and re-

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engage former volunteers. The event was a great success and since then volunteering has gone from strength to strength, with more young people right at the heart of the leadership team and actively driving things forward.

Caitlin also used the event as a fundraising opportunity, running a raffle and a collection for a foodbank. £100 was raised for ‘Fans Supporting Foodbanks’ The photo shows CEO John Sharples handing over a cheque to the founder Dave Kelly, who has been an excellent speaker at our workshops.

A number of the volunteers who came along to the celebration event have since taken on more senior responsibilities, as is fitting for our strapline ‘A charity for young people, run by young people’.

More charity fundraising took place towards Christmas, when Director of Communications, Danny Sharples organised a concert, raising over £1400 for ‘An Hour for Others’, another organisation whose founder Kevin Morland has been one of our guest speakers.

Again this year, volunteers ran one-day workshops for schools. The first at St Hilda’s, Liverpool in November was a great success: the young aspiring leaders really engaged with the programme and the feedback was very positive. A number of the students have now signed up to take their leadership development further by attending the HOBY residential in July.

The second in December was an on-line workshop with students from a school in Salou, Spain. Katie-Alice Lea,

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a former HOBY UK volunteer now teaches there and set up the opportunity for the Spanish youngsters. It was a lively day, with lots of positives, but WiFi issues did present a few challenges. The school was really appreciative though, and has invited us to run another workshop next year (with better WiFi!)

Another fall-out from COVID was the reduced availability of affordable university-based student accommodation during the Easter holidays. Re-scheduling the annual residential seminar to July has solved this problem and has made the event more attractive to year 10 and 11 students facing pre-exam pressure. This means there is no seminar to report on for this year, but the summer seminar promises to be a big success and we believe the longterm benefits of this change will be significant.

Awards for All Lottery funding was secured in December, and this enabled HOBY UK to create its first paid staff post: an Executive Director. Gloria Hyatt MBE was appointed, but the role proved much more time-consuming than the one-day a week allocation afforded, and Gloria decided to leave at the end of May. During her time with HOBY Gloria energised the management team and board of trustees, and has raised our ambitions and aspirations. A number of her plans are being taken forward in our next strategic plan. We will continue the drive to build our capacity, but it’s clear that a more substantial role needs to be created, commensurate with the workload and responsibilities involved. Securing the funding for this will be a priority.

3. Finance

During the year, to aid its running costs, to provide seminar places for disadvantaged young people, and to employ an Executive Director, the charity received:

• a grant from Cheshire Community Small Grants for £2,500.00

• a grant from The National Lottery Awards for All of £9,950.00.

• a grant from Dutchy of Lancaster for £3,000.00

At the year end, the closing balances are: Unrestricted funds £13,704.49 Restricted funds £11,682.40 giving the total at bank as £25,386.89

4. Future plans

The strategic plan for the next three years is being finalised with the following priorities:

• Priority 1: Ensure more young people can benefit from HOBY UK’s leadership programmes.

• Priority 2: Grow and develop the volunteer team.

• Priority 3: Raise the profile of HOBY UK, so that it is widely known and respected.

• Priority 4: Build the capacity of HOBY UK to deliver ambitious aims and ensure its sustainable future.

5. Background information

5.1. Bank details

Bank: NatWest Branch Sort Code: 60-01-11 Account name: HOBY UK IBAN: GB30 NWBK 6001 1143 3193 78 Account number: 43319378

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5.2. Organisational details

HOBY UK is led, managed, and governed entirely by volunteers

The Board of Trustees was recruited because of their relevant skills and experience and their commitment to HOBY UK’s aims. They meet at least four times a year and ensure that the charity uses its resources well, operates safely and within the law, and focusses its efforts effectively on achieving the aims outlined in the constitution.

Most of the Executive Management Team are young and have previously attended a HOBY programme themselves. They plan and implement HOBY UK’s long-term strategy and manage all day-to-day operational activities.

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Receipts and Payments Accounts HOBY UK (harity number.. 1161859 PerHxI.. IJw￿ 2022 to 31 Mlly1023 Lknrestrlrted funds Restlitw nds fund5 Total funds last year £o.(M) E710.07 £o.(y) É756.C £137.89 £1,603.96 £1,568.47 É6,929.(M) £0. £oth) £625 (Kl £9.IZ2A7 £o.(x) Éo.c £0 (x) £0 £o.Lw) £0 £o.fy) £0.00 El.568 47 É6.929. £o.w É15.450 £625. £24.572.47 ele8ate fee5 Merchandise Donations & Grants Other Income Toial recelpts É15.4501M) ÉO.LKI £15.450.00 ments Fundrèisln DDnatiDDS IT serwces Admirt & siètioDery Resouice5 aDd Merchandis¢ Semlnar Expenses CEO Employrnent Cost5 Speaker & Voluniter elpenses Accommodation Insurance 1.142 76 É464.95 E299. EO.LY) É533.94 EO.Lh) t68.31 £4.706.18 £394 77 £105 É7.714.91 É140756 Eoc Eo. fo EO Éo. EO Éo.(K) £o.c £0 (M) £0 £ofy) f1.142 76 É464.95 E299 Tr) £00) É533.94 £4,267 fy) £68.31 E9.7C6 L8 £394 77 ios. É16.982.51 £7,589.96 £0 £17.796 93 É25.386.89 £O.CbJ £371.07 £435. £866 13 EO.C £oiY> £2.1￿.82 E2.414.06 É277.84 £68. £6.530.92 .£4.926 96 £0. £0. £o.fy) £o.(M) £4.267 60 £0. É5.rtsi EO.(A) Éo.c £9.267 f £6.J82.40 Total p•yments Net of rKeSpt5 Transfer between funth (45h lund5185t ye•r end Cash funds thls yt•r end £12.296.93 £13.704.49 É5.5ts).Lh) £11.682.40 17.796.93 C15h funds C•sh In b•nk £13.704.49 Ell.68Z.40 £0. É2S.31&89 Oth•r m•n•tary•ss* Invtstmert ￿et$ NIA NIA WA Assds ret•lned for ch•rlty's own use NIA NIA NIA UJbllltles Pr•par•d bv Prlnt name.. Date". 3111123 518ned bytrustees on behalfoftheth•rity: PT1nt name-. Date of approval. Independenttyscrudnlsed by: Print narneartd professional ovalifical￿n5'. Si8nature'. Date-