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2024-04-30-accounts

Charitable Incorporated Organisation Registered Charity in England & Wales (no. 1163160)

Annual report

for the year

1[st] May 2023

— 30[th] April 2024

Trustee report 1 May 2023 – 30 April 2024

Contents:

  1. Introduction

  2. Message from Chair of Trustees

  3. Our vision and mission

  4. Our trustees

  5. Our volunteers

  6. Highlights

  7. The year in pictures

1. Introduction

This Annual Report provides an overview of the period from 1st May 2023 to 30th April 2024, highlighting achievements, performance, and impact, as well as financial performance and position. This information demonstrates the trustees’ stewardship and management of charitable funds.

The trustees and staff of Southend Foodbank would like to express their sincere appreciation to the volunteers, staff, and donors, as their contributions have made our achievements possible. The trustees are confident that, through careful stewardship and management of charitable funds, Southend Foodbank continues to meet the public benefit requirements set forth by the Charity Commission.

Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in the governing document:

To provide relief of financial hardship among persons residing within the Borough of Southend-on-Sea, Rochford District and the surrounding area or in other parts of the United Kingdom in such ways as the trustees from time-to-time think fit, in particular, but not exclusively by:

and to provide such services with a Christian ethos, supported by churches within the Borough of Southend-on-Sea, Rochford District and the surrounding area or in other parts of the United Kingdom.

2. Message from the chair of trustees

As a charity, we are deeply rooted in the teachings and life of Jesus. Our vision is clear:

Working towards a hunger-free future.

For those among us who are part of the Foodbank and share a Christian faith, we see God’s Kingdom at work in our efforts. Our mission reflects our commitment to serving those in need:

We strive to serve those who are hungry and in need with excellence and love, inspired by Jesus’ command to love our neighbours as ourselves.

We are profoundly grateful for the dedication of our staff and volunteers, regardless of their faith. Their commitment and hard work make it possible to achieve our vision and mission as we work to Help Local People in Crisis.

Over the past year, we have been serving people in our community who are struggling, particularly under the weight of rising fuel and household bills. Thanks to the diligence of our staff and volunteers, the generosity of our community, and the grants we have secured, we have just managed to keep pace with the sharp increase in demand.

In one year alone, access to Southend Foodbank has surged by 30%. This follows a 64.6% increase the previous year—a jump that already felt immense at the time. The continued rise in need highlights the critical importance of our work and the resilience of those who make it possible.

We have continued to provide three days of emergency food across eight locations, offering vital support to those in need. Alongside this, we have enhanced our services by providing signposting to additional resources and securing funding for a dedicated Citizens Advice member to assist at six of our busiest distribution centres.

Our Campaigns Coordinator has been instrumental in raising awareness of food poverty within the wider community through printed news, radio features, and social media outreach.

I am deeply grateful to everyone who contributes to our mission—volunteers, employees, and trustees alike. The dedication, passion, and faithfulness within our team to support Southend Foodbank and its vision are truly inspiring. It is a privilege to be part of this incredible work.

As we step into a new year, financial forecasts indicate that the demand for our services may persist, with more people continuing to rely on us in times of need. This comes at a challenging time, as donations from churches have decreased by 50%, while the need for the parcels we distribute has increased by 30%.

Yet, despite these obstacles, we remain steadfast in our mission. We trust that, through all we do, we will continue to shine as a light in our community—a beacon of hope for those in crisis.

Kim Wright Chair of Trustees

3. Our vision and mission

Our vision is to reduce hunger and alleviate financial hardship among people living in Southend and Rochford.

We do this by providing emergency food, essential toiletries and household items to individuals and families in need. We will also provide signposting to relevant information and other advisory services. We will provide these services with a Christian ethos, supported by churches within Southend and Rochford.

The food that we distribute is collected from our community donations – people donate food at supermarkets, churches, schools and group collections. Increasingly, we are buying food to supplement what the community can give us. This is made possible due to monetary donations, fundraising and grants that we apply for.

We also want to reduce the need for foodbanks. We work with referral agencies who work directly with the community. As part of the work they do, they issue vouchers to help people in crisis. Our guests then bring the vouchers to one of our centres where we fulfil them. Our aim is for them to work with agencies such as Citizens Advice, Christians Against Poverty and other agencies that can help their circumstances.

As part of the Trussell Trust network of foodbanks, all this data is collated and goes to making real changes in policy that will help people.

The role of signposting co-ordinator was made possible through Trussell Trust funding and will spearhead the inclusion of signposting in our distribution centres.

4. Our trustees

Our trustees have diverse skills and wisdom that they bring to leading the foodbank. As well as the skills they bring to our board, they also represent the churches we hold our centres at.

Kim Wright, Eastwood Baptist, Chair of Trustees Richard Sapsted, Hawkwell Baptist Melanie Venables, Shoebury and Thorpe Bay Baptist Church Helen Wall, St Saviours, Westcliff Matt Belcher, Belle Vue Baptist, Treasurer

5. Our volunteers

We have over 150 volunteers who give their time, energy and compassion. We have teams volunteering in our warehouse four times a week, teams run by our amazing co-ordinators in each of our eight distribution centres, a team of drivers for each of those centres that deliver the parcels from the warehouse to the centre, and drivers who pick up from churches, schools and supermarkets to bring to our warehouse. We also have ad hoc volunteers who volunteer at our supermarket collections. We also have a team behind the scenes who volunteer by staffing our info inbox, organise drivers, co-ordinate our referral agencies and vouchers, oversee recruitment, fundraising co-ordinator and supermarket co-ordinator. Without these volunteers, we would have to close. We are so grateful for everyone who gives their time.

6. Highlights

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Charitable Incorporated Organisation Registered Charity in England & Wales (no. 1163160)

Financial accounts for the year

1[st] May 2023 — 30[th] April 2024

SOUTHEND FOODBANK CIO FINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 APRIL 2024 £s

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Receipts

Income increased significantly (by £242,576) on the previous year — at £488,378. General donations made up 25% of total income, amounting to £119,814. This represents a reduction on last year of £72k as that period included several large one-off donations. However, grant income was up substantially on the year prior – by £318k to £368k. These grants included: £112k Sustainability grant covering salary costs of a Community Fundraising Co-ordinator and a Signposting Co-ordinator; £72k National Lottery Community Fund grant to cover the running costs and the cost of food purchases; £58k Financial Inclusion grant covering costs of a Citizens’ Advice advisor; and £17k Organising & Local Mobilisation grant covering salary costs of a Campaigns & Communications Co-ordinator.

Payments

Expenditure also increased significantly against the previous year — by £161,429 to £352,926. Food purchases increased by £96k as additional demand for food parcels necessitated additional expenditure. Salaries & wages were up £26k on the previous year – albeit (as highlighted above) this was primarily due to an expanded payroll, funded by generous grants. Expenditure on fabric & equipment increased £23k, mostly as a result of the purchase of a van to service the warehouse and distribution centres.

Salaries and Wages accounted for 24% of overall expenditure; Rent and Utility payments for 8%; Food purchases for 45%.

Funds

Many of the grants received in the previous financial year (and in earlier periods) were restricted to a specific purpose; below is a summary of how these funds have been used over the past year:

Restricted Funds

Restricted Funds
Fund names Fund
balances
brought
forward
£		 Incoming
resources
£		 Resources
expended
£		 Transfers
£		 Gains and
losses
£		 Fund
balances
carried
forward
£
Augustine Courtaud - 2,000 (1,350) - 650
Awards for All - 8,400 - (8,400) -
Building 34,751 - - (34,751) -
Charles S French - 2,500 (2,500) - -
Essex Community Fund - 10,000 (10,000)
Financial Inclusion 112 57,658 (12,570) - 45,200
Kitchenette 610 - - (610) -
National Lottery Community Fund - 72,400 (72,400) - -
Organising & Local Mobilisation 12,929 17,171 (11,317) (327) 18,455
Postcode Places - 9,967 (9,060) - 907
Rosca - 3,000 (2,972) - 28
Southend Emergency Fund 2,000 7,000 (7,000) - 2,000
Sustainability Grant - 112,278 (546) - 111,732
Strategic Resources (780) 18,720 (9,328) - 8,612
Van - 14,680 (14,680) - -
WBC 200 - - - 200
**Total Funds ** 49,822 335,774 **(153,723) ** **(44,088) ** - 187,785

Of note in the movements listed above are the following transfers between funds:

From Fund (Name) To Fund (Name) Reason Amount
Awards for All General Payment for which fund restricted made at the
end of previous financial year (before
reception of grant)		 8,400
Building General Plans to relocate/upgrade warehouse
cancelled due to changing food stock situation		 34,751
Kitchenette Building Merged Kitchenette and Building funds 610
Organising & Local Mobilisation Building Small amounts of grant spent but not properly
tracked in prevous reporting period		 327
Unrestricted funds
2023
2023
General fund
107,475 109,986
Reserves
25,000
25,000

Within a designated fund an amount of £25,000 is held in reserve, in accordance with the Reserve Policy. These reserves ensure that the Foodbank can continue operating (purchasing food, paying staff etc.) for a period in the event income falls sharply. In total £107,475 was held in a General fund at the close of the financial year; £25,000 was held in reserve and £187,785 was held in restricted funds.

Matthew Belcher, FIA Treasurer

SOUTHEND FOODBANK CIO

FINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 APRIL 2024

£s

Section B Balance sheet Totsl this year Total last year Fixed assets Tangible assets F01 F02 (Note 8) B01 B02 Investments (Note 9) B03 Total flxed assets Current assets Stock and work in progress Debtors (Note 10) {Short temi) investments Cash at bank and in hand 805 B06 B07 320,260 320,260 184,808 184,808 Total current assets B09 Creditors: amounls falllng due wlthln one year {Note 111 B10 81 Net current assets/(liabilities) B11 320,179 184,808 Total assets less current liabilities 812 320,179 184,808 Creditors: amounts falling due after one year {Note 111 Provisions for liabilities and charges 813 B14 Net assets B15 320,179 184,808 Funds of the Charity Unrestricted funds Designated funds Total unrestricted funds B18 107,475 25,000 132,475 187,785 134,986 B17 134,986 49,822 Restricted income funds (Note 12) Endowment funds (Note 121 B18 B19 Total funds 820 320,260 184,808

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

Basis of accounts : these accounts have been prepared on an ‘accruals’ basis and accord with Sections 132-166, Charities Act (CA 2011) for an E&W CIO

  1. Approval of accounts : these accounts meet the threshold at which an independent examination is required in addition to approval by the Trustees.

  2. Guarantees and disclosures : the trustees confirm, in accordance with Charitable Incorporated Organisation (General) Regulations 2012, that at year end the CIO did not have any outstanding guarantees to third parties nor any debts secured on assets of the CIO.

The financial statement relating to the year ending 30 April 2024 are as approved by the Trustees.

Date: 04/04/25 Date: 12/03/2025

Signed: (Chair) Signed: (Treasurer)

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to thè trustses On accounts for the year ended Charlty no {If any) Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (Ihe Trusf) for the yèar ended 7ts l ¢￿-12￿= As the chariws trusts8s. YDU are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in aCC(Kdan￿ with the requirements of the Charitiès Act 2011 (Ihe Acr). Responsibilities and basls of report I report in respect of my examlnatlon of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 A¢t and in carrying OLrt my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 14515)(b) of the A¢X. Independent trhe charity's gross income exceeded £250,OCrf) and l am qualffied to examlner's slatement undertake the examination by being a qualified member of I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters hav8 come lo my attention in connection with the examination whith gr￿S me cause to believe that in, any material respect.. the accounting records wer8 not kept in accordance with seCt￿n 130 of the Charities Acl,. or the accounts dKI not acixrd ￿7th the accounting records" or the accounts did not compty with the applicable requirements conceming the form and content of accounts set in the Charities (A￿Unts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give 8 Irue and fairf view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examlnatton. I have no corKems 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 rxoper understanding of the accounts to be reached. ' Please delete the words in the brackets rfthey do not apply. Slgnad: Name: Relevant profe$sl¢)nal quallficallon(s) or body ACM CGMA IER Oct 2018

(If any): Address: SE Section B Disclosure Only mmplele rf the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concem (see CC32. Independent examination of charity accounts.. directKJns a￿1 guidance for examiners). Give here brièf details of any items thal the examlnerwlshes to dlsclosè. IER Oct 2018