**Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 30 April 2025**
Open Door Community Foundation (a Company Limited by Guarantee)
Registered Company number 09549202 Registered Charity number 1164850
Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements for the year ended 30 April 2025
|Index||
|---|---|
||Page|
|Report of the Trustees|3-16|
|Statement of Trustees Responsibilities|17|
|Report of the Independent Examiner|18|
|Statement of Financial Activities (incorporating an Income & Expenditure Account)|19|
|Balance Sheet|20|
|Principle accounting policies|21-22|
|Notes to the financial statements|23-30|
2
Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements for the year ended 30 April 2025
## **Report of the Trustees**
The Trustees are pleased to present their annual directors’ report together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 30 April 2025 which are also prepared to meet the requirements of a directors’ report and accounts for Companies Act purposes.
The financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006, the Memorandum and Articles of Association, 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 (FRS102) (updated 1 January 2019).
## **CHARITABLE OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES**
The Charitable Company’s Objects as set out in its Memorandum & Articles of Association are:-
- the advancement of the education of the people of Hodge Hill and the surrounding area;
- to develop the capacity and skills of the members of the socially and economically disadvantaged community of Hodge Hill and the surrounding area in such a way that they are better able to identify and help meet their needs and participate more fully in society;
- to promote social inclusion for the public benefit by preventing people from becoming socially excluded, relieving the needs of those people who are socially excluded and assisting them to integrate into society. For the purposes of this object ‘socially excluded’ means being excluded from society, or parts of society, as a result of one or more of the following – youth, age, disability, financial hardship, ill health, unemployment, substance abuse, discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion or poor educational or skills attainment;
- the relief of sickness and the preservation of health among the permanent and temporary residents of Hodge Hill and the surrounding areas;
- to promote for the benefit of the people of Hodge Hill and the surrounding area the provision of activities and facilities for recreation or other leisure time occupation of individuals who have need of such activities or facilities by reason of their youth, age, infirmity or disablement, financial hardship or social and economic circumstances or for the public at large in the interests of social welfare and with the object of improving the health, wellbeing and general condition of life of the said inhabitants.
The above objects shall be delivered at all times
with consideration of the principles of equality of opportunity and without distinction of sex, sexual orientation, race or of political, religious or other opinions.
3
Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements for the year ended 30 April 2025
## **Report of the Trustees (continued)**
## **Key activities and achievements**
With a view to advancing the Charity’s objectives, in the past year (April 2024- March 2025) we have been engaged in the following key activities.
Since January 2017, ODCF has been a partner organization, alongside Worth Unlimited and Firs & Bromford Neighbours Together, in _**TogetherWeCan** !_ , a long-term, intergenerational, community-building project within the Firs & Bromford neighbourhood, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, and Firs & Bromford Neighbours Together (a Big Local partnership).
The period April 2024 – March 2025 largely corresponds with Year 4 of _TogetherWeCan_ phase 2 (TWC2): a 5- year period, finishing in June 2026, with the aim of leaving a legacy, articulated in the ‘legacy statement’ of Firs & Bromford Neighbours Together:
_‘We wish to develop our community into a place of creativity and compassion, where all feel welcome, all feel connected, all feel they belong and all feel that they can flourish.’_
_TWC!_ brings together youth work and adult-focused community-building work to maximise the opportunities
for intergenerational (as well as cross-cultural) interaction and relationship-building, as we seek to support both young people and adults on a developmental journey from ‘entry points’ into community activities, into deeper belonging and sharing with others, towards learning new things which help them flourish within their community and, in many cases, step into various forms of ‘leadership’ role where they enable the participation of others. The work of _TWC!_ staff is focused on enabling and ‘alongsiding’ with local people, supporting local residents to take the lead in connecting with their neighbours, and offering and holding spaces where encounter, learning mutual support can grow and develop.
4
## Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements for the year ended 30 April 2025
## **Report of the Trustees (continued)**
In addition to TWC2, Your Local Pantry (Hodge Hill) has been running since May 2021, under the organisational ‘umbrella’ of ODCF, funded primarily through a grant from Groundwork/HS2, based at Hodge Hill Church, led by local volunteers, and supported by ODCF staff. Key outcomes for the Pantry project include:
- **Improved health and wellbeing** - through increased access to food, fresh fruit and veg, and support with cooking meals, and through social interaction, emotional and practical support, developing friendships, and connections into other community groups and activities, and signposting to support and advice services.
- **Increased community cohesion** - through social interaction, opportunities to volunteer, and bridging geographical and cultural divides between different local neighbourhoods.
- **Enhanced education and training** - through supporting members to develop and share skills in food growing and cooking, and financial budgeting; and through training for volunteers (e.g. food hygiene, first aid, community safeguarding, etc.)
As of April 2025, across our work, and within the wider _TWC!_ partnership, ODCF employed 1 full-time member of staff, and 5 part-time staff (an decrease of 3 from 2023-24):
- **Director of Strategy and Engagement** , FT (Paul Wright) – This is a new role that we created in January 2025 to provide visionary leadership in the development and execution of Open Door Community Foundation’s strategic and operational plans. This role will take a lead in advancing our Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) approach, fostering community engagement, strengthening partnerships, and driving business development efforts. As an ambassador for the charity, the Director will effectively advocate for the organization and its beneficiaries.
- 1 x **Green Connector** , PT (Jo Green) – supporting neighbours to engage in local green spaces, and in growing projects at home and in other local spaces
- 2 x **Street Connector Trainees** , PT (Clare Mclean & Tiffany Nicholson) – working alongside the SCM, supporting the team of Street Connectors and supporting people to develop new ideas
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Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements for the year ended 30 April 2025
## **Report of the Trustees (continued)**
- 1x ‘ **Livelihoods Support Worker** ’ PT (Flo Berrow) – support work (alongside community-building colleagues), based on the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (developed in the UK by Church Action on Poverty) (appointed June 2023; Flo’s work for ODCF is via a secondment from Worth Unlimited)
**Our Mental Health Capacity Building** work ended in March 2025. We sadly said goodbye to our two community guides, Jo Green & Nicola Walrond, and our externally contracted Mental Health CapacityBuilding support worker (Andy Freeman, from Space to Breathe CIC). They finished their work having strengthened the staff and volunteers, encouraged a deeper understanding of mental health, and helped us to shape our work to support people with their wellbeing. There are comprehensive recommendations for future work, which we are exploring the partnerships and investment required to enable this to happen.
During this year we also said goodbye to Cath Fletcher and Sam Ewell. Cath had been leading our Green Connecting work for 8 years, and Sam had been involved for 2 years. This led to us forming a new partnership with the Community Environmental Trust (CET), who are based in neighbouring Castle Vale. Through their project direct Alicia Grande, we are continuing our Green Connecting work, and looking to build stronger links with Castle Vale and the CET. Alicia works with Jo Green (newly recruited as a Green Connector) to deliver this project.
ODCF continues to work with Jane Perry, a freelance social researcher, to support us in developing evaluation tools for our work within the wider _TogetherWeCan!_ project. Jane has led on producing a comprehensive annual evaluation report of _TWC!_ ’s work, the most recent being in July 2024 summarized below, and available online at https://www.opendoorcf.org.uk/togetherwecan. We are currently finalising a report for Big Local, which will cover the impact of TWC since 2017. This will be published in September 2025, alongside a wide range of other ways we are celebrating the journey. All reports are available on our website.
We have also continued to benefit from the financial, HR and organisational support services of Matt Perry, a long-standing employee of Worth Unlimited who now supports us through his own business Giraffe HR. Matt has acted as Company Secretary of ODCF since its foundation.
6
## Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements for the year ended 30 April 2025
## **Report of the Trustees (continued)**
## **Key outputs for the year:**
## **Street Connecting & Places of Welcome**
Street Connecting, describes our work of intentionally getting to know our neighbours, inviting them to participate in the wider community. Street Connecting primarily happens through ‘door-knocking’ - going out in 2’s and 3’s visiting and chatting to local residents - and creating Places of Welcome, where local people can come together.
During this year, the Street Connector team has consolidated a smaller, but a very committed team of 3 key volunteers, working alongside Paul, Tiffany and Clare. The main focus of our Street Connecting work has also shifted to hosting and nurturing Places of Welcome (see below) as key connecting spaces. More time was also devoted to events, with Tiffany and Clare taking on leadership roles, working hard to grow the connecting and the involvement of local people in making these events happen. A notable outcome was the creation of new Street Markets, where Tiffany and Clare facilitated a space for people to share their talents. Additionally, there was a focus on community events like the seaside trip and Iftar to promote togetherness and engagement in Women's Economy work,
which further emphasized the markets.
In the nature of this sort of community development, unanticipated work emerged during the year, particularly supporting local people to engage in a Council consultation regarding retrofitting of housing stock. Housing quality has emerged as an issue many people locally struggle with, so it was important to help people have a voice to raise concerns, issues, as well as the positive impacts.
As a result of this shift in focus, door knocking efforts have been more concentrated on:
1) Continued work with the Welcome Packs and connecting in new residents.
2) The end of the community organising for St. Wilfrid's to get people involved in shaping the new space.
3) A spring campaign where we developed packs with an encouragement to try something new for spring, which we door knocked and handed out the packs, and encouraged people to come to PofW's, events, be part of the WhatsApp and Facebook group, and bring their ideas and passions into the community.
Places of Welcome are a core part of our offer, and provide consistent safe spaces for people across our community to connect, to receive support, to receive hospitality, and to have opportunities to participate. This year we have facilitated 5 PofW’s, including:
- FAB Women (33 sessions, ave. 9 women each week, 22 overall)
- Firs Coffee Morning (21 sessions, ave 10 people each week, 20 overall)
- Open Door Tuesday & Community Lunch (45 sessions, ave 15 to 20 people each week, 97 overall)
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Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements for the year ended 30 April 2025
## **Report of the Trustees (continued)**
- Men’s Brunch (21 sessions, ave. 8 men each week, 16 overall)
- Hodge Hill Pantry (statistics below)
## **Street Events & Community-wide events**
The Street Connecting team supported two street events, Berrandale Road & Bank Holiday at Bromford Bridge Church, plus green connecting events around the Pocket Park. Street Events are pop-up community celebrations, hosted by neighbours, often involving food, music and games.
Community Events. These events engaged over 150 people, 70 adults and 80 children.
Thanks to the Big Local Funding, large-scale community events have become a key part of our community ecology, as well as established and treasured traditions. Creating quality opportunities for wider community engagement and participation, our Community Events activities crossover with, and are resourced by, our Youth Connecting and Street Connecting work.
During Year 4. community events included:
- Jurassic Dawn Summer Event (163 adults, 223 children)
- Halloween Haunted Hallows (65 adults, 95 children)
- Big Iftar (74 adults, 65 children)
- Christmas Event (64 adults and 88 children)
- Santa’s sleigh ride (28 adults and 15 young people supported 2 x sleigh runs across the whole of Firs and Bromford)
- Easter Event (65 adults and 91 children)
- Market Stalls (Upto 20 stall holders, over 40 adults and 20 young people trading)
## **FAB Spaces**
A project funded by Awards for All, the street connectors led a range of activities that got people of all ages involved, engaged, connected and interested in the diverse range of open green spaces in the community. This included discovery walks along the new path and into the Bluebell woods, where children and adults were encouraged to discover nature as they walked. Litter Picks in the spaces to clean them up and encourage people to be more respectful. The project supported a tree planting initiative by Birmingham Tree People, and worked with residents to identify places for new trees to be planted, and encouraged people to engage in events to plant the trees.
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Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements for the year ended 30 April 2025
## **Report of the Trustees (continued)**
The project focus ended up supporting the development of the pocket park, and then working alongside the children and family clubs at the Hub to engage in this space after it was completed. This then nicely led onto the new partnership with the CET, and they took on this engagement.
## **Supporting Groups and Activities**
Fostering a wider range of community groups and activities is an essential part of our TWC practice. Small, local groups give residents the opportunity to come together around shared passions or interests, at a scale which enables people to feel they belong. Where possible, we aim for groups and activities to be as neighbour-led as possible. This ensures local ownership as well as creating opportunities for people to go deeper, exercising and developing leadership.
Our Support for Groups and Activities work is undertaken by Clare and Tiffany, as part of their Street Connecting roles. FBNT Big Local funding plays an essential role in providing small ‘PIE’ grants to support ideas for new groups and activities.
This year our priorities for Supporting Groups and Activities included:
- Supporting people who have new ideas through micro grants: PIE events and PIE Grants.
- Deeper support for existing groups, leaders / hosts
- Developing groups and activities that have a focus on health & wellbeing – e.g. mindfulness, walking group
This year the Firs and Bromford Neighbours Together Partnership made the decision to invest in Legacy Grants, through the PIE scheme. This was for people/projects who’d already been funded to apply for investment that would enable their activity to be sustainable beyond Big Local or to deliver a project that would create a legacy for the programme.
- The Village Green Sign - invested in a local artist to produce a village green sign
- The Band Stand - funds to move the band stand to the Village Green and make improvements to it
- Ambridge House Garden - investment to repair broken raised beds and make improvements that will enable the sustainability of this space
- The Writing Group - investing in books to be published
- Cosy Club / Family Zone - investing in equipment that will sustain the cosy club and enable further family engagement at community events
Each of these projects have been supported by Paul, Clare and/or Tiffany.
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Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements for the year ended 30 April 2025
## **Report of the Trustees (continued)**
As a result, by the end of Y4 there were 18 TWC Groups receiving significant support from TWC staff, 6 with light-touch support only and 11 which were neighbour-led with TWC contact only:
Overall 200 adult participants were recorded as having attended one or more of our core TWC-led activities (Fab Women, Open-Door Tuesday, Community Lunch, Firs Coffee Morning, Green Connectors or Men’s Brunch) during this year.
## **Livelihoods Support Work**
Our TWC Livelihoods Support work is undertaken by Flo (3 days per week), and 6 specially trained volunteers who provide additional capacity to handle requests for support at our Tuesday Open Door Place of Welcome and at Hodge Hill Pantry.
Y4 Priorities for our Livelihoods Support Work included:
- Continuing to provide One-to-One support for local residents experiencing a one-off crisis, developing this work into what we term ‘Frontline Community First Response’
- Growing number of appointments for One-to-One Livelihoods Support Promoting health & wellbeing
- Continue networking to build partnerships to support livelihoods
13 neighbours have engaged with ongoing, in-depth Livelihoods Support programme during this year. However, Flo is also available to provide 1-2-1 support for neighbours experiencing one-off crises or requiring targeted assistance. Overall, Flo has supported 26 neighbours in this way, over 61 appointments in total.
## **Mental Health Support**
Working with Andy Freeman (Space to Breathe) our 2 year Together We Can Mental Health Project aimed to improve mental health support in the local community so that by April 2025, there would be a joined up and cohesive approach in the area and that people locally would find it easier to gain support.
The work covered 4 main areas:
1. Helping Local People Access Support - one of the key dynamics of our mental health work became one-to-one and group support for people experiencing mental health challenges. Over the 2 years:
- a. 36 individuals received one-to-one support (a total of 98 conversations, with five referrals made to Community Mental Health services), often linked through Pantry or Hub settings.
- b. 11 staff and volunteers were supported through 25 training sessions to enhance team capabilities
- c. 26 group sessions were run, including mindfulness and bereavement support.
2. Listening to Local People’s Needs - the project involved extensive listening to community members to understand their mental health needs and challenges, participant observation and in-depth discussions with team members and the public.
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## Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements for the year ended 30 April 2025
## **Report of the Trustees (continued)**
## **Green Connecting**
This year has been about much more than gardening – it has been about bringing people together, strengthening our neighbourhood, and making better use of our green spaces. Through events, regular sessions, and partnerships, local residents of all ages have taken part, shared ideas, and shaped how our community connects with nature.
- Four local sites supported – Bromford Pocket Park and Village Green, Church Garden, Peace Garden, and Ambridge House – with Bromford Pocket Park at the heart of most activity.
- Community engagement from the start – local families and young people joined sessions at halfterm, with an average of 14 people per activity.
- Youth leadership in action – local young people designed and built a path in the Pocket Park, turning a muddy area into a well-used walkway.
- Cosy Club success – weekly Tuesday sessions for families with under-5s became one of the most popular parts of the programme, connecting play with nature.
- Food growing expanded – over 150 plants donated, new raised beds installed, and local people trained in woodwork and gardening skills.
- Partnership working – with local groups, businesses, and even Castle Vale Community Garden, strengthening skills and sharing resources.
- Celebrating together – events such as Tree Planting Day, Bee Day, Poetry in the Park, and Great Big Green Week drew in residents to enjoy nature and community life.
- Learning and adapting – some ideas (like womenonly walks) didn’t work as planned, but trying new things and listening to feedback kept the project responsive and relevant.
Our Together We Can approach has always been to work towards groups being as neighbour-led as possible. However, a key learning from our work has been the significant ongoing role that paid staff play within our complex community ecology - offering stable foundations, a skilled and professional ‘safety net’ of support, facilitating reflection and learning, and strategic coordination.
## **Your Local Pantry (Hodge Hill)**
This has been the 4th full year of operation of Your Local Pantry (Hodge Hill). Since Hodge Hill Pantry opened in Feb 2021, 419 members have signed up to join, representing 586 adults and 501 children (to March 2025 ).
Current ‘live’ membership was 97, benefitting 175 adults and 105 children. Each week the Pantry has between 35 and 45 shoppers, meaning each up to 81 adults and 60 children are benefitting. During this period the café-style ‘Place of Welcome’ (to complement the Pantry shopping ‘offer’) has been thriving. Through the winter it continued to make a leading contribution to the local ‘Warm Welcome Network’
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Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements for the year ended 30 April 2025
## **Report of the Trustees (continued)**
across the area, as one of the daily free, warm, welcoming, safe spaces on offer, with any visitors to the space registering as Pantry members (but with no obligation to pay to shop), and free meals available.
## **Public benefit**
The Trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the Charity’s aims and objectives and in planning future activities.
## **FUTURE PLANS**
This year we finished the reviewing of our vision, values, approach and future plans. We concluded that we are an established ‘anchoring’ organisation with a rooted and trusted presence at the heart of community life, and an ‘enabling’ organisation looking to nurture what’s possible in individual lives and in a communal community life. Our Vision for our Neighbourhoods continues to be: We want to see the neighbourhoods of Bromford, Firs and Hodge Hill as communities of creativity and compassion, where all feel welcome, all feel connected, all feel they belong and all feel that they can flourish.
We identified what we believe to be our Approach, ‘The Open Door Way’, which involves:
- PAYING ATTENTION to people, and to our community life
- UNEARTHING passions, gifts, skills and possibilities
- Bringing people together and CONNECTING them to each other
- SUPPORTING & NURTURING people, relationships, ideas, purpose, community life
- EXPERIMENTING, REFLECTING & LEARNING as we go
- HOLDING, INSPIRING, ENABLING, SPREADING, SHARING the ‘Open Door way’...
We identified our values. We seek to be:
12
Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements for the year ended 30 April 2025
## **Report of the Trustees (continued)**
We have identified 4 priorities for the coming year, and beyond:
## **1. Explore new ways of sustaining community building**
Acknowledging that we have been very fortunate to have sustained core funding over 9 years, we need to be thinking creatively about staffing capacity, fundraising and income models for this next phase. We also need to plan for a Mobile Community Venue being a new area of community building.
## **2. Growing the collective and strategic voice of our neighbours**
Developing new ways to bring neighbours together to share their experiences, identify shared vision and priorities, and use their collective voice and agency to seek change at local and wider structural levels. This will include establishing new and improved partnerships with stakeholders, that hold the voice of our community at the heart of plans and activity.
## **3. Developing our ‘Wellbeing’ strategy**
Over the past 2 years we have Piloted a programme of capacity building to better equip ourselves and our neighbourhood to nurture wellbeing and mental health. This has opened our eyes to a significant increase in people expressing immense struggles, and the ‘need’ for sustainable long-term support, that recognises that not all solutions can be provided by public health and that even with right responses, someone may need long term relational assistance to navigate the complexities of life. Our Wellbeing Strategy will include:
- Improving our frontline response, that gives staff and volunteers the skills and knowledge to support people in crisis, to navigate services and identify solutions.
- Train key staff and volunteers in imparting wellbeing techniques and tools so they are better able to support people’s wellbeing.
- Create an improved overall Community Wellbeing offer delivered by ourselves and trusted partners to include more support groups and opportunities including Horticulture, Mindfulness, Exercise and Relationships that will help people better manage their mental health & wellbeing.
## **4. Growing our neighbourhood economy**
This economy will be an environment where people have space to ‘dream’ about what is possible for themselves and also for the neighbourhood, moving beyond what in many cases is surviving, to thriving. This will involve developing bridges between local people and opportunities for employment and enterprise development, and nurturing a community economy that promotes the circulation of products, services and money within the neighbourhood.
## **FINANCIAL REVIEW**
During the year 2024-25, ODCF’s activities were largely funded through the 5-year _TogetherWeCan2_ project grant from the National Lottery Community Fund, match funding from Firs & Bromford Neighbours Together (the local Big Local partnership), and a 3-year grant from Groundwork/HS2 for the Your Local Pantry project (which ended in March 2025). Additional funding has come from a number of smaller, shorter-term grants, and some small external contracts (delivering consultancy and training). This has enabled us to cover all of our organizational running costs, alongside staffing and project costs, and to gradually begin to build up our unrestricted reserves.
13
Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements for the year ended 30 April 2025
## **Report of the Trustees (continued)**
## **Reserves policy**
ODCF Trustees are seeking to build up, and then maintain, reserve funds equivalent to 3 months salary costs (including redundancy payments) and the fulfilment of any other legal obligations (e.g. rent). At the time of writing, free reserves have grown significantly since our last report, but need to continue to do so.
## **STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT**
## **Governing Document**
Open Door Community Foundation Limited is a company limited by guarantee (No. 09549202) and a registered charity (No. 1164850) governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association. The Charitable Company was incorporated on 19 April 2015 and obtained its registration as a Charity on 15 December 2015 when it commenced its activities.
## **Appointment of trustees, induction & training**
Trustees are appointed in accordance with the Charity’s Memorandum and Articles (section 19), with up to 6 nominated by the ‘Founding Member’ (the PCC of St Philip & St James, Hodge Hill), and up to a further 5 nominated by the Board of Trustees. Recruitment of new Trustees is the responsibility of the Board of Trustees, with support from ODCF’s staff members.
Key criteria for new trustees include:
- Understanding and sharing the distinctive ethos and approach of ODCF
- Bringing skills and experience that enrich the Trustees’ work of oversight
- A rootedness in, or a connection to, the neighbourhood of the Firs & Bromford in which ODCF’s work is focused
Induction for new Trustees includes time spent with the Chair and other key Trustees, time spent shadowing our staff, and a review of our core policies and procedures (including safeguarding and risk management). Trustees are alert to the value of ongoing training and support, and draw particularly on the support offered by Thrive Together Birmingham, who regularly send an advisor to ODCF Board meetings, and facilitate an annual away day for Trustees and staff together.
In May 2024 a new Trustee joined us. Expanding and strengthening the Board of Trustees continues to be a priority for us over this next year, seeking to reflect and resource our developing vision and priorities for our ongoing work in this area.
## **Organisational structure**
As a very small Charity, organisational structure is relatively simple, and as we end this year we have restructured to simplify further. The new Director of Strategy and Engagement is managed by 3 trustees and reports directly to all trustees at board meetings. The remaining team is line managed by the Director of Strategy and Engagement. Trustee, Al Barrett, is the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) for the Charity, and we have appointed Flo Berrow (Our Livelihood Support Worker) as a deputy DSL. The Board of Trustees also has a separate Safeguarding Trustee. Day-to-day financial management, HR and organisational support, is provided by Matt Perry (formerly of Worth Unlimited, now of Giraffe HR) who also acts as our Company Secretary.
14
Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements for the year ended 30 April 2025
## **Report of the Trustees (continued)**
This year, due to the ongoing careful, collaborative process of reviewing our purpose and core values, the ODCF Trustees have held an away day with staff and volunteers, and an extended day with trustees to review progress. The ODCF Board met 3 times for standard meetings.
15
Open Door Community Foundation
Financial Statements
for the year ended 30 April 2025
Report of the Trustees (continued)
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Trustees:
Parochial Church Council of St Philip & St James Hodge Hlll
Rev A Barrett
P Hall Ico-chairl
G D Smlth Ico-chalrl
J R Miles lappointed 13 May 20241
Charity Number:
1164850
Company Number:
09549202
Reglstered Office:
8 Dreghorn Road
Birmingham
B36 8U
Independent Examlner:
Karen Hanlan Independent Examiner Limited
I Saracen Close
Ettington
CV37 7SZ
Bankers:
Unity Trust Bank plc
Nine 8rindley Place
BirminBham
B12HB
Approved by the Board and si8ned on its behaff by:
f4oM
P Hall
Co-choir of Trustees..
Date:
16
Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements for the year ended 30 April 2025
## **Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities**
The trustees are required to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of the affairs of the charitable company and of the surplus or deficit incurred by the charitable company for that year. In preparing those financial statements the trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- make judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the accounts; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue to exist.
The trustees have overall responsibility for ensuring that the charitable company has an appropriate system of controls, financial and otherwise.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy, at any time, the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011.
They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities and to provide reasonable assurance that:
- the charitable company is operating efficiently and effectively;
- its assets are safeguarded against unauthorised use or disposition;
- proper records are maintained and financial information used within the charity or for publication is reliable;
- the charitable company complies with relevant laws and regulations.
17
Open Door Community Foundation
Financial Statements
for the year ended 30 April 2025
Independent Examinerfs Report to the Trustees of Open Door Community
Foundation {'the Cornpan)
I report to the charity trustee5 on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 30 Aprll 2025
which are set out on pages 19 to 30.
Responslbllltles and basls ol report
As the charws trustees of the Company land a150 Its dirertors for the purposes of company lawl you are responsible
forthe pparatIOn of the accounts in accordance with the requlrements ofthe Companies Act 2QJ61'the 2006 ACVI.
Having satisfied myself that the ateounts of the company a not repuired to be audlted under Part 16 of the 2006 Act
and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respètt of my examination of yourcharlvs accounts as rrIed
out under sÈrtion 145 of the tharities Art 20111'the 2011 ACYI. In carrying Out my examlnation I have followed the
Dlrtrtions given by the Charity Commi55lon under sectlon 14515llbl of the 2011 A¢t.
Independont examlnerfs ststement
I have completed my exarnlnatlon. I conflrn) that no matters have ¢ome to my attentlon In connedon wlth the
examlnation 8lvln8 me cause to belleve..
accounting records werè not kept in respect of the Company as required by sertton 386 of the 2Ci)6 Act; or
the accounts do not ac¢ord wlth those records- or
the acttjunts do nQt ¢omply with the account6ng requlrements of settion 386 of the 2CrfJ6 Act other than the
réquirement that the accounts glvea'true and lairf view which is not a matterconsidered as part ol an independent
exam1n8tlon', or
the accounts have not been prepared In attordance wtth the methods and prlntlples of the Statement of
Recornmended Practice for accounung and report5n8 bytharities applicable to charities preparin8 thelraccounts in
atcordance wlth the Flnanclal ReportÉn8 Standard Appllcable in the UK and Republlc of Ireland IFR51021.
I have no ¢on¢erns and have come across no matters in connection with my examination to which attention should be
drawn In thls report in order to enable a proper under5tandin8 of the accounts to be reached.
Mrs. K Hanlan, ACA
Kan Hanlan Independent Examlner Umfrted
I Saracen a05e
Ettington
CV37 7SZ
Date..
17. 12. 2425
18
## Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements for the year ended 30 April 2025
## **Statement of Financial Activities (including an Income & Expenditure account)**
|**Note**
**Income:**
Donations & legacies
1
Charitable Activities
2
**Total income**
**Expenditure:**
Raising funds
Charitable Activities
3
**Total expenditure**
**Net (expenditure)/income and net**
**movement in funds for year**
**Reconciliation of funds:**
Total funds brought forward
Transfer of funds
**Total funds carried forward**|**Un-**
**restricted**
**funds**
**2025**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**2025**
**Total**
**funds**
**2025**
**Total**
**funds**
**2024**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
218
106,888
**107,106**
170,221
21,255
277
**21,532**
31,947|
|---|---|
||**21,473**
**107,165**
**128,638**
202,168
1,200
-
**1,200**
-
23,011
131,370
**154,381**
187,757|
||**24,211**
**131,370**
**155,581**
187,757
**(2,738)**
**(24,205)**
**(26,943)**
14,411|
||34,404
54,838
89,242
74,831|
||**161**
**(161)**
**-**
-|
||**31,827**
**30,472**
**62,299**
89,242|
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
19
Open Door Community Foundation
Financial Statements
for the year ended 30 April 2025
Balance Sheet
Note
2025
2024
Current Assets
Debtors and prepayments
Cash at bank and in hand
6,414
57,965
64379
10,856
89,415
100,271
Current Llabllltles
Creditors- amounts falling due withln one year
{2,0801
111.0291
Net current assets
62.299
89,242
Net assets
62.299
89,242
Funds ol the charlty:
Restricted Fund5
Unrestrfcted Funds
Total Charlty lund5
30,472
31,827
62,299
54,838
34.404
89,242
The accompanying accourttin8 policies and notes form part of these financial statements,
Re8lStÈred Company number: 09549202
For the year ended 30April 2025 the companywas entitl•d toexemptlon fromaudlt undersectlon 477of the Companles
Art 2006 relatin8 to small companies.
ResponslbllStles of dlrectorsltrustees=
lal The members have nat requlred the tharltsble company to obtaln an audlt of its flnandol ststements for the
yearin que5tlon In accordance wlth section 476 oftheCompanlesArt 2QJ6- however, in accordancewith settion
145 of the Charftles Act 2011 the flnanual statements have been examined by an independent examlner whose
report appears on page 14.
Ibl The dirÈrtor5ltrustees a¢knowledge their responsibility for comp18 with the requsrements of the Companie5
Act wth respect to attountin8 records and the pParatiOn of accounts.
These financial ststements have been Prepared in accordants wth the provi5i0n5 appltcable to companSes sublect to
the small companies, regime.
Approved by the Trustee5 and si8ned on their behalf by..
P Hall
Co-chair of Trustees
Date:
Ji 20 1
20
Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements for the year ended 30 April 2025
## **Principal accounting policies**
## **Status of the company**
The charitable company is limited by guarantee and does not have share capital.
The liability of members is limited to £1 per member.
The principal accounting policies adopted, judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty in the preparation of the financial statements are as follows:
## **Basis of preparation**
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with 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 (FRS102)(updated 1 January 2019) – (Charities SORP (FRS102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102) and the Companies Act 2006.
Open Door Community Foundation meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note(s).
## **Going concern statement**
The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis which assumes that the Company will continue to operate. The validity of this assumption is dependent upon the continuance of support from the Company's key funders and in response to the progress made by the Company in pursuing a viable budget including the obtaining of further grants and other funds. The Company's current business plan shows that the Company will be able to operate in the foreseeable future. Based on this understanding, the directors believe that it remains appropriate to prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis. The financial statements do not include any adjustments, which would result from the basis of preparation being inappropriate.
## **Funds**
General accumulated funds are unrestricted funds available for general purposes and include funds designated for a particular purpose; the use of such funds remains at the discretion of the trustees.
Restricted funds are funds subject to conditions imposed by the donor or by specific terms of the appeal under which the funds are raised. The restrictive conditions are binding upon the Charitable Company.
21
## Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements for the year ended 30 April 2025
## **Principal accounting policies (Continued)**
## **Income**
Items of income are recognised and included in the accounts when all of the following criteria are met:
- The charity has entitlement to the funds;
- any performance conditions attached to the item(s) of income have been met or are fully within the control of the charity;
- there is sufficient certainty that receipt of the income is considered probable; and
- the amount can be measured reliably.
## **Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT**
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
Expenditure on charitable activities includes the direct costs of projects and activities undertaken to further the purposes of the charity and their associated support & governance costs.
Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.
## **Debtors**
Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid after taking account of any trade discounts due.
## **Cash at bank and in hand**
Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.
## **Creditors and provisions**
Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.
## **Taxation**
As a registered charity no provision is considered necessary for taxation.
## **Pensions**
The charity contributes into a Group Personal Pension Plan for employees. This pension plan is defined contribution in nature and as required under FRS102 the annual cost is recognised as incurred and included in the Statement of Financial Activities.
22
## Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements for the year ended 30 April 2025
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **1. Donations & legacies**
|**Donations & legacies**||
|---|---|
|Subscriptions and donations
Restricted:
Restricted donations
Small grants towards Welcome Support & Advice
Sir Thomas Dole towards Pantry
Groundworks/HS2
Groundworks/One-stop towards Pantry
Big Lottery Awards for All – Street Connectors
Big Lottery Awards for All – Cost of Living Fund
Birmingham Airport Charitable Trust
Birmingham City Council – Commonwealth Games
Birmingham City Council – Emergency Food Aid
Birmingham City Council – Ready to Level
Restricted grants towards Green Connectors
Worth Unlimited (including grants from National Lottery Community fund
and Firs and Bromford Neighbours Together)
Total
**Charitable Activities**
Earned income (inc £276 from restricted projects)|**2025**
2024
**£**
£
**218**
515|
||**218**
515
**5,030**
858
**1,000**
3,000
**1,960**
-
**4,609**
17,696
**1,000**
-
**-**
9,996
**-**
29,912
**-**
5,000
**-**
3,500
**8,000**
5,800
**556**
15,444
**22,733**
28,500
**62,000**
50,000|
||**106,888**
169,706|
||**107,106**
170,221|
||**2025**
2024
**£**
£
**21,532**
31,947|
||**21,532**
31,947|
## **2. Charitable Activities**
23
for the year ended 30 April 2025
## Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements
## **Notes to the financial statements (continued)**
## **3. Expenditure**
|**Expenditure**||
|---|---|
|**_Rasing funds:_**
Salary costs
**_Direct Charitable expenditure:_**
Salary costs
Consultancy
Direct programme costs
**_Support costs:_**
Bookkeeping
Payroll administration
Mobile phones
Staff travel
Recruitment
Staff Training
Staff uniforms
Volunteer costs
Publicity/printing
Subscriptions
Cleaning/maintenance
Rent
Insurance
Bank charges
IT Costs
**_Governance costs:_**
Independent Examiners fee
Trustee meeting expenses
**Total**|Un-
Restricted
Restricted
**2025**
**Total**
Un-
Restricted
Restricted
**2024**
**Total**
£
£
**£**
£
£
**£**
1,200
-
**1,200**
-
-
-
10,057
83,170
**93,227**
7,988
99,325
107,313
-
8,050
**8,050**
-
6,134
6,134
3,022
22,599
**25,621**
3,782
38,047
41,829
1,971
5,229
**7,200**
663
6,537
7,200
-
776
**776**
-
854
854
-
432
**432**
408
439
847
1,311
30
**1,341**
224
82
306
-
187
**187**
-
113
113
216
417
**633**
20
1,520
1,540
-
-
**-**
-
36
36
1,483
85
**1,568**
895
642
1,537
163
801
**964**
193
619
812
(168)
822
**654**
-
645
645
3,951
900
**4,851**
87
3,599
3,686
-
6,750
**6,750**
-
12,705
12,705
12
813
**825**
-
743
743
-
77
**77**
20
54
74
-
232
**232**
-
128
128
950
-
**950**
900
-
900
43
-
**43**
355
-
355|
||**24,211**
**131,370**
**155,581**
15,535
172,222
187,757|
## **4. Analysis of staff costs, trustee remuneration and expenses**
|Salaries
National Insurance
Pension costs
Sessional workers
Total|**2025**
2024
**£**
£
**59,913**
54,915
**-**
-
**3,063**
2,998
**31,451**
49,400|
|---|---|
||**94,427**
107,313|
The Charitable Company employed an average of 3.5 staff during the year (2024: 4.92).
24
Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements for the year ended 30 April 2025
## **Notes to the financial statements (continued)**
No employees had benefits in excess of £60,000 (2024: nil). Pension costs are allocated to activities in proportion to the related staffing costs incurred.
Expenses totalling £43 were reimbursed to one Trustees during the year (2024: None).
Trustee Indemnity Insurance is paid for by the Charity as part of its overall insurance cover.
The key management personnel of the charity comprise the trustees only, Trustees receive no remuneration or other benefits from the charity. The pay of key management personnel for the year was £nil (2024: £nil).
## **5. Debtors**
|**Debtors**||
|---|---|
|Trade Debtors
Prepayments
Income receivable
**Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**
Trade creditors
Accruals|**2025**
2024
**£**
£
**-**
577
**3,899**
5,287
**2,515**
4,992|
||**6,414**
10,856|
||**2025**
2024
**£**
£
**378**
7,377
**1,702**
3,652|
||**2,080**
11,029|
## **6. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**
25
for the year ended 30 April 2025
## Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements
## **Notes to the financial statements (continued)**
## **7. Restricted funds**
The income funds of the charity include restricted funds comprising the following amounts which have been applied for specific purposes:
|**2025**
Groundworks/HS2
Groundworks/One Stop
Green Connectors Trust funding
FBNT Green Connector (BVSC &
Worth Unlimited)
BCC – Pocket Parks
BCC – Food Ledgends
BCC – Warm Welcome
BCC – Emergency Food Aid
BCC – Ready to Level
Worth Unlimited – Together We Can!
Welcome Support & Advice fund
Commonwealth Games
Thomas Dole - Pantry
FBNT Events
Big Lottery A4A – Street Connectors
Big Lottery – Cost of Living
Total|**Movement in Funds**
**Balance**
**At**
**beginning**
**of year**
**Income**
**Expenditure**
**Transfers**
**Balance**
**At end of**
**year**
£
£
£
£
£
3,197
4,609
(7,806)
-
-
-
1,000
(1,000)
-
-
6,981
13
(1,012)
-
5,982
10,409
12,740
(18,576)
-
4,573
-
5,276
(5,276)
-
-
-
4,993
-
-
4,993
-
1,000
-
-
1,000
2,610
12,000
(11,169)
-
3,441
-
556
(556)
-
-
17,638
62,000
(70,300)
-
9,338
4,295
-
(4,295)
-
-
275
-
(275)
-
-
-
2,818
(1,673)
-
1,145
-
160
-
(160)
-
9,084
-
(9,084)
-
-
349
-
(348)
(1)
-|
|---|---|
||54,838
107,165
(131,370)
(161)
30,472|
## **Birmingham City Council – Commonwealth Games Legacy funding**
Funding for cultural and community events associated with the Commonwealth Games.
## **Birmingham City Council – Emergency Food Aid**
Funding for additional food and supplies for The Pantry project over winter of 2022/2023.
## **Birmingham City Council – Ready to Level**
Short term programme (January to March 2024) for participation in a “levelling up” strategic development programme for East Birmingham.
## **Birmingham City Council – Pocket Parks**
Funding to co-create and maintain a Pocket Park on the Bromford Village Green.
## **Birmingham City Council – Food Legends**
Helping neighbours to grow their own food.
26
for the year ended 30 April 2025
## Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements
## **Notes to the financial statements (continued)**
## **Birmingham City Council – Warm Welcome**
Towards providing a warm and welcoming space at the Hub and The Pantry.
## **Groundworks (HS2)**
The development of a Local Pantry for Firs and Bromford.
## **The National Lottery Awards for All**
Previously funding towards worker costs, venue hire and equipment for women-focused ‘Grow-Cook-Eat’ work. A new grant was awarded in 2023/2024 financial year to support community engagement through Street Connecting and Street Parties.
## **FBNT Green Connector (BVSC and Worth Unlimited)**
Worth Unlimited and BVSC, acting as the Locally Trusted Organisations for Firs and Bromford Neighbours Together (Big Local Programme) for:
- the employment of a Green Connector and resources for garden projects and events
- support towards other local events and initiatives
## **Thomas Dole**
Monies received via Hodge Hill Church for The Pantry
## **Warm Welcome Support & Advice Fund**
Various small grants towards provision of Warm Welcome Places of Welcome and new Livelihoods Worker.
## **Worth Unlimited (Together We Can)**
As part of a partnership programme utilizing National Lottery Community Fund and Firs and Bromford Neighbours Together funds for:
- the employment and running costs for the adult-focused strand of _Together We Can!_
27
for the year ended 30 April 2025
## Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements
## **Notes to the financial statements (continued)**
|**2024**
Church Urban Fund Near Neighbours
Groundworks/HS2
Near Neighbours Fund
The National Lottery Awards For All
Green Connectors Trust funding
FBNT Green Connector (BVSC &
Worth Unlimited)
Worth Unlimited – Together We Can!
Welcome Support & Advice fund
Thomas Dole
Commonwealth Games
BCC- Commonwealth Games
BCC – Emergency Food Aid
BCC – Ready to Level
FBNT Events
Big Lottery A4A – Street Connectors
Big Lottery – Cost of Living
Birmingham Airport
Total|**Movement in Funds**
**Balance**
**At**
**beginning**
**of year**
**Income**
**Expenditure**
**Transfers**
**Balance**
**At end of**
**year**
£
£
£
£
£
1,174
-
(1,174)
-
-
3,102
17,696
(17,601)
-
3,197
1,784
-
(1,783)
(1)
-
5,369
-
(5,369)
-
-
10,851
-
(3,870)
-
6,981
12,965
28,500
(31,056)
-
10,409
16,803
50,000
(49,165)
-
17,638
1,840
3,000
(545)
-
4,295
-
858
(858)
-
-
275
-
-
-
275
-
3,500
(3,500)
-
-
2,092
5,800
(5,282)
-
2,610
-
15,444
(15,444)
-
-
-
940
(1,100)
160
-
-
9,996
(912)
-
9,084
-
29,912
(29,563)
-
349
-
5,000
(5,000)
-
-|
|---|---|
||56,255
170,646
(172,222)
159
54,838|
28
for the year ended 30 April 2025
## Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements
## **Notes to the financial statements (continued)**
## **8. Analysis of net assets between funds**
|**2025**
Current assets
Current liabilities
Total funds
**2024**
Current assets
Current liabilities
Total funds|Restricted
funds
Unrestricted
funds
Total
£
£
£
30,472
33,907
64,379
-
(2,080)
(2,080)|
|---|---|
||30,472
31,827
62,299|
||Restricted
funds
Unrestricted
funds
Total
£
£
£
65,867
34,404
100,271
(11,029)
-
(11,029)|
||54,838
34,404
89,242|
## **9. Controlling Interests**
The charity is controlled by the trustees.
## **10. Related party transactions**
There were no transactions with related parties in the year.
29
Open Door Community Foundation Financial Statements for the year ended 30 April 2025
## **Notes to the financial statements (continued)**
## **11. Comparative statement of financial activities**
|**Income:**
Donations & legacies
Charitable Activities
**Total income**
**Expenditure:**
Charitable Activities
**Total expenditure**
**Net income/(expenditure) and net**
**movement in funds for year**
**Reconciliation of funds:**
Total funds brought forward
Transfer of funds
**Total funds carried forward**|**Un-**
**restricted**
**funds**
**2024**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**2024**
**Total funds**
**2024**
**£**
**£**
**£**
515
169,706
**170,221**
31,007
940
**31,947**|
|---|---|
||**31,522**
**170,646**
**202,168**
15,535
172,222
**187,757**|
||**15,535**
**172,222**
**187,757**
**15,987**
**(1,576)**
**14,411**|
||**18,576**
**56,255**
**74,831**|
||**(159)**
**159**
**-**|
||**34,404**
**54,838**
**89,242**|
30