Independent Examinerfs Report
Report to the tnIsteMeMberS ofr. Pershore and District Volunteercentre
On a¢o)unts forthe year ended:
31" March 2022
Charity No:
1166141
The charitys trustees are responsible for the preparatron of the accounts. The charity5 trustees
consider that an audit is not required for the year under sectK)n 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the
Charitles Art) and that an independent examinat is needed.
It is my responbIlIty to:
Examine the accounts under section 145 ofthe Charities Art
To follow the procedures laid down in the gerwal Directions gIn ty the Charty
Commtssion (under settion 145{5llbl of the Charities Act). aFKI
To State whether particutar matters have come to my attention
asts of Independent exarn1ne statem
My examination was carried otrt in accordance with general Dirertions gNen by the Charity
Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting record5 kept by the charity and a
comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also indudes consideration of any
unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustee5 concerning
any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provrde all the evidence that would be Trquired
in an audiL and Consequent no opinion 15 given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fairf
view and the pOrt is limsted to those matters set out in the 5Latement below.
Independent examlnerfs staternent
In connection with my examination. no matter has come to my attention".
l. Which give me reasonable cause to believe that. in any material respect, the requirements:
a. To keep accountin8 records in accordan with sertion 130 of the chartties act:
b. To prepare accounts which accord wÈth the accounting records and comply with the
accounting requirements of the Charities Art have rK)t been met; or
2. To which. in myopinion. attention should be drawn in orderto enable a proper understandlng
of the accounts to be reached.
AJS
Accountlng
Servl(es
S*ned:
Date: 21 November 2022
Name: Alex Smith ACM& CGMK for and on behalf of AJS Accounting Services Ltd
Relevant professiwl qualifi¢*ion(s) or body Ilf any): aMA
Address: Greville Court Business Centre. High Street. KrwIe, Solihull B93 OLL
## **PERSHORE VOLUNTEER CENTRE**
An independent local charity helping the local community.
## ANNUAL REPORT
1/4/2021
To
31/3/2022
## **Registered Charity No. 1166141**
## Charity Information
PERSHORE & DISTRICT VOLUNTEER CENTRE (known as Pershore Volunteer Centre)
Registered Charity No 1166141
Address: 1 Billing House, Cherry Orchard, Pershore WR10 1EY 01386 554299
Email cosec@pershorevolunteers.org.uk Website www.pershorevolunteers.org.uk
## **AIMS AND OBJECTIVES**
The main objectives of Pershore & District Volunteer Centre (the Charity), as set out in the constitution, are to promote any charitable purposes for the benefit of the community in Pershore and the surrounding villages, and in particular the advancement of education, the protection of health and relief of poverty, distress, and sickness.
## **STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT**
The Charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), registered with the Charity Commission. Its Trustees operate under a constitution which was adopted on 14 March 2016.
The Charity is managed and administered by a Board of at least three and at most ten Trustees (there are currently six). Trustees are appointed at a properly convened meeting of Trustees for a term of three years.
New Trustees may be introduced to the Charity in a variety of ways, such as registering/working as a volunteer or recommendation by existing Trustees. It is the Charity’s policy to appoint at least one Trustee from Pershore Town Council and one from Wychavon District Council.
The Trustees confirm that they have referred to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the Charity’s aims and objectives and in planning future activities.
## **TRUSTEES**
The Trustees who served throughout the year were: Colin Davidson (Chair of Trustees), John Rees, Cllr Tony Rowley (Wychavon District Council), Cllr Val Smith (Pershore Town Council), Ian Middleton, Eric Wiles (to 13 December 2021), Geoff Ransted (to 28 March 2022), Amanda Tanfield (from 28 June 2021), Andrew Budden (from 13 December 2021) and Kerry Young (13 December 2021 to 8 March 2022). Eric Wiles, John Rees, Tony Rowley, Geoff Ransted and Val Smith were also Trustees of Pershore & District Voluntary Help Centre, which is therefore deemed to be a related party.
Covid-19 pandemic restrictions again disrupted the normal meeting schedule. For the first half of the year, Trustees met by videoconference, as is permitted under the constitution,
## **Registered Charity No. 1166141**
but were able to resume in-person meetings from September. There were ten ordinary Board meetings plus the AGM during the year.
## Chairman’s Overview
Pershore & District Volunteer Centre is a locally based charity, formed some five years ago to meet the needs of the people and organisations of Pershore and the surrounding villages. The Charity was created in order to replace an earlier charity (Pershore & District Voluntary Help Centre), which effectively ceased operations in December 2021 and will be formally wound up late in 2022, beyond the reporting period of this Report. This structural change has provided a more appropriate operating platform that will enable a long term, stable future for the charity.
The essence of what the Charity provides has been adapted over time to ensure a sustainable and relevant service provision to the community as a whole but has never deviated from the desire to provide guidance and/or support to those who need it.
The effects of COVID-19, during the early part of this reporting period, were still influencing the operation of the Charity but thankfully, during the summer things progressively returned to “normal”. However, the impact from the pandemic clearly has still affected how our Community functions with the inevitable drag upon our finances. Nevertheless, the Charity has managed to embrace these constraints by adapting our service provision and associated operations. Fortunately, both Worcestershire County Council and Wychavon District Council continued to provide support, which, along with many smaller individual donations from within the community, ensured the Charity’s survival.
The Charity, in June 2021, engaged a new Chief Executive, Karon Swinburn. This decision has demonstrated the Trustees confidence in the long-term future of the charity whilst also enabling the Staff and Trustees to commence the development of a more sustainable operational framework. This has included the establishment of a new operational structure along with the agreement of associated roles and responsibilities for all the staff.
The Charity is extremely grateful to all its Trustees, both past and present, staff, volunteers, and supporters, without whom our services could not have been delivered. We are also grateful to our funders and donors, as without their financial support, we would have struggled to survive.
Finally. I would like to take the opportunity to formally recognise the significant contribution that my predecessor, Eric Wiles, has made to the Charity. Although Eric has now resigned as a Trustee the benefits of all his hard work have not been lost for which the Trustees are eternally grateful.
## Strategic Development
Our networks within the voluntary and statutory sectors are very important. Our relationship with Worcestershire County Council, Wychavon District Council and Pershore Town Council remain strong, and without their financial support we would not be able to
## **Registered Charity No. 1166141**
provide all the services we do. Our strategic aim is to maintain and strengthen these relationships.
Both the District and Town Councils continue to provide a representative for the Board of Trustees. We support many local initiatives, attending Wychavon’s Partners Together events, engaging with the Health Improvement Co-ordinator and the Rural Communities Programme as well as contributing to Wychavon’s Community Recognition Awards. Within the district, we have continued to support multi-agency activities and networks.
We have maintained good working relationships with our sister organisations across the county, recognising that working collaboratively at a county level is the most efficient way to deliver and enhance services. The Charity continues to manage the county-wide Community Transport Grant and works in partnership with other Community Transport providers to deliver a high quality and cost-effective service.
## Financial Review
The Charity’s work is reliant on income from grants, donations, and fundraising. Total income for the year amounted to £164,093 and expenditure to £125,410. There was £126,274 in the Charity’s bank and petty cash accounts at year end.
The Charity aims to utilise as much of its income as possible to fulfil its objectives, within the year the income is generated. The Charity, therefore, aims to maintain its cash reserves at the level which would, when taken together with expected income, meet its expected outgoings for a rolling period of at least 12 months.
## Staff Team 2021/2022
|Karon Swinburn(from Jun 2021)|Chief Executive Officer|30 hourspw|
|---|---|---|
|Kate Walton(to Jul 2021)|Grants Manager|10 hourspw|
|Donna King|Transport & Office Manager|21 hourspw|
|Sue Nutting|Finance Officer|12 hourspw|
|Angela Ballard(to Feb 2022)|Volunteer Manager|12 hourspw|
|Joanne Stylianou (from Nov
2021)|Social Engagement Officer|15 hours pw|
|NickyO’Sullivan(from Jan 2022)|Administrative Assistant|12 hourspw|
|Jemima Osborne (from Jan
2022)|Sick leave cover|26 hours pw|
|Adam Hayes(from Mar 2022)|Apprentice Admin Assistant|26 hourspw|
Paid members of staff are issued with job descriptions and contracts of employment; other work is undertaken by volunteers, including office work, community transport driving and escorting, running the Lunch Club and the Resource Centre, and other miscellaneous tasks.
## **Registered Charity No. 1166141**
## Related Party Transactions
The Charity and Pershore & District Voluntary Help Centre have a mutual support understanding, agreed by the Trustees of both charities, whereby staff and resources from either charity can be utilised by the other charity without the need for cross charging. This
agreement was put in place to allow implementation of a longstanding strategy to transfer the operations of Pershore & District Voluntary Help Centre to Pershore & District Volunteer Centre gradually, over a number of years. All operations had transferred by 31 March 2021. On 1 April 2021, the staff of Pershore & District Voluntary Help Centre also transferred to Pershore & District Volunteer Centre. Since then, the Charity has provided such office support and staff time as required by Pershore & District Voluntary Help Centre to complete the winding up of its affairs. An interest-free loan of £6,036 from Pershore & District Voluntary Help Centre to the Charity was repaid in full in 2021/22. Pershore & District Voluntary Help Centre intends to transfer its remaining funds to the Charity in 2022/23 and seek the Charity Commission’s agreement to deregistration.
## Activities
All service activity was severely curtailed for the whole of 2021/22, with the Charity’s efforts focused on bringing back into operation our transport services and community development activities to support the needs of local residents affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and bring some normality back to the lives of members of the communities we serve.
There has been very real anxiety amongst staff and clients in returning to our regular operations and there has been an increase in mental health issues across both groups. We have worked in partnership with other organisations to alleviate these issues, receiving funding to provide food parcels during the winter to people unable to get out. We have also continued to provide the prescription service to the most vulnerable of our clients.
The Wednesday Lunch Club started up again in November, with 17 attendees, eight using the transport service. During the period November 2021 to March 2022 the Lunch Club has slowly grown, with 22 clients now regularly attending. Twelve new clients have joined during this period, with six who require transport remaining on the waiting list. There are plans to expand on the Lunch Club activities around the Pershore area.
The community transport project provides door-to-door access for those Lunch Club members who are unable to travel independently, which is evidence of the cooperation between the projects where addressing rural and social isolation are common aims. The format of the club is very successful and offers a clear opportunity to develop increased socialising opportunities for isolated residents.
The club is managed by one part time member of staff and could not run without the invaluable gift of time from the volunteers. Nine volunteers supported the Lunch Club during the year, contributing over 252 hours of their own time giving support to improve the well-being of others in the community.
## **Registered Charity No. 1166141**
During the period of January to March 2022 nine roadshows were organised as part of the Covid-19 recovery programmes, working in collaboration with the Pershore Wellbeing Hub to raise awareness of our services, and to seek views from our communities. These were held within the area of Wychavon we support and included Fladbury, Peopleton, Eckington, Stoulton, St Andrews Pershore and Elmley Castle. We had 80 attendees at these events.
From these roadshows we recruited three new volunteer car drivers, and two volunteers for other community organisations. Also, four people joined the Wednesday Lunch Club.
We were also able to assist another family struggling with hardship from the Household Support Fund, who had slipped under the radar of other communications of this fund. A number of the villages raised the main issue of lack of public transport into Pershore. This issue will be addressed within the work programme going forward.
## Community Transport
The community transport service continues to be the Charity’s most volunteer-dependent project, as well as being a source of income generation. Community transport is at the heart of our determination to address issues of rural and social isolation.
Our volunteer drivers provided a total of 3,675 passenger journeys in 2021/22, 2,429 by car and 1,246 by minibus/MPV. This compares with 1,083 passenger journeys in 2020/21, the previous pandemic year, 857 by car and 226 by minibus, an increase of 320% and 890% respectively.
We received 187 new client registrations, compared to 42 registrations in the previous year, being a 345% increase.
The demographic profile of the people accessing the service in general, and health-related journeys in particular, continues to be almost exclusively older people who have mobility issues: 58% of new registrations reported limited mobility and/or rural isolation. Of the 2,429 car journeys over the year, 1,361 were health related: 699 to hospitals and 662 to GP surgeries/other medical appointments.
The Charity’s membership of Worcestershire Community Transport Partnership, supported by a strategic grant from Worcestershire County Council, contributes to the overall costs of the service both locally and across the county. Total funding of £90,000 is shared between the Partners. The Charity acts as the grant administrator for the partnership, which has nine partners, receiving 5% for acting as lead body. Administration involves the collection and analysis of numeric data monthly, calculation and distribution of each member’s share of the grant, as well as the completion of written quarterly and annual reports required by Worcestershire County Council. The current grant agreement is for a two-year period, running until 31 March 2024. The amount of grant is agreed in December.
## **Vehicle Fleet**
Following a successful grant application, the Charity was able to purchase a wheelchair accessible (WAV) Citroen Berlingo in August 2021. The vehicle’s taxation class is “disabled”,
## **Registered Charity No. 1166141**
and it offers space for a driver plus three seats and additional space for a wheelchair. The WAV also operates under a section 19 permit.
The number of journeys undertaken since the purchase of the WAV in September up to the end of March was 194. Journeys included ongoing transport twice weekly, morning and afternoon, to a Day Service in Evesham for a lady needing extra space and a passenger assistant as well as a driver; transporting a gentleman who is an electric wheelchair user twice weekly to a specialist Head Injury Day Service; and transporting clients to various medical and social appointments. One new client had not been out of her home for over a year due to mobility issues following a stroke.
Since July 2016 the Charity has owned a 14-seater VW minibus, operating under a Section 19 permit. This minibus is used for our twice monthly lunch club, contract drives, various regular outings and bookings are taken from other charities and non-profit organisations.
In January 2022, the Charity tendered successfully for three contracts with Worcestershire County Council, the main one being 5 days a week transporting clients from Worcester and Droitwich to and from a day service in Bromsgrove. The other two drives were occasional respite journeys which we no longer carry out due to commitment to main contract drive.
The CB4 Village connector minibus trip continues to run following a successful Spacehive crowdfunding campaign. The weekly trip enables people living in surrounding villages to connect to Pershore Town for essential shopping. Ninety-eight trips have taken place during this period.
The Charity launched a second Spacehive Crowdfund Green campaign to raise funds for an electric multi-passenger vehicle (MPV). The campaign was successful and therefore an order has been placed with Vauxhall, with delivery due in April 2022.
## Volunteering Contribution
During the first half of the year, April 2021 to October 2021, the Charity started to resume its services for the support and guidance of members of our local communities, although we were very careful to continue with the safety guidance and practices introduced in response to Covid-19. The Volunteer Centre reopened fully, with staff returning to the building to work.
Sadly, as we reopened our services, we found that many of our volunteers were quite anxious about returning and indeed, some decided the time was right to step back from their volunteer roles altogether. Therefore, recruitment and retention became a priority for the centre. As the furlough scheme neared its end, we found that the volunteer numbers dropped off again as people started to return to their formal employment.
Building on the momentum of people starting to enquire about permanent volunteering roles again at the end of the last financial year, when organisations slowly started to register volunteering roles again, we started to return to face-to-face interviews and induction sessions, and people were encouraged by this development.
## **Registered Charity No. 1166141**
During the year 2021/22, the total number of volunteers recruited was 38, and eighteen referrals were made to organisations that we work with. These figures were still a long way from pre-pandemic levels, although numbers did start to improve in the latter quarter of the year.
Organisations we worked with during the year, through the volunteering brokerage service, were; The Children’s Society, the Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT), Mentoring Link – School Mentors, Broadway Museum, Pershore Community Cupboard, Pershore Foodbank, and the Pershore Wellbeing Hub. The centre provided training for the volunteers of Pershore Wellbeing Hub in a number of volunteering areas, including safeguarding, and other organisations are keen for us to increase this offer to them in the future.
The telephone befriending scheme continues, with volunteers supporting registered clients on a weekly basis. We will look to expand the scheme to offer a face-to-face service.
## Achievements and Performance
## **Funding**
Despite the challenges and difficulties that presented themselves in starting to reintroduce services and manage the anxiety of staff, volunteers and clients, there was some grant funding made available specifically for Covid-19 recovery programmes.
A total of 11 applications were made, eight of which were successful and realised over £30,000 in grant income, ranging from small grants for household support and Christmas gifts for elderly and vulnerable people to more significant grants to cover core running costs for the Charity. Particular thanks must go to Allen Lane Foundation, who provided a grant for the befriending project, Worcestershire Community Foundation who awarded funds for Covid-19 recovery, and Wychavon District Council, who provided support through the business grant fund, and with whom we also negotiated additional funding through our Service Level Agreement.
In addition to grant income, we ran a successful Spacehive campaign for a vehicle project, raising £43,000Donations from the public and small charities totalled £7,064.
## Support for Local Charities
The Charity supports other local charities, by providing office-based support, including photocopying, printing, and franking services. These services are only provided to local charities and not-for-profit organisations and are provided on a cost-plus basis, rather than as a fully commercial enterprise.
PERSHORE AND DISTRicf VOLUNTEER CENTRE
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31" MARCH 2022
Pershore and Dlstrlct Volunteer Centre
Reglstered Charlty No.; 1166141
Company No: CE006975
l Billing House
Cherry Orchard
Pershore
WorcesEer5hire
WRIO IEY
www.pershorevolunteers.org
PERSHORE AND DISTRICTVOLUNTEER CENTRE
PROF AND LOSS FOR THE YEAR ENDEO 21ST MAFI¢H 2022
12L4C*JTK4T031STM•RCH2
12LIC*JTNA TO?ISTW 2021
Total
Goneral Reslrfcte
Fund6
d Funds
Gonordl Re&lrfGte
Funds
d Funds
Total
81.
rMs-MlrlB
&51fj
FuMRaslr
EXPENDITURE
5WC¢¥Jl
144
1Q18S
.144
10.785
725
9WT
Ira
1.114
1.185
10.f22
&312
1.1
IOh22
12
IC852
1471$
16m
VL4UwTrr
Crrnrnty
lQ351
lo¢
1*410
t25.410
IOT
ieT
PERSHORE AND DISTRICTVOLUNTEER CENTRE
BALANCE SHEET FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2022
31 M4Y2V
Fixod As8•ts
N8V
Wid85
Toial FiA•J A•8818
57IriJ
25,239
Curr•nt Assets
Stt¥ks
1.al.C
3.123.70
110.
3,075.
OeF*k%ilkcoJtt
Curra*k¢LXnt
Cashin Ha)4
Total Curnmt AM•t$
,&96.70
370B7
,tN.64
127 518.34
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**Registered Charity No. 1166141**
## **Notes to the Accounts**
1. Accounting Policies
- a. Turnover. All turnover is generated in the UK and is unrestricted.
- b. Depreciation. Where fixed assets have been Grant funded they are all fully depreciated. The policy to be applied:
- i) Computer Equipment – Straight Line basis over three years. ii) Motor Vehicles – 25% Reducing Balance.
2. All debtors are deemed recoverable, within one year.
3. An interest free loan was provided by Pershore and District Voluntary Help Centre in 2021. The loan has been repaid in year.
4. The Charity received grant income of £90,000, from Worcestershire County Council (WCC), on behalf of the Worcestershire Community Transport Partnership (WCTP, a collection of Community Transport providers based in Worcestershire). The Charity distributes this grant to the other partners based on an agreed formula. The Financial Statements reflect £13,417 (2020/21 £12,485) of income, which is the Charity’s retained proportion of this grant.
5. The highest-paid employee received £17,831 during the year.
The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees’ Report above.
Signed on behalf of the Trustees:
Dr Amanda Tanfield Charity Secretary 22 December 2022