Trustees’ Annual Report
1[st] October 2019 to 30[th] September 2020
Section A: Reference and administration details
Charity name
FOUNTAINS COUNSELLING SERVICE
Registered charity number 1166723 Charity's principal address c/o 3 The Mount, Mount Lane, Market Drayton, Shropshire TF9 1AG
Names of the charity trustees
| Trustee name | Office (if any) | Dates acted if not for whole year |
|---|---|---|
| Lindsay Bashford | Chair | |
| Sue Frankfort | Vice Chair | |
| Rob Belcher | Treasurer | |
| Wendy Bishop | ||
| Sandra Davis | ||
| Charles Nicklas-Carter | to 27thAugust 2020 | |
| Caroline Smith |
Section B: Structure, governance and management
Description of the charity’s trusts
| Type of governing document | Constitution |
|---|---|
| How the charity is constituted | Charitable Incorporated Organisation |
| Trustee selection methods | New trustees are selected and appointed by the Charity’s Trustees |
| Additional governance issues | None |
| (optional information) |
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Section C: Objectives and activities
| The object of the charity set out in the governing document Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects(include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit) Additional details of objectives and activities(optional information) |
To preserve and protect good mental health in Staffordshire and the surrounding areas by the provision of a confidential counselling service. |
|---|---|
| Fountains Counselling Service is a voluntary organisation staffed by professionally qualified volunteer counsellors. It continues to offer counselling support to adults experiencing a variety of life challenges including anxiety, stress and depression, loss and bereavement, anger, abuse and relationship difficulties. The Service is accessible to all and does not charge a fee for counselling sessions (although a donation is welcomed from those clients who are able to make a contribution towards sustaining the service). We confirm that the trustees have had regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit. |
|
| None |
Section D: Achievements and performance
Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year
2019/20 was quite a year for Fountains Counselling Service. There have been some significant changes and achievements, including:
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the organisation is developing a vision for its future, and good progress has been made on determining the priorities and working towards achieving them; and
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a substantial gift of £1,500 was received from Foundation Stone Trust, and this will be used to support the future growth of the Service.
In 2019/20 Fountains provided counselling support to 16 clients through a total of 143 counselling sessions (an average of 8 to 9 sessions per client). Clients were seen in Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent, Market Drayton, and Cannock.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the hard decision was taken to suspend the service, seeking no new clients for 6months. Existing clients were moved to counselling by telephone or video call and there are no longer any clients waiting for counselling. Counsellors were able to extend the number of sessions clients received, providing emotional support during an uncertain time.
This has led Fountains to a significant pivotal point for how counselling could be delivered – not just “In person” but by telephone or video call. The change has become the catalyst for Fountains to engage in an external review process with Restore Counselling network. This is currently ongoing and we look forward to reviewing their recommendations.
There is an ever-increasing need for the services that Fountains provides and with thanks to financial donations, it is in a strong position to adopt new ways of working.
Having started the year with a clear goal to find a way to make our service resilient and
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sustainable, we seek to meet the challenges of providing Counselling in a world whose brokenness seems to be growing and whose need for the love and compassion of our Lord never fades.
Section E: Financial review
| Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves Details of any funds materially in deficit Further financial review details (optional information) |
At present Fountains Counselling Service does not have an explicit policy on financial reserves. However, this is on the agenda to address in 2020/21 as part of a review of its wider Finance Policy and Procedures. |
|
|---|---|---|
| None | ||
| The headline points are: At 30 September 2020 (close of annual accounts) the Service had total funds of£26,252.05,a decrease of £905.44 (3%) on the previous year; For various reasons the Service’s activities have been significantly reduced in the 2019/20 financial year, meaning that both expenditure and income have been much less than previous years. A significant gift receipt of £1,500 was received from the Foundation Stone Trust. Income Overall income has been significantly less in 2019/20 over the previous year, the difference largely being the significant ‘one-off’ grant of £8,000 from Stafford Borough Council’s Bereavement Services in 2018/19; Client donations have been much reduced in 2019/20 (£962.37, from £2,913 in the previous year), mainly due to the restricted level of service for a considerable part of the year. They still made up 30% of income; Donations from churches remaining similar to the previous year (£809 – including Penkridge Methodist Church (£50); Church Lane, Stafford (£509); and St. Luke’s Church, Cannock (£250); There were no fundraising activities during the year. Expenditure The main area of annual expenditure was for administrative services costs (£2,160 – 51% of overall outgoings); The other significant item of expenditure was for counsellors’ expenses and supervision costs (£1,495.70 – 35% of overall outgoings); 2019/20 has seen a huge decrease in room hire costs largely due to the restricted service provision during the year. |
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Summary
2019/20 has not been a typical year for the Service as activities were greatly reduced for at least half of the period. The unexpected charitable gift of £1,500 from the Foundation Stone Trust has been extremely welcome, helping to offset this year’s expenditure and deficit. The accounts currently therefore remain in a healthy state. However, without that grant the Service would have seen a decrease of circa £2,400 over the year. Thinking ahead to 2020/21 year, trustees should be aware that:
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if we return to ‘normal’ operations the service’s annual costs are likely to be circa £6,000, with administrator services and counsellors’ expenses/supervision expenditure making up around 80-85% of that;
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to reiterate what was said last year, there is much scope to focus on increasing annual income from sources other than client donations, i.e. church and individual donations, charitable donations and grants, and fundraising activities; and
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the Service should seriously consider how to generate and sustain at least an additional £2,000 per annum in order to cover regular running costs.
Section F: Other optional information
None
Section G: Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees.
Signature:
Full name:
Professor Charles Lindsay Bashford
Position:
Chair of Trustees
Date:
August 9[th] 2021
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FOUNTAINS COUNSELLING SERVICE ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDED 30/09/2020
| (1) Unrestricted Funds Receipts Donations etc Church donations Client donations Individual donations Charitable donations and grants Other Gift Aid rebate Fundraising activities Easyfundraising Total Payments General Administration service costs Counsellors' expenses and supervision Administration Administrator and other expenses Telephone costs Other Insurance Professional membership Professional training - ACC conference Room hire Website hosting Purchase of new laptop computer and software Miscellaneous Total Net of receipts (payments) Cash fund last year end Cash fund this year end |
2019 £ 830.00 2,913.00 236.00 8,100.00 474.05 0.00 76.21 12,629.26 1,560.00 2,805.31 436.95 132.30 168.10 0.00 300.00 610.00 86.26 465.98 65.00 6,629.90 5,999.36 21,158.13 £27,157.49 |
2020 £ 809.00 962.37 60.00 1,500.00 0.00 0.00 18.05 |
|---|---|---|
| 3,349.42 | ||
| 2,160.00 1,495.70 9.32 135.48 168.10 140.00 0.00 60.00 86.26 0.00 0.00 |
||
| 4,254.86 | ||
| -905.44 27,157.49 |
||
| £26,252.05 |
(2) Statement of Assets and Liabilities at 30th September 2020
Monetary Assets
| Bank and Cash balances (no cash held or cash transactions) Total held in bank account minus value of unpresented cheques at year end plus value of unbanked receipts total |
year end year end 30.09.19 30.09.20 27,612.89 26,357.05 595.40 105.00 140.00 0.00 £27,157.49 £26,252.05 |
|---|---|
- Other assets (non endowed)
The Service holds the following assets of value: 2no. laptop computers and a printer. One laptop and printer were purchased in 2011 at an approximate cost of £650. Their current resale value is considered to be nil. The other laptop was purchased in 2019 and has a notional value of £100.
No other accounts held, no other funds held, no liabilities.
For and on behalf of Fountains Counselling Service Management Committee
Rob Belcher (Treasurer)