## **Trustees’ Annual Report** # **1[st] October 2023 to 30[th] September 2024** # **Section A: Reference and administration details** **Charity name** # **FOUNTAINS COUNSELLING SERVICE** ~~[_~~ **Registered charity number 1166723** ~~[_S~~ **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|| |Rob Belcher|Treasurer|| |Wendy Bishop||Until June 2024| |Sandra Davis||| ## **Section B: Structure, governance and management** **Description of the charity’s trusts** **Type of governing document** Constitution ~~Sd~~ **How the charity is constituted** Charitable Incorporated Organisation ~~CS~~ New trustees are selected and appointed by the Charity’s **Trustee selection methods** Trustees **Additional governance issues** None _(optional information)_ ~~CT~~ ## **Section C: Objectives and activities** **The object of the charity set out in the governing document** To preserve and protect good mental health in Staffordshire and the surrounding areas by the provision 1 |**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)_|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** Following detailed discussions, Fountains Counselling entered into a formal partnership with Reach Christian Counselling. Under the partnership Reach receive and allocate requests for counselling and ensure Counsellors provide a safe and appropriate service; Fountains recruit and support Counsellors in Staffordshire and surrounding areas. In order to promote the work of Fountains, the chair liaised with United Christian Broadcasters and gave an in depth interview which had a particular focus on our work and its Christian context. Fountains continues to promote its activities by liaising with local churches in Stafford and in Stoke.and maintaining an active website. ## **Section E: Financial review** **Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves** At present Fountains Counselling Service does not have an explicit policy on financial reserves. However, this is on the agenda to address in 2024/25 as part of a review of its wider Finance Policy and Procedures. 2 |**Details of any funds materially**
**in deficit**
**Further financial review details**
_(optional information)_||None| |---|---|---| |||| |||The headline points are:

The Service ceased banking with Barclays and in
November 2023 opened a new Charity and
Community Bank Account with the Cooperative Bank.

At 30 September 2024 (close of annual accounts) the
Service had total funds of £24,942.48, a small
decrease of £395.20 on the previous year;

The Service’s counselling activities recommenced in
the 2023/24 financial year as Fountains entered a
partnership with Reach Counselling (Merseyside).
Consequently, both expenditure and income
transactions started to show a slow and steady
increase.
Income

Overall income remained relatively low (£703.38)
although increased significantly from the previous
year;

Although limited, the Service once more started to
receive client donations due to counselling services
restarting;

We also continue to receive church donations (£615);

There were no fundraising activities during the year.
Expenditure

As the Service recommenced activities, expenditure
during 2023/24 more than quadrupled on the previous
year to 1,098.58. In line with our new partnership with
Reach Counselling, we started paying them a
£250/month management administration fee for the
last 3 months of the financial year (£750). This was
the most significant outgoing in the year.

Other significant costs in 2023/24 were counsellor
payments (£140) and our annual membership of the
relevant professional body (£152.25).
Summary
In 2023/24 counselling activities recommenced towards
the end of the year. Our partnership with Reach
Counselling means that we have started working in a
different way to previously. From a financial perspective,
we have commenced paying Reach a monthly
management and administration fee. We pay counsellors
for each patient session undertaken in our area, and
share received client donations equally with Reach.
Our accounts currently remain in a healthy state.| 3 ## **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:**
**Position:**
**Date:**|||| |---|---|---|---| ||||| ||**Professor Charles Lindsay Bashford**||| ||||| ||**Chair of Trustees**||| ||||| ||**2025-09-23**||| 4 ## **FOUNTAINS COUNSELLING SERVICE ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDED 30/09/2024** |||**2023**|**2024**| |---|---|---|---| |**(1) Unrestricted Funds**||**£**|**£**| |**Receipts**|||| |**Donations etc**|Church donations|293.02|615.00| ||Client donations|0.00|60.00| ||Individual donations|20.00|20.00| ||Charitable donations and grants|0.00|0.00| |**Other**|Gift Aid rebate|0.00|0.00| ||Fundraising activities|0.00|0.00| ||Other|0.00|8.38| |**Total**||**313.02**|**703.38**| |**Payments**|||| |**General**|Administration service costs|0.00|750.00| ||Counsellors' payments|0.00|140.00| |**Other**|Professional membership|0.00|152.25| ||Telephone costs|147.76|28.84| ||Insurance|0.00|0.00| ||Website hosting|100.66|0.00| ||Promotion expenses|0.00|27.49| ||Miscellaneous|0.00|0.00| |**Total**||**248.42**|**1,098.58**| |**Net of receipts (payments)**||**64.60**|**-395.20**| |**Cash fund last year end**||25,273.08|25,337.68| |**Cash fund this year end**||£25,337.68|£24,942.48| ## **(2) Statement of Assets and Liabilities at 30th September 2024 Monetary Assets** |**Monetary Assets**
**(2) Statement of Assets and Liabilities at 30th September 2024**||| |---|---|---| |**Bank and Cash balances (no cash held or cash transactions)**|**year end**|**year end**| ||**30.09.23**|**30.09.24**| |**Total held in bank account**|**25,337.68**|**24,942.48**| |minus value of unpresented cheques at year end|0.00|0.00| |plus value of unbanked receipts|0.00|0.00| |total|£25,337.68|£24,942.48| ## **- Other assets (non endowed)** None **No other accounts held, no other funds held, no liabilities. For and on behalf of Fountains Counselling Service Management Committee** **Rob Belcher (Treasurer)**