2024-03-31-accounts - Cornwall One Parent Support

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Cornwall One Parent Support Annual Report April 1[st] 2023- March 31[st] 2024

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The Aim of The Charity is to Support & Improve the Lives of One Parent Families in Cornwall

Cornwall One Parent Support Annual Report April 1[st] 2023- March 31[st] 2024

Vision A society that respects family diversity, ensuring equality for one parent and their children

Charity Aims & Objectives Mission Statement

The relief of poverty, distress, and isolation of children of one-parent families in need.
The relief of financial hardship amongst adults of one-parent families.

3. The advancement of education and the provision of facilities for recreation their leisure time occupations in the interests of social welfare, with the object of improving the condition of life for the children of one-parent families .

Values and Principles

COPs respects and reflects the diversity of one parent families and recognises the need for their equality of treatment.
COPs is an independent, not for profit membership organisation.
COPS work on a Cornwall county-wide basis to represent and be accessible to all one parents.
COPS is an organisation promoting individual and collective empowerment.
COPS is committed to organisational development to ensure on going responsiveness and sustainability of services for one parent families.

HISTORY OF THE CHARITY

Cornwall One Parent Support was first formed in 1996 in response to a need for Cornwall’s one parent families to access local skills training, peer support information, and opportunities for inexpensive, activities for themselves and their children. Cornwall One Parent Support first became a registered Charity in July 1997. In November 2016 the charity 1056923 changed to a CIO with a new charity number 1170091.

The charity started in 1996 with one group in St. Austell. The charity from 1996 has had groups in Truro, Falmouth, Liskeard, Camborne, Wadebridge, Tintagel, Camelford, Par, Bude, Penzance, Redruth, Newquay, Launceston and Bodmin.

The charity has this year members in Bodmin, Truro, Falmouth, Camelford, Delabole, Probus, St Austell, the China Clay Area and Lostwithiel. The charity this year has not resumed fully the daytime drop-in groups but has in St Austell as it’s the largest membership a after school family group, also providing a hot meal. The charity’s programme of events, activities, and outings are inclusive of all membership throughout Cornwall. The charity also has a Secret Facebook page for members of the charity and a Public Facebook page for promoting the charity. Each area has their own group chat for self-support and communicating information which is vital with the isolation one parent families sometimes feel.

Cornwall One Parent Support Annual Report April 1[st] 2023- March 31[st] 2024

At the present time the Charity has four Trustees:

Mrs.E.F.M.Northcott (Chairperson and co-ordinator) – original founder of charity
Mr.T.A.Northcott (Treasurer) original founder of the charity
Mrs.J.L.Fernandez (Secretary )
Miss Deborah Stephens

The Charity is based at Mr T A and Mrs E F M Northcott’s is not office based. Cornwall One Parent Support is user led and a self- support network run entirely by volunteers with input from the families

SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE CHARITY

CRISIS SUPPORT

The Charity, through its trustees, sign post families to other agencies i.e. Family Hubs (formally Children’s Centres), Early Help Hub, Family Information Service, Health visitors, Live West housing workers, Together for families support workers, Cornwall College, First Light Service, Young People Cornwall Health & Well-being Community Workers, Foodbanks and C.A.P Skills for life and other support services. The charity can offer crisis intervention support via a telephone numbers (available 24\7) which are prominently displayed on all Cornwall One Parent Support publicity material ( accessed by members and available to other support agencies in Cornwall).

The Charity also continues to use contacts known to the charity, the internet, social media, C 4 C, local voluntary sector projects such as local churches, the Lions, that have access to furniture or furniture stores, when a family requires help. Members also sometimes require assistance with home decoration or moving to a new house. The Charity Trustees working as a team with parent volunteers have worked hard to help improve their member families’ circumstances and to alleviate many practical worries at stressful times.

Agencies such as Buttle UK (for children and young people), the Lions and Cornwall Community Foundation Crisis Fund, CRCC, Parent Carers Council, Cornwall Council Crisis Fund are agencies to which Cornwall One Parent Support or families can sometimes apply for new cookers, fridges and other items and other areas of help to improve circumstances for members and their families.

The Charity also signposts families with a child who has disabilities and is in receipt of DLA to the Family Fund. The Family Fund provides grants to improve the life of the child concerned. Whilst the Charity always endeavours to obtain grants for members, when possible, criteria for grants do vary from fund to fund. Therefore, applications may not be possible if a family’s circumstances do not fit an individual funder’s criteria.

Cornwall One Parent Support Annual Report April 1[st] 2023- March 31[st] 2024

The Trussell Trust Foodbank Project (originally pioneered in Salisbury) is now working to feed people in crisis right across the UK. The foodbank provides three days’ worth of nutritionally balanced food, in exchange for a foodbank voucher, from its drop-in centres. It also provides a free hot drink, a listening ear, and additional support where needed to help break the cycle of poverty.

The charity with the online referral system has now been able to allocate Foodbank voucher codes to all areas in Cornwall if a family are in crisis.

Cornwall One Parent families can and have benefitted from this crisis support offered from the Foodbanks all over Cornwall. The Foodbanks are still providing a fantastic service in these times of financial hardship, the demand on Foodbanks has increased.

The St Austell Foodbank also run a CAP Skills for life course which Cornwall One Parent Support members have attended. The course address creating budgets, wellbeing, cooking on a budget and other areas to help with the cost-of-living crisis

Details of where to find Foodbanks in Cornwall are contained in the link below: - http://www.trusselltrust.org /

Cornwall One Parent Support Annual Report April 1[st] 2023- March 31[st] 2024

Daisy Dukes A community interest company, helping our homeless and others in need. We give out free clothes, food, tents and sleeping bags every day! Our aim is to help our community out of poverty, making St Austell and surrounding areas a better place to live.

Warm Spaces / Hubs There are various warm spaces throughout Cornwall this year that our one parent families can access. The spaces provide a welcome, have advisory services in attendance, free hot drinks and sometimes a free meal.

Cost of Living Help Hub

St Austell Health Care, St Austell Foodbank and Light & Life Church have organised agencies to come every third Thursday to the Light & Life Church to meet agencies face to face to have advice on housing, energy, debt, water bills and CAB attend who cover an immense number of issues to name a few

Our Advice Services

As energy prices continue to climb, the number of people struggling to keep their homes heated to an adequate temperature and stay on top of their energy bills steadily increases.

Low wages, large numbers of poorly insulated and solid wall properties and reliance on more expensive forms of heating where there is no access to mains gas, have forced many households to make difficult choices between heating and other living costs.

If you’re in fuel debt, struggling to pay your energy bills or concerned about your property being cold, damp or mouldy, our fully trained and qualified energy advisors can provide independent advice. We can point you towards any current financial support schemes for insulation and heating or direct you to other charities and organisations who might be able to help.

Community Energy Plus Freephone Advice Service

Our independent energy advice service provides householders in Cornwall with information on insulation, heating and managing energy bills, including advising on any current government schemes for insulation and heating.Our advisors are available to help you between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Call 0800 954 1956 or email advice@cep.org.uk

Cornwall One Parent Support families have benefited a great deal from Community Energy Plus with advice and fuel vouchers.

Cornwall One Parent Support Annual Report April 1[st] 2023- March 31[st] 2024

Community Larders and St Austell Start Clothing Bank

Community Larders and Clothing banks. These organisations are a tremendous service for communities throughout Cornwall as there are community larders and Foodbanks in other areas. Both the Foodbanks, Start Clothing Bank and Community Larders have helped many Cornwall One Parent Support families during this exceedingly challenging year with the costof-living crisis. Cornwall One Parents Support families have accessed these services.

Grants the Charity has received April 2023 – March 2024

SWPA £1,000
Manor Solar Farm £960
Community Chest Fund from Councillor Anne Double & Richards Pears £650
Community Fund £1,762
Cornwall Community Foundation £3,000 Cost of Living individual grants
Ocean Housing £480
Time 2 Move £1,415 Easter Holidays 2024 to be reported in the 2024-2025 Annual
Report

Additional Support for Parents/ Carers in 2023/2024

Cornwall One Parent Support resumed the daytime peer support groups for parents and parent carers April 2023 – March 2024. The parents enjoyed taking part in the craft sessions with a nutritious lunch provided at no cost to them. The pandemic caused many one parent families to experience even greater isolation and hardship, so the adult craft sessions had a tremendous impact on the parents and carers.

A special thank you to Light and Life church St Austell who generously did not charge the charity rent which made it possible to provide the April to November workshops.

April 2023 – November 2023

The Following Workshops with the support from Light and Life: -

Glass Jar & Rock Painting
Decoupage
Jewellery Making Workshop
Polymer Clay

Cornwall One Parent Support Annual Report April 1[st] 2023- March 31[st] 2024

Additional Support for Parents/ Carers in 2023/2024 continued

December 2023 - March 2023 Manor Solar Farm Grant £960

The charity has been able to further deliver the following workshops: -

Christmas Crafts
Tie Dyeing
Jewellery Making
Polymer Clay

Another tremendous thank you goes to Lizzie Liz who has given volunteer time to help parents with the various craft sessions. The charity used resources which we had available for the April- November 2023 workshops The charity then from December 2023 received the grant from Manor Solar Farm The grant provided from December 2023 onwards the cost of craft materials, lunch and rent cost.

Easter Holidays 2023

Springfields Pony Park Easter Holidays 2023

The charity offered the one trip to Springfields in the 2023 Easter holidays with the funding available. Seventy-one persons attended. The Time 2 Move programme was also available, to which some one parent families accessed the activities in their areas.

Cornwall One Parent Support Annual Report April 1[st] 2023- March 31[st] 2024

Family Fun Activities @ Weekends 2023

The Family Fun activities below were discounted rates and added to this subsidized with the charity funding available. Families would not be able to have these opportunities with increased strain on the family budget due to the cost-of-living crisis

Flo Rider April 22[nd] 2023 & September 9[th] 2023

The cost was £3.00 per person but without the generous discount from Retallick Resort and a grant from SWPA the charity would not be able to offer these fantastic opportunities. Forty persons had this amazing opportunity.

Family Fun Activities @ Weekends 2023 Aqua Park Activity Saturday June 17[th]

Thirty persons attended the activity @ Aqua Park. The cost was £5.00 per person which is a generous discounted rate. The opportunity for the families once again would be not accessible with the restraints on the family budget

Cornwall One Parent Support Annual Report April 1[st] 2023- March 31[st] 2024

Community Fund £1,762 the grant included two Drumming Workshops

Saturday February 24[th] & Saturday March 23[rd]

The charity aims for the drumming workshops are stated below :-

Music brings people together
Music improves health and wellbeing
Music can improve confidence and resilience
Music is a creative outlet
Music is fun!

The one parent family members with the results of the pandemic which has had dramatic effects on family life with the increase of mental health affecting more children, these fun music sessions have had a tremendous impact on family life because as mentioned above the benefits of music. The cost-of-living crisis has also added to the strain and stresses of family life so fun family events that are at no cost for the activity and lunch also provided free are an additional benefit to families. Not forgetting the amazing experience at both workshops and the smiles on everyone’s faces as the families had the opportunity for creating happy memories as a family.

Cornwall One Parent Support Annual Report April 1[st] 2023- March 31[st] 2024

SWPA £1,000 Grant for the Summer Holidays Outings 2023

The £1,000 grant was to subsidise the cost of entrance to the activities below. The Community Chest Fund from Councillor Anne Double & Richards Pears of £650 assisted with the coach hire cost.

The Charity organised the Summer Holiday Trips 2023 Listed Below :-

Flambards The cost was £5,25 per person, 145 paying persons attended.
Springfields The cost was £4,00 per person, 72 paying persons attended.
Lappa Valley Steam Railway the cost was £5.25 per person, 57 paying persons attended.
Giant Slip & Slide the cost was £5.00, 35 persons attended.
Free Drumming Workshop & Lunch 40 persons attended.

The summer holidays with the children at home for the five weeks is a challenge financially to give them the opportunities of days out. The cost-of-living crisis increased the financial restraints on the family budget. The coaches and summer activity plan addresses the isolation one parent families frequently feel. The reduced cost addresses the limited family budget to improve accessibility to activities.

Added to the outings and activities the charity organised families were able to enjoy the activities with the Time 2 Move Programme in the Summer Holidays 2023 The activities are free if in receipt of free school meals. Cornwall Council make this possible. Families enjoyed surfing, dance, and sport activities to name a few in the Summer Holidays 2023.Some families benefitted with up to four activities a week.

September 2023 Ocean Housing Grant £480 & Light & Life

The charity with feedback from the families requesting for an opportunity to meet up on weekdays in term time. The charity applied for a grant to Ocean Housing and were successful with the application of the provision of a Family After School Group. The families could get together after school but also be able to have a hot nutritious meal. This addresses food poverty but also increases the peer support and information exchange for the whole family. There are toys and crafts for the children while the parents have a catch up. The Family After School group has run on a fortnightly basis in term time. Attendance is up to 47 persons

Cornwall One Parent Support Annual Report April 1[st] 2023- March 31[st] 2024

Community Fund £1,762 the grant included eight Slow Cooker Workshops. ~~E~~ >

The parents came in after the morning school run, refreshments were provided before they started to prepare a slow-cooked meal, the funding covered the full cost of the ingredients.
Eight different recipes were used on each session which provided a whole new repertoire of recipes that are economically viable on a limited family budget.
The families, after preparing the slow-cooked meals, left to return after the afternoon school run.
The families ate together at 5.00pm with the opportunity to try any of the eight slow cooker meals, not just the recipe they had prepared. Families said that they wanted more of a similar project, not only because they got to try a wide variety of new recipes, but they enjoyed the opportunity to sit down as a large group and eat together, which families had been deprived of during all the pandemic restrictions.

Cornwall One Parent Support Annual Report April 1[st] 2023- March 31[st] 2024

December 2023

Peter Pan @ The Hall For Cornwall Saturday 16[th] December

Cornwall One Parent Support were allocated 50 complementary tickets via the Community Club organised by Jade Mc Sharry the Co-ordinator. The families were absolutely delighted and again the restraints on the family budget would not have been accessible to the families that were offered this opportunity. Everyone had an amazing time.

February Half Term 2024

The Charity had in previous years received invitations from The Probus Parish Players , to attend their pantomimes free of charge. During the 2024 February half term, the Charity again this year were offered eighty free tickets to attend the Players pantomime “The Little Mermaid” on their charity night. The values of the tickets given to the Charity were over £700 for which the charity and the families were extremely grateful.

The families had a tremendous time as with the financial crisis at this time this was an amazing opportunity for everyone.

Cornwall One Parent Support Annual Report April 1[st] 2023- March 31[st] 2024

The Way forward for the Charity in 2024 - 2025: -

The Charity would always still constantly seek ways to improve services for our members.
The Charity will continue to network with other agencies to improve what the charity offers our families in the way of further support.
Consultation with the parents and children for ideas and feedback is an important part of the planning of our events and activities. The consultation and feedback from members have identified the areas of help and support our families require. The feedback also helps us as trustees to understand what projects, activities, and courses we need to source funding for. All members are important, what they say and whatever skill they have to offer, everyone is encouraged to take an active role within
The charity is conscious that funding is not always available for many of the projects we want to put on for our members. We are enormously grateful therefore for the fundraising that members themselves organise, along with the support of the trustees. Not only does such fundraising bring in vital funds for the charity and its members, helping it put on more activities and ensuring the charity is around to support one parent families for many years to come. The fundraising is also particularly important for building teamwork and learning new skills.
The charity trustees having listened to the positive feedback and the constant demand from families who require support, makes it apparent and clear that the services offered by the charity are still required within Cornwall’s many communities.
In conclusion new membership has increased again in the last year. Currently, to the best of our knowledge we still are the only one parent self-support network in Cornwall. The Trustees will continue to make information about the Charity available in as many ways and places as possible so that more people can access our organisation.

Mrs Elizabeth F M Northcott

Chairperson/

CORNWALL ONE PARENT SUPPORT - Charity No :- 1170091 Summery of Accounts :- April 2023 - March 2024

Income
Contributions from Members for day activities		£683.25
Private Donation		£466.08
Grants		£9,267
Membership		£245.00
Total Income	£	10,661.33
Income	£	10,661.33
Expenditure	£	11,019.50
Sub total	-£	358.17
Balance B/fwd March 2023		£9,029.70
Balance C/fwd		£8,671.53

Outgoings
Equipment	£397.99
Food/Group Lunches & Slow Cooker Project	£1,365.40
Fuel Allowance	£289.02
Outings entrance & Coach cost	£5,430.60
Phone	£200
Craft Course	£355.48
Stationary	£276.37
Crisis grants	£2,419.70
Bank Charges	£109.20
insurance	£175.74

Total Expenditure £ 11,019.50