## Samaritans of Wigan
Trustees Annual Report and Unaudited Financial Statements
For the Year 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
## Samaritans of Wigan
For the Year 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
|Contents||
|---|---|
|Reference and Administrative Details|2|
|Trustees Annual Report|3 - 6|
|Statement of Financial Activities|7|
|Statement of Financial Position|8|
|Notes to the Financial Statements|9 – 11|
|Independent Examiner’s Report|12|
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Samaritans of Wigan
Reference and Administrative Details
For the Year 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
The Trustees Ruth Dean (Director) Darren Keith Appanah (Treasurer) Barbara Ashby (resigned 2023) Dawn Jones (appointed 2023) Annick Morris (Secretary) Elizabeth Ann Roberts (resigned 2023) Ann Marie Sandelands Pauline Westwood (appointed 2023) Charity number: 1170589 Registered Office: 73 Dicconson Street Wigan WN1 2AT Independent Examiner M H C Lunt BCom MCom FCA _Chartered Accountant_ Ashburn, Woodhart Lane, Eccleston Chorley, Lancashire PR7 5TB Honorary Legal Adviser P Leppard BA, MA, BPTC 40 Newton Road, Billinge, Wigan, WN5 7LA Bankers Santander Bootle Merseyside L30 4GB Lloyds TSB Bank Plc., 7 Carter St, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire ST14 8HD Redwood Bank Limited The Nexus Building, Broadway, Letchworth Garden City, SG6 3TA
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## Samaritans of Wigan Trustees Annual Report For 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
The trustees present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2024. The trustees have adopted the provisions of 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 (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019).
## **Objectives and Activities**
The objects of the charity are:
1) to enable persons in Wigan and the surrounding area as well as elsewhere who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those who may be at risk of suicide, to receive confidential emotional support at any time of the day or night in order to improve their emotional health and to reduce the incidence of suicide;
2) to promote a better understanding in society of suicide, suicidal behaviour and the value of expressing feelings which may otherwise lead to suicide or impaired emotional health; and
3) to collaborate with and support Samaritans Central Charity and its affiliated branches in fulfilling these objects.
Callers contact Samaritans in a variety of ways and volunteers at Wigan branch deal with communications by telephone and email. Face to face callers are welcomed into the branch when possible. Calls made by telephone to the national number can be received at any one of over 200 branches.
The trustees have complied with the duty set out in Section 4 of the Charities Act 2011 and in planning their activities have paid due regard to public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission.
## **Achievements and Performance**
## Volunteer Profile
At the beginning of the year covered in this report, 1[st] April 2023, there were 80 volunteers on the Three rings data base. At the year end this had dropped down to 62. This was as a result of some volunteers who had not made contact or signed onto Three rings in a 12-month period being closed. We had new volunteers join us via in-house training and were joined by a fully trained volunteer from another branch. Thank you to everyone who has continued to offer our callers their support.
## Recruitment
In March we had a new Deputy director for Recruitment and eight new Samaritans were selected.
## Training
This year we only completed one round of Core Development. As we had a small team of trainers, with three out of four working full time, it was felt that we should give ourselves more time to prepare and restart later in the year. At the end of January we started with eight: one failed to attend the first session; one left after completing Core feeling the time was not right for him; two others are still being processed and we have four full volunteers.
Finding enough people to help with skills practice sessions and mentoring proved challenging, but thanks are expressed for those who did support the trainers.
Training for Mentoring, being a Leader and offering emotional support for those outside of the branch (Outreach) were also completed as required. Increasing the number of Leaders and Mentors remains also a priority.
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Due to various issues, we have not completed on-going training within this year and it remains a priority for the next year. On-going Mentoring will be started later in the year.
## Rota
At the end of the last year Wigan Branch was at the bottom of the Regional table for night hours; however, the figures for January/February 2024 show improvement. Stephen Klein the Regional Capacity Officer said,
‘ _The night hours stats for January/February show a marked improvement up to 50 minutes per Active Listening Volunteer (ALV) in the night hours so far this quarter, more than double the average over the last two years and only 20 minutes off our regional target of 70 minutes per ALV per quarter_ .’
We started at 13 mins per volunteer and our improvement was measured at 108%. It was also noted that only 22 volunteers did any ‘night shifts.
The rota has continued to fluctuate in general, struggling at times.
## Fundraising
We started this year without any Deputy Director for Fundraising and all efforts were completed by whosoever volunteered to take part.
We were invited to be one of the Mayor of Wigan’s Charities which was an honour as the Borough has many worthy causes that could have been supported by him and his team and we are grateful for his support. Manleigh was the other beneficiary, and they organised a ball at Leigh Sports Village and four volunteers attended to add their support. A second ball organised by the Mayor’s Charity was also arranged which was held in April 2024.
We were asked to attend the Wigan Armed Forces Day alongside Manleigh which was very worthwhile and a fun day.
Wigan Samaritans organised a Quiz which was held in the Leigh area in November and whilst we did not raise a substantial amount of money, we did raise our profile in an area of our ‘patch that we have not ventured into often and added our contribution to the Mayor’s fund.
We attended Shevington Fete, and Sally must be mentioned for the amount of work she puts in to make this a success every year. Thank you, Sally.
## Publicity
There was no Deputy in place to drive our publicity in the local and national arena. It is disappointing that we could not do more to raise our profile whilst linked to the Mayor for his year in office.
## Outreach
Our contribution to outreach has come mainly from our links with the public health team at Wigan Council. We are included on the suicide awareness meetings and they always make sure we are aware of any local issues.
Due to the value our volunteers have seen in attending Wigan North Western Station to provide post incident support, for a short spell after a particularly difficult time, they have continued to attend every week. The feedback from the station and others linked to this has been really positive and our volunteers should be proud of what they have achieved.
A target for the future is to become more involved with the Veterans Hub in Wigan
## Prison
A new Branch Prison Support Officer (BPSO) took up her post on 1st March 2023 and has expanded the role from monthly support meetings to every week and has undertaken training for new Listeners throughout the last year. Prisons continue to be challenging places and an everchanging population adds to the problems a BPSO faces. There are also more volunteers going into the prison to support training and the Listeners with their work.
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## Volunteer Support
After a false start with Leaders being asked to provide a ‘buddy’ support system for all volunteers the Deputy Director for volunteers has undertaken to provide the support via a group of other volunteers, who will call a small group, to check up on the person, talk through any difficulties and offer support. This appears to be working effectively.
Overall, my second year has been challenging. It is disappointing to see the membership fall but I am grateful for the support I have had from volunteers.
## **Financial Review**
The Statements of Financial Activities and Financial Position, together with the notes, for the year ended 31 March 2024 are given on pages 7 to 11.
The finances of ‘Samaritans of Wigan’ (the ‘Charity’) are administered by the Branch Leadership Team, which includes the trustees of the Charity.
The deficit for 2024 was £2,762 (2023 deficit £6,522) which is a significant improvement.
## Income.
The total income for the year was £18,351 (2023 £15,952). This is a significant increase. Donations increased by about 50% - an increase of £2,089. This support is very much appreciated from both our regular donors and new donors. It is encouraging to know that the services we provide are appreciated and backed up by financial support.
Fund raising income increased but so did fund raising expenditure and the net figure was a decrease from last year.
The Charity participates in a partnership between the Samaritans Central Charity and the National Offender Management Service. The Charity receives a grant for its work in a local prison and the grant increased by £542 – approximately an extra 33%.
The charity shop surplus – income less expenditure – was less than last year. This is not surprising given the difficult trading situation in Wigan town centre. Interest received increased due to the rise in interest rates.
## Expenditure.
The total expenditure for the year was £21,113 (2023 £22,474). This is a welcome reduction given recent levels of high inflation.
This overall decrease is partly due to a reduction in charity shop expenses.
However, this decrease is partly offset by an increase in fund raising expenses and telephone expenses.
## Statement of Financial Position. (SOFA)
The SOFA shows that tangible fixed assets are unchanged from last year and these comprise just the long leasehold property which is the office for the Charity.
There was £55,543 in the bank accounts and £8,054 owing to creditors leaving a net cash balance available of £47,489. The Charity was solvent at 31 March 2024 as assets exceeded liabilities and there was sufficient cash to meet short term liabilities.
In the short term, say four years, any deficits can be met from the bank balance; in the longer term, this is not sustainable. The Branch Leadership Team plan to ensure that the Wigan Branch, on a year-by-year basis, can raise sufficient income to meet its expenditure.
The Charity seeks to maintain a level of reserves sufficient to allow it to maintain the infrastructure necessary for it to carry on its operations, to provide a buffer against variations in cash flow and to allow for such contingencies as might reasonably be expected to arise.
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## **Structure, Governance and Management**
The governing body of the Samaritans Central Charity (SCC) is the Board of Trustees. There is a network of over 200 branches in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Samaritans of Wigan ("the Charity”) is an affiliated branch of SCC, The Charity is a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) and is managed by a Board of Trustees and a Branch Leadership Team, who are responsible for its general management.
The trustees who served during the year are shown on page 2.
The CIO is linked to a previous charity, ‘The Samaritans of Wigan’, (the old Charity) which became a dormant charity and its registered number is 1170589-1. The CIO is the trustee of the old Charity and this role is carried out by the Director of the Charity. As a linked charity, separate accounts for the old Charity are no longer prepared.
## Risk Management
The trustees have considered the principal risks to which the organisation is exposed and have developed strategies to mitigate the effects of these where possible.
## **Trustees Responsibility Statement**
The trustees are responsible for keeping accounting records, which disclose with reasonable accuracy the financial position of the charity. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
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## **Samaritans of Wigan Statement of Financial Activities Period 1st April 2023 to 31 March 2024**
|**_notes_**
**INCOME**
Voluntary Income
Donations
Fund raising
National Offender Management Service Grant
Charity shop receipts
_note 2_
Interest received
**TOTAL INCOME**
**EXPENDITURE**
**Cost of Generating Funds**
Fundraising expenses
Charity shop expenses
_note 2_
**Charitable expenditure**
Telephone
Conference, training, recruitment
Travel expenses
Waste and water
Heat and light
Cleaning and household
Stationery and postage
Insurance
Repairs and renewals
Sundry
Branch affiliation fee to Samaritans
Bank charges
Depreciation
**TOTAL EXPENDITURE**
**Net income / (expenditure) for the year**
**Funds 1 April 2023**
**Funds 31 March 2024**||**2024**
**Unrestricted**
**Fund**
**£**
6,319
2,232
2,129
5,794
1,877
|**2023**
**Total**
**Funds**
**£**
4,230
1,563
1,587
7,594
978|
|---|---|---|---|
|||||
|||18,351
|15,952|
||
|1,205
5,411
3,870
864
3
754
2,663
1,014
67
1,431
1,539
195
2,073
24
-
|198
6,577
2,808
1,762
390
834
2,324
1,240
265
1,360
1,992
284
1,924
27
489|
|||21,113|22,474|
|||(2,762)
79,651
|(6,522)
86,173|
|||76,889|79,651|
## **CONTINUING OPERATIONS**
All income and expenditure has arisen from continuing activities.
The notes on pages 9 to 11 form part of these accounts
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## **Samaritans of Wigan Statement of Financial Position At 31 March 2024**
||**notes**||**2024**|**2023**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||||£|**£**|
|**TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS**|_note 5_||29,400|29,400|
|**CURRENT ASSETS**|||||
|Bank - current account|11,546|11,546||6,650|
|Bank - deposit account|43,997|43,997||47,674|
||55,543|55,543||54,324|
|**CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING**|||||
|**DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR**|||||
|Contribution to Samaritans||(2,125)||(1,924)|
|Other creditors||(3,303)||(1,469)|
|Deferred income NOMS grant||(2,039)||-|
|Accruals||(587)||(680)|
|||(8,054)||(4,073)|
|**NET CURRENT ASSETS**|||47,489|50,251|
|**NET ASSETS**|||76,889|79,651|
|**REPRESENTED BY**|||||
|**RESERVES**|||||
|**UNRESTRICTED**|||||
|General reserve|_note 6_||47,490|50,252|
|Capital reserve|_note 6_||29,399|29,399|
||||76,889|79,651|
Approved by the Board of Trustees on 18 October 2024 and agreed and signed on its behalf by:
DIRECTOR
Ruth Dean
TREASURER
Keith Appanah
The notes on pages 9 to 11 form part of these accounts
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**Samaritans of Wigan Notes to the Financial Statements For the Year 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024**
## **1** . **Accounting Policies**
## **Basis of preparing the financial statements**
‘The Samaritans of Wigan’, a dormant charity with registration number, 1170589-1, is linked to ‘Samaritans of Wigan’ (the Charity). As a linked charity, separate accounts are not required although a summary of its assets and activities is set out in Note 9 below.
## **Accounting convention**
The financial statements of the charity, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) '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 (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Charities Act 2011. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.
## **Fund accounting**
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the objectives of the charity.
Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure imposed by the donor or through the terms of an appeal.
## **Income**
All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably. Donated services and facilities are included at the value to the charity where this can be quantified. The value of services provided by volunteers has not been included in these accounts.
## **Expenditure**
Expenditure is recognised on an accrual basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be recovered and this is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates.
Cost of generating funds comprise the costs associated with attracting voluntary income and shop sales.
Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them.
Management and administration costs include those costs associated with meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements of the charity and include costs linked to the strategic management of the charity.
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**Samaritans of Wigan Notes to the Financial Statements For the Year 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024**
## **1** . **Accounting Policies (continued)**
## **Tangible fixed assets**
Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life. Minor additions costing less than £500 are not capitalised.
Long leasehold land - nil, but subject to impairment test
Long leasehold property - nil, based on high residual value, but subject to impairment test Fixtures and fittings - 15% on cost Office equipment - 25% on cost
As the long leasehold property is maintained in a state of repair such that its estimated residual value is not less than its original cost, the annual charge for depreciation is considered to be nil.
## **2 Shop surplus / (deficit)**
|Receipts
Payments
Rent and water
Telephone
Repairs and renewals
Light and heat
Other
Total expenses
Surplus / (deficit)||2024
£|2023
£|
|---|---|---|---|
|||5,794|7,594|
|||4,621
271
191
328|5,639
304
81
548
5|
|||5,411|6,577|
|||||
|||383|1,017|
## **3 Trustees’ Remuneration.**
No remuneration was paid to any trustees in the year. (2023 nil).
## **4. Management and administration cost**
There are no material management and administration costs.
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## **Samaritans of Wigan Notes to the Financial Statements For the Year 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2022**
## **5 Tangible Fixed Assets**
|Cost
At 1 April 2023
Additions
Written off
At 31 March 2024
Depreciation
At 1 April 2023
Charge for the year
Written off
At 31 March 2024
Net Book Value
At 31 March 2024
At 31 March 2023||Long
Leasehold
Office Equipment
Property
Equipment
£
£
29,400
1,132
-
-
-
(1,132)|Long
Leasehold
Office Equipment
Property
Equipment
£
£
29,400
1,132
-
-
-
(1,132)|Long
Leasehold
Office Equipment
Property
Equipment
£
£
29,400
1,132
-
-
-
(1,132)|Furniture &
Fittings
4,891
-
(4,891)|Furniture &
Fittings
4,891
-
(4,891)||Total
£
35,423
-
(6,023)|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||||||
|||29,400||-||-||29,400|
|||-
-
-||1,132
-
(1,132)||4,891
-
(4,891)||6,023
-
(6,023)|
|||-||-||-||-|
||||||||||
|||29,400||-||-||29,400|
|||29,400||-||-||29,400|
## **6 Unrestricted Reserves**
|1 April 2023
Surplus/ (deficit) for the year
Depreciation transfer
At 31 March 2024||General
£
50,252
(2,762)
'-
|Capital
£
29,399
-
'-|Total
£
79,651
(2,762)
-|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||47,490|29,399|76,889|
The capital reserve is a designated reserve set up to reflect the funds tied up in fixed assets.
## **7 Related Parties**
The charity is controlled by the trustees. There were no related party transactions for the year ended 31 March 2024.
## **8 Linked Charity**
‘The Samaritans of Wigan’, registration number 1170589-1, is a dormant charity linked to the Charity.
At 31 March 2024, the old Charity had assets of £20, represented by cash at bank. (2022 £20).
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**Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Samaritans of Wigan on the Unaudited Financial Statements for the Year 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024**
## **Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Samaritans of Wigan.**
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of Samaritans of Wigan for the year ended 31 March 2024.
## **Responsibilities and basis of report.**
As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act').
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
## **Independent examiner's statement.**
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or
3. the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signature
Date: 18 October 2024
M H C Lunt BCom MCom FCA Chartered Accountant
Ashburn Woodhart Lane Eccleston Chorley Lancashire PR7 5TB
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