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← Bridging The Gap (Manchester)

2025-03-31-accounts

Bridging TheUGap Annual Report 2024- 2025

A message from our Chair

Welcome to our Annual Report and Accounts for 2024–2025, a year in which our food bank responded to a 22% increase in demand and the Trussell community of food banks provided more than 3.1 million emergency food parcels to people facing hardship across the UK.

Imagine not knowing if you’ll be able to feed your children this week. That’s the reality for thousands of families in Manchester. The cost-of-living crisis has brought unimaginable hardship and poverty is now at alarming levels. 37% of children in Greater Manchester, and 44.7% of children in Manchester itself, are classed as living in poverty, making Manchester council the 6th highest level of child poverty in the county.

The statistics represent more than just numbers. They tell the stories of the lives of our families forced to make impossible choices between food, heating, and other essentials. Yet, despite the ongoing hardship, this report will show the incredible work that has been done and support that has been given to push for change and maintain hope.

Alongside providing an immediate lifeline for people in our communities, we have continued to support our clients towards longer-term change with our financial inclusion service and new volunteer Assist and Support Role. These services ensure that people on the lowest incomes can get support on money matters and are less likely to need our food bank in the future.

The support and generosity of all our funders and donors continues to amaze us and the dedication and tirelessness of our staff and volunteers is incredible. I want to extend my personal thanks, your belief in our mission, your generosity and your hard work makes a real difference to the lives of those we support, and we are profoundly grateful.

As we look ahead, it is clear that our service will face more challenges with the number of people needing our support continuing to rise. We will continue to work together with our partners, influence positive change for our communities and be guided by the lived experience of our clients to ensure we are working towards our vision of ending poverty and social exclusion within Greater Manchester.

Signed:

Michelle McHale, BEM

1

Table of contents

  1. Message from Our Chair

  2. Administrative Details

  3. Governance Structure

  4. Management of Risk

  5. Our Vision & Mission

  6. Our Strategic Priorities

  7. Our Staff and Trustee Board

  8. 6-7. Our Volunteers

  9. Our Supporters

  10. Our Services

  11. FOOD BANK OPERATION

  12. Foodbank Statistics

  13. MORE THAN FOOD

  14. Financial Inclusion Services

  15. Winter and Christmas Support

  16. Family Support Projects

  17. Holiday Hunger

  18. School Uniform Services

  19. Digital Inclusion

  20. 16-17. Strategic Partnerships

  21. 18-21. Community and Partnership Working

  22. Finance & Accounting

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Administration Details

Charity Name: Bridging the Gap (Manchester) Charity Number: 1170952

Principal Address: Wesley Enterprise Centre, Unit 10, Royce Road, Manchester, M15 5BP

Telephone: 0161 226 3143

Email: info@manchestersouthcentral.foodbank.org.uk

Governance Structure

Bridging the Gap (Manchester) was constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, on 3 January 2017. Previous to this the assets and activities came under Bridging the Gap (Manchester) as an unregistered charity, established on 17th March 2014.

Management of Risk

Risk management is the process of identifying, evaluating and controlling risks. The responsibility for the governance and management of Bridging the Gap (Manchester) rests with its Trustee Board. We have identified and measured those risks that could have an impact on the on-going operation of the Charity. Bridging the Gap’s trustees have given careful consideration to the major risks, which the organisation could be exposed to, and have satisfied themselves that systems and procedures are in place in order to manage those risks.

An annual risk audit is conducted to identify potential risks, and their likelihood. Using the audit results we draw up a new action plan each year to mitigate and reduce risks, where necessary, and to enable us to improve on our management of all risks. Progress with the action plan is then monitored at each Board meeting.

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Our Vision

Working towards ending poverty and social exclusion within the Greater Manchester communities of Hulme, Moss Side, Whalley Range and Old Trafford.

Our Mission

To support people in immediate crisis by providing emergency food provisions and to seek longer term solutions to address the underlying causes of financial hardships, enabling communities to build resilience and a life free from poverty.

Our Strategic Priorities

To respond to the cost of living crisis

4

Our Staff and Trustee Board

Our Board of Trustees is made up of people with a range of knowledge, experience and understanding of the local community and voluntary sectors. Their breadth of expertise includes 30 years’ experience of working and volunteering within youth and community settings, business and project management expertise and personal experience of poverty, living with and caring for family members with disability.

Michelle McHale, BEM Chair of Trustees Marie Hawkins, Treasurer Chris Copestake, Secretary Lynda Mason, Trustee Martin Pilkington, Trustee Bryan Nicholson, Trustee Jennifer O Usiobo, Trustee

The expertise of our staff team has been as crucial as ever - the care that they show to our clients and the way in which they bring our values to life in every interaction they have. Our staff team is a total of one full-time and four part-time members of staff who between them ensured that the Charity continued to move forward positively and navigate what continues to be a challenging context.

Heidi Exell Helena Canavan Project Manager Project Manager

Emily Jeremy Corinne Davenport Mark Styles Session Lead & Warehouse Warehouse Volunteer Coordinator Coordinator Assistant

5

Our Volunteers

The generosity and commitment of our volunteer team of over 50 people remains a constant source of inspiration to us. Each person gives their time, expertise and compassion to support people in our communities – and we simply could not deliver emergency food, offer further support, or campaign to end the need for food banks without them.

Throughout the 2024/25 year they provided 6490.3 hours of free labour. As a ‘real living wage’ employer these volunteer hours amounted to a staggering £81,777.98 of in-kind donation of time.

““I really enjoy working at the foodbank because I feel that I am doing something useful and rewarding although we shouldn't need foodbanks. I work with a great team of people who are competent, friendly and have the good of the people at heart. I enjoy helping at the warehouse preparing parcels and I am impressed with how well it is organised. Mostly, I prefer to deliver parcels to clients and I enjoy meeting and speaking with a wide range of people.” ” Cat, volunteer

New Assist and Support Role

Assist and Support volunteers offer a compassionate presence, sitting down with clients over a brew to listen, chat, and help them feel heard. These conversations often lead to signposting towards other vital services in the local area, such as mental health support, housing advice, debt counselling, and immigration services.

Assist and Support volunteers help us to support clients holistically by reducing isolation, and connect individuals and families with a broader network of support.

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Embedding lived experience knowledge across our work

Some of our volunteer team have previously accessed food banks themselves, bringing an understanding, and relatability to the support they provide. Their first-hand experiences help shape a more compassionate and inclusive environment.

These volunteers not only ensure the smooth running of the foodbank, but also play a crucial role in informing how we run our services, ensuring our approach remains rooted in dignity and respect. Their contributions highlight the importance of creating volunteering pathways for people who have used our services, reinforcing the idea that everyone has something to offer.

As part of our commitment to break down barriers and increase accessibility to volunteering, we’ve taken proactive steps to make our training and support more inclusive by translating key training materials, ensuring that volunteers and clients who do not speak English as their first language can still access the support they need.

Summer Intern

Over the 2024 summer we hosted a Manchester University intern, alongside Manchester Central foodbank. She played an indispensable role in ensuring that our busy school uniform project ran efficiently. Through processing referrals, contacting parents, and ordering school uniforms, hundreds of children were able to attend school with the Cat, volunteer correct uniform thanks to Summaya’s support.

Corporate volunteering

This year we relied on corporate volunteers more than ever to support us with the running of our busy service. They played crucial roles in bringing in donations, supporting the holiday hunger project and assisting with our office move. Volunteering at 14 supermarket collections our corporate teams helped to bring in over 3030kg of food and £950.

“Volunteering at the food bank is such a simple way to give back, and it’s amazing how just a few hours can make someone’s day a little easier…. And knowing all that energy and fun was going toward helping others made it even better. It was volunteering, teamwork, laughter, and doing good all wrapped into one.”

San Carlo volunteer

San Carlo Volunteers

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Our Supporters

Everything we do as a charity is only possible because of our generous supporters. We are hugely grateful for the contributions of individual supporters, our community and corporate partners, trusts and foundations. Thanks to their support, we were able to meet the immediate needs of people facing hunger and financial hardship in our communities.

Here we highlight just a few other examples of the amazing support we have had this year and apologise to those we just haven’t had the space to name

School, Church and Mosque collections

Every year we are blown away by the generosity of our communities. The local schools, churches and mosques continue to support our work and their neighbours by not only holding food collections for us but challenging the society we are living in to work towards a more just and equal society where everyone can afford the essentials.

Rummage in the Range

For the second year, we are the chosen charity for this monthly car boot event in Whalley Range. Special thanks to Andy, the founder of Rummage and Janet, our monthly volunteer. Their continued support has enabled us to continue running our stall selling pre-loved items, holding a monthly raffle and collecting food donations. Last year the stall raised just under £800. This brilliant community event provides the perfect opportunity to talk about and raise awareness about our work with the local community.

Manchester United Supporters Trust

We are absolutely thrilled to be supported by this amazing football supporters trust. Not only do they raise vital funds to help our services continue but also work alongside us to challenge the policies and mindsets that drive an increase in food bank need. This year they have donated an incredible £12,480

Albert Hall

Chosen charity for their annual Give Back campaign. As well as financial donations, their venue staff chose to take part in our Reverse Advent Calendar.

Veg Box People

We partnered with this local fruit and veg producer who very kindly offered us their surplus fruit and veg. Enabling us to offer our clients fresh, organic, locally grown produce to compliment their emergency food parcels.

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Our Services

Bridging the Gap (Manchester) provides a number of services to the community. These include our emergency foodbank provision and our ‘More Than Food’ projects.

During 2024–2025, our emergency food provision saw a 22% increase in demand. While the impact of the cost of living crisis continues to be felt among our communities, our weakened social security system is also simply ill-equipped to protect people from the most severe forms of hardship.

The staff and volunteer teams in our foodbank hubs have continued to negotiate and adapt to the challenges we face with resilience, strength and compassion. They provide a warm, dignified and welcoming space which enables us to deliver our More Than Projects, supporting our clients with food as well as financial and fuel related advice and support.

Alongside increases in demand we are now faced with the twin challenges of decreasing donations of food – as people who would normally give food generously have faced their own pressures – and higher prices when purchasing our own stock. Over the last 2 years we have been forced to purchase more and more food, with the total amount of stock that was purchased rather than donated almost doubling, from 17% to 33%

“Foodbank have been excellent, I am so grateful. There is wonderful support, lovely service and fantastic people.”

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Food bank client
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Foodbank Statistics 2024/2025

*62593.0 Kg of food distributed

22% increase in the number of individuals supported compared with our 2023-24 figures

"[Manchester South Central] food banks have been a lifeline for the families I work with and we have built a very positive relationship with them. Families who have struggled

financially due to changes in benefits, employment and those in working poverty have all benefited from accessing emergency food supplies at times of crisis or change and also heightened stress and anxiety. Food banks are my 'go to' support service for families in need and I am very appreciative of the partnership we have and the genuine relationships we have developed over the years."

Referral Partner

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Our ‘More Than Food’ projects provided support to our clients beyond our standard emergency food provision. Many of our ‘More Than’ projects are delivered in partnership with other organisations.

Financial Inclusion Services

This was the second year of our Financial Inclusion project, which placed an advisor at each of our weekly foodbank sessions, ensuring our clients were able to speak to a professional about the underlying cause of their crisis, at the same time as accessing food support. Our advice workers delivered advice and support around income maximisation, specifically in respect of the benefits system, as well as offering debt and housing advice.

This project was delivered in partnership with the six Trussell Trust affiliated foodbanks across Manchester City Council. It used grant funding to employ Citizens Advice and Manchester Mind advisers who work across our foodbank sessions.

Our end of year reporting showed an amazing £403,678 of financial gains for our clients.

“I love the service and that you can get help without feeling that you are being judged”

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Client
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Following a road traffic accident, client X had significantly reduced mobility and was particularly unwell. After working with our advisor to log a successful appeal for an incorrect health assessment and years of underpayment, X was awarded an extra £416 per month, nearly doubling his current income, and a £13,399 back pay for the money X should have had since his accident.

Manchester Mind Advice worker

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Winter and Christmas support

From November 2024 to March 2025 provided support and advice to our clients to help combat energy costs during the winter months.

We distributed ‘Staying Warm Through Winter’ advice leaflets and 348 blankets

260 Christmas Toy Sacks Delivered

Families identified by schools and local community centres as living in poverty were provided with a toy sack. Each sack was tailored to the child's age and gender to (Trafford Early Help Team) ensure that all local children were able to wake up to a present from Father Christmas.

COOP team Volunteers

140 Seasonal Care Hampers Delivered

Christmas can be particularly isolating for older people. As a way of offering support and spreading some festive happiness, we distributed seasonal care hampers to older residents in our community. These hampers included baked treats, toiletries and winter essentials. Our special thanks goes to our partners in this initiative, including Manchester Metropolitan University, Big Life, One Manchester and People First.

“This is a little note with a huge thanks attached. I am a single mum of 2. This time of year is incredibly hard and emotionally and financially demanding. These parcels were unexpected but very much appreciated.

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Client
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On behalf of us all at St. John Vianney School, I would like to extend our deepest thanks and appreciation for your incredible support this Christmas. Your generosity in providing food hampers and toys for our families has made a truly meaningful difference in their lives during what can be a difficult time of year. We are truly grateful for your continued support and for the invaluable role that South Manchester Food Bank plays in supporting families. Your compassion and commitment to making a positive impact on the community are inspiring, and we are privileged to have partners like you. I have enclosed some of the thank you messages I received from our parents and carers. Thank you once again for your generosity.

Family Liaison Officer

12

Family Support Projects

Poverty is now at alarming levels. 37% of children in Greater Manchester and 44.7% of children in Manchester itself, are classed as living in poverty.

The ongoing cost-of-living crisis has brought unimaginable hardship to our families. These statistics represent more than just numbers. They tell the stories of families forced to make impossible choices. As such, Bridging the Gap continued to operate multiple projects that supported families, through partnerships with schools and other community projects, to ensure that we reached the families most in need.

Holiday Hunger

Our Holiday Hunger parcels provide 5 days worth of food for families. We provide these to every primary school in our area during each holiday and half term. The parcels are distributed to families considered most in need by our partner schools to ensure targeted support.

Because of the educational disadvantage for children living in poverty, we also provide creative art and science packs, as well as books and play activities in our Holiday Hunger parcels, to address the educational attainment gap.

1069 ‘Holiday Hunger’ parcels distributed to families in our communities. 4,115 individuals were supported.

Pharmacist Support volunteers

Family

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School Uniform Services

2024/25 saw the continuation of our school uniform project, which we ran in collaboration with One Manchester and Peter Kershaw Trust who provided the grant funding.

Through this project Bridging the Gap purchased uniform items for children living in poverty who were referred to us by schools, the early help/social care service, housing associations or community organisations. School uniform items were then bought that were specific to each child’s needs.

369 children supported with new school clothing

Average £60 per child

“We live in a single income household, and I have three young children…The cost of living crisis has (Trafford Early Help Team) affected us as a family… The rise in utility bills on one income has been something which has been hard to navigate, [this school uniform grant] will support me in ensuring that my children will have their uniform and I will have the money to go towards essential bills.”

Parent

Pre-loved School Uniform Provision

This service supplemented the high demand for our school uniform grant programme. It helps to ensure our work is as cost effective and sustainable as possible, as well as assisting additional families finding it hard to buy school uniforms for their children. Pop up shops were hosted over the summer at the local refugee hotel, National Play Day in Hulme Park and Stretford Public Hall.

Through our pre-loved provision we were able to provide additional items to other families, some of whom self-referred to us for school uniform support.

Over 100 children supported with preloved uniform

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Digital Inclusion

Continuing for a second year with our partners One Manchester we provided digital access for children aged 4-18 years who were in education but were digitally excluded.

Families were provided with laptops and access to information regarding social tariffs ensuring families are able to access affordable broadband.

39 children supported with recycled laptops through our partners Community Computers

“The laptop really helped, my eldest daughter wouldn’t have been able to complete her homework without it. We really appreciate the support”

Total cost £4609

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Parent
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Strategic Partnerships

Through a shared vision to end the need for food banks we have partnered with a number of companies to provide additional support for our food bank clients.

Our partnership with The Cadent Foundation continued with a £1000 grant to issue supermarket vouchers to clients accessing food support. A cash initiative of this type enabled our clients to have the freedom of choice to purchase whatever essentials they needed during the extremely difficult winter months and was invaluable, additional income .

New for 2024-25. Their Mobile Advice Centre was located outside our St. Bride’s hub with the YES team who provide energy saving advice, tailored checks and confidential income maximisation help.

The Fuelbank Foundation is the only UK charity to focus on the challenges of people living in fuel crisis.

Through this partnership clients facing fuel poverty can be issued a voucher which provides ten days of energy. The voucher amount varying between £30-£89, depending on the price of energy and average consumption projections for each month.

486 Fuelbank vouchers issued

providing a critical lifeline to many of our clients, more and more of whom were reporting being unable to afford to keep themselves warm during the winter months.

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We continued to be a ‘community partner’ for The Hygiene Bank, a national charity that collects and distributes hygiene products to front line organisations.

1051kg toiletries and cleaning products donated and distributed to our clients.

Our partnership with Tesco Mobile allowed us to distribute pre-loaded Sim cards to our clients. Each card provides six months of free text messaging, calling credit and mobile data.

These Data Sims act as a lifeline for digital inclusivity for many of our clients who would otherwise be unable to stay connected to services, family and friends. Digital inclusion is vital to avoid social isolation.

Over 100 sim cards donated and distributed to our clients.

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Community and Partnership Work

Lasting change happens when wider society thinks and acts differently about an issue, by building understanding and empathy about the drivers of food bank use, we can empower people to take action. Our community work in 2024/25 continued to focus on helping to build empathy and an understanding of why people were still struggling to afford the daily essentials of life and their need to access emergency food.

School Workshops

Following on from the success of last year, we have continued to develop a half day workshop with our local school partners. Students are given the opportunity to run a food collection campaign within their school community, deliver the donations to our warehouse, then process and pack the food items ready for distribution.

Alongside understanding the operations of our service, our staff team helps facilitate a discussion around why people are left with no choice other than to turn to a food bank for support and how we believe that together, we can campaign for change through the Trussell Guarantee our Essentials campaign.

“Thank you again for having the children! They had a great time and it's really opened their eyes to why foodbanks are so important….”

Teacher, William Hulme’s Grammar

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Work Experience Opportunities

Hosting work experience placements at the food bank is a powerful way to educate young people about food insecurity while fostering a sense of social responsibility and community engagement. It gives students hands-on experience in a charitable environment, helping them develop valuable skills, while directly contributing to their community.

We were delighted that young people from our community attending Trinity High School, Manchester University and Digital Independent Specialist College took up opportunities to work alongside us.

Hulme Partnership Network

Alongside Hulme’s Neighbourhood Officer, Pauline Campbell, Bridging the Gap coordinates the Hulme Partnership Network. The network consists of a number of community organisations committed to building anti-poverty communities. This year the partnership has hosted a number of events including:

Through these events BTG is able to carry out Community Conversations to gather feedback and first-hand experiences of the challenges our community member’s encounter. The collated feedback is shared with the partnership to enable discussions around supporting the community to address and develop services to address local needs. All activities are fully funded by the partners and local supporters enabling us to provide all activities free of charge for community members.

“I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to you and your colleagues at Ascension Church Hulme for your understanding and accommodating approach during the recent event. Your support allowed my daughter and me to fully participate in the experience with Santa, which meant a great deal to us. Your staff's recognition of my autism and anxiety significantly reduced my stress, enabling my daughter to enjoy the occasion.”

SEND Parent

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Partnership Work

Partnership work is vital to ensure a holistic and strategic local support system. We work closely with partners in delivering our services across our many projects. Importantly, we also actively network through local partnership meetings and work as active community leaders that advocate for our clients.

Our staff and Trustees participated in the following during 2024/25:

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Supporting National & Local Campaigns

During 2024/25 Bridging the Gap was active in its support of various campaigns that highlighted some of the inequalities in our society that in turn increased the demand for our services. These included: -

Guarantee Our Essentials Bridging the Gap supported the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Trussell Trust’s ‘Guarantee Our Essentials’ national campaign. Guarantee our Essentials calls for a strengthened social security system, with an Essentials Guarantee embedded, that ensures everyone can afford the essentials. It's time for change and to guarantee the essentials of life for everyone. P fl P.

No Child Left Behind

Bridging the Gap supported the No Child Left Behind campaign, fighting to break down the barriers poverty puts up around equal access to education. The campaign calls on the Government to commit to eradicating child poverty in the UK and offer free school meals to all so no child is left behind.

We believe that no child should be left behind and every child should have an equal chance to succeed in iy a ii education, free from the barriers of poverty. ai

Manchester School Uniform Campaign

Our ever increasing work around school uniform provision highlighted the need for an educational change around the cost of school uniforms.

We know that the required amount of school clothing items, especially with a school’s logo on it, drives up oa uniform prices and impacts heavily on family incomes.

Bridging the Gap therefore joined with its local uniform partners to call for local councils and the government 7 a to review the ‘Schools’ Guidance on School Uniform Costs’.

Ensure the affordability of school clothing for all parents.

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Finance and Accounting Bridging the Gap (Manchester) For the year ended 31 March 2025

We ensured our sustainability by using a diverse range of income streams, these included trust funding, partnerships with local supermarkets, schools, churches, individual and corporate donations.

Due to the growth of and demand on the charity services it became apparent that our current method of excel accounting needed reviewing and modernising. The board of trustees consulted with the Charity’s finance officer and Beever and Struther Accountants to explore alternative methods of accounting. The Trustees agreed to move the current accounting practices over to the Xero Accounting Platform. This transition provides the Charity with the ability to better manage the increase in financial receipts and payments. In addition the new platform also enables the Charity to provide more in-depth financial reporting to trustees at board meetings allowing trustees to exercise their financial duties more effectively.

The trustees would like to extend their gratitude to Beever and Struther staff and the Charity’s finance officer for their support and assistance in managing the movement of accounts and for the financial training provided to both staff and trustees. The Charity’s accounts were prepared under the receipts and payments method and were scrutinised by an independent examiner in line with Charity Commission requirements.

Principle sources of funding

Principle sources of funding Notable sources of funding (£5,000 and above) for year ending 2024/25:

Funder Amount
The Trussell Trust £55,036.67
One Manchester £40,528.75
Local Giving £33,254.25
Crowd Funding £13,236.43
UNRESTRICTED
(2025)		 RESTRICTED
(2025)		 DESIGNATED
(2025)		 2024
Account Overview
Income (39,162) (140,453) (12,968) (226,505)
Expenditure 64,369 147,331 - 202,433
Surplus/ (Deficit) 25,207 6,878 (12,968) (24,072)
Retained Earnings 10,742 (34,813) - -
Unrestricted Funds (4,862) - - (74,097)
Restricted Funds - - - (157,077)

Management Report - Customised for Charities Bridging the Gap (Manchester)

Finance and Accounting (Part 2) Bridging the Gap (Manchester) For the year ended 31 March 2025

Reserves Statement

The purpose of our reserves policy is to safeguard the charity’s operations against unforeseen financial challenges, such as unexpected drops in income or sudden increases in costs, while also ensuring that we have a stable foundation to support ongoing activities, invest in future development, and seize opportunities that align with our charitable objectives.

Our reserves are calculated by subtracting restricted funds, which are allocated for specific purposes and cannot be used for general operations, and designated funds, which have been set aside for particular projects or future needs, from our total unrestricted funds, ensuring that the remaining amount accurately reflects the resources available for the charity’s ongoing activities and financial stability."

We continue to work towards building our target for reserves equivalent to six to twelve months of operating costs, which is approximately £45,000 to £90,000. This level ensures we can meet our obligations, respond to unexpected events such as sudden drops in income or unforeseen expenses, and provide a financial buffer that supports the continuity of our services and the achievement of our long-term objectives.

Our reserves policy will be reviewed annually by the Board of Trustees to ensure it remains appropriate for the charity’s needs, taking into account any changes in the charity’s financial position, operational requirements, or external economic conditions that may impact its sustainability.

Our reserves policy ensures transparency and accountability to our stakeholders, providing them with a clear understanding of how we manage our financial resources and demonstrating our commitment to responsible governance and financial stewardship.

Food and Hygiene Assets

The charity continues to substantially rely on donations of food and hygiene products from the general public, including local business and corporate partners. Donated items for 2024/2025 amounted to 38,744.45kg (£91,824.35), compared to 47,270.74kg (£112,031.65) in 2023/2024. These figures demonstrate a continuous year on year decline in donations, which we attribute to the cost of living crisis and the impact of increased food costs to donors. A further 6,688.79kg (£15,852.38) of food was kindly donated via other foodbanks.

The total amount of stock purchased rather than donated almost doubled, from 17% to 33%. A further 22,412.46kg of stock was purchased at a notable value of £53,117,53 to assist the Charity to meet the demands in emergency food support.

Throughout 2024/2025 a staggering 67,845.68kg of food and hygiene products were distributed through our projects, compared to 53,650.17kg in 2023/2024.

At year end 31/03/2025 the total food and hygiene assets holding amounted to 9,914.62kg at a value of £23,497.65

The trustees are extremely grateful to all our funders, donors, fundraisers, members of the public and the food providers that supported us throughout the year. It is because of their generosity and trust in our Charity that we were able to support those in need during 2024/25.

Declaration

The Board of Trustees declare that this is a true reflection on services provided and have approved the report.

Signature

Name: Michelle McHale, BEM Position: Chair of Trustees

Dated: 28/01/26

Management Report - Customised for Charities Bridging the Gap (Manchester)

Profit and Loss

Bridging the Gap (Manchester) For the year ended 31 March 2025

DESIGNATED RESTRICTED UNRESTRICTED UNASSIGNED 2025 2024
Trading Income
Core Costs Donation - Financial 3,972 6,078 (1,446) 483 9,087 10,117
Inclusion
Donations		 - External - 31,590 - - 31,590 -
Venue Hire Donations - Food Bank - - - - - 10,234
Donations - Partnership Donations - 400 5,130 - 3,000 8,530 30,506
Holiday Hunger Donations - School - 7,370 - 2,779 10,148 2,250
Uniform
Donations
-		 Staffing/ - 18,701 - 447 19,148 18,987
Salaries Donations - Unrestricted - 31,543 - - 31,543 49,010
Donations - Volunteer/ Trustees 8,596 34,537 - 6,528 49,662 52,141
Donations - Winter Warmer Items & - - 40,608 - 40,608 47,922
Xmas
Van
Purchase
Donations		 - - 1,429 - - 1,429 3,292
Fundraising - 4,075 - - 4,075 2,045
Total Trading Income - (21,495) - - (21,495) 11,942
- 239 - - 239 -
12,968 119,197 39,162 13,236 184,563 238,447
Cost of Sales
Financial Inclusion - 24,652 - - 24,652 21,657
Foodbank, Food & Costs - 18,937 23 653 19,613 18,086
Holiday Hunger - 4,500 - - 4,500 11,879
Partnerships - 9,432 - - 9,432 1,666
School Uniform - 41,910 - - 41,910 49,388
Trustee/ Volunteer Costs - 542 - 700 1,242 1,268
Unrestricted - - 354 - 354 935
Winter Warmer Items & Xmas - 8,172 - - 8,172 14,759
Total Cost of Sales - 108,144 376 1,353 109,874 119,637
Gross Profit 12,968 11,052 38,786 11,883 74,690 118,809
Operating Expenses
Audit & Accountancy Fees - - 4,131 - 4,131 -
General Expenses - - - - - 9,614
Insurance - - 2,063 - 2,063 -
IT Software And Consumables - - 989 - 989 -
Pensions Costs - - 2,313 - 2,313 -
Postage, Freight & Courier - - 12 - 12 994
Salaries - 17,532 51,502 - 69,034 75,032
Staff Training - 150 402 - 552 -
Subscriptions - - 35 - 35 -
Telephone & Internet - 10 427 - 437 -
Transport Costs - - 2,119 168 2,287 9,098

Management Report - Customised for Charities Bridging the Gap (Manchester)

Profit and Loss

DESIGNATED RESTRICTED UNRESTRICTED UNASSIGNED 2025 2024
Costs - Fundraising - 520 - - 520 -
Total Operating Expenses - 18,212 63,993 168 82,373 94,738
Net Profit 12,968 (7,160) (25,207) 11,715 (7,683) 24,072

Management Report - Customised for Charities Bridging the Gap (Manchester)

Balance Sheet

Bridging the Gap (Manchester) As at 31 March 2025

Balance Sheet
Bridging the Gap (Manchester)
As at 31 March 2025		 Balance Sheet
Bridging the Gap (Manchester)
As at 31 March 2025
31 MAR 2025
31 MAR 2024

Assets
Bank
Current Account
241711
255112

Pett Cash
,
10
,
134
Total Bank
24172
25524
y

,
,

1
6
Liabilities
Total Assets

241,72

255,24
Current Liabilities
1
6
NIC Payable
(10115)
-

Pensions Paable
,
(588)
-
Total Current Liabilities
(10704
-
y

,

Total Liabilities
)
-
(10704
Net Assets
Equity
,
)
252,424
255,246
Current Year Earnings
(7683)
24072

Restricted Funds
,
157077
,
157077

Retained Earnings
,
24072
,
-

Unrestricted Funds
,
78959
74097




,
,
Total Equity
252,424
255,246

Management Report - Customised for Charities Bridging the Gap (Manchester)

Income by Contact

Bridging the Gap (Manchester) For the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025

Type contains Income

CONTACT 2025 2024 TOTAL
The Trussell Trust 55,037 - 55,037
One Manchester 40,529 - 40,529
Local Giving 33,016 - 33,016
Crowd Funding 13,236 - 13,236
I-Must 12,482 - 12,482
Manchester City Council 11,896 - 11,896
Edward Holt Trust 10,000 - 10,000
The Neighbourly Fund 6,280 - 6,280
LQ HT General 5,000 - 5,000
Manchester Central 4,760 - 4,760
Vernon Building 3,950 - 3,950
CG Benevity 3,650 - 3,650
Stripe Payments 3,075 - 3,075
Arnold Clark 2,599 - 2,599
Revelation Church 2,400 - 2,400
Cash Donations 2,187 - 2,187
MCFC 2,000 - 2,000
Rosgal Ltd 2,000 - 2,000
The Hobson Charity 2,000 - 2,000
Asda 1,861 - 1,861
Unknown 1,634 - 1,634
Manchester & Salford University 1,223 - 1,223
Rotary Club of MCR 1,150 - 1,150
Manchester Credit MCU 1,032 - 1,032
Mazars 1,000 - 1,000
Standing Orders 950 - 950
Something To Aim For 630 - 630
Zecol Thomas 619 - 619
Hanbury Holdings 600 - 600
Just Sharepoint 500 - 500
Next Energy Ltd 500 - 500
Salford Van Hire 500 - 500
People First Housing 450 - 450
M Style 350 - 350
CAFGYE 343 - 343
The Equilibrium 300 - 300
Post Office 283 - 283
CAF 256 - 256
Charities Trust 239 - 239

Management Report - Customised for Charities Bridging the Gap (Manchester)

Income by Contact

ONLINE GIVING LTD ENTHUSE 239 - 239
Adhoc 135 - 135
Levenshulme Methodist 125 - 125
Feed Feed 100 - 100
Smith S Stores 60 - 60
Courtesy Shoes 53 - 53
Ascension Church 50 - 50
First Customer Con 25 - 25
E Jeremy 22 - 22
Institute of Chartered Accountants 18 - 18
School Money 18 - 18
Total 231,362 - 231,362

Management Report - Customised for Charities Bridging the Gap (Manchester)

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Raport to the trusteesl members of Bridging the Gap (Manchester) On accounts for the year endèd 31st March 2025 Charlty no Ilf any) Set out on pages IIEmembof to includ+ I" . Da90 numbern d addl￿nI1 sh•¢. I report to the tTUStees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (Ihe Trust.) for the year ended 3,1 (*• 20¥ Rasponsibllltles and As the charity trustees of the Trust. you are responsible for the preparation bagls of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Acr). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confim that no material matters have Come to my attention {other than that disclosed below ") in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or the accounts do not accord with the accounting records Independent examiner's statement I have no concems and have come across no other matters in Connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Please delete the words in the brackets rf they do not apply. Slgned: Date: ZL Name: Relevant professlonal qualEfication(s) or body (If any): AcéA- PaL+ Address: kLkn140-n 'J]4(LJd

Section B Dlsclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concem (see CC32. Independent examination of charity accounts.. directions and guidance for examiners). Glv• hore brlef detalls of any Iterns that tho oxamlnor wlshes to dl8close.