Registered charity number: 1171417
Trustees' Annual Report
&
Financial Statements
For the period 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024
Registered Charity Name: Seren in the Community CIO
Charity number: 1171417 Trustees: Sian Regan (Chair) Sam Evans (Secretary) Huw Thomas (Treasurer) Paula Harris Germaine Ngoy Kyabu Harriet Rose Gordon Tyler Correspondence Address: c/o 31 Harold St Adamsdown CF24 1NZ Email: sereninthecommunity@gmail.com Independent Examiners: Deborah Mary Samothrakis BSc FCA Tester Accountancy & Bookkeeping Ltd Chartered Accountants 34, Fairoak Road, Cathays, Cardiff CF24 4PY
Overview of Activities
Seren in the Community’s aim - of bringing high quality, inclusive, adventurous and meaningful play opportunities to the children and young people to the Splott, Tremorfa, Adamsdown and Roath areas - continued to be of vital importance in 2024.
Playwork is about creating spaces where children can follow their own ideas, explore the world around them, and take manageable risks. These spaces are more important than ever in the face of the effects of the continued cost of living crisis and budget pressures on services.
For Seren in the Community, 2024 was a year of deepening and expanding our relationships in the community, while also continuing to help the children and young people of the local area realise their right to play under UNCRC Article 31 (with lots of fun along the way!).
-
Staff and Training: We continued to invest in our team's professional development, with playworkers successfully completing L2APP and Level 3 play qualifications and all staff renewing their Safeguarding and Food Safety certificates.
-
Community Engagement: We expanded our services to meet the diverse needs of the community. We expanded our offer specifically for neuro-divergent children and their families, which was a great success. Our sessions continued to be led by the wishes of children and young people.
-
Events and Partnerships: We actively participated in key sector events, with staff attending national playwork conferences. We continued to play a key role in the We also collaborated with various local organisations for a really successful Play Day event in Anderson Fields in August. The offsite trip to Oakwood was a highlight, receiving brilliant feedback from the children and families who attended.
-
Strategic Growth: Work continued to seek funding and work towards organisational resilience beyond the project funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. Discussions were initiated with Cardiff Council to improve the representation of third-sector organisations in play sufficiency data, with the goal of opening up further funding streams.
Staffing and Operations
The year saw changes to the playwork team, saying goodbye to some and welcoming new faces. We actively worked with "Into Work" services to look at building a pool of dedicated volunteers. We continued to be active on social media, including the launch of a new TikTok account.
Public Benefit
The Trustees of Seren in the Community are committed to ensuring that the charity operates for the public benefit, furthering our charitable purpose to advance the development and education of children and young people through the provision of play opportunities. We have prioritised making our services accessible to all, particularly those in areas of socio-economic disadvantage or those with additional needs. By offering free sessions we ensure that a lack of financial means is not a barrier to accessing high-quality, supervised play. This support contributes to stronger, more inclusive local communities.
Risks
The Trustees are in regular contact with the playworkers and meet regularly to monitor risks to the organisation. Financial sustainability continues to be the most significant risk. Our highly experienced and qualified team of playworkers are our most important resource and our biggest expenditure. We aim to reduce elsewhere through working with partners, reusing and recycling materials where possible and working with our community partners.
Future Plans
Looking ahead, we are focused on securing long-term funding and strengthening our relationship with the local council to ensure our work is recognised and supported. We will also continue to develop new projects working with our community partners across the area.
Governance and Trustee Details
Seren in the Community was registered with the Charity Commission on 01 Feb 2017. The charity is governed by a board of trustees. The governing document for the organisation is a CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation) constitution, which was most recently amended on 6 November 2024.
For the period covered by this report, trustees were:
Jo May (resigned October 2024) Sian Regan (appointed 27/06/2023 - present) Sam Evans (appointed 08/07/2024 - present) Huw Thomas (appointed 05/12/2017 - present) Paula Harris (appointed 27/06/2023 - present) Germaine Ngoy Kyabu (15/11/2023 - present) Harriet Rose ((appointed 27/06/2023 - present) Gordon Tyler (appointed 27/06/2023 - present)
Independent Examiner’s Report and Accounts
TO THE TRUSTEES OF SEREN IN THE COMMUNITY CIO ON THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
I report on the accounts for the year ended 31st December 2024 set out below.
Respective responsibilities of the Trustees and the Independent Examiner
The Charity's Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The Charity's Trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under of section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to examine the accounts under section 145 of the Act and to state, on the basis of procedures specified in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners under section 145(5)(b) of the Act, whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of Independent Examiner's Report
My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as Trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion as to whether the financial statements present a true and fair view and the report is limited to those matters set out below.
Independent Examiner's Statement
In connection with my examination, no matters have come to my attention which give me cause to believe that, in any material respect:
-
the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act; or
-
the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
-
the accounts did 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 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.
Deborah Mary Samothrakis BSc FCA Tester Accountancy & Bookkeeping Ltd Chartered Accountants Date 29/10/25 34, Fairoak Road, Cathays, Cardiff CF24 4PY
SEREN IN THE COMMUNITY CIO
INCOME & EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
| 2024 2023 |
|---|
| £ £ |
| INCOME: Big Lottery 29,593.50 29,097.00 |
| Winter of Wellbeing/Play Sufficiency grants 11,614.27 12,811.78 |
| Other grant funding 1,810.00 11,866.00 |
| Fundraising: 627.88 - |
| Homeschool 90.00 - |
| 43,735.65 53,774.78 |
EXPENDITURE: Labour 40,185.13 34,650.01 |
| Expenses 900.03 1,035.69 |
| Insurance 817.20 719.14 |
| Independent Examiner's fees 700.00 - Equipment and consumables 6,625.68 5,468.98 |
| Trips 2,442.40 - Homeschool 270.00 - Storage 1,816.00 670.31 |
| Services, training & conferences 2,925.00 365.00 |
(56,681.44) (42,909.13) |
| NET SURPLUS/(DEFICIT) FOR YEAR (12,945.79) 10,865.65 |
SEREN IN THE COMMUNITY CIO
BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31ST DECEMBER 2024
| 2024 2023 |
||
| £ £ |
||
| Surpluses brought forward 36,252.16 25,386.51 |
||
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the year (12,945.79) 10,865.65 |
||
| Surpluses carried forward 23,306.37 36,252.16 |
||
| Represented By: | ||
| Balance at bank 23,306.37 36,252.16 |