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2025-07-31-accounts

Chairperson’s Remarks

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Scan me for a video insight into Emerge’s work

Trustees’ Annual Report: August 2024 – July 2025

Chairperson’s Remarks

It continues to be a great privilege to chair the Board of Trustees of this wonderful charity as we continue to see transformation in the lives of many young people (and their families) as they go through times of great crisis. I am extremely grateful to my fellow Board Members who have given so generously of their time and considerable expertise and it has been a real pleasure to welcome onto the Board four new members who bring such depth of experience, wisdom and skill.

8 Safeguarding Young People

10 Our Values and Stakeholders

11 Our Funders

12 Our Governance

13 A Case Study

14 Independent Examiner’s Report

18 Trustee Responsibilities

19-27 Notes to the Financial Statements

This has been a challenging year with enormous financial pressures coming out of the changed funding arrangements within the NHS and linked services. Emerge continues to be highly valued by those who see what we do but it has been increasingly difficult to obtain finances from centrally funded services. In response to this, we have developed a new funding model in which we seek our financial support from more diverse sources. Although initial responses have been very encouraging, it will take time to fill the gap and looking ahead to our 25-26 financial year, we anticipate needing to take difficult decisions about the services we can continue to provide, especially in Kent.

We have really appreciated the commitment and calibre of all our team but, especially this year, the core team who have carried so many of the burdens but who continue to embody our Christian faith, leading with integrity, tenacity and love. In particular, we have valued the commitment, dedication and skill of Jo Carter who has so brilliantly led our people management.

It is so encouraging to read the many tributes and expressions of appreciation that we receive from those we have been able to support, some of which are documented in this report. There continues to be increasing recognition of the benefits that Emerge brings not only to the young people but also to the hard pressed staff within the hospitals we serve.

None of this would have been possible without the commitment, dedication and vision of all our staff and volunteers. Our Project Leads continue to shoulder increasing responsibility as our projects expand and, with our core team, have been especially outstanding this year. We continue to be so grateful to God for his provision as we look forward to all the opportunities to come.

Kevin McCormac OBE Chairperson

Trustees’ Annual Report: August 2024 – July 2025

Executive Summary

This past year has been a period of strategic evolution for Emerge Advocacy, as we successfully balanced the expansion of our regional services with the launch of a bold vision for replication. While the broader economic landscape has presented challenges for the sector, our focus has remained on building a resilient, sustainable foundation that ensures our front-line impact remains unshakable for every young person who needs us.

Across Surrey, Berkshire and Kent, our teams have been a ‘voice of hope’ for 1120 young people in their darkest moments. Our impact is best seen in the numbers that tell a story of stabilisation and a recovery of hope: an average 26.5% reduction in distress levels and a 70% lower re-attendance rate for those who engage with our support. This success is built on the relational safety provided by our staff and volunteers. They meet young people where they’re at – not just being in A&E with them but sitting on hospital floors while the hectic hospital world buzzes above them. We are finding that a compassionate presence helps regulate nervous systems when words simply aren't enough.

This work has been honoured through several awards, including the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Young People’s Mental Health’ award in Medway for 2025.

We remain fundamentally motivated by our Christian faith to walk (without judgement or agenda) alongside every young person who feels they have hit a dead end, helping them to see that there is always a way forward.

Thank you to our funders, our NHS partners, and especially our volunteers. You are the reason hundreds of young people this year chose hope over despair.

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Joy Wright
Founder & CEO
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"Our mission is not just to prevent a crisis today, but to help a young person 'emerge' with a toolkit of hope for tomorrow."

Our Mission

Emerge Advocacy exists to meet young people in their darkest moments of crisis. Founded on the Christian principle of loving our neighbour, we provide a consistent, non-clinical presence for those aged 10–25 who have arrived in hospital due to self-harm, overdose, or emotional distress.

The Power of Presence: As affirmed by NHS Suicide Prevention guidance, "relational safety“ - the presence of a safe, consistent adult - is the strongest predictor of positive clinical outcomes. Our Youth Support Workers and volunteers offer a friendly, personal connection when young people are engaging with the mental health care system

Indiscriminate Support: While we are a Christian charity, we serve young people of all faiths and none. Our support is offered without judgement or agenda, focusing entirely on the young person's immediate emotional needs.

A Bridge to the Community: Aligning with the NHS ten-year plan, we help move care from hospital to community as we walk alongside them for up to three months of community follow-up. This "bridge" is essential for reducing the isolation that often leads to crisis re-attendance.

Navigating “the Storm": This year, our mission has been tested by a changing funding landscape. We have responded with strategic pruning, focusing our resources on the front-line projects that deliver the highest impact for young people.

Empowering the Church: A major evolution of our mission this year is our focus on replication. In addition to being a direct-delivery charity, our vision is to equip local churches to launch their own Emerge projects. Our research shows that 98% of surveyed churches feel this mission aligns with their own values.

Digital Safeguarding: As the complexity of young people's needs grows—with 42% of our service users identifying as neurodivergent—our mission now includes a commitment to digital innovation. The launch of the Emerge App ensures our "relational safety" model is backed by the highest standards of real-time safeguarding data.

Addressing Health Inequalities: Our data confirms that emotional crisis does not happen in a vacuum; it is often exacerbated by the structural inequalities and financial pressures within the communities we serve. Across the Southeast, we have seen a direct correlation between area-based deprivation and the complexity of safeguarding concerns, with young people in these areas four times more likely to experience serious mental health difficulties. To address this, our follow-up support is intentionally local and accessible—frequently delivered in community spaces like coffee shops to remove the barriers of clinical environments. By meeting young people where they are, we ensure that those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds receive the same "voice of hope" as their peers, helping to break the cycle of crisis and re-attendance that disproportionately affects families in high-deprivation areas.

Systemic Influence: We are increasingly using our "lived experience" data to act as a voice for young people within the wider NHS and local government systems, advocating for safer transitions and better support for those with ASC and ADHD.

Our Journey So Far

•Our work •Emerge begins in becomes 2016the Royal Surrey, 2017established and 2018 - 2017 Guildford 2018 we form as a 2019 charity

•Our team grows

• We open a project at •We open a St Peter’s Hospital, 2019 – project in Chertsey Medway, Kent • We win funding to 2020 •In Covid we are replicate our work busier than ever

• We win funding to replicate our work

• We open projects in Frimley, Epsom, Dartford and Tunbridge Wells

2020• We receive the Queen’s 2021 Award for Voluntary Service, the MBE for charities

20212022

• We open projects in East Surrey Hospital, and Wexham Park Hospital

• We grow our infrastructure and leadership team

2022 - 2023

• We secure funding to open projects in Ashford and Margate

• We share our model and 2023 – speak at national 2024 conferences and develop our training offer

• We secure funding to explore national replication

• We continue to build our teams and youth work provision, working with the NHS to meet growing needs

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2024 –
2025
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• We conduct a successful research project testing the waters for replication

• We respond to commissioner’s request for our services to meet growing needs on Hascombe Ward at the Royal Surrey, launching a daily afternoon service easing pressure and improving outcomes for young people.

• Our work is celebrated through three awards – Outstanding Charity 2024, Kent Mental Health and Wellbeing award, and the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Mental Health’ in Medway.

Our Work in Hospitals

Our hospital-based work is the primary "entry point" for the young people we serve. We operate at the critical intersection between a clinical crisis and the beginning of a recovery journey, providing a non-clinical, human connection in the high-pressure environment of the Emergency Department.

Unlike clinical staff, our Youth Support Workers and volunteers do not assess or diagnose. Instead, they offer relational safety—a consistent, calming presence for young people (aged 10–25) who have attended A&E due to self-harm, suicidal ideation, or emotional crisis. Our model is built on:

Immediate Presence: Being available on-site during peak crisis hours (typically evenings and weekends) to sit with young people while they wait for medical or psychiatric assessment.

Advocacy: Helping young people find their voice so they can communicate their needs to busy clinical teams.

De-escalation: Using creative tools like the "emotional thermometer" to help young people regulate their distress in the moment.

"The conversation at the hospital was extremely helpful; it really made me feel like a normal person who was understandably hurting when I was in a crisis."

This year, our hospital teams achieved remarkable reach across the Southeast:

Front-line Impact: We supported 835 young people in hospital through 1409 sessions of face-to-face support.

Strategic Expansion: We successfully launched the Hascombe Project at Royal Surrey, providing a dedicated weekday presence on the children’s ward.

New Footprint: We expanded into East Kent, establishing a vital presence at William Harvey (Ashford) and QEQM (Margate) hospitals to meet soaring local demand.

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Before After

The presence of Emerge in a hospital setting has a measurable stabilising effect:

Distress Reduction: On average, young people reported a 26.5% decrease in distress following an Emerge hospital session.

System Efficiency: Our "cake diplomacy" and relational approach have been praised by NHS staff for reducing the agitation often seen in crowded waiting areas, allowing clinical teams to focus on medical care.

Safe Transitions: By meeting young people at the point of crisis, we ensure a seamless transition into our community follow-up programme, significantly reducing the likelihood of a "revolving door" return to A&E, reducing readmissions by 70%.

Thank you for your support … it brought real relief to a very stressful night and made a big difference.”

Follow Up Support

While our hospital intervention provides immediate stabilisation, our Community Follow-Up programme is where the long-term work of building resilience begins. By walking alongside a young person for up to three months after discharge, we provide the consistent relational bridge that prevents a "revolving door" return to A&E.

Meeting Young People Where They Are

Key Deliverables

Impact and Outcomes

Our follow-up support is intentionally non-clinical and highly accessible. We move away from hospital wards and into the heart of the community:

Accessible Spaces: This year, 57% of our community sessions were held in local coffee shops, with others taking place in schools, colleges, or via digital platforms.

Personalised Goals: Support is led by the young person’s needs, focusing on practical coping strategies, school reintegration, and building confidence in social settings.

Relational Safety: The same trust built at the hospital bedside is carried into the community, providing a rare sense of continuity in a fragmented mental health system.

The demand for community-based support saw exceptional growth this year:

Operational Volume: Our teams supported 415 young people through 2,400 hours of face-to-face follow-up care across 2,292 individual sessions.

Surrey Growth: In Surrey alone, we provided 1,479 hours of support, representing a significant year-onyear increase as we scaled to meet post-pandemic pressures.

Kent Expansion: Despite being a newer territory, Kent teams delivered 921 hours of follow-up, successfully establishing a presence across the whole county.

The impact of this sustained support is visible in both clinical data and personal milestones:

Reduced Readmissions: In Kent, our follow-up care resulted in only 2 crisis readmissions for those engaged with the service, demonstrating its power as a preventative tool.

Emotional Progress: Young people in follow-up reported a consistent improvement in their "emotional wellbeing, rating it as ‘awful’ or ‘poor’ prior to meeting Emerge and ‘okay’ or ‘good’ as a result of our support.

Complexity Managed: We successfully supported a high proportion of neurodivergent young people (42% identifying as ASC/ADHD), using creative tools like the "Shopping Bag" exercise to help them navigate school and social anxiety.

"Having someone to meet me in a coffee shop made everything feel less 'medical' and more human. It gave me the confidence to start going back to school again."

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2,292
Follow-up
sessions
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“Thank you, if it wasn’t for you and your hard work and dedication, I wouldn’t be here … let alone in my current situation. In my eyes, the sky is the limit now and that’s all thanks to you and what you have taught me. Mostly you brought my smile back.

Evidence Based Care

Emerge’s work is deeply rooted in the i-THRIVE framework and the Lundy model, moving beyond clinical intervention to provide personcentred, rights-based support. By positioning ourselves in the 'Getting Help' and 'Getting More Help' quadrants of i-THRIVE, we provide an essential bridge for young people who may not meet the threshold for specialist mental health services but require urgent emotional regulation.

Alignment with the Lundy model ensures that participation is meaningful rather than tokenistic: we create the Space for young people to express themselves in high-pressure hospital environments; provide the Voice through creative tools when words fail; and act as the Audience and Influence by advocating for their views during clinical discharge meetings and through our Emerge Insight workshops. This ensures that the young person’s perspective directly shapes their own care pathway and our charity’s governance.

Our approach is fundamentally trauma-informed, moving the focus from "What is wrong with you?" to "What happened to you?" to avoid re-traumatisation in clinical settings. Central to this is the practice of co-regulation, where our staff and volunteers use their own calm, consistent presence to help a young person stabilise their overtaxed nervous system. By offering a "listening ear" and sensory tools— such as clay or the emotional thermometer—we provide the external regulation a young person needs before they are able to access their own internal coping strategies. This culture of trustworthiness and transparency ensures that young people have agency over their support, allowing them to regulate at their own pace without being forced to recount difficult memories or retell their story if they would prefer not to.

Space :

Voice :

Our Youth Support Workers facilitate expression through sensory tools like clay or the emotional thermometer, ensuring young people can share their feelings even when verbal communication is difficult.

We provide inclusive, safe environments, moving support from high-stress clinical wards to community settings like coffee shops, where young people feel more at ease to share.

The Lundy Model: What Matters to Young People

Audience :

Influence :

We ensure views reach decisionmakers by acting as advocates in clinical discharge meetings and bridging communication with NHS professionals.

Through Emerge Insight workshops, the lived experience of service users directly influences our charity's governance and operational decisions, such as shift patterns.

Safeguarding Young People

Safeguarding remains the cornerstone of Emerge Advocacy’s clinical and community work. This year, we moved from a reactive model to a proactive, digitally-enabled infrastructure designed to protect both the young people we serve and our front-line staff.

Key Trends and Complexity

Strengthening Backstop

Digital Innovation: The Emerge App

Data from our quarterly reports highlights a rising trend in the complexity of needs among young people:

To support our teams working late-night hospital shifts (often until 11pm), we appointed a dedicated Backstop Lead coordinating our immediate safeguarding and emotional supervision for our Youth Support Workers during often intense interactions.

Professional Integration

Emerge’s safeguarding rigour has earned the trust of our NHS partners. Our teams now utilize the SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) format for documenting concerns, aligning our reporting with NHS clinical standards. This has resulted in Emerge being invited to lead safeguarding inductions for new nursing staff in several trusts.

A significant milestone this year was the launch of automated safeguarding reporting through the Emerge App. This technology ensures:

Young People’s Demographics

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Ethnicity
Gender Other
needs
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Emerge’s support is open to all young people and we ensure that everyone who might need our support hears about it through banners and posters displayed in Emergency Departments and available for nurses to give to patients.

Across our projects, the young people who we most commonly support are white females, which is representative of the demographic of young people most commonly presenting to hospital in crisis. Young people from all walks of life find themselves in crisis, and our teams support all, from the most to the least affluent and young people of a variety of nationalities. Those who tend to be more vulnerable are those where there are social care issues or neurodiversity and those from cultural backgrounds where mental health issues are less understood and accepted.

We have noticed an increase in the numbers of young people who have, or are seeking, a diagnosis for a form of neuro-diversity, particularly ASC (Autistic Spectrum Condition) or ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). These young people make up 42% of those we see in hospital in crisis, which is disproportionately more than the average population, where it is estimated that 15% - 20% of people are neuro-diverse. Therefore, it appears that this is a contributing factor to crisis in young people.

Our Values and Community Stakeholders

As a Christian charity, we are motivated by our faith which is our source of hope and strength which we draw upon in our day-to-day work with young people. We exist to support young people of all faiths and none, providing care and compassion indiscriminately.

We always empower young people to guide conversations and have no agenda to bring except to enable young people to know that they are not alone and that their lives and futures matter, that hope is real. This perspective makes us ideally placed to offer sincere, compassionate and hope-filled support to young people where we meet them at the point of crisis yet see them as a whole person and help them reconnect with a sense of hope and purpose for their futures.

It is important to us that our identity as a Christian charity adds to the overall positive experience for the young people we support and so have asked them for their thoughts about this in anonymous feedback. These are some of the comments we received this year, in answer to the question:

What difference (if any) did it make to you that Emerge is a Christian faith-based charity?

“I enjoyed asking about Christianity and church, but it was nice that it was only brought up when I asked because I think the stereotype would be that it is pushed on to you but that was not the case at all.”

“I felt a lot safer”

“None, I am just happy there are people willing to listen to and talk to. They made me feel like I was worthy.”

“There was no conversation about Christianity involved in the process which was a relief. When I first heard it was a Christian charity, I was a little bit deterred but after my first session I saw the benefits.”

Our values and identity as a charity gives us a natural link into communities surrounding the hospitals where we operate, through local church networks where we find a pool of people with pastoral experience and caring attitudes who make great volunteers. Many churches give towards our work with young people either regularly or through special events like Christmas concerts or coffee mornings during the year.

Further embedding our work with local churches continues to be a key objective to enable us to reach more young people through equipping others and strengthening our work with young people in local communities.

Our Statutory Stakeholders and Grant Funders

The impact achieved this year would not have been possible without the strategic support of our funding partners. Their investment has been the bedrock of our resilience, allowing us to maintain front-line services during a challenging economic "storm" and providing the seed capital for our future growth.

National Strategic Support: We are deeply grateful to the William Wates Memorial Trust, whose dedicated funding enabled us to complete our Replication Research. This work has laid the foundation for the development of our work beyond the Southeast.

Regional Health & Care Partnerships: Our core delivery in Surrey has been sustained through our continued collaboration with Surrey County Council (Mental Health Investment Fund) and Surrey Wellbeing Partnership. In Kent, the NHS Charities Together funding has been instrumental in embedding our presence across the county’s Emergency Departments and expanding into East Kent.

Community Foundations & Local Giving: Significant grants from the Community Foundation for Surrey, Dorothy Kerin, Lauderdale, and Colyer Fergusson and provided the stability needed to grow our Youth Support teams. We also extend our thanks to local groups like the Royal Tunbridge Wells Round Table, whose community donations funded essential resources for our young people.

“Emerge is a responsive partner doing innovative work, playing a crucial part in the safety and wellbeing of some of our most vulnerable.”

In order to ensure cash flow, and provide security for our staff, we follow the charity commission’s recommendation of holding a proportionate reserve to ensure stability and continuity (refer to note five in finance section for details). For some prospective funders, this can appear to indicate that we are not in immediate need of additional funds but, by nature, our reserves are not to be touched except in emergencies or when winding up a project.

Along with all charities, we have unfortunately noticed a decrease in success rates with grant funding during 2025, due to the national funding climate. This is something we are monitoring closely as we look towards our next financial year.

Our Governance and Leadership

This financial year has seen Emerge increase in terms of staff team, volunteers and finance. We came into the year in a good position thanks to careful stewardship of these resources and, following ongoing support from funders, donors and commissioners, we have ended the year in a strong position, with funding allocated to key areas of development and need.

Our board of trustees has received excellent leadership from our Chairperson, Kevin McCormac OBE, MA (Oxon) and Emerge’s board boasts much experience and expertise including safeguarding, legal, grant-making and philanthropy, hospital management, youth work project management, franchise, and volunteering experience within Emerge. Our trustee training requirements are reviewed annually and new trustees undergo a comprehensive induction as they begin their role. Our Trustees during this reporting period have been:

Name Role Dates
Kevin McCormac Trustee / Chairperson 14thDec 2021 - present
Peter Watts Trustee / Vice Chair 27thJune 2018 - present
Joy Wright Trustee 12thJune 2019 – 25thJuly 2025
David Welch Trustee 4thDec 2019 – 14thMar 2025
Sarah Kendall Trustee 4thDec 2019 – 13thJune 2025
Nicola Broadhurst Trustee 25thNov 2020 - present
Hugh Stafford-Smith Trustee 25thNov 2020 - present
Dr Martin Brunet Trustee 19thSept 2025 – present
Sarah-Louise Morton Trustee 19thSept 2025 – present
Elizabeth Read Trustee 19thJan 2026 - present
Richard King Trustee 19thJan 2026 – present

Kevin continues to stand as acting treasurer and we are exploring the role with an individual at the time of writing.

In the leadership of Emerge and the direction of its resources and energies, the charity trustees have at all times worked to the best interests of the public benefit, striving to give all we can for the young people we serve.

Emily

When we first met ‘Emily’, she was in hospital and struggling with, anxiety which was seriously affecting her eating. She felt hopeless, stuck and isolated and told us that the emotional side of her experience wasn’t being understood, the focus was all on what she was or wasn’t eating.

Emily looked forward to Emerge visits in hospital and she told us that “everything began to feel a little lighter” in them. The team brought laughter, positivity and a sense of normalcy to an otherwise difficult time. They did practical emotional regulation exercises with Emily, as well as playing games and chatting about her feelings.

Looking back on her time in hospital, Emily says that the Emerge visits weren’t just a distraction but offered genuine support, coping tools and human connection. She says that they helped her build resilience and gave her the motivation to keep moving forward.

After her time with Emerge and specialist further support, Emily has been able to return to school and is making steps of progress after crisis.

Emily says that she often reflects on the support Emerge gave her – the practical strategies, uplifting conversations and most importantly, the encouragement to believe in herself. She says, one of her biggest takeaways was learning how to advocate for herself and this skill continues to empower her to move forward with strength.

Independent Examiner’s Report on the Accounts

Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Emerge Advocacy

I report to the trustees of Emerge Advocacy on my examination of the charity’s accounts for the year ended 31st July 2025 as set out on pages 15 to 27.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the trustees of the charity, 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 for the charity’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

Since the charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a listed body. I can confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, which is one of the listed bodies.

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 charity 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.

S t a t e m e n t o f F i n a n c i a l A c t i v i t i e s F i n a n c i a l A c t i v i t i e s
F o r t h e Y e a r E n d e d 3 1 s t J u l y 2 0 2 5
(Incorporating Income & Expenditure Account)
Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds TOTAL 2024/25 TOTAL 2023/24
Notes £ £ £ £
INCOMING RESOURCES
Incoming Resources from Generated Funds
Donations, Legacies and Similar Income 3a 38,324 384,605 422,929 147,660
Charitable Activities 3b 78,550 227,465 306,015 540,697
Other Trading Activities 3c 8,263 0 8,263 0
Investment Income 3d 4,393 0 4,393 2,413
129,530 612,070 741,600 690,769
RESOURCES EXPENDED
Cost of Generating Funds
Raising Funds 4a 8,441 0 8,441 5,353
Charitable Activities 4b 73,712 713,385 787,097 597,630
Other 4c 2,737 0 2,737 1,740
84,890 713,385 798,275 604,723
NET INCOMING (OUTGOING) RESOURCES 44,640 (101,315) (56,675) 86,046
Total Funds Brought Forward 175,268 76,188 251,457 165,411
Transfer between Funds (48,545) 48,545 0 0
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 171,363 23,418 194,782 251,457

Movements on all reserves and all recognised gains and losses are shown below. All the charity’s operations are classed as continuing. The notes on pages 19 to 27 form part of these financial statements.

B a l a n c e S h e e t

A s a t 3 1[s t] J u l y 2 0 2 5

Note
Fixed Assets
Tangible assets
2
Current Assets
Debtors & Prepayments
7
Cash at Bank and in hand
6
Total Current Assets
Creditors:
due within one year
8
NET CURRENT ASSETS
TOTAL ASSETSless current liabilities
NET ASSETS
Funds of the Charity
5
General Funds
Designated Funds
Restricted Funds		 Unrestricted Funds
Restricted Funds
31/07/25 Total
31/07/24Total
£
£
£
£
0
0
0
0
29,508
22,598
52,106
87,359
174,125
148,505
322,630
353,436
203,633
171,103
374,736
440,796
32,270
147,684
179,954
189,339
171,363
23,419
194,782
251,457
171,363
23,419
194,782
251,457
171,363
23,419
194,782
251,457
1,363
0
1,363
5,269
170,000
0
170,000
170,000
0
23,419
23,419
76,188
171,363
23,419
194,782
251,457

S t a t e m e n t o f C a s h F l o w s A s a t 3 1[s t] J u l y 2 0 2 5

2024/25 2023/24
£ £
Cash Flows from operating activities
Net income / (expenditure) for the year (56,676) 86,046
Interest Receivable (4,393) (2,413)
Adjustments for non-cash items and working capital:
Decrease / (Increase) in debtors 35,254 (35,454)
(Decrease) / Increase in creditors (excluding deferred income) (6,011) 12,168
(Decrease) / Increase in deferred income (3,374) 37,877
Total Adjustments 25,869 14,591
Net cash provided by operating activities (35,199) 98,224
Cash flows from investing activities
Interest Received 4,393 2,413
Net cash provided by / (used in) investing activities 4,393 2,413
Net (decrease) / increase in cash and cash equivalents (30,806) 100,637
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year 353,436 252,799
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year 322,630 353,436

The charity has not presented an analysis of changes in net debt as it has no borrowings or finance lease obligations during the year.

T r u s t e e R e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s

For the period ended 31[st] July 2025, in accordance with section 145 of the Charities Act 2011, the trustees have elected for the accounts to be examined by an Independent Examiner whose report appears on page 14.

The trustees acknowledge their responsibility for ensuring that the charity keeps proper accounting records which comply with the Charity Commission’s guidance and give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity as at the end of the financial year and of its profit and loss for the financial year.

The trustees are aware of the revised Charities SORP (FRS 102) effective for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2026; however, as the changes do not apply to this reporting period and are not expected to materially affect the charity’s financial statements, they have not been adopted early.

Approved by the Trustees on the: 21/05/2026

Signed on their behalf by Trustee:

Print Name: Kevin McCormac

N o t e s t o t h e F i n a n c i a l S t a t e m e n t s

F o r t h e Y e a r E n d e d 3 1[s t] J u l y 2 0 2 5

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of Preparation & Assessment of Going Concern

Where incoming resources have related expenditure (as with fundraising or contract income) the incoming resource and related expenditure are reported gross in the SOFA.

Grants and Donations

Basis of Preparation

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant notes. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102) (effective 1 January 2015) - (Charities SORP - FRS102) and the Charities Act 2011.

The Charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy notes.

Grants and Donations are only included in the SOFA when the charity has unconditional entitlement to the resources.

Tax Reclaims on Donations and Gifts

Incoming resources from tax reclaims are included in the SOFA at the same time as the gift to which they relate.

Contractual Income and Performance Related Grants

This is only included in the SOFA once the related goods or services has been delivered.

Gifts in Kind

Assessment of Going Concern

Preparation of the accounts is on a going concern basis. The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the Charity’s ability to continue as a going concern.

Incoming Resources

Recognition of Incoming Resources

These are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) when:

the charity becomes entitled to the resources;

the trustees are virtually certain they will receive the resources; and

Gifts in kind are accounted for at a reasonable estimate of their value to the charity or the amount actually realised. Gifts in kind for sale or distribution are included in the accounts as gifts only when sold or distributed by the charity. Gifts in kind for use by the charity are included in the SOFA as incoming resources when receivable.

Donated Services and Facilities

These are only included in incoming resources (with an equivalent amount in resources expended) where the benefit to the charity is reasonably quantifiable, measurable and material. The value placed on these resources is the estimated value to the charity of the service or facility received.

the monetary value can be measured with sufficient reliability

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Volunteer Help

The value of any voluntary help received is not included in the accounts but is described in the trustees' annual report.

These are only recognised in the accounts when a commitment has been made and there are no conditions to be met relating to a grant which remain in control of the charity.

Support Costs

Investment Income

This is included in the accounts when receivable.

Investment Gains and Losses

This included any gain or loss on the sale of investments and any gain or loss resulting from revaluing investments to market value at the end of the year.

Support costs include central functions and have been allocated to activity cost categories on a basis consistent with the use of the resources, eg allocating property costs by floor areas, or per capital, staff costs by the time spent and other costs by their usage.

Fixed Assets

Tangible fixed assets for use by the charity, are capitalised if they can be used for more than one year, and cost at least £1,000. They are valued at cost or, if gifted, at the value to the charity on receipt.

Investments

Expenditure and Liabilities

Liability Recognition

Investments quoted on a recognised stock exchange are valued at market value at the year end. Other investment assets are included at trustees' best estimate of market value.

Liabilities are recognised as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to pay out resources.

There has been no change to the accounting policies (Valuation rules and methods of accounting) since last year.

Governance Costs

Depreciation

Include costs of the preparation and examination of statutory accounts, the costs of the trustees' meetings and cost of any legal advice to trustees on governance or constitutional matters.

Depreciation has been calculated on a reducing balance basis. The rates applied per annum are as follows:

Fixtures and Fittings 25%

Grants with Performance Conditions

Equipment 25%

Where the charity gives a grant with conditions for its payment being a specific level of service or output to be provided, such grants are only recognised in the SOFA once the recipient of the grant has provided the specified service or output.

Computer Equipment 25%

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2. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS

Total

Cost
01-Aug-24
Additions
Cost at
31-Jul-25
Depreciation
01-Aug-24
Charge
Depreciation at
31-Jul-25
Net Book Value
31-Jul-24
Net Book Value
31-Jul-25		 Unrestricted Equipment
Restricted
Equipment
2024/25
£
£
£
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

The annual commitments under non-cancelling operating leases, capital commitments, and contingent liabilities are as follows:

31st July 2024: None
31st July 2025: None

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3. INCOMING RESOURCES Unrestricted Restricted TOTAL TOTAL
Note Funds Funds 2024/25 2023/24
£ £ £ £
a) Donations, Legacies and Similar Income
Churches & Organisations 12,734 6,284 19,018 12,534
Gift Aid Refunds 1,605 0 1,605 1,517
Gifts from Individuals 19,604 199 19,803 11,857
Grants received 4,381 378,122 382,503 121,753
38,324 384,605 422,929 147,660
b) Charitable Activities
Training 1,043 0 1,043 255
Service Contracts 77,507 227,465 304,972 540,442
78,550 227,465 306,015 540,697
c) Other Trading
Fundraising 8,263 0 8,263 0
8,263 0 8,263 0
d) Investment Income
Interest 4,393 0 4,393 2,413
4,393 0 4,393 2,413

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Unrestricted Restricted TOTAL TOTAL
Funds Funds 2024/25 2023/24
4. RESOURCES EXPENDED Note £ £ £ £
a) Expenditure on Raising Funds
Fundraising Activities 8,441 0 8,441 5,353
8,441 0 8,441 5,353
Charitable Support TOTAL TOTAL
Activities Costs 2024/25 2023/24
Note £ £ £ £
b) Cost of Charitable Activities
Young People’s Activities 573,080 171,661 744,742 597,630
Replication 32,835 9,521 42,355 0
605,915 181,182 787,097 597,630
Comparative figures relating to the classification of staff costs associated with fundraising activities have been reclassified to ensure consistency with the current year presentation. Comparative figures relating to the classification of staff costs associated with fundraising activities have been reclassified to ensure consistency with the current year presentation. Comparative figures relating to the classification of staff costs associated with fundraising activities have been reclassified to ensure consistency with the current year presentation. Comparative figures relating to the classification of staff costs associated with fundraising activities have been reclassified to ensure consistency with the current year presentation.
There is no impact on total expenditure or net movement in funds.
c) Governance Costs
Legal & Professional Fees 847 0 847 0
Accountancy Fees 1,890 0 1,890 1,740
2,737 0 2,737 1,740
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5. FUNDS Note Balance Balance
01/08/24 Income Expenditure Transfers 31/07/25
£ £ £ £
General Funds 5,269 129,530 84,890 (48,545) 1,363
Designated Funds
Designated Reserve Fund 170,000 0 0 0 170,000
175,269 129,530 84,890 (48,545) 171,363
Restricted Funds
Medway 19,649 56,000 67,396 0 8,254
Darent Valley 17,644 50,888 65,367 0 3,165
Tunbridge Wells 4,000 47,193 47,193 0 4,000
Maidstone 8,000 42,885 42,885 0 8,000
Kent Management 0 46,601 46,601 0 0
QEQM 0 15,224 15,224 0 0
William Harvey 0 27,468 35,913 8,445 0
Canterbury 0 11,762 11,792 0 0
Wexham 0 26,752 39,690 12,937 0
RSCH 0 76,016 82,772 6,759 0
East Surrey 10,003 51,774 67,637 5,860 0
Epsom 2,776 55,389 64,920 6,756 0
St Heliers Epsom 0 12,903 12,903 0 0
Frimley 14,116 52,997 74,904 7,791 0
Replication 0 38,217 38,217 0 0
76,188 612,070 713,385 48,545 23,419
251,457 741,600 798,275 0 194,782

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As the charity does not have endowment funds or other significant capital on which to draw, the trustees have designated a discretionary reserve to support the effective management of financial risk.

Medway project was funded by Medway Council Shared Prosperity Fund, The Dorothy Kerin trust, Department of Health and Social Care - National Suicide Prevention Fund, NHS Charities Together, The Lauderdale Trust and Kent Community Foundation.

The purpose of this reserve is to enable an orderly wind-down of projects should they become significantly unfunded. In determining the appropriate level of the reserve, the trustees have considered the potential costs that could arise at the point a project becomes unfunded, including:

Darent Valley project was funded by the National Suicide Prevention Fund, The Dorothy Kerin Trust, The Lauderdale Trust, Henry Smith and NHS Charities Together.

Tunbridge Wells and Maidstone projects were funded by Colyer Fergusson, the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust - Health Inequalities Fund, Department of Health and Social Care - National Suicide Prevention Fund and NHS Charities Together.

The level of the designated reserve is reviewed regularly in line with the charity’s reserves policy and operational footprint.

Designated funds remain part of unrestricted funds and may be redesignated by the trustees if circumstances change.

Kent Management, QEQM, Canterbury and William Harvey projects were funded by NHS Charities Together.

Wexham project was funded by Department of Health and Social Care - National Suicide Prevention Fund, Wexham Youth Activities, Berkshire Community Foundation and The Lauderdale Trust.

RSCH, East Surrey, Epsom and Frimley projects have benefited from contracts from Surrey County Council - Mental Health Investment Fund, Surrey Wellbeing Partnership and grants from Department of Health and Social Care - National Suicide Prevention funds. The RSCH has also received funding from Guildford Poyle Charities, and both RSCH and Epsom have received grants from The High Sheriff Youth Awards.

Restricted funds are represented by the charity’s cash reserves and arise from funding that was to be expended only for the projects as specified above. Some funding is also restricted as to use (e.g. staff costs only).

St Helier project is funded by a grant from the St Kilda Trust.

Hascombe i s funded by Surrey County Council - Mental Health Investment Fund.

The Replication project is being funded by William Wates Memorial Trust.

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Deferred income represents funds received in advance for future projects or for contracts spanning the financial year, recognised as income when the related activity is delivered.

6. CASH AT BANK AND Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
IN HAND Fund Fund 31/07/2025 31/07/2024
£ £ £ £
TSB 4,007 26,906 30,913 116,399
Equals Cards 0 3,596 3,596 954
Savings 170,000 112,538 282,538 228,145
Metro 0 5,465 5,465 7,623
PayPal 118 0 118 316
174,125 148,505 322,630 353,436
2024/25 2023/24
9. STAFF COSTS AND
NUMBERS £ £
Gross Wages and
Salaries 632,972 477,372
Employer's NI Costs 40,037 28,896
Pension Contributions 24,916 23,210
697,924 529,478
Employees who were engaged in each of the following activities:
2024/25 2023/24
TOTAL TOTAL
Activities in furtherance of organisation's objects:
Total number of full-time and
part-time employees 35 31
Equivalent number of full-
time employees 16.8 14.1
Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
Fund Fund 31/07/2025 31/07/2024
7. DEBTORS £ £ £ £
Gift Aid due 3,424 0 3,424 1,517
Sundry Debtors 0 45,196 45,196 85,426
Prepayments 3,486 0 3,486 417
6,910 45,196 52,106 87,359

8. CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

Salaries and NI
Sundry Creditors
Deferred Income		 Unrestricted
Fund
Restricted
Fund
Total
31/07/202
5
Total
31/07/2024
£
£
£
£
4,548
0
4,548
13,900
5,539
2,324
7,864
4,523
22,183
145,360
167,542
170,916
32,270
147,684
179,954
189,339

The charity operates a PAYE scheme to pay all employed members of staff, and no employees received emoluments above £60,000 (2023/24 None). The total employee benefits of the key management personnel were £83,553 (2023/24 £88,463).

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10. RECONCILIATION OF MOVEMENT IN CAPITAL AND RESERVES

The Charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registered with the Charity Commission, number 1171851. The Charity does not have a Share capital and has no income subject to Corporation Tax.

Corporation Tax.
2024/25 2023/24
£ £
Surplus/Deficit for the financial year (56,676) 86,046
(56,676) 86,046
Balance brought forward 251,457 165,411
Transfer of Restricted funds 0 0
Closing Funds at 31st July 194,782 251,457

The charity monitors its funding pipeline closely, proactively engages with funders well in advance of contract or grant expiry, and prepares multiple applications to reduce reliance on any single funding source. The Trustees also maintain a designated reserve to support financial resilience in the event of unexpected reductions in income.

Staff Recruitment and Retention Risk

Delivering the charity’s services effectively relies on retaining skilled, experienced and empathetic staff. The charity operates in a sector where recruitment and retention can be challenging due to demand for specialist roles, rising employment costs and the emotional nature of the work. The Trustees recognise this as a key organisational risk. Mitigation measures include maintaining competitive pay structures within financial constraints, investment in supervision and pastoral support, training and professional development, and structured performance management. The charity also seeks to maintain a positive working culture, monitor turnover trends, and plan staffing levels to ensure continuity of service delivery.

Operational, Governance and Compliance Risks

11. PAYMENTS TO DIRECTORS AND RELATED PARTIES

During the financial year Trustee Mrs Joy Wright received £32,760 in remuneration (salary and expenses) in her capacity as CEO.

Kevin McCormac claimed £176 in expenses relating to his role as chair as trustees.

The Trustees also review risks relating to safeguarding, data protection, IT systems, financial controls, and governance processes. Policies and procedures are reviewed regularly, and staff receive mandatory training. The Board receives regular risk reports and updates on any emerging issues.

The Trustees believe that the combination of ongoing monitoring, financial reserves, and proactive risk management ensures the charity remains well-positioned to continue delivering public benefit, even during adverse conditions.

12. RISK ASSESSMENT

The Trustees undertake a continuous and comprehensive review of the key strategic, operational and financial risks facing the charity. This review is informed by regular monitoring of performance against budget, project delivery, fundraising pipelines, staffing indicators, and compliance requirements. The Trustees are satisfied that appropriate systems and controls are in place to mitigate identified risks.

13. RESERVES POLICY

The charity recognises the propriety of not building up funds for which there are no clear expenditure plans. The charity’s policy is to target a level of reserves that would permit any projects that become unfunded to be wound up in an orderly manner. Refer to note 5 for more on the obligations taken into account in forecasting this level. Reserves may only exceed this policy level in order to be able to respond to specific new opportunities. This situation is actively monitored to ensure that reserves do not build up unnecessarily.

Funding Risk

A significant risk to the charity remains the ability to secure sufficient and sustainable income to support both ongoing operations and future development. Much of the charity’s work is dependent on time-limited grants and service contracts, which are subject to fluctuations in funding cycles. To mitigate this risk, the charity seeks to maintain a diversified fundraising strategy across grant-making bodies, statutory partners, charitable trusts, community fundraising and individual donors.

14. PUBLIC BENEFIT

The charity acknowledges its requirement to demonstrate clearly that it must have charitable purposes or 'aims' that are for the public benefit. Details of how the charity has achieved this are provided in the Trustees' report. The Trustees confirm that they have paid due regard to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit before deciding which activities the charity should undertake.