Charity registration number: 1172097
Berry Pomeroy CIO
Annual Report and Financial Statements
for the period from
01 January 2021 to 31 December 2022
Manningtons Chartered Accountants 39 High Street Battle East Sussex TN33 0EE
Berry Pomeroy CIO
Contents
Reference and Administrative Details
Trustees' Report
Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities
Independent Examiner's Report
Statement of Financial Activities
Balance Sheet
Notes to the Financial Statements
Berry Pomeroy CIO
Reference and Administrative Detail
Trustees;-
R M Flude (appointed 16 March 2017)
J M Ayres (appointed 16 March 2017) R Hollister (appointed 13 July 2017)
Chairperson
(Now retired) Honorary Secretary
M Stubbs (appointed 10 August 2017)
N Stubbs (appointed 13 September 2018)
S Law (appointed 11[th] October 2018)
R Eardley (appointed 10[th] October 2019)
Principal Office: 26 - 28 Compton Street Eastbourne BN21 4EN
Charity Registration Number: 1172097
Bankers:
NatWest Bank, 96 Terminus Rd, Eastbourne BN21 3LX
Investment Managers:
Charles Stanley and Co Ltd, 6-10 Mount Ephraim Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. ME19 4JQ
Independent Examiner:
Manningtons Chartered Accountants, 39 High Street, Battle, East Sussex. TN33 0EE
Berry Pomeroy CIO Trustees' Report
The trustees present the annual report together with the financial statements of the charity for the period ended 31 December 2021.
1. Objectives and activities
a. Objects and aims
The charity's objects are to maintain a home for elderly people. It is run with a view to avoiding any deficit of income over expenditure and to use any surplus funds to benefit the home.
The policies adopted in furtherance of these objects are the continued running of Berry Pomeroy as a home for elderly people and there has been no change in these during the year.
To continue to operate a well-established home with an excellent reputation.
The Trustees have paid due attention to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the Charity should undertake.
b. Objectives, strategies and activities
High quality health and social care to beneficiaries - Providing excellent care to residents:
Ample staffing levels have been maintained to attend to personal care needs, with regular training to increase awareness and ensure that the highest quality of care is being delivered. Long standing care staff and an activities co-ordinator ensure that emotional and social support needs are met as well as providing stimulating and engaging activities and events. As a fairy new charity the home has been inspected by the Care Quality Commission and holds an outcome of “good” in all areas. The appointment of a “Care Manager” has been a recent successful change and strengthened the management position in a timely way.
The year has again been totally dominated by the COVID19 pandemic and nearly all efforts have been directed towards keeping the residents and staff as safe as we could possibly make them. This has been at some cost to their social activities. No entertainment has been brought in. Visiting has been suspended for extended periods and the peripatetic hairdresser has been stopped from visiting. The staff have responded admirably in trying to fill the resulting gaps and the residents and families have met the challenges with commendable forbearance. Some relaxation of the restrictions has happened towards the end of the year with full vaccinations of residents and staff. The return of the hairdresser has been especially welcomed by residents!
Safety has been maintained through careful attention to infection
control, testing, vaccination, and isolation when necessary. At all times the management has been guided by government and Public Health England advice. Trustees have actively followed the management’s decision making, policy and contingency planning. The outcome has been positive with only one resident contracting covid and suffering only mild symptoms. On several occasions when staff have tested positive it has been away from Berry Pomeroy and no risks have resulted.
To keep fees to a minimum and provide financial support to clients unable to fully meet costs independently . The charity has continued to keep fee increases to the absolute minimum but have been hampered significantly by the pandemic which has seen occupancy rates drop significantly. The resultant drop in income from resident’s fees has exposed a risk of some financial loss at a time of uncertainty. The Trustees have felt significantly reassured though by the reserves policy and the investment of the gift from the Eastbourne Free Church Women’s Council charity when it closed. Berry Pomeroy has continued to support residents funded by the local authority. Nevertheless Trustees need to look closely at the future business model and the issue of sustainability. It will be important to fill vacant rooms in the coming year.
Property improvements - Improving and maintaining the exterior and interior of the property: To improve the facilities by redecorating and maintaining the decor and atmosphere that make it a pleasant and comfortable place to live. This year has seen a more modest set of building improvement works with the dining room and outside decking being improved. It is now felt that the commitment made to the Eastbourne Free Church Women’s Council to fund improvements has been fully discharged.
c. Public benefit
Trustees confirm that they have complied with the requirements of section 4 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. The home continues to provide a level of care well above the commercial standard and the quality and number of staff significantly exceeds that found in non-charitable homes. A number of local authority funded residents benefit even more significantly.
Trustees ensure that self-funding residents still receive charitable benefits and do not subsidise other residents.
2. Structure, governance and management
a. Nature of governing document
The Eastbourne Free Church Women's Council 'Berry Pomeroy'
Home for the Elderly operated under a Trust Deed dated 20 June 1951. On 9th March 2017 the Trustees of Berry Pomeroy made the decision to apply to become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), and adopted a foundation governing document closely following the Charity Commission model.
On 24th March 2017 the Trustees of Eastbourne Free Church Women's Council passed a special resolution to bring an end the legal connections with Berry Pomeroy (an associated charity registered with the Charity Commissioners under the reference 251855) and therefore the Trust Deed of Berry Pomeroy Home for Elderly People.
On 30th June 2017 'Berry Pomeroy' registered with the Charity Commissioners under the reference 251855 ceased operations. All activities and assets were transferred to 'Berry Pomeroy Home for the Elderly' (a new charitable incorporated organisation) registered with Charity Commissioners under the reference 1172097.
Despite the modernised structure of the Charity, the ethics and aspirations of the Eastbourne Free Church Women’s Council (EFCWC) have been carried through. Two of the original Trustees remain serving.
A significant donation from the EFCWC has enabled the Charity to adopt a secure financial footing and to make significant improvements to the home each year.
b. Recruitment and appointment of trustees
The initial Trustees were the trustees of the earlier charity. The Trustees are all individuals and meet on a monthly basis during the year to discuss the performance of the Charity and make decisions as appropriate. This year has improved in that Trustees have met in person again, and have also visited the home in a controlled manner.
c. Induction and training of trustees
New members are given induction material including the governing document, accounts and previous meeting minutes, as well as Charity Commission guidance.
d. Risk Management
The Trustees have considered the major risks to which the charity is exposed and have reviewed those risks and established systems and procedures to manage them. The Trustees review the risk management process each year and maintain a risk register which is regularly reviewed. Throughout 2021 though this has been almost
exclusively related to covid measures.
3. Financial Review
a. Financial position
The charity’s principal financial assets are the properties, bank balances, cash, and investments. The charity has an investment manager to ensure the charity is best positioned to function well into the longer term future.
COVID has had a significant impact this year and the previous year with understandably increased costs. A decision not to admit new residents has mean that occupancy rates, a crucial financial factor, have dropped significantly. The reason for this measure has been initially about infection control and maintaining sufficient space for donning and doffing of PPE as well as having the capacity to effectively isolate all residents effectively should it become necessary.
The costs have been mitigated again this year by government funding, and a loss of around £40,000 is considered by Trustees to be a good financial outcome albeit for the second year running. Reserves were a real bonus in this event. The investment reserves are held in part to meet such emergencies as 2020 provided and gave the Trustees sufficient confidence to take all necessary measures without fear of the resultant costs.
b. Financial policies
The Charity has adopted three main financial policies which cover Reserves, Investment, and Financial Governance. These are reviewed annually. The reserves and investment policies ensure the availability of adequate funds to protect the charity from short term fluctuations.
c. Reserves and Investments
Longer term reserves are in the care of an Investment Manager appointed by the Trustees in 2018. The objective being to secure the long term future of the home for the benefit of future residents. The pandemic initially had a significant effect on the markets but the delivery of a vaccine produced a strong recovery. The investment policy directs a low to medium risk level and a balanced portfolio. An ethical investment approach should be adopted as far as is possible. This year £50,000 was moved from the long term investment into short term reserves.
Short term reserves are held which are in the region of 3 months operating costs.
d. Financial risks
The charity’s activities expose it primarily to the financial risks of needing to maintain a high level of occupancy and it is also particularly vulnerable to increases in the national living wage. The reserves policy protects the charity against these risks and this has been tested again in 2021 and not found wanting.
Berry Pomeroy CIO Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities ……..