2025-03-31-accounts

Together we Care.

Community Care North Bucks Report and financial statements Year ending 31 March 2025 Charity Number 1172135

Content

Legal and Administrative Information

Trustee Annual Report

Independent Examiners Report

Annual Income and Expenditure Accounts

COMMUNITY CARE NORTH BUCKS TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Legal and administrative details

Charity name

Community Care North Bucks

Charity Registration number 1172135

Registered Office

55 Waine Close Buckingham Bucks MK18 1FF

Trustees

Simon Wells Colin Cross Rosamund Hutt Brian Hirst (resigned 16 July 2024) Margo Jackson Lee King Chris Gardner (resigned 16 July 2024) Sue Watkins (resigned 31 December 2024) Susan Johnston Andrew Savage (appointed 18 February 2025) Steve Coppins (appointed 23 April 2025)

Independent accounts examiner

Mr Alan Clarke 29 Plover Close Buckingham MK18 7ES

Principal Banker

CAF Bank Limited 25 Kings Hill Avenue Kings Hill West Malling Kent MK19 4JQ

Community Care North Bucks Trustee Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2025

Community Care North Bucks (CCNB) is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (charity number 1172135) operating in North Buckinghamshire.

A Board of Trustees, appointed by the membership of CCNB, oversees the governance and management of the Charity. As at 31 March 2025 there were 7 Trustees:

Simon Wells Colin Cross Margo Jackson Rosamund Hutt Lee King Susan Johnston Andrew Savage

Steve Coppins was appointed as a Trustee after the year end on 23 April 2025.

Objective

The Trustees govern the Charity within the objective set out in the CCNB Constitution, which states: -

“To promote any charitable purpose for the benefit of the inhabitants of North Bucks, and to advance education, protect and preserve health and relieve poverty, sickness and distress.”

To fulfil this objective the Charity currently has six activities: -

• A Hospital Car Service

• A support group for adult carers (aged 18 plus)

• A support group and club for young carers (for carers under 18)

• Open House, a support group for ex-carers and people who live on their own

• Men in Sheds Buckingham

• Buckingham AED Project, which installs and maintains defibrillators in the area.

Public Benefit

The Trustees confirm they have referred to the public benefit guidance issued by the Charity Commission when reviewing and monitoring the activities of CCNB. All Trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no private benefit from the work of the Charity. Services provide benefits which are either free or subsidized to ensure anyone can access them.

The Trustees review all the policies and procedures of the Charity annually or earlier if needed. These include a risk assessment so that risks to the Charity are identified and managed.

CCNB is funded through grants, local fundraising and subsidized charges from patients using the Hospital Car Service.

The Charity is run entirely by volunteers: there are currently 132 volunteers involved.

Overview

Financially the charity has continued to enjoy a stable financial position but fundraising continues to be challenging as more organisations seek grants and funding in a time of significant inflation and a cost-of-living crisis.

Trustees keep the finances under constant review. It is good to report that the finances are currently in good shape, and during the course of the year the charity began to use up some of its accumulated cash and bank balances in fulfilling its objectives. Total Income for the year was £69,331.04 (2023/24 £73,932.05) with total Expenditure at £77,600.01 (2023/24 £50,311.61), giving a Net Deficit for the year of £8,268.97 (2023/24 Excess of £23,620.44).

Reserves stood at £66,438.80 (2023/24 £48,446.67), and total bank and cash balances were £100,795.08 (2023/24 £109,064.05) at the end of the financial year.

A review of our banking relationships during the year concluded with the Trustees deciding to retain CAF Bank as our principal bankers.

The aim of Trustees is to ensure CCNB remains sustainable, and Trustees have an agreed reserves policy which is reviewed each year. The funding received by CCNB is not consistent throughout the year. Grants applied for are not always successful . Trustees have determined to target a charity reserve of a minimum of one year’s expenditure. A specific action plan is required if the reserves fall to 6 months. At present the total bank and cash balances exceed that upper limit.

The restructuring of the Trustee Board has continued throughout the year and new Trustees are being introduced. This restructuring will continue over the next two years.

A thorough Policy Review was conducted in 2023 and updated Policy documents and new Policy documents created and approved. These Policies will be due for review and update in 2025.

The Charity continues to review the scope of its activities and seeks to identify opportunities to add in additional new local groups, as well as launching new services, thus building in greater long-term sustainability.

Objectives and Achievements

2024/2025 objectives

1. Improve the website as a matter of urgency and fully utilize the new CCNB Facebook page.

2. Ensure new Trustees are recruited to replace long-serving Trustees who are standing down at the AGM.

3. Finally commit to use the significant surpluses in the groups with significant reserves to benefit the local community. To be closely monitored at each Trustee meeting with the groups expected to present their projects and expenditure plans.

4. Implement Trustee training.

5. Establish a multi-agency approach to ensure with the help of the Hospital Car Service that CCNB can operate a local wheelchair car service

2024/25 Outcomes

1. Twenty posts per week on CCNB Facebook page, website limited postings.

2. Some success with recruiting new trustees and further applicants to conclude.

3. Surplus funds being utilized across all group as evidenced in the annual accounts.

4. Training available via NCVO and some training conducted on a shared basis within the groups.

5. Wheelchair car has been unsuccessful for logistical reasons and due to unquantified demand.

2025/26 Objectives

1. Establish new trustee signatories for CAF BANK.

2. Introduce quick books for monthly financial reporting.

3. Continue consolidation of groups into CAF bank.

4. Review and update all CCNB Policies.

5. Continue to recruit new trustees and develop a robust long term succession plan.

Reports

Hospital Car Service

• Another successful year for HCS with several new drivers recruited and increase in fulfilled bookings.

• Shared first aid training session with Open House with support from AED demonstrating true cross group working.

• Increasing journeys to Lloyds Court diagnostic center in Milton Keynes.

• Looking to recruit a new coordinator to aid service expansion and augment the excellent work done by the existing three coordinators.

Young Carers

• Running two youth clubs per month split by juniors and seniors, -run by Elle for juniors and Emma for seniors.

• 35 members in juniors and 41 in seniors.

• Demand successfully met from the waiting list.

• Craft activities and sports prove especially popular.

• Dedicated team of 25 superb volunteers whose time and commitment make a huge difference to the lives of young carers.

• Trips held to Thorpe Park, Gulliver’s Land, Harry Potter world and London’s west end.

• Wide variety of smaller group activities including trampolining, cinema trips and the theatre

• Swimming session provided at the local Swan Pool.

• Joint summer party held with ice cream, inflatables and wonderful food.

• Local fundraising has been augmented by two most generous memorial donations from the Staley family and from the parents of Pearce Power, Nikki and John Joe Power to whom we are most grateful and will ensure this legacy is used to enhance the lives of young carers.

• Future fundraising plans and activities are in the pipeline.

Adult Carers

• Steady growth in numbers of members and volunteers.

• 40 attended Christmas lunch

• 44 attended Panto at MK theatre.

• 42 attended a lunch at Prego in Jan 25.

• 42 attended annual river cruise and lunch on the River Trent.

• Wide variety of guest speakers.

• Nail painting sessions.

• Continued welfare work to alleviate hardship.

• Substantial financial support from Masonic lodges including £2000 raised ay a Cheltenham gold cup day held at the Bell Hotel in Winslow.

• Support of £500 from Winslow Lions

Open House

• Growing membership and now using the Community Centre which has more space and amenities.

• Benefiting from the grant received from Heart of Bucks in 2024 particularly for transportation costs to respite activities.

• Two volunteers working as community funding champions searching for local funding for the group.

• Researching Tesco blue token funding opportunity.

• Worked on first aid training with the car service and AED group.

• Held lunches with the aid of shopping vouchers from Simon Wells and with generous support of Manor Farm.

Men in Sheds Buckingham

• Celebrated 10[th] year of operation in 2024 and held an open day.

• Membership now at 20. Meeting 4 times per week.

• Upstairs work nearing completion which will give additional space.

• Upgrading lighting to LED.

• Installing air purification.

• Upgrading table saw.

• Visit from Heart of Bucks and attended Celebrate Buckingham Day.

• Manage running costs from membership monthly fees and from sales and commissions.

Buckingham AED Project

• Currently managing 28 AEDs.

• 5 new locations and machines added in the last year.

• 2 spare units in storage.

• All units checked monthly.

• Replacing and rebranding machines and cabinets.

• Held several awareness sessions as well as demonstration days.

• 10 BHF dummies purchased for training purposes. As well as taking receipt of two Mindray AED trainers.

• Tesco fundraising sessions were very successful.

Closing remarks

I am grateful and thankful for the tremendous support and hard work of all volunteers and Trustees who make such a valuable contribution to our community.

Simon Wells, Chair July 2025

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