2025-03-31-accounts

Charity number: 1173120

PROJECT FOOD CIO

ANNUAL REPORT AND RECEIPT AND PAYMENT ACCOUNTS

YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

PROJECT FOOD CIO

CONTENTS

	Page
Reference and administrative details		1
Trustees' report	2	- 6
Independent examiner's report		7
Receipt and payments		8
Statement of assets and liabilities		9

PROJECT FOOD CIO

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Trustees

R Trapani (Chair of Trustees) - Appointed 25 July 2024 V Mowatt - Appointed 10 June 2025 J Morency S Birnie A de Ferranti G Dodd

Charity registered number

1173120

Principal office

Axminster Hospital Chard Street Axminster Devon EX13 5DU

Accountants

Griffin

Chartered Accountants Courtenay House Pynes Hill Exeter EX2 5AZ

Page 1

PROJECT FOOD CIO

TRUSTEES' REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Introduction from the Chair

I have now been Chair of the Board of Trustees for a little over a year. During that time, the dedication of everyone involved (both volunteers and staff) has been striking. I have been so impressed by how much everyone wants to make a difference to the lives of people with particular needs when it comes to good health and food.

I took over an already well-governed charity whose trustees have excellent ‘lived experience’ in areas relevant to our work. These include having personal experience with people who’ve known both food insecurity and those who’ve had to make significant changes to diet due to ill health. Food affects us all, in so many ways.

In 2024 we developed a more targeted strategy for the charity, which prioritises working with those who are at risk of diet related illness; concentrating on children, young people and their families who are on low incomes. This is already beginning to show concrete returns. In 24/25 we partnered with more than 60 local organisations, many of whom responded to our more targeted messaging and were delighted to refer clients to us.

In terms of the Trustee Board, our aim now is to further increase its diversity. In order to achieve this, we have developed a recruitment strategy which aims to increase involvement from current and former beneficiaries of our services, as we feel that they will bring a unique, and extremely valuable perspective regarding how we run the organisation. We are also looking to find volunteers who can help us with one-off tasks. For instance, someone with experience within the NHS regarding schemes (and possible funding) that align with our work; e.g. regarding type 2 diabetes. Locally, we are becoming an important add-on service to doctors’ surgeries and NHS clinics, and we would like to continue to maximise our impact.

As a charity we are embracing the opportunities that new technologies provide, working to reduce our operating costs without losing the personal touch. Examples of this include using AI to design proformas, which can be quickly adapted to different needs, and avoids us continually reinventing the wheel - particularly regarding admin. There are many valid concerns regarding AI but it can also bring significant benefits, and we need to ensure that we exploit this to its full.

The current economic climate presents significant challenges, not just for our beneficiaries but also when it comes to Project Food’s operating costs. AI is making the funding arena ever more competitive and an increase in applications means that even well-established charities like Project Food have never before seen such a reduction in available grants.

We are fortunate to have not just competent, dedicated staff but also volunteers without whom Project Food could simply not function. I wish to take this opportunity to thank each and everyone of them for their valued service.

It is extremely rewarding to work with people who are so dedicated to serving others. The work is truly fascinating and I feel myself to be as much a beneficiary of the charity as others, for it is so good to be involved and make a small difference to such a worthwhile cause.

Roger Trapani 09/12/2025 Chair of Trustees, Project Food

Page 2

PROJECT FOOD CIO

TRUSTEES' REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Who we are

Project Food works in small towns across East Devon and South Somerset, focusing on neighbourhoods that face the greatest local challenges. We believe that everyone deserves access to nutritious food, no matter their income or background.

Our mission is simple:

To help people eat better so they can feel better – both physically, mentally, and emotionally.

We prioritise working with those who are at risk of diet-related illness, concentrating on children, young people and their families who are on low incomes.

Why our work matters

Poor diets are linked to serious health problems – from obesity and diabetes to heart disease and poor mental health.

In Devon, the difference in healthy life expectancy between the most and least affluent areas is 13 years.

Children who are overweight or obese are more likely to:

• Be bullied

• Miss school

• Struggle with mental health

• Achieve lower grades

We believe that good food should be for everyone – not just those who can afford it.

What we do

We build communities around food

• We run group cooking classes to share skills and build confidence

• We help people develop healthier habits and increase resilience

• We create free, nutritious meals for those most in need

We provide tailored support

• We work 1:1 with individuals to boost confidence and motivation

• We design bespoke courses for people with specific health needs

• We offer recipe boxes with easy-to-follow instructions to encourage home cooking

Page 3

PROJECT FOOD CIO

TRUSTEES' REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Our impact in numbers (April 2024 – March 2025)

People supported

• 813 individuals, including 216 children

Sessions delivered (total: 122)

• Cooking with Confidence (Axminster & Seaton): 25

• Good Grub Club (Chard): 8

• 1:1 Support (Axminster & Ottery St Mary): 38

• Cooking with Kids/ Make and Munch (East Devon): 22

• Energy Efficient Cooking (Chard): 11

• Boss the Kitchen (Axe Valley Academy): 18

Volunteers

• 53 volunteers gave 756 hours of their time

Food Support

• 1,129 fruit & veg bags distributed

• 1,451 homemade ready meals provided

• 242 recipe boxes given to families on free school meals

Working together

We partnered with more than 60 organisations, many of whom actively refer people to us or work alongside us to deliver support.

Real results

Cooking with Kids

The course is designed to support families in developing the skills and confidence to cook nutritious meals, improve their diets, and build stronger relationships both within their households and with others in their community. It is particularly aimed at families on very low incomes, including those eligible for Free School Meals, and those facing additional challenges such as children with special educational needs, including autism, learning difficulties, or visual impairments. The course provides a welcoming and inclusive environment where families can learn together, make new friends, and gain practical tools to support healthier, more connected lives.

Each course helps around 6 families and runs for 6 weeks.

In Littleham, Exmouth the impact was as follows:

• 100% improved family eating habits

• 60% increased fruit & veg intake

• 80% reduced fast food/takeaway consumption

• 100% now cook more meals from scratch

• 100% improved knowledge of healthy foods

In Axminster , after 6 weeks, participants showed big improvements in:

• Cooking confidence

• Kitchen safety

• Using new ingredients

• Following recipes

• Cooking techniques

Page 4

PROJECT FOOD CIO

TRUSTEES' REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

What the parents said:

o “I never normally put any veg in the fajitas as I thought my daughter wouldn’t like it – but she does”

o “I didn’t know you could use really old bananas for cake, we always used to throw them away”

o “I’ve never tried a lentil before, it’s quite good”

o “Will definitely make this again”

What other people say

“Receiving your newsletters has encouraged me to understand more about healthy eating, how to prepare and cook food and how to avoid waste.” Linda, Seaton

“These boxes have been a godsend... I’m getting so much more confident with shopping for ingredients now.” Recipe Box recipient, Axminster

Case Study

Meet Charlie – a creative 24-year-old with FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) who was referred to Project Food by the mental health group Headlight.

Charlie wanted to learn to cook for his friends and build confidence in the kitchen.

What happened:

• Charlie joined six 1:1 cooking sessions with volunteer Sam

• He learned new skills, tried new foods, and began to make meals for himself at home

• The culmination of his sessions saw him host a pizza-making workshop for his peer group - his personal goal!

“Thank you, Project Food was really fun and I think it helped me a lot!” Charlie

“It was lovely to see how happy and confident he was today... We’ve seen a big increase in his confidence.” Lola, Headlight Support Worker

This is a brilliant example of how community partnerships – between Project Food, Headlight, and Action East Devon – can empower young people and help them thrive.

John’s story

John is in his 60s and lives in Axminster. Not long ago he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and shortly afterwards he lost his wife. She had always done the cooking, and suddenly John found himself not only grieving, but completely adrift. He didn’t know where to start when it came to food, let alone how to manage a health condition that felt overwhelming.

After many years of marriage, John was heartbroken - but also completely lost. He had never cooked a meal in his life. Suddenly, he was trying to manage the house and figure out how to look after himself too. It was a difficult and steep emotional learning curve. He wanted to take control of his health, to understand what diabetes really meant, and learn how food could help him feel better. But he needed support – that was gentle, practical, and non-judgemental.

That’s where Project Food came in. Through our welcoming, diabetes-friendly cooking sessions John began to build confidence. He learned which foods to choose, how to cook simple meals, and how to make small changes that all add up. He started eating more fruit and vegetables and, finally, he began to feel more in control.

“A huge thank you for caring.”

“I am leaving with a much better understanding”

Page 5

PROJECT FOOD CIO

TRUSTEES' REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Financial Review :

During the year, the charity received total income of £163,888 and had total costs of £150,416 giving a surplus of £13,472. The charity had budgeted to break even and has outperformed the budget. This leaves the charity in a relatively strong financial position and will enable additional project work to be undertaken over the course of the next financial year.

Reserves policy:

The trustees are satisfied that the level of cash funds as shown on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities are adequate to cover known and anticipated costs in the short term. Trustees review the needs of the charity on a regular basis and aim to maintain at least six months of operating costs within the charity's reserves. However, this is not always possible as the charity is dependent upon donation and grant income. As a minimum, cash funds of £12,000 will be kept to cover mandatory redundancy payments for staff and funds required to cover long term agreements. On 31 March 2025, the Trust is holding £52,896 of unrestricted cash funds, which is adequate to meet this policy.

The report was approved by the trustees on and signed on its behalf by: 09/12/2025

R Trapani

Page 6

PROJECT FOOD CIO

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF PROJECT FOOD CIO.

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the period ended 31 March 2025 which are set out on pages 7 and 8.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND BASIS OF REPORT

As the charity's trustees, 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 of the charity's accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S STATEMENT

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.

Signed: Dated: 10/12/25 P Laura Waycott FCA Griffin Chartered Accountants Courtenay House Pynes Hill Exeter EX2 5AZ

Page 7

PROJECT FOOD CIO

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Receipts Donations Grants Shop Income Fundraising events Interest received TOTAL RECEIPTS Payments Purchases - shop stock Staff costs Establishment costs Project room hire Learning materials Food Office and cooking equipment costs Training, recruitment and travel Project publicity and fundraising Insurance Independent examination fees Farm activities Consultancy TOTAL PAYMENTS SURPLUS/(DEFICIT) FOR THE YEAR	Unrestricted funds 2025 £ 8,103 4,666 274 9,379 224 22,646 - 21,021 - - 170 23 - 83 3,740 - 1,260 - - 26,297 3,651 -	Restricted funds 2025 £ - 141,242 - - - 141,242 - 84,858 4,091 1,344 5,753 15,031 3,029 3,842 146 1,201 - 824 4,000 124,119 17,123	Total funds 2025 £ 8,103 145,908 274 9,379 224 163,888 - 105,879 4,091 1,344 5,923 15,054 3,029 3,925 3,886 1,201 1,260 824 4,000 150,416 13,472	Total funds 2024 £ 8,666 116,558 815 7,740 213 133,992 222 82,421 1,342 920 5,735 12,093 1,671 5,168 1,758 1,315 1,200 - 2,500 116,345 17,647

Page 8

PROJECT FOOD CIO

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Cash funds Bank accounts Petty cash	Unrestricted funds 2025 £ Restricted funds 2025 £ Total funds 2025 £ Total funds 2024 £ 52,694 52,847 105,541 92,257 202 202 14
TOTAL ASSETS	52,896 52,847 105,743 92,271

The accounts were approved by the Trustees on and signed on their 09/12/2025 behalf by:

R Trapani

Page 9

REFERENCE NUMBER 6ABCA2BA-979B-4964-8653-3D21E7B3FDF2

SIGNATURE CERTIFICATE

TRANSACTION DETAILS DOCUMENT DETAILS Reference Number Document Name 6ABCA2BA-979B-4964-8653-3D21E7B3FDF2 Project Food CIO - Full accounts Transaction Type Filename Signature Request Project_Food_CIO_-_Full_accounts.pdf Sent At Pages 11/28/2025 05:18:39 AM EST 11 pages Executed At Content Type 12/09/2025 02:05:35 PM EST application/pdf Identity Method File Size email 421 KB Distribution Method Original Checksum email Signed Checksum

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Signer Sequencing Disabled Document Passcode Disabled

SIGNERS

SIGNER E-SIGNATURE EVENTS Name Status Viewed At Roger Trapani signed 12/09/2025 12:58:33 PM EST Email Multi-factor Digital Fingerprint Checksum Identity Authenticated At [e-mail] 4f53cda18c2baa0c0354bb5f9a3ecbe5ed12ab4d8e11ba873c2f11161202b945 12/09/2025 02:05:35 PM EST Components IP Address Signed At 6 12/09/2025 02:05:35 PM EST 86.165.165.18 Device Firefox via Windows

Typed Signature

Signature Reference ID 2268E750

Typed Signature

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Typed Signature

Signature Reference ID 30C7E860

AUDITS

TIMESTAMP

11/28/2025 05:18:39 AM EST

11/28/2025 05:18:39 AM EST 12/09/2025 08:47:54 AM EST 12/09/2025 12:58:33 PM EST 12/09/2025 02:05:35 PM EST 12/09/2025 02:05:35 PM EST

AUDIT

Team Griffin ([e-mail]) created document 'Project_Food_CIO_-_Full_accounts.pdf' on Chrome via Windows from 185.253.179.97.

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