Docvsign Envelope ID.. EE54B11A-F1A2422GA47&E24924F58871 Registered Charity No. 1174A30 SAMARITANS OF DERBY AND DISTRIC FINANCIAL STATEME - Year ended- 31 MARCH 2025
Docusign Ertvolo ID.. EEs48l1FlA2422c-A4724924Fs887l Samaritans of Derby and Dlstrict Annual report for the year ended 31 March 2025 Contents adeTBhip Team Memlms and Pmfe45ional Advisor¥........ . Trustees Report (or theyearended 31 Marth 2025..................-. ...................-............................ Strnrture, GOrDanCe & Management... . . . Objeclives of Slmarilins of Derby Distrlct... . BTaneh Director's Repon..................-................................................................................... ............................ Treasurer's Report,.......... ................................. ......... ......... Actlmties, achievements & wformanee in the ye•r....................................................................................... Slltement of financial actlvllies lor Ihe yr ended 31 MCh 2025..... . 18 Sialemenl Of$ &liabilitieJ as al 31 March 2025......... 19 Notcs lo the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 .. Independent Examiner's Rert to the Branch Le*lership Te4m Members of Samiritans of Derby and
Docuswjn Envelopg ID EE54B1 IA-F1A2422C.A475.E24924F58871 Samaritans of Derby and District l£adership Team Members and Profession Advisors IWERSHIP TL4M MEMBERSITRUSTEES Matt Byrne Cate Hollinshead (Resigned April 2025) Manjit Mann Philip Jones (Resigned May 2025) Julie Stone Jenny Swatton (Resigned Sept 2024) Stephanie Taylor (Appointed Sept 2024) Louise Wisernan (Appointed Sept 2024) Trea5ureT Branch Director Deputy Director / Listening Volunteer Deputy Director l Listening Volunteer External Volunteer Deputy Director / Listening Volunteer / Secretary Branch Director oi.04.20251 Listening Volunteer Llstenin8 Volunteer 1174130 REGLRED ADDRFSS iio Burton Road DERBY DEI ITG Acco8 PKF Smith Cooper Chartered Accountants DERBY BANKEILS National Westminster Bank plc 7 Market Place DERBY
Docusign Envelope ID. EE54811A.F1A2422CA475-E24924F58B71 Samaritans of Derby and District Trustees Report for the year ended 31 March 2025 Structure, Governance & Management The Derby and District Branch was fornied in 1961 and operates as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) registered under the Charities Act. and as an independent Branch of Samaritans, using an agreed model conslitution. The Branch became an Affiliated Branch in October 2017 and is known as Samaritans of Derby and District. Responsibility for the management of the Branch and its financial affairs rests with the Branch Leadership Team/Board of Trustees, comprising a number of volunteers who act as Trustees for the Branch and are elecled or co-opted for up to six years. The l£adership Team, after extensive consultation with all the Branch volunteers, nominates one of them for appointtnent as Branch Director. The Branch Director, together with hislher deputies, is then responsible for managing the service provided to callers and outreach activities. Trustees have the opportunity, and are encouraged, to attend training and make use of online training and materials so they understand their role and re4>onsibilities. Risk management is an important element of the trustees, role. Monitoring and reviewing the management of risks is undertaken on a regular basis. Objectives of Samaritans of Derby and District The Samaritans Vision is that fewer people die by suicide. Samaritans provide emotional support 24 hours a day by telephone, face to faee, email, on- line ehat and letter; at feslivals and ouiside our centres in prisons, in hospitals, schools and workplaces and with the homeless through a network of 201 branches in the UK and Republic of Ireland. In most situations and for most people a confidential service is provided. However, there are important exceptions where, in order to safeguard callers, we may talk to someone else on a caller's behalf e.g. by calling an ambulance or when we need to consider safeguarding for children or vulnerable adults. .samarlta our- afe in Publie benefit In planning our activities for the year, we kepi in mind the Charity Commission guidanee on public benefit at our ttee meetin The Objects of the Charity are.. To enable persons in Derby and District and the surrounding areas as well as elsewhere who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those who may be at Tisk of suicide, to receive confidential emotional support at any time of the day or night in order to improve their emotional health and to reduce the incidence of suicide. To PTomote a better understanding in society of suicide, suicidal behaviour and the value of expressing feelings which may otherwise lead to suicide or itnpaired emotional health.
Oocuslgn Envelope ID.. EES4B11FlA2422A47E24g24F58871 Samaritans of Derby and District To collaborate with and support Samaritans Central Charity and its affiliated branches in fulfilling these Objects. Further information on Samaritans Central Charity Can be found on
D$1 Envelope ID., EE54B11A-F1A2422CA475.E24924F58B71 Samaritans of Derby and District Branch DRrector's Report This is Cate's last report as Director of Samaritan5 of Derby and Distriet. She reports that the three years went by incredibly quickly and enjoyably. It i8 always a great honour to be selected by the Branch to lead them for that time. To be asked to do that tivice is just extraordinary and was an opportunity Cate great]y valued. She had a great deal of support over the three years from everyone in the Branch, especially the vice-directors, deputy directors, leads within the Branch and fellow volunteers. She also thanks the support volunteers and especially Kim Mason who is also standin8 down from the Branch. Kifft has given so much of her expertise in terms of Ix)okkeeping. 202412025 has been yet another very busy year for the Branch with a number of major projects undertaken. Two of which were required by our central charity and the other two were locally driven. Externally Drlven Projects A]1 Samaritan Branches are connected through a cenlral call management 8yStem. This enables us to operate a one number service (116 123) and a centralised email and webchat servi. The provider for this service informed our central charity that they would be pulling out of this provision and we therefore had to source a new platform. Samaritans is a complex organisation working over 5 countries with 200 plus branches. Credit has to be given to the central charity for grasping the nettle. They not only made it work but they delivered the project on time, managed to maintain our serviee throughout the transition and made much needed improvements along the way. Listening Volunteers David Stott and David Brown led the project in Branch and, with their leadership we managed a very smooth transition to the new listening eentre. Most importantly, with this transition the service to our callers is improved. From a volunteer's point of view, the new systeTn is more robust. Thank you, Dennis and David, for your diligence and resilience in seeing this project through to the end. The central charity also decided to improve the safety and quality of our services by including an enhaneed level of criminal record checks for all volunteers and support staff. Given that this encompassed some 23,000 volunteers and staff and that it needed to be completed within the year, this posed considerable logistical challenges! Listening volunteer Sue Ricketts, with the assistance of Philip Jones guided and supported us all through this in Branch and completed the project within the allocated 3 month time frame. Sue went over and above expectations and many volunteers were truly grateful for her care. Thank you, Sue, for all that you did and Philip for giving support, Internally Driven Projects At a more loca] level, we made the decision to upgrade our volunteer rota and admintstration system. We were one of the few branches that were not utilising a system called "3Rings" and this was starting to cause u5 logistical problems. Our old system. though it had served us well, was kl80 getting to be a bit'creaky" Under the leadership of Jenny Swatton and Julie Dick, this project was very well implemented and embedded. The volunteers were kept informed throughout and supw)rted the change. There was an unexpected increase in excitement when we realised that the timetables for our local project (3 Rings) and the transfer to the national listening centre were due to take place within a matter of weeb of each other. However, as always, the volunteers seemed to take it in their stride! Thank you to all of them and those supporting them. It was a great achievement. Changes had been expected in the number of Branches that would continue to deliver an email service to callers. Derby Branch had previously been asked to continue delivering this service. A8 part of this work a Seryice Level Agreement was developed by the eentral charity and Derby Branch was able to meet the increased requirements. We have now opened weekly email only shifts which are proving popular. Additionally, as part of our local quality
DoDJsign Envelo ID." EE54811A-F1A2422C.A47&E24924F58B71 Samaritans of Derby and District assurance system, we have completed a workshop which almost all volunteers attended to remind ourselves of what is needed when replying to emails and how we can best support each other to deliver a consistently safe, effective and positive reply. There have been other achievements and challenges which will be covered within the report. In ternL8 of the Branch as a whole, we have managed to redecorate the whole building and that in itself has rea]ly brightened things up! Many thanks to John Martin for arranging the decorators and Tim A]my for finishing off the work in the Operations Room so that we did not have to elose. Thanks also go to Luke Mclnerney and his father for upgrading the lights in the Operations Room at their expense. That was very kind of them and much appreciated. We have also, hopefully been able to enable the front door to the Branch to open and close without difficulty! it has been an ongoing problem and the rains of the winter made it a real challenge! At the ACM in September Jenny Swatton stepped down as Branch Secretary, a post that has still to be filled, and thanks to her for keeping us on the right side of thing5 over the past three years. We were joined by 2 new branch volunteer Trustees, Stephanie Taylor and Louise Wiseman who will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team. So much so that Stephanie will pick up the custodianship of the Branch from April 2025. More of this later! At our annual Council of Samaritans wheTr all Branch Directors collectively meet with the Senior managers and decision makers within the central charity, we focussed on our strategic agenda, recognising the achievemenls that had been made, as well as the challenges ourselves and many other Charities are faeing. The desire, as always, is to ensure that we remain relevant, effective and sustainable. Changes will face us over the next few years and that will mean changes at all levels. So, whilst we will remain a strong, welcoming Branch locally, we will increasingly need to work more closely with colleagues across the East Midlands Region and within the national frameworks to ensure eontinuation of One Samaritans. Changes are not alway5 welcome, but that is how we all grow and develop, and some can be very exciting and enriching. This year has seen the volunteers at Derby cope with significant change and we are Teally proud of them. Samaritans is an extraordinary organisation, that is filled with extraordinary people. Very best wishes were sent to Stephanie for every success in taking on the role of Director for the next three years. The Branch, l am sure, will help and Support her along the way. They are very good at that!
DoDJ5i9n Envelope ID: EE54B11FlA2422Cd475Q24924F58b71 Samaritans of Derby and District Trustees Report for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued) Treasurer's Report 2024125 h&$ again been a positive year financially, although with some new cost pressures. We received strong support from donors, including one-off donations, community fundraising> and a number of suecessftsl grant applications. This is now our third year preparing accounts on the accruals basis. During the year, our total income was £33,115. with £19,801 coming from donations. Operating expenditure for the year was £27,825, which included £9,276 in central office costs (an increase reflecting the new national ndIng model). We also continued to invest in long- overdue building repairs, essential given the age and listed status of our premises. Overall, the branch made a surplus of £5,290, compared with £13,198 last year. At year end, our total funds stood at £210)519, of which £83,843 was held as eash, with the balance represented by our freehold property. Of the cash balance, £60,000 is invested with Mansfield Building Society and earniarked as Teserves, with the remainder available as working capital. This reserves total represents approximately two years of typical operating expenditure and reflects the ongoing Maintenan needs of our listed property and the need to ensure financial stability. The property we occupy was historically gifted to the braneh and, being a late 18th century listed building, it requires a higher reserve level to ensure that essenlial remedial work can be funded when needed. Looking forward, we anticipate that increased demand for our Services and the uncertain economie climate will place additional strain on our finances. Careful monitoring of income 8nd expenditure, and eontinuing efforts in fundraising and grant applications, will remain esseniial to maintaining a sustainable financial position for the branch. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our donors, supporters, and fundraisers for their generosity, and ourvolunteers who give so much of their time and enersy. Without their commitment, our branch could not Continue to provide this vital service to our community. Our income this year was strengthened by a substantial contribution from Chevin Golf Club during their Captains. year, and a grant from the Derbyshire Freemasons via Foundation Derbyshire. Alongside many individual donations, these made a significant difference to our overall total of £19,801 in donations, for which we are exlremely grateful. Key figures compared with last year: Cate Income enditure lus 202 ,ii 82 202 1,806 Sur This comparison shows that while income grew slightly year on year, expenditure rose more sharply¥ due to higher central office charges, energy and cleaning costs, property repairs/maintenance and IT upgrades to systems and training equipment. This reduced our surplus from £13,198 in 2023124 to £5,290 in 2024125. The branch remains in a healthy financial position overall, but ture fundraising efforts will be important to offset these increased costs.
Dorusw3n Envelope10.. EE54811A-F1A2422GA475.E24924FS8B71 Samaritans of Derby and District Trustees Report for the year ended 31 March 2025 (Continued) Activities, achievements & performance Rn the year I Supporting our Callers 'Thank you for listening to me when I was at rock bottom. You saved my Ilfe that night. Because of Samarltans I still have my family and something to live for." Words spoken by a caller who véslted our stand at an event. Providing emotional support for people who need us is our primary objective. It is a privilege to listen to our many callers as they share their story and we explore with them their options. Our approach is non-judgemental. We do not give advice and we're unafraid to explore feelings, however difficult, as the caller look8 to find a way to cope with their Sltuation. During 2024/25 we provided 17,826 contacts supporting: 13,877 callers through the phone service. 3,391 callers by the email service. 557 callers through the Webchat facility. Additionallyi we supported one person deliverin8 support face-to-face during our Outreach activities This amounted to 6,193 hours of contact time during the year. There is a slight reduction in total contacts made in the previous year (18,246) but an increase in our total contaet time compared to 2023/24 (5,673). The fall in total contacts may be due to a reduction in volunteer time within the Branch and subsequent increased closures but the 9.2% rise in contact hours is likely to reflect more complex contacts, needing greater time to support the callers. We will be monitoring this during 2025126. Samaritans central charity has compiled inforn]alion which shows that responsiveness to callers varies according to time of day. Callers wait longest for their calls to be answered at night, duTill8 the 'ThYilight' hour8 (iopm to 2am) and specially'overnight. (2am to 6am). Derby Branch responded to this by focussins on how we can improve our availability in these 'hours of need., working with volunteers to look at availability at these times and by trialling new rota patterns. This helped us to respond better in these hours. During 2024125 phone hours data was collected and showed that 62% of phone hours were worked during the day 32% were worked during twilight and 6% were worked during llight hours. We are pleased that we contribute 38% of our hours to the time of greatest need for our callers (Ioptn - 6am), but our aim in 2025126 is to look at how we can incTease our night hours (2am-6am) to at least io% of total hours worked as a Branch Emall Support Provision Derby Branch has continued to provide email support throughout the year. Within the East Midlands, we are consistently delivering one of the highest number of email responses to callers. Emails are expected to remain a core part of the branch offering. It is hoped that as part of the new central caller system, an updated email system will be possible. As part of the new Serdice t£vel Agreement with the central charity, from January to March 2025, we have undertaken face to face refresher email training with all branch volunteers to re- emphasis the quality standards required to ensure a safe, effective and positive service to callers. The training was well received by volunteers.
Doc19 Envolwe ID: EE54B11hF1A2422&A475.E24924F58B71 Samaritans of Derby and District Webchat Support Provision During the year we continued with our Webchat provision and have 21 listening volunteers trained to deliver it. This service is predominately used by younger eallers, many of whom often express suicidal thoughts and feelings. This has resulted in us needing to be even more aware of how we recognise, respond and report safeguarding concerns. Volunteers who want to be involved in this service provision, need to undertake additional training before they can contribute. A new updated training module has been introduced this year which all volunteers currently delivering the Webchat service had to complete. Out of 201 branches across the UK we are one of 79 delivering Webchat. Caller Support and Safeguarding Hub The ThtraI Caller Support and Safeguarding Hub continues to develop. Each Branch has now appointed a Branch Hub Liaison role to be the Conduit between the Hub and volunteers locally. This helps to ensure appropriate and timely communications so that concerns about individual callers and their needs for additional support can be shared and acted upon. Stephanie Taylor has diligently guided us all through supEM)rting our callers and responding to safeguarding more effectively. Prison Support Prov181on Prisoners are one of the highest groups at risk of suieide. Derby Branch is proud to support two local prisons, HMPPS Foston Hall and HMPPS Sudbury. HMPPS Foston Hall is a dosed female estate of over three hundred women. Samaritans Listeners in Foston Hall are trained by members of the Derby Branch Prison team. During the year the Samaritans Listener Team delivered support to 59 fellow prisoners. Not all prisoners feel comfortable lo use the listening scheme for various reasons. Each prisoner now has the Samaritans number encoded into their phone. As a result, it ts easier and more effective for them to contact Samaritans when they need us. 2024125 continued to be a challenging year for Foston Hall. The women's prison population is now less stable in term5 of length of prison sentences and high mental health needs. The impact has been to reduce the number who feel able to take up the challenge of becoming a Samaritans Listener and who are thin the system for a suitable period. Increased efforts by both the internal Prison Team and Derby saTIritanS Prison Team have enabled a training programme to run in early 2025 and resulted in a team of 4 Listeners now bein8 in place. The scheme continues to be frasile in nature. this is being experienced across the Women's estate. During the year some volunteera on our Prison Team needed to renew their vetting clearances as part of standard practice and all the team had renewed key training. Key training is refreshed annually and is essential to allow our volunteer8 easy access to the prison at all times. Three dedicated IAstener rooms have been identified within the Prison so that listeners can talk to distressed women in private. However this facility has yet to be made operational. It 15 hoped this will be soon. Thyo members of the Derby Prison Team visit the prison week]y} by rotatr providing support to the trained Listeners. In addition, representatives of the Derby Prison team attend monthly meetings with the prison Safer Custody team which helps to further the important working relationship between the prison and Derby Samaritans. Huge thanks go to the Branch Prison Team and the Branch Prison Support Officer for the considerable time, effort and resilience they have all put into getting the scheme at Foston
Envèlop8 ID: EE548 11A-F1A2422CA475-E24924F58871 Samaritans of Derby and District Hall to this stage. Lots of on-going support will continue to be needed for the foreseeable future. HMPPS Sudbury is a male open prison housing just over six hundred men. Listeners typically arrive here fully trained and experienced from other prisons. MeTnbers of the Derby Branch prison team provide continuing development for this group of Listeners. The HMPPS Sudbury Listeners Scheme has had different challenges, refleeting the Tnore mobile population in an open prison especially when many of the inmates are undertaking employment external to the prison. Access to Listeners is provided in a much less formal way and the Li8teners thetnselves can often find it difficult to attend regular support meetings with the Derby Samaritans Prison Team. The Branch Prison Team now has Zoom meetings two out of three months and every third months there is a face to face meeting. Although enthusiasm generally remain5 high, there are also frustrations in moving things forward. The prison staff in Sudbury are very supportive. The Prison Team itself has had a number of changes over the year. Branch Listening Volunteers are encouraged to join the team. The team has been unfailing in its enthusiasm for supporting both prisons despite the challenges. Our Branch PrisDn Support Officer, Sue Yelland, relinquished her post in March 2025. Sue has worked incredibly hard and been equal]y resilient during her time as prison team lead. Thank you Sue for all you have done. 2 Recruitment and Selection of New Listening Volunteers Our Listening Volunteers are the backbone of our Sete delivery. Recruiting and seleeting our new volunteers is an important activity delivered by our Branch volunteers with much dedication and diligence. Recruitment and seleetion have a number of stages. Informatlon Events We continue to have a healthy waiting list of potential volunteers. The first step is to invite prospective volunteers to an Information Event where they have the opportunity to hear from members of the branch leadership team as well as recent recruits. This is an open, Informal, two-way eommunieation about the commitment required, both in terms of training and as a full Samaritan as well as the rewards of being a listening volunteer. This enables potential volunteers to self-select at an early stage whether they continue to selection. Thls give5 us a more manageable level of applicants going forward for the available training places. Seleetlon We offer interviews in Branch and via Zoom which allows for those without quiet space at home, or without internet connectivity, the option to attend an interview, and also auows flexibility for our interviewers. Our recruitment and selection team accepted 15 new recruits to be part of the May 2024 training cohort. We were able to offer io training plaees for the January 2025 cohort. In preparation for the May 2025 trainins programme, 23 interview slots were offered and 16 interviews undertaken.
Docusign Envelope ID.. EE54811A.F1A2422CA475.E24924F58871 Samaritans of Derby and District During the year we recruited a new lead and administrator for Recruitment and Selection, Sue Ricketts and Gail Edmonds respectively. Both have worked hard to put in place sound systems and processes to enable more effective recruith)ent and selection as well as ensure that the volunteers managelnent system is working effectively. Thank you Sue and Gail for your hard work. Towards the end of 2024 we Tecruited additional interviewers from our listening volunteer team. The whole team undertook recruitment Iraining early January 2025. This was a refresher for the current team as well as new infomiation for the new recruits. In mid-2024 the Branch I£adership Team agreed io halt the September 2024 training programme while we reeruited a new recruitment lead. This gave the training and mentoring team a much needed break but was only a temporary measure. Training recommenced in January 2025. 3 Training and Mentoring our New Listening Volunteers Samaritans training is respected nationally, and Derby Samaritans takes its responsibility to deliver sound training very seriously, It takes at least 6 months from the start of training until a trainee is appointed as a full Samaritan Listening Volunteer. The training is rigorous, demanding and requires considerable dedication from those in the training eohort. Consequentlyy there is a considerable attrition rate prior to the programme starting> during training and in the early period of being in the Operations Room. During 2025/26 we will look to understand more fully the rate of attrition and the key attrition points. During 2024 we were delighted to have the support of Derbyshire Freemasons from their grant fund administered by Foundation Derbyshire. We asked for, and received, support to buy a new training computer and support towards other training and support costs. We offer our sinre thanks to our generous funder, Derbyshire Freemasons. and Foundation Derbyshire for their support. The grant of £2,500 has made a huge difference; our trainers are delighted, and their life is made so much easier as a result. Why did we need it? Here is the answer from one of our trainers. "I'm now involved in training new Samaritans and, as good as our matsrials are, we're often let down by technicalfailures due to the age of the computer that we usefor the clOrOOM training. This can interrupt theflow of the session and the overall learning expen"encefor new Samaritons. It would be wonderfvl to be able to remedy thisl io
Do¢usign Enveknpg ID.. EE54811A-F1A2422CA475&4924F58871 Samaritans of Derby and District Core Development - Stage i of Listening Volunteer Training This program delivers one online and 6 in-person sessions to our new recruits. In between sessions trainees must complete digital modules each week in preparation for the next session. This is where they learn Samaritans Values principles and policies and start on their listening journey. At each face-to-face session trainees take part in role play skills practice. Around a third of our Branch volunteers have participated in skills practices, which is fantastic. There Can now be as many role plays running simultaneously as we have role players and obselvers available, with role players"workin8" from home. This MlmiserS the amount of skills practice time we ean give our trainees. Preparing the next generation of volunteers is resource intensive and we are very grateful to all those who generously give even more of their time. All our training is delivered by our listening volunteeT5. Thanks go to Nikl(i Woolard. Melanie Rees and David Stott for their time, patience, skill and resilience in delivering Core Training and all those involved in skills practice. 7 Potential volunteers completed Core training and went into the ops room from the May 24 Core Training cohort? The ten people offered a training place on the January 2025 trainin8 cohort resulted in 7 new Samaritans entering the Operations Room in May 2025. Mentorlng- Stage 2 of IAstenlng Volunteer Tralnlng Mentoring is an essentkal part of a newvolunteer's development. On leaving core trainin8 each volunteer is assigned a mentor who supports them on their journey to answer calls and emails from our callers. We have a fantastic team of 14 Mentors who delivered wonderful support to our New Samaritans in 2024/5, ably led by Philip Jones. Their dedication is beyond doubi, and most mentees and mentors forge a lasting bond. At times Mentors can overlap eohorts so they have a very busy workload. It is vital that we recruit and train sufficient mentors with the necessary skills and experience. Our plan is to eTU7t new Mentors next year to ensure we are well plaeed to deliver this vital part of our New Samaritans development. Thank you, Philip, for all you have contributed towards the mentoring in Branch and making it such a positive experience for our trainees. Embedded Development - Training running alon8slde the mentorlns program This Course consists of five monthly sessions during the new volunteer's first six months of Operations Room duties. The course is built around "Learning & Coaching" sessions where the new Samaritans present the challenges they have faced for their peers to explore and together come up with new ideas to try in the next, similar calls. This year a new volunteer has been brought in to lead and deliver the embedding sessions. Thank you to Angela Marsden for being involved in this and taking responsibility for il moving forward. Over 202412025, 11 New Samaritans have completed this stage of their development and have become full Listening Volunteers and members of our branch. 4 Continuous Development of our Listening Volunteers Ongoing Training Ongoing training is one eleJnent of continuous devdopment for our Listening Volunteers and 13 an important element in ensuring high quality of service delivery, For the period 2024/2025 our voluntttrs continued to build and develop their skills by completing several varied development programs which both refreshed their learning and updated them with li
Docuslgn Envelope ID: EE54B11A-F1A2422CA475-E24924F58871 Samaritans of Derby and Distrirt new skills. These programs included online digital modules and a number of face-to-face training events which were completed in our training suite wiihin the branch. These development programs included: Face to face Outreach Training for our Outreach team. In addition to this the Outreach Volunteers also completed the online digital module in this topie. We were able to also include volunteers from a neighboring branch on this training. Our Prison Team attended and completed face to face recruitment training to update and refresh their interviewing and selection skills. This program was then also completed by all our Recruitment and Selection team who together recruit new volunteers to the branch. A]1 our volunteers who fulfil 'online ehat, shifts, have completed their digital training in this topic as part of the mandatory regulations. By the end of March 2025, all volunteer3 will have attended the'written Word Training Workshop, which was developed and delivered internally and designed to ensure we continue to provide a high quality and consistent Servi in Emails and Online Chat. Beeen January and June 2025, all listening volunleers, SUPPOTt volunteers and Trustees will be expected to undertake the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion training as a mandatory requiremenl. As at 31st March 2025 the majorityof the Branch had completed the online training. Our training records and plans are up to date and ensure that our volunteers remain in line with standards designed to ensure we continue to provide a safe, effective and positlve experience for our callers. On Going Mentoring Delivering a high quality and consistent service is important. Our Ongoing Mentoring Program (OGM) continues to ensure that each of our Listening Volunteers receives an annual "listening in" development shift to ensure their skills and practice remains at a high level and we continue to deliver a safe, effective and positive experience (or our callers. PhilipJones led the management and delivery of ongoing training and OGM during 2024125. Special thanks go to him for his considerable hard work in ensurin8 the Branch continues to deliver a high quality senrice to our callers. 5 Volunteer Support Our Listening Volunteers sllpport callers who are often at their lowest ebb and may hear things that can be distressing. Derby Branch takes considerable care to ensure our Listening Volunteers do not take their listening experiences away with ihem and can shed their burden at the end of a duty. Our duty shift leaders have an important role in being the first line of support for our Listening Volunteers to off load at the end of a shift, i£aders can also be contacted at any time during a shift to offer advice and support. We currently have a team of 16 Leaders. Thank you to them. This is a crucial role in the branch. No duty goes ahead without a iader. 12
Docuswjn Envolopo ID.. EES4811A-F1A2422GA47524g24F5887l Samaritans of Derby and District The Volunteer SupN)rt Team is a critical part of ensuring that volunteers, at all stages of their volunteer journey, are cared for. Volunteers should expect to have support available to them throughout their time with us, and they are encouraged to make use of this whenever they need it. Within the team itself, there a 5 volunteers one of whom also conducts exit interviews when volunteers leave. 2 members of the team are also Duty aderS which means they can proactively check volunteers, wellbeing and encourage them to speak to the Volunteer Support Team if appropriate. The Volunteer Support Team has received much positive feedback from volunteers on leave and those returning from leave and this support has made it easier to return following a period of absence. Unfortunately, for some volunteers the Tight decision is to resign from the Branch. It is always sad to see a volunteer leave us, however changing personal circumstances often drive their need to withdraw. We hope that if their circumstances change volunteers will feel they will be welcomed back into the Branch in either a Listening or support role. Exit intenriews are undertaken and shared with the Branch Director to ensure our serviee can be improved. To date, no common themes have been identified and the majority had left due to a change in personal Circumstances. During Core Training and in the early stage of undertaking their operational dutiesi people will be contacted occasionally by a member of ihe team. This hopefully provides a continuity of care, alongside their mentors, in what can be a challenging transition to becoming a 11 Samaritan. Equally importsnt are any volunteers transferring in from other branches who need support to settle into the Branch. They will always be offered a mentor/buddy approach for their first few shifts. The Volunteer Support Team formally meets quarterly with updates shared in between meetings. This team has done a greaijob in supporting the Branch and each other over periods of difficult time8 and is fvndamental to underpinning the culture of care throughout the Branch. Thank you Manjil Mann who leads the Volunteer Support Team so ably. 6 Volunteer Retentlon Statistieal analysis has identified that we need to appoint at least 20 new Listening Volunteers annually to retain our current volunteer level. This turnover is in line with the national average. This causes considerable pressure on our reeruitnient and training teams, but it is a reality with which we must contend. The work of a listening volunteer is demanding and needs to fit around other aspects of a volunteer's life. As reported already, over timej personal priorities change. Most of our volunteers leave because they cannol meet our volunteer requirements. We also recognise the sometimes distressing and challenging nature of the conversations in which our volunteers take part. Burnout is something of which we are aware, and we know for some volunteers there is a toll. As a Branch we take time to ensure duty leaders are on hand to give immediate support and can help escalate to more help, as needed. Our Volunteer Support Team have an important role in supporting volunteer retention. In March 2025 we had 72 active listening volunteers. This is lower than in previous years and the loss of a training cohort in September will have had an impact on this. During 2025126 we intend to understand more fully about retention and look at ways we can reduce turnover.
Docusign Envelope ID.. EE54B11A*1A2422&A475.E24924F58871 Samaritans of Derby and District 7 Llstening Centre Implementatlon Volunteers are now used to the absence of physical phones at workstations, but 2024 was a time of challenge for all Samaritan Branches to meet the end of year deadline to move away from the previous, familiar plarform and the old copper wire phone network. Webehat was the first service to be moved onto the new Listening Centre platform. This provided an example of what the new service would look like and a level of familiarity with the new screens, in advance of the bigger move on the telephony side. With a lot of support from East Midlands Region Champions, and many thanks to David Bro for his IT skills, the connection was made to the Fibre-optic network. This enabled all Samaritan Branches to then be connected to one broadband supplier, enabling us to access a eentral IT support system and 4/5 G backup if there is an issue. Finally, we Changed our administration handsets to Internet (VOIP) ones. All this meant that the first shift using the new system on the 19th of November went smoothly. There have been minimal issueq logged since then, and all volunteers are thanked for their feedback and engagement in implementins the new system. Sound problems still occur and always will if they are from the caller's end, but most volunteers have said there has been an improvement in their listening experience. The needs of volunteers with hearin8 impairment have also been improved (1'eleeoil facilities) as well as developing support for those with visual impairment. A key additiona] benefit of the new technology is that we cannot dial out to a phone number from which the service has been withdrawn. E-mall support responses will be next to be transferred into the Listening Centre. 8 Implementation of New Rota and Volunteer Management System In the autumn of 2024, the Branch mi8rated all volunteers to a new electronic volunteer management and shift rota system. The new system "3 Rings" is used by most Samaritans Branches and offers the Branch some additional functionality to improve branch communications, document storage and data capture. The move to the new system gone smoothly, and we are grateful to the volunteers who have willingly undertaken training and ensured successful implementation of the new technology. 9 Outreach The Branch did not have a dedicated lead for Outreach and this inevitably curtailed some of the activities of which we would have wanted to be part. We were able to provide a Presence at both Belper and Derby Pride. This allowed us to predominately raise awareness as well as raise minimal funds. Our partnership with Network Rail remains in place and we have been able to attend awareness raising sessions at Derby Station for Brew Monday and Small Talk Saves Lives events. Both of these events had great support from Network Rail staff as well as our Regional Partnership officer. The lead for Small Talk Saves Lives January 2025 reported the following outcomes of our presence on Derby Station: 574 Small Talk Saves Lives contact cards distributed. 210 Support Literature distributed.
Oocuslgn Envelope ID.. EE54811A41A2422C.A475.E24924F58871 Samaritans of Derby and District £136.55 in donations i caller received emotional support from one of our trained Outreach Team. We were able to Support induction events at Derby College within their 3 main sites, (Roundhouse, Joseph Wright and Broomfield). We also provided a talk on Samaritans to the staff of SV2 - a Sexual Violence support Charity. We were also able to meet up with our loeal Central Coop representative and talk with them about potential opportunities to build on the new national three-year partnership that has been agreed with themselves and Samaritans. We attended their half year presentation at Rolls Royce and met with local groups and local Trustees. io Decoration and Repair of Branch Premlses During the year the Branch interior has been painted. The Branch looks so much betler for all OUT amazing volunteers &$ a result. Thank you to Tim A]my and John Martin for their help with making this possible. In addition, the front door has been rehung and squared off. During 2025126 the windows in the training room will be replaced. The toilet facilities on the ground floor have also been refurblshed. 11 Fundrai81ng The Braneh needs to raise all funds required to keep the Branch rnnning. This remains a challenge partieu]arly without a fundraising lead. We need to maintain an old building so the maintenanee costs are considerable. We continue to rely on loea) support. Thank you to all those who have organised events or suggested that our Braneh is worthy of support. During the year we were the recipient of £10,369.07 from Chevin Golf Club. Durlng 2023- 2024 club captains Debbie Dawson and David Vincent chose Derby Samaritans as their charity to benefit from their Captains, year. Thank you to Debbie and David and ajl at Chevin Golf C]ub for your generous support. In November 2024 the Branch organised another Christmas Concert given by Derby Community Male Voice Choir. Chevin Golf Club kindly hosted the eveni free of charge. The evening raised Éi,017 for Branch funds. Thank you, Miehael Jess, Rachel Powles and Catherine Arkley, for your hard work in making the evening slleh a success. Sineere thanks go to Derby Community Male Voiee Choir and Chevin Golf C]ub without whose enthusiasm and support we would not be able to raise such a fantastic total. In March and November 2024 the Branch was chosen by comedian Sarah Millican to benefit from a collection as attendees left after her concert at Derby Arena. Our Branch volunteers turned out in force to encourage people to part with their change. The November event raised over £1,5no. It should be noted that at every concert location Sarah invites the local Samaritans branch to collect tnoney at the end of her show. Thank you, Sarah, for YOUT support of not just our Branch but also the main charity. In March 2025 Listening Volunteer Simon Goodall undertook two half marathons and raised money for the B Tanch. Simon, who is blind, ran with his support runner and raised over £1,000. Thank you, Simon, for all your hard work. During the year we were informed that a past volunteer has left us a bequest in their will. We are due to receive a third of the estate. We do not know when we will receive the kind bequest but it will make a rea) difference and we are truly grateful for this generous gift.
DwJsign Envolope ID: EE54B11A.F1A2422C-M75.E24924F58B71 Samaritans of Derby and District We have been the recipient of two grants during the year: LA)cal Coop Communlty Fund During the year we received an unrestricted grant of £3,336.92. Our applieation focussed on using the funds to convert our telephone system to VOIP. During the course of the year Central Office undertook a national programme of updating all Branches to VOIP and inputting a new Listening Centre system and gave all Branches funding to do so. We used the generous grant to fund the refurbishment programme which has made the Branch so much nicer to work in and improved morale. The Branch extends its thanks to the team at Coop Loca] and to its many members who supported our eause. Derby8hire Freenwons vla Foundation Derbyshlre In June 2024 the Branch was awarded a restricted grant of £2,500 from Derbyshire Freemasons "To fund a range of ICT and training resources to improve the quality of in- house volunteer training - for listeners and other ro)es". The new PC to support our volunteer trainers has ensured we can deliver our teaching easily and effectively. Our Listening Volunteers deliver our Branch objeetives and are there for our callers. It costs £500 to train a new recruit to become a Listening Volunteer so the additional support towards our Costs is invaluable. The Branch exlends it thanks to Derbyshire Freemasons for their generosity and Foundation Derbyshire for thelr support during the application process. 12 Communication and Publicity During the year we have been delighted to host our two local MPS, Bag Shankar, DeY South and Catherine Atkinson, Derby North, on separate visits. It was great to show them our organisation but also to talk through and promote the work that we do. They consequently used their Faeebook page to promote the work we do and encourage those who Knight be interested to volunteer with us. To accompany Simon Goodall's amazing running efforts, we received excellent online cover of his story on Derby Live and Simon's local newspaper, Melbourne Voice. Simon also recorded an interview which was broadcast during the busy morning programme of BBC Radio Derby. Following last year's review of communications, we have seen our Twitter account generate iooo followers, whieh is a great improvement. Regular Tweets which have been more loca]ly focussed, have encouraged followers and consequent retweetinglliking tweets. We have been able to engage in wider Samaritan campaigns and establish a presence both locally and nationally. We are grateful for the support of Ashleigh in delivering our important social media programme. Golng Forward On i April 2025 Stephanie Taylor takes over as Branch Director from Cate Hollinshead. Stephanie thanks Cate for her stewardship and leadership of the Branch for the last three years. Stephanie has app)inted her Deputy Director team and her three strategic priorities for her tenure are: Ensuring volunteers are, and feel valued Developing a viable, sustainable and outward-facing operation Delivering a high quality, safe and effective service 16
Oocusign En¥¢pe ID.. EE54B1lF12422&A47S.E24g24FSBB7l Samaritans of Derby and Distrirt Statement of trustees, responsibilities The Trustees (the Branch Leadership Team members) are responsible for preparing the Trustees. Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Aecounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). The law applicable to chariti&s in England & Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that year. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to: select suitable aecounting policies and then apply them con51Stently¥ observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP 2015 (FRS 102); make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent. • state whether applicable accounting standards have been followe(t subject to any material departures disc105ed and explained in the financial statements; prepare the financial statemenL8 on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Charity will continue in operation. The Trustee5 are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. Approved by the Branch Leadership Team and Signed on its behalf by: S Taylor- Branch Director and Trnstee M Byrne - Treasurer 31>F3F?0i14EI The Samaritans of Derby and District iio Burton Road DERBY 17
Docusign Envelcye ID,. EE54611A-F1A2422N475.E24924F58871 Samaritans of Derby and District Statement of financial activities for the year ended 31 March 2025 2025 Unrestricted funds 2025 Restricted nds 2025 Total fund8 2024 Total fijnds Note Receipts Donations 20A62 Grant income 3>337 500 51837 Gift Aid 1?920 1>920 2.187 Income from prisons 4?079 4>lY79 7,819 Bank interest receivable iA50 11450 1,338 Mise a8 28 Total Receipts 30,615 2.500 33.1x5 31,806 Payments Operatlng expenses 26,003 1,822 279825 18,608 Total Payments 26,003 1,822 271825 18,608 Net Income 4?612 678 51290 13,198 Total fijnds last year end 2051067 162 205>2a9 192,031 Total Funds Thb Year End 2091 840 210?5A9 205,229
Docuswjn Envehylo. EE54811A4lh2422CA47&E24924FS8B71 Samaritans of Derby and District Statement of assets & liabilities as at 31 March 2025 Note 2025 2025 Unrestrlcted Re8tricted nds 2025 2024 Total Total funds fund8 Fixed Assets Freehold property 0,000 150,000 150,000 Current A86ets PrepayThents 11544 19544 Cash at bank and in hand 83,003 840 83,843 84,130 Aeerued income 1?920 11920 1,376 Current Llabilitle8 Accruals (46?788) (261788) ts0,2Tr) Net Asset8 209>679 840 2101519 205,229 Funds of the Charlty Note 2025 2024 Restrirted Fvnds 840 Unrestricted Income Funds Board Designated Funds 21?457 Building Maintenance Fund 20,000 UDre5tricted Fund 168,222 205,229 Total Funds 2101519 205,229 Signed on behalf of the Branch Leadership Team on q 110/2025 nby. M Byrne - Treasurer 3IJF2FC&TOWE6 by.. S Taylor - Branch Dlrector and Trustee 119045975D33F164 19
Oocusign Envelope 10.. EE54811A-F1A2422C.A475*24924F58B71 Samaritans of Derby and District Notes to the aecounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 I. CENERAL INFORMATION On 4 August 2017 Samaritans of Derby and District CIO wa5 fonned and on i October 2017 the transfer of the unincorporated eharity Samaritans of Derby and District look place. These accounts incorporate the figures for both of these linked charities. 2. AccouNfiNG POLICIES a) Ba858 of preparation We are now in our third year of preparing accounts on the accruals basis. b) Investment and Covenanted Ineome Incorne is brought to credit on a cash Teeeived basis and no credit is taken for dividends and interest accrued &nd lax recoverable. e) 1£8acles and Bequests Lwcies and qUestI received are credited directly to the income and expenditure account. d) Taxatlon No provision for taxation is included in the aceounts as the charity is entitled to exemption from t&x because its ineome is used for charitable Purposes only. e) Tanglble fixed assets The freehold property sltuated at iio Burton Road. Derby was donaled to the branch on 17 August 1981 but at that time it was not included in thestatement of Assets and Liabilities. When the branch became an affiliated branch and a CIO, title lo the property was changed to reflect the Derby branch as owner. The property has therefore been included in theseaccounls asbein8 an asset of the branch. No depreeLation has been charged on the property as the Trustees consider that its estlmated realisablevalue is the same as its carryingvalue andtherefore anyeharge fordepreciation would be negligible. The property is an unreslricted rcserve as there were no restrietions on its use slipulated when it was 0ri8inally donated to the Samaritans Q Fund accountlns Unrestricted funds are available for u8e at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the Seneral Objectiv of the Charity. Reslrieted funds are Subject to restri¢lions on their expenditure by the donor. g) Grant income Government grants are recognised At the fair value of the asset received or receivable when there is reasonable assurance that the grant conditions will be met and the srants will be received. Covernment grants relaling to turnover are recognised as ineome over the periods when the related costs are incurred. Grant lating to an asset are recognised in income systematieally over the asset's expected use1 life. If part of such agTant is deferred it 1$ recognised as deferred income rather than being deducted from the asset's carrying amounl. 20
Docusign Envelope ID". EE5I811FlA2422&A475E24924FSB87l Samaritans of Derby and District Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (Cont.) 2. AccouNfING POLICIES (contlnued) h) Golng Concern The tnjstees have tonsidered the financial resourees available to the organisation and are Confident that there are adequate lunds available to enable them to meet the liabilities as they fall due and continue operations for a period of at least Iwelve months from the si8nin8 of the Independent Examiners Report. 3. DONATIONS Gross income from donation8 is held for the genernl purrmises of SamAritans of Derby and District unless it is alloep4ted by the donors for specifLC purposes to specific branches. During the year there was one restricted nd, Training and Listenin8 Support {Note io). 4. OPERATKNG EXPENSFS 025 Unvesb4rted nd¥ zo¥s Restrlcted 202S Toial fundg 2024 Totsl Printing 413 413 493 Telephone 1,870 Conference and trnining 639 639 Ststionery and postage 90 90 434 Mointenance and equipmenl A•876 1,876 744 Computer/ 645 1,828 Gos, water and eleetrieity 4yX30 150 3.223 Cleaning and refuse 21255 2S5 1,837 Insurance 1545 A•S45 I17 14al (ees Travel 2,890 2.890 3,341 Support and refreshments 35 35 93 Central office 9>276 9276 462 Miscellaneous 514 514 1.918 Publitity and recruitment 211 445 Prison sItIng expenses 986 986 1&39 86,003 1.82 271825 18,iK)8 21
Docusi9n Env*ie ID." EE54811A4IA2422GA475Q4924F58B71 Samaritans of Derby and District Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 Mareh 2025 (Cont.) 5. BRANCH LEADERSHIP TEAM MEMBERS, REMUNERATION AND EXPENSLS No Branch i£adership Team Members receive remuneration for their services. During the year travel expenses were paid to Branch IEadership Team Members for costs incurred whilst carrying out charitable activities, including prison visiting. Other purchase costs incurred by Branch i£adership Team members on the chariWs behalf were also Teimbursed. 6. PREPAYMENrs Insurance - PIB l•S44 1,544 7. ACCRUALS aOa4 Water plu8 SSE Electricity 150 269 Photocopier Building 21)389 29149% Central Offite Cost8 5.092 462 Rthnd8 to donors goo 26,788 30,277 22
DS1 Envelopg ID.. EE54811A-FIA2422CA47&E24924F58B71 Samaritans of Derby and DRstrict Notes to the aeeounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (Cont.) 8. ACCRUED INCOME 20a4 Gift Aid A>920 1?376 11920 1)370 9. RESERVES AND FINANCiALsusfAINABILITY The Board of Trustees have agreed a new ReseNes Policy (note 12) which will be reviewed annually. The policy sets out how reserves will be managed going forward. The Board of Trustees has agreed that It needs to hold the equivalent of 18 mr)nths' funding in its unr&8tricted reserves lo fund operational contingencies and an unexpected downturn in income. It accepts this is a high level of unrestricted income, but the Board believes thi8 is necessary as there has not been a fundraising strategy in place during the year and while the new operational team develops and implements a fundraising strategy it needs a higher level of funds to cover it in the interim. Also) given the nature of the work undertaken by Samaritans and the increase in death by suicide nationally, il is essential that the Branch remains operational. Under normal circUmstanS the Board would expect to have unrestricted reserves to the equivalent of one year. In addition, the Trustees are mindful that it must maintain an old building of which the front is listed all of which makes maintenance more expensive. Therefore, it has built into its reserves a building maintenance fund. The Board has also designated money considering the central charity future proofing project so it can put in place a development programme, including the increase of listening volunteer pods and converting the rear of the building for disabled access. io. TRAINING AND LISTENING SUPPORT Grant awarded by Derbyshire Freemasons via Foundation Derbyshire to fund a range of and training resources to improve the quality of in-house volunteer training - for listeners and other roles. Ix. OTHER SIGNIFICA INCOME During the year there was other significant income which are one off donations as follows: Unrestricted donation of £10,369.07 from Chevin Golf Club Captains Charities Unrestricted grant of £3,336.92 from the Coop IA)cal Community Fund. 23
Oocusign Envelopè ID.. EE54B11knF1A2422CA47&E24924F58B71 Samaritans of Derby and District Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (Cont.) 12. RESERVF3 POIJCY Sc4)pe This reserves policy explains to existing and potential funders, donors, beneficiaries and other stakeholders why we are holding a particular nulnber of reserves. It gives confidence to stakeholders that our finances are being properly managed and will also provide an indicator of future funding needs and our resilience. Oversight The amount held in reserves will be monitored during the year as part of our budgetary process and financial monitoring and is the SponSibl11ty of the Board of Trnstees, also known as the Braneh iEadership Team. Reserves Reserves are that part of our unrestricted funds that is freely available to spend on any of our purposes. The items excluded from reserves are: tangible red assets used to carry out the charitys activities. such as land and buildings. progrAmme-related investments those held solely to further the charity's purposes. designated funds set aside to meet essential future spending, such as funding a project that could not be met from future income. commitments that have not been provided for as a liability in the accounts. Restricted Funds fall outside the definition of reserves, but the nature and amount of such funds may impact on a chariiYs reserves policy. Where significant amounts are held as restricted funds the nature of the restrietion will be considered, as such funds may reduce the need for reserves in particular areas of the charl$ work. Developing Our Polley The development and review of this policy will Consider: The nature of the funds received and held by the charity, The level of unrestrieted and Teslricted income. Unrestricted funds which can be spent on any purposes of our charity. Future budgets and future projects or spending plans that cannot be met from the ineome of Skngle year, and uncertainties we may faee in the future, sueh as the need to hold some reserves to meet an unexpected call on funds or opportunities that may pr&8ent themselves. The Trustees will use the above proeess to identify why reserves might need to be held and to decide the amount of reserves needed to operate effectively. The Trustees will refer to Charity CA)mmission guidance on reserves and other relevant guidance. Itvels of Reserves Our target level of reserves will be expressed as a target figure, target range or percentage of annual turnover and will be informed by: 94
Oocusi9n EnVepe ID". EE54811A-F1A2422GM75-E24924F58B71 Samaritans of Derby and District Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 Mareh 2025 (Cont.) The reeognition that the charity owns an old property to deliver its objectives and must maintain it to a good standard in order to keep operations functional. Our forecasts for levels of income for the current and tUre years, taking into account the reliability of each source of ineome and the prospects for developing new income sources Our forecasts for expenditure for the current and future years on the basis of planned activity Analysis of any future needs, opportunities, commitments or risks, where future ineome alone is likely to fall short of the amount of the anticipated costs Assessment, on the best evidence reasonably available, of the likelihood of a shortfall arising which means thal reserves are necessary, and the potential consequences for the charityof not being able to make up the shortfall. Monitorlng of Reserves The Board of Trustees will keep the reserves policy and the level of reseNes held under review, monitor the level of reserves held throughout the year to establish the re&8on for any slgnificant dIffenCe with the target level set. If reserves during the year are below target or exceed target, the Board of Trustees will consider whether this is due to a short-term situation or a longer-term i&sue, and take any appropriate action. Annual Reporting The policy on reserves will be included in the annual rerK)rt, stating the level of reserves held and why these are held. If material funds have been designated, the reserves policy statement will quantify and explain the purposes of these designations and, where set aside for tre expenditure, the likely timing of the expenditure. The Board of Trustees will ensure that our reporting of our reserves policy ffteets the requirements of the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice {SORP) (FRS 102) and the requirements of the Regulations. Investlng Reserves When sigrlificant resources are held in reserves from year to year, the trustees will consider whether some or all of the reserves can be invested to obtain a financial return for the charity, In making the investment decision, the trustees should consider when the reseNes might be needed Oiquidity of the inveslment) and the acceptable level of investment risk. 25
Docusn Envèlope 10.. EE54811A.F1A2422C447&E24924F58871 Samaritans of Derby and District Independent Examiner's Report to the Branch IEadership Team Members of Samaritans of Derby and District I report lo the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 Mareh 2025 which are set out on pages 13 to 18. Responslbilities and basls of report s the charity's trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Aet,). 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 examlner's statement I have completed my examination. I confinn that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination siving me eause to believe that in any material respect.. accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or the aeeounts do not accord with those records: I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to whic tlention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the nts to be reached. Martin Chartered Accountant PKF Smith Cooper Lamited Prospect House I Prospect Place Pride Park Derby DE24 8HG 26