**Charity registration number 1176429**
**Company registration number 10729008 (England and Wales)**
## **PLATFORM FOR LIFE LIMITED**
# **ANNUAL REPORT AND UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022**
## **PLATFORM FOR LIFE LIMITED**
## **LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION**
|**Trustees**|Mr G Hartley||
|---|---|---|
||Mr P Rossiter||
||Ms E L Price||
||Miss C Jones|(Appointed 12 October 2021)|
||Mrs S Taylor|(Appointed 19 May 2021)|
||Ms A V Gill||
||Mr A Kerr||
|**Patron**|David Briggs MBE KStJ||
|**Chief Executive Officer**|Ceri George||
|**Charity number**|1176429||
|**Company number**|10729008||
|**Registered office**|Unit 8 Parade Enterprise|Centre|
||The Parade||
||Blacon||
||Chester||
||CH1 5HN||
|**Independent examiner**|Champion Allwoods Ltd||
||2nd Floor Refuge House||
||33-37 Watergate Row||
||Chester||
||CH1 2LE||
## **PLATFORM FOR LIFE LIMITED**
## **CONTENTS**
||**Page**|
|---|---|
|Trustees' report|1 - 8|
|Independent examiner's report|9|
|Statement of financial activities|10|
|Balance sheet|11|
|Notes to the financial statements|12 - 20|
## **PLATFORM FOR LIFE LIMITED**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022**_
The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2022.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006 and "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)".
## **Objectives and activities**
The charitable objectives of Platform for Life agreed with the Charity Commission are:
1. To enable the treatment and care of parents and parents-to-be who experience individual, societal, economic or relationship psychological stress by the provision of counselling to enable them to provide safe, secure and nurturing environments for their children.
2. To enable the treatment and care of children who are in families where psychological stress could be impairing their normal emotional development by the provision of counselling and play therapy.
## **Public Benefit**
The Trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity’s aims and objectives and in planning future activities and setting the strategy for the year.
Working in communities with high levels of deprivation the charity provides counselling that is:
- Local and Community based, working where clients live so there are no transport problems for them to address or children to pull out of school.
- Flexible, working around clients and not restricting the number of sessions they can access or penalising them if they do not attend every session. The charity understand s the challenges they face and tries to be as flexible as possible to their needs and situation at any given time.
- Accessible. The charity aims for short referral times so clients can access support quickly and without the usual levels of bureaucracy.
- Tailored to the needs of each client, providing support for as long as they require it rather than the usual fixed number of sessions (6-8) offered by mainstream mental health services.
- Preventative, with an aim of breaking the cycle of poor mental health being passed down from one generation to the next.
- Family focused, working with the parent(s), child or sometimes both.
- Free of charge to clients.
Platform for Life works in two locations in Chester; Blacon and Lache, both areas which fall within the bottom 10% of the Index of Multiple Deprivation. A significant number of families living in these communities have a parent/carer or child and sometimes both, struggling with poor mental health. The charity works closely with local schools, GP practices, health visitors and other community agencies to get referrals and identify those most in need of our help. There is also an option for parent/carers to self-refer themselves or another member of their family into the service directly.
The issues faced by many families are amplified by their social deprivation and a range of past traumas, abuse and other adversities. These include poverty, debt, domestic violence, substance abuse, neglect, absent parents, fractured family relationships, bereavement, special educational needs and for some, family members in prison. The charity focuses on strengthening family relationships and creating more stable and nurturing environments for children. The ultimate aim is to stop the cycle of poor mental health being passed down from one generation to the next. The charity therefore works with parents and children, sometimes together and sometimes separately as appropriate.
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## **PLATFORM FOR LIFE LIMITED**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022**_
Feedback from referrers and clients suggests that the families the charity supports, often find it difficult to access and engage with statutory provision because of a lack of trust as well as inflexible provision, long wait times and high thresholds for severity of mental ill health before they can be seen. They do not have the means to access private therapy and as a result, those who are most in need of therapy for poor mental health, are often least likely to be able to access it.
_“I believe Blacon is lucky to have this service. Since COVID-19 we have been working across all of Cheshire West and Chester and many areas have nothing like this to tap into. Talking therapies via the GP or other avenues can take a long time to access whereas your support is very quick.”_ Health visitor
Clients access the charity’s service with a broad range of mild to complex mental health issues and referrals are not restricted to only the most severely affected. The aim is to work with clients as early as possible when they experience poor mental health to avoid it becoming a long-term issue that negatively impacts their life chances. The charity finds that delivering a person-centred service in a flexible way in the heart of the local community helps clients engage more effectively.
Demand for the charity’s service continued to grow strongly in 2021-22 and 58% more referrals were received compared with the previous year. Whilst the charity saw an increase across all age groups, referrals for young people more than doubled. For the first time since the charity’s inception, referrals for children and young people were higher than those for adults. This reflects the national picture which suggests an epidemic of poor mental health amongst England’s children and young people, further accelerated by the Covid pandemic. In 2017 the NHS reported 1 in 9 children and young people between the ages of 6 and 16 having a probable mental health condition. By July 2021 this had risen to 1 in 6, equivalent to 5 children and young people in every school classroom.
Over 40% of all referrals came from schools, with self-referrals accounting for a further 20%. Referrals from Medical Centres and Health visitors together contributed a further 20%. The continued strength of selfreferrals suggests that, despite the option for many clients to be referred by a GP or other agency, many feel more comfortable referring themselves or another family member directly into Platform for Life’s service.
The charity took steps to expand overall counselling capacity to accommodate the growth in demand and delivered 38% more sessions than the previous year. The majority of these were face to face. There are no signs of demand levelling off and the charity anticipates a further growth in client numbers next financial year. This is without extending coverage to other areas of high need in the Chester area.
The growth in the number of sessions the charity delivered happened against the backdrop of a buoyant employment market and strong demand for private practice work. This impacted the availability of some sessional counsellors and led the charity to seek more employed counsellors to ensure continuity of provision. Recruitment in a buoyant market proved challenging but the charity was ultimately successful in appointing four new part time counselling and art/play therapists, all with previous experience of working with clients struggling with significant trauma and life challenges.
Although Covid restrictions were more relaxed during the last financial year, it continued to present challenges for the charity. These included managing Covid related team absences, late cancellations by clients because of Covid and continued disruption in some of the venues where it operates, the result of Covid outbreaks and more caution about opening up to external visitors.
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## **PLATFORM FOR LIFE LIMITED**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022**_
## **Achievements and performance**
## Key achievements
- Client referrals increased by 58% to 339, compared with the previous financial year.
- Delivered 2396 counselling sessions between April 2021 and end March 2022, an increase of 38% on the previous 12 months.
- Number of agencies making referrals continued to grow and client self-referrals accounted for 20% of all referrals received.
- Broadly maintained the charity’s income levels in a very challenging funding landscape and secured commitment from local schools to making a financial contribution towards the charity’s work with their students.
- Expanded the employed and sessional counsellor pool to help meet an increase in demand for our service.
- Successfully delivered 3 pilot projects: Opening up self-referral option to young people at a local high school; 1000 days project providing mental health support to low-income parents during pregnancy and first two years of their child’s life; Group work with young people aimed at building greater awareness of mental health and wellbeing.
- Client satisfaction with Platform for Life’s service continued to be high, with 98% of adults and young people confirming they would recommend the service to others.
## Pilot projects
These pilot projects were set up to test out new ideas for supporting specific client groups and help the charity assess their value and capture any learning before they were extended to a wider client group.
_Young person self-referral pilot:_ allowed young people at a local High school to access the charity’s service directly rather than through a referral by their school or GP. As well as giving pupils increased autonomy, the self-referral option allows those pupils who might be struggling silently to access help with mental health issues. In total, 18 young people referred themselves into the service last year through the pilot, attending an average of 9 sessions each. Positive feedback was shared by both the school and pupils, who felt more autonomous and in control of how and when they access mental health support.
_1000 days project:_ supporting low income parents to address mental health issues during pregnancy and first 2 years of an infant’s life, a critical period in their development. Improving parents’ mental health leads to a safer and more nurturing home environment for the infant, which in turn can positively impact their life chances. 9 clients (8 female and 1 male) took part in this pilot project and with the exception of the 1 male, all were already parents to between 1 and 5 other children. This meant improvements in their mental wellbeing also benefitted their existing families. This is illustrated by the experience of one client, a mother of 5 children, one of whom was a small baby. She told her counsellor that had she not been able to access support with her mental health issues from Platform for Life, she would have found it difficult to avoid going back on drugs as they _“take away the feeling of what you feel like, to be in another kind of place.”_ This would have had a devastating impact on her and her family.
_Young person group work_ : this was aimed at helping young people build greater awareness of mental health and wellbeing and address lower level mental health issues they may have. 14 young people in two separate groups took part in the pilot. As well as showing improvements in wellbeing scores at the end of the pilot, all young people agreed that having a group that focused on their needs and experiences was helpful and they would (and did) recommend the workshops to their peers. Two young people recognised their need for one to one support and felt empowered to self-refer themselves into our counselling service. Feedback from school staff was also very positive _“As a school, we have found that these sessions have helped to access a larger number of pupils for which the majority need initial interventions of support around managing their emotions and their general wellbeing. It then opens up the conversation further for those that feel they need extra support.”_
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## **PLATFORM FOR LIFE LIMITED**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022**_
## Measuring the impact of our work
Platform for Life measures the impact of its work using both quantitative and qualitative information. For adults and young people, CORE 34 and CORE YP quantitative assessment scores are used and with children the Strengths Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Clients are asked to complete an end of counselling feedback form which rates their experience and allows them to share qualitative feedback. They also provide testimonials and stories which capture their individual journeys and progress, including what counselling has enabled them to do which may previously not have been possible e.g. attending school, applying for new jobs, rebuilding relationships with specific individuals etc.
The charity also captures feedback from referrers and sends out a survey to them at the end of each academic year to measure their satisfaction with our service and identify any areas for improvement.
During financial year 2021-2022 84% of adults, 89% of young people and 80% of children reported an improvement in their emotional wellbeing as a result of working with Platform for Life. Feedback suggests that for many, counselling has led to significant changes in their lives. These include building more positive family and peer relationships; accessing education, making successful transitions from primary to high school, pursuing training and further education as an adult, applying for work and feeling more able to deal with other challenges in their life.
## Client feedback
_“Thank you for being there for me, for helping and letting me trust you. I’ve never trusted before. I’ve been able to be open and make big changes. I am completely different to who I was when I started this process. My thinking, the way I react (or not) to negative stuff. I speak more freely and am more confident in myself. My older children don’t have to carry me anymore, massive change. Everything has changed for the better. You changed my life.”_
## **Adult**
_“_ If you’re anxious about anything, it’s a good place to get it off your chest and forget about your worries.” **Child**
_“I really struggled with lots of panic attacks when I first started counselling. I still have them now from time to time but I can manage them better than I used to. I have learned lots of strategies to help me cope with these feelings. I understand what’s happening.”_ **Young person**
## **Progress on priorities in last year’s report:**
Due to the continued uncertainties over Covid, during 2021-2022 the Board opted for flexibility based on a set of priorities agreed at the start of the financial year, which were as follows.
_Consolidation of key community relationships to further our objective around broadening access for harder to_
_reach groups._
Good progress. The charity has continued to build up relationships with local community groups such as Blacon Beacon and Lache Larder food banks and shared details of our service and how to make referrals with local Police Community Support Officers. We have also worked closely with a local mental health charity The Chapter on two projects, aimed at supporting wellbeing of specific groups: parents of children with mental health issues and young people.
_Continuing to develop and pilot projects that target specific areas of need identified in the communities we work in. This includes supporting more children identified as at risk of exclusion._
Very good progress. As well as the three new pilot projects outlined, the charity is in the second year of a pilot project to support children at risk of exclusion from school.
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## **PLATFORM FOR LIFE LIMITED**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022**_
## _Developing relationships with relevant mental health local statutory body teams, with a view to securing future funding._
Progress. Whilst the charity has been introduced and begun to develop relationships with a number of contacts in NHS commissioning agencies, the adoption of the new Health and Social Care Bill from July 2022, means substantial changes to the commissioning/delivery of services. As a result, some of the existing contacts we have made will change roles or no longer be in post and so further efforts will be required to build these relationships.
_Embedding social impact reporting within our charity, including the capture of longer-term client feedback and impacts._
Good progress. The charity produced its first annual social impact report in June 2021, telling its story during 2020-2021, the families that were supported and the impact this had on their lives.
_Continuing to grow awareness of the charity amongst potential clients, referrers, potential funders and more generally online and in the Chester area._
Good progress. The charity’s reputation has continued to grow with clients, many of whom have recommended its service to family members, neighbours and friends. Local MP Chris Matheson has been introduced to the charity and visited a school referrer to learn more about its impact on young people. The charity has also pursued local media opportunities and been featured in print and online media.
## _Implementing a three year charity fundraising plan._
Good progress. The charity has created a detailed fundraising strategy and appointed a fundraising and communications manager to support implementation of this.
## _Creating an organisation development plan that can fulfil the charity’s growth aspirations whilst ensuring staff wellbeing_
Good progress. The charity developed a longer-term organisation development plan which was approved by the Board of Trustees in October 2021. The first stage of the plan has been successfully implemented.
## **Financial review**
The trustees believe that the current financial position is healthy with sufficient funds to continue to deliver the current levels of service and to expand, reflecting the increase in demand seen over the past year.
Our reserves policy requires that our free reserves balance should be sufficient to undertake an orderly wind-up of the charity over a six month period. This policy is a prudent approach and would allow us to safely finish counselling without damaging our clients’ mental health. In order to do this, we look to keep reserves between 50% and 100% of the current annual expenditure (based on most recent quarter annualised). We ended the year with free reserves of 70% of annual expenditure (based on the final quarter annualised). As in the previous year this year-end balance is inflated due to 75% of our income being credited in the second half of the year.
During the past year, we received income of £215,326. Of this, 64% took the form of unrestricted grants, 24% were restricted grants with the other 12% derived from the provision of counselling services and other income.
We have continued to invest in building the infrastructure of the charity, in order to support the overall growth of our services. Despite this investment, support service costs amounted to 36% of total expenditure, which the Board believes compares favourably with similar charities. We are now seeing the benefit of investments made in the previous year. The clinical database, Lamplight, has been populated and is being used to manage counselling activity, including providing useful management information. In terms of finance and accounting, the use of Sage has been expanded, which both reduces workload and has enabled the production more sophisticated and timely management reports.
- 5 -
## **PLATFORM FOR LIFE LIMITED**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022**_
One of our financial objectives during the past financial year has been to diversify our cash deposits between a number of financial institutions in order to ensure our funds enjoy protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Progress has been made on this front, with further developments planned for the coming year.
We continue to look to expand our work to meet increased demand from our communities. As a result of the generosity of our funders the charity is on a firm financial footing and the five-year strategic partnership with the Westminster Foundation has been particularly valuable in giving us some long-term stability. Despite the charity’s healthy end of year cash position, we will need to actively raise new funds to continue our work with existing clients, meet the growth in demand and maintain cash reserves within the levels required by our policy.
Our key financial objective for the year ahead is therefore to continue to grow our income, both in terms of the absolute amounts raised and to diversify further our sources of funds. We will also review whether our reserves policy should be updated given the increasing maturity of the charity.
## **Funding sources**
The charity is very grateful to its principal grant funders:
Avenue Services Cheshire Community Foundation Chester Bluecoat Charity Marjorie Boddy Trust Pixel Fund Sanctuary Housing St James Place Charitable Foundation Westminster Foundation
## **Future plans**
The charity remains committed to making progress towards the strategic objectives that trustees agreed in June 2021.
- Build and develop community partnerships with other agencies on the basis of mutual benefit, to ensure optimal referral, co-working and post-counselling support.
- Ensure that the charity scopes and finds ways to diversify its client base and ensure it is easy to reach for those who have most to benefit from its service.
- Use qualitative and quantitative data to raise the charity’s profile and demonstrate impact.
- Continuously reflect and refine on how the charity can improve its service to clients and be at the forefront of best practice and innovation in this area.
- Recruit, train, develop and retain the highest quality of staff possible and for staff to feel highly valued and recognised in their work.
- Ensure sustainable funding and support for the charity through diverse means and sources and which support its vision and strategic objectives.
- Ensure that the charity’s board of trustees have the necessary expertise, structures and systems to provide necessary support, governance and challenges to allow it to achieve its vision and strategic objectives.
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## **PLATFORM FOR LIFE LIMITED**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022**_
## **Structure, governance and management**
The trustees, who are also directors for the purpose of company law, who were the charity's trustees on the date the report was approved or who served as a trustee in the reporting period were:
Dr J Breadon (Resigned 19 May 2021) Dr A Garman (Resigned 19 May 2021) Mr G Hartley Cllr T Richards (Resigned 29 June 2022) Mrs W Bell (Resigned 19 January 2022) Mr P Rossiter Ms E L Price Ms B Hook (Appointed 12 October 2021 and resigned 29 June 2022) Miss C Jones (Appointed 12 October 2021) Mrs L Hill (Appointed 12 October 2021 and resigned 29 June 2022) Mrs S Taylor (Appointed 19 May 2021) Ms A V Gill Mr A Kerr
Dr John Breadon resigned as Chair and trustee in May 2021 and was replaced by Susan Taylor, who joined the charity following her retirement from Cheshire West and Chester Council. Due to his relocation to the South of England, Dr Andrew Garman who founded the charity, also stepped down as a trustee at this time. A further trustee Wendy Bell resigned in January 2022. The Board has been strengthened with four new trustees, adding skills and experience in social welfare, marketing and counselling.
The Board meets quarterly for routine business. The CEO, Ceri George is in attendance and other members of staff are invited to attend as appropriate. The management of the counselling discipline, together with dayto-day management of clients and associated case management matters, is undertaken by Clinical Director, Della Austin, who reports to the CEO.
The charity has benefitted from external governance support provided by a very experienced Chair and trustee. They helped the charity make good progress on the areas identified at the start of last financial year.
_Continue working on clearly defined roles and accountabilities._
- All trustees have attended bespoke governance training session provided by a charity law specialist.
- Charity committee structure reviewed and strengthened to focus on three key areas: HR and Governance; Professional Standards and Social Impact; Finance and Risk Management.
- Chair role description in place and work is ongoing to define these for other trustee roles.
_Increase the effectiveness of the risk register by including a ‘traffic-light’ system and undertaking regular reviews_
- Charity reviews risks on quarterly basis within Finance and Risk Management Committee and reports on these at Board meetings.
- Charity has introduced traffic light system for monitoring risks.
_Recruit at least one trustee with knowledge of mental health and/or the NHS and one with counselling experience;_
- Two qualified counsellor trustees recruited, both with experience of working in the charity sector.
_Increase charity cohesion via the flow of knowledge from counsellors to trustees enabling trustees to gain an understanding of the work undertaken and the pressures on the staff (‘coalface’ understanding of work undertaken)._
- Trustees have taken up opportunities to meet with both counselling and operational staff to learn more about the work being undertaken.
Over the next financial year, the Board will continue to focus on these governance areas.
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## **PLATFORM FOR LIFE LIMITED**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022**_
## Advisors
We are grateful to our Patron David Briggs who provides input and support on a regular basis. The CEO receives valuable support and advice from a CEO peer support group and the charity has benefitted from skills donors in a number of different marketing areas facilitated by Cheshire Connect. Support and training has also been provided by Cheshire West Voluntary action for which the charity is very grateful.
## Safeguarding
The charity has a Safeguarding Policy which is reviewed annually and updated whenever opportunities for improvements are identified. The policy requires that all the charity’s personnel have valid DBS certificates and appropriate safeguarding training. The Clinical Director, CEO and Chair of the Board all have level 3 safeguarding certificates.
## Volunteers
Unlike many counselling charities, Platform for Life does not make extensive use of volunteer counsellors as a matter of policy. This is because the counselling is demanding and mostly requires experience and particular specialisms, which are less common in the volunteer pool. The charity has benefitted from marketing related skills donor volunteers and a teaching professional who has provided one to one literacy support for specific clients.
## **Auditors**
The Company is exempt from audit under the Companies Act 2006 and Charities Act 2011 (accounts and audit) order 2015 as the gross income is less than £1 million. Since our gross income for the year is between £25,000 and £250,000 we have engaged an independent examiner of “appropriate skill or ability” to verify our accounts.
The annual report and accounts have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of Statement of Recommended Practice for Charities (Charities SORP) and the Companies Act 2006 as applicable for a small charitable company.
By order of the board
..............................
**Mrs S Taylor** Chair/Director Dated: ......................... 06/07/2022
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## **PLATFORM FOR LIFE LIMITED**
## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF PLATFORM FOR LIFE LIMITED**
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Platform for Life Limited (the charity) for the year ended 31 March 2022.
## **Responsibilities and basis of report**
As the trustees of the charity (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (the 2006 Act).
Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) . In carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
## **Independent examiner's statement**
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no 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 386 of the 2006 Act; or
- 2 the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
- 3 the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act 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; or
- 4 the financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
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 financial statements to be reached.
Susan Harris MA ACA Champion Allwoods Limited Refuge House 33-37 Watergate Row Chester CH1 2LE
Dated: .........................
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## **PLATFORM FOR LIFE LIMITED**
## **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022**_
|**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**funds**
**2022**
**2022**
**Notes**
**£**
**£**
**Income from:**
Donations and legacies
**3**
137,606
51,200
Charitable activities
**4**
26,520
-
**Total income**
164,126
51,200
**Expenditure on:**
Charitable activities
**5**
180,404
65,947
**Net (expenditure)/income**
**for the year/**
**Net movement in funds**
(16,278)
(14,747)
Fund balances at 1
April
173,034
31,201
**Fund balances at 31**
**March**
156,756
16,454|**Total**Unrestricted
Restricted
funds
funds
**2022**
2021
2021
**£**
**£**
**£**
188,806
175,254
39,360
26,520
6,925
18,500
215,326
182,179
57,860
246,351
126,514
49,621
(31,025)
55,665
8,239
204,235
117,369
22,962
173,210
173,034
31,201|Total
2021
**£**
214,614
25,425
240,039
176,135
63,904
140,331
204,235|
|---|---|---|
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
The statement of financial activities also complies with the requirements for an income and expenditure account under the Companies Act 2006.
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## **PLATFORM FOR LIFE LIMITED**
## **BALANCE SHEET**
## _**AS AT 31 MARCH 2022**_
|**Notes**
**Fixed assets**
Tangible assets
**9**
**Current assets**
Debtors
**10**
Cash at bank and in hand
**Creditors: amounts falling due within**
**one year**
**11**
Net current assets
**Total assets less current liabilities**
**Income funds**
Restricted funds
**12**
Unrestricted funds|**2022**
**£**
5,845
173,676
179,521
(6,502)|**£**
191
173,019
173,210
16,454
156,756
173,210|**2021**
**£**
3,213
204,782
207,995
(4,180)|**£**
420
203,815
204,235
31,201
173,034
204,235|
|---|---|---|---|---|
The company is entitled to the exemption from the audit requirement contained in section 477 of the Companies Act 2006, for the year ended 31 March 2022.
The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 with respect to accounting records and the preparation of financial statements.
The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year in question in accordance with section 476.
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.
06/07/2022
The financial statements were approved by the Trustees on .........................
.............................. Mrs S Taylor **Chair/Director**
## **Company Registration No. 10729008**
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## **PLATFORM FOR LIFE LIMITED**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022**_
## **1 Accounting policies**
## **Charity information**
Platform for Life Limited is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Unit 8 Parade Enterprise Centre, The Parade, Blacon, Chester, CH1 5HN.
## **1.1 Accounting convention**
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006 and "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)". The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities applying FRS 102 Update Bulletin 1 not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling , which is the functional currency of the charity . Monetary a mounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, modified to include the revaluation of freehold properties. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
## **1.2 Going concern**
At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the charity will continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
## **1.3 Charitable funds**
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
## **1.4 Income**
Income is recognised when the charity is legally entitled to it after any performance conditions have been met, the amounts can be measured reliably, and it is probable that income will be received.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Legacies are recognised on receipt or otherwise if the charity has been notified of an impending distribution, the amount is known, and receipt is expected. If the amount is not known, the legacy is treated as a contingent asset.
In accordance with accounting standards, the economic contribution of general volunteers is not included in the accounts.
## **1.5 Expenditure**
Expenditure is included on an accrual basis. Liabilities are recognised as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to pay out resources.
- 12 -
## **PLATFORM FOR LIFE LIMITED**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022**_
## **1 Accounting policies**
## **(Continued)**
Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of all its activities and services for its beneficiaries. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them.
Support costs have been allocated between governance costs and other support costs. Governance costs include those costs associated with meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements of the charity and include the accountants' fees and costs linked to strategic management of the charity.
## **1.6 Tangible fixed assets**
Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
Plant and equipment
20% straight line
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the statement of financial activities .
## **1.7 Impairment of fixed assets**
At each reporting end date, the charity reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any ) .
## **1.8 Cash and cash equivalents**
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
## **1.9 Financial instruments**
The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the charity 's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
## _**Basic financial assets**_
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
- 13 -
## **PLATFORM FOR LIFE LIMITED**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022**_
## **1 Accounting policies**
## **(Continued)**
## _**Basic financial liabilities**_
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future p aymen ts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
## _**Derecognition of financial liabilities**_
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity ’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
## **1.10 Employee benefits**
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
## **1.11 Retirement benefits**
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
## **2 Critical accounting estimates and judgements**
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
- 14 -
## **PLATFORM FOR LIFE LIMITED**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022**_
## **3 Donations and legacies**
|**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**funds**
**2022**
**2022**
**£**
**£**
Donations and gifts
8,381
-
Grants receivable
129,225
51,200
Fundraising
-
-
137,606
51,200
**Charitable activities**
Counselling services
Analysis by fund
Unrestricted funds
Restricted funds|**Total**Unrestricted
Restricted
funds
funds
**2022**
2021
2021
**£**
£
£
8,381
15,205
-
180,425
159,623
39,360
-
426
-
188,806
175,254
39,360
**2022**
**£**
26,520
26,520
-|Total
2021
£
15,205
198,983
426
214,614
2021
£
25,425
6,925
18,500|
|---|---|---|
## **4 Charitable activities**
- 15 -
## **PLATFORM FOR LIFE LIMITED**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022**_
## **5 Charitable activities**
|Staff costs
Other counselling costs
Share of support costs (see note 6)
Share of governance costs (see note 6)
**Analysis by fund**
Unrestricted funds
Restricted funds
**Support costs**
**Support**
**costs**
**Governance**
**costs**
**£**
**£**
Staff costs
72,092
-
Depreciation
229
-
Admin
2,815
-
Other staff costs
5,979
-
Rent
3,161
-
Insurance
1,387
-
Telecommunications
2,237
-
Charges
74
-
Examination fees
-
1,200
87,974
1,200
Analysed between
Charitable activities
87,974
1,200|**2022**
**£**
72,092
229
2,815
5,979
3,161
1,387
2,237
74
1,200
89,174
89,174|**Counselling**Counselling
**2022**
2021
**£**
£
113,083
93,633
44,094
22,705
157,177
116,338
87,974
58,657
1,200
1,140
246,351
176,135
180,404
126,514
65,947
49,621
246,351
176,135
Support
costs
Governance
costs
2021
£
£
£
49,746
-
49,746
229
-
229
1,513
-
1,513
1,729
-
1,729
2,358
-
2,358
838
-
838
2,116
-
2,116
128
-
128
-
1,140
1,140
58,657
1,140
59,797
58,657
1,140
59,797|
|---|---|---|
## **6 Support costs**
Governance costs includes payments to the accountants of £ 1,200 (2021- £ 1,140 ) for independent examination fees.
- 16 -
## **PLATFORM FOR LIFE LIMITED**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022**_
## **7 Trustees**
None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration or benefits from the charity during the year.
## **8 Employees**
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
|**Employment costs**
Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Other pension costs|**2022**
**Number**
7
**2022**
**£**
170,720
10,847
3,608
185,175|**2021**
**Number**
6
**2021**
**£**
133,630
7,007
2,742
143,379|
|---|---|---|
There were no employees whose annual remuneration was more than £60,000.
## **9 Tangible fixed assets**
|**Tangible fixed assets**||
|---|---|
||**Plant and equipment**|
||**£**|
|**Cost**||
|At 1 April 2021|1,144|
|At 31 March 2022|1,144|
|**Depreciation and impairment**||
|At 1 April 2021|724|
|Depreciation charged in the year|229|
|At 31 March 2022|953|
|**Carrying amount**||
|At 31 March 2022|191|
|At 31 March 2021|420|
- 17 -
## **PLATFORM FOR LIFE LIMITED**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022**_
|**10**
**Debtors**
**Amounts falling due within one year:**
Trade debtors
Prepayments and accrued income
**11**
**Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**
Accruals and deferred income|**2022**
**£**
2,041
3,804
5,845
**2022**
**£**
6,502|**2021**
**£**
2,582
631
3,213
**2021**
**£**
4,180|
|---|---|---|
- 18 -
## **PLATFORM FOR LIFE LIMITED**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022**_
## **12 Restricted funds**
The income funds of the charity include restricted funds comprising the following unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust for specific purposes:
|||**Movement in funds**|**Movement in funds**||**Movement in funds**|**Movement in funds**||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Balance at**|**Incoming**|**Resources**|**Balance at**|**Incoming**|**Resources**|**Balance at**|
||**1 April 2020**|**resources**|**expended**|**1 April 2021**|**resources**|**expended**
**31**|**March 2022**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|CRH Charitable Trust - counselling delivery and staff costs in Lache||||||||
|and Blacon|4,905|14,500|(9,997)|9,408|-|(9,408)|-|
|Lloyds Bank Foundation - brand development|13,137|-|(13,137)|-|-|-|-|
|Cheshire Community Foundation - 1000 Days project|-|9,680|(807)|8,873|-|(8,873)|-|
|Cheshire Community Foundation - COVID-19 phase 1|-|3,180|(3,180)|-|-|-|-|
|Cheshire Community Foundation - Cheshire Minds Matter|-|12,000|(4,000)|8,000|-|(8,000)|-|
|SJP Charitable Foundation - counselling delivery for school children at||||||||
|risk of exclusion|4,920|-|-|4,920|4,920|(6,970)|2,870|
|Social Finance Limited|-|18,500|(18,500)|-|-|-|-|
|Cheshire Community Foundation - Improving Outcomes in Deprived||||||||
|Neighbourhoods|-|-|-|-|10,000|(2,500)|7,500|
|Sanctuary Housing - Lache counselling|-|-|-|-|2,500|(2,500)|-|
|The Pixel Fund|-|-|-|-|7,300|(1,216)|6,084|
|DHSC Suicide Prevention Fund|-|-|-|-|26,480|(26,480)|-|
||22,962|57,860|(49,621)|31,201|51,200|(65,947)|16,454|
- 19 -
## **PLATFORM FOR LIFE LIMITED**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022**_
|**13**
**Analysis of net assets between funds**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**2022**
**2022**
**£**
**£**
Fund balances at 31 March
2022 are represented by:
Tangible assets
191
-
Current assets/(liabilities)
156,565
16,454
156,756
16,454|**Total**Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
**2022**
2021
2021
**£**
£
£
191
420
-
173,019
172,614
31,201
173,210
173,034
31,201|Total
2021
£
420
203,815
204,235|
|---|---|---|
## **14 Related party transactions**
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2021 - none) .
- 20 -