2024-12-31-accounts

grow IMPACT REPORT 2024 Inspiring hope and unlocking polenlial in young people Ihrough nature riiiiDs•IYHA 4t

CONTENTS Updat• Irom ￿ CEO UPDATE FROM OUR CEO 2024 was an exciti￿ year Grow. As alway& our incredlAe stsff and volunieer6 dedicaied ihemsdyes io Worki￿ wilh some of Sheifiekl's most Inspiraiional 16-24 year old& fve saKI this many limes Ixhfore t￿1... change a￿1 personal d¢wek)pnKni is hardwork a￿1 tskes bravery. I'm continually inspired by the wtsitive ¢1￿•Ce$ and steps our young ￿PIe make in pursuing a (ulfdlu￿ and rich future. Chfyf ol TntstMs Aaron'i story Si•vrt cattt￿. CEO Wolk&T Here are a couple of sthnd￿i moments from 2024: pined forces with some green organisations to cn?te opwKtunilies for Lwr )wng people. This initiaiive has been a huge success a￿1 an exciling leap forwanl 12-15 AknnTh Coteh The Gnr• Farn In 2024. we t(K)k full stewardship of the Grow Farni. our muhi-purpose gr(￿'n 5paii'. having shared the sitc ihe preVi(￿S )'rar. Watching this (￿(dOOr k.arniTrg space evth'e inlo a thera￿tic. PrOd￿liVe. and ed￿allonal environn￿n[ has been inspiring. It tnty is a beautiful ￿ to spend lime. GIOW Foffli & Pottry Sh•d hot's rxl 2024 wasnl wi¢h(w( challen&t& As nuny of>w are aware. the chari¢y seaor faced intense pressrn Al Gmw. this significanty imwed ow operatio￿ We h ¢0 navitale diifKuli decisio￿ (hink crtaiivety. arnl M)rk even harder (o sqay alloai amid ec<M￿l¢ uncfflainiy. While ihe road ahead remains iw8th. I'm det￿Y graidul io our team for their resilience and detern)ination lo ensure Grow's youth development work ¢￿tInUeS lo ihrive in Sheffld a￿1 IyoThL G•t iThh•d 21

WHO IS GROW? OUR PURPOSE Grow is a youth develOpn￿nt chariiy supporting16-24 year olds in Sheffield. We use a blcnd of naiure-based activities and t￿ra[￿lIC coaching as a i(x)I lo improve young ￿)ple'S mental aThl physKal health, foster community connectio and 1xx￿l skill& In doing so. we aim to @ve young ￿>Ple the t(x)Is. experie￿e. and confidence tly need (o overcome barrier5 and succeed long ternL 987, 0 2 years 29.2¥0 Young people aged 16-24 M'ere noi in work. education. or training (NEYD between Oct and Dec 2024 Sheffield's young people face Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) waiting times of up to IOS weeks of16-17-year-olds in she￿ield are vulnerable to becoming not in work. education, or training (NEED Our approach Nature is ai the heart of our with its prO￿n therapeutic benefits helping to ease menial health ￿ruggleS like dcwcssion. anxleiy and stress. Whether il s I-l(￿1 coathing sessions outdoor% mindlul walks ihrough grecn spKc& or hands-on horticultural actiyilies ai our (irow F3rn1. naiure plays a vitsl role. of UK adults agree being close to nature improves their mo(Kl say it helps them cope with stress Through natur¢.based woFcts and therawtic co*hin& irainees devek4) essential skills like leamwork. problem sdvin& c(xnmunicaIio￿ and resdlence. emp)wering them to thrive a￿1 unlock their full pJ¢cntial. NHS could save by Presen￿iDg time in nature £635m r prOgraft￿ are desY￿￿ io fo￿tr holistic aNI rOIx￿ gromh by f<wing on Employment Wellbeing Social connection Inwre knpe & unlock potenttsl Our mission: Insplring hope and unlocking poiential in young people through nature Our visio ' Grow will be a regional charity of multiple hulis. delivering transforniational nature based progrdmmes for young people Soci these a￿a5 are deepty inierlinked, aThl challenges in one can have a ryple effert

CHAIR OF TRUSTEES AARON'S STORY IA)oking back over the years since Grow was established, 2$ 2024 can be characterised as a year of consolidation and maiuriiy. A year where vision, values. culture. sysiems and personnel were iested and found to be strong and robust. A year that. despite the challenges. saw increased numbers of young people referred. more attending the various Grow programmes. ever improving outcomes. especially in wellbeing and social connectivity. and developing plans for future expansion and sustainability. Background: The path to Grow Bef¢xe pin1￿ Grow. Aaron attended Choices College ¢forTh￿y PrrFrt Choicel which supports eMp￿￿￿ent for YOU￿ adults with kwnirf disabiliiie& Thffe. he gaine(I work experience through fvments at a charity warchousc. Ihc English In￿lI￿(C of s￿rt. and Green Esuie. where he leanKd atM)ui Grow. Jokn CIKwr of Tnffjh Aaron h￿1 a dear vision for his future - he wanicd to securr paid work lo xhicvt his long-ienn goal of travelling aNI ex￿orIng ihe The y￿CcesSful year is due in no small part to ihe anwing commilment. dedicat￿ and skll of ihe icam. led by our founder and CEO Steven Cotton. we apwoach 2025. Sieven has decided ihc limc is right lo move on a￿1 for the charity lo apw)inl a new le￿er lo build on the strong foundations ihat have been established. We owe him a massive debt of gratilude for his in5piralional leadership over che yeaT5 as we to appoinl a Succe￿ to lake G inio its exciling next chamer. My thanks. as ah'a)s to My fdlow trnslces for ihelr oulstanding M)rk in SUPFX)rting ihe team. ￿ving selllessty of their lime. energy and exwtise lo help so many young peopk in need. To arnazing funders partners and supp)rter5: we exleNI our IKbartfelt thanks. We simply could have done ihis wiihout you. We look fonvard to all thai 2025 has in x(Ke. Experiencing the Grow Programme Initialty unsure about what to ex[￿ from Ihe Grow Programme. Aaron began his purnry with some hesitsi1￿. Ilowever. as he altcnded thc fNe week programmc. he quickly sdtkd into a rh￿hm. eagerness to learn. Despite finding social siluations chalknging. Aaron has slN)wn Self-aWarene￿ recognising the vitsl rde S￿la1 skills play in ihe workplact and C(Nllinues io make ￿ogresS in ihis are& 66 l actually enpyed it - I didn't think I was going to. 99 Securing employment Recognising ihc honicullure skills he deVek)P￿ whilst at Grow and his desire to w(Kk widoors. Aaron pursued roles with dlfferent green empk)yers. F(Ah)Wi￿ a rigorous interview with Sheffield City C(￿ne11. he is ased io secure a full-lime role with (he gr(￿ndS mainlenancc teanL Aaron looks foTh?rd io furthering his aciical skius and the cha￿e lo work various siies acro￿ ihe cily. Taking prt in the wogrdmn's activities made Aaron fed prixlucqive. Afier five week& he had ihe OP￿)rtunItY lo interview for one of seven paKI Grow Gardener5 placemen Thanks to his ￿reful preparation and ￿rOng inleryiew. Aaron secured a spo¢ in the next Grow Gardeners placement Aaron'$ 10 week plxtmeni paired him with Green Esute. a social enierprise wilh • mi&wn to gr(hv green. resilien¢ urt￿n plxes (or peqAe and nature to thrive. Duri￿ this time. he worked at vJri(xts green sit Ixkling a Wmle rdnge d horticuliurdl. mainlcnancc arnl dcvekyneni tssks whlle ￿en￿￿ratIng naiural curi0si¢y aThl Securing paid employment marks a pivotal for h￿Ul￿g perlon owth while bringing him closer to fulfilling his dream of exploring the worl With detennin•tion •nd focus driving hlm f¢)rw•rd. A•ron'• journey is jurt beginnin&

WALK & TALK Walk & Talk is a walking coaching programme for young people aged 16~ 24. Most of the young people who participate experience mental ill-health and often have additional disabilities or challenge& Concludlng programme About Walk & Talk As Grow conlinues to evdve. we are f(Kusing our cncrgy on our nalure-based (kn the wogramme. peo art paired wilh a Iraincd Th￿nIor. wlx> Likes a coaching apwoach when thry meet for up to e¥ht Sessio￿ lor a reguknr walk I￿ri these walks ihe y{￿n8 Pers(￿ discusses their currenl silualion. a4xration& a￿1 challenges. Together. ikn work out acix)nablc stcps io help ihc YOUTE person rnovc forward in life. This coukl include successfulty enteri￿ or staving in educalion. gaining ihe cOnf￿enCe to p￿Y for training or a and experiuKi increasd well1￿Ing and red￿ed feelings of isolaiiorL 63% 14% 83 Grow Farni. The farni provKles a spxe where Y￿n8 ￿PIe can work al0￿Ide hers as a group. building ￿)cIal connections aNI a shared serfje or purpose. Wc believe this approach crcatcs the Most lasiing impxt in iheir livc& With this in MI￿1. 2024 marked the conclusion of Ivalk & Talk. This shift allows us to sirenyhcn our core work. ensuring we can create even richer opwuniiies for Y(￿n8 people and volunteers to coiinect in ningful way& h•ur• of Walk & Talk sessiors delivered in wdlb•lng Programme impact A(klitional io the al￿e impart. a key highlight of Walk & Talk has been wiinessing ihe trnnSfOrn￿1Iye effert menlorin& Intr(MluciTrg dedicated volunteer5 to ￿￿le who were struggling swifKanity and seei rirsthand the wsiiive change this sUPw￿l ran bring has been incredibly Volunteers The Walk & Talk programme was led by r dedicated bolunteer& In 2024. 32 volun(eers cornpleied six hour training wogramrne. brin￿￿ remarkabk passion a￿1 patIe￿e to supwxt the )￿ng people thry mentor. 11*ir cixnmiiment has been truly inspiri￿. We deeply value the skills and eX￿rienCeS our volunleers have brouKhi io Walk & Talk and are sincerely grateful for their genen)siiy and lime. t￿ring ihe year. 83 Walk & Talk sessions t(K)k ￿ace provHJiiw i-dluable LVdLliiiig and for )V)u￿ peopk. .-1 found I could really open up and.feel comfortable when - on the walks. I connected welL. 'th Sol anBlhe made me feel heaEd and understood. 'rfd talking easier when 'walkllig so the prograinine worked well for me! . yalka Ta!k.mentee 99

71 port•¢¢POt•d in ¢ompl•ied ir)¢r•os• in ¢t¢rThent opportunilies for YOU￿ people. This We will also inctKpxate n*)re conlent based arwml rwe ￿ork readiness. skills wh￿h i￿1 communicatKin. team work aNI Profess￿81 behav￿r. To aid l-to-l co%hing convtrsations and foster a Po￿(14t (wthKJk in irairn we will use 66 En￿)Yed getting to know the staff and programme people. Getting out to of the house and doing gardening. Getting different types of plants and garden more efficiently. insprc amlxtion arnl em￿rage fomrd-thinking 99

GROW GARDENERS In light of I￿ )tar's hioty challe￿Ing furKlraising dlmaie. we had to make adiustmcnls to our Grow Gardeners programme delivery to ensure the continued success and susLiinabilily ol Grow. Fr(xn summer 2024. we irJnsiiioned from a clieni gardeni servm led Tr￿de1 to an emplo>rr partnership The inforniati(m presented ab￿l Grow Gardeners . spkn't into thc Iwo aP￿0￿heS on pages 12-13 and 14-1& Grow Gardeners: Client gardening services model This 16 week paid work ment mmme supprted 16.24 Y￿ olds who faced barriers to empty￿￿t. education or traini These fures relaie to the dieni gardening services model: We employed our Irainees on a part-time basis and maintained almosl 50 client gardens xross she[r￿1. With guidance from trained Team irade￿ il Irainees gained wical IM￿lcUltUre skills and received one.to-one menioring. This wogramme provKled them with invaluable real.life work 1344 h¢yJr• ol 9ord•nlry eoryl?tod connection& and cultiyaied essential efflthax'lily skil 14 eonW•i•d mointoin•d s￿ff￿d 66 I feel like il's brought me a bit out of my comfort zone. It's helped a loi with my home life - my routine's got a lot better; I'm sleeping a lot beiier, I'm looking forward to getting up now in Ihe morning and it's helped take a lot of stuff off my mind. in¢f•05• in gard•nlry b•n•fi••d •S8f O f ET oulcorn• 113 % gqvdw* 100 % 99

GROW GARDENERS Grow Gardeners: Employer partnership model rewhew Fwihway5 to meaninKlul (Trirte& 10 week& are paircd hith kKal 8Yccn cmi40)Tf5 lo twikl ihcir prof¢￿￿￿1 skilb and ￿w£¥k% AkxWi(k Ihcse menl& tly conlthnue their ￿S{)￿l de%rlopff￿ thr(x¥h gnwp XKI tsilqKed l.ttrls on the Gn)w Farni. cnsurir￿ a wdl.r(wndcdFwrTY iow4.ard sustsinablc emfvni. In 2025. ￿ V4 continue to thlThKMld. rec(yiziry its role in f0￿cTi￿ fina￿1￿ Sustslna￿Y wl c¢mpl&t•d i)rnw 735 olw& Employer partners 26% io% ificr•os• In Incroose In MARA LAWN 8 GARDEN io0% io0% b•Mfit•d uld i￿orr￿nd Ive chose to partnerlth'thow becal￿thr mlsslon allgns dosety ￿th our values of empowern)ent through nature and skill development. Grov/s commitment to helping young people overcome barriers and build confKlence through nature-based experiences resonates deepty with u& as we see first- hand the transfornutive power of working with plants and cultivating green • spaces. -Vpr There are very few other safe environmenL The farn) is a very S￿la1 place to work and spend time and the team have the best intentions and want to help you succeed. - Pra¢t - All) of Mara(l Lawn & Garden WIP4y? Grow Gardeners Iralnee IP*)

ALUMNI CATCH UPS 66 It's got me in a better mindset that I was six months ago in many ways. I'm more posilive atx)ut the future again and wanting to do more stuff. Grow CArdeners trainee As part of our thmni crfxnmunity supM we organise monthty Catch Up even￿ These gaiheriry offer past and prescnt Grow trdinces a safe spxe to connect s(K￿lty a￿1 ￿rengt￿n dKir IxxKI& 99 In 2024, we IM￿ed 10 C4t¢h Up cYent% welCon￿n8 27 yMng people. Thcsc gaihcrings offered a range eXperIe￿e5. induding coached tenni& pyrography. interactive game& and utilising our Grow Fann (or events like knfire nrfhL tataki zome Ilower printin& al fresco dinners and more. txweloplng 3 ihrivlng alumnl communiiy has been fantastic. hiih aciive participation from staff. volunteers current iraincc& and alumni al our Caich Up cvcnt& We regularty entage with our aumni to gather feedback on future activities tly'd like to explore and identify areas for improvemenL 66 What benefits me when coming to the Catch Ups is that li gets me out of the house and meet new people and reconnect with friends and what l enpy is Ihe fun activiiies. the free food and the kind people. Ci•r4n . Grow alumni 99 Co-Production r Co.Production gr(wp offets a ￿allom) for past and preseni irainees io share iheir ￿e3S and influence the devekwent of Grow. We aim io place young Peop￿ and iheir &￿1ve$ al core d our w(vK involving them in kry acti￿leS s￿h as inierview panels training Sessio￿ thtnt planning and participaiion. and shaping the cL)ntent of (x

GROW FARM The Grow Farni nwl¢i"wry)ose green spxe. olfering a safe and we1conu￿ envirnnment for Ihcrapeulic coxhiw naturr enpgcmcni and a atforni for developing 1￿•Cu￿UraI skills thro4h tdoor learning a￿1Ville& While it yimarity SUPWIS naturc-bascd Fyogrammcs. il also sen'es as a vibrant venue for alumni Catch Up event& ￿)lunteerIng OPW￿￿nI(ies. a￿1 more. I￿ring 2024. (￿r fwst ycar of full stewardship of the Grow Farni. (wr dedicated ieam led signifKant transfOrn)atKm￿ completing kry proFtts that enharThl the farn)'s infr3Struciure. pr(rflurtivity. and beauly. This indu(knl: . Con￿n￿lOn of a large potyiunnel . Wildlife pornl and garden deYek)W￿( Drainage for nalural IkKxI management Compost ba)s hiih rain*'aier collealon Creation of beds for edimentsl plants (those thai are Ixxh edth and oman￿n￿l) . Estsblishmcnt of herb￿￿ plani pr￿1￿cli0n beds and a soft fruit garden . De￿lOpment of a fore￿ garden area to 66 li's been greai io see ihe transforn￿[lon of ihe Grow Farn) thr(￿ghOul 2024. With ihe help of many hands we￿e been able io develop differeni spaces within the farm that work io serye differeni purlxws. We￿e encouraged in wildlife. created beauty and produced a tKMntiful harvest. all whilst working towards our d￿rily mission io support ihe young people of Sheff￿ld. Vicky Westall - Farm Manager i£1 99 Potting Shed (kn M￿r0 plant mirsery has been an excdknt slM)wcase for Gro￿$ and a wO￿lerful way io share (￿r Ixbautiful plants with ihe communily. ks we focus on developing our Grow F¥rni. wekn temyarity paused this venlure. t￿l we're excited to explore fresh wrtunilies to share our produce later In 202&

-br 'ljll WHAT'S NEXT GET INVOLVED 2025 is io be an eXdii￿ ￿ar Grow. We'r¢ f¢xusiry on three kry areas as we look al￿ Be part rf styn¢thing irnly Impartfd - hdp us rnak¢ a real difference in the lives of you peopv. Whe￿￿r y(w re an individual. a funder. or a Ixtsiness. there are so many ways to get Quality and impAcL' We remain committed io enhancing the quality of our programmes and ensuring the systems supporting our work are simple and sustainable. goal is for every Grokn" irdinee io have a posilive li(c-iransfLYming experience. and our exceoional coaching tram coniinue to achieve meaNngful impart thro￿ our nature-based approach. Whether it's a one-off or a rtgular Contributio￿ Every d￿￿tK>fi. big or small, adds up to make an incredible difference. a ￿$1￿cSS thr￿gh financial coniribuiions io help us continue our vitsl ￿>T Pil•X explor•tiots Ivek been expkwing ihe possibiliiy of expansion for a coupk of years now. 2025 is the year we will iurn li inio a reality. wilh plans f(Y one Iposslty ￿0) pikni programrneJ on the IKKizon. We're thrilled to embark on this inspiringpurnry. Offer Wah￿ble work experi (or our Irainces and also coniribu w a positive social c￿tting invofved in our exciting tvenls throughoui ihe ycar and connea h'iih our grokn'ing communily. New CEO: Ai ihe end of2024. &even C(xion ann(wnced it was time for him io pass the baion. -Ilamng founded Grow in 2018. li s len an inttedible journey ￿￿TchIng the or￿nIs￿li0n Jlwrish. ￿￿￿ing olonyside amazing colleagues. aNI being inswred by Shellield's eMraordinary J*)ung peopl& I'm ready Jor m) next odKnlur< and Grow is ready Jor Jresh le4Mlership in ihe CEO role.- Forge a corporate partnershlp with us to boost )Y)ur Iwsinc￿'S &mpad. re￿[all0n. and emplo>tt engagemen( wh51e beTrefitirf ihe community. Volunieer your lime and skill$ to dlredty support our mlssSon aNI crrale la￿lThg change. We look forward io Inirodudrf new CEO In C￿r$c. We hope youk enNryed learnlng abwi our work thIP￿ in 2024. To firml out more. ￿ll growuknrg

y/ Inspirin8 hope and vnlocking potential In young people through nature growuk.org OIH JZI Clurty 117XkJS oo grow

Grow UK

Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31st December ber 2024

			£	£	£	£
Income	Note		Total	Unrestd	Resricted		2023
Grow Gardeners			20550	20550			40158
Potting Shed			5957	5957			9669
Donations			15118	15118			15015
Grants			257478	53000	204478		273870
Events			6367	6367			9066
Room hire			2099	2099			1905
HMRC employment payment and gift aid			6357	6357			722
Training sallaries subsidy			20879	20879			29223
Sundry income			1089	1089
			335894	131416	204478		379628
Expenditure
Alumni monitoring expenses			564	564			1942
Salaries and pensions		5	298366	73793	224573		276935
Grow gardeners direct expenses		6	16447	16447			27028
Farming project (formerly potting shed)		7	10054	10054			27028
Walk and talk expenses			683	683			3134
Cost of events			1447	1447			755
Rent			14490	14490			8304
Telephone and internet			2027	2027			965
Website and marketing			6951	6951			2525
Office expenses			4334	4334			3523
Travel			2211	2211			1209
Training			3869	3869			3223
Staff health scheme			1019	1019			507
Sundry expenses			1644	1644			2450
Bank charges			956	956			748
Depreciation			1657	1657			1573
			366719	142146	224573		350285
Net (deficit)/surplus for year			-30825	-10730	-20095		29343

Grow UK

Balance Sheet
31st December 2024
	Note				2024			2023
				£			£
Fixed Assets		2			3531			2033
Current Assets
Stock						300
Debtors			978			19675
Cash at bank			120411			79659
Cash at hand			197			126
			121586			99760
Current Liabilities
Deferred income			109035			50028
Creditors and accruals			0			4453
			109035			54481
					12551			45279
					16082			47312
Financed by
Unrestricted reserves					16082			27216
Restricted reserves					0			20096
					16082			47312
Approved by the board of trustees
25th June 2025

Grow UK

Notes to the Accounts 31st December 2024

1 Accounting policies

Basis of preparation-the accounts have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities Statement of Recommendended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Reporting Standard applicable ie in the UK and Republic of Ireland FRS102

Depreciation is provided on tangible fixed assets estimated to write the assets off over their useful lives, Office fixtures and fittings 25%, Grow Gardeners tools 33%, Potting shed and farm equipment 20%, Website and laptops 50%

The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme

2 Fixed assets

Cost 1st Jan 24 Additions Depreciation 1st Jan 24 Charge for year Net book value	Office fixtures Potting shed and farm equipment 1739 3280 3155 1739 6435 1017 1968 370 1287 1387 3255 352 3180

All other assets were fully depreciated at the start of the year

3 Going concern

The trustees are concerned to report a deficit for the year under review but have achieved funding sufficient to trade solvently for the immediate future and consequently the accounts have been prepared on a going concern basis

4 Continuing operations

During 2024 the Grow Gardeners trading was outsourced while the Potting Shed was transferred to a farming project in a spacious purpose built area

5 Salaries and pensions

2024

2023

Grow gardeners Farming project (previously Potting shed) Walk and talk Grow Programme Alumni Core costs 6 Grow Gardeners Training Plants Protective clothing Vehicle leasing Vehicle running expenses Consumable tools and other costs Salaries	81996 19168 6744 29801 7000 153657 298366 1341 1299 8670 4345 792 16447 81996 98443	120253 11554 17824 35275 92029
		276935
		1977 2454 2123 8410 4079 7985
		27028 120253
		147281

7 Farming project (formerly Potting shed)

Plants Plant hire costs Rent Tools and equipment Other costs Salaries	4220 10938 1151 1156 3207 2833 755 537 721 10054 15464 19168 11154 29222 26618

Chwlty no IIT1035 nder $145 dthe 2011 Aci •nd In c•rrylr¥ wt my•Um￿ I hwe thIA lorn) and content of xtounts s•tout Inthe Ch•rllks 25thJwbe 2015 JotFlJ Lov ELL 28￿ 20?