March 2026 Minutes of Meeting - AGM – 10[th]
Present : John Wharton, Erica Knight, Emma Pipe, Carole Share, Pauline Wright, Alison Johnson, Loran Carlisle, Scott Ballinger, Bev Todd, Rhoda Wharton. Apologies : Amii Gunn and Karen Nash.
Action
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Recorded names of those present
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Opening Comments – Erica Knight
Erica warmly welcomed everyone to the meeting and and thanked everyone involved for their support during 2025.
3. Management Annual Report - Alison Johnson
We would like to officially welcome Bev back to Phoenix. With Heather leaving last year, we are now working with 6 counsellors who all take on average 4 clients at any one time. This is working well.
Most clients are requesting face-to-face sessions with a few over the phone or online. The number of clients referrals during 2025 was 70 with 45 ending counselling. We currently have 14 on the waiting list. January and February have been very busy with new clients referring to the service. Waiting time on the list is on average 6-8 weeks.
Fundraising
We are grateful to Support Staffordshire, Awards for All, Arnold Clarke, Better Burntwood, Lichfield Council, Schrier Fund, Albert Hunt, Noel Sweeney , all of which have supported us during 2025.
Fundraising remains extremely competitive, with Trusts receiving such a high volume of applications, they don’t have the manpower to process them all. They often close deadlines for applications early due to the high volume, they receive. Our criteria remains difficult to fundraise for, as we are asking for running costs, whereby Trusts like to fund projects or equipment.
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Social Media
Our social media presence is good, with Loran regularly posting, and we are now reaching over 3,000 people. Any ideas for posts would be gratefully received by Loran. ALL Finance Report – John Wharton
The accounts have been prepared, examined and circulated for the AGM 2026. There is an end of year balance of £54,147.71 as compared to 2024 at £36,194.16 The money is held in the Coop bank current account and the Skipton BS as a deposit account. There were 479 client sessions as compared to 2024 at 583, and this provided £6,496., showing an increase of £507 compared to 2024. Average client payment of £13.56 as compared to 2024 at £10.27. Payments to counsellors was £10,360. Income from grants was £31,229, which is a big increase from 2024 of £13,055. The overall cost to Phoenix of a session of counselling which includes counsellor, management, insurance and phone costs was £44 compared to £38 in 2024.
Approximately 30% of the cost of a session is paid by the client, we therefore rely on grant payments to supplement the costs. The UK economic stagnation affects grant giving organisations, but we were fortunate in 2025 with grant applications. All counsellors invoices are paid on the first day of each month.
| 5.. | Future of Phoenix | |
|---|---|---|
| Discussion took place around the possibility of specialist counselling | ||
| to increase our criteria for grant applicatons. To be investgated. | AJ | |
| LC | ||
| 6. | AOB | |
| Flyers to be distributed to everyone to hand out/leave at | ||
| suitable locatons around the area. | AJ | |
| John to speak with Miles Carlisle with a view to taking over the | ||
| Treasurers’ role. | JW | |
| 7. | Date of Next AGM– March 2026 - TBA |
| Phoenix - Accountsyear end Dec 2025 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INCOME | Current acc 202 | Depacc 2025 | current acc202 | 4DepA 20 | 24 | |
| SKIPTON BS | ||||||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |||
| Clientpayments | £6,496.98 | 5,989.31 | ||||
| Donatons-unrestricted | £110.00 | 120.97 | ||||
| HMRC-Gif aid | ||||||
| Grants - restricted | £31,229.00 | 13,055.00 | ||||
| TOTAL | £37,835.98 | 19,165.28 | ||||
| EXPENDITURE | ||||||
| Counsellorpayments | £10,360.00 | £11,177.55 | ||||
| Writeup | £732.36 | £10,549.73 | ||||
| Mobilephone-rental | £135.72 | |||||
| management | £8,879.92 | 353.20 | ||||
| insuraance | £257.77 | |||||
| refunds(wix 619.2) | £619.20 | |||||
| TOTAL | £20,984.97 | £22,194.32 | ||||
| Cashbook balance at start ofyear | £3,189.16 | £33,005.00 | 39,223.20 | |||
| plus receipts since then | £37,835.98 | 19,165.28 | ||||
| lesspayments | £20,984.97 | 22,194.32 | ||||
| Transfers | -£14,000.00 | £14,000.00 | 33,005.00 | |||
| Skipton Interest | £1,102.54 | |||||
| Total | £6,040.17 | £48,107.54 | 3,189.16 | 33005 | ||
| COOP Bank balance at end ofyear | £6,040.17 | 3,189.16 | ||||
| Cashbook balance end ofyear | £6,040.17 | 3,189.16 | ||||
| Transfers to SKIPTON from COOP | £24,000.00 | £38,005.00 | ||||
| Transfers from SKIPTON to COOP | £10,000.00 | £5,000.00 | ||||
| Transfer from JW account to COOP | £1,500.00 | |||||
| Transfer from COOP to JW | £1,500.00 | |||||
JW Jan 2026
Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
Report to the trustees/ members of
Charity Name
On accounts for the year ended Charity no (if any)
Set out on pages
(remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)
Responsibilities and basis of report
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended DD / MM / YYYY .
As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner's statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention (other than that disclosed below *) in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
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accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
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the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
- Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.
Signed:
Date: Name:
Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any):
1
October 2018
IER
Address:
Section B Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .
2
October 2018
IER