Charity No: 1177973 Trustees Annual Report & Financial Statements - _Year 6:_ 1 April 2023 31 March 2024 ## **A letter from the Trustees** Dear friends of RSP and Play Welcome to our sixth Annual Report through which we would like to share the tremendous work carried out this year by RSP and the individuals and organisations we are supported by, in our joint dedication to supporting the wellbeing of children through the power of play. As the intensive period of our pilot play projects came to an end last year we gathered together, reflected on and shared our learnings through a diverse range of platforms, both to raise awareness on the value and right to play for children and to build future sustainable programmes. This year also saw the launch of _The Panels-An Original Advocacy Tool for Play_ , a powerful set of seven paintings co-created with children in South Africa, relaying the life experiences of these children in accessing their right to play. Phase 2 of our collaborative project with MADaboutART was kicked off with young people in South Africa campaigning for their right to play by presenting _The Panels_ to their parents and other community members. In the UK, RSP launched _The Panels_ at the 21[st] National Play Work Conference in Eastbourne, taking the voices of the children in South Africa to play professionals in the UK. ## _**Table of Contents:**_ 01 A LETTER FROM THE TRUSTEES 02-07 ABOUT US 08-27 OUR WORK 28-39 FINANCE & LEGAL 40-41 THANK YOU It has been an incredible journey for us all working closely with young people across all areas of our organisation. Our actions and achievements are greatly influenced by their input. We continue our commitment to including young people in our work, whether through facilitating youth-led programmes, or through providing opportunities and platforms for young people and for their voices to be heard within and outside of RSP. It has also been a year of planning and designing our next project in India, to increase and improve play opportunities and spaces for children in the Rancharda community. Our ongoing communications with teachers from Dhabala Primary School and monitoring visits carried out by our project team member in India have fed into the development of the next project which we are excited to implement in November 2024. Our deepest gratitude to all our supporters, collaborators, volunteers and a special thank you to the young people who have put their hearts and minds into supporting children to access their right to play. Juliette, Meera & Anna RockStone & Pebbles (RSP) Charity No: 1177973 Page 1 ## **RSP Vision, Mission, Values** ## **Our Mission:** Enhance and create spaces that facilitate collaboration, learning, and innovation, and positively impact the lives of children through supporting their right to play. ## **What we do:** At RSP, our work is focused on supporting children’s wellbeing through the power of play. We create and facilitate many kinds of spaces that spark collaboration, learning and innovation, working both directly with children and with other organisations. We also focus on raising awareness and engagement on the importance of and right to play to inspire the communities we work within and other communities around the world to bring more play into children’s lives. ## **Values:** **----- Start of picture text -----**
Our Vision:
**----- End of picture text -----**
A sustainable future created through play, collaboration and shared learnings Collaboration: We believe that sustainable positive change comes from collaborative working and shared learnings. Collaboration sits at the core of our vision and at the heart of our strategy. We invest time and resources into creating nourishing partnerships that have mutually shared goals at their heart, and through which we can build value and achieve greater impact together. Innovation: We encourage creative, experimental efforts and explore local solutions that can be co-created resourcefully, and by thinking outside the box. Transparency: We share information openly and honestly; we learn from our mistakes and reflect on our learnings. Diversity: We honour and embrace people’s fundamental right to be different and unique. Respect: We strive to treat people with consideration and care. _Our values inspire and guide the way we operate and interact with others._ **----- Start of picture text -----**
PLAY MATTER
S
**----- End of picture text -----**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
ABOUT US
**----- End of picture text -----**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Page 3
**----- End of picture text -----**
1 Page 2 ## **Why we focus on Play at RSP** ## **What is Play?** At RSP, we recognise play as any nonpassive activity that a child voluntarily engages in, enjoys and has fun doing. Play can take numerous forms, and can range from free play exploration to structured games, from adult guided to child led. ## **Why Play?** Every child has the right to play. Play is the language of children. It is intrinsically motivated and it is their way of learning about the world. Play sparks creativity, innovation and an interest for learning. Play also contributes greatly to children’s wellbeing and there has been an explosion of scientific research that provides overwhelming evidence of the profound influence of playful experiences in a child’s healthy development. Likewise, there is evidence that correlates the alarming increases in children’s mental health problems over the last 50 years to an increased lack of play opportunities over this period. Children become the adults who shape our future societies and world. The dynamics of play, more than education on its own, are the tools children use to become responsible, compassionate and resilient adults, who are then able to make a positive difference within the societies they live in. At RSP we seek to increase and improve play opportunities and spaces for all children, and break the barriers that stop them from accessing their fundamental right to play. Our overall goal is to support children’s wellbeing, and help them discover and build their natural talents, skills, confidence, capabilities and resilience to reach their highest potential. ## **Play supports children’s wellbeing -** Play makes children feel happy, it supports improved physical and emotional health, and helps children build social and cognitive skills. The power of play can support children to find hope, rise to challenges, and better prepare themselves for the future. ## **Play sparks creativity and innovation -** Play holds the potential to help generate new ideas and sustainable solutions to address the emerging challenges of the future. ## **Play is a Right -** The right to play is enshrined in Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). It is often referred to as ‘ _the children’s forgotten right_ ’ due to the poor recognition of this right in children’s lives. ## **Every child has the right to play - ARTICLE 31 UNCRC** Page 4 Page 5 ## **RSP’s Strategy** We set our organisational strategy to enable us to create and track the change we are seeking to make as defined in our Theory of Change. We focus on four key areas: 1. PLAY SOLUTIONS - continually learning, testing and implementing diverse play solutions to improve children’s overall wellbeing through the power of play. 2. COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS - building value aligned relationships that facilitate learning, the sharing of resources, ideas, opportunities and collaborative projects that seek to meet the aims of all partners. Collaboration drives the way we work and our diverse partnerships around the world have also helped support our overall organisational sustainability. 3. INCLUDING YOUTH VOICES - involving young people, creating different kinds of opportunities and spaces to integrate youth voices into RSP’s programmes and operational management. RSP also uses diverse platforms to share and disseminate young people’s perspectives, opinions and calls for action to wider audiences, to support and facilitate their right to play. 4. SUSTAINABLE ORGANISATION - building an organisation that grows through learning, and is supported by a robust governance structure, dedicated people and partners, diverse income streams and strong operational frameworks that deliver excellent work and make a positive difference in the lives of the people RSP impacts. ## **Theory of Change (ToC)** Our Theory of Change guides our work and explains why we focus on the activities we do: **----- Start of picture text -----**
The CHANGE we are seeking to make:
All children can recognise, access and enjoy
their fundamental right to play
A. Improved & increased
play opportunities and
spaces for children
B. Increased awareness C. Increased civil
& engagement on society capacity and
the importance of impetus to facilitate
and right to play children’s right to play
HOW we believe that change will happen
WHAT WE DO to create the change we are seeking:
A. Play Projects - initiating, implementing, funding
B. Advocacy - positively influencing public opinion
C. Capacity Building - sharing resources, knowledge,
skills & opportunities
Our robust organisational structure and the strong
collaborative partnerships we build facilitate our work
LEARNING & COLLABORATION
EXCELLENCE
&
SUSTAINABILITY
**----- End of picture text -----**
OUR APPROACH & FOUNDATIONS Page 7 OUR WORK The teachers at Dhabala School continued to create play opportunities for children this year. The primary project activities carried out in the first pilot project were focused in Dhabala School, where we transformed the large, exterior space into a dynamic and safe play space with the children. Play opportunities were created for about 100 children in this school and we also took 400 children from three other schools for a play day out to Science City, an indooroutdoor education and entertainment Centre based in the city of Ahmedabad. These activities built engagement Dhabala school children creating a ‘rangoli’ during the Diwali festival and impetus amongst the teachers and the wider community to facilitate more play in children’s lives. This was most evident in Dhabala school where the legacy of a physically transformed play space was left behind and through the ongoing activities carried out. We received many videos this year from the teachers carrying out various play activities with the children, including painting the extension of the wall murals we had created together, using traditional art techniques (for example, rangoli) in celebration of local festivals, dance, yoga, and more. The commitment of the Dhabala school’s teachers and principal to taking on a more play based learning approach came through clearly from their regular messages and updates. Page 10 ## Co-created with children in Knysna, South Africa MADaboutART is one of RSP’s oldest charity partners. It is a charity based in South Africa that supports vulnerable young people using art as a platform for healing, and igniting hope and imagination. Their centre, based in a township near Knysna in South Africa, has been a haven and safe space for thousands of children for over 20 years now. _‘The project brought joy, hope and inspiration to the children, who felt empowered and more confident to use their voices and imagination to create wider positive change._ _It also increased awareness and understanding on the value, importance and right to play amongst children and the wider community; and seemed to create an impetus amongst the adults in the community to facilitate more play in children’s lives’._ - Beatty Jonas (Project facilitator) Taking The Panels out in South Africa A tribute to Beaty Jonas Youth led Advocacy for Play Beaty Jonas. the main Project facilitslor in South Afn'ca. has been at th8 h8art of this project. We are hu9ely gralelul for the passion and dedicabon with which she has, and conts.nues lo oul proiecl aclivitses. and the wealth of experience and expertise she brings with her. Bealty joined MAD as a project participant wh8n she was 13 years old and 20 years later, she is now the manager at the MAD centre Her personal journey is an inspiration and il Is an honour and privilege lo have her on the team. Following on trom Phase 1 01 our collaborab've project with MADaboutART and the incredible resu￿$ that emefged from that (reported above and in last year's annual report in detsill. RSP prowsed and initiated Phase 2 of this profrecl this year. We have kept in line ￿th our way of worknng - co-creats.ng projects that MAD will Implement in country, supported by finanual, media, and MEL ImonrtoriThJ. evaluation and learning) support from RSP. Both organisations are committed lo making Phase 2 youth led. wilh a locus on advocacy activities developed and implemented by the children and young people who ¢(￿ated The Panels. The aim is lo take The Panels out into their communibes to advocate for their right to play and build awareness on th8 importanc8 of and right lo play. Arn￿rf￿n9 youth voices & building a oynmunlty of play champions Pttase 2 kicked off in December 2023 ￿th a gffjup of brave young people 8dvocaling lor their right lo play lo their parents and ¥wder comrnunily al an event organised at the MAD centre. For some of these young people it was the firsl time they had presenled demands to their parents or oiher adults. a moment of empowemienl that also gave them Ihe impetus to take this project forward. She is commrtted to Ihis project. whith has also taken her on 8 personal Journey of discovery around the value and power ol play. Beaty says that she was hardly able lo play as a child bul she is making up for it nowl She facililales the discussions amongst the young people who she refer5 to a5 the 'iNJard ol directors ol this Pfojecll This year she wa5 also 1115tTumentsl In leading the srt-in al the local playgrouT)d to support the children's call lo action lo re-open their playground. Thank you Beatty and we greauy bok forward lo conbnue worknng together. Young peoF4e atKyJt to afvocate for they right to Flay to Iher cfjmmunty IDecember 20231 Cross organisational collaboration and leaming The success of this Pfojecl was the resuli of a tnjsl bas8d and value aligned relath￿shIP, buili over several year5. Shanng knowledge, skills, insighls and opportunities openly with each other. and really tskn'ng the b'me to understand each other s needs. set the foundabon for this highly valuable and value adding partnership. Fll 15 ## **Taking** _**The Panels**_ **out in the UK** RSP attended 14 workshop sessions run by different play professionals and experts Learning from play experts and advocates directly ## **The 21[st] National Play Work Conference** It was inspiring and humbling to be recipients of the vast array of expertise and experience shared by passionate professionals doing some phenomenal work in the play space. RSP launched _The Panels_ in the UK at the 21[st] National Play Work Conference in Eastbourne, UK in March 2024. The conference was a great opportunity for RSP to meet people in the play sector and learn more about play. It was also an honour and privilege to be invited to present our work here. The workshops ranged greatly in scope and context. There were those supporting vulnerable children to process trauma in crisis situations through the power of play; others working to integrate play into education and healthcare systems, and the prison sector; academics studying the impact of play on the brain; play workers sharing the value of risky play for children’s development; and so much more. Introducing _An Original Advocacy Tool for Play_ to over 150 play professionals Delivering creative Advocacy Solutions to facilitate more play in children’s lives The RSP team attended different workshop sessions, and collated and shared what we learnt with each other. We brought the voices of the children from the township in South Africa, to play experts in the UK through the seven panels that capture the views and play experiences of these children. They were displayed across the two day conference attended by about 150 play professionals and advocates. Trustees of RSP, with our young volunteer, presented the work of RSP Amplifying Youth Voices & including Young People in RSP RSP’s young (and oldest standing!) volunteer, Trishna Patel, supported us with the design and delivery of the presentation in her current RSP role as Strategic Collaborator. Connecting and collaborating in the play sector Expanding Networks ## The two days at the conference allowed us to connect with people and organisations also working towards improving play opportunities and spaces for **----- Start of picture text -----**
Trishna Patel, Young Volunteer
Page 12
Establishing
RSP in the
play sector !
**----- End of picture text -----**
children. Being able to connect face to face in this environment helped us build and make new relationships, and meet our wider aims for increased collaboration. For example, a play educator and author we met at the conference visited South Africa and was taken on a guided tour through the MAD centre (where the Panels were created) by the project facilitator. **----- Start of picture text -----**
Page 16
**----- End of picture text -----**
Raising awareness on the value of and right to play 'Charity of the Year, Award Global Online Conference In February 2024. RSP received Ihe 'Ch8rity ol the Year. award from The Rotary Club of the North Downs. RSP has been collaborating with Jhe Ro18ry Club of the North Downs in Kent. UK since 2017. before RSP was even sel upl Supporting one another's charrtable purposes and aims In different ways has added great value lo Charrt￿$. In May 2023. RSP delNered a presentation on The Gift of Play to The atemal Gift Economy Movement. an estsblished inlemalional forum focused on making positsve soclal change on a global scale. Strengthening rdationships Presenting 'The Gift of Play, to a global movement of people striving for a more equitable wodd It was an honour to be invited to present RSP'S work lo this global cornmunily of Incredibl8 people. We had the opportunity lo deliver a presentabon on the Importance and valu8 of play in children's lives and lo connect with and create impetus lo facilitate more play in children s lives amongsl experienced and passionate chan9e makers around the worfd. Bulbdlng awar￿. engagement & impetus to f8C41it8te more play In children's lives Presenb'ng RSP'S work and discussing the value of play A VI￿nderful b.ffle was had by all as w6 sharèd th6 vkl80s of thè divèrsè ay work RSP has carried out. Including capturing and presenting back lo the Rotanans the experiences and views on play they had previously shar8d ¥￿th us Isee the Mdeo on our RSP YouTvbe channelll Receiwng the 'charity of the year. award Connecting and Collaborating We were proud to lake our young volunteer wlh us lo receive this prestigious award. with a generous donation of £400, to RSP. A big thank you to the dub lor their ongoing supp)rt! Ir￿lUdIng Youth in RSP Bulldlng value alh3ned relatlonshlps The invTtalion came from founder. Genevieve Vaughan. after we shared the videos of the ￿aY project we carried out in India la51 year. A big thank you to Gen for all her supporL including her generous donation through her family Irusl. The fid&s Foundalion. Receiving our first Institutional funding, Building flnandal sustainabilty Thi5 conference connected us lo our first grant maker, The rides Foundation. Thank you from RSP and th8 children lo The rides Foundation for supporb'ng our project in Indial rnaternalgiftecor￿rnyrn0Wer￿enI org Photo belo￿ Cgll&Loi8.'199 In 20181 THE GIFT OF PLA {* Ihewesenlatw 18 ## **Involving Young People in RSP** We are committed to involving young people in RSP’s day to day operations and programmes, and providing rich personal and professional development opportunities that benefit youth and at the same time support RSP’s organisational development. In this way, we also hope to encourage active citizenship and youth empowerment. ## First RSP Internship completed! RSP piloted the _Creating Change Makers Internship Programme_ last year. The first participant of the programme, 21 year old university student, Sachi , completed her internship this year in June 2023. This intensive programme supported our objectives to provide rich professional development opportunities to youth, and simultaneously build organisational capacity. (To read more about this, please refer to last year’s Annual Report 5). ## Young volunteers Two young volunteers continue to support and add value to RSP. Trishna , a young professional, also our longest standing volunteer who has been with RSP since the start, continued to support RSP in her new role as Strategic Collaborator this year. She attended monthly, strategy focused meetings with RSP trustees, contributing to the overall strategy and direction of the organisation. She was also a critical part of our delivery team at The Play Conference (covered earlier). Siyona , a recent high school graduate and RSP’s youngest volunteer, continues to use her creative and artistic skills to support RSP. This year she created two original art pieces for RSP, from photographs taken from our first India project (see pages 6 & 20). She also joined us in receiving the charity of the year award from The Rotary Club (covered earlier). ## Amplifying and Disseminating Youth Voices Where there is capacity and capability, being child-led is the soul of our programme work. Phase 2 of our South Africa project is the ideal example of this coming to life as the young people in the township of Knysna start developing and implementing diverse projects that involve them advocating for their right to play. In all cases, we strive to create spaces where young people can freely and without judgement express themselves, through play or in other ways. We have seen that with the right facilitation and input powerful tools, like _The Panels - An Original Advocacy Tool for Play_ , can emerge and most importantly lead to youth empowerment and improved confidence and wellbeing. Children at MADaboutART painting the _Rainbow of Hope_ Painting by young volunteer, Siyona Page 21 Page 20 ## **Building Organisational Sustainability** ## Robust strategies and frameworks We continue to set, monitor and adapt organisational strategies, and build strong supporting operational frameworks to support all areas of our work. ## Strong collaborative partnerships We had the opportunity to connect and collaborate with a diverse range of people and organisations this year. Collaboration drives the way we work and has contributed to positioning RSP as a stronger and more sustainable organisation. Our collaborative partnerships have helped us deliver rich and impactful programmes that speak to our aims in different ways. Together we have been able to make a greater positive impact in more communities and children’s lives than we could alone. ## Investing in people and organisational capacity building This year we invested in engaging a communications expert to support us in two key areas: (1) Raising awareness and engagement on the importance of and right to play. (2) Bringing clarity to, and building the visibility of RSP. As always, we also spent time strengthening governance and operational structures, and reviewing and adapting our strategies based on learnings and data collected through previous projects. ## Growing supporter base - Partners - Volunteers - Donors - Social Media Followers - Thank you from RSP & the children we work with. Your - support makes a big difference. ## Financial sustainability We continued to grow our income and diversify our income streams this year. - Received our first Institutional Grant - Set up cash donation boxes - Created awareness raising merchandise. We had _The Panels_ presented earlier in this report printed on quality cotton tote bags that were cost effectively sourced by the communications expert we engaged this year. - Our regular donor base continues to steadily grow and 30 regular donors now provide RSP with stability and the ability to plan ahead through donating a regular amount of income to RSP every month. - Our collaborative partnerships enable us to carry out projects in a value adding and cost effective way that contributes to our financial sustainability. In summary, our financial strategy allows us to plan ahead and operate with a reasonable amount of security and without the risk of becoming dependent on one donor. We will continue building financial stability in RSP to enable us to continue bringing more play in children’s lives around the world. RSP Trustees (with tote bags) and RSP Volunteer Page 22 Page 23 **Year 6 SUMMARY Year 6 Objectives: April 2023-March 2024** **Year 6 Snapshot** ## **Year 6 - Objectives that were set:** 1. Assimilate and analyse information and data gathered from the pilot play projects and share learnings with partners for the purpose of developing future sustainable programmes together. 2. Develop and launch the Panel Play Programme as an original advocacy tool and methodology. Trial its application through projects in South Africa and the UK. 3. Integrate youth voices and create collaborative opportunities for youth participation in RSP. 4. Raise awareness and engagement on the importance of the right to play within established forums, platforms and grassroots initiatives, using a diverse range of mediums and activities. 5. Continue building RSP’s organisational capacity, growth and excellence through investing resources in this area. ## **Summary of Year 6 Achievements:** - Planning and initiating next phases of the pilot projects that were carried out last year (year 5) in South Africa and India. In South Africa, Phase 2 of the project kicked off (p.14). In India, monitoring visits, feedback from teachers and assimilating learnings from the first project helped us build more impetus in the community and to develop and design the next project, which we plan to implement in November 2024 (p.10-11). - Launching and sharing _The Panels - An Original Advocacy Tool for_ Play, co-created with the children in South Africa, both in South Africa and the UK (p.12-17). - Encouraging active citizenship and skills building through creating and providing opportunities to young people to participate in RSP (p.20-21). - Raising awareness and engagement on the importance of and right to play through presenting RSP’s work across different platforms, which also provided collaboration opportunities with new stakeholders working within and outside the play space (p.16-19) - Continuing to develop and strengthen our operational and governance frameworks (p.22-23). This also included raising a large amount of income and investing in people to support organisational capacity building (detailed in the next section). This year we launched _The Panels - An Original Advocacy Tool for Play_ , kick started Phase 2 of our collaborative youth-led project with MADaboutART in South Africa, developed the project plan and design for the next project in India, explored diverse play solutions, collaborated with existing and new stakeholders, included young people in RSP, and continued growing a sustainable organisation.This year also involved a lot of new learnings, assimilating learnings from last year’s pilot projects and planning the next phases of these projects. We met the annual objectives we had set for the year (listed on the left page) and we were able to meet key organisational strategic aims (summarised below). ## Building opportunities and spaces for children to play Building awareness, engagement and impetus to facilitate more play in children’s lives amongst adults Connecting and Including collaborating Building and with diverse organisational amplifying people and sustainability youth voices organisations Page 24 Page 25 ## **Year 7 OBJECTIVES** (April 2024 - March 2025) 1. Youth led advocacy using _The Panels - An Original Advocacy Tool for Play_ Continuing the second phase of our youth led collaborative project with MADaboutART in South Africa. The young people who participated in the creation of _The Panels_ , will take on a leadership role in determining, planning and executing two projects using _The Panels_ in different contexts to advocate for their right to play. 2. Create more opportunities and spaces for children to play in the Rancharda community in Gujarat, India Implement the second play project, in the Rancharda community in Gujarat, India where the first pilot project was carried out in 2023. Expand the work to the wider cluster of public schools in this community to: (i) Enhance and create more spaces and opportunities for children to play. (ii) Build engagement and impetus amongst teachers and other adults to facilitate more play in children’s lives. (iii) Explore solutions to build programme sustainability within this community. 3. Explore collaborative opportunities to raise awareness and advocate for the right to play using and sharing _The Panels_ with other people and organisations Find ways to: (i) Use _The Panels_ to raise awareness on the importance of and right to play. (ii) Share _The Panels_ with people and organisations working to improve play opportunities and spaces for children. (iii) Use _The Panels_ to facilitate advocacy initiatives. ## 4. Explore ways to continue including youth in RSP (i) Continue working closely with our young volunteers. (ii) Find new ways to centre children and young people’s voices through our programmes. (iii) Scope ways to include more young people in RSP. (iv) Distil learnings from our _Creating Change Makers Internship_ pilot programme and plan future iterations. ## 5. Continue building RSP organisational capacity (I) Find ways to involve more people to support in RSP, including growing our volunteers and wider supporter base. (ii) Maintain financial sustainability and raise a minimum of £6,000 this year. (iii) Strengthen governance and operational structures. Page 26 3 FINANCE & LEGAL Page 3 Page 28 ## **FINANCIAL OVERVIEW** ## **Income and Expenditure** |The large increase in
income this year
refects a generous
major donation of
£5,000 which has been
restricted to project
activities in India as per
the donor’s wishes||This year
2024|Last year
2023| |---|---|---|---| ||Total Income|13,356|8,792| ||Total Expenditure|-7,603|-8,019| ||**Net Income**|**5,753**|**773**| Expenditure increases in the last 2 years are in line with the new organisational strategy that was launched last year. In our first 4 years, we focused on learning and building organisational foundations and strong partnerships. This second strategy phase is about putting those learnings to use and investing funds in developing and implementing play projects and building organisational capacity, as reflected in the finances. ## **Reserves (or Charity Funds)** Reserves are funds accumulated over the years (charity savings) held to be used in the future in furtherance of our stated charitable purposes. RSP’s reserves position as at 31st March 2024 is as follows: ## **TOTAL RESERVES - £33,576** **Unrestricted Reserves - £27,326 Restricted Reserves** - **£6,250** _Funds available for the charity to use These are funds that carry donor imposed restrictions_ **Designated Reserves FREE RESERVES £21,197 £6,129** **Total Reserves** - A total reserves balance of £33,576 is held as at 31st March 2024, made up of: - Restricted Funds of £6,250 . These funds have been restricted to the India Project planned for November 2024 as per the donor’s wishes. - Unrestricted Funds of £27,326 . These funds include: - _Designated Funds_ of £21,197 . These funds have been earmarked for defined and committed activities and projects planned within the current organisational strategy period, and expected to be expended over the next two years. Designating funds in advance supports RSP to plan ahead and build programme and organisational sustainability in the long term. - _Free Reserves_ of £6,129 - these are the part of the charity’s unrestricted funds that remain as freely available to spend on any of the charity’s purposes and are set in line with our Reserves Policy. **Our Reserves Policy** is to hold free reserves of about £6,000 (unchanged from last year). These reserves are held: - For unexpected management and governance costs - To mitigate organisational risks - For investments in value adding opportunities Page 30 Page 31 **RSP INCOME INSIGHTS:** **RSP EXPENDITURE INSIGHTS:** ## **Year 6 - Income Overview (2023-2024):** ## **All Time Income Overview (2019-2024):** ## **Year 6 - Expenditure Overview (2023-2024):** **Total Expenditure £7,603 Programmes Expenditure Breakdown £6,170:** Page 32 Page 33 **FINANCIAL STATEMENTS** ## **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (SOFA)** _for the year ended 31 March 2024_ * Restatement of 2023 accounts due to £927 income mis-recognised last year |**_Six Year Summary:_**|_2024_|_2023_|_2022_|_2021_|_2020_|_2019_| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Total Income|13,356|8,792|8,305|8,542|5,563|8,170| |Total Expenditure|-7,603|-8,019|-2,345|-461|-680|-45| |**Net Income**|**5,753**|**1,699**|**5,960**|**8,081**|**4,883 **|**8,125**| |Page 34||||||| ## **BALANCE SHEET** _as at 31 March 2024_ |**_Six Year Summary:_**|_2024_|_2023_|_2022_|_2021_|_2020_|_2019_| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |**Total Charity Funds**|**33,576**|**27,823**|**27,050**|**21,090**|**13,009**|**8,125**| |Page 35||||||| **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS** ## **ACCOUNTING POLICIES** **Note 1 : Total Income** - Total income in year 6 was **£13,356** , which includes a £5,000 major donation and £927 grant income restricted to activities carried out in India, the remaining raised through a diverse range of fundraising activities. (See p.32 for more details) **Note 2 : Organisational expenditure -** Total charitable expenditure was **£7,603** of which £261 was restricted to the Pilot Play Project in India. Support costs are allocated directly within charitable activities. _Trustee remunerations:_ Cost of trustees fulflling their governance duties - £12 meeting costs (2023-£140). Trustees received no remuneration for professional services provided. Out-of-pocket expenses were reimbursed to trustees as follows : 2 Trustees were reimbursed a total of £327.87 for costs related to 21st Annual Play Conference expenses, such as travel costs and project materials. (In 2023, £882 on Pilot Play Project Implementation Activities) A trustee waived additional costs valued at £168 in the year (related to IT & printing costs). A trustee and volunteer donated a total of £134.59 allowable expenses to the charity. The Trustees neither received nor waived any emoluments during the year (2023 – £Nil). **Note 3: Fixed Asset -** IT equipment, computer bought in year 4, at a cost of £1,499, less annual depreciation of £300 / year, resulting in a net asset value of £599 this year. **Note 4: Debtors** - The total debtors balance this year is £2,047 made up of Gift aid accrual claimable for year 6 income. **Note 5: Creditors** - The total creditors balance this year is £1,800, made up of: (i) Funds payable to MADaboutART of £1,500 for Phase 2 of the Right to Play project. (ii) Fee for awareness raising activities of £300 to Communications Manager. **Note 6: Charity funds (reserves)** - A total reserves balance of £33,576 is held as at 31st March 2024, made up of £21,197 designated funds, £6,129 free reserves and £6,250 restricted funds (see p.31 for more details). **a. Statutory information -** RockStone & Pebbles (RSP) is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Further details are given in the ‘Reference & Administrative Details’ section. **b. Basis of preparation -** The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with 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 2015) - (Charities SORP FRS 102), and the Charities Act 2022. The financial statements have been prepared to give a ‘true and fair’ view. **c. Public benefit entity -** The charity is a public benefit entity. The ‘RSP Public Benefit Statement’ in the section above demonstrates how RSP meets the definition of a public benefit entity. **d. Going concern -** The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue as a going concern. **e. Income -** Income is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and that the amount can be measured reliably. **f. Tax reclaims on donations -** Gift Aid received is included in income when there is a valid declaration from the donor. Any Gift Aid amount recovered on a donation is considered to be part of that gift and is treated as an addition to the same fund as the initial donation unless the donor or the terms of the appeal have specified otherwise. **g. Donations of gifts, services and facilities -** In accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102), volunteer time is not recognised in the Financial Statements as the value cannot be reliably measured. Refer to the Notes to the Accounts and the Trustees Annual Report for information on volunteer contributions. **h. Staff costs -** There have been no employees who received employee benefits of more than £60,000. The average head count (number of staff employed, not volunteered) was equivalent to 0.06 of 1 FTE. **i. Fund accounting -** Fund accounting principles have been applied, separating restricted and unrestricted funds, and unrestricted funds further into designated and free reserves (see pg. 41). **j. Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT -** Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified under: � Costs of raising funds relate to the costs incurred by the charity in inducing third parties to make voluntary contributions to it, as well as the cost of any activities with a fundraising purpose. � Charitable activities includes the running costs undertaken to further the purposes of the charity and direct costs of charitable activities undertaken. Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred. **k. Cash at bank and in hand -** Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition. **l. Tangible fixed assets -** Items of equipment are capitalised where the purchase price exceeds £500. Depreciation costs are allocated to activities on the basis of the use of the related assets in those activities and is calculated on a straight-line basis. **m. Debtors -** Debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due. **n. Creditors and provisions -** Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. **o. Collaboration policy -** aims to share resources, such as expertise, volunteer contributions and funds, between organisations and individuals, to build sustainable partnerships and programmes, all guided by project plans and memorandums of understandings between parties. Page 36 Page 37 ## **Reference & Administrative Details** Charity Name: RockStone & Pebbles (RSP) Charity Registration Number: 1177973 Charity Registration Date: 16 April 2018 Registered Offce: 8 Cyclamen Road, Kent BR8 8HJ Trustees: Juliette Liebi, Meera Patel, Anna Petruccelli ## **Structure, Governance & Management** **Governing document -** The charity was established and set up as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) on 16 April 2018. It is governed by its constitution which sets out the objectives and powers of this CIO. **Recruitment & Appointment of new trustees -** The constitution stipulates a minimum of two trustees, there is no maximum number of trustees that must be appointed. Apart from the founding charity trustees, every trustee must be appointed by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees. Trustees will be recruited on the basis of the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO. **Management -** The founders, Juliette Liebi and Meera Patel, who are also trustees, manage the operations and activities of the charity on a voluntary basis.They are supported in RSP’s governance by a third trustee, Anna Petruccelli. RSP is also supported by volunteers and partners in areas of management and the implementation of programmes. **Risk Management -** The trustees have a Risk Management framework in place to identify and review the risks the charity is exposed to and they ensure that appropriate mitigation plans are in place to safeguard the organisation and the people impacted through and involved in the work of RSP. ## **RSP Charitable Purposes for Public Benefit** RSP’s charitable objects are as summarised below: (i) The prevention or relief of poverty anywhere in the world - At RSP we do this through supporting vulnerable children to access their fundamental, human right to play as enshrined in Article31 UNCRC(United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child). (Ii) To promote the effciency and effectiveness of other initiatives working towards objectives similar to (i) above - We adopt a deeply collaborative approach, find synergies, share skills, knowledge, resources and opportunities with value aligned organisations and initiatives to support one another in meeting our shared aims and grow stronger together. **RSP Public Benefit Statement -** RSP purposes satisfy the public benefit requirements, in line with the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit. There has been no harm or private benefits arising from carrying out these purposes. RSP provided public benefit this year by positively impacting the lives of vulnerable children across the world; and by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of RSP and other non profit organisations and initiatives through partnering on programmes and sharing skills, knowledge and expertise with each other. ## **Trustees’ Statement of Responsibility** The trustees of RockStone & Pebbles (RSP) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the Annual Accounts in accordance with applicable law - Charities SORP (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2022 – which give a true and fair view of the charity’s activities. In preparing the financial statements, the trustees must: - Select and consistently apply suitable accounting policies; - Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP (FRS102); - Make reasonable and prudent judgements and estimates; - Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless inappropriate to presume the charity will continue in operation. The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records and for safeguarding the assets of the charity by maintaining robust internal controls to mitigate the risk of fraud, error and other irregularities. The trustees accept and carry out these responsibilities. ## **Approval of Trustees Annual Report** The Trustees’ Annual Report has been approved and signed by all the trustees of the charity, RockStone & Pebbles, on 01 November 2024: **----- Start of picture text -----**
Juliette Liebi Meera Patel Anna Petruccelli
Trustee & co-founder Trustee & co-founder Page 9 Trustee since 2020
**----- End of picture text -----**
Page 38 ## **THANK YOU…** Deepest gratitude to our **RSP community** putting in their hearts, minds and resources to support the children we work for. A total of **187 days** of concerted time was committed directly to RSP activities (234 days in 2023), not including the time that individuals who supported our joint activities spent through our collaborative partnerships and projects. This year RSP was supported by **11 volunteers** , including the Trustees, who contributed a total of **160 days** in various areas of the organisation. We were also able to pay for services provided by **2 members** , who over **27 days** contributed to various areas of the organisation, predominantly in raising awareness of our work and the benefits and right to play. Thanks to the **2 organisations** , North Downs Rotary Club and Tides Foundation who contributed a total of **£1,326.** To our **30 committed regular donors** , who together diligently contribute around **£300 every month** to support our activities. To the **many conscientious individuals and organisations** that collaborate with us, seeking opportunities, finding innovative ways of working, sharing resources and skills and supporting one another through the journey of reaching our shared aims for the betterment of our children’s lives. And finally, to the **100’s of children and young people** we work with, who continuously amaze, inspire and challenge us. We thank you for not only advocating for yourselves but being driven to share and empower your peers and other children in the world on their rights too, and especially their **right to play** ! Our dearest aunt **Pushpa** _**foi**_ , who passed away at 90 years old, a champion and inspiration for us all, dedicating her life to the betterment of herself and society. She contributed to various charitable initiatives throughout her life and inspired by our work with the children in Gujarat she generously donated £5,000 to RSP requesting that her donation be spent on our next project in India. In Loving Memory of Pushpaben Patel ## - 20.04.1933 25.10.2023 May this beautiful and generous soul rest in peace Page 40 Page 41 ## Huge thank you to Niketa Fazal for sponsoring her paintings to RSP for 6 years now! ## _**Easy ways to support RSP:**_ - **Easyfundraising.org.uk** you shop and brands donate to our cause for free! Sign up, choose _RockStone & Pebbles_ as your cause and continue shopping as normal whilst making a difference without paying a penny! **Share your time and knowledge** - contribute your unique talents and expertise to RSP. **Connect us** - with people and organisations who are aligned with our cause and want to facilitate play in children’s lives. **Be a play champion** - spread the word that #playmatters, play is every child’s human right and it makes a positive difference in children’s lives. Share useful information & resources on play with us. See and share our resources through our social media and YouTube channel; and try out some play ideas yourself! **Set up a direct debit to RSP** - help us receive commission free funds. A small regular donation of £3-£5 / month makes a big difference and helps us build organisational sustainability and plan ahead. _Bank A/C: RockStone & Pebbles Sort Code: 23-05-80 Account Number: 29219257_ _Live overseas?…In a hurry?…You can click and make a one-off, monthly or annual donation through this Paypal QR code_ Charity No: 1177973 Trustees Annual Report & Financial Statements - _Year 6:_ 1 April 2023 31 March 2024 THE PANELS- An Original Advocacy Tool for Play Co-created with children and young people in South Africa In 2021, neady 1(K) children and young people who live In a township near Knysna. South Africa. started attending a series of 32 workshops. over a one year period, focused on Iheir Tight to play. A Collaborative Play Project.. Rockstone & Pebbles They expressed their frustrations. hopes, opinions. and experiences around play. and how this connected to their wider wodd and future. RSP The panels p￿sented in this b(x)klet emerged from this process and were cO-C￿ated with the children who attended the workshops and artists in South Africa. The result was seven vibrant and energetic art panels, through which the children's ideas and energies pop off the art. MADaboutART The panels lell the story of the barriers the children face to playing, their exploration of the righl to play, Ihe value and joy of playing for them. and end on a call for the freedom to play. Imake Dilfererce The panels will live on as an original tool for advocacy for the right to play. and are now replicated in this bwklet. The children and young people in Soulh Africa will continue advocating for their Tight to play using The Panels. Making play a reality in children's lives RSP & MAD will continue a long temi collaboration to take the voices of the children out to the wodd. through different projects and initiatives, to advocate for all children's right to play. RSP & MAD ￿ both UK ￿gISte￿d charities who have been collal)oTrting for seve￿1 years now to support the well being of children through play and art. MAD OPe￿teS th￿Ugh their centre in the township of Knysna and our collaborative projects are run through their centre with the children who live in that community. **T H E P A N E L** **P R O G R A M M E** ## AN ORIGINAL ADVOCACY FOR PLAY ## **PANEL 1: BARRIERS TO PLAY** This is the first panel of the series and also the first of the three initial panels that depict the barriers the children identified they face when trying to access their right to play. The children identified four primary barriers to their play - Tradition & Culture, ‘Stranger Danger’, School, and Parents. These are presented on this panel as dark, ominous figures looming over the lives of the children. The musical notes are of a dark and low tempo, fencing the children in within this space. The genders are separated by the colours red and green in the first 3 panels. **T H E** **P A N E L** **P R O G R A M M E** ## AN ORIGINAL ADVOCACY FOR PLAY ## **PANEL 2: LOST YEARS OF PLAY - COVID** This second panel focuses on a specific barrier that was imposed upon the children, and the rest of the world, outside anyone’s control. The children spoke a lot about this period, what they referred to as their ‘lost years’. The grotesque and horrific images on this panel attempt to portray the intensity of the experience, the trauma experienced by the children and the “collective sadness” that they experienced and expressed, post Covid, during the workshops. Time is warped and an amplified Covid virus piercing the lives of children dominates this panel. Other children are locked in cages or standing in the long food lines – representing the extended food programme that MADaboutART ran during this time. For many of the children, the only meal of the day they receive is from the MAD centre; but during and post Covid, as the situation worsened, MAD was also trying to support the needs of the wider community that was suffering. The musical notes are sparse and remain dark. **T H E** **P A N E L** **P R O G R A M M E** ## AN ORIGINAL ADVOCACY FOR PLAY ## **PANEL 3: WHEN PLAY IS RESTRICTED** This is the last of the three panels depicting the ‘Barriers to Play’. The larger whispering figures in the panel represent the cultural and traditional norms being imposed upon the children, and the ideas that are being pushed into their minds, which are creating divisions and discrimination. Differences arising from gender, race, sexuality, physical ability, religion, body size, and so on, can be seen highlighted in this panel. The result of this intangible barrier is a chaotic and divided world that the children are being forced to navigate through and which is restricting their play. The bottom wording plays with the English and Afrikaans language and is also a reference to the pressures on children not to play with children from ‘foreign’ nations. (‘Nasie’ in Afrikaans means nation or land, and ‘Diskriminasie’ means ‘Discrimination’). The music is still fencing the children in, even around the small available playground space where although they are playing freely they remain surrounded by “whispers” of bigotry and discontent. **T H E** **P A N E L** **P R O G R A M M E** ## AN ORIGINAL ADVOCACY FOR PLAY ## **PANEL 4: PLAY IS A RIGHT** The fourth panel is a representation of the children’s discovery and exploration of rights, and specifically Article31 of the UNCRC* that enshrines their Right to Play. The barriers start to unlock, especially the intangible barrier of discrimination, that was previously stopping the children from playing with each other. The workshops on rights were the most complex part of the project, but also a lightbulb moment for the children. As they debated, discussed, role-played, acted, sang, danced together they also really started communicating with each other. And as they grappled with and unravelled the concept of rights, they started recognising and breaking down their own discriminations. This panel brings hope and light as divisions started morphing into friendships and inquiry. For example, the genders are no longer separated and defined as binary colours, instead the children are shining as bright, diverse individuals and engaging with each other positively and with joy. The musical notes get lighter and no longer fence the children in. *United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) **T H E P A N E L** **P R O G R A M M E** ## AN ORIGINAL ADVOCACY FOR PLAY ## **PANEL 5: THE VALUE OF PLAY** The panels continue to lighten and become more joyous as the value of play is extracted by the children. In discussion, one of the children said that 'play gives my brain wings', which inspired the theme of this panel. The children spoke a lot about the importance of play in their lives. As they got to know each other, play together, and talk about their play experiences they started considering the value of play in their own lives. Through drama and role-play workshops they acted out arguing and presenting this point to their parents and other adults in the community. In this way, they were also consciously extracting the benefits of play whilst building their advocacy skills. The words, which fly freely on the upbeat musical notes on this panel, come from the children, reflecting their shared experiences when they play. **T H E P A N E L** **P R O G R A M M E** ## AN ORIGINAL ADVOCACY FOR PLAY ## **PANEL 6: PLAY** ## **- A PATH TO WELLBEING** This penultimate panel depicts the joy and diversity of play. Activities that the children recognised as play or playful are included on this panel and represent the diverse ways that children play, whether in the playground, in nature, playing sports, or board games, cards, yoga, gardening, hugging a tree or anything else that the children consider play! In this symphony of play, the musical notes are upbeat and available for the children to integrate into their play, whether as loose parts, balls or other pieces. **T H E** **P A N E L** **P R O G R A M M E** ## AN ORIGINAL ADVOCACY FOR PLAY **PANEL 7: CALL TO ACTION** _from the children at MADaboutART_ This is the last panel of the series, the “Call to Action” developed by the children of MADaboutART in Knysna, South Africa. The children previously had had access to a playground but this was shut down during Covid and remains so to date. One of the key demands of the children was therefore a call out to the local government to re-open their playground. They are also calling out to other adults in their community to understand the importance of play in their lives and provide them with more opportunities and spaces to play. This panel also demonstrates the children’s empowerment through this journey which led them to present these panels to their parents and local community members, advocating for their right to play. Watch out for the next phase of this project – which will see these children using these panels in different ways to advocate for their right to play!