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2022-03-31-accounts

Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statement 2021-22

Contents

Page Number
Foreword 3
Legal and Administrative Information 4
About Us & Mission 5
Aims & Objectives 6-7
Core Values 8
Diversity & Inclusion 9-10
Play Sessions 11-12
Forest School 13
Toy Loaning 14
Parenting Support 15-16
Partnership Work 17
Community Hub & Events 18-20
Volunteering 21
Independent Examiners Report 22
Financial Statement and Activities 23-29

Foreword

The start of the financial year was uncertain with Covid-19 restrictions still in place. Fortunately, we made it through thanks to generous financial support from the London Borough of Waltham Forest’s Hardship and Growth Fund and our loyal membership championing us all the way.

Sadly, we lost our campaign to save Walthamstow Toy Library’s Comely Bank venue. NHS Property Services came to our rescue and offered us a temporary home (until September 2023) at the Hurst Road Health Centre and financial support through their Social Prescribing Fund. The venue is incredible with so much potential, we realised how we’d outgrown the old space and that there’s room for growth in our new home.

Due to the pandemic, renovations and our move to Langthorne Park Pavilion was put on hold. We finally got the keys in June and to much excitement locally we opened the Leytonstone Toy Library and Play Centre in July.

Our Director, Helen Crockford received a place on the prestigious School for Social Entrepreneurs Scale Up Programme. This is the third programme that she has participated in. The opportunity came at a crucial time, with the move to bigger premises and opening a new venue in the borough.

In October 2021 we hired our first Operations Manager to support the Director and the team to scale up services. This has been an important development for the Toy Library and has resulted in an increase revenue generation.

For the 2022/23 financial year we will continue to look for a Walthamstow home, develop our traded income streams and build a sensory play space for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities at the Hurst Road site.

Noella Gooden, Chair of Trustees

Legal and Administrative Information

Company Address: Comely Bank Community Clinic 46 Ravenswood Road Walthamstow E17 9LY (until October 2021)

Trustees:

Noella Gooden (Chair) Read Baurtally (Treasurer) Natalie Sleigh (Secretary) Kate Boyle

Hurst Road Health Centre 36a Hurst Road

Walthamstow E17 3BL

Registered Charity Number: 1178098 Company Number: CEO13905

Accounts prepared by: chromatic books

The aims of Walthamstow Toy Library and Play Centre as set out in our constitution are to enhance the development and education of children primarily under statutory school age About Us & by encouraging parents to understand and provide for the needs of their child through community groups and by: Mission

Our mission is to provide safe, stimulating places for young children and their parents and carers to play, learn and interact.

Aims & Objectives

Seven aims underpin our mission:

Support

Promote

Reduce

Encourage

Enable

Provide

Represent

To meet the aims our work is based around the following objectives:

Provide a friendly, welcoming and safe environment

Run high-quality, structured play sessions led by experienced play workers, based around the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum

Make available a diverse range of toys for play and learning, providing play ideas for families to use at home

Support, promote and deliver health and well-being initiatives

Maximise access to our services, especially among those on a low income

Work with schools, colleges, Waltham Forest Business Education Partnership to provide volunteering opportunities

Work in partnership with other organisations, both locally and nationally, to promote our aims

Involve our members in evaluating, improving and running our services

Core values

The Toy Library adheres to its values by providing services that are:

Diversity and Inclusion

Our borough is one of the most diverse areas in the country. An estimated 53% of residents are from a minority ethnic background and this is reflected in our membership. Excluding White British the top five nationalities are; Romanian, Polish, Black British, Black Caribbean and Pakistani.

Waltham Forest is currently ranked 82nd most deprived borough nationally according to the 2019 Index of Multiple Deprivation (an improvement from 35th in 2015, and 15th in 2010 edition). Waltham Forest now ranks 12[th] most deprived London borough - an improvement from 7[th] in 2015. Waltham Forest has a younger than average population with 24.5 per cent of residents being aged 0 to 19 compared to 23 per cent in London and 23 per cent nationally.

The Toy Library continues to provide universal play sessions and toy loaning to families, not just from Waltham Forest, but further afield. We strive to assist families in financial need by providing free annual membership (usual cost is £12) and reduced play sessions fees at £1 for the first child and 50p for additional children (usual cost £5 for the first child and £2.50 for additional children). We don’t want finance to be a barrier to anyone and are happy to support families who have no recourse to public funds of who are struggling financially. We offer free membership and a block of six free play sessions. Once the six sessions have been attended, we review and offer more or ask them to pay what they can afford.

We are grateful to the Virgin Media O2 Together Fund and Neighbourly and Tesco Bags of Help for supporting this work. At the end of 31[st] March 2022, 2146 families were registered with us. 20% of members received free membership.

Play Sessions

The Covid-19 pandemic has been incredibly hard for young families. Many new parents have not had the opportunity to meet and socialise with other parents; and babies and toddlers have missed out on learning and development opportunities. The early years is a crucial time for new families when lifelong friendships and those important support networks are formed. Our research has shown that for families on low income, it’s been even harder as they don’t have the resources to buy in services.

We reopened for play again on the 12[th] April and saw how desperate families were for social interaction and connections. Due to government restrictions, play sessions were run at a smaller than usual capacity, allowing only 15 adults (not including staff or under 5s) to attend. Much time and resources were put into ensuring that activities were Covid safe for staff, volunteers and members. To avoid disappointment (families turning up and there not being space), we set up an online booking system with local provider Ticketlab.

It wasn’t until mid-May with the easing of lockdown that we were able to increase the number of adults and children in attendance. With the summer months in front of us and families free to use our outside space, we were able to operate under our new ‘normal’.

At the Walthamstow Toy Library, we ran 376 play sessions, with a footfall of 6565 children.

At the Leytonstone Toy Library, we ran 288 sessions, with a footfall of 3744 children.

Our case studies demonstrate how important our sessions are for the whole family.

T, a single mother, lives in an upstairs onebedroom flat which is managed by a housing provider. There have been a number of issues with her accommodation. Addicts break into the block of flats to take drugs in the stairwell, they also rummage through the communal bins leaving rubbish strewn all over the street and urinate and defecate around the flats. Her block has a mouse infestation. “The Leytonstone Toy Library has been a second home for me and my son, I feel more secure at the play sessions than being in my flat”.

“Coming to the Walthamstow Toy Library helped me to not go mad”. M says that the benefits to her mental health indirectly helped her to bond with her children. “At home there are a lot of distractions and chores. The quality of time is sparse and sporadic. Carving out time is challenging. It helps to have a dedicated space where the other stuff does not exist, where I can be available.”

“It’s great stimulation for my son and get’s me out of the house. It’s interesting to see kids who are older and hear other parent’s stories”.

Forest School

In our 2021 annual survey beneficiaries told us they wanted Forest School activities.

A Magic Little Grant enabled us to run a four-week course in Langthorne Park for 12 families.

The course was facilitated by a Level 3 practitioner with support from a member of the Toy Library team.

We wanted our Forest School to be affordable and provided subsidised spaces for low-income families. Our focus was on minibeasts and protecting the local environment, at the end of the course we built a bug hotel for the park.

“I was looking into Forest Schools, but they were too expensive. As a single parent, I went from being low income to no income. I loved the ethos of your Forest School; it enabled my daughter and I to participate”.

This is an area of work that we would like to develop further, with staff training and collecting resources to run outdoor activities.

Toy Loaning

We are the only toy library in Waltham Forest. At both sites we have a variety of toys and equipment which can be borrowed for two weeks at a time. This service is available to all our members, community groups and local businesses.

In the reporting period, 164 families borrowed toys from the Leytonstone Toy Library. At the Walthamstow Toy Library 634 families borrowed toys, with 25% borrowing 5 or more times. 38 families borrowed 10 or more times throughout the year.

In 2020/21 we generated £7440 in toy loaning income. In 2021/22 we saw a 33% increase in income to £11079. Our move to Hurst Road with a dedicated toy loaning room has made it easier for families to pop in throughout the week and browse what we have on offer.

“It is so brilliant to be able to try out new toys. I love that as soon as the kids get a bit bored, we can get something new. It’s great knowing that if they aren't a success it doesn't matter, I can return them. It is so much better for the environment”.

We have continued to run our mobile toy loaning service for large items and big orders.

Parenting Support

Thanks to the generosity of our local community, we are able to provide free books and clothes for all families to take.

“ Our ethos with books is, keep it if you like it, give it to a friend, put it in a Little Free Library or bring it back and get more. We want to encourage home learning and language and communication skills which books provide”. Helen Crockford, Director

For families in need, we can quickly source any equipment they might need and have regularly supported 10 families throughout the year.

“Coming to play sessions has given me confidence. It has definitely helped with my parenting skills. Any questions that I have about eating habits, sleeping, teeth, I will ask the team. They are really good and support me”.

Parents have been supported with a variety of issues. If the team can’t answer questions or provide support, we sign post to other organisations who can help.

Single parenting Sleep
Raising bi-lingual children Skin conditions
Home learning - activity ideas Food Bank – referred 5 families
Behaviour – hitting, biting, tantrums, crying,
routines		 Parent feeling overwhelmed
Nutrition – healthy eating, breastfeeding Childcare – where to look for
nurseries/childminders, what to ask, 2 year old
funded places
Oral health and teething Other activities – museums, city farm, library,
forest walks
Potty training Screen time
Adult learning Speech and Language
Returning to work Waltham Forest Hardship grant for low income
families – referred 5 families

Partnership Work

We partnered with specialist organisations to provide a variety of activities which supported both education and health and wellbeing outcomes.

Kids Kitchen - monthly cooking sessions at Leytonstone Toy Library. Families learnt to cook nutritious meals on a budget.

Groundswell Arts - Dancing Together classes at the Walthamstow and Leytonstone Toy Library. The mother and baby class gave women a chance to connect with other mothers whilst spending quality time with their baby. Each week the facilitator focused on a body part that suffers strain during early motherhood. Activities during the toddler class helped children develop fine and gross motor skills whilst adults got a chance to gently exercise.

Soundcastle – weekly creative family music making at the Leytonstone Toy Library.

Chit Chat Pitter Pat - weekly storytelling sessions at the Walthamstow and Leytonstone Toy Library. Run by the borough’s early years specialists, it supported children’s language and communication and taught parents about the benefits of reading to their children.

Author Natalie Newman did a reading of her book ‘Lark the Shark’ during National Ocean Week. A positive message about litter pollution.

Community Hub and Events

These activities are vital, they help us to generate an income to meet and sustain our charitable aims and objectives.

Birthday parties

The Toy Library remains a popular venue for party hire. It can be hired on Saturdays and Sundays for birthday parties, christenings and naming ceremonies. The space is hired for 3 hours and a member of toy library staff is on site to assist with setting/packing up and cleaning the premises. We have introduced a new toy loaning package where families can hire additional toys.

In this financial year there were 107 parties: 78 in Walthamstow and 29 in Leytonstone.

Venue hire

We continue to make our space available to a number of providers and community groups whose ethos reflects our own. We have changed our pricing structure, so it is affordable (£15p/h) for community groups who are offering free, reduced fees or donation only classes. At our Leytonstone site the Probation Service’s Community Payback Team, use the room for free. In return they help maintain Langthorne Park.

Walthamstow:

Tiny Time Music with Anita The Health Works – Antenatal Hypnobirthing Class Daisy First Aid Breathe Beside Me Yoga Tiny Talk – baby signing Magic Box – storytelling Hartbeeps – music and movement Forest Philharmonic Orchestra – rehearsal space Body People – fitness classes

Leytonstone:

The Man Den – board games for boys and men Langthorne Youth Club – with Worth Unlimited and Peabody Armchair Aerobics for the over 50s

Boxing with Saf – youth and women’s boxing Baby Yoga

Idea Space – film making workshops for young people La Leche League – breastfeeding support group Community Business Forum – LBWF

Phonics and Maths with Robot Reg

Childminders drop in – weekly session run by LBWF MPV Media – youth mentoring Movers and Shakers – music Daisy First Aid

A Mother’s Voice – radio play and workshop on climate change

Events

With the uncertainty around Covid-19 restrictions and moving premises we decided not to run big fundraising events at our Walthamstow site.

In Leytonstone we took part in the following:

In all of the events that we organise or partake in, there is a focus on bringing people together, combating isolation and building community. We ensure that our activities are fun, sustainable and enable family learning. We also use these events and activities to fundraise and promote our services to a wider audience.

Volunteering

We continue to offer volunteering opportunities to the local community and students. A special mention to Lucy Pearce for looking after the Walthamstow garden. Anna Pakskte for supporting with memberships and finance. Chris Eyre for creating a beautiful video for the Leytonstone Toy Library and volunteers from the Good Gym (pictured) for the endless cleaning!

“Students who carried out work experience at Walthamstow Toy Library and Play Centre have commented on how friendly and supportive the staff are. From day one, each understood what was expected of them. They felt motivated to carry out the routine tasks because of the positive and cheery atmosphere they encountered. They felt part of a team which made them feel valued. For the first time they came to the realisation that there is a world of work and opportunity out there that is very different to school and college. After each of their block placements they returned to college with a more confident and mature approach to their studies – Verity Kelly, Leyton Sixth Form College

“It helped my teamwork and communicating skills” – Nusrat

“I learnt how a Health and Social Care setting is run and how serious hygiene is” – Farah

“I learnt how to interact with children and was more able to understand them” – Maryam

•

Independent examlnerfs report to the Trustees of Walthamstow Toy Llbrary and Play Centre I report to the trustees on tny examinafion of the accounts of Walthamstow Toy Library and Play Centre I'the Charity'l for the year ended 31 March 2022. Responsibilities and ba515 of report As the charity's trLlStees, you are reswnsible foi the preparation of the accounts in 3ctord3nte with the requirements of thÈ Charities Art 20111~the Atri. I report in re5pert of my examination of the Trust'5 accounts iarried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination. I have followed all the applicable Dlrections givÈn by the Charity Commlssion under sertlon 14515llbl of the Att. Independent examinerfs statement I liave c-UlTlI)leled Illy f xaTTiiiialiuii. I confirm that no m3terial matters have comè to my attention in COnt￿tion with the examination which 8ives me cause to believe that in, anv materi31 respe£t'. the atcounting records were not kept in accordance with settion 130 of the (harities Act," or the accounts did not accord with the 3ccountinB records. or the accounts did not cornply with the appl¢cable requirement5 ioncernin8 the fofrn and iontent of 3ClOUnt5 set out in the Charitie5 (Account5 and Report51 Regulations 2008 other than any requirementthat the accounts give a 'true and fairf view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other matter5 in connertion with the ex3mination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be re3ched. Name." W3qas Hussain ACCA Address.. 10 Knebworth Avenue, Walthamstow. London. E17 5AJ Oate.. 2011212022 Signed..

Walthamstow To Libra and Pla Centre CIO Statement of Flnanclal Actlvlty Account Y•ar End 31st March 2022 Restrlcted Total Unroslrl¢tsd In¢om¢ fund$ funds funds 2022 Total fund$ 2021 Notes Incomlng resources th)nats'ons and legacies 10,387 58,420 68,807 72,568 Charitable activili8s 107 830 118217 176 637 Resources expended Raising funds 196 196 1,814 Charitsble activiti&s 82.112 52,828 134.940 70.076 Other Total 138 378 Net movement In funds forth& yoar 32,668 5,592 38,259 14,815 Total funds at 1 st April 2021 Total funds at 31st March 2022 106,614 5,393 112,006 73,746 The notes form part of the accounts

Wallham51ow To and Pla Centre CIO Statemnt of Flnanclal Positlorb Account Year End 318t March 2022 Restrlcted Incomp fvnds Totsl funth UnrestrlGt•d lunds Total fund# Notes 2022 2021 Tanglble 8ssets Current as••ts Debtors 2.594 3,094 3,fA14 Cash al bank and in hand 138 056 140.650 Credilcrs.. amounts falling due within one y88r Not current aisetsllllabllltle•l 126.977 16,035 110,942 71,017 128041 1120 Ac¢umulat•d fund 10 R￿tricted Income funds 199 Unrestricted fund5 73.946 73.946 58,531 Resull forlhe period 112006 The note$ fom part ofthe acthunts Signed byona or tsvo INsl8es on behalf of all th? InJsl8es Print Name Dale dd1rnrnl￿Y Print Name Dale ddlmmlyvyy

WallhamSlOw To Libr Penslon costs and other post-retlroment benefits Th& tharitable company op8ral&s 8 defin8d conlribulK)n p8rwAon sth8m8. Contribub'ons payable to the charitsble companys pension scheme are charged to tt)e Statamenl of Finanaal Activities In th& panod lo which they r&late Note 1 Accountlry Pdlclets Basts of weparlng tho flnanclal statements The finaniial s1818rnents have been prepared in accudance wth Accounb'n9 and Rerortsng by Charities.. Statement of Recommended Practice ap￿ICable lo charities preparirYJ th￿r accounts in accordan￿ with the Financial Reporting Standard applicabk in the United Kingdom andRepuNic of Ireland Icharib'es SORP FRS 1021 issued on 16 July 2014. the Financial Re￿rtI￿ Standard applicable in the UK and RepU￿1C of I￿land IFRS 1021 and the Charities ￿1 2011. The financial statements have b88n prepared under Ihe historical cost convention. The financial slaternents are prepared in sterling. which is the lunctiwal currency of the company. Monètary arnounts in Ihase financial stalernenls arè round￿ lo thè nèarest£. Financial reporting standard 102- r8duc8d disclosure exemptions The chanty has taken advantage ol the following disdosure exempiK)n in prépanng thèse financi41 ststemènls, as permitt8d by FRS 102 Thè Finanaal Reporting Standard applic8Ne in Ihe UK and Republi¢ of Ir91arKI': Ihe requirements ol Section 7 Statement of Cash Flows. Incom• l incone is reccunised in the Slalement of Finanaal Acl'vilies On￿ the charity has ents'lement lo the funds. il is probable that the income will be received and Ihg amount Can be Tr￿asUr￿l reliably. Expenditure Liabilitie5 arè recognised as 8x￿nd￿ur6 as soon as therè is a lagal or constructive obly81ion commffting Ih8tharityto Ihat8xpenditura, il is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in selJement and the amojnl of the obligattin can be measured relobly. Expenditure Is accounted f(x on an accnjals ba515 and has ￿en classifi8d under h8adings that aggregate al cost related lo the category. Where costs cannot be diredy attributed to pariojlar headings they have been allocated to acb'ilies on a basi5 COnS15tent with the usè ol rèsourcès. Tangible fixed a55ets Depreciation Is provided at the following annual rates in ordèr lo write off each as8etover estsmed useful life. Fixtures and filtings- 20% on a straight line basis Taxatlon The charity is exerrpt from corporatK)n tsx on its charitable aCti￿￿e￿. Reserves Pollcy Thg Board ofTrusl8es have agreed to keeping an appropriate reserves range lor our organisats'on ol behveen £51,CQO and £102.000, to safeguard against future charoes in income. This represents a minimum 013 months1£51,CM)QI and a maximum of 6 months operating costs1£102,rM)01 based on the running of Iwo siles across Walthamstow and Leyl￿sIDne. The level al the gnd of 2022 is £112,￿6., whilst this marginally exceeds the upper hmit by c. 10Yo, this has b88n 8a￿n8[k8d for Ihè d8v8loprn8nt of a Sensory Play Sp8C8 8t our Walthamslow site. Fund accountlng Unrestricted funds can trK in a¢j￿rdan￿ with the tharitable objecb'ves at the discreb'on ol the trustees. Restricted funds can only be used lor particular raslriclèd purposas wthin tha obj￿$ of Ihè tharity. Reslnctions arisa whan 5￿C￿led by ts donor or when lunds ar9 raised for particular r95trict8d purposes.

WallhaTn51ow To dPla cent￿ CIO Wallham51ow To and Pla Centre CIO Not• 2 hc¢￿0 Not• 3 Exwndkur• R•8trfct•d Titsl Unr•itrl¢tsd Incom• luth fun funds 2022 Total fund8 2021 R•$lvki•d Totsl Unrè8blctod Incc4n• fund6 fund$ 2022 Total futhds 2021 •ty1S6 ol h)¢ome Dona￿OnI Don&b"cn5aThJG4 Exwndttur• on ral•lt)g funth: Sundry c051s 10,387 11.4 1ègacl•i'. Go¥emftni Rent¥)n Sche Grant5 17.633 Tclal •xp•ndtture M ral8lng lundB 1.814 57 620 43 510 ExF4nditur• on c￿rit￿ts￿ •¢11￿1￿8.. Sessi￿$ Total 58 420 8B82 5,959 Charftablè Toy Lbt8ry Ses8lon8 Venw Hi 52,018 52.018 11, Toy Lbrary Evonts Events 704 704 17 2.182 Merra)wdp Fees IT C08ts 19,053 19.fh3 42W) 98 V8nw Hire Safety 36,055 36.(65 1.685 Inr6sl tecaTrAd Inpjjranc 2.471 60 2.531 Totsl Q)M￿lanC 107.8XJ lo7.8￿ 17 847 529 104 833 316 (Jfice ￿[￿118¥ 1.098 Tol•l Inryo St8ff Costs 118217 176637 ￿415 52,270 51,142 103,41Z 56,483 Pen5 1.3TI 1.377 1,605 Tr8nl 209 460 869 128 sUb5crpts￿ 1.493 1.493 951 Rent 12,251 12,251 Repaits ènd Maintenan(* Matk8ting 1.066 622 822 T8￿p￿ne and 356 65 421 2.185 Sundry Tolal oxpendrture on ¢hurltobl• 134 940 70 076

Waltham5tow To Libra and Pla Centre CIO Note 3 ExDonditure Othor Accountancy 2,178 2.178 2,645 Doproualion 1.065 Total other oxpendlture 3.243 3.243 3.710 Total Expendlure 138 378 75 600 Walthamstow To Libra and Pla Centre CIO Notg 4 Independent Examlners Fges 2022 2021 Independent examlnerfs fees 250 250

WallhatnsioY4 To LibTa Ènd Pla Cenlrp CIO Wallharnsiow To and Pla CÈnlrp CIO Not• S Staff co￿1 P4)l16Tangl￿ as$•t$ 2022 2021 Flxturo5 and Fttlkngs Satsr$ and wagos Coit 103.412 56,483 AApril 2021 ddilions At Mav¢h 2022 5324 Id•lkn•d Con￿bUt1￿n i¢hm•l 1.377 $324 T¢Aal $taff ¢wls 104.789 58,088 D•pretlatlon No employees m¢•lv•d omploye• b•nefits l•xcludlNJ •mpbyor pen$lon ¢os¢slforth• r•portlng P•r￿¢•f more than £60.000 At April 2021 Charge forihe year At M•r¢h 2022 3195 1C66 4260 2022 2021 t 80ok Value Koy manag￿1￿ P•rnot)n•l 32.342 25,011 A 31 March 2022 Pl 31 March 2021 2129 Averag• Head Count 2022 2021 Fundrd•l 0.4 tharlabl•ActlTrlU*. Toiil

W3llhamSlow To nd Pl• Cèntre CIO Not8 7 Dobtorm and propayménts Note 8 Cr8ditor and d8f&tr8d Ine¢im• 2022 2021 Amounts tslllng du4 ¥Jknln Trnd• d•bityrs 1.442 310 2022 2021 Pr•paym•nti and xcnnd IwAm 1,652 2.694 Total Trnd• cr•dltor• Accrnals d•f•rr4d Inc¢Xrt• 27.692 2,747 Taxallon and •orkil s•¢urbty 656 Totsi 08 Nvalthamstow To and Pl.? Contre CIO NDl 9 Cash at lh• bank in harKI Note 10 Fund5 moY4mrJDI In current year 2022 2021 Fund bal•th¢• broughl 14)rw•rd Fund ib•l•n¢•s arrl•d Cashat bank arKI on hand ¢om• Exp•ndiwr• Tr•n$l•rn T•i•l UnrMtr6ct•d lun G&neral Furyj 73.946 118.217 185.5501 IC6.613 Restr￿& Fund Resknctod FutvJ Total Funds as p•r bal￿¢• 6h••t 52.828 176 637 138.378 Walthamstow To Libra and Pla Centre CIO Note 11 Relatsd parties No related party transactions look place in the year to 31 March 2022. None of the trustees have been paid any r8mun8rab.on or rocebved any other benefits from an employment wth the charity or a rglaled entity