ANNUAL REPORT 2021/22
Recycling furniture, electrical & household goods for re-use in the community
Helping to meet the needs of low income families in Shropshire since 1994
Reducing the amount that ends up in landfill every year.
Warehouse: Unit 9b Hartley Business Centre, Monkmoor Road, Shrewsbury, SY2 5ST - Reg Charity No: 1179323 - Tel: 01743 246668
Shop: 27/28 Castle Street, Shrewsbury, SY1 2BQ - Tel: 01743 236382
OVERVIEW
The Shrewsbury Furniture Scheme is a registered charity which began in 1994. Our aim was to provide affordable, second-hand furniture to low income families in the Shrewsbury area.
Since our inception, we have come a long way. We have now grown to cover a larger portion of the Shropshire area, We now supply furniture and white goods through the local council as well as through our warehouse and shop.
We employ several volunteers who generously give up their time to support us in our objectives. A number of them have gone on to get jobs within the wider community and have gained confidence and skills to take with them. We are proud to have been a part of their journey.
THE CHARITY'S OBJECTIVES
To relieve poverty and to protect and preserve the environment, by:
a) Providing assistance for those in genuine need or distressed persons resident in Shrewsbury and surrounding area, by the provision to them of essential furniture, electrical and other household items.
b) Collecting donated items for checking, repairing, refurbishing, storage and subsequent supply.
c) Recycling, re-using and repairing / upcycling furniture, household and electrical goods which would otherwise be disposed of in landfill. d) Empowering the unemployed and others with additional needs, providing them with opportunities to acquire and practice skills, both to gain confidence and contribute to the community by establishing volunteer training schemes to undertake repair and refurbishment for recycling, thus providing essential training to facilitate re-entry to the workplace.
e) Educating and informing the public about sustainable lifestyles and the benefits to the community of recycling, re-use and environmentally friendly waste management.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
A board of trustees, elected annually at the AGM, oversees the running of the charity, which employs three full time & four part time staff.
Mel Pilliner (Chair), Willie Strachan (Vice Chair), Neil Bryant (Treasurer), Mike Hall, Jane Jones, Graham Baker, Rosi Pearson, Les Jones & Margaret Roberts.
CHAIR'S REPORT
Our year in 2021/22 has been one of growth and of learning as we have emerged from pandemic conditions into the new normal. The new year has seen us developing technologically across the charity and diversifying our offer for customers.
Sales have bounced back across the warehouse and shop and with the support of grants received we managed an almost break even position with a deficit of £851.38. Given the economic climate, the post Covid world and challenges faced during the period this figure whilst negative is one which I feel we should consider as a minor success.
As our accounts, as detailed elsewhere in the Annual Report, are prepared on a Receipts and Payments basis it is not possible to include provisions for Reserves in such a format. However, the Trustees have agreed to again set aside the following reserves as at 31/03/2022
General Reserve - £ 25,000 (approximately equivalent to 2 months expenditure)
Contingency Reserve - £10,000 (to cover unforeseen maintenance and utility costs)
After taking the above Reserves into account our charity’s unfettered cash resources at 31/03/2022 are reduced from £106,884.02 to £71,884.02.
The new EPOS system which was implemented over the Summer has provided a huge move forward in terms of our accounting and reporting capabilities and continues to be developed further. Initially a tool to support us in administration and time saving, we are now able to track all sales to each customer easily and efficiently which will ultimately support any development of Gift Aid for the charity.
The shop has seen a diversification in the development of an Upcycling project. Taking items of furniture that may be considered ‘difficult to sell’, the team at the shop have invested time, materials and much creative thought to upcycle these items into funky, on trend popular items which have been selling well and increased income on low value items. Thank you again as always to our wonderful volunteers at both the warehouse and the shop who have generously given 8384 hours of their time to support the charity, and to the residents of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, and in fact beyond, who have donated over 77 tonnes of household goods.
Our staff team changed this year with the loss of Cheryl McCullough as she moved on to develop her own Marketing business. We would like to say a thank you for her support and hard work over recent years. She has been an inspiration in her passion for the charity and we wish her every success and hope to continue working together in the future.
Our Trustee numbers grew with Rosi Pearson joining us formally as a Trustee and Peter Gould offering support on an informal basis. Both are very welcome and bring great experience, knowledge and skills which are greatly appreciated. We have developed as a team of Trustees this year, and I am immensely grateful for the support of the team. Setting up a set of sub groups which can support on specific areas of work such as Volunteer and Employee Engagement, Marketing, Executive and Operations Management has seen the team be able to support me in my new role as Chair. I hope to see these develop further over the coming year and to see their mini projects and ongoing feedback help us to continue to grow as a charity.
I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to Jane Jones, who has decided to stand down at this AGM as a Trustee. Jane has been involved for many years, as a Trustee and for some time as Secretary and her support has been greatly appreciated. We will miss her greatly.
Mel Pilliner
MANAGER'S REPORT
With the emergence from enforced shutdowns and risks associated with Covid it was good to get back to a different , albeit quieter version of normality. Standard health and safety procedures remained in place but a new challenge lay ahead.
Online diaries, EPOS systems and the retirement of the old (still paper driven to an extent) systems enabled to further reduce our carbon footprint. Online diaries available to all allowing us to be more efficient in our booking and allocating of time, reducing the need for lost time in communication between shop and warehouse. Clarity in knowing our progress throughout each day. The Electronic point of sale coupled with dedicated card machines further reduced our downtime due to outdated processes. An up to the minute analysis of all our sales, receipts, stock movements, trends and end of day banking taking away any uncertainty thus providing accurate and detailed information.
Throughout all of this we would not have been able to function without our dedicated team of volunteers from both locations, giving their valuable time and resources to keep us moving forward in our aims to help those in need. We have had some shrinkage in the labour force due to younger members going on to find full time paid employment and we wish them well for the future. Also we have lost the services of our marketing and admin guru Cheryl who is currently developing her own business but remains available should we need her services in the future.
I am currently filling in for all of the deficits.
Our aims are still clear and whereas sometimes we have to be more commercially prudent we will always be there to help those who need us most, at prices they can afford, to be the only charity to offer free local delivery from our warehouse and assist the elderly and vulnerable in the delivery and collection of their goods. With the upcoming challenges of rising costs you can rely on us.
Peter Clarke Scheme Manager.
VOLUNTEERS
Peter Edwards Harry Toone Richard Lawley Claire Challenor Dave Parsons Dave Fudge Shaun Haynes Kiel Davies Les Jones Margaret Blakeley Harry Bates Lisbeth Jones Barrie Love John Pritchard Rosi Pearson Tom Jones Caroline Turner Kerry Childs Angela Baines Alan Sayce Lyn Bowley
STATISTICS
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Shropshire borders
20.2%
Monkmoor
27.1%
Ditherington
3.6%
Minsterley/Pont
9.6%
15%
Harlescott
11.9%
Sundorne
12.5%
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Castlefields
15%
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DEMOGRAPHICS
Our customers come from all over the Shropshire area. This year we have seen an increase throughout the Shropshire area and many excursions to surrounding counties
As always our Monkmoor customer base is strong and we hope to build awareness across all wards of Shropshire in the coming year.
REFERRALS BY AGENCY
This year we've seen an increase in agency referrals coming through from the LSPF, which means that our message is clear and we are reaching more families and individuals.
Our intentions are to increase the number of smaller organisations, next year and forge connections with local charities.
*G&L = Gorsuch & Langley, HV = Health Visitor
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600
400
200
0
SFS LSPF Online G&L H V
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This year we have accepted 936 Donations, comprising of 3744 items which have been collected. We also undertook 17 partial house clearances with a further 5 full clearances.
We have carried out 720 Deliveries and sold 2160 items from our warehouse and shop respecively.
SHREWSBURY FURNITURE SCHEME Home Essentials
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 INCOME
| INCOME | ||
|---|---|---|
| STORE SHOP Sales 42,644.24 63,984.03 Bank Interest 209.03 Donations 900.0 Corona virus Job Retention Scheme 3,679.24 2,529.66 Delivery charges 3,214.43 Other Grants 4,000.00 4,000.00 Social Fund 7,391.00 Total Receipts 61,137.94 71,413.69 --------------------------------------------- EXPENDITURE Purchases for Resale 1,102.62 Epos system 1,750.48 Rent 17,597.84 15,508.20 Service charge 1,832.88 Elec,Gas & water 47.95 3,814.68 Telephone 634.99 617.52 Premises Maint 686.45 160.95 Staff Wages 52,389.68 25,192.27 Van expenses 5,908.20 Insurance 1,087.98 244.00 Workshop 398.46 Postage, printing and stationery 77.84 151.76 Misc 947.33 459.94 Professional Fees 912.00 Cleaning 505.27 Bank/Card Charges 598.67 662.26 VAT due Total Payments 83,742.03 49,548.19 -------------------------------------------- Surplus/(Deficit) for the year Total funds at 01.04.21 Cash funds at 31.03.22 |
31.03.22 106,628.27 209.03 900.00 6,208.90 3,214.43 8,000.00 7,391.00 132,551.63 --------------------- 1,102.62 1,750.48 33,106.04 1,832.88 3,862.63 1,252.51 847.40 77,581.95 5,908.20 1,331.98 398.46 229.60 1,407.27 912.00 505.27 1,260.93 112.79 133,403.01 --------------------- (851.38) 107,735.40 106,884.02 |
31.03.21 49,408.34 268.52 360.00 22,956.89 1,664.41 85,786.00 14,999.49 175,443.65 --------------- 5,318.92 - 34,834.92 125.00 2,131.14 1,315.59 765.54 66,951.91 4,272.68 1,280.51 48.16 247.78 1,413.09 1,368.00 271.44 702.20 64.48 121,111.36 ----------------- 54,332.29 53,403.11 107,735.40 |
| - - |
SHREWSBURY FURNITURE SCHEME Home Essentials
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AT 31 MARCH 2022
| CASH FUNDS £ | |
|---|---|
| Cash at Bank | 106,716.65 |
| Petty Cash | 167.37 |
| 106,884.02 | |
| ASSETS RETAINED FOR THE CHARITY'S OWN USE | |
| Cost | Current Value |
| £ | £ |
| Vans 43,724.68 | 11,816.00 |
| Equipment 35,773.21 | 642.00 |
| Racking 4,752.40 | 7.00 |
| Shop fittings 3,270.59 | 328.00 |
| 87,520.88 |
12,793.00 |
Shrewsbury Furniture Scheme – Home Essentials
Year ended 31 March 2022
Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Shrewsbury Furniture Scheme – Home
Essentials
I report on the attached accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2022.
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner
The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:
-
examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act
-
to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act
-
to state whether particular matters have come to my attention
Basis of independent examiner’s report
My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a “true and fair view” and the report is limited to those matters set out in the next statement.
Independent examiner’s statement
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
-
(1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:
-
to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act and
-
to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act have not been met or
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(2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached
D C Blofield BSc FCA Independent examiner Emstrey House Shrewsbury Business Park Shrewsbury Shropshire SY2 6LG
22nd July 2022
Shop Opening Times Monday - 11am - 4:30pm Tuesday - 9:30am - 4:30pm Wednesday - 9:30am - 4:30pm Thursday - 9:30am - 4:30pm Friday - 9:30am - 4:30pm Saturday - 9:30am - 4:30pm
01743 236382