2022-09-30-accounts

Kennington Memory Club

Registered Charity number 1179830

Trustees' report for the year ending on 30[th] September 2022

Purpose and Public benefit

The objects of the Charity are to assist in the care of persons with the mental and physical illness of dementia in, near or within easy reach of Kennington, Radley and Abingdon in Oxfordshire and persons who are in need of respite as a result of such illness, by the provision of facilities for day care and recreation in a safe and stimulating environment.

The charity helps older people and provides relief for those in need. The beneficiaries are predominantly older people with a diagnosis of dementia, living within the area defined above, and who are members of the Kennington Memory Club (KMC). Their regular carers and/or family members who look after them also benefit by virtue of the respite the day care sessions provide and access to support and advice. The charity is set up specifically to meet these needs and provide these benefits.

Activities

In the year 1[st] October 2021 to 30[th] September 2022 KMC was still affected by the Covid pandemic, but not as greatly as before. Member numbers had built up after the long shut-downs of the previous year and some Covid precautions were being gradually relaxed, such as taking members’ temperatures on arrival. But Covid had not gone for good and, with rising Covid numbers in the Autumn, the Club again shut down from December until late January 2022. It was required of all members, staff and volunteers to accept vaccinations as they were offered them, unless medically exempt, but, nevertheless Covid struck some staff, members, volunteers and committee members. Everyone isolated and didn’t return to circulation until recovered and testing negative. Fortunately, no-one was seriously affected long-term and none of the cases were related to attendance at the Club. The Club did have to shut for one day in July when the temperature was exceptionally high and the Government health warning was heeded.

We were very lucky in retaining our staff team of Club Organiser, Helen, Deputy Organiser, Kathryn, and Care Assistant, Julie. They all contribute so much to the running of the Club sessions and the care of the members whilst at the Club. But we were sad to lose a few of our members to long-term care. Fortunately, there were potential members on the waiting list so any spaces did not remain unfilled for very long.

From the Club’s inception the members’ lunches had been provided by the School Lunch Company and collected from St Swithun’s School. The break of service during school holidays had always been problematic, so an alternative supplier was sourced. From April 2022 the lunches have come from the MacIntyre Centre in Kennington. This is a day centre for people with learning disabilities where lunches are freshly cooked on site every day. These lunches have proved successful and we are pleased to report on this ongoing co-operation between two charities operating in Kennington.

For a while the Club welcomed a young pianist who could arrange her hours of working from home to come in to play for singing. Sadly, this couldn’t continue once she was required to go back into the office. There have been other volunteers offering craft sessions and other presentations of interest to members. These visits are always much appreciated. We are very grateful to the regular band of volunteers who help to keep the Club running during the sessions, and there have been one or two new people joining the ranks. The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee provided an occasion for celebration and a Jubilee Tea Dance was held just before the event, to get everyone in the mood for the national Jubilee festivities.

In April, due to the pressures on the Club’s finances by rising costs and staff wages going up to reflect the increase in the minimum wage, the fees for members had to be increased by 10% and the lunch cost also went up by a small amount on the change to the new supplier. Even with the increases, the fees charged are very competitive with other day care providers. In September the Club had to weather the increase in the rental charge for the Kennington Methodist Church premises.

By late summer the Risk Assessment was reviewed again and some of the Covid-specific measures could now be removed. Lateral Flow testing was not required any more by the Government when asymptomatic, so we dropped this requirement, except when someone had been in contact with a person who subsequently developed Covid.

The KMC AGM was held in person again in February 2022, after the AGM on Zoom in 2021. At this meeting the recent death of one of the Trustees, Ruth Hooper, was mentioned. Her contribution during the establishment and early days of the Club’s operation was noted with gratitude. At her request the collection at her funeral and in her memory was donated to the Club. She always had the best interests of the Club at heart.

Fundraising

Fundraising is essential to the good health of the Club’s finances. A successful Autumn Fayre raised nearly £800. Table top sales of Christmas items brought in some funds and another sale in July well and truly topped the £800 mark. A car boot sale in August helped the fundraising total to climb. A big ‘Thank you’ is due to our fund-raising supremo, Chris Foster, and her band of helpers for all the work they put in for the cause.

There have also been some very welcome gifts from individual donors, most of which could be gift-aided, and KMC was lucky to be adopted as the Charity of the month by JN Bank for October 2021, which included a welcome donation.

Carers’ Support Group

Carers’ Support Group meetings had resumed and were becoming increasingly well attended. As ever, they are much appreciated by the carers who benefit from sharing problems, ideas, information and news of dementia friendly events. By the end of the year a regular pattern of monthly meetings on alternating Monday and Thursday afternoons was established.

Thanks

I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all those who contribute to the club, be they trustees, committee members, donors, staff, volunteers or fundraisers who all do so much to ensure the smooth running of the club. Carers and the members themselves also help to generate the happy, friendly atmosphere prevailing at club sessions, making them all the more rewarding and appreciated by those who attend. Long may this continue.

Isobel Birse – Chairman

Financial Report

The accounts have been prepared on a strict cash basis and reviewed by our independent examiner, a copy of whose report to the trustees is in the treasurer’s file available for inspection. This has been the first full year of the Club operating normally following its reopening after the pandemic.

During the year under review the Charity received a local government grant of £1,000, the final annual instalment of a three-year grant from Oxfordshire County Council’s Sustainability Fund. Together with Gift Aid recovered and donations received, this source of income has enabled the Charity substantially to maintain its financial reserves at the end of this financial year, having recorded a small loss of £1,150 during the year.

The Charity wishes to record its gratitude to all those who have continued to donate so generously during difficult times.

Notes to the accounts

1. The Charity has not given any guarantees and there are accordingly no potential outstanding liabilities in this regard as at 30 September 2022

2. The Charity has no outstanding debts secured by an express charge on any of its assets as at 30 September 2022.

Hugh Fleming - Treasurer

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES No (if ffj} 1179830 Receipts and payments accounts For the perlod CC16a To 01-0rt-21 Section A Receipts and payments Unrv¥tricted Restricted Entlowment fund• fund• thtrh• E knth• n•w•Bt£ toth• nMm•i£ toth• rr88tt tolh• rfvrnte Last yeaT Total fund8 A1 Re¢el Attendance Fees & mo￿8 DonaiiM$ FuThJiaiÈino Ev8n GrAnts Gift Bortk InlBre4t Mi$ceIlan￿￿8 21392 4,310 4961 11 11 r￿$ Income AR) 32 ••t an (•• tsbl• nv A3Pa nignt8 Empbyment Costs Meds & Refrshftw Premis•s Hir In8uranca EQu￿P￿￿t, E110bllslmw •id Mi$cdl•rwu$ B•nk and S4N¢• Ch• a7Q• 21,994 3341 310 1.139 425 178 1241 Jio 305 341 426 171 Sub to JQ769 M Jsset and Inv•$tmont urchases tabl• Sub total 24. Net of reCalp￿{paYments) A5 Trat)•fern b•tw••n fund A8 C•#h funds ￿¥t yer •nd Cash funds thls year ond &237 1,151 23,662 26,899 CCXX R1 acixunts ISS) 13101r2023

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrnstri¢ted Restricted fundg Endowm8nl lund8 to nMre8t£ ¢ategorig8 Details B1 Cash funds 662 rot•1 eash funds Endowmenl nd• fund• Detalls FurKI tOTwhkh Curvgnt v•lu• Detall8 Ctsrr•nt ¥•lu• oTr•l Detalls Co•tliWndl 84 A88•ts retalned for tho charlty'• own u F￿￿to￿hKh Amourt dv• W￿n dug Detail$ BS Ll•bllitl Signed by one or hvo trustees behawof all trustsas D￿e of rov81 CCXX P2 {ssi 1310112023

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner s Report Roport to the trusteosl members of IJ. On accounts for tho year endod 0.1 IL Charlty no Ilf any) Sot out on pages I rewt to the trustees an my 8xaminats.on of th8 acxxjunts of the atove charity (Ihe Trusfi for the year end*d3010913021 R•spon81bllllle8 and AS the charity trustees of the Trust. you are responsible for the prepar8tion basls of report of the accounts in acLordan(x wrth the requirements of thè Charities Act 2011 (Ihe Acr). I report in re3pe(# of my examination of the Trust's ac￿)unIS carried out under sedion 145 of the 2011 A¢X and in canying out my examination, I have fdlowad the applieabl• Directions giv•n by th• Charity Commi$$ion under section 145(5)(bl of the A&. I have COm￿eted my exsminatlon. I confim that no material matters have come to my attention ( in connection with the examination whith givas me cause to believa that in, any material Independent examlnef8 8tatsment accounts'ng records kept in accordanc8 v￿th section 130 of the A¢a or the accounts do not acccKd with the accounting re¢￿d8 I have no concerns and haNt come acr￿%8 no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in Order to enable proper understanding of the acc¢)unts to be reached. . Please delete trts wonls in brackets rfthey do not apply. Slgned: IOIOIL Name: kJL I rQ6- Relevant professional qualmcatlonls) or body Ilf anyl: Aca AddrevJ: l¢zf e IER October 2018