2022-03-31-accounts - The Cedar Community Club

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Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From 1 April 2021 To 31 March 2022

Charity name: The Cedar Community Club

Charity registration number: 1180889

Based at Hinton Waldrist, Oxfordshire

1. Foreword by the Chair of Trustees

This was another difficult year for the Cedar Community Club as it slowly recovered from its compulsory closure in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Having closed in March 2020 in line with government regulations, the Club eventually re-opened on 14 October 2021. This meant that for the first seven months of this financial year, the Club remained shut and was unable to provide any on-site support for our elderly members.

This Report details the Club’s continuing efforts to support our elderly and vulnerable members, and our later efforts to re-launch the Club during the winter of 2021/22 in the face of the new wave of Omicron infections. The report details how the trustees worked to fulfil the objectives of the Club against a backdrop of continuing Covid infection and much reduced membership levels.

2. Background

The Club was established in December 2018 to provide day-care facilities for the elderly and vulnerable in south Oxfordshire. Although based in Hinton Waldrist, Club members come from a 10-mile radius as we are the only daycare facility available between Witney and Wantage, and between Cumnor and Faringdon. We provide care, support and entertainment for the elderly and we can cater for those with mild-to-moderate dementia, as well as those with other physical and mental health issues. We provide a warm, friendly and supportive environment, and we are open every Tuesday and Wednesday, for 50 weeks of the year (9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.). Our only membership requirement is that we can adequately cope with an individual’s specific needs. Nobody is excluded on the grounds of race, creed, ethnicity or sexual orientation.

When we shut in March 2020 we had 20 registered members, and the average age was 84.3 years, and over half of our members were living independently. By April 2021, seven of these members had died and a further 3 had had to go into residential care.

By April 2021, at the start of this financial year, it was clear that the Cedar Club still wouldn’t be able to re-open for the foreseeable future as there were stringent government guidelines in relation to the elderly and vulnerable. The Trustees discussed the best way forward and decided that the staff should continue to support our members off-site as far as government

guidelines allowed. From April 2021 to October 2021 the staff supported all Club members and their carers, with every member receiving either a weekly home visit or personalised letter or phone calls. The Club finally re-opened on 14 October 2021, and apart from shutting temporarily for two weeks in January 2022 at the height of the new omicron infection, and one week in March because of staff sickness, it has been able to open every week since then.

As well as providing care and support for our members, we also support their carers and families. One of the major roles of the Club is providing much-needed regular, safe and reliable respite care. For many carers, Club days are the only regular respite package that they can easily and affordably access. The Club also acts as an informal information hub, signposting carers and members to other resources such as Social Services and NHS facilities, and it often helps with making the initial contact.

As well as employing two paid staff (a Manager and Deputy Manager), the Club also relies on ten local volunteers to help, and this allows members to receive one-to-one support with arts and crafts projects and games, as well as encouraging companionable conversations. Although the Club was shut for the first seven months of this financial year, the staff kept in contact with all the volunteers (all of whom are retired and many of whom live by themselves) and ensured that they felt supported during the lockdowns. Nearly all our volunteers returned to work for the Club when we re-opened.

All of our staff, trustees and volunteers have been DBS-checked, and either have or will shortly be attending a Safeguarding course. They have all read and signed the Club Safeguarding policy and they know the procedure to follow if any possible Safeguarding issues come to light.

3. Governance

The Club is a not-for-profit Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), and there is a board of trustees who meet at least four times a year to discuss points of policy. During 2021/22 there were 8 trustees, and they had all read the government guidelines on the legal responsibilities of a trustee.

The Club is a self-funding organisation, and it relies on a combination of members’ fees (set at £20 per day), government grants and private donations.

All trustee meetings are fully minuted, and all meetings start with a Conflict of Interest declaration.

We are looking to increase the number of trustees as several of our founder members wish to retire in the near future. We have advertised in local publications, and eligibility for trusteeship is open to all as stated in Point 9(20) of our Constitution.

4. Financial Position

This year (April 2021 to March 2022) has been very difficult financially. For most of this period the Club was closed and received no membership fees --in previous years fees have made up nearly half our income. However, despite being shut the Club faced continuing running costs --- staffing costs, insurance, phone rental and internet charges ---and this ate into our reserves.

By October 2021, with falling national rates of Covid infection, the trustees felt they could re-open the Club safely. Although we knew our membership numbers would be low, we felt that it was necessary to start providing on-site care again. It was only by doing this that we could meet the

objectives of the CIO and attract new members, as well as allowing us to qualify for further financial grants and donations. By re-opening the Club we were aware that we ran the high risk of increasing our yearly deficit. However, it was only by re-opening that the trustees felt the Club would have any long-term future.

Fortunately, the Club received the previously agreed Sustainability grant from Oxfordshire County Council in March 2022. This grant of £11,000 was the final instalment of a 3-year tapered grant designed to help new socialcare organisations become established and flourish, and it did much to restore the Club’s reserves. This grant, together with the financial help offered by the government’s furlough scheme, has allowed the Club to end the financial year in a viable position and even look to possible future expansion. Our financial reserves allow us to look to the future as well as reassuring potential donors of our long-term viability.

5. The Low Point of the Year

Starting the new financial year in April 2021 with the Club doors firmly shut, and with no possibility of re-opening in the immediate future, was very depressing for trustees, staff and members. Coping with the loss of over half our long-standing members over the past year was very hard, and it particularly took its toll on our two staff members. Both in their early sixties, they had worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic, going above and beyond their remit. Both staff members had decided by August 2021 that they wanted to retire, one with immediate effect and the other, our Manager, giving us 6 months’ notice. Replacing both staff members (who, between them, had worked for more than 30 years at the Club), was never going to be easy. The trustees set about advertising for new staff and, after several false starts, by March 2022 the Club had a new Manager and Care Assistant in position. Unfortunately, the combination of new staff members and many new Club members all at the same time was not easy, but by April 2022 things were settling down and the trustees could look to the future.

6. The High Point of the Year

Re-opening the Club in October 2021 after a hiatus of 18 months was a moment of great celebration tempered with much caution. Although we opened with a considerably reduced membership, the trustees were delighted to be running a day-care centre again. In order to re-open, the Club had to pay for additional regular deep cleaning, as well as establishing new ‘hygiene’ protocols (hand-washing points; scanning thermometers etc.). In November 2021, faced with rising Omicron infections, the Club established an on-site rapid Covid testing hub as most of our members were unable to carry out selftesting at home. Although it was very time-consuming for our staff, it boosted the confidence of our members tremendously as they felt that they were part of a safe, caring and supportive community. Although we had to temporarily close for two weeks in January 2022 at the height of the Omicron infection, by April 2022 the Club was once again fully functioning and beginning to attract new members.

7. Looking to the future

We ended March 2022 in a surprisingly strong position, particularly after such a difficult start. We had two new staff members who were full of enthusiasm, and a slowly increasing Club membership. We know it will take time for some

of the elderly and vulnerable to regain their confidence in Club attendance, but our membership list continues to grow, and we finished the year averaging 70-75% of our pre-pandemic membership levels.

All through the months while the Club was closed, we continued to write monthly articles in the local magazines highlighting the activities of our members. This has helped maintain a strong Club identity within the local community – as evidenced by the many small private donations we have recently received. With the Club now re-open and our membership growing, the trustees are keen to grow this local interest and are looking at ways of rising the profile of the Club.

Now that the dangers of the pandemic have receded, the trustees want to revisit their original plans for expansion to opening three days a week. We know that there will always be a need for the type of support the Club offers, and the trustees are determined to continue to provide this for our local community.

Valery Rose Chair of Trustees

Structure, Governance and Management

Description of charity’s trusts:
Type of governing document (trust deed, royal charter)	Para 1.25	Constitution
How is the charity constituted? (e.g unincorporated association, CIO)	Para 1.25	Charitable Incorporated Organisation
Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees	Para 1.25	Eligibility to join the Board of Trustees is open to all. Regular advertisements appear in the local press asking for trustees

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees	Para 1.51	All trustees are required to read the government guidelines on the legal responsibilities of a trustee. All trustees are DBS checked and have attended a Safeguarding course.
The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works	Para 1.51
Relationship with any related parties	Para 1.51
Other

Reference and Administrative details

Charity name	The Cedar Community Club
Other name the charity uses
Registered charity number	1180889
Charity’s principal address	Rented Club premises: Hinton Waldrist Village Hall, Hinton Waldrist, Oxfordshire SN7 8RN Administration address:Chair of Trustees, The Manse, High Street, Longworth, Oxfordshire, OX13 5EP

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole year
ValeryRose	Chair
Carol L. Hall	Treasurer	Upto 28 January2022
Freda Stevenson
Merilyn Dean
Andrew Buckland
Charleen Atkins
Jane Phillips

Simon Bray	Treasurer	From 28 January2022

– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved

Director name n/a

Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity

Trustee name	Dates acted if not for whole year
n/a

Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others

Description of the assets held in this capacity	The trust assets consist of two deposit accounts: a current account with Santander and a savings account with Nationwide.
Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects	Both bank accounts are held in the name of The Cedar Community Club. All trust assets are held in cash due to the need to have liquidity to meet the shortfall between expenditure and income. Using other assets such as investments has been discounted due to the long-term nature, risk and short-term requirements for liquidity that the Club may face.
Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets	The trustees manage the deposit of income and fees into the bank account and the payment out of expenses and salaries, with ongoing cashflow being monitored and discussed at all trustee meetings. The bank accounts represent the only assets of the charity and therefore no further segregation is necessary.

Additional information (optional)

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Type of	Name	Address
adviser

Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Exemptions from disclosure

Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details

Other optional information

Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s) Full name(s) Valery Rose Position (eg Secretary, Chair of Trustees Chair, etc) Date 25 February 2023

	Cedar Community Club	Cedar Community Club	Cedar Community Club	1180889	CC16a
	For the period from	01 April 2021	To	31 March 2022

Section A Receipts and payments
A1 Receipts	Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 4,410 10,769 14,000 - 3,764 3,065 - - 36,008 - - - 36,008 18,651 2,752 547 30 49 540 192 570 155 1,760	Restricted funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -	Endowment funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -	Total funds to the nearest £ 4,410 10,769 14,000 - 3,764 3,065 - - 36,008 - - - 36,008 18,651 2,752 547 30 49 540 192 570 155 1,760 25,246 - - -	Last year to the nearest £
Members fees	4,410				-
Donations	10,769				-
Grants	14,000				-
Interest	-				-
Gift aid	3,764				-
HMRC Furlough receipts	3,065				-
	-				-
	-				-
*Sub total*(Gross income for AR)	36,008				-

A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table).
	-
	-				-
*Sub total*	-				-
*Total receipts* A3 Payments
					-

Employment costs	18,651	-	-	18,651	-
Food and activities	2,752	-	-	2,752	-
Insurance	547	-	-	547	-
Media and marketing	30	-	-	30	-
Stationeryandpostage	49	-	-	49	-
Minor assets	540	-	-	540	-
Telephone	192			192
Training	570	-	-	570	-
Computer expenses	155			155
Other miscellaneous	1,760	-	-	1,760	-
**Sub total **	25,246	-	-	25,246	-
	- - - 25,246 10,762 - 77,068 87,830	- - - - - - - -	- - - - - - - -
A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table)
	-
	-
**Sub total **	-				-
*Total payments* *Net of receipts/(payments)* A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end *Cash funds this year end*
				25,246	-
				10,762
	10,762	-	-	10,762	-
	-	-	-	-	-
	77,068	-	-	77,068	-
	87,830	-	-	87,830	-

CCXX R1 accounts (SS)

25/01/2023

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period	Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period	Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period	Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
Categories B5 Liabilities B3 Investment assets B2 Other monetary assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B1 Cash funds	Details Details *Total cash funds* (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Current account Savings account Details Details Computer Details	Unrestricted funds to nearest £ 34,994 52,836 -	Restricted funds to nearest £ - - - -	Endowment funds to nearest £
		34,994	-	-
		52,836	-	-
		-	-	-
		87,830	-	-
		OK Unrestricted funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Fund to which asset belongs Unrestricted Fund to which liability relates	OK	OK
			Restricted funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Cost (optional) - - - - - Cost (optional) 1,115 - - - - - - - - Amount due (optional) - - - - -	Endowment funds to nearest £
				-
				-
				-
				-
				-
				-
				Current value (optional)
				-
				-
				-
				-
				-
				Current value (optional)
				-
				-
				-
				-
				-
				-
				-
				-
				-
				When due (optional)
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-

Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees

Signature

Print Name

Date of approval

CCXX R2 accounts (SS)

25/01/2023

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report Report to the trustees/ Charity Name members of Cedar Community Club On accounts for the year 31 March 2022 Charity no 1180889 ended (if any) Set out on pages 1 and 2 (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets) I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/03/2022.

Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention (other than that disclosed below *) in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
the accounts do not accord with the accounting records

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.

----- Start of picture text -----
Date: 25 January 2023
Signed:
Name: Ryan Lewis
Relevant professional Chartered Accountant (ICAEW)
qualification(s) or body
(if any):
Address: First Floor, Tourism House
Pynes Hill
Exeter, Devon
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