## Our Barn Community Report and Accounts For the period ended 31 March 2025
## Our Barn Community
## Financial Statements
## For the period ended 31 March 2025
## Contents
||**Page**|
|---|---|
|Chair’s report|1 - 8|
|Statement of financial activities|9|
|Balance sheet|10|
|Notes to the financial statements|11-14|
## Our Barn Community
## Legal and Administrative Information
Trustees Tom Ruchniewicz (Chair) Beverley Stansby Rachel Smith Charity Number: 1181421 Independent Examiner Jasmin Aktar Principal Address and Registered Office 12 Davmor Court Manor Vale Brentford TW8 9JW Bankers National Westminster Bank plc 314 Chiswick High Road London W4 5TA
## Our Barn Community Chair’s Report and Accounts For the period ended 31 March 2025
The Chair of Trustees presents Our Barn Community’s report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025
## **Structure, government and management**
Our Barn Community is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered with the Charities Commission, under number 1181421.
Our formal charitable aims are:
To advance in life and to help people with learning difficulties or other disabilities, especially but not exclusively, through:
(a) The provision of social, recreational, educational and other activities as a means of developing their confidence and independence, and their skills, capacities and capabilities for work, and participation in adult life and the community; and
- (b) The provision of support to family carers.
Our ethos has also developed to include strands of work that:
- Make a contribution to our local community (giving back)
- Incorporate elements of environmental protection and conservation
- Raise expectations of what disabled people can achieve
We have spent much of 2025 implementing some changes to become more efficient and to protect the core activities of the organisation, namely the youth club and the Our Futures project. We took a deep-dive into expenditure and switched to venues with minimal costs. At the same time our weekday daytime activities are now held in one location for the first time.
During the year our activities consisted of:
## Our Barn Youth Club
Our ‘flagship’ youth club takes place on Sundays at Redlees Play Centre in Isleworth. Participants are aged 16 to 25 and most of the funding continues to come through Hounslow Council’s Short Breaks budget. We have brought our Multisport sessions under the Youth Club umbrella and sessions offer variety, teamwork, friendly competition and individual achievement.
## Our Futures
The Our Futures programme now features a greater element of community involvement and life skills development in addition to employability. Participants are given intensive, individual support to create a unique pathway towards future goals and aspirations, including paid work whenever appropriate. The move to a single venue allows our members to thrive. Our Futures currently consists of the following elements:
## Café – work experience
Our partnership with the London Museum of Water & Steam at Kew Bridge (where we ran a café) came to an end in January 2025. Never commercially viable, the footfall continued to decline due to a number of external factors outside of our control, and we took the difficult decision to move.
Sad though we were to leave, we found a new venue, a community centre, that meets our ongoing aspirations. At the Blondin Park Community Pavilion we run the café as a work experience project on Tuesdays and Wednesdays as part of the Blondin Consortium. Sharing similar goals to other Consortium members, we maintain an inclusive environment that welcomes everybody. Members gain transferrable work experience skills serving members of the public a simple menu and great coffee. Footfall has increased since our arrival, especially on the days we are there.
## Gardening
The Pavilion is also the location of our gardening project which aims to improve this public space for all to enjoy. Participants have planted flower beds, tidied up the park and improving facilities for the footballers using the space at the weekeknds. Taking care to respect environmental considerations has led to a Jack Petchey Foundation Environmental Award for one of our members, and an Ealing Biodiversity Award for greener spaces.
## Community Activities
We have developed what the Pavilion offers to the general public during our days to include an under-fives Stay & Play session, a digital inclusion session, a Lunch Club, board games and arts & crafts activities.
## Out & About
Aimed at increasing confidence to travel independently and encouragement to enjoy what our city (London) has to offer to those on a budget. This is a weekly activity using community access initiatives to access free or nearly free days out, including visiting museums, exhibitions, parks, gardens and historic buildings, planning travel routes and becoming confident travellers.
At the time of writing this report we are certain that the decisions made over the last twelve months (and longer) will ensure sustainability.
## **Committee Membership Recruitment, Roles and Responsibilities**
Our Trustees set and monitor the strategic direction of Our Barn, ensure that Our Barn meets its charitable objectives by using the best possible practice and financial prudence, and take a strong role in Safeguarding.
They also ensure good management of the team leaders, support the day-to-day running of Our Barn’s activities and set some performance management targets for the leaders and manager.
The Trustees meet formally on a quarterly basis and the board is responsible for a strategic plan formed in consultation with service users and staff. Service user consultation is embedded in our practice and is continually being strengthened.
The committee has assessed the major risks to which the organisation is exposed and is satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to those risks. This has included a thorough review of Covid precautions.
## **Objectives and Activities**
## **Our Barn’s Charitable Objects**
Our Barn’s mission is to support young people and adults to achieve their potential. This aim is delivered through providing learning, life skills and social interaction, and meaningful support to their families and carers. Our Barn is committed to:
- Promoting full participation in the community for all its service users
- Developing community resources
- Linking with a range of external services to meet this goal
Service users and potential service users can expect Our Barn to:
- Provide a high quality of service to all our service users (including carers, other agencies and funders)
- Provide information that is clear and easy to understand
- Provide a secure, safe and confidential environment
- Treat people with respect and courtesy at all times
- Work with all service users regardless of their colour, race, gender, sexuality, disability or religious beliefs
- Ensure staff receive appropriate training and support
- Demonstrate good practice in quality assurance, management and financial systems
- Seek funding from a range of statutory, grant-making, corporate and private sources
## **Financial review**
Sustaining the organisation has involved focusing on our core activities, allowing a significant reduction in costs – for example, we are now paying no rent or venue fees and we are awaiting the outcome of a number of funding applications that will enable us to move forward without our founding CEO’s day-to-day involvement. Costs for running a café are now borne by the Blondin Consortium, a company limited by guarantee. Any profit generated is re-invested into Blondin park and pavilion.
## **Management Committee Members’ responsibilities in relation to the financial statements**
The Management Committee Members are responsible for preparing an annual report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the charity members to prepare financial statements for each year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, of the charity for that period. In preparing the financial statements, the committee are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles in the applicable Charities SORP;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures that must be disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.
The committee are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the applicable Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations, and the provisions of the Trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The committee are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the charity and financial information included on the charity’s website at www.ourbarn.org.uk. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.
On behalf of the Trustees
Tom Ruchniewicz
## Our Barn Community Independent Examiner’s Report to the Management Committee
I report on the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 as set out in pages 5 to 10.
## **Respective responsibilities of Management Committee Members and Examiner**
The Management Committee Members are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The Management Committee Members consider that an audit is not required for this period under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.
Having satisfied myself that the charity is not subject to audit under company law and is eligible for independent examination, 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 Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act; and
- 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 Management Committee Members 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 statement below.
## **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 386 of the Companies Act 2006; and ▪ to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records, comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 and with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities have not been met; or
(2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Jasmin Aktar
12 Davmor Court, Manor Vale, Brentford TW8 9JW
Date: 1 November 2025
## Our Barn Community Statement of Financial Activities
Including Income and Expenditure Account For the year ended 31 March 2025
|Notes
Incoming resources from
generated funds –
Voluntary income
2
Investment income
3
Incoming resources from
charitable activities
4
Total incoming resources
Resources expended
Charitable activities
5
Total resources expended
6
Net income for the period/
Net movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds
Transfer of funds
10
Total Fund brought forward
10
Total Fund carried forward
10|Unrestricted
Funds
£
78,530
38
78,568
28,900
107,468
101,952
101,952
5,516
275
3,009
8,801|Restricted
Funds
£
-
-
-
110,379
110,379
84,941
84,941
25,438
(275)
15,891
41,053|Total
Funds
2025
£
78,530
38
78,568
139,279
217,847
186,893
186,893
30,954
-
18,900
49,854|Total
Funds
2024
£
78,399
40|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||78,439
166,155|
|||||244,595|
|||||259,255|
|||||259,255|
|||||(14,659)
-
33,560|
|||||18,900|
## Our Barn Community
## Balance Sheet
As at 31 March 2025
||Notes|2025|2024|
|---|---|---|---|
|||£|£|
|Current assets||||
|Debtors|8|-|-|
|Cash at bank and in hand||50,204|34,200|
|Accruals and Prepayments|9|-|(15,000)|
|||_______|________|
|||50,204|19,200|
|Creditors||||
|Amount falling due within one year|9|350|300|
|||_______|________|
|Net current assets||49,854|18,900|
|||=======|========|
|The funds of the charity:||||
|Unrestricted funds||8,526|3,009|
|Restricted funds||41,328|15,891|
|||_______|________|
|||49,854|18,900|
|||=======|========|
The accounts were approved by the committee on 3 November 2025.
J Sheppard Treasurer
Our Barn Community Notes to the Accounts For the year ended 31 March 2025
1. Accounting policies
## **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 United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS102), and the Charities Act 2011 and applicable regulations.
## **Incoming resources**
Income has been recognised gross on the basis of entitlement, certainty and measurement.
Donations and other voluntary income are recognised as incoming resources when receivable, except insofar as they are incapable of financial measurement.
Grants are recognised in full in the Statement of Financial Activities in the period in which they are receivable or any requirement imposed on the grant is fulfilled.
Investment income is recognised on a receivable basis.
## **Resources expended**
Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis inclusive of Value Added Tax.
Expenditures relating to supporting people with learning disabilities are those elements of expenditure directly incurred in performing these activities.
## **Tangible fixed assets and depreciation**
There has been no expenditure on fixed assets.
## **Leasing and hire purchase commitments**
Rentals payable under operating leases are charged against income on a straight line basis over the period of the lease.
## Our Barn Community Notes to the Accounts For the year ended 31 March 2025
|2.|Voluntary income||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||2025||2024|
||||||£
|£|
||Café Income|||36,083||57,794|
||Donations and gifts|||40,218||20,605|
|||||76,301||78,399|
|3.|Investment income||||||
|||||2025||2024|
||||||£|£|
||Interest receivable||||38|40|
|4.|Incoming resources from charitable activities||||||
|||Unrestricted|Restricted|2025|Total|2024 Total|
|||Funds|Funds||||
|||£|£||£|£|
||Supporting people with|28,900|110,379|139,279||166,155|
||learning disabilities (LD)||||||
||Included with unrestricted income related to supporting people|||with learning disabilities are|||
||the following grants||||||
||Local authority service agreement|||28,000|||
||Small grants||||900||
|||||28,900|||
|5.|Total resources expended||||||
|||Staff costs|Other|2025 Total|2024 Total||
||||costs||||
||Charitable activities –|£|£|£||£|
||Supporting people with LD|154,836|32,057|186,893||259,255|
||Activities undertaken directly||||||
Our Barn Community Notes to the Accounts For the year ended 31 March 2025
## 6. Activities undertaken directly
Other costs relating to supporting people with learning disabilities comprise:
|Rent and venue hire
Independent Examination
Cost of activities
Cost of goods for café
Telephone
Electricity
Printing, postage & stationery
Refreshments
Insurance
Website costs
Equipment purchases, repairs & renewals
Subscription
Travel
Bank charges|2025
£
10,984
350
4,255
10,613
330
(755)
493
-
1,265
1,919
1,511
371
-
721
32,057||2024
£
34,730
300
22,052
27,633
1,750
2,502
23
-
2,850
3,366
2,803
398
221
1,113
99,741|
|---|---|---|---|
|||||
7. Employees
The average monthly number of employees during the period was 4 (2024: 4.5) full time equivalent
Supporting people with learning disabilities
|Employment costs –
Wages and salaries|2025
£
154,836|2024
£
159,514|
|---|---|---|
There were no expenses paid to the Trustees during the period.
## Our Barn Community Notes to the Accounts For the year ended 31 March 2025
|8.
Debtors
Trade debtors
9.
Creditors
Amounts falling due within one year –
Trade creditors
Taxes and social security costs
Other creditors
Accruals*
• Prepaid grant
10.
Statement of funds
**Balance at**
**01/04/2024**
**Restricted Funds**
**£**
Digital Inclusion
1,066
Out & About
-
Our Futures
14,825
**Total Restricted Funds**
15,891
**Unrestricted Funds**
3,009
Total Funds as at 31 March
**18,900**|2025
£
-
2025
£
350
-
-
-
350
**Incoming**
**Resources**
**Transfer**
**Resources**
**Expended**
**of funds**
**£**
**£**
**£**
15,000
(15,791)
(275)
15,000
(3,610)
-
80,379
(65,541)
-
110,379
(84,941)
(275)
107,469
(101,952)
275
**217,848**
**(186,893)**
-|2024
£
-
2024
£
300
-
-
15,000
15,300
**Balance at**
**31/03/2025**
**£**
-
11,390
29,663|2024
£
-
2024
£
300
-
-
15,000
15,300
**Balance at**
**31/03/2025**
**£**
-
11,390
29,663|
|---|---|---|---|
||||
41,053
8,801|
||||
**49,854**|