ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS For the period 2020 - 2021
Registered Charity No. 1181550 | info@thecowshed.org www.thecowshed.org | #showingloveandsupport | @CowshedCharity Charity Registration Number: 1181550
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2 The Cowshed | Annual Report & Accounts 2020 - 21
## **CONTENTS**
Organisation Details ...................................................................................... 4 Who We Are & What We Do ..................................................................... 5 Trustee’s Report .............................................................................................. 6 Chief Executive’s Report ............................................................................... 7 Projects ............................................................................................................. 9 Feedback ....................................................................................................... 16 Achievements and Performance .............................................................. 18 Thank You .................................................................................................... 19 Financial review – Independent Examiners Report ............................. 20 Accounts - Statement of Financial Activity ............................................ 21 Accounts – Balance Sheet ......................................................................... 22 Notes to the Financial Accounts 1. Basis of Preparation ................................................................... 23 2. Accounting Policies ................................................................... 23 3. Income Analysis ......................................................................... 24 4. Analysis of Receipts of Government Grants ......................... 25 5. Donated Goods, Facilities and Services ................................ 25 6. Expenditure Analysis ................................................................ 26 7. Fees for Examination of Accounts ......................................... 27 8. Paid Employees ......................................................................... 27 9. Tangible Fixed Assets................................................................. 27 10 . Debtors and Prepayments .................................................... 28 11 . Creditors and Accruals ......................................................... 28 12. Cash at Bank and In Hand .................................................... 28 13. Charity Funds .......................................................................... 29 14. Transactions with Trustees and Related Parties ............... 30 Structure Governance and Management ............................................... 30
Charity Registration Number: 1181550
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**ORGANISATION DETAILS**
## **STAFF**
Sally Russell Vicky Newland Ruth Warms Becky Russell Chloe Newland Nikki Pond Sue Chapman Rebecca Mole
## CEO
Donation Centre Supervisor Donation Centre Supervisor Referrals Supervisor Referrals Co-ordinator Referrals Co-ordinator P/T Craft Co-ordinator P/T WUC Grant Administrator
## **TRUSTEES**
Kester Russell Secretary Abbie Walker Treasurer Annette Davies (Resigned January 2021) Jeremy Hill (Resigned Feb 2021) Susie Templeton Suzanne Miles Sharon Ketley (Appointed March 2021)
## **CHARITY MENTORS**
Chris Barrett Steve Hedley
## **DUTIES OF THE TRUSTEES**
The Trustees have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by The Charities Commission in exercising their powers or duties.
Address- Hurst Grove, Sandford Lane, Hurst, Berkshire, RG10 0SQ.
The Cowshed is a registered charity (Charitable Incorporated Organisation) In England and Wales (1181550) with the following objectives;
_The relief of poverty of persons in need in particular but not exclusively by providing such persons with good quality free clothing._
The above object is carried out in accordance with a Christian ethos.
The Annual Accounts were signed on behalf of all the trustees on 19[th] August 2021.
Kester Russell
Abigail Walker
The Cowshed | Annual Report & Accounts 2020 - 21
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## **WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO**
The Cowshed charity started in September 2018 and officially launched in February 2019 to give practical support to people of all backgrounds in a time of personal crisis. The aim of The Cowshed is to lovingly provide excellent quality cleaned and ironed clothes, bedding, curtains, and other essential items free to anyone in need. The clothes are donated from the public as well as retailers and manufacturers, they are then sorted, washed, and ironed at our donation centre in Winnersh, sent over to our HQ in Hurst ready to be delivered by our drivers or collected by social services, other health professionals or our clients. The idea is that our clients feel they are receiving a gift to assist them in a time of crisis rather than some old clothes that are over worn, marked or damaged.
The people in need are referred to us through social services, churches, schools, charities, doctors, and other health professionals. We then provide the items that are requested free of charge. The Cowshed is staffed mostly by volunteers. In November 2019 we employed our first part time member of staff at Head Office to manage our growing number of referral requests, since then we have rapidly expanded and now employ 7 staff (4.3 FTE).
There is currently no other national charity providing this service in the UK. We have established our first centre in Wokingham which covers all of Berkshire and hope to expand to other counties as soon as the funds are available.
The Cowshed has a threefold impact: recycling used clothing, helping those most in need in our communities, whilst creating a community craft group to support the main charity.
All the clothes that are donated to us are repurposed, the excellent quality clothes are washed and ironed ready for our clients, the slightly damaged clothes / bedding is
repurposed by our arts and crafts group to make items for us to sell and tote bags for us to put our referrals in. Bras are sent to Against Breast Cancer and the plastic bags we receive donations in are given to the food banks locally. Anything left
after this is sold to a recycling organisation to raise further funds to help sustain the charity.
We are extremely excited about having established a movement which directly impacts those most in need in the local community in a positive, loving, non-judgmental way, as well as helping the environment by reusing clothes and other items which would otherwise have ended up in landfill sites.
Charity Registration Number: 1181550
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## **TRUSTEE’S REPORT**
The Trustees have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by The Charities Commission in exercising their powers or duties.
The purpose of the charity as set out in its governing document is the relief of poverty of persons in need, in particular, but not exclusively by providing such persons with good quality free clothing. The main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects are the provision of our standard referrals of a week’s worth of clothing, toiletry packs and other essential items such as bedding and curtains when requested.
FY20-21 was a tough year for many people and at The Cowshed we are proud to have remained open and supporting our local community for the entire period. During the year we supported over 6800 adults and children through our standard referrals and the other projects we have launched (see details below). This is a 765% increase in demand from the previous year and we are currently helping between 60 and 70 individuals every week with our standard referrals service.
During 2020-2021 we launched multiple new projects to benefit the community and those in need. During the first Covid-19 lockdown we launched an arts and craft pack referrals service for families to help entertain children during the period of school closures. We also launched Elves at The Cowshed where we provided Christmas presents in lovingly handmade Christmas sacks for families in need. We received great feedback from this project, and it was a real team effort with our staff and volunteers working extremely hard to make it a success. We are also very grateful to the public who donated money or presents which made the project possible.
Similarly, at Easter we ran an Easter hamper project where we worked with Hillsong Church to provide Easter hampers of Easter eggs and crafts to local families.
We are very grateful for the valuable contribution made by volunteers, without whom The Cowshed would not have been able to achieve so much during the year.
Contribution by volunteers includes, but is not limited to;
- The craft group designing, making and selling goods to raise funds for the charity
- Sorting, washing and processing of donations at our Donation Centre
- Selecting items for referrals
- Delivering the referrals to our clients
Craft at The Cowshed operated throughout the year, with our wonderful volunteers continuing to sew referral bags and make crafts at home. When Covid-19 restrictions lifted we were delighted to invite them back to our HQ where they were able to meet sociallydistanced in a Covid-safe environment. Their ongoing work making referral bags is invaluable to us, as well as making supplies for our online shop and market stalls to raise much-needed funds for the operation of the charity.
We also launched our online shop during the last month of the year, selling children’s seed boxes and bunting boxes. These have proved very popular and we have expanded to an adult’s herb box and a ‘handbag essentials’ gift box. This again raises much needed funds for the items which we provide new to our clients.
Lastly, as Covid-19 restrictions lifted and the government roadmap allowed school Proms and Leaver’s Balls we launched our Prom at the Cowshed referral and hire service. We have a wonderful selection of prom dresses and suits which those eligible for our referral service can hire for free for the season. We also decided to open it to those who are ineligible but may still struggle with the financial cost of attending the prom who are able to hire dresses and suits for a small donation.
The Trustees would like to say a huge thank you to all the incredible staff and volunteers at The Cowshed who go above and beyond to support local families in need.
The Cowshed | Annual Report & Accounts 2020 - 21
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**CHIEF EXECUTIVES REPORT**
## OVERVIEW
Fiscal year 2020 / 2021 was an incredibly challenging year in many ways. We started the year 1 week into a national lockdown due to the Coronavirus Pandemic with the Government advising everyone to remain at home and not to go outside except for essential purposes. We had already made the decision that we would remain operational if possible and also not to furlough any of our staff as we felt that as a crisis charity, we were duty bound to be there to support the individuals that needed our help.
At the peak of the first lockdown, we were operating with two staff members in the referral centre and the remainder of our staff and volunteers operating from home either helping with administration remotely or producing the tote bags needed for the referrals from recycled textiles.
As the number of referrals we received continued to grow this form of operating was unsustainable in the long term and we had to develop methods for COVID safe working that allowed us to increase the numbers of staff and volunteers that could return. At the same time as this we also had to develop COVID safe methods for the receiving and sorting of donations as well as the delivery of referrals to clients.
## REFERRALS
The governments no-one left out policy to rehouse all rough sleepers at the start of the pandemic produced a significant increase in referrals as many had little or no spare clothing. Simultaneously as the lockdown continued, we saw an increasing number of referrals relating to Domestic Abuse and other issues.
We also started to see a steady increase in referrals related to financial difficulties as a growing number were affected by either the furlough scheme providing reduced wages, reduced hours or job losses.
During the previous reporting period that was 15 months we had supported 893 individuals, by the end of this fiscal year we had supported over 2,500 individuals with full referrals and another 4,000 through our special projects.
## DONATION CENTRE
As we moved through the first lockdown in March / April 2020 it was clear that due to social distancing guidelines and the need to quarantine donations for a minimum of 72 hours that we would need to expand our physical premises. After a brief search we found the 4KSL building in Winnersh that has over 4000 sq. ft spread over two floors. We approached the landlord / owner of the property and negotiated a rent-free period from the End of June until September at which point, we started paying a reduced rent on the ground floor. This reduced rent ran until the end of the calendar year with the charity then paying reduced rent for both floors from January 2021.
The additional space has enabled us to create a system whereby all donations could be quarantined for 72 hours and allowed us to safely bring in up to 6 volunteers at a time to help sort, wash, and iron the donations whilst maintaining social distancing. The extra room was essential as our level of donations has continued to grow with the daily average hitting 1 tonne by the end of the year. In total during the year, we received 102 tonnes of donations all of which was reused or recycled in some way to prevent it going to landfill.
As restrictions have changed over the last twelve months this extra space has also enabled us to have the flexibility to react quickly and efficiently. It became clear that with the ongoing volume of donations we would need to maintain the facility full time and so in Autumn 2020 we committed to employing a Distribution Centre Supervisor which is a full-time role on a job share basis between two staff members.
Charity Registration Number: 1181550
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## **CHIEF EXECUTIVES REPORT**
## ARTS AND CRAFTS GROUP
The Arts and Craft Group have continued to be a critical part of our organisation. All our referrals are delivered in Tote bags made by the volunteers in the group so that we do not have to use plastic. All of the tote bags that we produce are made from recycled textiles such as duvet covers and other materials that are not quite good enough to be used directly in our referrals. As we are now averaging in excess of 50 referrals per week and each referral needs an average of 3 bags this is a substantial commitment and we are enormously thankful for all the ladies that produce these bags week after week on our behalf both from home and at the three days a week we host the group in our headquarters.
In addition to this the ladies of the craft group have continued to show their entrepreneurial spirit by designing and making a whole range of items for sale on behalf of the charity. The range of items now includes:
- Tote Bags
- Bunting
- Make up bags
- Reuseable facewipes
- Hand sanitiser carriers
- Doorstops
...and many others.
All of these are handmade from materials donated to the charity and help contribute to the fundraising required for the main charity.
The Cowshed | Annual Report & Accounts 2020 - 21
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## **PROJECTS - PROM AT THE COWSHED**
After excitedly launching our Prom at The Cowshed project in November 2019 we had no idea that after the first few initial appointments the Prom season for 2020 would sadly be cancelled completely due to Covid. So many young people missed out on this exciting event which has become a big part of the leaving school experience. We were extremely fortunate to continue to be donated some wonderful dresses and suits to build on our amazing stock which now has over 350 beautiful dresses. This year the season started late as it was still very unclear if Proms were going ahead or not, but we had a fantastic response and have now had appointments for over 120 teenagers in a very short window. We have provided dresses for many referrals as well as opening the service up for hire to support people who would not necessarily have qualified for a referral but who spending huge amounts of money on an outfit would have proved difficult.
We are also proud that we are recycling these beautiful dresses which would otherwise have only be worn once. Many Proms have been postponed but we are still hoping that they will still go ahead. After this initial success we are delighted to have a great new space upstairs so that we can continue to grow this important service for next year. Giving the young people we get referrals for the opportunity to have the same experience as their peers is so important, the day after a fitting we received this feedback from a local school;
_T came into school beaming today. Please pass on my thanks to everyone involved, and to all who complimented and supported T last night at his fitting. You have made such a big difference to a very deserving young man._
Showing individuals like this young man that they are valued and loved, as well as helping them to feel good about themselves is why we do what we do.
Charity Registration Number: 1181550
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## **PROJECTS - BRAS AT THE COWSHED**
Having a well-fitting bra is extremely important, sadly most women in this country do not get measured and this is especially the case for our clients who would not be able to afford the cost of such a luxury. Thanks to Wacoal Europe providing us with wonderful new bras and underwear, we will be offering a free bra fitting service for cup sizes A-HH. Our referred clients will be able to come to our showroom in Hurst and be treated to a fitting and two free beautiful bras from Fantasie or Freya and possibly other brands ( subject to stock availability) Fitting really is key to a woman finding the perfect bra and will transform the way she looks and feels giving her the right support and foundation to her outfit. Bras are an expensive luxury for our clients and this service will be a fantastic addition to the service we already offer to families in need locally.
In preparation for the launch of our bra fitting service, on the 11th of September 2020 7 staff and volunteers took part in the Foundation Bra fitting course led by the fabulous Alison from Intimate Apparel. With their new-found skills the trainees will be fitting our clients with well- fitting bras, thanks to the generous donation from Wacoal Europe, we are delighted to offer this much needed service free of charge to those referred to us as soon as the government guidelines allow. We hope to get this project relaunched in September/ October 2021.
The Cowshed | Annual Report & Accounts 2020 - 21
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## **PROJECTS - ELVES AT THE COWSHED**
We had no idea what to expect when we launched our Christmas appeal. We knew from the organisations we work with that Christmas was going to be tough for many families as the pandemic had sadly caused many job losses and homeless numbers had increased. Our wonderful craft group started making sacks and we estimated we would need 1000. The referrals started flooding in for children, care leavers, and the homeless community. We launched our wish list and before long presents were being delivered to Winnersh. We worked with our referrers to try and provide gifts that had been requested by the children we were supporting so that they would have a lovely surprise on Christmas Day. Each sack contained eight presents including a few stocking fillers, books, and a selection pack.
We had wonderful support from many organisations including churches, companies, supermarkets, and other charities. Hillsong Church through the Love Your Neighbour scheme provided fantastic food hampers for our families and helped us with delivering all the sacks. We provided over 1200 sacks and presents to families in need in Berkshire. We could not have done this without the support from over 80 volunteer elves who wrapped thousands of presents, made sacks, delivered the presents, and unpacked all the deliveries. It was a huge team effort, which we are very proud of, and it was great to receive some amazing feedback from the families.
Charity Registration Number: 1181550
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## **PROJECTS - EASTER HAMPERS**
Many of the families we support had had an incredibly hard year, so we wanted to give them a little treat at Easter. We partnered with Hillsong Church Love Your Neighbour and made an incredible 700 hampers supporting over 2000 children, which included Easter eggs, books, craft activities, Easter treats /eggs and handmade Easter bunting from our craft group.
The feedback we received from the families was that they have never received such a beautiful gift and it gave them a real boost at a difficult time. We were again supported by the wider community who constantly amaze us with their generosity.
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their generosity.
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The Cowshed | Annual Report & Accounts 2020 - 21
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## **OTHER PROJECTS**
## LITTLE BLACK DRESS SALE
We decided to start this project as many of the items we are donated are beautiful formal wear which is far too good to go to our recycling partner, not suitable for Prom at The Cowshed but also not often required by the people we help. We believe in recycling as many of our donations as possible and so decided to open a shop to sell these amazing clothes. Sadly due to Covid the shop was not open for long and with restrictions still in place we have not been able to promote the shop as much as we would have liked, but we hope to continue to grow this idea in the coming year.
## HELP US GROW OUR CHARITY
As we continue to expand at a rapid rate, we wanted to launch an initiative which would enable us to grow our charity so we can open centres in other counties. Raising funds in 2020 was a challenge with no events taking place and opportunities to reach the public were limited, so we brainstormed and came up with the idea to make gifts in our craft group that we could put in boxes and send through the post. This has been a huge success and we are building on the initial ideas and adding new boxes all the time. We now have an online shop and have been booking craft stalls for the summer to sell all the wonderful items our superb craft group volunteers have been making from recycled fabrics.
Charity Registration Number: 1181550
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## **OTHER PROJECTS**
## WUC PARTNERSHIP
From October 2020 to March 2021, we were contracted to administer mini grants on behalf of Wokingham United Charities. The charity offers grants of up to £500 per individual/family for the purchase of essential items such as white goods, cookers and beds. Our role was to take referrals from the Citizens Advice Bureau One Front Door Covid Response in Wokingham, source the required item(s) and liaise with the client directly before purchasing the item(s) and arranging delivery. We would then follow up with the client after delivery and deal with any queries.
The Cowshed | Annual Report & Accounts 2020 - 21
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## **OTHER PROJECTS**
## HILLSONG CHURCH PARTNERSHIP (LYN)
Towards the end of the first national lock down in 2020 we were approached by the pastor of Hillsong Church, James Mowle, to see if we would like them to provide us with bags of food for our clients. The church had been collecting dried food donations from their congregation to deliver to high-risk individuals that were fully selfisolating. As the pandemic progressed this service had been taken over by bigger organisations run through the local authorities, but Hillsong felt there was still a wider need and approached The Cowshed.
After an initial meeting it was agreed that they would give us 20 food bags each week that we would add to our referrals for those that we felt were most in need. Towards the end of the summer Hillsong Church nationally, joined up with a UK wide, government assisted project called Love Your Neighbour for churches in the community to support those most in need with food parcels. Hillsong selected 4 of their church campus locations to run this project including Reading specifically to help with clients of The Cowshed and committed to provide a bag of food for every referral we had for at least a year.
## DRIVING MISS DAISY
In late April at the start of the Pandemic we were looking for volunteer drivers to help deliver our referrals to clients as by this stage we were receiving more each week than our staff could manage. Initially we worked with several different organisations and individuals including staff from Wellington College and Members of Hillsong Church. Unfortunately, we were reliant on individuals using their own vehicles and as we were covering the whole of Berkshire this meant a large commitment from the volunteers both in time and fuel for the more distant referrals.
We were extremely lucky in the Autumn to be approached by CarComm Coachworks Limited who offered to provide us with our own van to deliver referrals. We recruited a regular team of volunteers to act as drivers and now do two delivery rounds a day, Monday to Friday. The van has been affectionately named Daisy by our drivers with their rota known as ‘Driving Miss Daisy.’
Charity Registration Number: 1181550
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## **FEEDBACK**
_Hello lovely team at Cowshed_
_A quick note to say a huge THANK YOU from my client for the wonderful care package you provided._
_I was able to deliver this to her this afternoon and she couldn’t believe it was all for her. I only ever see joy like this at Christmas in my own home with my own children, and its rare in my line of work to deliver such happiness, so being able to share some of that joy with her was just wonderful._
_You all do such a wonderful thing for our vulnerable people, if we as a team can ever do anything to support please do let me know!_
_With thanks again_
_I just wanted to say thank you so much for the art packs that I received for my one of my families, they were over the moon and it will make a real difference for them, I wanted to let you know the message she sent me after:_
_“Omg! The stuff we got was amazing, the kids think it’s Christmas!! The boys were over the moon, that’s definitely going to keep us occupied. Thank you so much for that!”_
_Thank you again, you are doing such a wonderful thing._
_**Hannah Grainger - Key worker Community Adolescent Support Team (CAST), Brighter Futures for Children**_
## _**Sam**_
_**Mental Health Social Worker Bracknell CMHT**_
_Just wanted to say a big thank you from us for the donation received on Friday – everything looks great! The team are hanging everything up in our Dressed for Dignity wardrobe as we speak and I wouldn’t be surprised if the wards are already making use of the donations – this will make such a difference to our patients._
## _**Rachel Thomas**_
_**Enhanced Recovery Facilitator for Specialist Medicine NHS#**_
_I just wanted to say thank you so much for the donation for Louis yesterday. He has asked me to say thank you from him too and to let you know that it has really helped him out at a difficult time. He is really happy with the items chosen for him and the unexpected groceries were very well received._
_**Kirsty Taylor-Smith Outreach Worker - St Mungo’s Reading Rough Sleeper Outreach Service**_
The Cowshed | Annual Report & Accounts 2020 - 21
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## **FEEDBACK**
## _Hello Cowshed,_
_Thank you so much for everything! I’m really happy and pleased with all the items I’ve received for me and my son. It’s so helpful I can’t believe it, everything’s so clean or brand new all good quality also. Your generosity is really touching, this has made me feel so much more relaxed for starting university as now I know I have everything I need to study. Everything for my son is perfect and he is very happy with his toys the clothes and books will go a long way as it’s so needed. This has taken so much weight off my shoulder. I really can’t thank you all enough I wasn’t expecting all this. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed._
## _Happy New Year wonderful Cowshed team!!_
_I just wanted to update you regarding the family in Reading you graciously chose to support from my referral. Firstly a HUGE HUGE thank you, from them and myself for the fantastic stocking/ presents sent for the children, they were extremely appreciative sending me photos of them opening their toys on Christmas morning. It was a joy to see._
_Also I wanted to send a BIG thank you on behalf of the family again for supporting them previously with toiletries and soft furnishings, these things make such a difference._
_I wish you all the best as we enter another challenging period of lockdown, thank you for being there and supporting the most needy._
_May God bless you,_
_**Tyler (September 2020) Brighter Futures For Children**_
_Thank you so much for the wonderful sacks and gifts that you gave to my health visitor for me and my children. It is very much appreciated and made me cry (happy tears)_
_I hope you have a wonderful Christmas God Bless you. X_
_On behalf of the Osinjolu family who, because of your generosity and care, had a brilliant and blessed Christmas. Your team are all amazing, communicate well and always go the extra mile to make a difference in people’s lives. The parents were incredibly blessed and could not more thankful. Once again, thank you and your team for making Christmas a memorable one for the children and parents._
_Kind regards_
_**Family Support Manager/Operational DSO, The Palmer Academy**_
_All the very best_
_**Hazel**_
_Happy We just wanted to say ’WOW’’ what incredible gifts, hampers and personal presents you provided us for our care leavers. We were literally blown away by the quantity and quality of the gifts you gave us, thank you for your kindness and for caring about our young people in care as much as we do._
_The smiles on their faces as we delivered their gifts and hampers was just priceless and you have helped what could be a bleak time of year into something more enjoyable and fun for them. It was especially lovely to see the little children’s faces light up as their father Christmas sack came through the door and you could see the excitement on their faces. Thank you for being such lovely people._
_We hope that you all have time to wind down and relax for your Christmas celebrations too. Look after yourselves and we will hopefully see you at some stage in the new year._
_**Kayon, Catie, Aaron and all the BFFC leaving care team.**_
Charity Registration Number: 1181550
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## **ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE**
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Referrals Individuals Helped Financial Benefit Provided
Standard Requests (- Under 18s) 1629 (846) 2532 (1377) £960,767.40
COVID Craft Packs 414 704 £28,160.00
Christmas Present Sacks 600 1040 £83,200.00
Vulnerable Adult Christmas Gifts 216 216 £5,400.00
Christmas Food Hampers 338 £11,830.00
Children’s Easter Hampers 600 1217 £48,680.00
Vulnerable Adults Easter Gifts 54 54 £1,080.00
Easter Food Hampers 730 £25,550.00
Totals 3513 6831 £1,164,667.40
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Worked with
102
Average Standard
Referral Value
179
TONNES 50-75
Organisations
of donations Average number of
£379.45
referrals per week
per individual
Gave 76,485 Items in Standard Referrals including
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**19,790 10,251 7,559 2,513** Tops / Shirts / Hoodies Shorts / Trousers Items of Underwear Items of Bedding
**----- Start of picture text -----**
5,077 7
Facebook Staff
Followers (4.5 FTE)
135
Volunteers
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The Cowshed | Annual Report & Accounts 2020 - 21
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## **THANK YOU**
_**• 44 Communications**_
- _**52 Lives**_
- _**Acorns Day Nursery**_
- _**Aldi**_
- _**Amazon Smile**_
## _**• Baba and Boo**_
- _**Benevity**_
- _**Berkshire Community Foundation**_
- _**Blade & Rose**_
- _**Block and Deck**_
- _**Brookside Church**_
- _**CarComm Coachworks**_
- _**Cash for Kids**_
- _**Cornerstone on Demand**_
- _**Crowthorne Foodbank**_
- _**Easthampstead Ladies Golf Club**_
- _**Easthampstead Rotary Club**_
- _**Facemask Essex**_
- _**Finchampstead Baptist Church**_
- _**First Days Children’s Charity**_
- _**FLB Accountants**_
- _**Frasers Property Retail**_
- _**Fynecast Limited**_
- _**Garfield Weston**_
- _**Give As You Live**_
- _**Gress Gardens Tree Care**_
- _**Harwood Textiles**_
- _**Highfield Park Hotel**_
- _**Hillsong Church**_
- _**Hipp**_
- _**Hurst Grove Estates**_
- _**Outbound**_
- _**Parkside Family Practice**_
- _**Perforce**_
- _**Persimmon Housing**_
- _**Pigeon Organics**_
- _**Premier Research**_
- _**Reading FC**_
- _**Reading Toy Run**_
- _**Sal’s Shoes**_
- _**Sandhurst Singers**_
- _**Shanly Foundation**_
- _**South Berkshire Singers**_
- _**Sparkle Window Cleaners**_
- _**Tesco Wokingham**_
_**• Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner**_
- _**The Albert Hunt Trust**_
- _**The Ashley Family Foundation**_
- _**The Ashworth Charitable Trust**_
- _**The CAF Resilience Fund**_
- _**The Chocolate Café**_
- _**The Earley Help Hub**_
- _**The Foxes Den Binfield**_
- _**The Holt School**_
- _**The Horseman Trust**_
- _**The Hygiene Bank**_
- _**The Monica Rabagliati Charitable Trust**_
- _**The National Lottery Community Fund**_
- _**The PF Charitable Trust**_
- _**The Piggott School**_
- _**The Postcode Community Trust**_
- _**The Syder Foundation**_
- _**The Woodward Trust**_
- _**Veritas**_
- _**Verizon**_
- _**Wacoal**_
- _**Waitrose**_
- _**Wellington College**_
- _**Winnersh Triangle**_
- _**Wokingham Baptist Church**_
- _**Wokingham Foodbank**_
- _**Wokingham Library**_
- _**Wokingham Tangent Club**_
- _**Wokingham Town Council**_
- _**Wokingham United Charities**_
- _**Wokingham Winter Carnival**_
- _**XE.com**_
- _**Zebra Technologies**_
...and all our regular volunteers who give their time so generously as well as the local families who pass us the items their families no longer need.
We do apologise if we have missed anyone and would also like to thank all the members of the general public who have fundraised and bought items from our Wishlist.
- _**Hyperbole Design & Marketing**_
- _**IAG GBS**_
- _**In Kind**_
- _**Inspiration**_
## _**• IQVIA**_
- _**John Lewis Partnership**_
- _**JoJo Maman Bebe**_
- _**Kings Church**_
- _**Kings Church Wokingham**_
- _**Kit and Kin**_
- _**Knit for Peace**_
- _**KPMG**_
- _**Little Sock Company**_
- _**Long Acres Bagshot.**_
- _**Lucy Locket Loves**_
- _**Ministry of Justice**_
- _**Moonbun**_
- _**Morrisons Winnersh**_
- _**N2O Brand Activation**_
- _**Neighbourly**_
Charity Registration Number: 1181550
19
## **FINANCIAL REVIEW – INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS REPORT**
I report on the accounts of The Cowshed for the period from 1st April 2020 to 31st March 2021, which are set out on pages 20 to 30.
## **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 STATEMENT**
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
2. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached
Signed:
Name: Christopher Fairweather Date: 19th August 2021
Relevant professional qualification or body: ACA (Member of the Institution of Chartered Accountants)
Address: 10 Swallows Croft, Reading RG1 6EH
The Cowshed | Annual Report & Accounts 2020 - 21
20
## **ACCOUNTS - STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITY**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Categories by Activity Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Total Prior year
funds income funds funds funds
£ funds £ £ £ £
Incoming resources F01 F02 F03 F04 F05
Income and endowments from:
-
Donations and legacies 66,546 148,416 214,962 95,605
-
Charitable activities 32,453 33,515 65,968 13,310
- - -
Other trading activities 2,901 2,901
Investments - - - -
- - - - -
Separate material item of income
Other - - - - -
Total 101,900 181,931 - 283,831 108,915
Resources expended
Expenditure on:
- -
Raising funds 3,162 3,162 3,440
-
Charitable activities 92,730 140,749 233,478 74,693
- - - - -
Separate material item of expense
Other - 33,515 - 33,515 -
Total 95,892 174,264 - 270,155 78,133
-
Net income/(expenditure) before 6,008 7,667 13,675 30,782
investment gains/(losses)
- - - - -
Net gains/(losses) on investments
-
Net income/(expenditure) 6,008 7,667 13,675 30,782
- - - - -
Extraordinary items
Transfers between funds - - - - -
Other recognised gains/(losses):
- - - - -
Other gains/(losses)
-
Net movement in funds 6,008 7,667 13,675 30,782
Reconciliation of funds:
- - -
Total funds brought forward 30,782 30,782
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 36,790 7,667 - 44,457 30,782
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Charity Registration Number: 1181550
21
## **ACCOUNTS – BALANCE SHEET**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Categories by Activity Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Total this Total last
funds income funds year year
£ funds £ £ £ £
Fixed assets F01 F02 F03 F04 F05
- - - - -
Intangible assets
- -
Tangible assets 32,527 32,527 2,209
- - - - -
Heritage assets
Investments - - - - -
- -
Total fixed assets 32,527 32,527 2,209
Current assets
Stocks - - - - -
Debtors - 28,230 - 28,230 -
Investments - - - - -
Cash at bank and in hand 44,404 - - 44,404 31,680
Total current assets 44,404 28,230 - 72,634 31,680
- -
Creditors: amounts falling due 60,704 60,704 1,656
within one year
-
Net current assets/(liabilities) 16,300 28,230 11,930 30,024
-
Total assets less current liabilities 16,227 28,230 44,457 32,233
- - - -
Creditors: amounts falling due after 1,451
one year
- - - - -
Provisions for liabilities
-
Total net assets or liabilities 16,227 28,230 44,457 30,782
Funds of the Charity
Endowment funds - - - - -
Restricted income funds - - - - -
Unrestricted funds 44,457 - - 44,457 30,782
- - - - -
Revaluation reserve
TOTAL FUNDS 44,457 - - 44,457 30,782
**----- End of picture text -----**
The Cowshed | Annual Report & Accounts 2020 - 21
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**NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS**
## **1. BASIS OF PREPARATION**
## 1.1. Basis of Accounting
These accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant note(s) to these accounts.
The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) issued on 16 July 2014 and with the Charities Act 2011.
The charity constitutes a public benefit as defined by FRS 102
- It is more likely than not that the trustees will receive the resources; and
- The monetary value can be measured with sufficient reliability
**Offsetting** - There has been no offsetting of assets and liabilities, or income and expenses, unless required or permitted by the FRS 102 SORP or FRS 102.
**Grants and Donations** - Grants and donations are only included in the SoFA when the general income recognition criteria are met (5.10 to 5.12 FRS102 SORP).
**Donated Goods** - Goods donated for on-going use by the charity are recognised as tangible fixed assets and included in the SoFA as incoming resources when receivable.
## 1.2. Going Concern
There are no material uncertainties related to events or conditions that cast significant doubt on the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern.
## 1.3. Change of Accounting Policy
The accounts present a true and fair view and the accounting policies adopted are those outlined in below.
## 1.4. Changes to Accounting Estimates
No changes to accounting estimates have occurred in the reporting period (3.46 FRS 102 SORP).
## 1.5. Reserves Policy
The policy of the Charity is to try and achieve an operational reserve of between 3- and 6-months costs.
## **2. ACCOUNTING POLICIES**
## 2.1. Income
**Recognition of Income** – These are included in the SoFA when:
- The charity becomes entitled to the resources
**Volunteer Help** - The value of any voluntary help received is not included in the accounts but is described in the trustees’ annual report.
## 2.2. Expenditure and Liabilities
Liability Recognition - Liabilities are recognised where it is more likely than not that there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to pay out resources and the amount of the obligation can be measured with reasonable certainty.
Deferred Income - No material item of deferred income has been included in the accounts.
## 2.3. Assets
Tangible fixed assets for use by the charity – cost at least £32,527
- These are capitalised if they can be used for more than one year
- They are valued at cost
- Depreciation is done on a straight line basis (typically over a 3 or 5 year period)
Charity Registration Number: 1181550
23
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS**
## **3. INCOME ANALYSIS**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Analysis Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Total Prior
funds income funds funds year
£ funds £ £ £ £
Donations and legacies:
-
Donations and gifts 29,165 7,463 36,629 10,510
- - -
Gift Aid 2,460 2,460
- - - - -
Legacies
General grants provided by government/ -
other charities 34,920 134,353 169,273 85,095
Membership subscriptions and sponsorships which are in substance donations - 600 - 600
- - -
Donated goods, facilities and services 6,000 6,000
Other - - - -
Total 66,546 148,416 - 214,962 95,605
Charitable activities:
- -
Recycling 32,453 32,453 13,310
- - -
WUC Funding 33,515 33,515
- - - - -
Other - - - - -
Total 32,453 33,515 - 65,968 13,310
Other trading activities:
Sales 2,901 - - 2,901 -
Other - - - - -
Total 2,901 - - 2,901 -
Income from investments:
Interest income - - - - -
Dividend income - - - - -
- - - - -
Rental and leasing income
Other - - - - -
Total - - - - -
Separate material item of income:
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
Total - - - - -
TOTAL INCOME 101,900 181,931 - 283,831 108,915
**----- End of picture text -----**
The Cowshed | Annual Report & Accounts 2020 - 21
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**NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS**
## **4. ANALYSIS OF RECEIPTS OF GOVERNMENT GRANTS**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Description This year Last year
£ £
-
Government grant 1 - Police and Crime Commissioner COVID Grant 30,124
-
Government grant 2 - Local Authority NNDR Business Grant 15,000
- -
Government grant 3
Other - -
Total 45,124 -
**----- End of picture text -----**
## **5. DONATED GOODS, FACILITIES AND SERVICES**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Description This year Last year
£ £
- -
Seconded staff
- -
Use of property
-
Other - Delivery Van 6,000
Total 6,000 -
**----- End of picture text -----**
The van is recognised on the SOFP as a tangible asset and is depreciated on a [straight-line basis over 5 years]. The fair value of the donation has been estimated using the price of a similar make, model and age van.
Charity Registration Number: 1181550
25
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS**
## **6. EXPENDITURE ANALYSIS**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Analysis Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Total Prior
funds income funds funds year
£ funds £ £ £ £
Expenditure on raising funds:
Incurred seeking donations - - - - 334
Staging fundraising events 227 - - 227 200
- -
Advertising, marketing, direct mail and publicity 1,716 1,716 1,272
Start up costs incurred in generating new - -
1,088 1,088 1,634
source of future income
- - - - -
Database development costs
Other trading activities 131 131
- -
Total expenditure on raising funds 3,162 3,162 3,440
Expenditure on charitable activities:
Salaries 11,728 45,867 - 57,595 8,548
-
Rent, Rates, Utilities 33,270 36,200 69,470 28,484
Storage - - - - 619
Purchases for referrals 12,057 30,370 - 42,427 10,336
- -
Set Up Costs 2,409 2,409 16,435
-
General Expenses 1,158 4,120 5,278 3,555
Other Costs - - - - 6,716
- -
Arts and Craft Supplies 2,481 1,000 3,481
Covid 451 16,400 - 16,851 -
- -
Christmas Sacks Project 11,268 5,665 16,933
Easter Hamper Project 8,655 527 - 9,181 -
- - -
Accountancy 2,867 2,867
Noah's Box Project 678 600 - 1,278 -
Building Materials and Maintenance 1,692 1,692
Vehicle Costs 160 160
Insurance Costs 1,735 - - 1,735 -
- -
IT Software, Subscriptions and Consumables 1,344 1,344
Staff Training 778 - - 778 -
-
Total expenditure on charitable activities 92,730 140,749 233,478 74,693
Other
WUC Referral Costs - 33,515 - 33,515 -
Total other expenditure - 33,515 - 33,515 -
TOTAL EXPENDITURE 95,892 174,264 - 270,155 78,133
**----- End of picture text -----**
The Cowshed | Annual Report & Accounts 2020 - 21
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**NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS**
## **7. FEES FOR EXAMINATION OF ACCOUNTS**
No fees were paid, the review was carried out on a voluntary pro bono basis.
## **8. PAID EMPLOYEES**
Staff costs for the year were £57,595 with an average FTE of 4.
No employee received benefits for the reporting period of more than £60,000 Total amount paid to key management personnel was £20,430.
The liability and expense of the defined contribution pension scheme is allocated to expenditure on charitable activities. Unrestricted funds are used except where a restricted fund was received for salary costs for a specific role.
## **9. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS**
9.1. Cost or Valuation
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Freehold Other land Plant, Computer Fixtures, Total £
land & & buildings machinery Equipment fittings and
buildings and motor £ equipment
£ vehicles £
£
- - - -
At the beginning of the year 2,209 2,209
- -
Additions 10,202 4,418 15,699 30,318
- - - - - -
Revaluations
- - - - - -
Disposals
Transfers * - - - - - -
- -
At end of the year 10,202 4,418 17,908 32,527
**----- End of picture text -----**
9.2. Depreciation and Impairments
|****Basis**|SL or RB|SL or RB|SL 5 Years|SL 3 Years|SL 10 Years|SL or RB|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**** Rate**|||||||
||||||||
|At beginning of the year|-|-|-|-|-|-|
|Disposals|-|-|-|-|-|-|
|Depreciaton|-|-|442|-|-|442|
|Impairment|-|-|-|-|-|-|
|Transfers*|-|-|-|-|-|-|
|**At end of the year**|**-**|**-**|**442**|**-**|**-**|**442**|
Charity Registration Number: 1181550
27
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS**
## 9.3. Net Book Value
|Net book value at the beginning of the year|-|-|-|-|2,209|2,209|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Net book value at the end of the year|-|-|9,760|4,418|17,908|32,085|
## **10. DEBTORS AND PREPAYMENTS**
|**10. DEBTORS AND PREPAYMENTS**|||
|---|---|---|
|**Analysis of debtors**|**This year £**|**Last year £**|
|**Trade debtors**|-|-|
|**Prepayments and accrued income**|28,230.2|-|
|**Other debtors**|-|-|
|**Total**|**28,230.2**|**-**|
## **11. CREDITORS AND ACCRUALS**
|**11. CREDITORS AND ACCRUALS**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Analysis of creditors**|**Amounts falling due**
**within one year**||**Amounts falling due afer**
**more than one year**||
||This year £|Last year £|This year £|Last year £|
||£|£|£|£|
|Accruals for grants payable|-|-|-|-|
|Bank loans and overdrafs|-|-|-|-|
|Trade creditors|29,797|-|-|-|
|Payments received on account for contracts or
performance-related grants|-|-|-|-|
|Accruals and deferred income|2,593|1,142|-|1,451|
|Taxaton and social security|886|514|-|-|
|Other creditors|692|-|-|-|
|**Total**|**33,968**|**1,656**|**-**|**1,451**|
## **12. CASH AT BANK AND IN HAND**
|**12. CASH AT BANK AND IN HAND**|||
|---|---|---|
||**This year £**|**Last year £**|
|**Short term cash investments (less than 3 months maturity date)**|||
|**Short term deposits**|||
|**Cash at bank and on hand**|44,404|31,680|
|**Other**|-|-|
|**Total**|**44,404**|**31,680**|
The Cowshed | Annual Report & Accounts 2020 - 21
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**NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS**
## **13. CHARITY FUNDS**
13.1. Details of material funds held and movements during the CURRENT reporting period
*** Key:** PE - permanent endowment funds; EE - expendable endowment funds; R - restricted income funds, including special trusts, of the charity; and U - unrestricted funds
|**Fund names**|**Type ***|**Purpose and**
**Restrictons**|**Fund**
**balances**
**brought**
**forward**
**£**|**Income**
**£**|**Expendi-**
**ture**
**£**|**Trans-**
**fers**
**£**|**Gains**
**and**
**losses**
**£**|**Fund**
**balances**
**carried**
**forward**
**£**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Lotery Community Fund
- COVID|R|Craf Materials for
COVID Packs|-|3,000|3,000|-|-|-|
|Wokingham Town Council|R|Prom Coordinator|-|1,000|1,000|-|-|-|
|Wokingham United
Charites|R|Referral
coordinator and
referral costs|-|10,000|10,000|-|-|-|
|Wokingham United
Charites|R|Craf Materials for
COVID Packs|-|5,000|5,000|-|-|-|
|Woodward|R|Arts and Craf
Equipment|-|1,000|1,000|-|-|-|
|Neighbourley|R|Craf Materials for
COVID Packs|-|400|400|-|-|-|
|BCF|R|Craf Materials for
COVID Packs|-|5,000|5,000|-|-|-|
|CAF|R|Salary, Rent, Craf,
Referral|-|10,000|10,000|-|-|**-**|
|PCC|R|Rent, Utlites,
Fitngs,Referrals|-|15,124|15,124|-|-|-|
|Lotery Community Fund
- COVID|R|Salary, Rent,
Utlites, Fitngs,
Referral|-|40,000|40,000|-|-|**-**|
|BCF|R|Distributon
Centre
Coordinator|-|8,000|8,000|-|-|-|
|The Syder Foundaton|R|Referral Costs|-|2,500|2,500|-|-|-|
|PCC|R|Rent, Utlites,
Fitngs,Referrals|-|15,000|15,000|-|-|-|
|CAF Resilience Fund|R|Distributon Cen-
tre Coordinator,
Rent,Referrals|-|10,500|10,500|-|-|-|
|Bauer Radio|R|Toiletries|-|1,995|1,995|-|-|**-**|
|Wokingham United
Charites|R|Micro Grant
Coordinator|-|4,167|4,167|-|-|-|
|Garfeld Weston|||-|20,000|1,667|-|-|18,333|
|EarleyTrust|||-|3,000|-|-|-|3,000|
|Van Donaton|||-|6,000|-|-|-|6,000|
|Other funds|U|All other income
and expenditure|30,782|122,145|135,803|-|-|17,124|
|**Total Funds**|||**30,782**|**283,831 **|**270,155**|**-**|**-**|**44,457**|
Charity Registration Number: 1181550
29
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS**
- 13.2 Details of material funds held and movements during the PREVIOUS reporting period
*** Key:** PE - permanent endowment funds; EE - expendable endowment funds; R - restricted income funds, including special trusts, of the charity; and U - unrestricted funds
|**Fund names**|**Type ***|**Purpose and**
**Restrictons**|**Fund**
**balances**
**brought**
**forward**
**£**|**Income**
**£**|**Expendi-**
**ture**
**£**|**Trans-**
**fers**
**£**|**Gains**
**and**
**losses**
**£**|**Fund**
**balances**
**carried**
**forward**
**£**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Greggs|R|Arts and Crafs
Equipment|-|1,130|1,130|-|-|-|
|Prudental|R|Arts and Crafs
Equipment|-|1,500|1,500|-|-|-|
|Leeds Building Society|R|Referrals
consumables|-|750|750|-|-|-|
|Loterycommunity|R|Salaryand Rent|-|10,000|10,000|-|-|-|
|Monica Rabagliat|R|Referrals
consumables|-|2,000|2,000|-|-|-|
|Washing Machine
donatons|R|Washing Machine|-|78|78|-|-|-|
|Other funds|U|All donatons
unrestricted|-|93,457|62,675|-|-|30,782|
|**Total Funds**|||**-**|**108,915**|**78,133**|**-**|**-**|**30,782**|
## **14. TRANSACTIONS WITH TRUSTEES AND RELATED PARTIES**
None of the trustees have been paid any remuneration or received any other benefits from an employment with the charity or a related entity.
## **STRUCTURE GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT**
The Cowshed is a Charitable Incorporated organisation and as such is governed in line with the Foundation Constitution.
All trustees are voluntary and are appointed via a selection process and approval by the Board of Trustees in accordance with the constitution.
## **DECLARATIONS**
The Trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Date: 19th August 2021
Signature:
Signature:
Name: Kester John Russell Position: Secretary
Name: Abigail Walker Position: Finance Trustee
The Cowshed | Annual Report & Accounts 2020 - 21
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THE COWSHED
The Annexe Hurst Grove | Sandford Lane | RG10 0SQ
Tel: 0118 934 5120 | Email: info@thecowshed.org | www.thecowshed.org Visit our website and social media for more info on our other initiatives. **@CowshedCharity**
The Cowshed | Annual Report & Accounts 2020 - 21
Registered Charity No. 1181550
32