The Valley Project
Charity number 1182026
Annual Report and Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 March 2022
The Valley Project
Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2022
| Contents | Page |
|---|---|
| Trustees' report | 2 to 6 |
| Examiner's report | 7 |
| Receipts and payments account | 8 |
| Statement of assets and liabilities | 9 |
| Notes to the accounts | 10 to 13 |
Prepared by West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO
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The Valley Project
Trustees' report for the year ended 31 March 2022
Reference and administrative details of the charity, its trustees and advisors
The trustees during the financial year and up to and including the date the report was approved were: Name Position Dates
Position Dates Patrick Waddington Chair James Lang Treasurer Wendy Verheji Secretary Resigned 1 June 2021 Elizabeth Robinson Trustee Matthew Edwards Trustee Charity number 1182026 Registered in England and Wales
Charity number
Registered and principal address
Bankers
The Valley The Co-operative Bank plc Stirling Crescent PO Box 250 Bradford Skelmersdale BD4 0FJ WN8 6WT
Independent examiner
Helen Galvin FCCA
West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO
Stringer House 34 Lupton Street Leeds LS10 2QW
Structure, governance and management
The charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) formed on 13 February 2019 and is governed by a foundation constitution.
Method of recruitment and appointment of trustees
The trustees of the charity are appointed for a term of three years by resolution at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees.
Objectives and activities
The charity's objects
To advance in life, relieve and help children and young people of Holme Wood and surrounding areas of Bradford through:
(a) The provision of recreational and leisure time activities provided in the interest of social welfare, designed to improve their conditions of life;
(b) Providing support and activities which develop their skills, capacities and capabilities to enable them to participate in society as mature and responsible individuals.
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The Valley Project
Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2022
The charity's main activities
To provide and support in the provision of facilities and activities in the interests of social welfare for recreation, education or other leisure time occupation of individuals or groups who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, disability or social circumstances, with the object of improving their social and emotional development, physical and mental health, educational attainment and community involvement and therefore contributing significantly in decreasing anti-social behaviour.
Public benefit statement
In setting our objectives and planning our activities our Trustees have given serious consideration to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit and in particular
(a) an enhanced quality of life and sense of well-being through engagement with and participation in activities and events that bring people together, leading to improvements in physical and emotional well-being, quality of life and a more stable and cohesive community;
(b) increased opportunities to engage in new activities that bring people together, leading to greater social cohesion and fulfilment;
(c) enhanced active citizenship and involvement in community life.
Achievements and performance
Progress Review
Since returning from lockdown the children have become far more involved in the projects development and have very firm ideas as to what they want to see on their site. They have recognised the unique problems and opportunities at "The Valley" and have come up with ways to address these.
The children and young people have completely transformed the site, building complex treehouses and dens, bike ramps, pools to relax in, swords to fight dragons and they have filmed horror movies. They have met with local councillors, funders and decision makers, played sports such as tennis, football and volleyball, competed in tug of war, slid down a waterslide, painted everything they can find, had a bath in Orbeez and much, much more. Treasure hunts, hide and seek, family tig and cops and robbers are hugely popular team games that include all ages. The smiles on the children's faces and their dirty clothes show what a great time they have down at The Valley.
Direct Delivery
The Valley Project has 544 children registered with us, many of whom attend every session. Over the past year we were able to deliver 172 play sessions with a footfall of 9,264 and an average attendance of 54 children per session (our highest attendance was 111). Our winter session attendance is up by 40% from last year with children coming down in all weathers.
Our staff team has substantially grown in line with our footfall, at present we have six permanent members of staff, three of these live locally on the estate. We have two casual members of staff who cover school holidays and we are currently recruiting three more to cover our increased demand (11 in total).
Staff support the children to integrate, breaking down barriers to inclusion and nurturing friendships. The positive relationships that our play workers have built up with the children means they feel comfortable having conversations around a range of topics including drug use, gangs and sexual exploitation. A key aim is to promote active citizenship amongst the children, to encourage a sense of belonging to and responsibility for their community, combatting negative perceptions of young people.
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The Valley Project
Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2022
Achievements and performance (continued)
Social Welfare Support
The trust gained by the staff has led to the project becoming much more than an Adventure Playground, we now deliver a whole family approach, supporting the entire family unit through a wide range of services. Food is cooked daily, food parcels often handed out to struggling families, clothing provided where needed, emotional and practical support for parents as well as children, help with understanding official forms and referrals/signposting to suitable agencies.
Our food provision has played a huge part in bringing our community back together, building community resilience and kick-starting community recovery. Children have sown seasonal vegetables, fruits and salad ingredients in our onsite 'allotment area'. Once ripe the 'home grown' ingredients were harvested and complimented by donated ingredients, the children prepared and cooked daily healthy meals. All meals are prepared and cooked in The Valley Project's dedicated outdoor kitchen, on a large campfire, BBQ or pizza oven by a group of children, supported by experienced and trained staff.
A lot of our Covid specific services have now come to an end but we are proud of what we achieved as a small organisation.
The Valley Project Covid Support Offer March 2020 - March 2022
1,833 Large Activity Packs distributed 983 Doorstep Welfare Check Visits
Food
13,340 Campfire meals were cooked on site
1,507 People received Food Parcels = providing over 15,070 meals 1,792 Benefited from Food shares = providing over 8,960 meals Total = 37,370 meals
Development
Over the past year the self-built play structures have got larger and larger. We started the year off with a rocket platform, complete with rockets (made from donated shrimp tanks), a giant American swing was erected, our outdoor kitchen, complete with popular pizza oven went in and we built our first 'sky walk' joining our rocket platform to the jumping tower and woods. The more structures we build, the more physical activity the children and young people achieve, team games and general locomotive play give them hours of chasing around. During a 2.5 hour play session the average child is taking 9,380 steps, burning around 300 calories (figures taken from step monitor data). This is achieved through running, jumping, climbing, lifting and building.
Volunteers and Donations
Community ownership is at the heart of everything we do and has further increased this year. Our Young Leaders project has gone from strength to strength, we have regular 'new recruits' and a lot of our 'originals' are still regularly attending. A group of them are currently putting plans together for a fenced off Nature Area, which will house a pond, water feature, planting etc. Our regular parent volunteers have also set up an online Parents Forum to support each other outside of sessions but also to plan a summer fundraising fayre for July 2022. We would like to thank all our volunteers young and old for their continued support and time, we could not have achieved as much as we do without you all.
The Valley Project would also like to recognise the generosity of our in-kind donors who have contributed to the ongoing success of the project, charitable organisations such as Inn Churches who have donated 1000's of tonnes of food to keep tummies full, corporate donations from the likes of Furness Partnership (who donated selection boxes and den building equipment) and InCommunities for their bark chipping donations. These donations equate to just under £20,000 of saving to the organisation.
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The Valley Project
Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2022
Achievements and performance (continued)
Achievements
The Alan Turing Institute are currently undertaking independent research in Holme Wood on a project called Act Early: Holmewood, they are looking at the links between data science, AI (artificial intelligence) and how it can support social (specifically health) changes. They held a community consultation event recently and asked the local participants to plot different 'dots' on key land marks within the estate. The Valley Project was so proud and humbled to discover that over half of the participants chose The Valley Project as "the best area of Holmewood".
One major positive that came out of the pandemic was that our community saw how determined The Valley Project were to support them in any way we could during such challenging times, this built-up great trust and respect and this has continued as we start to get back to normality. One thing that the children and young people expressed to the staff was the worry that The Valley Project would not survive Covid. Many of them see the project as their safe space, they are invested in the project both physically and emotionally. The fact that we have been able to re-open in our full capacity and deliver a year of uninterrupted play sessions (other than the odd week we had to close due to positive Covid cases) has proven to the children that The Valley Project is here to stay.
Going Forward
The Valley Project anticipates a large increase in participant and footfall numbers over the coming year and we are planning staffing levels and budgets accordingly.
The Valley Project has a number of exciting projects in the pipeline for next year. We are set to launch a brandnew service, to enhance our delivery offer and further increasing local utilisation of our site. 'Valley Tots' will be an inclusive outdoor provision for under 5's and their parents, running during the school day.
The children and young people have set their hearts on converting a double decker bus into a flexible indoor space. It will fit perfectly with the ethos of reuse and recycle that The Valley Project lives by and give enough but not too much engaging indoor space away from the sometimes-extreme elements that the kids endure. We also plan to further develop the site, hopefully upgrading our no longer fit for purpose toilet block and funding allowing installing a double zipwire.
Financial review
The net payments for the year were £19,097, including net receipts of £25,259 on unrestricted funds and net payments of £44,356 on restricted funds.
The Valley Project has been financially impacted both positively and negatively due to the covid-19 virus, certain funders have withdrawn or postponed grant funding but other funders have stepped up to offer resilience and covid-19 recovery funds. The Valley Project had secured a number of year long grants that can be carried over into 2022-2023 financial year.
The trustees have reassessed the charity’s ability to continue for at least 12 months from the date that the accounts are approved and conclude that no material uncertainties exist that cast significant doubt on the charity's ability to meet its liabilities as they fall due.
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The Valley Project
Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2022
Reserves policy
The Valley Project aim to maintain free reserves in unrestricted funds at a level which equates to approximately three months of charitable expenditure. The trustees consider that this level will provide sufficient funds to respond to applications for grants and ensure that support and governance costs are covered.
Reserves can be spent to bridge the gap between the spending and receiving of income and to cover unplanned emergency repairs and other expenditure.
The reserves policy needs to be reviewed annually to secure The Valley Project’s long-term financial sustainability.
At the end of the year The Valley Project’s unrestricted reserves stand at £32,964, this has grown considerably this year due to unrestricted Covid business grants but it is still below where we need to be to cover 3 months delivery costs (£40,330). The trustees will endeavour to rectify this situation in the coming year with planned fundraising events, corporate donations and site rentals.
Signed on behalf of the board of trustees on 22/06/2022
James Lang (Trustee)
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The Valley Project
Independent examiner's report to the trustees of The Valley Project
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the CIO for the year ended 31 March 2022, which are set out on pages 8 to 13.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the CIO you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act').
I report in respect of my examination of the CIO's accounts as carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act. In carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner's statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
1 accounting records were not kept in respect of the CIO as required by section 130 of the Act; or 2 the accounts do not accord with those records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed: …………………………………… Name: Helen Galvin FCCA
22/06/2022
West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO
Stringer House 34 Lupton Street Leeds LS10 2QW
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The Valley Project
Receipts and payments account for the year ended 31 March 2022
| Notes 2022 Unrestricted funds £ Receipts Grants and donations (2) 24,651 Other income 902 Total receipts 25,553 Payments Salaries and payroll charges (3) 288 Freelance costs - Staff expenses 6 Legal and accounting - Utilities - Insurance - Marketing - Equipment - Consumables - Repairs and maintenance - Partnership agreement - Business rates - Van costs - Total payments 294 Net income / (expenditure) 25,259 Fund balances brought forward 7,705 Fund balances carried forward (4) 32,964 |
2022 Restricted funds £ 116,670 - 116,670 92,645 - 4,431 812 2,237 2,779 170 18,305 11,111 8,033 15,000 725 4,778 161,026 (44,356) 65,877 21,521 |
2022 Total funds £ 141,321 902 142,223 92,933 - 4,437 812 2,237 2,779 170 18,305 11,111 8,033 15,000 725 4,778 161,320 (19,097) 73,582 54,485 |
2021 Total funds £ 175,488 - 175,488 48,690 24,000 2,887 568 2,156 2,779 404 26,029 6,680 7,023 15,000 3,698 - 139,914 35,574 38,008 73,582 |
|---|---|---|---|
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The Valley Project
Statement of assets and liabilities
| as at 31 March 2022 2022 Unrestricted £ Cash funds Cash at bank 32,134 Cash at Payroll Company 830 Total cash funds 32,964 Amounts owed to the charity Prepayments Assets retained for the charity's own use Shipping Containers Fencing Floodlights Crash Mats White Goods Lawnmower Tube Slide Power Tools American Swing Pizza Oven Chainsaw Liabilities Independent examination |
2022 Restricted £ 21,521 - 21,521 |
2022 Total £ 53,655 830 54,485 £ 506 £ 4,800 24,787 2,977 1,963 955 506 792 1,100 6,420 1,183 399 45,882 £ 840 |
2021 Total £ 70,668 2,914 73,582 |
|---|---|---|---|
The financial statements were approved by the board of trustees on 22/06/2022
James Lang (Trustee)
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The Valley Project
Notes to the accounts
for the year ended 31 March 2022
1 Accounting policies
Basis of accounting
The trustees have taken advantage of section 133 of the Charities Act 2011 and have prepared the accounts on a receipts and payments basis.
There has been no change to the accounting policies since last year.
No changes have been made to the accounts for previous years.
Taxation
As a charity the organisation benefits from rates relief and is generally exempt from income tax and capital gains tax but not from VAT. Irrecoverable VAT is included in the cost of those items to which it relates.
Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity.
Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure imposed by the donor or through the terms of an appeal.
Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the accounts.
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The Valley Project
Notes to the accounts continued
for the year ended 31 March 2022
| 2 Grants and donations BD4+ Community Partnership Bradford Metropolitan District Council (BMDC) E:merge (UK) Co Ltd Leeds Community Foundation The Ashden Trust The Manjit Wolstenholme Fund The National Lottery Community Fund Warburtons Bradford Community Plan Partnership Bradford South Community Chest Co-op Community Fund Give Bradford HM Revenue and Customs Martin Lewis Fund Morrisons Foundation Neighbourly Community Fund Outloud Ltd and BMDC Youth Service Resilience Fund Sir George Martin Trust Sovereign Health Care Sport England Transforming Lives Fund Tudor Trust West Yorkshire Police & Crime Commissioner Yorkshire Building Society Donations 3 Staff costs and numbers Gross salaries Payroll charges Social security costs Employment allowance |
2022 Unrestricted funds £ - 23,735 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 916 24,651 |
2022 Restricted funds £ 25,000 54,389 2,681 10,000 3,000 8,600 10,000 3,000 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 116,670 |
2022 Total funds £ 25,000 78,124 2,681 10,000 3,000 8,600 10,000 3,000 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 916 141,321 2022 £ 90,367 1,061 5,505 (4,000) 92,933 |
2021 Total funds £ - 24,475 8,219 6,850 - - - 400 2,500 400 3,338 9,103 14,165 1,500 6,800 400 25,000 8,000 2,300 3,500 288 5,000 35,000 15,000 1,800 1,450 175,488 2021 £ 47,690 1,000 2,872 (2,872) 48,690 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The average number of employees during the year was 7.6, being an average of 4 full time equivalent (2021: 4.3, 2.4 FTE). There were no employees with emoluments above £60,000.
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The Valley Project
Notes to the accounts continued
for the year ended 31 March 2022
| 4 Restricted funds Co-op Community Fund BMDC Arts Covid-19 BMDC Holiday Activity and Food Sport England BMDC Transformation Fund Youth Endowment Fund Tackling Food Poverty Grant Morrisons Foundation Sir George Martin Trust Tudor Trust Awards For All Community Partnership Warburtons Pears fund Ashden Trust Bradford Council HSF Manjit Wolstenholm fund Bradford Council ARG |
Balance b/f £ 276 290 4,750 292 1,600 8,219 6,850 6,800 1,800 35,000 - - - - - - - - 65,877 |
Incoming £ - 150 31,217 - - 2,681 - - - - 10,000 25,000 3,000 10,000 3,000 9,000 8,600 14,022 116,670 |
Outgoing £ 276 440 31,772 292 1,600 10,900 6,850 6,800 1,800 35,000 10,000 25,000 3,000 10,000 3,000 9,000 1,693 3,603 161,026 |
Balance c/f £ - - 4,195 - - - - - - - - - - - - - 6,907 10,419 21,521 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Fund name
Co-op Community Fund BMDC Arts Covid-19 BMDC Holiday Activity and Food Sport England
BMDC Transformation Fund
Youth Endowment Fund
Tackling Food Poverty Grant
Morrisons Foundation Sir George Martin Trust Tudor Trust Awards For All Community Partnership
Warburtons Pears fund
Ashden Trust Bradford Council HSF
Manjit Wolstenholm fund Bradford Council ARG
Purpose of restriction
To carry out site maintenance.
To deliver creative activities within our local community. To provide food and activities during all school holidays. To erect boundary fencing, fit toilets, water, electric and flood lights.
To hire business consultants to support business planning development, staff management skills, staff development and income diversification.
To prevent children and young people from Holme Wood getting caught up in crime and violence. Tackling local food poverty through food parcels, food shares, meals on site, etc.
To build an outdoor kitchen on site.
To build an 'invention room' on site for the children. Towards core costs for running an adventure playground. To deliver a ‘Year of Fun’ and towards Covid recovery.
To deliver against key indicators for health in the local area. I.e. -Tackling obesity locally, supporting young people with their mental health, encouraging young people to become more active, being more creative about shaping food habits. To further develop our Saturday family sessions.
To deliver a ‘Year of Play’ open access play session to aid Covid recovery.
To deliver outdoor play sessions throughout the winter. To deliver food parcels during October, Christmas and February school holidays.
To train children & young people in a range of ‘tool licenses’. To set up and deliver a 6 month pilot of our Valley Tots, under 5’s provision.
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The Valley Project
Notes to the accounts continued
for the year ended 31 March 2022
5 Related party transactions
Trustee expenses
No trustee received any expenses during this year or the previous year.
Trustee remuneration and benefits
No trustee received any remuneration or benefit during this or the previous year.
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