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2024-03-31-accounts

Sliding Doors

Registered Charity No 1182432

Trustees’ Report and Independently Examined Financial

Statements For the period ended 31[st] March 2024

Vision. “To give vulnerable and isolated people, in the Blackburn with Darwen area, access to opportuni�es, support and enjoyment.”

Address 26 Planta�on Road Blackburn BB2 4QA

Bankers Lloyd’s Bank

Church St Blackburn

Independent Examiner D Singh and Co

Contents

  1. Trustees’ and Ac�vi�es Report

  2. Financial Review

  3. Trustees’ Responsibility Statement (Report of the Trustees)

  4. Structure, Governance and Management (Report of the Trustees)

  5. Independent Examiner’s Report

  6. Financial Statements

  7. Notes to Financial Statements

Trustees and Ac�vi�es Report

We have con�nued to develop and grow during the past 12 months. We have new people a�ending and new ac�vi�es taking place in our regular groups, we have delivered smaller oneoff projects, however growing and developing our regular groups has been our priority.

People with addi�onal needs tend to like structure and stability, it can take �me for them to feel safe and comfortable but when they do, they do not like things to change. We are very aware of this and are very careful when make changes and bringing in new ac�vi�es and support. We work closely with our volunteers who have lived in experience, they guide us with everything we do. We regularly take �me to chat to our service users and their carers/parents to ensure they are happy and take on board any sugges�ons for improvement.

We have over 350 people a�ending each week, many a�ending mul�ple �mes. Many people have disabili�es or learning difficul�es with others who are lonely and isolated. We have seen an increase in the number of older people joining our day�me sessions and more younger people coming to our evening sessions.

During the past 12 months we have:

One of our exis�ng volunteers has secured employment for the first �me in his life, he is a different person from the quiet, shy young man who started a�ending a group 5 years ago. He became a volunteer 3 years ago, during this �me we have seen his confidence and mental health improve substan�ally and are all very proud of him.

We have recruited 4 new volunteers all with addi�onal needs who have never previously had the opportunity to help others. Working & suppor�ng people to become more independent is a big part of what we do, whether they want to become a volunteer or just learn new skills we take the �me to get to know everyone, understanding that no ma�er their abili�es have skills everyone has something to give others. We spend �me finding out what they are interested in, what they would like to do and any barriers there have been in the past that have stopped then reaching their poten�al and most importantly gaining their trust. We buddy people up with our exis�ng volunteers and slowly offering training without scaring them. For someone who has had bad experiences or very li�le in the way of educa�on, the men�on of training can be very scary. Our regular volunteer mee�ngs are the place we begin to introduce some learning enabling people to support each other, this is delivered by a member of staff someone they all know and trust and is done in a very light-hearted fun way which is adapted in ways to meet the needs of each person. We introduce other training delivered by ourselves or other providers gradually for those who wish to par�cipate. For some people the fact they can make brews or set up tables is a massive step, and they don’t want to do anything else. For others with support assist or even deliver their own sessions. We value all our volunteers and celebrate all their achievements and con�nually praise and reward their input and support. Our volunteers played a big role in suppor�ng a local music fes�val which was a�ended by over 2000 people, they helped to plan the event, assisted at the event and raised some money for the charity by selling garlands.

Case Study Janet

Janet is a lady in her 40’s who has suffered from mental health issues for most of her adult life, she has been mistreated and abused by her previous partners and now lives alone. Janet was referred to us by the council’s community integrated services department who had concerns that she was becoming isolated and depressed. We visited Janet several �mes and explained what we do and how it could help her. Eventually Janet did a�end one of the groups, a very big step for her and once she relaxed, she had a great �me, everyone made her feel welcome and she was soon cha�ng away, she even sang in the karaoke! That was 7 months ago, Janet is now not only a regular at several of our groups each week she volunteers at our over 60’s ladies’ group, she also helps with refreshments, calls the bingo and even sings to the ladies she generally make the experience for the ladies who a a�end a happy one. Janet has brought a new energy to the groups and has made many new friends. The feedback from the council has been so posi�ve and they have now discharged her. She says she feel like she belongs somewhere at last and has people to talk to when things start ge�ng too much for her.

We are strongly focus on the health & wellbeing of all our users and volunteers. We ensure every session we deliver has some form of physical ac�vity included, we have a wide range of disabled friendly equipment and play games including Boccia, So� Archery, Bowling, Curling etc. We con�nue to have our regular line dancing sessions which everyone loves. We have had a couple of Bollywood dancing sessions when went down very well. The local gym a�end delivering armchair and low-level exercise sessions. We run quizzes, name that tune, bingo, play your cards right etc and have a wide range of board games and jigsaws to keep people mentally fit. Our healthy cooking and baking sessions are always well received especially with our young users, the volunteers play a big role in these sessions, happily showing off their skills.

We have invited in agencies to deliver health messages that are relevant to our users.

We were contacted by the NHS who were have difficulty ge�ng people with learning difficul�es to a�end their clinics/GP surgeries for their annual health checks. We invited then to run sessions alongside our groups. The take up was amazing with 90% of our users taking up the checks. People with addi�onal needs are o�en scared to a�end clinical se�ngs or do not have the ability or means to get to the venues, it can cause anxiety and upset when they receive a le�er with the appointment. By delivering the checks in a place they are already visi�ng, where they feel safe and with their friends the fear and anxiety is taken away. The feedback from the staff carrying out the checks was very posi�ve, and they agree this is the best way to reach this target group and will return every year.

We are a�en seen as the Charity to go to when agencies want to reach people with addi�onal needs. We work with them to ensure they can deliver their messages in a way that our users will understand and engage with.

We now have people with Demen�a from 2 care homes a�ending our music a�ernoons with their carers. To see someone come into the centre not really knowing where they are and looking sad with their head down, to seeing them start to sing along to the music and at �mes get up and dance around is quite magical, they certainly leave the session looking far happier than when they arrived.

Our young people’s groups are very popular and successful, we get many referrals from the Council and other agencies. The groups are run in our Hub a safe, friendly place that the young people have taken ownership of, and the ac�vi�es are o�en decided and led by the young people themselves. We deliver a lot of basic life skills during the sessions, always in ways that the young people find fun and understand considering the skills and abili�es of each person. We take the young people out of the hub whenever we can to give them new experiences and teaching them how to get about safely, we work and use public transport whenever we can. Strong friendships have been formed with many of the young people mee�ng up outside the groups.

Case Study Jordan

Jordan is a young man in his late 20’s who joined the Youth Club10 months ago. Jordan is a carer for both his parents, is father is wheelchair bound and has cancer, his mother has serious mental health problems. We were contacted by Jordans father who had read about our groups. Jordan was extremely nervous when her first joined us, we buddied him up with one of our young volunteers and slowly we began to see him come out of his shell. He is a very intelligent young man who unfortunately spends all his �me at home with his parents. The 3 hours her spend with us is the only �me he gets a break. We have spoken to his father about him a�ending the lad’s group, however he said it wasn’t possible as he was needed at home. He has been with us on 2-day trips which he thoroughly enjoyed it was very emo�onal seeing his reac�on when we visited Lancaster Castle, something he had never previously had the opportunity to see anything like. Jordan is a popular member of the youth club he likes to play his own music and is brilliant at the quizzes and learned to play pool

In Jordans own words “ I never had a friend before I came here, now I have lots and everyone knows my name” heartbreaking situa�on for this young man and we wish we could do more for him but for the 3 hours he is with us he is happy.

This year we have increased the number of trips and ou�ngs. The freedback we got from our consulta�ons highlighted how much people appreciated and enjoyed the trips and ou�ngs. For many people living with addi�onal needs the world can be a small place with some never leaving their local area. Accessibility, transport, fear, finance or a lack of people to go with are just some of the barriers stopping people. We always ensure the places we a�end are suitable for people with mobility problems, that they have disabled facili�es and are affordable. We hire coaches that are disabled friendly and always have staff and volunteers to ensure everyone is safe and happy.

Some of the places we have visited

We are taking 50 people to Blackpool for a weekend away in November.

The cost-of-living crisis has hit us quite hard this year with the rising costs of goods & food, but the biggest challenge is the cost of room hire, it has doubled this year and will almost certainly rise again next year. The amount of funding we receive for room hire now only cover 1/3[rd] of what we must pay which has an impact on out funds to carry out other things.

Overall, we have had a good year, lots of fun and many friendships formed.

Thank you to the Lo�ery and all Lo�ery players for your con�nued support.

Financial Review

We have con�nued to receive superb support from the Na�onal Lo�ery and are very grateful to them and to a number of other grant-giving trusts who have supported us throughout the year.

General posi�on

Lo�ery Grant. We are extremely grateful and fortunate to have received a further grant for 4 years, which will ensure our stability un l the summer of 2026.

Group income. Before the pandemic, weekly group income had risen to its highest level ever, an average of £1,700 per month. This reduced to prac�cally nothing throughout the 3 lockdown periods and had just begun to recover by the end of the 2020/21 financial year. By the end of 2021/22, group income was regularly over £2,000 per month. In 2022/23 this had increased to approximately £2,500 per month, this has been achieved mainly through addi�onal foo�all, rather than a large increase in sessional fees. In 2023/24 this amount has improved to an average of £3,000 per month.

Reserves Policy. The Trustees have decided that a sum of £7,500 should be placed in a special reserve account, to pay the redundancy costs for staff as well as other winding up costs. When determining the appropriate level of reserves each year, the trustees monitor the economic background including the current climate of significant public sector funding cuts and massively increased compe��on for grant funding. In accordance with our Reserves Policy, we aim to maintain unrestricted reserves equivalent to a minimum of three months unrestricted expenditure. We currently have 2 months' running costs in unrestricted reserves. This posi�on on has remained sta�c 2023/24.

Going Concern statement

A�er making appropriate enquiries, the Trustees have a reasonable expecta�on that the Charity has adequate resources to con�nue in opera�onal existence for the foreseeable

future. For this reason, they con�nue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the

Trustees’ Responsibility Statement

Company Law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and applica�on of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year.

In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

Structure, Governance and Management

Sliding Doors became a registered Charity on 19[th] March 2019 and is governed by a cons�tu�on and set of rules, which have been approved by the Charity Commission

The Board of Trustees is the body responsible for the government and management of the organisa�on. The trustees, who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:

Paul Fish

Sandra McNeil

Ian Parker (Resigned 27/8/24)

Darren Pilkington Diane Turner (Resigned 27/8/24) Janet Booth (Appointed 27/8/24) Mark Hilton (Appointed 27/8/24)

The trustees are responsible for the strategic direc�on and policy of the charity.

The Trustees have delegated the day-to-day running of the charity to the Director and

Approved by the board of trustees on 28[th] December 2024 and signed on its behalf by:

Mark Hilton

Trustee

SLIDING DOORS

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[st] MARCH 2024

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Sliding Doors

I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31[st] March 2024, which are set out on the following 3 pages.

Respective responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner

As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).

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 matter 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 Commissioners. 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

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 Trust 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.

Mr. Daljinder Singh

Date: 28[th] December 2024

D Singh & Co Chartered Certified Accountants 2 Wookey Close, Preston PR2 9HE

SLIDING DOORS

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[st] MARCH 2024

Income
Income from activities/Groups
Grants Received
Job retention scheme payments received
Bank interest received
Donations
Total Income
Expenditure
Accountants fee
Activities
Cleaning materials
Equipment expensed
Food
Insurance
Telephone
Raffle Prices
Resources
Room Hire
Salary & Pensions
Stationery
Subscriptions
Sundries
Training
Travelling Expenses
Volunteers Expenses
Total Expenses
Net of Income/ (expenditure)
Transfer between funds
Total Funds brought forward
Total Funds carried forward		 Unrestricted
£
35,867
-
-
552
-
36,419
1,100
-
-
-
289
96
-
-
1,142
4,090
38,797
-
140
16
-
-
75
45,745
(9,326)
(4,599)
14,855
930		 Restricted
£
1,290
60,026
-
-
-
61,316
-
-
-
-
1,992
-
384
-
9,074
2,360
53,094
-
239
-
1,260
3,527
6,967
78,897
(17,581)
4,599
47,495
34,513		 Total
2024
£
37,157
60,026
-
552
-
97,735
1,100
-
-
-
2,281
96
384
-
10,216
6,450
91,891
-
379
16
1,260
3,527
7,042
124,642
(26,907)
-
62,350
35,443		 Total
2023
£
38,613
43,562
-
59
5,860
88,094
735
-
-
830
1,371
259
384
87
8,003
7,480
79,156
-
289
100
300
731
5,470
105,195
(17,101)
-
79,451
62,350

SLIDING DOORS

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31ST MARCH 2024

----- Start of picture text -----
Notes 2024 2023
£ £ £ £
Current Assets:
Bank balances 1 35,443 62,350
Current Liabilities:
Creditors and Accruals - -
Net Current Assets 35,443 62,350
Total Assets
35,443 62,350
Represented by:
Reserves
Unrestricted Reserves 930 14,855
Restricted Reserves 34,513 35,443 47,495 62,350
----- End of picture text -----

The notes on the appended pages form part of these financial statements.

Approved and signed on behalf of the Board of Trustees on 28[th] December 2024 by:

Mark Hilton (Trustee)

Date: 28[th] December 2024

SLIDING DOORS

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2024

1.
Bank balances
Current Account
Deposit Account
Fixed Term Deposit		 2024
2023
£
£
12,323
19,782
9,879
29,568
13,241
13,000
35,443
62,350
  1. Reserves
Details
Details
Unrestricted
Unrestricted
Reserves
Unrestricted
Sewing
Total unrestricted Reserves
Restricted
CVS
Youth
CVS
CVS
CVS
SDYPC
RC
Progress
Baily
Lottery-covid
Postcode
FAFFA
Lottery
Coronation
Sport
England
CSV
Ladies
Skelton
Total restricted Reserves
Total Reserves		 Opening
Balance
(01/04/2023)
13,380
1,475
14,855
32
790
770
742
12,144
75
10,000
5,000
3,000
9,762
5,180
-
-
-
47,495
62,350		 Receipt
35,777
642
36,419
-
-
-
355
-
-
-
-
-
54,170
-
4,194
1,435
1,162
61,316
97,735		 Expenses
(45,735)
(10)
(45,745)
-
-
-
(116)
-
-
-
-
-
(68,531)
(5,180)
(3,022)
(1,042)
(1,006)
(78,897)
(124,642)		 Transfer
between
reserves
(3,422)
(1,177)
(4,599)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4,599
-
-
-
-
4,599
-		 Transfer
between
reserves
(3,422)
(1,177)
(4,599)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4,599
-
-
-
-
4,599
-		 Closing
Balance
(31/03/2024)		 Closing
Balance
(31/03/2024)
-
930
930
32
790
770
981
12,144
75
10,000
5,000
3,000
-
-
1,172
393
156
34,513
35,443