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2024-03-31-accounts

WILMSLOW YOUTH

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT and FINANCIAL STATEMENTS to 31st March 2024

Charity Number 1182727

~~1~~

Index

Report of the Trustees Page 3 - 9
Financial Review Page 10
Statement of Financial Position Page 11
Independent Examiners Report Page 12
Statement of Financial Activities Page 13
Balance Sheet Page 14
Notes to the Financial Statement Page 15 - 19

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Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31st March 2024

The Trustees presents their report together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2024. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 (page 10) and comply with FRS105, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable to the Micro Entities regime.

Registered charity number: 1182727

Charity’s Principal address: Wilmslow United Reformed Church

Chapel Lane Wilmslow SK9 1PR

Names of Charity Trustees who Managed the Charity During this Period:

Name Acted as Trustee for period inclusive

  1. Robert White

  2. Kirsty Thorpe

  3. Lisa Wood

  4. David Jackson

  5. Lynne Leng

01/04/2023 - 31/03/2024 01/04/2023 - 31/03/2024 01/04/2023 - 31/03/2024 01/04/2023 - 31/03/2024 01/04/2023 - 31/03/2024

  1. Emily Whitewood 01/04/2023 - 31/07/2023

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Structure, Governance and Management

Type of governing document:

The charity is governed by a constitutional document.

How the charity is constituted: Wilmslow Youth is constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO).

Trustee selection method: New trustees are appointed by existing trustees in accordance with Wilmslow Youth Constitution (Section 9&10).

The charity trustees meet on a bi-monthly basis and are responsible for the legal compliance, safeguarding, policies and procedures, finance, and strategic direction of Wilmslow Youth. The trustees also directly oversee staff wellbeing and performance, staff remuneration and conduct our annual staff appraisals.

Key Executives

The trustees have delegated the day-to-day management of the charity of the charity to the Chief Executive, Matt Williamson. The CEO manages the other staff members and volunteers, oversees our programmes and activities, coordinates fundraising and manages our partnerships with other organisations.

Objects and Activities

The charitable objects of the CIO are inspired by Christian faith and values and are to act as a resource for young people living in Cheshire by providing advice and assistance and organising programmes of physical, educational, and other activities as a means of:

(a) advancing in life and helping young people by developing their skills, capacities and capabilities to enable them to participate in society as independent, mature and responsible individuals;

(b) advancing education through providing training programmes;

(c) providing recreational and leisure time activity in the interests of social welfare for people living in the area of benefit who have need by reason of their youth, age, infirmity or disability, poverty or social and economic circumstances with a view to improving the conditions of life of such persons.

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Risks and Uncertainties

The trustees and management team keep a formal record of all major strategic, operational and financial risks to the Charity using a Risk Register. Risks are monitored, reviewed and mitigated on an ongoing basis. Wilmslow Youth has sufficient insurances, including public liability insurance, to cover all activities and events.

Summary of Main Activities

Over the past 12 months we have continued to see growth in the scope and impact of our existing services supporting young people in our community. We have also established new initiatives that have made an encouraging positive difference to our beneficiaries that we will outline in detail below.

There continues to be unprecedented need for mental health and community services for young people in our area, and we have consistently seen referral numbers rising, particularly for our counselling and mentoring services. Throughout this year we have worked creatively with other local charities, community groups and statutory services, to maintain a whole-community approach to meeting local need.

Our key operational partnerships, including with Wilmslow United Reformed Church, Life Church Wilmslow, Wilmslow High School, Wilmslow Health Centre and Just-Drop In, ensured that we were able to work efficiently and collaboratively to offer young people in our area the best support and care possible.

Counselling and Mentoring

This year we significantly increased our capacity for one-to-one counselling and mentoring sessions delivered compared to the previous year, delivering nearly 1000 sessions compared to 600 in 2022-23. This was largely due to a new initiative in which we recruited 4 placement counsellors who were in the final stages of training to offer counselling support not just to young people, but also to local parents, grandparents and carers.

This new provision comes in response to a need expressed by local parents who are the primary point of care for their children at home. Many described to us the pressure of supporting their family whilst

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feeling like they themselves were without support. We now offer free-to-access counselling for parents, grandparents and carers of young people locally. Over the next year, we also seek to expand this offer to those in our partner schools and charities who are supporting young people in a professional capacity.

Our young peoples counselling and mentoring services have also continued to be a vital lifeline to young people locally. One of the client’s parents shared their experience, saying:

“[My son] has never been able to express his feelings to anyone outside of the immediate family. He's seen multiple mental health professionals but has never opened up to any of them. In his counselling sessions at Wilmslow Youth, he not only felt comfortable to open up to his counsellor, but also came home and shared some things he's never told us before, and we didn't know about, so for the first time, he is opening up about how he feels. [His counsellor] has enabled him to find strategies for helping him sleep, and also to help with his anxieties, two of his biggest issues, and he is actually putting these into practice. Again, this is something he has never done before with a mental health professional.”

The young person from this testimonial had also not engaged with school for several months before coming to us. With the help and support of our team over the course of this year, he is currently sitting some GCSE exams, and is excited to start college in September.

One key measurement is the “Core” system to measure levels of distress. “Core” is a self-assessment tool which the young person fills out at the start and end of the counselling process, and it gives them a score of 0-40, with 40 representing the highest levels of distress. On average, we see a reduction in this score of 11.20 after counselling, which represents a clinically significant change. This is an improvement from our previous year’s average of 10.48, demonstrating our commitment to continuously work to improve the impact of our services.

Our partnership with another local charity, ‘Just Drop-In’ (JDI), continued this year as they also use the Undercroft space in Wilmslow URC to offer additional free counselling for young people. We host the JDI counsellors who work in counselling rooms adjoining the ROC Café after school on Thursdays.

ROC Café

The Wilmslow Youth Café is our drop-in space for young people which opens three afternoons each week. The café is a vital ‘front door’ to Wilmslow Youth, with many coming to make friends, relax and enjoy the community they find there, and in doing so they have a support network available to them if they ever need it. Often, young people who build rapport and

trust with our staff and volunteers at the café go on to receive support through our wellbeing groups and counselling services as needed, making the café an ideal introduction support and an effective wrap around service for those who access more help. We have enjoyed an influx of new volunteers from the community over this year and an expansion of the activities on offer. Wilmslow United Reformed Church, who host us in their community café space, continue to generously donate use of their community halls for sports activities which now run alongside the café, which has been enjoyed by the young people attending. We had over 300 unique young people engaging with activities at ROC Café this year, with over 4000 individual visits.

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Wellbeing Groups & Workshops

We have been continuing the development of our strategy for keeping waiting times for young people seeking therapeutic support as low as possible by offering a series of mental health support groups and workshops. This has grown in its reach over the last year, with 151 sessions, and 970 attendances at these groups. We have also enjoyed some great partnership projects with local artists, mental health professionals and charities, including an extended project with the local National Trust team at Quarry Bank Mill.

Primary School Support

We are now in our third year of running a Primary School Transition support project, which has expanded this year to incorporate 9 local primary schools as we help address emerging mental health issues that surface in some Year 6 children as they make the move to secondary school. The project offers targeted early intervention help through small group support, whole-class sessions, and parental support. This has been a wonderfully fulfilling project for our team and has proven to be hugely impactful for the young people, with outcomes including reduced anxiety and improved school attendance. Next year we anticipate this project reaching every one of the 350 new year 7 students at our local secondary school, who will all have had access to targeted early help both before and after their move.

Alternative Education Provision

We had 9 young people attending our alternative education provision throughout this year. This was an expected reduction in numbers from last year due to financial pressures on both Wilmslow Youth and the school who works in partnership with this programme, but it remains a vital lifeline for those who attend. These young people represent the highest level of need of the students we support, and work with our team to overcome the unique challenges they may be facing and to build their confidence and resilience. One of our key challenges going into next year, is how to ensure young people like these are well supported despite reduced resources being available. We have put a plan in place to offer a new

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group therapy model to enable us to reach more young people, whilst ensuring those who need additional one-to-one support in a specific area (such as basic maths and English) can access it through new volunteer mentors throughout the year. With the new model, we aim to return to supporting 12-16 young people as before by the end of the coming year.

Parenting Courses & Groups

In October and November 2023, we ran a six-week parent course aimed at parents of teenagers. We used ‘Parentalk - The Teenage Years’ which is an informal DVD-led resource from Care for the Family, allowing parents to hear a perspective from teenagers, views of other parents and advice from several experts who work with teenagers. The course was facilitated by Lynne Leng who is a volunteer for Care for the Family, a retired teacher and a Wilmslow Youth Trustee.

Each session works through key issues faced by parents of teenagers and aims:

  1. To increase confidence in the skills and abilities of parents.

  2. To help develop a better relationship between parent and teenager.

  3. To teach skills in helping teenagers become more emotionally secure and raising their self-esteem.

  4. To identify effective ways to bring discipline into the relationship.

  5. To discuss a variety of big issues which affect the whole family and help the teen make good choices.

  6. To encourage mutual support between parents attending the course.

  7. To provide ‘tools’ for a good working relationship with the teenager’s other parent or carer.

We also ran an additional week where we delivered a session titled ‘Left to their own devices?’ (Care for the Family) which focused on parenting in a digital age, looking at both the positive and negative effects of being online.

All courses were well-received by the parents who expressed more confidence in their role and felt more relaxed in the realisation that all parents were encountering similar issues in today’s society.

Summary of Main Achievements

This has been a positive year for Wilmslow Youth, despite several local, national and global issues putting significant financial pressure on those we support, our partners and us. The appointment of our Community Partnerships manager has made a significant difference, helping us to develop our financial resilience through community partnerships. This has led to the launch of our ‘Friends and Champions of Wilmslow Youth’ programme which provides a new monthly donation model for businesses and individuals who wish to support us. Alongside this, again, the investment from Garfield Weston has been hugely helpful in ensuring we can deliver our services despite the challenging climate.

This has also been a year of growth and deepening impact despite the operational and financial challenges brought on by the economic climate. In the year ahead we will continue to expand our work with primary schools and parents as we ensure we are available to support the family unit as a whole.

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We remain fully committed to our mission to create a thriving community to which young people can belong, and through which they can access the help they need.

Partnerships

Wilmslow Youth has organisational partnerships in place for delivering our services to young people. The key partnerships are:

  1. Wilmslow United Reformed Church & Life Church Wilmslow These two churches have been instrumental in both the initial establishment and long-term

  2. success of our work, funding the initial feasibility study and offering significant support long term through finances, volunteers, promotion, and practical support. As part of this support, Wilmslow United Reformed Church provides us with the use of the refurbished Undercroft space on their premises, enabling the delivery of the majority of our core services.

2. Wilmslow High School

Wilmslow High School is a key partner in our coaching and education provisions. We deliver some of our work in the school itself, and work in close collaboration with the staff members to identify need and offer targeted support to those who need it most. The school are also excellent supporters of our work generally and help to raise the profile of our other activities to ensure maximum engagement with the young people in our community.

3. Just Drop-In

JDI is a well-established and respected local charity offering counselling to young people in our area. As well as providing the professional therapists for our counselling service in Wilmslow, they also partner with us for Mental Health First Aid training and other events.

4. Significant contributors:

We had some significant contributors to our work this year through generous grants and donations provided. We would like to note our particular thanks to (in alphabetical order):

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Financial Review

Financial Overview

We have had a successful year of building the financial resilience of the charity through diversifying our income. We were awarded £43,185 (including £12,750 Deferred Income to 2024/25) in new funding grants towards the ongoing provision of our ROC Café and various mental health support focused provisions for young people. In addition, we held £54,526 in previously received grant finance that was deferred to this financial year. We have continued to be supported this year by our local Church partners who have contributed £26,560 in regular donations. Wilmslow United Reformed Church have also donated the use of the Undercroft and some Church Halls space for our activities. We received individual donations of £4,478 during the financial year. Our total income for the year of £185,941 includes £22,033 for the provision of mentoring, counselling and alternative education for Wilmslow High School.

Expenditure during the year was largely in line with expectations. The major expenditure in the year were employee costs for the 1 full time and 4 part time employees. Our ROC Café operation would not have been possible had it not been for the donated time from our 30 volunteers, who between them donated circa 2,065 hours of time over the period. This equates to an equivalent cost of circa £21,500 that is not recognised in our accounts and we expect to continue at a similar level next year.

The charity's cashflow position has improved since 2022/23, with a year-end cash balance of £87,407 and an increase in retained funds to £73,046. Retained funds are necessary for our continued operation.

The charity maintains a detailed Risk Register, which is reviewed and updated on a regular basis in conjunction with the Trustees. This helps us to monitor those key risks which could impact the finances of the charity.

Charity Reserve Policy

The trustees aim to hold uncommitted, unrestricted funds in reserve, equivalent to 6 months of operational costs. Our monthly operational costs are approximately £11,570, which require us to hold at least £69,400 in reserves. At 31[st] March 2024, our overall retained funds are £73,046, of which £60,296 are unrestricted funds.

Our goal remains one of continuing to diversify our income and prioritise long-term sources of funding to ensure we can support our community in a consistent, reliable, and effective way.

Trustees’ Responsibilities in relation to the Financial Statements

The trustees are responsible for preparing a ‘Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements’ in accordance with applicable law, Financial Reporting Standard 102 and Charities SORP 102.

The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the charity trustees to prepare financial statements for each year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity, together with incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period. In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are required to:

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The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy, at any time, the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the applicable Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations, and the provisions of the trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the financial information included on the charity’s website. Legislation in the UK governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Approved by the trustees on 10th January 2025 and signed on their behalf by

David Jackson, Trustee

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Wilmslow Youth

Charity Number 1182727

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Wilmslow Youth (“The Trust”)

I report on the accounts of the Trust for the year ended 31 March 2024, which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet and related notes, as set out on pages 4 to 10.

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:

Basis of independent examiner’s report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as 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:

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Glyn Jelley
Summit Chartered Accountants
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Date
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Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) For the Year Ended 31st March 2024

Note
Incoming Resources
2
Donations and
Legacies
Charitable Activities
Grants
Investments
Resources Expended
3
Raising Funds
Charitable Activities
Net Income and Net
Movement in Funds
Reconciliation of
Funds
Total Funds brought
forward
Total Funds carried
forward
8
2023/24
2022/23
Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Total
Total
£
£
£
£
73,247
-
73,247
61,570
27,193
-
27,193
22,267
61,892
23,070
84,962
48,245
539
-
539
45
162,871
23,070
185,941
132,127
-
-
-
-
93,017
61,471
154,488
123,802
93,017
61,471
154,488
123,802
69,854
(38,401)
31,453
8,325
(9,558)
51,151
41,593
33,268
60,296
12,750
73,046
41,593

All funds of the charity are classified as either restricted or unrestricted as above. There were no gains or losses on investments other than those passing through the SoFA.

All operations of the charity continued throughout the period and no operations were acquired or discontinued in the period.

The accompanying notes on Pages 15 to 19 form an integral part of this Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA).

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Balance Sheet As at 31[st] March 2024

Note
Current Assets
Debtors
5
Cash at Bank and in Hand
Total Current Assets
Liabilities
Creditors: Amounts falling due
within one Year
6
Net Current Assets
Total Current Assets less Liabilities
Creditors: Amounts falling due after
more than one year
Total Net Assets
Funds of the Charity
Restricted Income Funds
Unrestricted Funds
Total Charity Funds
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2023/24
2022/23
Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Total
Total
£
£
£
£
965
-
965
486
87,407
-
87,407
98,536
88,372
-
88,372
99,022
2,576
12,750
15,326
57,429
85,796
(12,750)
73,046
41,593
85,796
(12,750)
73,046
41,593
-
-
-
-
85,796
(12,750)
73,046
41,593
-
12,750
12,750
51,151
60,296
-
60,296
(9,558)
60,296
12,750
73,046
41,593

The financial statements were approved by the trustees on 10th January 2025 and signed on their behalf by:

David Jackson, Trustee

The accompanying notes on Pages 15 to 19 form an integral part of this Balance Sheet.

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Notes to the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31[st] March 2024

1) Accounting Policies

a) Basis of Accounting

The financial statements have been prepared under the Historical Cost Convention, with items recognised at cost or transactional value unless otherwise stated in the relevant notes 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 (FRS102) and the Charities Act 2011. The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS102.

The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern.

b) Income

All income is recognised and included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) when the charity becomes entitled to the income, there is sufficient certainty of receipt and it is probable that the income will be received, and the amount of the income can be measured reliably.

Grants and donations are only included within the SoFA when the general income recognition criteria are met.

Gift Aid receivable is included as income when there is a valid declaration from the donor. Any Gift Aid amount recovered on a donation is considered to be part of that gift and is treated as an addition to the same fund as the initial donation, unless the donor or the terms of the appeal have specified otherwise.

Contractual income and performance-related grants are only included in the SoFA once the charity has provided the related goods or services, or met the performance-related conditions.

Donated services and facilities that are consumed immediately are recognised as income with an equivalent amount recognised as an expense under the appropriate heading in the SoFA.

c) Expenditure and Liabilities

Liabilities are recognised where it is more likely than not, 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.

Support costs have been allocated between governance costs and other support costs. Governance costs comprise all costs involving public accountability of the charity and its compliance with regulation and good practice. Support costs include central functions and have been allocated to activity cost categories on a basis consistent with the use of the resources.

Deferred income has been provided where grant funding has been received within the year to be applied to expenditure to be incurred after the year end.

The charity has creditors which are measured at settlement amounts less any trade discounts.

d) Assets

Debtors including trade debtors are measured on initial recognition at settlement amount or amount advanced by the charity. Subsequently they are measured at the cash or other consideration expected to be received.

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e) Volunteer Help

Donated time from volunteers is not recognised as income or expenditure in the SoFA. The trustees estimate the value of such volunteer time as circa £21,500 for the 2023/24 financial year.

2) Analysis of income

Donations
Donations and Gifts
General Grants provided by Government
and other Charities
Total
Charitable Activities
Mentoring/Counselling
Alternative Education
Parenting Course Donations
ROC Café
Total
Income from Investments
Interest Income
Total
Total Income
Government Grants included above
Total
Donated Goods, Facilities and Services
included above
Use of Property
Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Income
Funds
Total
Funds
£
£
£
73,247
-
73,247
61,892
23,070
84,962
135,139
23,070
158,209
6,993
-
6,993
15,040
-
15,040
160
-
160
5,000
-
5,000
27,193
-
27,193
539
-
539
539
-
539
162,871
23,070
185,941
-
-
-
-
-
-
23,426
-
23,426

Use of the Undercroft and Church Halls facilities are provided by Wilmslow United Reformed Church at a discount to its market value. The difference between the cost paid and market value is shown as donated income as Use of Property.

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3) Analysis of Expenditure

Expenditure on Raising Funds
Incurred seeking grants
Direct Cost Expenditure on Charitable Activities
ROC Café
Mentoring/Counselling
Alternative Education
Scope
Year 6-7 Transition Project
Parental Courses/Support
Parents Counselling Service
Fundraising
Admin/Planning/Strategy
Total Direct Costs
Support Cost Expenditure
Charity Administration
Charity Running Costs
Other
Total Support Costs
Total Expenditure
Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Income
Funds
Total
Funds
£
£
£
-
-
-
14,500
4,973
19,473
11,228
13,863
25,091
17,758
-
17,758
2,115
2,611
4,726
-
5,369
5,369
2,869
-
2,869
-
6,181
6,181
17,189
-
17,189
6,487
19,906
26,393
72,146
52,903
125,049
956
-
956
19,915
8,568
28,483
-
-
-
20,871
8,568
29,439
93,017
61,471
154,488

The value of the donated Undercroft and Church Halls facilities has been apportioned between the charitable activities, to calculate the direct cost of each activity.

4) Staff Remuneration

Salaries and Wages
Social Security Costs
Pension Costs (Defined Contribution Scheme)
Total
£
94,547
1,820
2,848
99,215

No employees received employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) of more than £60,000 in the 2023/24 financial year.

The number of employees employed during the year was five. One employee was employed full-time and the other four, on a part-time basis. This equated to 2.78 full-time equivalents. All were employed delivering the charitable activities.

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5) Debtors

Trade Debtors
Gift Aid Pending
Total
6) Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year
Trade Creditors
Accruals and Deferred Income
Taxation and Social Security
Total
£
300
665
965
£
151
13,050
2,125
15,326

Included above is deferred income of £12,750 which represents grant funding that has been received within the year to be applied against expenditure to be incurred after the year end. The sum of £12,750 is deferred against restricted income.

7) Events after the end of the reporting period

Nothing to report.

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8) Analysis of Charity Funds

Fund Name
Purpose
Restricted
Chelford,
Handforth, Alderley
Edge & Wilmslow
NHS (CHAW)
Cheshire
Community
Foundation
Cheshire East
Wellbeing Fund
National Lottery
Unrestricted
Chelford,
Handforth, Alderley
Edge & Wilmslow
NHS (CHAW)
Co-op Community
Fund
Garfield Weston
Foundation
PLR Trust
Wilmslow Youth
Family Support
Year 6-7 Transition
Project
ROC Café, Scope
(Just Drop-In
Counselling)
ROC Café, Scope and
Admin, Planning and
Strategy
Total Restricted Funds
Family Support
ROC Café
All activities
ROC Cafe
All activities
Total Unrestricted Funds
Total Funds
Opening
Balance
Income
Expenditure
Balance
Carried
Forward
£
£
£
£
31,200
-
31,200
-
-
6,070
6,070
-
19,951
-
19,951
-
-
17,000
4,250
12,750
51,151
23,070
61,471
12,750
-
300
300
-
-
1,315
1,315
-
2,500
15,000
17,500
-
875
3,500
4,375
-
(12,933)
142,756
69,527
60,296
(9,558)
162,871
93,017
60,296
41,593
185,941
154,488
73,046

The grant from the Cheshire East Wellbeing Fund included a sum of £8,568 for the charity Just Drop-In. This sum was passed onto the charity Just Drop-In during April 2023.

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