PANTRY FOR BLACON CIO (Known as Blacon Beacon) Registered charity number 1183763
Annual Report
for the year ending 31[st] December 2022.
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Pantry for Blacon is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registration number 1183763
Governance and management
There trustees of the charity in 2022 were as follows:
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Rev Christina Upton (Chair)
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Ms Sheila Little
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Mr Edwin Green
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Mrs Jenine de Leie (resigned August 2022)
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Mr John Reid (Treasurer)
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Ms Kerry Cook
Since April 2022 we replaced our Store Manager, by employing a General Manager initially for 16 hours per week, though these hours have increased through the year, to almost full-time. We also employ a Store Assistant for 16 hours per week, a Computer Mentor for 8 hours per week, and a Healthy Eating Coordinator for 12 hours per week.
Our work would not be possible without the great support of over 20 regular volunteers, who are involved with many different roles, including maintaining stock in the store, serving members when they attend, packing fruit and veg into bags ready for collection, sharing cooking skills in our classes, preparing and serving the food for families attending for holiday meals.
Objectives
The charity exists to relieve food poverty in Blacon, Chester, and also to promote health, through the provision of good quality food at an affordable price, and encouraging healthy diet through education on food preparation.
Activities in 2022
Wow – what a year. It has been great to move away from isolating Covid times, where we had to be careful about not meeting in groups, to a time where being community has become something that many Blacon residents strive after.
Over a 10 day period in December 2022 Blacon Beacon supported over 700 different Blacon residents through our community projects.
One of these community projects was our Christmas hot lunch and activities session where families (on low incomes) enjoyed a healthy turkey pasta, Christmas treats, fruit and the fun of a Pantomime. We ran 11 of these hot lunches in 2022, with the average number of people coming being over 100 per session.
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In 2022 we started Blacon Beacon’s own slow cooker project- where we give over 100 Blacon households monthly bags with ingredients and recipes that enable them to learn to cook healthy and nutritious meals that are low in cost. We also help households to eat healthy and less expensive meals by having face to face food preparation sessions. For
example, we have ‘Chat, Chop and Chew’ for adults where they prepare the contents of a slow cooker meal. We are also pleased to say we have regular family cooking sessions where children are helped by their parents to make healthy courses such as cottage pie and fruit crumble.
Our membership store scheme is extremely popular and makes a massive difference to the life of Blacon residents who are struggling with the cost of living. Even though food prices have gone up considerably we are proud to say that kind donations and funding has meant that our membership price has been able to stay the same.
Dave our computer mentor is getting to a stage where he has regularly has three or four people working with him at once to improve their computer skills. It has been great to see people he has supported getting jobs after writing CV’s with his help, getting benefits they are entitled to and feeling far more confident about their computer skills and feeling a strong sense of community and support.
In 2022 we started the ‘Stop Loan Sharks’ project involving Blacon
Primary schools and Blacon High School. The aim of this project was to make children, teenagers and their families aware of the threat of people offering loans who are not registered with the Financial Conduct Authority and who often use threatening ways to ensure their ‘clients’ pay excessive amounts of interest. Students worked on creating banners that will be displayed all over Blacon and at creating a drama performance based on true life loan shark experiences.
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In 2022 the Blacon Beacon Foodbank hub was the 2[nd] most used Foodbank in Chester and the surrounding areas. We are pleased to say that many of our Foodbank users, who live in Blacon, have benefited from longer term support from Blacon Beacon - such as becoming Blacon Beacon store members, receiving monthly slow cooker bags, coming to regular face to face food preparation sessions and coming to our holiday activities and lunch sessions.
FINANCIAL REPORTS
A summary of our income an expenditure, and the balance sheet for the year are on the following two pages. At the end of December 2022 our funds stood at £87807, of which £50,347 were restricted, and £37,460 unrestricted.
GRANTS RECEIVED
We are very grateful for grants received from the following generous organisations in the year to December 2022:
Anne Duchess of Westminster Charity Creative Lives Arnold Clarke Feeding Britain Asda Foundation Michie Trust Avenue Services (Holiday Activity Steve Morgan Foundation Fund) Stop Loan Sharks Cheshire Community Foundation Swansway Cheshire West and Chester Council Tesco Community Awards Cheshire West Voluntary Action Welcome Network (Household Support Fund) West Cheshire Foodbank Chester Bluecoat Charity Westminster Foundation
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Pantry for Blacon C.l.O. Charlty Numbw.. IIBJ763 31sL Decem1 2022 Tradlng & Profft & Loss Account to.. T& ClE.. Grants Restricted Unr8Strict8d n1099 T31JT70 oo Donations Members Conthbution8 Pnor YearAdi HMRC Refund Interest& Otrr In¢>)me 1227463 8Ht J7 IQWV1 Jll5 1151.0 2151.ug SM Totsi Income P75J5. IQXA4. Purthases Direct Wages Promotion Educational Services Emergency Support Expensed Equipment Insuran Expen Motor Expens& and Travel Offiry Expense Printing & Stslionery HTB Utilities Buih1iro Ryr5 & Mwntenan Special Events Training Mi8cellan8ous Exp 2F31ll42 oo 2562211 7r.4¢ 16499 oo Irth)00 oo 1gPF5 &1.ts1 128780 $047S 111231ts 100 04103 69 661XSQ noJJ41 4Z.4VtK97 Exeets of Incomo ovor Expand1¥ È144Jt25 7* S@ned'. Harry Dob80n. Auditor.
Pantry for Blacon C.l.O. Balanc• 8h••t 31st. December 2022 Current Assets.. 2022 2021 Current Account Savirigs Account Monzo Account Cash Wages Control 4354 84095 1525 158 211 8102 50505 Total Current Assets 90343 56607 Currènt Liabilrties Accounts Payable Suspens PAYE & NI Pensions 360 1500 767 -91 260 Total Current Liabilit¢es 2536 260 Nett Current Assgts £87,807 £56,347 Financed By. Capial Account £87,807 £56,347 Signed-. Harry Dobson. Auditor. 31st M&y223