## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period** **From 02/04/2024 Period start date To 01/04/2025 Period end date** ## **Charity name: Stevenage and North Herts Talking News** ## **Charity registration number: 1184417** ## **Objectives and Activities** ||SORP reference|| |---|---|---| |Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|To provide to the blind or the partally sighted or
those labouring under some temporary or
permanent incapacity or disability which makes
reading a strain, a weekly newspaper and
magazine through a recorded device.| |Summary of the main
activities in relation to those
purposes for the public
benefit, in particular, the
activities, projects or services
identified in the accounts.|Para 1.17 and
1.19|To achieve our objects we:

recruit, train and organise a team of
volunteers as readers, artcle writers,
editors, technicians and dispatchers;

gather artcles and items from our local
papers and other sources;

distribute these to the volunteer readers
who record in their own homes using
their own smartphones;

obtain recordings of artcles from a
variety of natonal magazines by
subscripton to the RNIB;

compile and adjust the sound on all the
audio recordings to produce a master
copy;

duplicate on to the required number of
memory stcks;

distribute these to the listeners each
week via the ‘Artcles for the Blind’
postal service;

atract and recruit new blind and
partally sighted listeners, introduce
them to the service, loan them a
suitable mediaplayer to listen to their| |||recordings, and keep in touch with them
to ensure the service is meetng their
needs.

maintain a confdental register of
listeners, having regard to GDPR
guidelines;

seek funds as needed to meet annual
running costs and to pay for equipment
needed to maintain the service, through
grants from funding bodies and
donatons.| |---|---|---| |Statement confirming
whether the trustees have
had regard to the guidance
issued by the Charity
Commission on public
benefit|Para 1.18|We confrm that the trustees have had regard to
the Charity Commission’s guidance on public
beneft.| ## **Additional information (optional)** ## You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: ||
SORP reference|| |---|---|---| |Policy on grant making|Para 1.38|Our charity does not make any grants.| |Policy on social investment
including program related
investment|Para 1.38|Our charity does not make any social
investments| |Contribution made by
volunteers|Para 1.38|All our members are volunteers, we do not
have any paid employees.
Our volunteers are at the core of what we
do, working together as readers, committee
members or technical support on a weekly
rota to produce the Talking News for our
listeners each week.| |Other||| ## **Achievements and Performance** ||SORP reference|| |---|---|---| |Summary of the main
achievements of the charity,
identifying the difference the
charity’s work has made to
the circumstances of its
beneficiaries and any wider
benefits to society as a
whole.|Para 1.20|
Our established team of 28 volunteers
has been consistently supportve and
reliable, with many proactvely helping
to promote our service.

While a number of our listeners have
stopped using the service over the year,
ofen due to worsening health, others
have joined and our average number of
listeners remains consistent.

We contnue to maintain our website
which allows potental new listeners and
their families to learn more about the
service we ofer.

We have advertsed and promoted our
service through local publicatons and
libraries, and by visits to relevant
organisatons.

We contnue to maintain a dedicated
phone account for our charity manned
by a rota of commitee members.

The number of new listeners joining the
service fuctuates but contnues to be
afected by the closure of many clubs
and support groups where potental
listeners might previously have heard
about us.

We contnued to use our system of
remote working so that readers, editors,
compilers and dispatchers could work
independently from home using their
own smartphones and email. This
means that we avoid the cost of
expensive equipment or premises, and
allows our volunteers to manage their
own work within a set tme frame.

In additon to distributng our weekly
editons to our listeners via memory
stcks, we contnued to publish them on
the BWBF Talking News platorm, and
also through this onto our website. This
allows our volunteer readers to hear the
fnished product and monitor their own
performance, and also enables our
weekly editons to be available to
potental new listeners or their families
wishingto understand what we ofer.|  We have continued to extend the content of our editions beyond the local papers and the RNIB magazine recordings, by finding, and encouraging our volunteers to find, items from other sources which will be of interest to our listeners.  We have continued to liaise with other talking news groups and shared material with a number of them.  We recently learned that the media player we have been supplying to our listeners, Synapptic Version 2, has been updated to a Version 3 which is much better adapted for use by our visually impaired listeners. Although the new machine is more expensive the committee decided to use this new player in future. We were able to negotiate the return to Synapptic in part exchange of our remaining stock of Version 2 players, and will supply Version 3 players in future. ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |
Achievements against
objectives set|
Para 1.41|| |---|---|---| |Performance of fundraising
activities against objectives
set|Para 1.41|| |Investment performance
against objectives|Para 1.41|| |Other||| ## **Financial Review** |**Financial Review**||| |---|---|---| |Review of the charity’s
financial position at the end
of the period|Para 1.21|At the end of the period our cash funds were
£4,595, well above the minimum of £3,000
as stated in our policy on reserves. We also
hold a good stock of equipment available to
be sent out to new listeners.| |Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held|Para 1.22|We need to hold reserves of unrestricted
available funds which are sufficient to allow
us to operate for a full year without any new
income. Taking into account annual running
costs currently totalling around £730, and
equipment and consumables for loan to up
to 20 new listeners per year currently
totalling around £75 per listener, the
minimum amount of unrestricted reserves
we should hold at any time is £3,000, which
can however include the value of equipment
and consumables held in stock. We do not
hold reserves other than our cash funds.| |Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|**N/A**| |Reasons for holding zero
reserves|Para 1.22|We do not need to hold reserves provided
we have sufficient cash funds, as stated
above.| |Details of fund materially in
deficit|Para 1.24|N/A| |Explanation of any
uncertainties about the
charity continuing as a going
concern|Para 1.23|N/A| ## **Additional information (optional)** ## You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |
The charity’s principal
sources of funds (including
any fundraising)|
Para 1.47|
In 2024/5 we applied for and received a
grant from the Stevenage Community Fund.
We have received generous donations this
year and in the past from the Masonic
Foundation.
We also receive from time to time small
donations from listeners or their families,
which while they are not solicited are
nevertheless very welcome.| |---|---|---| |Investment policy and
objectives including any
social investment policy
adopted|Para 1.46|| |A description of the principal
risks facing the charity|Para 1.46|| |Other||| ## Structure, Governance and Management |Description of charity’s
trusts:||| |---|---|---| |Type of governing document
(trust deed, royal charter)|Para 1.25|Constitution (dated February 2020)| |How is the charity
constituted?
(e.g unincorporated
association, CIO)|Para 1.25|CIO (Foundation)| |Trustee selection methods
including details of any
constitutional provisions e.g.
election to post or name of
any person or body entitled
to appoint one or more
trustees|Para 1.25|Elected by members at Annual General
Meeting| ## **Additional information (optional)** ## You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |
Policies and procedures
adopted for the induction and
training of trustees|
Para 1.51|| |---|---|---| |The charity’s organisational
structure and any wider
network with which the
charity works|Para 1.51|The charity is managed by a committee
which is made up of the trustees and other
committee members elected at the AGM.
Stevenage and North Herts Talking News is
a member of the Talking News Federation.
We have written policies on Safeguarding,
Policy and Procedures, Privacy and a GDPR
Statement.| |Relationship with any related
parties|Para 1.51|| |Other||| ## **Reference and Administrative details** |Charity name|Stevenage and North Herts Talking News| |---|---| |Other name the charity uses|| |Registered charity number|1184417| |Charity’s principal address|8 Chambers Lane
Ickleford
SG5 3YA| **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity** |1
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3
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20|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole**
**year**|**Name of person (or body) entitled**
**to appoint trustee (ifany)**| |---|---|---|---|---| ||Ian Hanks|Chair||| ||WendyRoskilly|Treasurer||| ||Neil Dodds|Committee Member||| ||Colin Blake|Committee Member||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| – Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved **Director name** Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity **Trustee name Dates acted if not for whole year** ## **Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others** Description of the assets held in this capacity Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets ## **Additional information (optional)** ## **Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)** **Type of Name Address adviser** ## **Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)** ## **Exemptions from disclosure** Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details ## **Other optional information** ## **Declarations** **The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.** **Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees** Shared with all trustees in draft form via email, and agreed by them all via **Signature(s)** email. **Full name(s)** Ian R Hanks Wendy H Roskilly **Position (eg Secretary,** Chair Treasurer **Chair, etc) Date** 10 July 2025 |**Stevenage and North Herts Talking News**|**Stevenage and North Herts Talking News**|**Stevenage and North Herts Talking News**|**1184417**| |---|---|---|---| |**Receipts andpayments accounts**|||| |**For the period**
**from**|02.04.24
Period start date|**To**|01.04.25
Period end date| ## **CC16a** |**Section A Receipts and payments**|**Section A Receipts and payments**||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |**A1 Receipts**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest**
**£**
**2,000**
**2,000**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**2,000**
**353**
**42**
**155**
**644**
**325**
**29**
**51**
**1,599**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**1,599**
**401**
**-**
**5,378**
**5,779**|**Restricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**Total funds**
**to the nearest £**
**2,000**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**2,000**
**353**
**42**
**155**
**644**
**325**
**29**
**51**
**1,599**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**1,599**
**-**
**401**
**-**
**4,195**
**4,595**|**Last year**
**to the nearest £**| |Donations andgrants|**2,000**||||**99**| ||||||**-**| ||||||**-**| ||||||**-**| ||||||**-**| ||||||**-**| ||||||**-**| ||||||**-**| |**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for_
_AR)_|**2,000**||||**99**| ||||||| |**A2 Asset and investment sales,**
**(see table).**|||||| ||**-**||||| ||**-**||||**-**| |**_Sub total_**|**-**||||**-**| |**_Total receipts_**
**A3 Payments**|||||| ||||||**99**| ||||||| |Royal Mail(PO box annual fee)|**353**|||**353**|**-**| |TalkingNews Federation subscription|**42**|||**42**|**-**| |Website andphone|**155**|||**155**|**-**| |Players for listener use|**644**|||**644**|**-**| |USB sticks, consumables and sundries|**325**|||**325**|**-**| |Travel expenses|**29**|||**29**|**-**| |Roller banner(publicity)|**51**|||**51**|**-**| |**_Sub total_ **|**1,599**|||**1,599**|**1,282**| |||||**-**|| |**A4 Asset and investment**
**purchases, (see table)**||||**-**|| ||**-**|||**-**|| ||**-**|||**-**|| |**_Sub total_ **|**-**|||**-**|**-**| |**_Total payments_**
**_Net of receipts/(payments)_**
**A5 Transfers between funds**
**A6 Cash funds last year end**
**_Cash funds this year end_**||||**-**|| |||||**1,599**|**1,282**| |||||**-**|| ||**401**|**-**|**-**|**401**|**- 1,183**| ||**-**|**-**|**-**|**-**|**-**| ||**5,378**|**-**|**-**|**4,195**|**5,378**| ||**5,779**|**-**|**-**|**4,595**|**4,195**| CCXX R1 accounts (SS) 10/07/2025 1 ## **Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period** |**Categories**
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees
**B1 Cash funds**
**B2 Other monetary assets**
**B4 Assets retained for the**
**charity’s own use**
**B5 Liabilities**
**B3 Investment assets**|Signature
**Details**
**Details**
**Details**
**Details**
**_Total cash funds_**
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))
**Details**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**4,595**
**-**
Agreement Error
OK
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**liability relates**
**Amount due**
**(optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
Print Name
Ian R Hanks
Wendy H Roskilly|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**| |---|---|---|---| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||OK| ||||**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**Current value**
**(optional)**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**Current value**
**(optional)**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**When due**
**(optional)**| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||Date of
approval| |||Ian R Hanks|| |||Wendy H Roskilly|| CCXX R2 accounts (SS) 10/07/2025 2