Annual report 2024-25 Houghton & Wyton Community Fund
Registered Charity number 1184624
Annual report of the Trustees for the year ending
March 31[st] 2025
Details of the Houghton & Wyton Community Fund (“the Fund”)
The Fund is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. It was registered as a charity in July 2019 and began operations in early 2020.
Purpose and Objectives
The Fund exists to benefit residents of, and other people closely associated with, the civil parish of Houghton and Wyton, who are in need of charitable support. A significant source of finance for the Fund is envisaged to be from the surplus profits of the Houghton and Wyton Community Shop Ltd (“the Community Shop”).
Activities and Achievements
The Trustees envisage that a broad range of Community support will be offered in future, for example to assist village clubs and societies, young people with ambitions to travel, and residents with extra needs who are not well served by the public sector. However in its fifth year of operations the Fund has continued to focus primarily on the immediate needs created by the current economic situation. The only applications for assistance received by the Fund this year have been from a local Food Bank, specifically relating to the needs of residents in the villages of Houghton and Wyton.
Governance
The Fund is administered by up to five Trustees. The current Trustees are Lesley Craig, Guy Morton and Simon Summers, who can be contacted via the Fund’s email address which is: hwcommunityfund@gmail.com . A copy of the Fund’s Constitution and an application form for assistance is also available from this email address.
The Fund’s postal address is: c/o The Laurels, Thicket Road, Houghton, Huntingdon, Cambs PE28 2BQ.
The Fund’s regulator is the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
Financial Review
During the year the Fund received donations totalling £2,520 from local residents, £1,000 from the Village Magazine, and £119 from the Community Shop, and made a further successful claim for Gift Aid amounting to £630. The Trustees are most grateful to all who have contributed in support of the Fund.
Out of the total income for the year of £4,269 (£5,530 in 2023-24), the Trustees have made grants during the year as follows:
| the year as follows: | |
|---|---|
| To finance food parcels for residents in need | £3,825 (prior year £2,700) |
| Grants to local CommunityGroups | £nil(£2,000) |
| Total payments | £3,825 (£4,700) |
The Fund therefore recorded an operating surplus of £445 for the year (prior year operating surplus £830). As a result, having begun the year with a bank balance of £1,109, it ended the year with an increased balance of £1,554. Because of the timing of Bank Holidays in 2024, the Fund made a payment shortly after the 202324 financial year end relating to a distribution of food parcels in March 2024, which was accounted for in the 2023-24 Accounts (being when the benefit accrued to the families supported by the Food Bank).
The Trustees enter the new financial year with confidence.
The Fund had no outstanding financial commitments as at March 31[st] 2025. It is the Fund’s policy that any future commitments to grants over more than one financial year will always be covered by funds already in the Fund’s bank account.
Independent Examiner
Mr Ray King-Underwood has kindly agreed to continue in the position of Independent Examiner, and the Trustees wish to express their appreciation for his involvement. His certificate is attached to the 2024-25 Accounts.
Conflicts of interest
The Trustees note that two trustees are also officers of the Parochial Church Council, and one was during the year a member of the Committee of the Village Shop. These are all unremunerated posts. In the Trustees’ opinions, no conflicts of interest arise in these regards.
Public benefit statement
The purposes of the Fund are set out above. In the fifth year of operations the Trustees consider that reasonable progress has been made on achieving these objectives to the public benefit. They are not surprised that the demands on local Food Banks are rising in the current economic climate and remain committed to supporting the needs of Village residents through this channel. Like any Charity the activities of the Fund are constrained by its available resources, but the Trustees hope that a broader range of projects benefitting the parish and those closely involved in it will be supported in future years.
Risks and mitigants
The Trustees maintain a Risk Register. No risks have been identified which cannot be managed, in the opinion of the Trustees
Data Protection
The Fund has protections in place, to ensure that confidential personal data is not retained for longer than is necessary for reporting and security purposes. The Food Bank supported by the Fund since its 2021-22 financial year did not provide the Fund with any personal details about the people or families they support, save to confirm that all beneficiaries fulfilled the geographical and need-related constraints of the Fund.
The Trustees of the Houghton & Wyton Community Fund
| Charity Name | No (if any) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Houghton & Wyton Community Fund | 1184624 | ||
| Receipts and payments accounts | CC16a | ||
| Period start date For the period from 01/04/2024 |
Period end date To 31/03/2025 |
| Section A Receipts and payments | Section A Receipts and payments | Section A Receipts and payments | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ |
Total funds to the nearest £ |
Last year to the nearest £ |
||||
| Donations from Houghton and Wyton CommunityShop |
120 | - | - | 120 | 1,183 | ||||
| Donation from Houghton and Wyton Parish Council |
- | - | - | - | 3,939 | ||||
| Donation from Houghton and Wyton Parochial Church Council |
- | - | - | - | |||||
| Donations from Individuals | 2,520 | - | - | 2,520 | 3 | ||||
| Gift Aid Reclaimed | 630 | - | - | 630 | **404 ** | ||||
| Donation from Houghton and Wyton Magazine |
1,000 | - | - | 1,000 | - | ||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) |
4,270 |
- | - | 4,270 | 5,529 | ||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
|||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| Sub total | - | - | |||||||
| Total receipts A3 Payments |
|||||||||
| 5,529 | |||||||||
| Financing of Food Parcels paid to Village Shop |
- | ||||||||
| Financing of Food Parcels paid to Diamond Hampers |
3,825 | 2,530 | |||||||
| Personal Hardship grants | - | ||||||||
| Grants to Community bodies (Village Primary School) |
- | 2,000 | |||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| Payment after year end to Diamond Hampers for March 2024 food parcels, payment made 3/4/24 |
- | 170 | |||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| **Sub total ** | 3,825 | 4,700 | |||||||
| 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 |
|||||||||
| 4,700 | |||||||||
| 445 | - | - | 445 | 829 | |||||
| - | **- ** | - | - | - | |||||
| 1,109 | - | - | 1,109 | 280 | |||||
| 1,554 | - | - | 1,554 | 1,109 |
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Details Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) none Cash at Lloyds Bank Details |
Details Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) none Cash at Lloyds Bank Details |
Unrestricted funds to nearest £ |
Unrestricted funds to nearest £ |
Restricted funds to nearest £ |
Restricted funds to nearest £ |
Endowment funds to nearest £ - - - - OK Endowment funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Current value (optional) - - - - - Current value (optional) - - - 16/06/2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,554 | - | - | ||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | ||||
| 1,554 | - | - | ||||
| none | - | - | ||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (optional) | ||||
| none | - | - | ||||
| - | - | |||||
| 1 | - | - |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
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Fund to which Amount due When due
Details liability relates (optional) (optional)
B5 Liabilities none
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Signed by one or two trustees on Date of
behalf of all the trustees Signature Print Name approval
Simon Peter Summers 02/04/2025
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HOUGHTON AND WYTON COMMUNITY FUND
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT
TO THE TRUSTEES OF HOUGHTON AND WYTON COMMUNITY FUND
I report on the accounts of the Community Fund for the year ended 31 March 2025
Respective responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner
The Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The 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:
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Examine the accounts (under section 145 of the 2011 Act);
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To follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act); and - To state whether particular matters 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 Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the Community Fund and a comparison of the accounts 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 statement below.
Independent examiner's statement
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In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
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(1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respects the requirements - to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; and
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to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act have not been met: or have not been met; or
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(2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Date April 8th 2025
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
16/06/2025
2