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2024-12-31-accounts

Annual Report & Financial Statements

1[st] January – 31[st] December 2024

To everyone who has supported us this year with finance, prayers, advice, corporate giving, and friendship, THANK YOU.

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Contents

Heading Page No.
Charity & Trustee Details 4
Charity Overview 6
Structure, Governance & Management 7
What We Do 11
Founder & CEO Report 13
Chair Report 15
Treasurer Report 16
Funding & Community Report 17
Catalyst Youth Work Report- South 17
Catalyst Youth Work Report - Traford 18
Schools Work Report 19
SAFE Taskforce Report 20
Admin Report 21
Statement of Financial Actvites January - December 2024 22
Notes to the Accounts 25
Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of N-GAGE Charitable Incorporated Organisaton 38

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Charity & Trustee Details

Status

N-Gage is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) 1185170

Registered Ofce

N-Gage Suite 1.11, Parkway House, Palatine Road, Northenden, Manchester, M22 4DB

Founder & CEO Christie Spurling MBE, FRSA

Trustees Role Graham Russell (Chair) Cliff McConkey (Treasurer) appointed June 2024 Alistair Chamberlain Clive Searle from January 2024 Callum Marks from November 2024 Polly McAllester Steph Bonworth until June 2024 Tricia Ramarozafy until January 2024 David Thorpe until June 2024

Head Ofce Staf Role Nick Coleman Head of Community, Engagement & Funding Rachel Farrell Admin Support (until May 2024) Becky Mottershead Schools Work Lead Will Davies Youth Work Lead – South Manchester (until July 2024) Rachael McVeigh Youth Work Lead – Trafford Jess Hopkins Schools Mentor (until September 2024) Hayley Magalhaes Schools Mentor Kelli Gentempo Admin Support (from May 2024)

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Catalyst Sessional Youth Worker Team

Ashley White Team Lead Cherilee Namee Team Lead Sheryse Kennedy Team Lead Aaron Orr Alex McMahon Alex Riley Alleah Ali Charlie Liburd Godwin Chris Thomas Claire Clachar Hannah Worthington Hina Khalid James Wiswall Luke Whittingham Naveed Choudhry Nekita Kennedy Richard Dolan Ruhel Ahmed Savannah Hameed Sharina Taylor Tara Woods Thomas Egan

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Charity Overview

Vision

N-Gage is a Manchester-based charity that gives young people at risk of educational or social exclusion opportunities and skills to achieve their full potential. Working in partnership with schools, Greater Manchester Police, Manchester City Council, and other partners we provide highly successful, flexible, and targeted approaches to anti-social behaviour and educational exclusion.

The charity was founded by Christie Spurling MBE, FRSA in 2006 in response to his own experiences of educational exclusion. He is a believer in being part of the solution and all the programmes he has set up for N-Gage try to look at young people as a whole person. If young people are causing problems in school, it is likely that they may also be creating challenges outside of school. We are committed to encouraging all young people to be an active and positive part of their community, in school and out.

N-Gage has a growing team of passionate staff and volunteers who combine creative skills and a commitment to young people with a range of projects and programmes across Greater Manchester.

Mission

Our promise to young people is:

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Structure, Governance and Management

Consttuton

The charity was established under a Memorandum of Association and is governed under its Articles of Association.

Membership and Appointment of Directors/Trustees

The trustees and directors of the charity are the same people, collectively known as the Board or Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors may, admit to membership, subject to the restrictions of the articles, individuals (over 16 years) who are interested in furthering the work of the Charity.

The trustees who served during the year, together with any changes up to the date of approving this report are listed on page 4.

Trustee Recruitment, Inducton and Training

The membership of the Board is reviewed annually by the board in accordance with its agreed procedures.

Trustees are recruited for their commitment and the skills and knowledge they can bring to the organisation. All trustees receive induction information and training as appropriate to their needs and there is an opportunity to access ongoing training for personal development.

Register of Interests

Trustees are required to complete a form on appointment, which is updated annually, registering their interests, including the membership of other voluntary organisations. The Board procedures ensure that trustees do not participate in decisions in which they have an interest.

Organisaton

The Board of Trustees shall consist of not less than 3 members, nor more than nine members appointed at a general meeting.

At a general meeting of the Charity the trustees shall elect from amongst themselves a chairperson, a secretary, and a treasurer, who shall hold office from the end of that meeting.

The day-to-day operations of the Charity are the responsibility of the Chief Executive, to whom the trustees delegate authority for operational matters including finance, employment, and development, within the overall strategy agreed by the Board.

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Policies

The following policies are in force at N-Gage, they are reviewed and agreed regularly by the trustees and updated according to changes in legislation. If any changes are due, they are discussed with trustees and approved at the next available meeting.

Policy Last Review Date Next Review Date
Ethics March 2025 March 2026
Data Protecton March 2025 March 2026
Disciplinary, Capability & Grievance March 2025 March 2026
Environmental March 2025 March 2026
Equal Opportunites March 2025 March 2026
Financial Controls (SUBJECT TO CHANGE) March 2025 March 2026
Fraud Management March 2025 March 2026
Health and Safety March 2025 March 2026
Quality Assurance March 2025 March 2026
Safeguarding March 2025 March 2026
Schools Work March 2025 March 2026
Schools Worker Safeguarding & Child Protecton
Guide
March 2025 March 2026
Schools Safeguarding Form March 2025 March 2026
Social Media March 2025 March 2026
Complaints Policy March 2025 March 2026
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy March 2025 March 2026

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Ant-Harassment and Bullying Policy March 2025 March 2026
Ant-Corrupton and Bribery Policy March 2025 March 2026
Whistleblowing Policy March 2025 March 2026
No Smoking Policy March 2025 March 2026
IT and Communicatons Systems Policy March 2025 March 2026

Safeguarding and DBS

In addition to the above, we are registered with Thirtyone:eight; they offer guidance on all aspects of safeguarding and can be called upon for support should any issues occur. They also process our DBS (police checks). N-Gage is also committed to Safer Recruitment practices and regularly trains senior staff in this area.

Risk Management

The trustees recognises that in relation to ‘Risk Assessment;’ risk is defined as ‘the threat of any action or event which will adversely affect an organisation’s ability to achieve its objectives and execute its strategies’. It also accepts that the term ‘risk’ can include any circumstances that may, or do, have an adverse effect, and is wider than financial matters. ‘Risks’ relate not only to the negative consequences of a threat, but also to the impact of not taking advantage of opportunities.

We have a risk register which is reviewed quarterly to ensure we are keeping a track of any risks that may occur and taking steps to mitigate where practical.

Finance and Accountng

The Board of Trustees shall comply with their obligations under the Charities Act 1993 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that Act) with regards to:

The funds of the Charity, including all donations, contributions, and bequests, shall be paid into an account operated by the Board of Trustees in the name of the Charity at such bank as the Board of Trustees shall from time to time decide.

Reserves Policy

It is the trustees’ policy to try to maintain a balance on unrestricted funds that equates to at least two months' unrestricted payments. It is held to smooth out fluctuations in cash flow and to meet emergencies. The cash balance of £26,780 held on unrestricted (including designated) funds at the year end, together with the amounts payable to and by the charity, met this target.

The funds belonging to the Charity shall be applied only in furthering the objects.

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Annual Return

The Board of Trustees shall comply with their obligations under the Charities Act 1993 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that Act) with regards to the preparation of an annual return and its transmission to the Commission.

Independent Examiner of the Accounts:

Joel Williams 1 Montrose Avenue Stretford Manchester M32 9LN

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What We Do

We work across Greater Manchester, meeting young people where they are. This can be at our Catalyst Youth Centre in Burnage, through our detached work on their local estates with our youth vehicle, or in their schools doing 1-2-1 and group mentoring.

Catalyst Youth Centre

Our Catalyst Youth Centre provides opportunities for children and young people to meet in a safe space, have fun and engage in a variety of activities. Our sessions include art and crafts, music, pool, table tennis, games consoles and team games. All our sessions are delivered by trained youth workers who will also be on hand to offer support, advice and guidance to children and young people to help them overcome issues that they are facing. We deliver two separate sessions: one for children aged 7 to 11 and another for young people aged 12 to 18.

Detached Sessions

Community is at the heart of what we do at N-Gage; we love to see young people engaging with others in their neighbourhoods and bringing positive change in all areas across the city. As well as our centre-based work, we also deliver detached youth work. This involves us engaging with young people within their own communities on streets and in parks. We use the following methods:

Throughout all of our sessions, young people are able to access trained youth workers who can provide support, advice, and guidance, offering young people an alternative to getting involved in anti-social activities.

Transform

Our Transform projects provide opportunities for children and young people to get involved in their local community and make a positive difference. Children and young people will plan and deliver the project based on what they feel they and their community needs. Past projects include a community clean up, improvements in a local park through planting and creating an anti-bullying programme that will support both themselves and their peers. We finish the project by visiting a local attraction, including a meal.

Schools Work

We’ve been working in and with schools since we first started. Getting alongside students who are disengaged from education and are at risk of exclusion is at the heart of what we do. We run 1-2-1 Mentoring Sessions, Group Sessions and are currently working on updating our school resources.

SAFE Taskforce

We have a mentor working in a North Manchester school. The targeted support, backed by £30 million of government funding, is a part of a rollout of ten ‘SAFE’ (Support, Attend, Fulfil, Exceed) task forces in ‘hotspot’ areas, where incidents of serious youth violence are highest. These will be led by local schools, bringing headteachers together to support vulnerable young people, and avoid them becoming involved in county lines and criminal activity.

The investment will help focus on improving pupils’ attendance, reducing the likelihood of young people being permanently excluded from school, and keeping young people focused on their education. Our mentor will work with a caseload of up to 20 pupils identified by the school as being at risk, they will work intensely to support them, build

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links with their families and other agencies they may have contact with and try and support them to stay in education find activities outside of school to help them avoid becoming a part of the criminal justice system.

Family Interventon

We work with young people outside of an educational setting offering one to one support to help tackle specific issues, these could include, risk of criminality, risk of breakdown in family relationships. We meet the young person regularly and work through any issues they may have; this could include meeting them for a drink or arranging to take them to an interest or hobby they wish to pursue.

Revoluton

We deliver Revolution Weeks throughout the year. These weeks include trips to local attractions and provide great fun for children and young people alongside opportunities to learn new skills by trying a variety of activities. They also provide an opportunity to make new friends and try new activities. These weeks are available at subsidised cost. Please keep an eye on our social media channels for more details.

Trips & Holiday Clubs

During school holidays, we run clubs and take young people out for trips. We provide them with a wide range of experiences such as the countryside, the seaside, activity centres, bowling, golf, or laser questing.

These projects give us the opportunity to get to spend quality time with the young people who attend our sessions. This gives us more opportunity to challenge their behaviour and encourage their potential. We know that these experiences build them up as individuals and develop their social skills, confidence, and teamwork.

Residentals

Residentials provide children and young people opportunities to spend time away from their local community, learn new skills and have fun with their friends. We deliver these throughout the year, partnering with providers across Lancashire, the Lake District and the Peak district. Activities include canoeing, gorge walking, tree climbing and abseiling.

Youth Van

For a number of years, N-Gage has run youth vehicles, ranging from a truck to a bus and now a van. The van is purpose-built and designed to enable us to work in communities with little or no youth provision, equipped with gaming gear, music equipment, laptops, and iPads. It is somewhere for young people to sit and chat, and by being fully mobile it enables us to work in multiple locations on different nights and is a highly visible advert for our work. The van is incredibly popular with the young people we see and plays a huge role in helping reduce anti-social behaviour. A feature of our model for this type of work is to aim for the same location and same team each week so young people know we are coming and who will be there, as this helps to develop trust and build relationships, and we know this has the biggest impact.

We are happy to take bookings for this vehicle, having used them previously at family fundays, festivals and birthdays. For more information, please contact us to discuss your needs.

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Founder & CEO Report

It continues to be a great privilege to lead N-Gage and see it develop; we are rapidly approaching our 20th year, so we are starting to think about how we can mark that occasion suitably.

My role in the last twelve months has continued to focus on effectively leading the organisation and team. We have reviewed some areas of what we do in depth and made some improvements, particularly around our work in the community via Catalyst

Key Milestones

Schools

We continue to go into schools offering 1:2:1 mentoring for pupils who need additional support. This year we have seen a slight decrease in the number of schools we work in, mainly due to uncertainty in the sector due to the election and funding. We continue to work on ways of making our offer attractive and affordable so any pupil that needs it has access to the support we offer.

Catalyst Youth Centre

Our Catalyst Youth Centre provides opportunities for children and young people to meet in a safe space, have fun and engage in a variety of activities. Our sessions include art and crafts, music, pool, table tennis, games consoles and team games. All our sessions are delivered by trained youth workers who will also be on hand to offer support, advice and guidance to children and young people to help them overcome issues that they are facing. We deliver two separate sessions: one for children aged 7 to 11 and another for young people aged 12 to 18. It is great to see the impact this work has and the numbers going up through this year; we would actively seek to involve young people in our new build plans so they can feel some ownership of the new space.

Traford

After launching our work in Trafford this year, we have continued to develop our offer and settled on one estate where there was an obvious need for the type of work we do. The van in particular has proven very popular with young people, and we are working in three local high schools, and reaching out to some primary schools. Going forward, we are wanting to develop our offer in this area, so it aligns more with what we do in Manchester. This could include more sessions, finding a space to work from, and developing our community engagement.

New Vehicle

The new van is now fully converted and being used through the week. It has proved really popular and is having a real impact; having something smaller than the bus we had has really helped.

There are other areas we are involved in at N-Gage like family intervention, playscheme and detached work; I’ll let other members of the team share about these areas, but they are an integral part of our work.

The most important people at N-Gage are the young people who trust us to work with them; like previous years I believe things have been tough for young people for a number of reasons. We continue to try and be a listening ear and champion all the young people we come into contact with. We are committed to continuing to listen to them so the services we provide are targeted where they are needed most and have the most impact.

N-Gage operates so well thanks to a large number of people including Trustees, Catalyst Sessional Staff, Office Team, and volunteers. Without this loyal bunch, the organisation would be much poorer and unable to achieve its aims. Thanks,

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Christie Spurling MBE, FRSA Fo￿nder Bnd CEO 14 GAGE

Chair Report

I am very honoured to have been the Chair of N-Gage for another good year and to collaborate with our wonderful team and partners to continue to help the young people of South Manchester. In 2024, with the continued support of our funders, supporters, staff, and Trustees, we have been able to grow our services and areas of support.

This vital work continues to go from strength to strength. In addition, our detached sessions are back up to near capacity and we ran very successful play schemes in the Easter and Summer breaks. It has been great to see the new van up and running and the impact it has cannot be underestimated; the centre continues to be a popular space for young people, and we hope to see it redeveloped in the coming year. Our finances are in good standing, and we continue to win grant funding, although the amount we have received is down due to an increasingly challenging environment for grants and inward investment, in part due to political uncertainty due to the election. We thank our fundraisers in particular whom helped provide us with some essential unrestricted funding, but we know we will need to do much more fundraising in 2025.

From a Board perspective, Dave Thorpe formally resigned and finished as Treasurer in June. The Board thanked Dave for a strong contribution and brilliant stewardship of N-Gage's finances over 15 years and wished him well for the future. Cliff McConkey kindly agreed to step in and become our new treasurer in June; he has settled in brilliantly and quickly got to grips with our finances. Clive Searle joined us in January and his experience as a primary head has been invaluable, and Callum Marks joined in November—his background in social media, podcasting and websites brings a new and much needed dimension to our board. We also said goodbye to Steph Bonworth and Tricia Ramarozafy and thanked them for their contributions over the years; we continue to be on the lookout for enthusiastic Trustees with a passion for helping young people, so if you are interested, please feel free to contact Christie or myself for an initial chat.

For the future we will, grants allowing, carry out some refurbishment of the Burnage youth centre and continue to grow the schools work, offering to support new schools and helping more young people. My role supporting Christie and leading the board will continue as we look for new opportunities to support more young people in the coming year

In summary, N-Gage continues to find ways to support and improve the lives of the young people of South Manchester and I am immensely proud to be part of that team.

Thank you,

Graham Russell, March 2024

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Treasurer Report

The overall income of N-Gage increased from a level of £299,640 in 2023 to £316,052 for the 12 months to 31.12.24. Our grant funding partners have continued to support N-Gage, while individual donations and fundraising income have both increased from last year.

Total expenses increased from £266,095 in 2023 to £364,184 in 2024, mainly due to an increase in numbers of operational staff and consisted of salaries and related expenses (around 75% of the total), office rent and rates (5%) and other expenses (20%).

Cash balances at the end of the year amounted to £3,438 in the current account and £167,092 in the restricted account, down from a total of £227,064 from previous year-end. This reduction was due to the shortfall in income versus expenditure in the year. However, there is a positive outlook into 2025 with ongoing discussions with a number of new grant providers and also planned fundraising activities. Thanks to all our individual donors and grant funders for their faithful giving and support to N-Gage.

Clif McConkey Treasurer

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Funding and Community Report

During 2024, funding has continued to be highly competitive and as a result harder to come by. In some instances, funders have had to close their application window earlier due to being overwhelmed with the volume of requests for support. Main funders had continued to pause their funding, which has resulted in less opportunities during 2024. Despite this, we did manage to secure funding over the last 12 months that has strengthened the sustainability of our youth and play work and has also allowed us to deliver playschemes during each school holiday, including half terms. This funding is extremely important to us and the families of children and young people across South Manchester. Having funding in place to both deliver activities and feed children on free school meals alleviates a lot of pressure from families who are most at need.

During 2024, we also received funding from Garfield Weston, which has provided support to our Catalyst youth work project in Burnage and Wythenshawe. We anticipate the start of 2025 to remain highly competitive and tough as the new government settles in and decides on how they will support children and young people on a national scale. We hope in the second half of the year we will start seeing more opportunities arise that will help support our long-term plans for the future.

Nick Coleman

Head of Community Engagement & Funding

- Catalyst Youth Work Report South

During 2024, we have successfully delivered over 100 youth and play sessions across South Manchester and Wythenshawe. In Burnage, we deliver a session for primary school children which most weeks is extremely busy. Over the past 12 months, 82 individual primary school aged children have attended our sessions. The children take part in arts and crafts, music, team games and other activities. During the second half of the year the staff have started to introduce themes such as national hedgehog day, Lego day and World wildlife day. This provides opportunities for children to be creative and use recyclable materials to mark each occasion. Children love the structure and look forward to the next event. Over the past year we have average attendances of 32 children per session which has meant that our building is close to capacity.

At our youth centre in Burnage, we also deliver weekly sessions for high school young people. These sessions are smaller group based involving music, team games and general conversations about school and their day to day lives. We have a core group of 10 young people who attend on a regular basis. At Easter we took this group to Blackpool for a fun filled day out. The young people were put in charge of planning the day including the journey. This provided them the opportunity to develop their communication, teamwork and planning skills. Many of the group have never had to plan journeys in the past as their parents and carers have taken care of this. Providing opportunities for young people to develop their skills for life is an important step as they transition into young adults where they become much more independent.

Our detached work in 2024 welcomed a new addition and important resource. From May we managed to get our van out and about and made use of it on our detached sessions on Royal Oak. Very quickly, this became very popular, some sessions between 15 and 20 young people would come on the van, chat and make use of the activities on offer. On the van we have games consoles, art and crafts, board games and an area where young people can sit and chat. Youth workers are available each session, many of which spend their time giving vital support, advice and guidance. 71 individual young people have attended our sessions during 2024. Our aim for 2025 is to reach out to many more.

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Playschemes have continued to be extremely popular during 2024. For the first time, over the past 12 months we have been able to secure funding to not only deliver during Easter, summer and Christmas but also all half terms. In total we have delivered 42 days of playschemes with an average of 40 children attending per day.

During 2024, 132 individual children have attended at least one day. Each playscheme we deliver includes activities such as sports (in the outdoor space) arts and crafts, boar games, team games, baking, music and much more. Over the past year we have partnered with other local organisations who delivered media sessions and skateboarding, we have also made use of the local parks and large community fun days. Although the future of this programme is uncertain, we hope that this will continue for 2025 and that we can reach out to more families who need it the most across South Manchester.

Nick Coleman

Head of Community, Engagement, and Funding

- Catalyst Youth Work Report Traford

In 2024, we began our youth detached youth sessions in Salewest on the racecourse estate which was in need of youth provision for the young people. We work closely with Ashton on Mersey, which was helpful for us deciding on this location as most of the students live on this estate. To establish if it was a potential area, we went on foot for the first few months to get an idea of the location and find possible locations for the bus. After months of exploring different pockets on the estate we decided the centre would be the best option to park the bus. We started taking the bus out for detached sessions in April and so far, we have seen many young people accessing the bus. Many of whom are people that already work with N-Gage in Ashton on Mersey; therefore, it is a great way to check in on them outside of school. We are hoping to add another day of detached youth work in Trafford around spring. We would like to carry out work in Stamford Park Altrincham which would complement the work that I am doing in the school nearby. In January 2024, we went on foot in Altrincham to see if it was a potential place to carry out work. It was obvious that many young people gather here after school and are lacking youth provision. Therefore, we are keen to start in this area as we think it would be useful for the young people.

In April 2024, I began mentoring and delivering workshops in Blessed Thomas Holford school which has continued. Becky and I carried out workshops and mentoring for 10 weeks with year 9 girls that were struggling with confidence and self-esteem. Alongside this, I was also mentoring other individuals from different year groups. The workshop with the year 9 girls was a success as they had all shown evidence on improving their confidence and self-esteem through our before and after questionnaires. The school has been pleased with the work and asked to continue our services. This is a great connection to have when we come to start detached work in Stamford Park with the van.

Moving forward, it would be beneficial connecting with local primary schools to build a relationship as Blessed Thomas Holford is a feeder school for most of the primary schools in the area. This would be useful when they come to transition to high school and beneficial for when carrying out community work. The van has been a great asset when approaching schools and communities, we have showcased the van at multiple school events and funday events. This was a great way to connect with local people in the community to make them aware of the work we do. From bringing the youth van to these events it has increased the number of children that come to our Thursday evening session in Burnage. As we move forward, we remain committed to providing meaningful youth work that empowers young people, builds their confidence, and fosters a sense of community.

Rachael McVeigh

Youth Work Lead - Trafford

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Schools Work Report

N-Gage’s schools’ work has continued to grow and develop. In 2024, we worked in partnership with 4 primary schools and 6 secondary schools. Over the 2023-24 academic year, we delivered an incredible 905 one-to-one mentoring sessions over 693 hours. These sessions involve offering consistent and regular support for pupils and providing a safe space and a listening ear to enable them to chat openly about what is going on for them and any issues they are facing. We have also provided support for a small number of pupils outside of the school setting. One of these young people volunteered at our playscheme over the summer holidays; they did really well, and their confidence grew each time they came back. Their parent commented it had raised their aspirations.

We also delivered several bespoke group projects. A primary school asked us to work with their Y6 pupils after experiencing issues with social media and group chats including cyber bullying, being unkind and derogatory language (including racist and homophobic language). We held an assembly and facilitated workshops in smaller groups based around social media use, the power and impact of their words and actions, and celebrating diversity. The children engaged thoughtfully in discussions and activities, and it was a really positive experience. The school commented: “Thank you for the session that you put on with our Year 6 pupils on Monday. They are at such a vulnerable age and the session went over some really powerful issues that our young pupils will face in the next few years of their life. Children were engaged and enjoyed the session very much.”

Before the summer holidays, a secondary school asked us to deliver group sessions based around self-esteem, confidence and wellbeing for a group of Y9 girls. We worked with the students over the course of 10 weeks. By the end of the project, their scores on a self-esteem assessment were largely higher than at the start of the project and they described the sessions as “helpful” and a “confidence boost”.

Another positive group project involved two schools local to our Burnage Youth Centre in the Spring Term. We brought together a small group of Y6 pupils from both schools at our youth centre with the aim of building friendships and connections to help prepare the students for the secondary school transition. The group completed N-Gage’s music programme The Beats which involves creating their own music tracks to put together an album and raise money for charity. The children picked a local children’s cancer charity called ‘Friends of Rosie’ (now named Children’s Cancer Research Fund) stating “We picked it because we wanted to help kids like us.” £100 was donated to the charity as a result of The Beats project. The children were involved in all aspects of making the album including the artwork. They stated “We designed the album cover with a computer and put together 11 hands, a school and a heart in the middle. The hands represent the 11 different members of our group and the heart represents our contribution to charity. The school represents how children like us can make such a big difference in the world.”

htps://www.childrenscancerresearchfund.co.uk/music-album-for-childhood-cancer/

Becky Motershead Schools Work Lead

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SAFE Taskforce

My role as a SAFE taskforce mentor continued into 2024. The dynamic within school and the role evolved somewhat over the year with changes in both school and N-Gage staffing. The support and encouragement from N-Gage has been invaluable during these times of transition. During the 2023-2024 academic year, we were lucky enough to work with over 20 students based in the Co-Op Academy Manchester. Each week, we were consistently seeing 18 students on a 1:1 basis for an hour session each. In February and Easter 2024, we were able to complete our first trips enabling the contact and support to be offered to the students outside of term-time. Following advice from Christie, the initial week of trips we took small groups of students for an activity and for something to eat. This was a great opportunity to build relationships with the families and to deepen the relationships that were forming between the mentors and mentees. Over the course of the academic year, there was a change of staffing within the year group we were based in. This brought some challenges as we had to build connections with the newly appointed member of the year team and for the students we support to move through this time of transition. The academic year finished on a high, with funding being secured from HAF to complete an activity week for the students.

During this week, we completed 4 days of activities at different venues across Manchester doing something different each day to challenge and encourage the young people. We took them rock climbing, to the Platt fields BMX track and orienteering, to Go Ape and on a water activity day at Debdale water park. Go Ape was the first activity and a few of the mentees found this a challenge. As the course went on and the first zip line was under their belt it was great to see how they grew in confidence. Several of the students named this as their “thing they achieved in 2024” clearly really boosting their confidence. The activity the students seemed to most enjoy was the Debdale water activity. We went out in 2 boats and played games and completed challenges on the water. They still talk about this shared memory in sessions when asking about upcoming trips.

As the new academic year started, there was another period of upheaval as the other N-Gage mentor working within the school left the company. I was worried about the isolation and being alone 4 of the 5 workdays. Christie and the other members of the team really supported me; the lines of communication were clear and open. After conversation with Christie and the SAFE taskforce, I have taken on and retained all but one of the mentees. With this unexpected change, the shared experience of the trips really helped with the foundation of these new relationships as we had met and enjoyed activities together over the summer, it seemed to help that we had completed these activities together when it came to starting the new relationships with the mentees I took on. For the students I kept into the new academic year, the conversations had about the trips, seeing each other in a different environment and shared experiences strengthened these relationships. The mentees seem more open and relaxed following the summer. I feel very fortunate to have these relationships with the young people I am supporting and am grateful for the efforts they have made on their side to improve their attendance and behaviour logs. I now have 15 students with various needs from different backgrounds on the programme and am seeing a solid group of 12 students who engage with me and attend weekly. Unfortunately for the other three, their school attendance and behaviour often results in absence from school which makes engagement difficult.

I started to get used to the new normal and settled back into the routine, the fortnightly supervision sessions offered as part of the project were stopped. These were a valuable source of support and a time to share experience with other providers of the project from across the city and it was sad to see them go. As the project draws to a close and I reflect on the changes from the young people I met back in October 2023, it has been extremely rewarding to witness the changes and to be the person they have felt comfortable opening up to and sharing their concerns and life with. I hope they can look back fondly and celebrate their participation and effort throughout their time working with N- Gage.

Hayley Magalhaes

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School Mentor Admin Report

I took over the role of admin in April 2024 and have since supported the N-Gage team with a variety of administrative tasks, including managing invoices and other paperwork. I also monitor the N-Gage inbox, create and distribute the N- Gage newsletter, and manage the maintenance and improvement of the N-Gage website. I will be involved in the annual policy review which will take place in February and March of 2025, and look forward to continuing my support of the N-Gage team as they deliver valuable services to the community.

Kelli Gentempo Admin Support

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Statement of Financial Actvites January 2024 - December 2024

N-Gage N-Gage N-Gage Charity No
(if any)
1185170 CC39a



Annual accounts for the period
01/01/2024 To 31/12/2024
Secton A Statement of fnancial actvites
Descriptons by natural category Note Unrestricted funds Restricted
income
funds
Endowment
funds
Total this
year
Total
last year
£ £ £ £ £
Incoming resources
(Note 3)
F01 F02 F03 F04 F05
Donatons 17,264 20,000 - 37,264 23,385
Fundraising 4,776 - 4,776 9,928
Gif aid refund 2,995 - 2,995 1,723
Grants 1,500 237,472 - 238,972 233,96
8
Schools/Workshops 27,640 - 27,640 28,500
Interest 1,965 - 1,965 2,086
Misc 2,440 - 2,440 50
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
-
-

-

-

-
Total incoming resources S0
1
58,580 257,472 - 316,052 299,64
0
Resources expended (Notes 4-7)
Meetings/Training/Memberships 4,061 42 - 4,103 4,647
Fundraising expense 303 - 303 -
Travel/Mileage 5,420 194 - 5,614 5,818
Office, Rent & Rates 6,516 10,779 - 17,295 16,880
Catalyst - - - - 2,588
Staff and Volunteer Expenses 2,483 - - 2,483 1,058
Staff Costs/Salaries 23,919 249,975 - 273,895 211,30
4
Playscheme/Workshop costs 25 13,857 - 13,882 9,818
IT costs 3,529 - 3,529 2,031
Office Costs & Equipment 2,512 1,620 - 4,132 3,634
Repairs & Maintenance 366 2,260 - 2,626 1,704
Utilities 110 4,559 - 4,669 1,392
Insurance 759 3,477 - 4,237 4,105
Depreciation : Office furniture 769 - 769 705
School Resources 2,103 - 2,103 411

22

Motor Costs 1,910 1,910 -



Depreciation : Motor Vehicles 20,541 20,541 -
Misc -
630
2,093 411
Total resources expended S0
2
52,236 311,947 - 364,184 266,09
5
Net incoming/(outgoing) resources
before transfers
S0
3
6,344 -54,476 -
-48,132
33,545
Gross transfers between funds S0
4
-1,131 1,131 -
-

-
Net incoming/(outgoing) resources
before other recognised
gains/(losses)
S0
5
5,213 -53,345 -
-48,132
33,545
Gains and losses on revaluaton of fxed
assets for the charity’s own use
S0
6
- - - - -
Gains and losses on investment assets S0
7
-
-

-

-

-
Net movement in funds S0
8
5,213 -53,345 -
-48,132
33,545
Total funds brought forward S0
9
21,567 220,277 - 241,844 208,29
9
Total funds carried forward S1
0
26,780 166,932 - 193,712 241,84
4

Statement of Financial Actvites January 2024 - December 2024

23

Secton B Balance sheet Secton B Balance sheet Secton B Balance sheet Secton B Balance sheet




Total thisyear Total lastyear
£ £
Fixed assets F01 F02
Tangible assets(Note 8) B01 43,452 53,673
B02 - -
Investments(Note 9) B03 -
-
Total fixed assets B04 43,452 53,673
Current assets
Stock and work inprogress B05 - -
Debtors(Note 10) B06 10,476 3,910
(Short term) investments B07 -
Cash at bank and in hand B08 170,530 227,064
Total current assets B09 181,006 230,974
Creditors: amounts falling due within one
year(Note 11)
B10 30,746 42,803
Net current assets/(liabilities) B11 150,260 188,171
Total assets less current liabilities B12 193,713 241,844
Creditors: amounts falling due afer one
year(Note 11)
B13 - -
Provisions for liabilites and charges B14 - -
Net assets B15 193,713 241,844
Funds of the Charity
Unrestricted funds B16 5,780 567
Designated funds B17 21,000 21,000
Total unrestricted funds 26,780 21,567

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Restricted income funds (Note 12) B18 166,932 220,277
Endowment funds(Note 12) B19 - -
Total funds B20 193,713 241,844
Treasurer
Chair
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees
Signature Date of approval
11/03/2025
11/03/2025

Section C Notes to the accounts

Note 1 Basis of preparation

This section should be completed by all charities .

1.1 Basis of accounting

These accounts have been prepared on the basis of historic cost (except that investments are shown at market value) in accordance with:

ü Accounting Standards;

or Financial Reporting Standards for Smaller Enterprises (FRSSE);

 if disclosures completed in these accounts have been restricted to those required by the FRSSE, then please tick “Financial Reporting Standards for Smaller Enterprises (FRSSE)”.

** - If no departures from the chosen standards have been made then delete these words; otherwise give details of any changes in the boxes.

1.2 Change in basis of accounting

There has been no change to the accounting policies (valuation rules and methods of accounting) since last year

25

This section should be completed by all charities.

1.3 Changes to previous accounts No changes have been made to accounts for previous years

Note 2 Accounting policies
This standard list of accounting policies has been applied by the charity except for those deleted.
Where a different or additional policy has been adopted then this is detailed in the box below.
INCOMING RESOURCES
Recognition of These are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) when:
incoming
resources  the charity becomes entitled to the resources;
 the trustees are virtually certain they will receive the resources; and
 the monetary value can be measured with sufficient reliability.
Incoming resources Where incoming resources have related expenditure (as with fundraising or contract income)
with related expenditure the incoming resources and related expenditure are reported gross in the SoFA.
Grants and donations Grants and donations are only included in the SoFA when the charity has unconditional
entitlement to the resources.
Tax reclaims on Incoming resources from tax reclaims are included in the SoFA at the same time as the gift to
donations and gifts which they relate.
Contractual income and This is only included in the SoFA once the related goods or services have been delivered.
performance related
grants
Gifts in kind Gifts in kind are accounted for at a reasonable estimate of their value to the charity or the
amount actually realised.
Gifts in kind for sale or distribution are included in the accounts as gifts only when sold or
distributed by the charity.
Gifts in kind for use by the charity are included in the SoFA as incoming resources when
receivable.
Donated services and These are only included in incoming resources (with an equivalent amount in resources
facilities expended) where the benefit to the charity is reasonably quantifiable, measurable and
material_._The value placed on these resources is the estimated value to the charity of the
service or facility received.
Volunteer help The value of any voluntary help received is not included in the accounts but is described in
the trustees’ annual report.
Investment income This is included in the accounts when receivable.
Investment gains and This includes any gain or loss on the sale of investments and any gain or loss resulting from
losses revaluing investments to market value at the end of the year.
EXPENDITURE AND LIABILITIES
Liability recognition Liabilities are recognised as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the
charity to pay out resources.
Grants with Where the charity gives a grant with conditions for its payment being a specific level of
performance conditions service or output to be provided, such grants are only recognised in the SoFA once the
recipient of the grant has provided the specified service or output.
Grants payable without These are only recognised in the accounts when a commitment has been made and there
performance conditions are no conditions to be met relating to the grant which remain in the control of the charity.
ASSETS
Tangible fixed assets These are capitalised if they can be used for more than one year, and cost at least £500.

26

for use by charity Investments

They are valued at cost or a reasonable value on receipt. Investments quoted on a recognised stock exchange are valued at market value at the year end. Other investment assets are included at trustees' best estimate of market value.

Stocks and work in progress POLICIES ADOPTED ADDITIONAL TO OR DIFFERENT FROM THOSE ABOVE

These are valued at the lower of cost or market value.

Note 3 Analysis of incoming resources Incoming resources may be further analysed if this would help the reader of the accounts.

Analysis
Unrestricte
restricted
£
£
Analysis
Unrestricte
restricted
£
£
Analysis
Unrestricte
restricted
£
£
This
Last
£
£
This
Last
£
£
Total
Total
Total
Total

27

Total Total Total

28

Note 4 Analysis of resources expended
Resources expended may be further analysed if this would help the reader of the
Analysis
Unrestricted
restricted
This year
Last
£
£
£
£
Total
Total
Total
Total
Note 4 Analysis of resources expended
Resources expended may be further analysed if this would help the reader of the
Analysis
Unrestricted
restricted
This year
Last
£
£
£
£
Total
Total
Total
Total
Note 4 Analysis of resources expended
Resources expended may be further analysed if this would help the reader of the
Analysis
Unrestricted
restricted
This year
Last
£
£
£
£
Total
Total
Total
Total
Note 4 Analysis of resources expended
Resources expended may be further analysed if this would help the reader of the
Analysis
Unrestricted
restricted
This year
Last
£
£
£
£
Total
Total
Total
Total
Note 4 Analysis of resources expended
Resources expended may be further analysed if this would help the reader of the
Analysis
Unrestricted
restricted
This year
Last
£
£
£
£
Total
Total
Total
Total
Note 4 Analysis of resources expended
Resources expended may be further analysed if this would help the reader of the
Analysis
Unrestricted
restricted
This year
Last
£
£
£
£
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total

29

Note 5 Details of certain items of expenditure

5.1 Trustee expenses

Please provide details of the amount of any payment or reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses made to trustees or to third parties for expenses incurred by trustees. If no expenses were paid, please enter ‘None’ in the appropriate box(es).

Number of trustees who were paid expenses

Nature of the expenses

Total amount paid

This year Last year
NONE NONE
0 0

5.2 Fees for examination or audit of the accounts

Please provide details of the amount paid for any statutory external scrutiny of accounts and other services provided by your independent examiner or auditor. If nothing was paid please enter NONE in the appropriate box(es).

Independent examiner’s or auditors' fees for reporting on the accounts Other fees (for example: advice, consultancy, accountancy services) paid to the independent examiner or auditor

This year
£
Last year
£
200 200
0 0

30

Note 6 Paid employees

Please complete this note if the charity has any employees.

6.1 Staff Costs

Gross wages, salaries and benefits in kind
Employer’s National Insurance costs
Pension costs
Payroll admin costs
Total staff costs
6.2 Average number of full-time equivalent employees in the
year
The parts of the charity in which
the employees work
CEO/Admin
Youth workers
Schools worker
Burnage Youth Centre
Total
Gross wages, salaries and benefits in kind
Employer’s National Insurance costs
Pension costs
Payroll admin costs
Total staff costs
6.2 Average number of full-time equivalent employees in the
year
The parts of the charity in which
the employees work
CEO/Admin
Youth workers
Schools worker
Burnage Youth Centre
Total
This year
£
Last year
£
241,206 191,101
21,256 11,264
10,785 8,147
648 792
273,895 211,304
uivalent employees in the This year
Number
Last year
Number
CEO/Admin 2 2
Youth workers 6 6
Schools worker 1 1
Burnage Youth Centre -
Total 9 9

6.3 Defined contribution pension scheme Please complete if a defined contribution pension scheme is operated. Brief details of the scheme NEST pension scheme

Brief details of the scheme
The costs of the scheme to the charit
The amount of any contributions outs
The amount of any contributions prep
NEST pension scheme
y for the year
tanding at the year end
aid at the year end
This year
£
Last year
£
10,785 8147

31

Note7 Grantmaking

Please complete this note if the charity made any grants or donations which in aggregate form a material part of the charitable activities undertaken.

7.1 Total value of grants

7.1 Total value of grants
Purpose for which grants made Grants to
institutions
Total amount
Grants to
individuals
Total amount
£ £
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
Total - -

7.2Grants made to institutions

If the charity has made grants to particular institutions that are material in the context of its grantmaking please give details of the institution supported, purpose of the grant and total paid to each institution listed. Sufficient information should be given to provide a reasonable understanding of the range of institutions supported.


Names of institutions

Purpose
Total amount of
grants paid
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Total grants to institutions -

32

Note8 Tangible fixed assets

Please complete this note if the charity has any tangible fixed assets

8.1 Cost or valuation

Balance brought
forward
Additions
Revaluations
Disposals
Transfers
Balance carried
forward
8.2 Accumulated
Basis*
Rate
* Anticipated*
life*
Balance brought
forward
Depreciation
charge for year
Impairment
provisions
Revaluations
Disposals
Transfers

Balance carried
forward
Freehold
land &
buildings
£
Other land &
buildings
£
Plant,
machinery
and motor
vehicles
£
Fixtures,
fittings and
equipment
£
Payments on
account and
assets under
construction
£
Total
£
-
-

71,766
3,843 50,535 126,144
-
-

11,089
11,089
~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ ~~-~~ -
~~-~~
~~-~~ ~~-~~ -71,766 -
-

-71,766
~~-~~ ~~-~~ 50,535 -
-50,535
-
-
-

61,624
3,843 -
65,467
depreciation and impairment provisions
SL or RB
SL or RB
SL
SL
33%
20% pa
3 years
5 years
- - 71,766 705 - 72,471
- - 20,541 769 - 21,310
- - - - - -
- - - - - -
~~-~~ ~~-~~ -71,766 - - -71,766
~~-~~ ~~-~~ - - - -
- - 20,541 1,473 - 22,014

8.3 Net book value

Brought forward
Carried forward
- - - 3,138 50,535 53,673
- - 41,083 2,370 - 43,453

8.4 Revaluation

If any fixed assets have been revalued please give details of the valuer and method of valuation

33

* The "transfers" row is for movements between fixed asset categories.

** Please indicate the method of depreciation by deleting the method not applicable (SL = straight line; RB = reducing balance). Also please indicate the rate of depreciation: for straight line, what is the anticipated life of the asset (in years); for reducing balance, what is the percentage annual deduction.

Note 9 Investment assets

Please complete this note if the charity has any investment assets.

9.1 Fixed assets investments

Carrying (market) value at beginning of year
Add:additions to investments at cost
Less:disposals at carrying value
Add/(deduct):net gain/(loss) on revaluation
Carrying (market) value at end of year
£
-
-
-
-
-

Please provide below:

9.2 A breakdown of the market values of investments shown above agreeing with the balance sheet row B03.

9.3 A breakdown of the income from investments agreeing with SOFA.

Analysis of investments
Investment properties
Investments listed on a recognised stock exchange or held in
common investment funds, open ended investment companies, unit
trusts or other collective investment schemes
Investments in subsidiary or connected undertakings and companies
Securities not listed on a recognised Stock Exchange
Cash held as part of the investment portfolio
Other investments
Total
9.2
Market value
at year end
£
9.3
Income from
investments
for the year
£
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -

34

9.4 Material investment holdings

If any investments are material in terms of their value (for example each represents more than 5 per cent of the value of the charity’s total investments) please provide details.

per cent of the value of the charity’s total investments) please provide details.
Investment held Market value
at year end
£
-
-
-
-
Total -

Note 10 Debtors and prepayments Please complete this note if the charity has any debtors or prepayments.

Analysis of debtors
Trade debtors
Amounts due from subsidiary and
associated undertakings
Other debtors
Prepayments and accrued income
Total
Amounts falling due
within one year
Amounts falling due
within one year
Amounts falling due
after more than one
year
Amounts falling due
after more than one
year
This year
£
Last year
£
This year
£
Last year
£
5,900 2,480 0 0
0 0
1,110 1,110 0 0
3,466 320 0 0
10,476 3,910 0 0

Note 11 Creditors and accruals

Please complete this note if the charity has any creditors or accruals. 11.1 Analysis of creditors

Amounts falling due
within one year
Amounts falling due
within one year
Amounts falling due
after more than one
year
Amounts falling due
after more than one
year
This year
£
Last year
£
This year
£
Last year
£
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -

Loans and overdrafts

Trade creditors

Amounts due to subsidiary and associated undertakings

Other creditors

35

Accruals and deferred income

Total 30,746 42,803 - -
30,746 42,803 - -

11.2 Security over assets

If any loan, overdraft or other creditor holds a charge or other security over any assets of the charity please provide details.

12.2 Movements of major funds

Please give details of the movements of the major funds summarised in the restricted and endowment columns of the Statement of Financial Activities.

Fund names Fund
balances
brought
forward
£
Incoming
resources
£
Resources
expended
£
Transfers
£
Gains
and
losses
£
Fund
balances
carried
forward
£
National Lottery
Community Fund
12,765 68,795 78,401 - 3,159
Manchester City Council 75,265 144,677 126,353 -28,149 - 65,440
New vehicle fund 66,506 22,515 - 43,991
Schools worker fund 11,147 21,934 12,240 1,453
Trust Fund Donation 19,780 19,474 306
Trafford Housing 14,911 14,911 -
Burnage Youth Centre 4,599 -2,584 7,183
Other 20,951 44,000 30,942 11,393 - 45,402
General 567 58,580 52,236 -1,131 - 5,780
Reserves 15,353 5,647 -
21,000
Total Funds 241,844 316,052 364,182 -0 -
193,714
12.3 Transfers between
Please give details of any
funds
transfers between funds.
From Fund (Name) To Fund (Name) Reason Amount
General Schools worker fund Transfer from general to restricted
fund
12240
General Salary Reserve Transfer from general to restricted
fund
5800
Manchester City Council
fund
General Transfer from general to restricted
fund
16909
Other Reserves Correction of opening balance 5647

36

Other

11240

Correction of opening balance

Manchester City Council

12.4 Analysis of net assets between funds

12.4 Analysis of net assets between funds
Fixed assets
Investments
Net current assets
Creditors due in more
than one year and
provisions
Total net assets
Unrestricted
funds
£
Restricted
funds
£
Endowed
funds
£
Total
£
2,370 41,083 - 43,453
- - - -
24,410 125,849 - 150,260
-
26,780 166,932 - 193,713

Note 13 Transactions with related parties

If the charity has any transactions with related parties (other than the trustee expenses explained in note 5) details of such transactions should be provided in this note. If there are no transactions to report, please enter “None” in the relevant boxes.

13.1 Remuneration and benefits

Please give the amount of, and legal authority for, any remuneration or other benefits paid to a trustee or other related parties by the charity or any institution or company connected with it.

Name of trustee or related party Legal authority (eg
order, governing
document)
Amounts paid or benefit
value
Amounts paid or benefit
value
This year
£
Last year
£

13.2 Loans

Please give details of and amounts owing to or from the charity’s trustees or other related parties by the charity at the year end.

Due to trustees
and related
parties
Due from
trustees and
Name of trustee
or related party
Legal authority Amount owing Amount owing
This year
£
Last year
£

37

related parties

13.3 Other transaction(s) with trustees or related parties

Please give details of any transaction undertaken by (or on behalf of) the charity in which a trustee or related party has a material interest.

Name of the
trustee or
related party
Relationship to
charity
Description of the
transaction(s)
This year
£
Last year
£

Note 14 Additional Disclosures

The following are significant matters which are not covered in other notes and need to be included to provide a proper understanding of the accounts. If there is insufficient room here, please add a separate sheet.

38

’ - Independent examiner s report to the trustees of N GAGE Charitable Incorporated Organisaton (‘the CIO’)

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the CIO for the year ended 31 December 2024. Responsibilities and basis of report

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

I report in respect of my examination of the CIO’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act. In carrying out my examination I have followed all applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:

  1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the CIO as required by section 130 of the Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

  3. the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

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.

Joel Williams MAAT 1 Montrose Avenue Stretford Manchester M32 9LN 12/03/2025

Licensed by The Association of Accounting Technicians 1005932

39