## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period** ## **From: 1 January 2024 To: 31 December 2024** ## **Charity name: HOPE COUNSELLING SERVICE** ## **Charity registration number: 1185376** ## **Objectives and Activities** ||SORP reference|| |---|---|---| |Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|**The object of the CIO is to promote and**
**protect the mental health of people**
**living in Reading and the surrounding**
**areas through provision of a**
**Counselling service in accordance with**
**the Christian faith.**| |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|**Counselling to individual adults in**
**person and online.**
**Counselling supervision for the**
**counsellors.**
**Providing managerial and administrative**
**services to run the charity.**
**Fundraising.**| |Statement confirming
whether the trustees have
had regard to the guidance
issued by the Charity
Commission on public
benefit|Para 1.18|**The Trustees have had regard to the**
**guidance issued by the Charity**
**Commission on public benefit.**| ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: ||SORP reference|| |---|---|---| |Policy on grant making|Para 1.38|| |Policy on social investment
including program related
investment|Para 1.38|| |Contribution made by
volunteers|Para 1.38|**During this period there have been 14**
**volunteer counsellors working with the**
**service. 7 volunteers were fully trained**
**counsellors and 7 were trainee**
**counsellors. There have been 5**
**Trustees.**| |||| 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|**Hope Counselling Service (HCS)**
**counselled 128 members of the public**
**and provided 1204 counselling sessions**
**during this period.**
**Common presenting issues have been**
**anxiety and depression. Other**
**presenting issues included grief,**
**relationship breakdown, anger, and**
**difficulties in managing life changes.**
**Through counselling, HCS makes a**
**difference to the lives of individuals,**
**and in turn, to families, workplaces,**
**society and the local community. It**
**enables those who require more than**
**Talking Therapies can offer, to receive**
**help. It provides counselling for those**
**unable to afford the cost of private**
**counselling.**
**We have provided in person and online**
**counselling with both daytime and**
**evening appointments.**
**Referrals are largely from Talking**
**Therapies, and we also receive referrals**
**from local charities, community support**
**organisations, faith leaders etc. There**
**are also referrals via the local**
**university.**
**All of the counsellors are supervised by**
**a qualified counselling supervisor every**
**2 weeks. The supervision fees are paid**
**from HCS funds.**
**HCS provides placements for trainee**
**counsellors. A number remain with HCS**
**once qualified. The counsellor body is**
**approximately half fully qualified and**
**half trainees.**
**In 2024 HCS had a part-time manager**
**and a part-time administration assistant.**| ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |Achievements against
objectives set|Para 1.41|| |---|---|---| ||Para 1.41|| |Performance of fundraising
activities against objectives
set||| |---|---|---| |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 2024 the bank balance was**
**£12 273.40.**| |Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held|Para 1.22|**HCS is a small charity and relies on**
**donations from clients and financial**
**gifts. The economic climate means that**
**our clients do not always give donations**
**for counselling which cover the costs**
**and so some reserve enables HCS to**
**continue to function. During 2024,**
**donations from clients have reduced**
**and the bank balance has steadily**
**reduced. The reserve will allow HOPE to**
**continue to fund building rental, a part-**
**time administration assistant and a very**
**part time manager. Efforts are being**
**made to seek donations from local**
**organisations though these are limited**
**in success. A reserve will be required in**
**order to pay self employed people**
**working with Hope for a period of time,**
**should the service have to wind down**
**and cease.**| |Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|**£12 273.40**| |Reasons for holding zero
reserves|Para 1.22|| |Details of fund materially in
deficit|Para 1.24|**None**| |Explanation of any
uncertainties about the
charity continuing as a going
concern|Para 1.23|**Going forward into 2025 there is some**
**concern about funding. Due to the**
**economic climate, and our client base,**
**Hope’s donations have reduced this**
**year. The Manager and Trustees will**
**review some processes in order to**
**attempt to rectify this and attempt to**
**improve the financial position.**| |**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|**Donations from clients of the service.**
**Some donations of up to a few hundred**
**pounds from individuals and from local**
**organisations.**| |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**| |How is the charity
constituted?
(e.g unincorporated
association, CIO)|Para 1.25|**CIO**| |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|**The Trustee body appoints new**
**Trustees having regard to their skills,**
**knowledge and experience. The Trustee**
**body has been stable in 2024 with a**
**body of 5 Trustees of different**
**professional and life experience. This**
**includes a Counsellor who was also a**
**Counselling supervisor.**| ## **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|| |Relationship with any related
parties|Para 1.51|| |Other||| ## **Reference and Administrative details** |Charity name|HOPE Counselling Service| |---|---| |Other name the charity uses|| |Registered charity number|1185376| |Charity’s principal address|229 Kings Road, Reading RG1 4LS
Postal address: 233 Kings Road, Reading RG1 4LS| ||| ## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity** |1
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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)**| |---|---|---|---|---| ||Alison Stewart|Chair of Trustees||The whole Trustee body
agrees to the appointment of
new Trustees.| ||William Stewart
Johnston|Treasurer||| ||Neil Hooley|Safeguarding
Trustee||| ||Debbie Hunt|||| ||Jane Clark|||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| ## – 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)** Deborah Marsden, Manager ## **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** |**Signature(s)**
**Full name(s)**
**Position (eg Secretary,**
**Chair, etc)**
**Date**||| |---|---|---| ||Alison Stewart|| ||
Chair of Trustees|| ||15 October 2025|| ||15 October 2025|| CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND ANO WALES Recei tsand ents accounts CC16a To 01n11rJ)24 3111213J24 Section A Receipts and payments lund• funds Tot•1 fvnd• Last y￿r Al R•eèl 147J• 14798 14,75B AR) 14708 14768 14,718 147 A3Pa 2.36S 2,365 2,458 17.869 Rent 17.869 Sub total 21893 A4 As••t and lttve•tm•nt Sub total 22.693 Not orrecdp￿[P8ymenI8J . AS Tran8fers betw•en fund• A6 ¢a•h funds last yo8r6nd C•sh funds this ￿end . 7,935 7.9 7.93 CCXX R1 a￿<￿￿15 ISSI 28J11Y2025 Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unregtr?cted Restricted Endowment fund to wrn•t£ ategories Oetaiis B1 Ca8h fund• 112n fund8 fund8 Detsll$ i¥eaT•¥tE Currgn¢v•lug on Detall¥ PwxltowN¢h Currnnl v•lu• onal D¢tsll• B4 A••ots r•tslngd lor th• chartty'• own u•• When duv Detall• BS Llabllltl•8 n8d by w OT tru8to08 on beh&wof￿ thetrusthes Date of al ¢CXX R2 a(ts)unts ISSI 28110r2025