2025-12-31-accounts - Hope Counselling Service

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From: 1 January 2025 To: 31 December 2025

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 16 volunteer counsellors working with the service. 7 volunteers were fully trained counsellors and 9 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 60 members of the public and provided 882 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 full cost of private counselling. We have provided in person and online counselling with both daytime and evening appointments available. 58% of referrals were from Talking Therapies, 27% from word of mouth, 15% from other places including Internet searches. 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. In 2025 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 Para 1.41 objectives set Performance of fundraising activities against objectives Para 1.41 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 2025 the bank balance was £17 283
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 2025, donations from clients have reduced. Donations from individuals and charities have enabled the funds in the bank account to stabilise and slightly increase from the position at the end of 2024. The reserve will allow HOPE to continue to fund building rental, a part- time administration assistant and a part time manager. Efforts are being made to seek donations from local organisations. 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	£17 283
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 2026 there continues to be concern about funding. Due to the economic climate, and our client base, donations for counselling sessions by clients has reduced. Hope has relied on donations from charities and individuals. The Manager and Trustees have reviewed processes to try 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 a few hundred to one thousand pounds from individuals and from local organisations.
Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted	Para 1.46

Para 1.46 A description of the principal risks facing the charity 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 2025 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

Trustee name	Office (if any)	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (ifany)
William Stewart Johnston	Treasurer	The whole Trustee body agrees to the appointment of new Trustees.
Neil Hooley	Safeguarding Trustee
Jane Clark
Debbie Hunt
Alison Stewart	Chair until May 2026	Acted as Chair of Trustees throughout 2025

– 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

Hope Counselling 1185376 Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the period Period start date Period end date To from 01/01/2025 31/12/2025

Section A Receipts and payments	Section A Receipts and payments
A1 Receipts	Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 23,671 - - - - - - - 23,671 - - - 23,671 2,516 2,280 16,012 - - - - - - 20,808 - - - 20,808 2,862 - - 2,862	Restricted funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -	Endowment funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -	Total funds to the nearest £ 23,671 - - - - - - - 23,671 - - - 23,671 2,516 2,280 16,012 - - - - - - 20,808 - - - 20,808 2,862	Last year to the nearest £
	23,671				14,758
	-				-
	-				-
	-				-
	-				-
	-				-
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	-				-
*Sub total*(Gross income for AR)	23,671				14,758

A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table).
	-
	-				-
*Sub total*	-				-
*Total receipts* A3 Payments
					14,758

Office	2,516				2,365
Rent	2,280				2,458
Staff	16,012				17,869
	-				-
	-				-
	-				-
	-				-
	-				-
	-				-
**Sub total **	20,808				22,692

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*
					22,692

	2,862	-	-	2,862	7,934
	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
	2,862	-	-	2,862	7,934

CCXX R1 accounts (SS)

11/07/2026

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period	Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period	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 B5 Liabilities B3 Investment assets B2 Other monetary assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B1 Cash funds	Details Details Details *Total cash funds* (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details Bank Balance 31/12/2025 Details Signature	Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 17,263 - - - - - 17,263 - 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 William Stewart Johnston Neil E Hooley	Endowment funds to nearest £
			-
			-
			-
			-
			OK
			Endowment funds to nearest £
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			Current value (optional)
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			Current value (optional)
			-
			-
			-
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			-
			-
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			When due (optional)






			Date of approval
		William Stewart Johnston	11/04/2026
		Neil E Hooley	11/04/2026

CCXX R2 accounts (SS)

11/07/2026