## Lincolnshire Cares ## 1186816 Annual Accounts & Trustee Report 31 March 2025 ## **Trustees Annual Report 2024/2025** ## **SUMMARY OF THE MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE CHARITY DURING THE YEAR** Weekly coffee mornings were held free of charge for anyone over 60 in Caistor and South Kelsey and these were well attended and highly valued by the older people in the community. Additionally some members were befriended in their homes on a weekly basis and this included some people who were housebound. Befriending is either face to face or by telephone by the mutual agreement of the befriender and befriended person. An Afternoon Tea was held in Caistor Town Hall on 16.6.24 and was attended by 60 members. Tea, coffee, scones and cake were provided as well as musical entertainment. A Christmas party was held in December 2024 at Caistor Town Hall for all members who were personally invited. 100 members attended and enjoyed light Christmas refreshments and musical entertainment. This party was kindly produced by volunteers and local baker Kate Jacobs. In line with all other events it was free to all attendees. These functions are very convivial and greatly enjoyed and appreciated by members. They provide a backbone for the way that the Charity delivers on its objectives. The structure of the Charity can be summed up as follows: Trustee Board (4 members who each have experience of running charities/not for profit organisations/businesses) responsible for 1. Ensuring that the Charity acts in the best interests of the beneficiaries and members and in line with its objectives 2. Overall financial control to ensure that the Charity’s funds are secure and are spent in line with the intended charitable purpose 3. Ensuring that the Charity operates within an organisational structure which sets out purpose and rules 4. Ensuring that Health and Safety is considered in all activities and that proper training is adhered to 5. Delegating operational activities within parameters agreed by the Trustees to the Committee and to Coordinators (who arrange all one to one befriending) 6. Avoiding conflict of interest and maintaining the reputation of the Charity The Trustees are grateful to the Committee for all its work, to volunteers who befriend and organise the social events, coffee mornings and deliveries and birthday cards, to those who fund raise, to the treasurer and accounts administrator and to its secretary. We are very grateful to those who make donations to the Charity, without which we would be unable to operate and offer a highly valued service to the wonderful inspiring and cheerful older people in our community. This year we have been given kind support by Systematic who chose us as one of their Charities to support in celebration of 50 years of their business. This has come in the form of helping with press releases, printing Easter cards and invitations to the Afternoon Tea and printing birthday cards and Christmas cards for members. It is planned that an information card will be sent out to all in the LN7 post code in September 2025 to boost member numbers and attendance at coffee mornings and events and encourage new volunteers to come forward. We are very grateful to Systematic for their kind support. ## **MEMBERSHIP** 2017 – 12 2018 – 17 2019 – 21 2020 – 84 2021 – 147 2022 – 140 2023 -122 2024 – 134 2025- 109 When we became Lincolnshire Cares, we took the decision to ask everyone who attends our social events to become a member, hence the increase in membership from 2020. We pay our respects to our founder Chris Robey and to our members who have passed away this year. ## **VOLUNTEERS** 2017 – 30 2018 – 33 2019 – 47 2020 – 43 2021 – 40 2021 – 27 2023 - 25 2024 – 34 2025 – 34 active volunteers ## **CHARITY STATUS** Our Charity Objectives are; _To promote social inclusion for the public benefit in particular but not exclusively by the provision of an intergenerational befriending service to address loneliness and social isolation among older people living in the county of Lincolnshire arising as a result of their age, infirmity, ill-health, disability or social circumstance._ _For the purpose of this clause ‘socially excluded’ means being excluded from society, or parts of society, as a result of one or more of the following factors: unemployment, financial hardship, youth or old age; and ill health (physical or mental)._ ## **TRUSTEES (all re-elected at the AGM on 11 June 2024)** Julia Whittaker – Chair Derek Commander Angela Lawrence Eleanor Haswell SECRETARY (not a trustee) Elisabeth Kneale The trustees have made the following arrangements: Comprehensive insurance for our activities with Hiscox. Bank account with Barclays Online DBS checks. Safeguarding and First Aid training for volunteers took place in Spring 2023. First Aid training was repeated in October 2024 and will be again in July 2025. ………………………………………… Julia Whittaker (Chair) 26 June 2025 ## **Financial Statements** The trustees are pleased to present the accounts and financial report for the year ended 31 March 2025. ## **Receipts and Payments account** The financial statements are prepared on a receipts and payments basis. |||£| |---|---|---| |Receipts1||2,907| |Payments||| |Administratve costs|£931|| |Charitable actvites|£2,136|(3,067)| |||_______| |Defcit||(160)| |||_______| 1 Income received was mainly in the form of donations from local organisations and individuals. |**Statement of assets**|| |---|---| ||£| |Cash at bank and in hand 1 April 2024|6,874| |Defcit|(160)| ||_______| |Cash at bank and in hand 31 March 2025|6,714| ||_______| Julia Whittaker (Chairl 26 June 2025