Report to Charity Commission - Year April 2022 to March 31, 2023
As required by Charity Commission I am pleased to present my report on the year's activities. The year for this purpose is April 2022 to end of March 2023.
This was my first year as the Chair of the Trustees and I am hugely grateful to my predecessor, Dr Idris Humphreys, who ensured that I received a full and supported handover. It is clear that Idris had put a huge amount of time and energy into the role of Chair over many years and his contribution has led to the Vale of Clwyd Foodbank being successful in terms of meeting its charitable aims and in terms of achieving a position of financial resilience.
The year saw us leave the restrictions imposed by the Covid19 pandemic. However, even though we were still providing a good service to all referred to us or requesting help directly, through the excellent work and commitment of our volunteers, we found it challenging to move back to a pre Covid business as usual method of operating. Social distancing and a less personal way of operating had become the new normal.
This was entirely understandable, especially as many of our volunteers are themselves in a vulnerable category.
We therefore spent much of the year redefining how we operated and how we could restore that more personal service whilst at the same time being cognisant of the needs and safety of our volunteers.
We held cluster meetings with our volunteers to thank them for their ongoing support and to consult and work with them to formulate new, more client focused, ways of working. We are hugely grateful to each and everyone of them.
We also used the year to strengthen our connections with The Trussell Trust, who we operate under their franchise. We connected to its local and all Wales managers to help us scrutinise our management and governance arrangements. Working in collaboration with them we have refreshed various policies and procedures to ensure that they remain fit for purpose. We are grateful to The Trussell Trust for the support they have generously provided.
In keeping with our ambition to provide a better, more client focused service sharp focus was brought to our Foodbank premises in Denbigh. We are operating from the sub ground floor of an old chapel. Whilst these premises are fine as a storage facility, and we remain very grateful to the Chapel for allowing our continued use, they are not customer friendly.
We have therefore been searching the area for suitable replacement premises. Our search is over and we have been offered a previous shop premises that is much more suitable for our needs. This will provide a welcoming environment for our clients as well as a safe and suitable working environment for our volunteers. We have been successful in raising charitable donations towards the costs of commissioning these premises.
Our ambition is that these premises will be fully operational during the first half of the 2023 / 2024 Financial Year.
We have deliberately increased our profile and the awareness of our charitable purpose locally. We have done this by attending events such as the Emergency Services Carol Concert at St Asaph Cathedral, attending Sporting Events that have supported us, such as a charity netball competition in Denbigh. We have also been in contact with the local Free Press. These endeavours have resulted in us benefiting in increased levels of donations, both in money and food donations, which have been able to convert into direct befit of our clients via initiatives such as Christmas Hampers and the purchase and distribution of energy efficient cooking equipment.
During the year we have been able to move more of our Trustee meeting from online platforms and back to being face to face. However, it’s also clear that there are benefits to both approaches and we have adopted a hybrid approach.
During the previous year, 2021 /22 referrals from agencies dropped very considerably as offices were closed due to Covid and contacts reduced. However, that situation reversed in 2022/23 and we are now back to pre Covid levels of referrals and demand for our services.
There is also evidence starting to emerge that there is a new client group forming. That is those who are in full time work but who are nevertheless unable to afford basics. This is without doubt the result of austerity measures and is likely to get worse before it gets better. We will therefore be cognisant of this emerging client group as we plan our services for the future.
We wish to thank the ongoing generosity of our local supporters, in cash and in food items, directly and through the
boxes in the local supermarkets. This has enabled us to ensure we had a very adequate supply of food throughout the period.
Our treasurer was able to report an increase in our bank balance and is exploring how we can manage our finances in a way that allows us earmark a proportion of our monies for investment and contingency purposes.
The audited accounts are presented separately.
In closing, I wish to expressed my very sincere thanks to all the officers and volunteers who have worked tirelessly over this reporting period and enabled us to deliver our objectives as a charity and provide an excellent service to our clients.
Mark Owen MBE
Chair Person
Vale of Clwyd Foodbank
January 2024.
’ – Treasurer s Report 2022 2023.
In hand 6.4.22. £41876.41
Income 6.4.22 to 6.4.23 £28922.56
Outgoing 6.4.22 to 5.4.23. £19740.45
Balance 5.4.23 £51158.53
The financial year 2022/2023 proved to be a busy year for the Vale of Clwyd Foodbank, this was the year where we prepared and invested for the Denbigh depot to move from Capel Mawr to a new location at Mount Pleasant in Denbigh.
It involved significant spend on the new property, a proportion of this was covered by two grants from
The Trussell Trust and Denbighshire County Council.
The spend included re-furbishing works on the property including heavy duty shelving and some internal re-modelling to address our needs. We were supported in some works being undertaken free of charge by local companies. Our rental costs have increased as compared to Capel Mawr as well as increased energy costs. The shop will be up and running in the first half of the 2023 / 24 year and will present a far more user friendly environment for staff and clients, including Disability access to clients.
There are still minor capital costs as new systems are developed.
Other expenses reflected in the outgoings include the Ruthin Christmas hamper initiative which resulted in 250 hampers being prepared and delivered in 2022. A slimmed down version was undertaken in 2023, this will be reflected in spending in this financial year.
Our donations remained firm in 2022/23, which enabled us to buy in food as and when required. As with everything else in this period and beyond food price inflation. More effective shopping practices have been introduced in 23/24 getting better value for money by buying in non branded
foodstuffs and “shopping around” which hopefully will help moderate costs.
Our balances are robust and there should be a reduction in outgoings in 23/24
Mr G Parry Treasurer Banc Bwyd Dyffryn Clwyd
Banc Bwyd Dyffryn Clwyd – Vale of Clwyd Foodbank
Balance Sheet for period 6.4.22 to 5.4.2023
In hand on 6.4.22. £41976.41
Income 6.4.22 to 6.4.23 £28922.56
Outgoing 6.4.22 to 5.4.23 £19740.45 Balance. 5.4.23. £51158.53
Balance Sheet Checked
Joyce Audus-Williams
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