Charity number: 1189015
ANNUAL REPORT
The Trustees (who are also the members of the charity) present their annual report together with the financial statements of Share and Repair (the charity incorporated organisation) for the year ended 31 March 2021.
The Trustees confirm that the Annual report and accounts comply with the current statutory requirements of the Charity Commission’s regulations for small organisations with an income less than £250,000.
POLICIES AND OBJECTIVES
The principal activities of Share and Repair are: to protect and safeguard the environment for the public benefit through (in particular but not exclusively) the promotion of share, repair and re-use of products as a means of preventing and minimising waste disposal; and advancing public education on the protection of the environment through the sharing, repairing and re-use of products.
Activities are guided and driven by the creation of the following opportunities:
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changing people’s mind-set from participation in a “throw-away society” to a mind-set focused on the minimisation of consumption and waste;
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a reduction of carbon emissions and the depletion of resources from the reduction of manufacturing, as a result of products being kept, used and maintained for longer, and the sharing of items which are infrequently used as opposed to many of these items being individually owned; and
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reducing the amount going into landfill and for recycling.
Although there are many organisations delivering Repair Cafes, Libraries of Things or Tool Libraries, Share and Repair is a unique organisation as it delivers a wider range of services as one organisation.
Share and Repair has an affiliation with the Repair Café Foundation and is an active partner in The Community Repair Network UK and in The UK Sharing Libraries Network. It also works with The Restart Community, a national umbrella organisation supporting the expansion of the re-use community in the UK. Through this, it has access to a network of support, information and grants.
Share and Repair started the year delivering three key activities:
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Repair Cafes;
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Library of Things; and
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HOW TO Workshops.
In March 2021, work began to develop Share and Repair’s three-year strategy. Details were finalised in November 2021.
Organisational Structure
In April 2020, Share and Repair achieved charitable status as a CIO with no permanent staff and a team of nine Trustees:
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Lorna Montgomery (Chair)
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Annette Mercer (Secretary)
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Juliet Reid (Treasurer)
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Nick James
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Angela Rumsey
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Prue Richardson
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Ian Souter
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Tod Harrison
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Rebecca Donovan
During the year, Annette Mercer resigned due to other commitments (September 2020), Tod Harrison resigned due to ill health, Rebecca Donovan was appointed as Secretary (October 2020) and Sarah Kendall was appointed as a Trustee (December 2020).
In February 2020 (immediately prior to the period covered in this Annual Report) Share and Repair had an opportunity to use a shop location in central Bath (see review of activities below). Trustees recognised the need for staff resources, rather than solely volunteers, to establish the shop and to open it at regular times, as well as to develop policies and procedures in compliance with a public-facing enterprise. A freelance Shop Manager was engaged for 15 hours a week for the initial lease period of four months.
As the lease extended, this position was also extended - for seven months - until Share and Repair had the financial stability to appoint two permanent part-time General Managers in November 2020 for 20 hours each a week.
In addition to these roles, Share and Repair uses a freelance social media manager for around 10 hours a month to deliver awareness across social platforms.
To function, Share and Repair has a bank of more than 150 volunteers whose enthusiasm and dedication is outstanding.
At the close of the year ending 31st March 2021, the charity had two permanent part-time General Managers, over 150 volunteers and eight trustees:
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Lorna Montgomery (Chair)
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Rebecca Donovan (Secretary)
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Juliet Reid (Treasurer)
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Nick James
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Angela Rumsey
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Prue Richardson
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Ian Souter
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Sarah Kendall
REVIEW OF THE YEAR'S ACTIVITIES
The year covered in this Annual Report has been one of ‘stop-starts’ and lockdowns. Despite the disruption, Share and Repair has grown beyond any forecasts we could have imagined and our activities have been met with enthusiasm and energy from volunteers and the public alike. The interest has helped us shape a new, ambitious three-year strategy (see below).
April 2020 began with us facing and managing the restrictions and impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. This coincided with the launch of a new initiative to have a central Bath shop location as a ‘proof of concept’ for the Library of Things. Although the shop could not open immediately, the move allowed us to support the community with emergency items such as heaters and to remotely repair essential items.
Bathnes Council loaned the property at 8 Broad Street and subsequently agreed to a Temporary at Will lease, requiring Share and Repair to move whenever a new, paying tenant was found. In February 2021, Share and Repair was given notice of a new tenant but was not required to move until August 2021, at which point we moved into another property in York Buildings on the same terms and with the continued and welcome support of Bathnes Council. We are currently seeking a more permanent lease on this property, so that we can deliver more of our aims.
Delivery and Development: our impacts
The financial year began in a lockdown, which continued until June 2020. During that period our volunteer sewers made hats and scrubs for NHS workers as a way to help out and also to relieve the isolation felt by some of our older volunteers.
The Share and Repair Shop
In June 2020, we were finally able to open the shop on Broad Street in Bath. Our reputation and following was immediately boosted and has grown significantly since then. When we announced the shop on social media our Facebook page had an exceptional 539 shares with a reach of 81K, as well as 324 comments and 3,729 likes. This was a massive boost of credibility for our concept and prompted visitor comments including: “This is the best thing to happen in Bath since the Romans.”
Given our increased activity and following a substantial government COVID grant, Trustees agreed to appoint two part-time General Managers from 1 November, 2020, (just in time for another lockdown).
We adapted procedures to keep well within Health and Safety guidelines, including operating remote repairs and using screens built by our repairers to protect themselves and visitors when face-to-face repairs restarted.
The Cargo Bike
To reduce carbon emissions and encourage engagement with the Library of Things we tested out deliveries of items borrowed by using a borrowed cargo bike from Bathnes council. By doing this, we recognised the need for a permanent bike and were able to buy our own cargo bike thanks to A LocalGiving and Bathnes match-fund grant. Our bike is called ‘The Flying Satsuma’ after being named in a social media competition.
Delivery and collection by bike has proved both useful and popular during lockdowns, allowing us to transport items for repair to and from users’ homes to our remote repairers.
Number of items
As the year progressed we celebrated the milestone of having more than 400 donated items for loan. Items in the Library of Things are hugely varied and range from a drain snake to a body board, a chocolate fountain and a sewing machine.
During 2020, despite 5 months in lockdown, we saw 751 items for repair in the Repair Cafes and during our repair sessions in the shop. Our Repair Cafes, which we run in locations across Bathnes, began again in June 2020 but visitor numbers were, and continue to be, much lower than before the pandemic.
Staffing expansion
We realised we needed more permanence in our staffing as relying on a freelance part-time contractor for only 15 hours a week was not enough to run the Library of Things and Repair Sessions in the shop. Thanks to a three-year grant from The Medlock Charitable Trust, a government grant and support from the Raby Family Trust, we were able to employ two part-time (one full-time equivalent) General Managers from November 2020.
HomeKit
In December 2020 we held our first virtual meeting with four charities and 3SG to launch The HomeKit Project. This is a new project whereby Share and Repair provides small, electrical items for disadvantaged people moving into their first home. Items are donated and are safety checked by our volunteer repairers. HomeKit will be an important part of our work next year.
The move
In February 2021, we were given notice to vacate the premises on Broad Street we had grown to love. Fortunately, we were able to stay for a further six months and we were given another property after much research and determination from the Bathnes Property Team.
In August 2021, we moved to our new premises on George Street by transporting every single item either on our wheels or by hand. The move was extremely time-consuming but also provided an opportunity to clear out unneeded items and re-organise ourselves within a new and even better space.
Notable mention
Although prior to this financial year, it is worth noting that on 14 February 2020, despite Hurricane Denis, two of our Repair Cafes (High Littleton’s first venture as a Repair Café) took part in the National BIG FIX day. We also held two HOW TO Workshops – one on sewing and one on the Use of Hand and Power Tools – just before the first lockdown. All had exceptional feedback.
Spreading the word
We have been successful in getting our message out. We have been invited to speak on various radio interviews, and were also selected (and interviewed) as an example of good practice by the Welsh Government which is supporting similar initiatives to ours across Wales.
We have responded to many enquiries on how to establish both Repair Cafes and Library of Things across the country and provided information for students researching dissertations at different levels on the impact of sharing and repairing on the community and the environment. In fact, one student group that was taking part in The Rotork challenge was set the task of establishing a Repair Café at the University of Bath. The group won the Challenge for their efforts.
Our social media following increased over the year to March 2021 by:
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more than 80% on Facebook to 1827 followers;
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70% on Twitter to 1,035 followers; and
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almost 400% on Instagram to 813 followers.
The plan
At the start of 2021, during another lockdown, we decided to use the time to engage our stakeholders online and to get them involved in planning our future direction.
The planning exercise finished with an ambitious and challenging strategy which we feel meets the need of our environmentally thirsty community to do more. It has made us clearer in our vision and need for increased human resources.
2020-2021 was an incredible year of learning, growth, development and exposure for Share and Repair. Understandably, we are super proud of our milestones and are looking forward to 2021/22 with hope, resilience and ambition.
GOING CONCERN
After making appropriate enquiries, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements. Further details about the adoption of the going concern basis can be found in the Accounting Policies.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
Income
Total income for the year 1st April 2020 to 31st March 2021 was £81,710 of which £6,838 was from charitable services such as the Library of Things. £74,872 was obtained from charitable donations, including those taken from shop repair sessions or Repair Cafes. Grants restricted for specific
purposes were received from the Bath & West Community Energy Fund, Wessex Water and Medlock Charitable Trust. Unrestricted grants were received from The Prism and Waitrose. Share and Repair also received Government COVID grants of £39,143.
This report and the annual accounts represent Share and Repair’s first year as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). Prior to becoming a CIO, Share and Repair operated as a Community Group. Income for the year includes a £7,705 balance transferred from the original organisation to the newly formed CIO.
Expenditure
Total expenditure for the year was £20,359, of which the largest component was wages and salaries which account for £13,591. Of this, £5,236 was paid for by a grant from Medlock Charitable Trust for a general manager from November 2020. £5,793 was spent on running costs and supplies. The only asset purchases made were on laptops for £775 and a sewing machine for £200.
Assets and Liabilities
A net surplus of £61,350 was recorded at the end of March 2021, of which £61,210 was in the charity’s Metro bank account with the remaining in cash. Share and Repair retains assets of £62,325 including cash funds and the recently purchased laptops and sewing machines. At the end of the year there were no outstanding liabilities.
Of this surplus, Share and Repair has designated the Government COVID-19 grants of £39,143 for the potential future appointment of an Operations Director. Grants of £11,340 are restricted to specific purposes by awarding bodies, which leaves £10,867 in unreserved funds.
RESERVES POLICY
Share and Repair has not previously required a reserves Policy as it has had no responsibilities for people, property, or assets.
Share and Repair’s strategy is to build reserves in each of the coming 3 years to cover three months operating and wind-up costs as its responsibilities for legal and redundancy payments increases.
MATERIAL INVESTMENTS POLICY
Under the Constitution the charity has the power to invest in any way that the trustees see fit.
RISK MANAGEMENT
During the year, the Trustees identified the strategic, business and operational risks the charity faces, prioritised these risks and identified actions needed to offset these. Work has continued to address the key risk areas and a system of monitoring put into action on a 3-monthly basis, at Board meetings. The charity did not have a risk strategy for a health pandemic, however the plans in place enabled Share and Repair to react quickly and respond proportionately.
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
CONSTITUTION
Share and Repair was established on 22[nd] of April 2017 as a Community Group. It was later registered as an independent charity by the Charity Commission as Charity Incorporated Organisation on April 14[th] 2020 registration number 1189015 and a registered office at 22, Malvern Bldgs, Bath BA1 6JX.
The charity is governed by its Constitution. At the year-end, there were nine trustees of whom all are directors of the charity. The trustees form the Board of Trustees. The paid employees who form the staff team report to the Board of Trustees. The staff team is responsible for carrying out all areas of the charity’s activities.
METHOD OF APPOINTMENT OR ELECTION OF TRUSTEES
New trustees are recruited by open advertisement in line with the charity’s policy on equal opportunities or co-opted to fill specialist roles e.g., people with medical or marketing experience. They are formally voted in at the next Annual General Meeting.
POLICIES ADOPTED FOR THE INDUCTION AND TRAINING OF TRUSTEES
New trustees are given an induction pack and are encouraged to undertake external training events where these will facilitate the undertaking of their role. All trustees are given opportunities for training on new regulations or changes within the voluntary sector.
ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE AND DECISION MAKING
The Board of Trustees administers the charity and meets more than four times a year. Where appropriate Trustees have a designated responsibility for areas e.g. health and safety, finance, PR & Marketing, we use third sector support organisations for small charities, for HR and legal issues. The current Chair of Trustees manages the operations of the organisation as a volunteer.
PLANS FOR FUTURE PERIODS
Share and Repair started the new budget year in a good position thanks to government COVID grants. We have planned an ambitious strategy to match the enthusiasm and environmental need for what we do and therefore as a Board have designated these funds to build the capacity of the organisation and remove current organisational responsibility from the Chair of Trustees. This will enable improved systems and processes for the staff, the building and development of activities and the monitoring and evaluation of what we do.
It is still difficult to give accurate projections based on previous activity due to the age of the charity combined with frequent lockdowns and a change of shop. However, with early signs of a COVID recovery, we would like to hire an Operations Director to handle day-to-day running of the charity and maximise our opportunity. We have reserved funds with a view to hiring in early 2022.
Our overall goal is to change behaviours to make sharing and repairing second nature to more people. With this in mind we will grow the number of people using our services by 300% in three years by:
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increasing use of, and the number of, Library of Things offerings;
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facilitating and growing the number of repairs available in existing and new locations;
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expanding the HOW TO Workshop offerings;
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delivering more to those in need through our HomeKit Project;
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reaching a younger audience through the ‘HOW TO Measure your Carbon Footprint’ project in Primary Schools;
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working collaboratively at a local, regional and national level to maximise efforts to raise awareness, influence policy and improve quality of services; and
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building the capacity of Share and Repair to deliver.
We will do the above while building our efforts to be a resilient and agile organisation by nurturing our volunteers; valuing the staff team and enabling them to feel engaged and confident in their work; and generally improving efficiency and effectiveness across the organisation.
This report W3$ approved by ihe Trustees Iq"a(aL $18ned on their behalf by: Irvsts.
| Charity number: 1189015 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual accounts | |||||||||
| For period from 1st April 2020 to 31st March 2021 | |||||||||
| All figures shown to nearest pound sterling | |||||||||
| RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS | |||||||||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds | Total funds | Last year | ||||||
| Receipts | |||||||||
Donations and grants |
- 57,521- |
- 17,351- |
- 74,872- |
- -- |
|||||
| Charitable services | - 6,838- |
- -- |
- 6,838- |
- | - -- |
||||
| - | |||||||||
| **Total receipts ** | - 64,359- |
**- ** | - 17,351- |
**- ** | - 81,710- |
**- ** | - -- |
||
| Payments | |||||||||
| Wages and salaries | - 8,356- |
- 5,236- |
- 13,591- |
- | - -- |
||||
| Rates, utilities and running costs | - 1,430- |
- -- |
- 1,430- |
- | - -- |
||||
| Stationary, office, IT and shop supplies | - 2,381- |
- -- |
- 2,381- |
- | - -- |
||||
| Insurance | - 433- |
- -- |
- 433- |
- | - -- |
||||
| Marketing | - 1,324- |
- -- |
- 1,324- |
- | - -- |
||||
| Cost of raising funds | - 225- |
- -- |
- 225- |
- | - -- |
||||
| Asset Purchases | |||||||||
| Computers and equipment | - 200- |
- 775- |
- 975- |
||||||
| **Total payments ** | - 14,349- |
**- ** | - 6,011- |
**- ** | - 20,359- |
**- ** | - -- |
||
| **Cash funds this year end ** | - 50,010- |
**- ** | - 11,340- |
**- ** | - 61,350- |
- | - -- |
||
1
| BALANCE SHEET | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted funds | Restricted funds | ||||||||
| Cash funds | Bank account | - 49,843- |
- 11,340- |
||||||
| Cash | - 167- |
- -- |
|||||||
| - -- |
- -- |
||||||||
| Cash funds | - 50,010- |
- 11,340- |
|||||||
| Total cash funds | - 61,350- |
||||||||
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Estimated value | |||||||
| Assets retained for the charity’s own use |
Computers | Wessex Water grant | - 775- |
||||||
| Sewing machine | Unrestricted | - 200- |
|||||||
| - -- |
|||||||||
| Total assets | - 62,325- |
||||||||
| Details | Fund to which liability relates |
Amount due | |||||||
| Liabilities | None | - -- |
|||||||
| Total liabilities | - -- |
- -- |
|||||||
| Total assets minus liabilities | - 62,325- |
2
| RESERVES AT END OF YEAR | |||||||||
| Designated for salaries for capacity building (see Annual Report) | - 39,143- |
||||||||
| Restricted grants | - 11,340- |
||||||||
| Total reserves | - 50,483- |
||||||||
| Unreserved funds | - 10,867- |
||||||||
| Total cash funds | - 61,350- |
||||||||
| Signed on behalf of all the trustees: | |||||||||
| Signature | |||||||||
| Print Name | |||||||||
| Date | |||||||||
3
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