## Exmouth Community Car Service AGM and Volunteer get together Church Hall – St John’s, Withycombe Village Road 29[th] September 2025, 19:15 for a 19:30 start AGM Agenda and report April 2024 to March 2025 ## AGENDA 1. Welcome 2. Apologies 3. Chair’s report 4. Treasurer’s report 5. Office Manager’s report 6. Day to day management going forward 7. Committee members / Trustees 8. Recruiting volunteers 9. AOB 10. Thank you and close Refreshments and a chance to catch up will follow the meeting. Current trustees: Phil Rackstraw Chair Leslie Henry Treasurer Nick Cooper Committee members: Avril Denton, Bryan Colley and Caroline Lodge ## Exmouth Community Car Service ## Report for the period April 2024 to March 2025 ## **Chair’s report:** Overall, another successful year for the charity. We provided 3259 journeys, although this is a decrease on just over 10% on the previous year, it is still an excellent achievement. Financially we are in good shape, with solid reserves. We have not increased our fares since 2021, ensuring our service remains affordable. As we have sufficient reserves, we are now able to make donations to similar charities from the surplus we generate each year. The demand for our services continues to grow, to the point where on most days we are fully booked. To manage the demand for our service we have on occasions had to introduce a waiting list for new clients. As an organisation that is run totally by volunteers, we need to recruit at least 6 new volunteers each year to maintain the service we offer. This is a real challenge as you only have to look at the white hut in the Magnolia Shopping Centre where you will see 20 to 30 requests for volunteers. The committee decided to try something new this year by running an advert in the ‘One magazine’ for 6 months. This magazine is delivered to 20,000 homes in Exmouth and the surrounding areas. The response was way beyond our expectations, leading to a number of new volunteers joining us. We are a full member of ‘Devon Access to Services’ (DAS), who provide vital support to enable us and other community car schemes in Devon to operate an effective, efficient service. They co-ordinate the funding we receive from Devon CC, liaise with the NHS sites to provide services like parking permits and run regular sessions for car schemes to discuss and explore key items. Following requests from our volunteers, we expanded our range of clothing to include a fleece and these have been well received. I would like to say thank you to Peter Horning who stood down as a volunteer this year. Peter had driven for us for many years. Over the last few he had also served on the committee and as a trustee. Peter was also our lead on working with clients who needed more support than we could provide. Our charity is all about people, our clients and our volunteers. We work in a challenging environment, where our focus is always on getting our clients to their appointments and then back home. I know our clients really value our service, perhaps best summed up by a letter I received from two sisters whose mother had used our service. _‘She was always so impressed with the friendliness and professionalism of your volunteers and their commitment to ensuring she got to her appointments and home again safely and comfortably_ .’ ## **Office Manager’s Report** Whenever I pass a Charity Shop and see a sign saying ‘closed due to Staff shortages’ I can’t help but thank each and every member of the Office Staff who, by their loyalty and commitment, have allowed us to run the office each and every weekday morning throughout the past year. This year we welcomed three new recruits, Keith, Ali and Jude – whose assistance has already proved invaluable, thank you for choosing us. We were sorry to say goodbye to Carol and Shirley who retired after almost five years of service. Other recruits came and went before we could get to know them properly, possibly finding the strain of trying to help so many clients and constant phone calls an almost impossible task. At the end of January, Exmouth and District Community Transport stopped doing their ‘Health and Well-Being’ journeys, concentrating solely on Shopping and Day Trips. This meant an upsurge in demand for our services and also a caused a real problem for anyone requiring a wheel-chair accessible vehicle with only Seachange, Freedom Wheels, or the Hospital Transport Service being available to them. The Committee agreed that, as our Client List was nearing 1000, we would stop taking on new passengers until the list had decreased; we started a Waiting List and from the 1[st] September have been able to take on ten new clients. The Charity wouldn’t run at all if it wasn’t for the wonderful Drivers. This year three Drivers were no longer able to drive for the Car Service, Bill, due to health issues, Peter, who now works as a First Responder, and Patrick who has moved away from Exmouth. Recruiting and keeping Drivers is always a problem but this year we were absolutely delighted to welcome Antony, Elaine, Jon, David Gillings and David Honeywill. Once again we are noticing that Hospital Appointments are being sent to the Clients with little or no notice, making the job of finding Drivers at the last minute extremely difficult – unfortunately this is likely to get worse with changes to the Postal Delivery service. We are also noticing many more clinics and day cases being held on Saturday and Sundays which means some of our drivers are working seven days a week. Thank you to each and every one of you for your help and dedication throughout the past year. I want you all to know that you are really appreciated by everyone who uses our service, even if, at times, they don’t always show it. ## **Treasurer’s report:** In our latest operating year, up to the end of March 2025, we have continued to operate in a financially sound manner, having built up our reserves so we can cover outgoings and liabilities for several years, and cope with increases in costs or reductions in income should these occur. I am pleased to say that we have had the accounts thoroughly examined and passed by Martin Board, our financial examiner. Over the 12-month period ending March 2025, we had a total driver income of nearly £43,000 (down c5% from the previous year), which led to a surplus after driver expenses of nearly £12,000 (down c17%). In addition, we received approximately £2,500 from donations and a grant from DAS. In total, outgoings totalled approximately £14,400 (up c30%), so that the net income for the period was a loss of c £1,200. The main increases in outgoings were advertising, which brought in welcome new colleagues and in donations to ELF and Devon Air Ambulance: without the latter, ECCS would have had a small operating surplus. Looking forward, we expect to continue operating at around breakeven, and are in a position to cover sudden financial shocks without risking financial instability. The Board has also decided to place £20,000 into a savings account (which is currently being processed), and will continue to assess appropriate organisations which might benefit from a donation from ECCS. ## **Donations:** During the period we received donations of £1,700, the great majority of which was small donations from our clients, for which we are very grateful. We also made donations of £1000 to both Exeter Leukaemia Fund (ELF), to assist in the running of their transport cars, and to Devon Air Ambulance. ## **EXMOUTH COMMUNITY CAR SERVICE INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT** ## **PERIOD 1st APRIL 2024 T0 31st MARCH 2025** ||**2024-25**|**2023-24**|**2022-23**| |---|---|---|---| ||||| |Tripfees/Gross driver income|43,033|45,289|38,452| |Driver expenses|-31,158|-31,476|-25,991| |**Job surplus**|**11,875**|**14,010**|**12,461**| ||||| |DAS Grant|755|786|684| |Donations|1,799|1,975|1,553| ||||| |**TOTAL INCOME**|**14,429**|**16,772**|**14,698**| ||||| |**EXPENDITURE**|||| ||||| |Rent|1,750|1,750|1,750| |Maintenance/EDDC|3,235|1,961|1,344| |Website|0|171|122| |Telephone|1,956|1,742|1,424| |Legal fees|0|340|40| |Insurance|793|762|686| |Equipment|1,567|916|675| |PPE|57|252|457| |Stationery|589|664|468| |Professional & accountancyfees|300|300|200| |Dataprotection/U check|99|19|34| |Sundry|663|709|896| |Parking|210|229|51| |Postage|13|86|11| |Venue hire|60|88|| |Other|39|38|21| |Car wash|196||| |Advertising|1,498||| |Donations out|2,000|1,000|| ||||| |**TOTAL EXPENDITURE**|**15,025**|**11,103**|**8,179**| ||||| |**NET INCOME FOR THE PERIOD**|**-596**|**5,745**|**6,519**| ## **EXMOUTH COMMUNITY CAR SERVICE** ## **BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31st MARCH 2025** ||**2024-25**|**2023-24**|**2022-23**| |---|---|---|---| |Bank balance|28,443|28,021|22,576| |Pettycash|72|63|54| ||**28,515**|**28,084**|**22,630**| ||||| |Accruals frompreviousyear|-2,500|-1,800|-1,700| |Prepayments and March income accrued|1,661|1,988|1,597| ||||| ||**27,676**|**28,272**|**22,527**| ||||| |Reserves brought forwards|27,676|22,527|16,008| |Net income for theperiod|-596|5,745|6,519| ||||| |Reserves carried forward|**27,080**|**28,272**|**22,527**| ## **Exmouth Community Car Service** ## **Summary of the service provided 2024/25** |**MONTH**|**HOSPITAL TRIPS**|**LOCAL TRIPS**|**CANCELLATIONS**|**UNABLE TO FULFIL**|**COVID VACCINATIONS**| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |**April**|165|130|43|8|5| |**May**|156|147|38|6|26| |**June**|141|103|41|6|0| |**July**|171|111|43|6|0| |**August**|153|99|29|7|0| |**September**|145|104|33|9|0| |**October**|171|144|51|14|0| |**November**|162|85|63|7|0| |**December**|151|86|58|6|0| |**January**|180|93|60|17|0| |**February**|178|88|44|5|0| |**March**|173|92|54|16|0| |**Total**|1946|1282|557|107|31| **Volunteers: 31 (includes Drivers, Office Staff and Trustees)** ## **Exmouth Community Car Service – Charity no. 1189038** ## **Treasurer’s report:** In our latest operating year, up to the end of March 2025, we have continued to operate in a financially sound manner, having built up our reserves so we can cover outgoings and liabilities for several years, and cope with increases in costs or reductions in income should these occur. I am pleased to say that we have had the accounts thoroughly examined and passed by Martin Board, our financial examiner. Over the 12-month period ending March 2025, we had a total driver income of nearly £43,000 (down c5% from the previous year), which led to a surplus after driver expenses of nearly £12,000 (down c17%). In addition, we received approximately £2,500 from donations and a grant from DAS. In total, outgoings totalled approximately £14,400 (up c30%), so that the net income for the period was a loss of c £1,200. The main increases in outgoings were advertising, which brought in welcome new colleagues and in donations to ELF and Devon Air Ambulance: without the latter, ECCS would have had a small operating surplus. Looking forward, we expect to continue operating at around breakeven, and are in a position to cover sudden financial shocks without risking financial instability. The Board has also decided to place £20,000 into a savings account (which is currently being processed), and will continue to assess appropriate organisations which might benefit from a donation from ECCS. ## **Donations:** During the period we received donations of £1,700, the great majority of which was small donations from our clients, for which we are very grateful. We also made donations of £1000 to both Exeter Leukaemia Fund (ELF), to assist in the running of their transport cars, and to Devon Air Ambulance. ## **EXMOUTH COMMUNITY CAR SERVICE INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT** ## **PERIOD 1st APRIL 2024 T0 31st MARCH 2025** ||**2024-25**|**2023-24**|**2022-23**| |---|---|---|---| ||||| |Tripfees/Gross driver income|43,033|45,289|38,452| |Driver expenses|-31,158|-31,476|-25,991| |**Job surplus**|**11,875**|**14,010**|**12,461**| ||||| |DAS Grant|755|786|684| |Donations|1,799|1,975|1,553| ||||| |**TOTAL INCOME**|**14,429**|**16,772**|**14,698**| ||||| |**EXPENDITURE**|||| ||||| |Rent|1,750|1,750|1,750| |Maintenance/EDDC|3,235|1,961|1,344| |Website|0|171|122| |Telephone|1,956|1,742|1,424| |Legal fees|0|340|40| |Insurance|793|762|686| |Equipment|1,567|916|675| |PPE|57|252|457| |Stationery|589|664|468| |Professional & accountancyfees|300|300|200| |Dataprotection/U check|99|19|34| |Sundry|663|709|896| |Parking|210|229|51| |Postage|13|86|11| |Venue hire|60|88|| |Other|39|38|21| |Car wash|196||| |Advertising|1,498||| |Donations out|2,000|1,000|| ||||| |**TOTAL EXPENDITURE**|**15,025**|**11,103**|**8,179**| ||||| |**NET INCOME FOR THE PERIOD**|**-596**|**5,745**|**6,519**| ## **EXMOUTH COMMUNITY CAR SERVICE** ## **BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31st MARCH 2025** ||**2024-25**|**2023-24**|**2022-23**| |---|---|---|---| |Bank balance|28,443|28,021|22,576| |Pettycash|72|63|54| ||**28,515**|**28,084**|**22,630**| ||||| |Accruals frompreviousyear|-2,500|-1,800|-1,700| |Prepayments and March income accrued|1,661|1,988|1,597| ||||| ||**27,676**|**28,272**|**22,527**| ||||| |Reserves brought forwards|27,676|22,527|16,008| |Net income for theperiod|-596|5,745|6,519| ||||| |Reserves carried forward|**27,080**|**28,272**|**22,527**| ## **Exmouth Community Car Service** ## **Summary of the service provided 2024/25** |**MONTH**|**HOSPITAL TRIPS**|**LOCAL TRIPS**|**CANCELLATIONS**|**UNABLE TO FULFIL**|**COVID VACCINATIONS**| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |**April**|165|130|43|8|5| |**May**|156|147|38|6|26| |**June**|141|103|41|6|0| |**July**|171|111|43|6|0| |**August**|153|99|29|7|0| |**September**|145|104|33|9|0| |**October**|171|144|51|14|0| |**November**|162|85|63|7|0| |**December**|151|86|58|6|0| |**January**|180|93|60|17|0| |**February**|178|88|44|5|0| |**March**|173|92|54|16|0| |**Total**|1946|1282|557|107|31| **Volunteers: 31 (includes Drivers, Office Staff and Trustees)** Independent examinerfs report to the trustees of Exmouth Community Car Service. report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Exmouth Community Car servi￿ (the Trust) for the financial period 1s1 April 2024 to 31st March 2025 Responsibilities and basis of report As the charity trUSt￿S of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charrties Act 2011 ('the Act,). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charty Commission under section 145(5){b) of the Act. Independent examiner's statement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matertal matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect.. 1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records. I have no cOn￿rnS and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed.. Name.. Martin Anthony Board Relevant professional qualification or membership of professional bodies (if any): ACIB (Associate of the Chartered Institute Of Bankers) AIPW (Associate of Ihe Institute of Professional Will writers) Address.. 15 Lime Grove, Exminstar, Exeter, EX6 8T8 Date..