Charity Registration No. 1189132
BURY ST EDMUNDS RICKSHAW
ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5 APRIL 2025
BURY ST EDMUNDS RICKSHAW
LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Trustees
Charity number Principal address
Mr C J Reeve Mr D A Fisher Ms R J Thomas Ms L J Reeve Ms A J Martin Ms A Cassidy Mrs E Stacey Mr D Sheldrake 1189132 18 Angel Lane Bury St Edmunds Suffolk IP33 1RF
BURY ST EDMUNDS RICKSHAW
CONTENTS
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Trustees report | 1 - 4 |
| Statement of trustees responsibilities | 5 |
| Independent examiner's report | 6 |
| Statement of financial activities | 7 |
| Balance sheet | 8 |
| Notes to the financial statements | 9 - 12 |
BURY ST EDMUNDS RICKSHAW
TRUSTEES REPORT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5 APRIL 2025
The Trustees present their report and financial statements for the year ending 2024-25.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw's Constitution, the Charities Act 2011 and "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)" (effective 1 January 2019).
Objectives and activities
The objectives of the organisation are to provide relief for those in need by reason of age, disability, financial hardship, or any other disadvantage in Bury St Edmunds through the provision of volunteer-led trishaw rides and the delivery of food and other such essential items.
Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw is a company limited by guarantee, constituted as a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) operating with a constitution as its governing document.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit in deciding what activities the Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw should undertake
Introduction
BSE Rickshaw started in 2018 with one rickshaw and approximately 20 riders, primarily visiting residential care homes to take people out for joy rides. Gradually we added other tasks including collecting and delivering surplus food from retailers to various charities in Bury St Edmunds, and were always open to new ideas for ways to use the rickshaw in support of our objectives. We were awarded the Queen’s Award for Charities in 2022, following the extended work we did during the pandemic. We have returned to our core work of providing rides for the elderly, less mobile and other vulnerable members of our community. 2024-25 was a year of consolidation, with time spent further developing relationships with care homes in the town, continuing to recruit and train volunteers, embedding our new wheelchair bike, and generally maintaining the high standards of our service.
Our Volunteers
BSE Rickshaw is a volunteer-led organisation and has no paid employees. We operated with about 60 volunteers throughout the year balancing our turnover. Recruits included six new riders, a new shed master and two new external trustees. Among the leavers we were very sad to say good bye to our oldest and longestservice riders Ron, who at 80+ felt that moving out of town should mark his retirement.
We have continued our programme of training for all volunteers. This is a formal schedule for new riders covering roadcraft and passenger communication as well as the technical aspects of riding a rickshaw, and finishes with a ride where the new rider can take out their own family members. Our continued training for experienced trained volunteers is often less formal, including all disciplines, reminding them of good practice and introducing new procedures. We have combined these with social sessions providing an opportunity for volunteers to meet together and get to know each other better. Our Training Team are always available to provide refresher training for individuals as needed.
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TRUSTEES REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5 APRIL 2025
BURY ST EDMUNDS RICKSHAW
Our Fleet
Our fleet of vehicles remained at five following the purchase of the wheelchair bike in 2023-24. This has been very popular, and we have had to share its use between care homes when we have more than one booking in a session It is a pleasure to see the smiles on our wheelchair passengers’ faces when they are able to travel around the town and visit places they may not have been for some time.
Our three passenger bikes and our cargo bike all work very hard too, and they require a lot of upkeep. We have a team involved in bike maintenance led by one of our trustees who are able to tackle punctures and adjustments. However, we felt the need to introduce a specialist electric-bike mechanic for larger jobs. He undertakes a monthly session on the bikes, stripping them down as necessary, as well as assisting us when there are mechanical emergencies.
Our Passengers
A large proportion of our passengers are residents in one of ten residential care homes in Bury St Edmunds, or pupils at a SEN school in the town. We added another care home at the beginning of the year. We visited each weekly and took our passengers on over 1000 riding sessions through the year. This was an increase of 200 or 20% over the previous year. Many of these were multiple journeys at care homes, for example we would expect to make between two and four rides at each care home, carrying two passengers each time. But we made 160 individual joy rides – known as joy rides for the pleasure we wish to bring. We made all four vehicles available for our young friends at the special school throughout the school year – whatever the weather they see this as a highlight of their week.
Rides can be of varying lengths. For a care home they are often 20 minutes, although there are times when we are requested to make longer rides for one or two passengers. Our school rides are possibly only five minutes each as we take over 50 pupils with their teachers around their school car park. Our joy rides offered to individuals are usually for about an hour which allows us to ride around the centre of the town, taking in the beautiful Abbey Gardens as well as many of the historic sights. We are always happy to take passengers to specially requested places and are constantly trying to think of new ideas to tempt people out. The rides we offer to see the Christmas Light or the Daffodils are a real attraction for many, even better when enjoyed in the company of a friend or relative. During the year we had a new attraction demanding photographs when Paddington was seated in front of our concert hall.
Our Partners
We have maintained our partnerships, several of which have been in place since our service started in 2018. We support several other local charities and homeless organisations through the collection and redistribution of food. We made over 800 cargo collections and deliveries through the year, redistributing food donated by retailers, taking customer donated food to the food bank regularly and delivering food parcels on request. Again, this was a large increase of 200 or 25% over the previous year. We have endeavour to be more realistic in the calculation of our workload plus we have delivered more food parcels than in previous years. In addition to this we made 36 RIF journeys, with about 12 deliveries for each vehicle.
The Reducing Isolation with Food (RIF) project has been a significant partnership for us. We work together with Abbeycroft Leisure and the Catering Department at the West Suffolk College to contact lonely and isolated people with a friendly telephone chat based on the menu from our Chatty Chums. The College cooks a lovely meal which our riders deliver, once again making time for a chat on the doorstep. We did this five times through the year, delivering about 400 meals. We took a similar role in the project to deliver Christmas Lunch to 230 people who were expecting to spend Christmas Day on their own. This time volunteers and councillors from the sponsors Bury Town Council assisted with the deliveries. These are projects we are very pleased to support as they fit so completely with our objectives.
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TRUSTEES REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5 APRIL 2025
BURY ST EDMUNDS RICKSHAW
Supporting our community
Throughout the year we have accepted opportunities to attend events in the town. One of our key aims is to help isolated people to participate in the events happening in their own community. We have joined organised Blue Badge group walks for WI groups, enabling less mobile members to participate; we took our wheelchair bike on an organised cycle ride with a school for children with disabilities so that a young man could join in with his friends. We even attended three weddings through the year where one of the wedding party had mobility difficulties which would have made it difficult for them to join fully in the celebrations. As well as fulfilling our objectives, these outings provide opportunities to raise the profile of the Rickshaw service.
We have also used a number of events to spread the word about the service. We have attended Care Home Open Days so that families could experience the Rickshaw rides they have heard about. A new venture was to take a Rickshaw to our local National Trust venue on two separate days in Heritage week and offer rides around Ickworth Park. As this was just out of town, we encountered many people who had not been aware of the Rickshaw service, and we took the opportunity to recruit some new passengers.
We took a Rickshaw and put up stalls and displays at several events such as church fairs, a recruitment fair in the shopping centre and a banking hub, where we could tell people about our services. We were happy to give illustrated talks, and sometimes rides, to several organisations in the town. As we have done for several years, we joined in town events such as the first Sunset Walk in aid of our local hospice. Some of the events we have been attending since BSE Rickshaw started, and we are considered a necessary part of the arrangements. It is a pleasure to be seen as an integral part of town life, and we were thrilled to be voted as the Bury Free Press Charity of the Year.
Raising our Funds
We were glad to retain the support of many of our sponsors from previous year, and welcome some new ones. Each sponsor has a logo or advert on one of our bikes acknowledging their support to our local public. All are businesses in Bury St Edmunds and we are proud that they consider there is value in being associated with us.
The ARC shopping centre in Bury St Edmunds selected us as their Charity of the year 2024-25. They have been very active in promoting us as well as raising funds. We were included in events such as a Summer Fair and Recruitment Fair. In return we have supported events by taking our Rickshaw passengers through the centre when activities such as the Father’s Day Penalty Shoot Out event took place. Not only were we grateful for the financial support during the year, but enjoyed working with the team. They promoted us at every opportunity, including the commission of a children’s book, Ride the Rickshaw, illustrated with great pictures of the Rickshaw around the sights of Bury St Edmunds and all proceeds going to our service.
Another exciting project was to partner with Bury Town Football Club after an anonymous donor gave us his advertising rights at the club and the clubhouse was renamed the BSE Rickshaw Clubhouse.
Our own volunteers often suggest ways where we can raise funds, for example, we have been nominated for work donations at times. This year one of our trustees gathered a group of friends for a sponsored bike ride from Bury St Edmunds to Felixstowe, raising £1640 for our funds.
Our Management
We have six trustees who all hold other roles in the organisation, plus two external trustees who provide us with a valued view from a public perspective. Following a number of changes in our trustees at the end of 2023-24 we recruited two new trustees. We co-opted one of our controllers, Liz Stacey, and she has taken on a number of duties from others including liaising with outside organisations approaching us for joint working. Dan Sheldrake joined us as an external trustee. He has a construction business background, and we have benefited from his insights into our service.
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BURY ST EDMUNDS RICKSHAW
TRUSTEES REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5 APRIL 2025
Financial Review
It is the policy of the Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level equivalent to between three- and six-month’s expenditure. The trustees considers that reserves at this level will ensure that, in the event of a significant drop in funding, they will be able to continue the Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw’s current activities while consideration is given to ways in which additional funds may be raised. This level of reserves has been maintained throughout the year.
The trustees have assessed the major risks to which the Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw is exposed, and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks. With every change in practice, policies and procedures are put in place and volunteers receive additional training. A risk analysis is undertaken for each new venture and any adverse incidents are monitored and investigated with action being taken where appropriate.
The trustees report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
.............................. Rachel Thomas Trustee 30/1/2026 Dated: .........................
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BURY ST EDMUNDS RICKSHAW
STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES RESPONSIBILITIES
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5 APRIL 2025
The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw for that year.
In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
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select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
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make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
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state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
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prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping sufficient accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
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BURY ST EDMUNDS RICKSHAW
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT
TO THE TRUSTEES OF BURY ST EDMUNDS RICKSHAW
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw (the Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw) for the year ended 5 April 2025.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the trustees of the Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act).
I report in respect of my examination of the Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act. In carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
Independent examiner's statement
Your attention is drawn to the fact that the charity has prepared financial statements in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) in preference to the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice issued on 1 April 2005 which is referred to in the extant regulations but has now been withdrawn.
I understand that this has been done in order for financial statements to provide a true and fair view in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Practice effective for reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2015.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
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1 accounting records were not kept in respect of the Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw as required by section 130 of the 2011 Act; or
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2 the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
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3 the financial statements do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns 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 financial statements to be reached.
Gascoynes Gascoyne House Moseleys Farm Business Centre Fornham All Saints Suffolk IP28 6JY
30/1/26 Dated: .........................
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BURY ST EDMUNDS RICKSHAW
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5 APRIL 2025
| Unrestricted Restricted funds funds 2025 2025 Notes £ £ Income from: Donations and legacies 2 10,619 3,080 Expenditure on: Charitable activities 5 5,137 3,135 Net income/(expenditure) for the year/ Net movement in funds 5,482 (55) Fund balances at 6 April 2024 7,859 55 Fund balances at 5 April 2025 13,341 - |
Total 2025 £ 13,699 8,272 5,427 7,914 13,341 |
Total 2024 £ 7,576 |
|---|---|---|
| 15,787 | ||
| (8,211) 16,125 |
||
| 7,914 |
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
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BURY ST EDMUNDS RICKSHAW
BALANCE SHEET
AS AT 5 APRIL 2025
| 2025 Notes £ Current assets Cash at bank and in hand 13,341 Net current assets Income funds Restricted funds Unrestricted funds The financial statements were approved by the Trustees on ......................... .............................. Rachel Thomas Trustee 29/1/26 |
£ 13,341 - 13,341 13,341 |
2024 £ 7,914 |
£ 7,914 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55 7,859 |
|||
| 7,914 | |||
Type text here
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BURY ST EDMUNDS RICKSHAW
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5 APRIL 2025
1 Accounting policies
Charity information
Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw is a private company limited by guarantee.
1.1 Accounting convention
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw's [governing document], the Charities Act 2011, FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the Charities SORP "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)" (effective 1 January 2019). The Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The financial statements have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a true and fair view. This departure has involved following the Statement of Recommended Practice for charities applying FRS 102 rather than the version of the Statement of Recommended Practice which is referred to in the Regulations but which has since been withdrawn.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, [modified to include the revaluation of freehold properties and to include investment properties and certain financial instruments at fair value]. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
1.2 Going concern
At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
1.3 Charitable funds
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Endowment funds are subject to specific conditions by donors that the capital must be maintained by the Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw.
1.4 Incoming resources
Income is recognised when the Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw is legally entitled to it after any performance conditions have been met, the amounts can be measured reliably, and it is probable that income will be received.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Legacies are recognised on receipt or otherwise if the Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw has been notified of an impending distribution, the amount is known, and receipt is expected. If the amount is not known, the legacy is treated as a contingent asset.
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BURY ST EDMUNDS RICKSHAW
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5 APRIL 2025
1 Accounting policies
(Continued)
1.5 Resources expended
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
Liability recognition
Liabilities are recognised as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to pay out resources.
1.6 Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
Basic financial assets
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Basic financial liabilities
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Derecognition of financial liabilities
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
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BURY ST EDMUNDS RICKSHAW
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5 APRIL 2025
2 Donations and legacies
| Unrestricted Restricted funds funds 2025 2025 £ £ Donations and gifts 4,260 - Bank interest received 51 - Grants - 3,080 Sponsorships 6,308 - 10,619 3,080 |
Total Unrestricted Restricted funds funds 2025 2024 2024 £ £ £ 4,260 2,076 - 51 - - 3,080 - 1,000 6,308 4,500 - 13,699 6,576 1,000 |
Total 2024 £ 2,076 - 1,000 4,500 |
|---|---|---|
| 7,576 |
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BURY ST EDMUNDS RICKSHAW
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5 APRIL 2025
3 Restricted costs
| Bike Equipment DBS Marketing Garaging 3 Unrestricted costs Rickshaw Purchase Bike Equipment Insurance DBS Training Admin Marketing Garaging Miscellaneous Totals |
2025 £ 1,454 55 - 1,626 3,135 2025 £ - 2,396 1,291 58 - 870 210 209 103 5,137 8,272 |
2024 £ - 192 47 1,000 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,239 | |||
| 2024 £ 8,158 3,061 1,215 - 90 602 267 800 355 |
|||
| 14,548 | |||
| 15,787 |
5 Employees
There were no employees during the year.
6 Taxation
The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or section 252 of the Taxationof Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects.
7 Related party transactions
Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw is controlled by its Trustee's. None of the Trustee's (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration or any other benefits during the year (2024: £nil).
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