## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period**
## **From 1st July 2024 to 30[th] June 2025**
## **Charity name: Open Palm**
## **Charity registration number: 1190203**
## **Objectives and Activities**
|**Objectives and Activities**|||
|---|---|---|
||SORP reference||
|Summary of the purposes of the
charity as set out in its governing
document|Para 1.17|Open Palm’s purposes are to advance education and promote racial
equality. We achieve this by delivering educational life-skills
programmes, improving learning environments and addressing racial
inequality**. Our mission is to close the opportunity gap for young**
**people so that no one is left behind, regardless of their ethnic or**
**social background.**|
|Summary of the main activities in
relation to those purposes for the
public benefit, in particular, the
activities, projects or services
identified in the accounts.|Para 1.17 and 1.19|Open Palm (‘OP’) furthers its purposes through three key initiatives:
**Advancing education**
(I) Making education more accessible to students, by delivering tech
and academic resources to under-funded schools. This improves
students’ access to learning resources, helps them to better engage
with lessons and homework, and improves attainment. This is
delivered through our‘Project Spark’.
**Promoting racial equality**
(ii) Addressing disparities in income and employment for Black,
Mixed Heritage, Asian and Ethnic Minorities, by delivering free life-
skills courses that also offer nationally recognised accreditations.
These courses equip under-represented and disadvantaged young
people for skills for success, thereby improving prospects. This is
delivered through our WYZ® courses and related workshops.
(iii) Promoting knowledge of different racial groups, in order improve
race relations and eliminate racial discrimination. Amplifying voices,
tackling negative stereotypes and normalising achievement within
Black, Mixed Heritage, Asian and Ethnic Minority communities
through awareness initiatives. These include sharing career insights
and interviews with changemakers in addition to celebrating
everyday people in these communities. These activities help to raise
aspirations of ethnically under-represented youths. This is delivered
through ourProject Enlighten’.|
|Statement confirming whether the
trustees have had regard to the
guidance issued by the Charity
Commission onpublic benefit|Para 1.18|Open Palm’sTrustees have had due regard to the guidance issued by
the Charity Commission on public benefit. The spirit of this guidance|
is embedded within Open Palm’s purpose and value s and drives decision-making when considering and delivering initiatives.
## **Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
||SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Policy on grant making|Para 1.38|OP does not perform any grant-making activities and as such, it does
not have a grant making policy.|
|Policy on social investment
including program related
investment|Para 1.38|OP has not made social investments; whilst it applies its funds to
further their purposes, they do not aim to make a financial return.
Further, OP does not make program related investments (such as
granting loans, investing in complex high profile or regeneration
projects or pooled funds).|
|Contribution made by volunteers|Para 1.38|Regular direct debits are made by some ofOP’s Trusteesvia
approved giving channels such as JustGiving.
OP has relied on the dedication and skill of all Trustees and
volunteers who support the charity’s initiatives. Trustees and
volunteers have helped us deliver and execute on numerous key
activities, including creating and delivering WYZ® courses, delivering
youth workshops, supporting fundraising events, and delivering
online events such as OP’s one-year anniversary celebration and
educational interview segments.|
|Other||N/A|
## **Achievements and Performance**
||SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Summary of the main
achievements of the charity,
identifying the difference the
charity’s work has made to the
circumstances of its beneficiaries
and any wider benefits to society
as a whole.|Para 1.20|Number of young people reached
•
We’venow reached just under 20,000 students since
inception!
**How did we reach them?**
•
Students were engaged through Career Insight Days, Work
Experience Programmes, WYZ for Work courses and
donations of technology equipment through Project Spark.
Throughout the year, we also shared articles and career
stories on our website, highlighting opportunities and
experiences across different industries including law,
technology, design, consulting, and culture. These stories
showcased students’ reflections and achievements, helping
to inspire others while strengthening awareness of the range
of career pathways available through Open Palm’s
programmes.
Featured articles:
•
Inspiring futures: a transformational week at Mayer Brown
— https://www.openpalm.org.uk/post/inspiring-futures-a
transformational-week-at-mayer-brown
•
Shaping Spaces, Shaping Futures: Junior Design Week at
Steelcase— https://www.openpalm.org.uk/post/shaping-
spaces-shaping-futures-junior-design-week-at-steelcase|
|•|Cracking the consulting code: our career day with|
|---|---|
||AlixPartners—https://www.openpalm.org.uk/post/cracking-|
||the-consulting-code-our-career-day-with-alixpartners|
|•|New year, new tech donations-|
||https://www.openpalm.org.uk/post/new-year-newtech|
||donations|
|•|Open Palm visits the Pardner Hand Exhibition at the Bank of|
||England Museum-https://www.openpalm.org.uk/post/open-|
||palm-visits-the-pardner-hand-exhibition-at-the-bank-of-|
||england-museum|
|**Our Focus**||
|•|We remain dedicated to bridging the opportunity gap by|
||giving young people meaningful access to experiences that|
||inspire ambition and build employability. Our focus is on|
||creating fair and inclusive routes into education and|
||employment by providing practical exposure, skills|
||development, and mentoring. Through our initiatives, we|
||aim to ensure that every young person, regardless of|
||background, has the confidence and opportunity to reach|
||their full potential.|
|**Collaborations and Partnerships**||
|•|HSBC: Hosted a Technology Insight Day giving students|
||practical exposure to technology careers and the chance to|
||hear from industry professionals.|
|•|Mayer Brown: Delivered both a Legal Work Experience Week|
||and a Career Insight Day, enabling students to explore|
||careers in corporate law and gain a practical understanding|
||of working within an international law firm. Students took|
||part in interactive workshops, met with legal professionals,|
||and learned about pathways into the sector.|
|•|Steelcase: Conducted a Design and Manufacturing Insight|
||Day and Work Experience Week, introducing students to|
||careers in design, manufacturing, and workplace innovation.|
||Participants explored design thinking, sustainability, and the|
||role of technology in shaping modern workspaces.|
|•|Which?: Hosted a Consumer Rights and Advocacy Insight|
||Day, helping students understand how consumer rights|
||protect people in everyday life and showcasing a range of|
||roles in the sector.|
|•|AlixPartners: Worked with Open Palm to open part time and|
||full time positions to Open Palm students first, creating|
||valuable employment opportunities and supporting their|
||transition into professional roles.|
|Details of all career insight days are available on Open Palm’s||
|website.||
|**Feedback**||
|•|Feedback from students was overwhelmingly positive, with|
||many expressing that they felt more confident in their future|
||career decisions after taking part in our programmes.|
||Parents also shared their appreciation for the opportunities|
||provided,expressing gratitude that their children were able|
to take part and gain valuable experiences that will support their future ambitions. Brand Awareness & Social Media Engagement • Our social media presence grew significantly, with more young people engaging with our content. The career insights, student success stories, and event highlights reached a wider audience, encouraging more young people to apply for our programs. • Alongside this growth, our content strategy became more intentional. We started our journey toward richer storytelling and introduced more visually engaging formats such as shortform videos, carousels, and interactive polls. These changes not only increased overall visibility but also strengthened the sense of community among our followers. • These improvements place us in a strong position to continue building trust, awareness, and meaningful connections with the young people we serve
## **Additional information (optional)**
|**Additional information (optional)**|**Additional information (optional)**|**Additional information (optional)**|
|---|---|---|
|You maychoose to include further statements where relevant about:|||
|Achievements against objectives
set|Para 1.41|Achieved a wider reach through increased student engagement and
higher turnout at Insight Days, supported by improved
communication and regular newsletters. A key goal this year was to
reduce student dropouts by ensuring clearer communication ahead
of events, providing more accurate attendance numbers and
smoother coordination with partner organisations.|
|Performance of fundraising
activities against objectives set|Para 1.41|Fundraising efforts were aligned to expectations. Our regular income
from Partnerships was enough to leave us in a healthy position to
fund our actives on an on-going basis.|
|Investment performance against
objectives|Para 1.41|N/A|
|Other|||
## **Financial Review**
|Review of the charity’s financial
position at the end of the period|Para 1.21|**Donations**
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the individuals,
families, and corporate partners who have generously supported our
work throughout the year. Your contributions whether financial
donations, in-kind support, or volunteer time have been vital in
helping us continue our mission and reach more young people across
the UK.
Every pound raised directly strengthens our programmes, enabling us
to create meaningful opportunities, provide resources, and make a
lasting difference for the young people we serve. Your continued
commitment reminds us that our impact is only possible through the
collective generosity and belief of those who stand alongside us.
Financial donations for the year were lower than the previous year
due to the absence of the same major grant from the Chartered
Institute of Securities and Investments Future Foundation (CISI) of
£40,000.
Donations for the year totalled £22,058 of which:
•
AlixPartners - £10,000
•
Charles Stanley Wealth Managers - £7,574
•
JustGiving - £1,533
•
Charities Aid Foundation - £1,728
•
Co-Op - £500
•
AXA - £300
•
Other direct giving - £2,068
**Expenditure**
We continue to take a careful and responsible approach to managing
our resources, ensuring that every pound spent delivers the greatest
possible impact. The trustees remain committed to strong financial
stewardship, maintaining close oversight of costs while prioritising
expenditure that directly advances our charitable objectives. We
continually review our spending to ensure value for money,
efficiency, and alignment with our mission. This disciplined approach
allows us to maximise the reach and effectiveness of our
programmes while maintaining the long-term sustainability and
resilience of the charity.
Expenses for the period totalled £13,295 comprising,
•
Project Spark (£5,124)–Supporting under-funded schools
in the UK by providing technology devices and academic
resources, such as calculators. We do this to remove
barriers to enable students to learn.
•
Career Insight Days (£2,751) - We partner with corporates
to provide educational career insight days, giving young
people the opportunity to network with professionals and
learn more about different roles within a company. The cost
primarily covers travel expenses for young people to reduce
the affordability barrier to accessing our offering.
•
IT Software (£1,216) - Our digital capabilities allow us to
work remotely and efficiently, supporting automation and
safeguarding data privacy.
•
Volunteer expenses (£762)–We cover the cost of volunteer
travel to support our career insight days and work
experience.|
|---|---|---|
|||•
Programme Software (£709) - This is the cost of our scalable
online learning platform which hosts our courses.
•
Other overheads (£2,733)–This includes a combination of
costs for volunteer DBS checks, insurance, accountancy
fees, postage & couriers, and virtual office costs.
OP had no paid staff working for the charity during the year.
**Closing position**
The year concluded with a surplus of £8,763, which will be allocated
to strengthening our cash reserves and ensuring the charity’s
financial sustainability for future activities. This prudent approach
leaves Open Palm in a strong and stable position as we look ahead to
2025/26, enabling us to continue expanding our programmes and
outreach.
With many young people still facing challenges as they take their first
steps into employment and financial independence, our focus
remains on empowering them with the skills, confidence, and
opportunities they need to build secure and fulfilling futures.|
|---|---|---|
|Statement explaining the policy
for holding reserves stating why
they are held|Para 1.22|Reserves are that part ofOP’sunrestricted funds that is freely
available to spend on any of the charity’s purposes.We maintain free
unrestricted reserves:
•
to provide a level of working capital that protects the
continuity of our core work
•
to provide a level of funding for unexpected opportunities
•
to provide cover for risks such as unforeseen expenditure or
unanticipated loss of income.
The board of trustees will review the above criteria with reference to
our strategy and Annual Plan and determine the target level of free
reserves to meet these.
The Board of Trustees will at times designate funds from free
reserves for significant project costs or replacement of major assets.|
|Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|The total reserves held at year end are £65,632. These are entirely
unrestricted.|
|Reasons for holdingzero reserves|Para 1.22|N/a|
|Details of fund materiallyin deficit|Para 1.24|N/a|
|Explanation of any uncertainties
about the charity continuing as a
goingconcern|Para 1.23|There are no matters of material significance to report or any known
uncertainties about the charity’s ability to continue as a going
concern.|
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
|Description of charity’s trusts:|||
|---|---|---|
|Type of governing document
(trust deed,royal charter)|Para 1.25|Foundation Model Constitution|
|How is the charity constituted?
(e.g unincorporated association,
CIO)|Para 1.25|Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)|
|Trustee selection methods
including details of any
constitutional provisions e.g.
election to post or name of any
person or body entitled to appoint
one or more trustees|Para 1.25|Trustees are selected based on a range of considerations, including
their skillset, experience, interest and commitment. Appointments to
the Board are approved by unanimous decision of existing Trustees.
Existing Trustees complete an annual skills audit, which is a self-
assessment of their existing skillset and any skills gaps. This
document is considered by the Trustee Board and gaps are plugged
through recruitment (e.g. recruitment of a Trustee or other
volunteer(s)) and/or training.|
|---|---|---|
## **Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
|Policies and procedures adopted
for the induction and training of
trustees|Para 1.51|Trustees annually reflect on their skills and no less than every 2 years
complete a skills assessment. The output of the skills audit is
discussed at a Board meeting. Skills gaps are addressed either
through training or recruitment of additional volunteers possessing
the necessary skillset. Trustees annually complete training, including
on the topic of safeguarding; the training content varies each year to
ensure a breadth of coverage.|
|---|---|---|
|The charity’s organisational
structure and any wider network
with which the charity works|Para 1.51|The charity is run by Trustees, who in turn receive advice from
Independent Advisor (covering Governance & Risk matters) and
Advisory Group members who support particular initiatives.
The charity is run wholly by volunteers. There is a lead volunteer
structure covering a range of key areas, from People (HR) to
Fundraising. Each lead volunteer has a team of volunteers supporting
them, with directional support provided by Trustees unless the lead
volunteer is a Trustee. Lead volunteers provide updates to their
Trustee champion, who in turn provides visibility and escalates any
issues to the Board.|
|Relationship with any related
parties|Para 1.51|The charity collaborates with various organisations, including other
youth organisations. However, these relationships are informal.
There are no related parties, and the charity is not part of a wider
organisational group.|
|Other||N/A|
## **Reference and Administrative details**
|Charityname|Open Palm|
|---|---|
|Other name the charityuses||
|Registered charitynumber|1190203|
|Charity’s principal address|86-90 Paul Street
London
EC2A 4NE|
**Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity**
|1
2|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if**
**not for whole**
**year**|**Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (if**
**any)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||Lynette
Emesibe|Trustee &
Fundraising Lead|25 April 2021
to present|Sophie McBaiden, Ralph McBaiden|
||Sophie
McBaiden|Trustee & Chair|01 July 2020
to present|Ralph McBaiden|
|3
4
5
6|Ralph McBaiden|Trustee &
Treasurer|01 July 2020
to present|Sophie McBaiden|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||Emmanuella
Omolara Akala|Trustee|01 June 2023
to 01 August
2025|Lynette Emesibe, Ralph McBaiden, Sophie McBaiden|
||Roshan
Ramlugan|Trustee|15 July 2024
to present|Lynette Emesibe, Ralph McBaiden, Sophie McBaiden,
Emmanuella Omolara Akala|
||Jaisha Bruce|Trustee|15 July 2024
to present|Lynette Emesibe, Ralph McBaiden, Sophie McBaiden,
Emmanuella Omolara Akala|
Corporate trustees – names of the directors at the date the report was approved
**Director name** N/A
Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity
|**Trustee name**|**Dates acted if not for wholeyear**||
|---|---|---|
|N/A|||
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
## **Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others**
|Description of the assets held in
this capacity|N/A|
|---|---|
|Name and objects of the charity on
whose behalf the assets are held
and how this falls within the
custodian charity’s objects|N/A|
|Details of arrangements for safe
custody and segregation of such
assets from the charity’s own
assets|N/A|
## **Additional information (optional)**
## **Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**
|**Type of adviser**|**Name**
**Address**|**Name**
**Address**|
|---|---|---|
|Independent
Advisor–
Governance & Risk|Raz Hussain|86-90 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NE|
|Independent
Advisor–
Partnerships|Kate Griffiths
Lambeth|86-90 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NE|
|Independent
Advisor–
Technology|Hakan Candaner|86-90 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NE|
**Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)**
No staff members applicable – all individuals are volunteers
## **Exemptions from disclosure**
Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details
N/A
## **Other optional information**
None
## **Declarations**
**The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.**
**Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees**
~~SIGN~~ **Signature(s) Full name(s)** Ralph McBaiden **Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc)** Trustee - Chair **Date** 21/02/2026
||**Charity Name: Open Palm**|**Charity Name: Open Palm**|**Charity Name: Open Palm**|**No: 1190203**|**No: 1190203**|**No: 1190203**|**CC16a**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**For the period**
**from**|1st July 2024|**To**||30th June 2025|||
|||||||||
|**Section A Receipts and payments**||||||||
|**A1 Receipts**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**22,058**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**22,058**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**22,058**
**4,252**
**8,526**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**12,779**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**12,779**
**9,280**
**-**
**56,353**
**65,632**|**Restricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**||**Total funds**
**to the nearest £**
**22,058**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**22,058**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**22,058**
**4,252**
**8,526**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**12,779**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**12,779**
**9,280**||**Last year**
**to the nearest £**|
|Donations|**22,058**||||||**53,969**|
||**-**||||||**-**|
||**-**||||||**-**|
||**-**||||||**-**|
||**-**||||||**-**|
||**-**||||||**-**|
||**-**||||||**-**|
||**-**||||||**-**|
|**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for_
_AR)_|**22,058**||||||**53,969**|
|||||||||
|**A2 Asset and investment sales,**
**(see table).**||||||||
||**-**|||||||
||**-**||||||**-**|
|**_Sub total_**|**-**||||||**-**|
|**_Total receipts_**
**A3 Payments**||||||||
||||||||**53,969**|
|||||||||
|Charitable activities|**4,252**||||||**5,387**|
|Support costs|**8,526**||||||**57,424**|
||**-**||||||**-**|
||**-**||||||**-**|
||**-**||||||**-**|
||**-**||||||**-**|
||**-**||||||**-**|
||**-**||||||**-**|
||**-**||||||**-**|
|**_Sub total_ **|**12,779**||||||**62,811**|
|||||||||
|**A4 Asset and investment**
**purchases, (see table)**||||||||
|Office equipment & IT|**-**||||||**929**|
||**-**|||||||
|**_Sub total_ **|**-**||||||**929**|
|**_Total payments_**
**_Net of receipts/(payments)_**
**A5 Transfers between funds**
**A6 Cash funds last year end**
**_Cash funds this year end_**||||||||
||||||||**63,740**|
|||||||||
||**9,280**|**-**|
**-**||**9,280**||**- 9,771**|
||**-**|**-**|**-**||**-**||**-**|
||**56,353**|**-**|**-**||**56,353**||**66,124**|
||**65,632**|**-**|
**-**||**65,632**||**56,352**|
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
27/02/2024
1
## **Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**
|**Categories**
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees
**B1 Cash funds**
**B2 Other monetary assets**
**B4 Assets retained for the**
**charity’s own use**
**B5 Liabilities**
**B3 Investment assets**|Signature
**Details**
Bank balance - Main account
Bank balance - Reserve account
**Details**
**_Total cash funds_**
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))
Office equpiment & IT
**Details**
-
**Details**
**Details**
SIGN|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**33,869**
**-**
**31,763**
**-**
**-**
**65,632**
**-**
OK
OK
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**957**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**liability relates**
**Amount due**
**(optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
Print Name
RALPH MCBAIDEN|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**|
|---|---|---|---|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||OK|
||||**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**Current value**
**(optional)**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**Current value**
**(optional)**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**When due**
**(optional)**|
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||||Date of
approval|
|||RALPH MCBAIDEN|21/02/2026|
|||||
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
27/02/2024
2