Charity No: 1190383 

## **Extraordinary Links CIO Report and Accounts (February 2021)** 




## **Extraordinary Links CIO** 

## **Reference and Administration Details** 

## **For the year ending 30 Jan 2021 Charity Number** 1190383 

**Registered Office** 13 Fairford Road Bristol BS11 9QZ **Status** Extraordinary Links CIO is known locally as Extraordinary Links **Trustees** Trustees who served during this year and up to the date of the  Report. Gillian Crea                   Chair (appointed 13 July 2020) Sandra Thomas           (appointed 13 July 2020) Katie Hales                   (appointed 13 July 2020) Emma Fitzgerald         (appointed 13 July 2020) **Chief Executive Officer** The trustees delegate the day-to-day running of Extraordinary Links CIO to Gillian Crea (Chair of Trustees) **Bankers** Lloyds Bank plc 25 Gresham Street London EC2V 7HN 



## **Report of the Trustees** 

The trustees present their report and financial statements for the year ending 24 February 2021. References and administrative statements are set out on page 1, form part of this report. The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements. 

## **Structure, Governance and Management** 

## **Governing Documents** 

Extraordinary Links CIO is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation, and is governed by the Charity Act 2011. We are known locally as Extraordinary Links and have full autonomy over our policies, governances and procedures. 

## **Risk Review** 

Our board of trustees meets regularly to discuss and evaluate the major risks to our organisation. As we are as a small charity we have implemented internal control  procedures to ensure risks are minimised effectively. 

## **Organisational Structure** 

The CEO is responsible for the day to day management of Extraordinary Links CIO, and reports directly to the board of trustees to ensure there are no conflicts of interest present. 

The board of trustees consists of four trustees who are legally responsible for the organisation and governance of Extraordinary Links CIO. 

## **Appointments of Trustees** 

New trustees can be appointed by the current board of trustees at a properly convened meeting, ensuring the trustee has the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO. 

No further trustees, other then the founding trustees, have been appointed in the last year. 

## **Trustees Report** 



2020 was a challenging year to establish a charity, with the impact of the Covid pandemic being felt deeply across the charitable sector. As our charity was primarily set up as a face-to-face enterprise, offering activities and guidance to families, we have had to rethink how we provided our services and support to our service users. The trustees took the challenge and rethought the service delivery and took our services online to help those who needed it. 

We provided an online activity group for Disabled and SEN children, providing the materials needed in a covid secure way, and delivering the activities via Zoom. It was funded by a grant through Youth UK. This was successful, however did not fully replace the social environment we hoped to provide to these families, the consensus from families who attended the sessions were positive. Due to the funding received by Youth UK, and the impact of the pandemic, we also updated our website to ensure our services would continue. 

We also provide online assistance to families by signposting to relevant organisations who could assist families with a variety of needs, such as funding for equipment enquiries and help for those experiencing educational issues relating to their children and their needs. From September 2021 we recommenced our in person activity group, funded through grants made by Youth UK and the National Lottery Community Fund. This has been well received, with different planned activities taking place each week for families of disabled and SEN children. This group has also provided information from the trustees to parents looking for information on a variety of topics, such as how to apply for Disability Living Allowance or where to find support for educational issues. 

## **Pay and Renumeration** 

Extraordinary Links CIO is run completely by volunteers, receiving no pay or renumeration for any services. 

## **Vision, Mission and Objectives** 

The long term aim of the organisation is to ensure that disabled children, and children with SEN and their families receive the support they need to thrive in society. We currently provide our services to 20 families in the Shirehampton area of Bristol. We want to reach out to more families who are not currently receiving our services, so ensuring our growth and sustainability as a CIO is of paramount importance to us, so we are constantly seeking funding opportunities and different avenues to advertise our free services. 



## **Charitable Objectives** 

Extraordinary Links objects are set our in our constitution, 

_‘To relieve the needs of disabled children and children with special educational needs (SEN) and their parents, carers and siblings (the ‘beneficiaries’) in the Bristol area by the provision of, in particular, but not exclusively: (a) free activity sessions for the beneficiaries in the community. (b) signposting the parents, carers and siblings to organisations that can give support and information’_ 

## **Principle Funding Sources** 

The funding of Extraordinary Links CIO was met by grants received by four organisations; 

The National Lottery Community Fund Youth UK The Ford Trust Moto in the Community Crowdfunder Bristol Parent Carers Donations received at Activity Group 

We have made no investments. 

## **Restricted and unrestricted and designated funds** 

We are reporting a surplus of £9,912 for the period ending 24[th] February 2021. 

This surplus is due to the following factors 

- Funding received in this financial year, however the associated costs will be incurred in the years 2021/22 and 2022/23 

- There has been reduced costs of delivering our services due to the Covid pandemic. 

- Restricted grants received for Covid-19 recovery work 

## **Future Financial Position** 

As many charities are currently finding, it is difficult to predict the financial position of Extraordinary Links CIO. However, the current forecast is good, with financial viability expected for the next 3 years. 



Our trustees regularly review at the impact of our finances and how we can look towards the future, regularly looking for further funding opportunities to ensure we can still provide the services we offer to the community. 

## **Statement of Responsibilities of the trustees** 

The trustees are responsible for preparing the trustees report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and the United Kingdom accounting Standards. 

Company law 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 charity and of the income and expenditure of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements trustees are required to 

- Select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently 

- Observe the principles and methods in SORP 

- Make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent. 

- State whether applicable UK accounting standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements 

- Prepare the financial statements on the on going concern basis unless it is inappropriate that a charity will continue in its operation. 

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy the financial position of the charity. The trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the provision of fraud and other irregularities. 

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charity’s website. 

Members of the charity guarantee to contribute and amount not exceeding £1 to the assets of the charity in the event of winding up. The trustees are members of the charity, but this entitles them only to voting rights. The trustees have no beneficial interests in the charity. 

## **Statement of Financial Activities (Income and Expenditure)** 

|_Opening Bank Balance_<br>_24/02/20_<br>**£0**|_Opening Bank Balance_<br>_24/02/20_<br>**£0**|
|---|---|
|||
|**_Income_**|£|
|_Cash Donations_|46|
|_Moto in the Community_|200|





_Crowdfunder.org_ 280 _Ford Trust_ 236 _UK Youth_ 1400 _National Lottery_ 8400 _Community Fund_ _**Total Income**_ 10,562 _**Expenditure**_ £ _Rent of Hall_ 40 _Website hosting and_ 102 _Domain Costs Zoom Yearly Cost_ 115.10 _Postage Costs_ 9 _Supplies for Activity_ 390.64 _Group_ _**Total Expenditure**_ 657 

_**Closing Bank Balance**_ £9,905 These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions applicable to companies and to the small companies’ regime. 

Approved by the trustees on the 24 Jan 2022 and sign on their behalf by 


## **Gillian Crea** (Chair)