Equilore Trustees Annual Report
February 2024
Reporting period of 2nd April 2022- 1st April 2023 Charity Number 1190998 CIO registered
CONTENTS
Report of Trustees
Independent examiner’s report Statement of financial activities Balance sheet Notes to the financial statements Detailed statement of financial activities)
Charity Registration
Charity registered number: 1190998
Office Address 15 The Glades Launton OX26 5ED
Equilore Yard Park End Croughton NN13 5LX
Bankers Auditors Charities Aid Foundation Bank Limited Lindsay Worville 25 King’s Hill Avenue 24 Bridge Street King’s Hill Brackley West Malling Northamptonshire Kent ME19 4JQ NN13 7EW
Contact Information
Telephone: 07787 402236 E-mail: info@equilore.co.uk Website: https://equilore.co.uk/
Trustees:
Felicity Mallam (Appointed 24/08/2020) Nichola Garratt (Appointed 24/08/2020 - Retired 01/06/2023) Judith van de Kamp (Appointed 24/08/2020 - Retired 24/08/2022) Neil Tindall (Chair) (Appointed 03/05/2022) Emma Wilberforce (Appointed 03/05/2022) Karen Webb (Appointed 29/11/2022) Camilla Behrens (Appointed 01/06/2023- Retired 02/08/2023)
Director:
Dr. Loes Koorenhof (Founder and appointed Director 05/04/2020)
Statement from Chair
Our year in summary:
Equilore celebrated its second birthday this year as a charity. As an organisation we continue to grow and expand; increasing our community awareness through our social media strategy, participation in and hosting of local community events. Our team continues to expand and our team now consists of 4 members of part time staff as well as our amazing pool of dedicated volunteers.
In May 2022, we welcomed two new trustees to our Board, expanding our skilled knowledge on board level. Felicity Mallam handed over her role as Chair to Neil Tindall, whilst maintaining her support as a trustee. Our client-facing team includes an Equine Facilitated Learning (EFL) and two Psychotherapists (EFP) and our volunteering team has grown to 9.
A big step forward for Equilore was the move to our new site in Croughton in August 2022. With more space, more privacy and all the horses being able to be kept together in this purpose-built yard, it was a huge improvement to our venue in Launton.
This year we focussed on developing our strategy for growth and resilience. The Trustees, in collaboration with the CEO, set out a clear business plan that captured our short-, medium- and long-term objectives.
Our primary short-term objective was to release the CEO from some of the dayto-day operational duties that could be delegated or outsourced, which would allow her to focus on client work, staff management, fundraising - as well as work closely with the board to keep Equilore moving in the right direction and to continue to attract skilled trustees to join our board.
Our medium-term goals include expanding our service provision to meet growing client demand by increasing the herd size, recruiting a further practitioner and ensuring better sustainability of the charity by focussing on fundraising and community engagement. With our long-term goals directed at offering EAS training qualification to professionals as a source of income generation.
With funding from the Samworth Foundation, we have been able to offer subsidised 1:1 and group sessions for those who are financially disadvantaged, as well as helping us with our core costs of keeping the horses.
In the spring of 2022, we started our first post pandemic group sessions again. In collaboration with The Hummingbird Centre (Charity Reg. 1156595) we provided group support for adults and children and ran specialist family support sessions for those affected by cancer.
This was the first year that we ran a children’s service for The Hummingbird Centre. We ran peer support sessions for small groups (max. 6) children aged 8 - 12 years. During these sessions, children going through similarly tricky family circumstances learned to identify and share their feelings and work together to support each other. The sessions focussed on building confidence and selfesteem, through working with the horses whilst also overcoming challenges together and having some fun. We provided family support sessions where the entire family unit attended to learn about managing and supporting each other during a time of great distress.
Our referrals this year, besides from individuals finding our website, came from charitable organisations (such as The Hummingbird Centre), Social Services, Schools, Local Authorities, Children’s Services and other Equine Facilitated Practitioners.
March 2023 saw the launch of a new national course in Equine Assisted Services, which Equilore helped co-create in collaboration with three other leading national charities; The Horse Course, Sirona Horsemanship and The World Horse Trust. This is the first Of Qual Registered non-method specific Level 3 Diploma Course in the Equine Assisted Services field. The course was launched by lead creator Harriet Laurie from The Horse Course at the Horses in Education and Therapy International (HETI) meeting in Saddler’s Hall in London, which was attended by Princess Anne.
The Board is excited to look towards 2024, as we continue to work together to support such a new charity as it works to respond to its changing client group and growing demand. We are committed to advocating and explaining the unique benefits of Equine Facilitated Therapy especially for those who struggle to verbalise the complexities of their mental health.
Introduction
The trustees present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 1st April 2023. The trustees have adopted the provisions of 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 aims:
(1) To provide animal-assisted interventions (predominantly, but not limited to, equine) to children, young people and adults in need of support.
(2) Promote social and educational inclusion by relieving the needs of people who experience/d lack of opportunity and assisting them to integrate with society through interaction with horses
(3) Fill a gap in service provision for those who are finding it hard to engage with traditional room-based therapies or are on long waiting lists at oversubscribed existing services.
(4) To support parents and professionals (including but not limited to social workers, teachers, psychologists) working with children and young people who need support.
(5) To promote the benefits of animal-assisted and nature-based therapies as an alternative therapy form within the standard healthcare setting (NHS)
(6) To advance our understanding of the power of animal-assisted and naturebased interventions through research collaborations with universities.
(7) To test and evidence the equine-assisted interventions in order to evaluate outcomes and improve service delivery.
How we met our objectives
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(1) We provided Equine Assisted Interventions to 82 new referrals. Our client’s range between 7-65 years old. 57 of these were under 18’s and 25 adults. Our client group has seen a significant change from being predominantly adult, pre-COVID, to a majority of our referrals now being young people. 57 clients referred to themselves as female, 23 as male and 2 clients identified as non-binary.
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(2) Post Covid we have seen an increase of referrals from schools looking for support for young people who have been unable to attend mainstream education. We ran several group workshops focussed at young people with ASD, who since the Pandemic had struggled to get back into the school routine. Additionally, we supported 8 young people on a 1:1 basis because their mental health challenges made school attendance impossible. All the young people we supported have successfully reengaged in education again.
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(3) We have turned around our referrals within a 6-week period. Our turn around on referrals, marked as ‘urgent’, has been even quicker. These referrals included young people who have just come from mental health wards and did not engage well with talking therapies.
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(4) With the increase in referrals of under 16’s and their school exclusion, we have worked closely with parents, teachers and other professionals around the family (i.e. social worker, family therapists etc) to support the young people as best as possible to be able to return to school. Often our equine approach, which focuses on reading body language and the internal drive of the young person in question, helps the team around the young person to offer more suitable support.
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(5) We deliver services to Local Authorities, Schools, Adoption Support, and Social Services. In delivering progress reports we are evidencing the outcomes of our sessions.
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(6) We continue to provide data for research projects and have approached research labs to explore the possibilities of setting up an investigation of EFP and ADHD. In addition, we are supporting school projects of our young volunteers who have shown an interest in this topic.
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(7) We gather feedback from our clients where suitable. Testimonials and goal- based outcomes are used to provide referrers with an evaluation of our services. We are looking at implementing more standardised measures to validate the effectiveness of our services.
Our year in pictures:
Public benefit The general charitable purposes, aims and policies of Equilore, financial reserves, staff remuneration and risk management are reviewed regularly by the Trustees. When reviewing Equilore’s aims and objectives, devising the new programmes and setting the budget for the year, the Trustees confirm that they have referred to the latest information contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit and complied with their duty under Section 4 of the Charities Acts 2006 and 2011.
The Charity’s main aim, as stated in the constitution, states "To relieve the needs of people who are socially or economically disadvantaged and as a result disengaged from society.”.
Financial Review
Income and Expenditure
Equilore’s income comes, in the main, from the fees charged for therapy sessions.
We have three main types of expenditure: Salaries, rent and care of the therapy horses.
In the period 02/04/2022 - 01/04/2023 Equilore’s income was £59,739 and expenditure £57,260 (compared to £56,516 and £43,904 respectively last year). Expenditure increases were due: - one-off unexpected vet bills, increase in staff
numbers and use of professional services to administer the business effectively. These are the only income and expenditure figures to report.
79% of Equilore’s income is made up from fees for therapy services (compared to 73% last year). In 2021, Equilore received £5,000 in grants from the Samworth Foundation and £3,652 in private donations. These donations are significant in enabling subsidised sessions to be offered to vulnerable clients and cover some core costs.
As demand for our services grew, income grew. This enabled, and required, an increase in staff costs. We have been able to reduce these potential staffing costs by expanding our volunteer team.
Reserves Policy
Equilore employs a reserves policy to cover three months of operational costs (£14,250). This policy is reviewed as the charity grows to ensure the set limit remains adequate. The trustees confirm that the charity holds adequate funds to meet its reserves policy. Our reserves to date stand at £20,024.11, restricted to operational costs with £5,774.11 as unrestricted funds. These funds are held in order to meet future expenditure.
Structure, Governance and Management
Equilore is a CIO registered with the charity commission on 24/08/2020 date under registration number 1190998
Trustees
Equilore is overseen by a Board of five trustees. In the first year of Equilore’s existence, the trustees meet every quarter, and recently increased this frequency to bimonthly to support the renewed focus on strategic planning and development of the charity’s governance and services. In this reporting period, we said goodbye to two of our founding trustees, who came to the end of their term (Judith van de Kamp and Nichola Garratt), and welcomed Neil Tindall, Emma Wilberforce and Karen Webb to the board. Felicity Mallam stepped down from her role as Chair and handed her duties over to Neil Tindall.
The trustees all provide their time and services for free. No trustee received remuneration or expenses in the period covered by this report.
Apart from the first trustees, all Board members have a minimum term of 3 years of office. This ensures a retention of knowledge whilst also ensuring the opportunity for fresh perspectives and approaches with new trustees.
Organisation/structure
Equilore is a CIO, governed by a Board of trustees, recruited from the general public. The everyday management of the charity is delegated from the Board to the Director.
The charity operates with a small team consisting of 1 part time Equine Facilitated Psychotherapist who works clinically alongside the Director, 1 group facilitator, and an admin assistant, these are paid positions. This is standard within this field of work.
The charity is incredibly lucky to have a wealth of support from volunteers on a regular basis. 4 people volunteer on a regular basis to support the care of
horses, field and stable management. The charity does not rely on any donated facilities, donated services, or other donations in kind or other intangibles.
Risk Statement
The Trustees will undertake a risk audit every two years with an assurance audit in the intervening years. Our risk register is reviewed and updated at each board meeting.
The Trustees have considered the major risks and uncertainties to which the charity is presently exposed and the systems and procedures to manage those risks. The Trustees identify the reliance on the Director as primary income generator and the increase in staff costs associated with minimising this risk as the biggest risk facing the charity in the short to medium term.
Key risks identified by the Trustees
(1) Risk: Severely reduced income when Director falls ill
Key mitigating controls already in place:
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●Expand cover with additional therapists
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●Developed strategic development plan to set out financial objectives and road map
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●Implementation of fundraising strategy
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●Continue to generate a network of reliable volunteers who could take on operating the yard in case of absence of Director.
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●Regular review of financial performance to manage costs and monitor forecast for forthcoming quarter to identify potential gaps in funding.
(2) Risk: Reputational damage :
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●Potential and actual conflicts of interests
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●Charges of discrimination, unfairness and breach of trust
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●Safeguarding
Key mitigating controls already in place:
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●Formal Conflict of Interests policy
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●Formal policies covering complaints, confidentiality and equal opportunities
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●DBS checks of all staff and regular volunteers who have direct involvement with our clients
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●Safeguarding training for trustees and staff every three years
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●Trustee trained and with dedicated Safeguarding oversight
Statement of responsibility of Board of Trustees
The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.
Charity law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). Under
charity law the Trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity, including the incoming resources and the application of resources, including income and expenditure, of the charity for that period. 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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●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 adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charity’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and which enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Neil Tindall, Chair of Equilore Board of Trustees
Loes Koorenhof, Director of Equilore.
| Equilore | Equilore | Equilore | 1190998 | 1190998 | 1190998 | CC16a | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For the period from |
02/04/2022 | To | 01/04/2023 | ||||
| Section A Receipts and payments | |||||||
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 39,100 7,940 3,680 367 8,652 - - 59,739 - - - 59,739 39,267 8,808 2,388 23 1,392 420 1,703 430 71 72 400 23 160 1,773 331 - 57,260 - - - 57,260 2,478 - 23,598 26,077 |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Total funds to the nearest £ 39,100 7,940 3,680 367 8,652 - - - 59,739 - - - 59,739 39,267 8,808 2,388 23 1,392 420 1,703 430 - 71 72 400 - 23 160 1,773 331 - 57,260 - - - 57,260 2,478 |
Last year to the nearest £ |
||
| Private clients | 39,100 | 30,448 | |||||
| Referral income | 7,940 | 10,915 | |||||
| Livery | 3,680 | 1,090 | |||||
| Other Income | 367 | 48 | |||||
| Donations and Grants received | 8,652 | 14,015 | |||||
| - | |||||||
| - | - | ||||||
| - | - | ||||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) |
59,739 | 56,516 | |||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
|||||||
| - | |||||||
| - | - | ||||||
| Sub total | - | - | |||||
| Total receipts A3 Payments |
|||||||
| 56,516 | |||||||
| Wages and salaries | 39,267 | 31,711 | |||||
| Rent and rates | 8,808 | 6,000 | |||||
| Veterinarycosts | 2,388 | 518 | |||||
| Repairs and maintenance | 23 | 243 | |||||
| Insurance | 1,392 | 1,196 | |||||
| Hayand straw | 420 | 420 | |||||
| Tack,feed and beddingcosts | 1,703 | 1,173 | |||||
| CPD | 430 | 890 | |||||
| HR | 145 | ||||||
| Refreshments | 71 | 68 | |||||
| Bank Charges | 72 | 108 | |||||
| Farrier | 400 | 280 | |||||
| Equipment | 912 | ||||||
| IT | 23 | 80 | |||||
| Equine Dentist | 160 | 160 | |||||
| Professional Fees | 1,773 | - | |||||
| Office Costs | 331 | - | |||||
| - | - | ||||||
| **Sub total ** | 57,260 | 43,904 | |||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
|||||||
| Private expenditure | - | - | |||||
| - | |||||||
| **Sub total ** | - | - | |||||
| Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end |
|||||||
| 43,904 | |||||||
| 2,478 | - | - | 2,478 | 12,612 | |||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 23,598 | - | - | 23,598 | 10,986 | |||
| 26,077 | - | - | 26,077 | 23,598 |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
29/01/2024
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 Details CAF Account Lloyds Details Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details |
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 26,077 - - - - - 26,077 - OK OK Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) - - - - - Print Name |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| OK | |||
| Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| When due (optional) |
|||
| Date of approval |
|||
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
29/01/2024
2
Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
Report to the trustees/ Charity Name members of Equilore On accounts for the year 1[st] April 2023 Charity no 1190998 ended (if any) Set out on pages 3-4 (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 01/04/2023.
Responsibilities and As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the basis of report accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities 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 carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner's statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
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the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
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the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
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the accounts did 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 accounts to be reached.
| Signed: Name: Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: |
Date: | 29/01/2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Lindsay Worville, BrackBridge Ltd | ||
| ACMA | ||
| 24 Bridge Street | ||
| Brackley | ||
| NN13 7EW |
Oct 2018
1
IER
Section B Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .
Oct 2018
2
IER