ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS
1ST APRIL 2023 - 31ST MARCH 2024
Registered Charity Number 1191323
Organisation Details
Charity Number: 1191323
Charitable objectives:
The objects of the charity are for the public benefit through the promotion of recovery and rehabilitation from drug and alcohol addiction by the provision of safe accommodation and support.
Registered Address:
Hope and Vision Communities The Coach House Bear Lane Hare Hatch Reading RG10 9XR
Phone:
07887746614
Email:
tony@hopeandvision.org.uk
Website:
www.hopeandvision.org.uk
F i n d u s o n s o c i a l m e d i a !
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Staff:
Tony Attwood (Founder and Chief Executive; Redeployed as Head of Operations and Development February 2024)
Treflyn Lloyd-Roberts (Chief Executive; appointed February 2024) Louise Griffin (Trusts and Grants Fundraiser; resigned January 2024) Kevin Randall (Head of Keyworking; appointed October 2023) Will Drennan (Key Worker)
Trustees:
Peter Ross (Chair) Suezanne King (Secretary; resigned July 2023) James Isherwood (Secretary; appointed August 2023)
Treflyn Lloyd-Roberts (Treasurer; resigned August 2023) James Tottman (Treasurer; appointed March 2023)
Jenny Surtees Becky Williams (resigned August 2023) Tracey Hancock (appointed August 2023) Abi Wilson (appointed August 2023)
Ambassadors:
John Sykes Sara Hyde Brian McDermott Peter Griffin Roger Davies Danny Williams Elizabeth Burton-Phillips MBE Annabelle Sykes Michael Emmett
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Chair’s Report
Peter Ross
This year was characterised by consolidation and recruitment following a period of rapid expansion. In the last months of the year 2022/23 we went through a period of rapid growth (starting with 4 properties) so that we began the current year with 7 properties and serving 15 residents. This remained the same throughout the year and, subject to two developments planned for 2024/25, probably represents the optimum number of properties and residents for our operations within Berkshire. Our five-year plan envisages replicating our operations in other parts of England and Wales.
Up until now we have delivered our services to male residents alone. The trustees have long felt that we should also deliver services to women leaving residential rehabilitation and included this ambition within our five-year plan. A scoping exercise will be undertaken as we seek to move forward in this area.
Trustees: this year saw the departure of three of our founding trustees. Whilst it was sad to see them go, we recognised that this offered the opportunity to look at the board’s skill mix and select new trustees who met our current and future needs. The recruitment exercise resulted in the appointment of three new trustees bringing experience of working in the charity sector at a senior level, lived experience of being in recovery, and expertise in the field of HR.
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Staff: the continued expansion of Hope and Vision Communities required us to examine our staffing needs and structure. We appointed a head of Key Working to lead the support to our residents and develop programmes to support their continued recovery. We were sorry to see our fundraiser move on to pastures new. She had initially worked in a voluntary capacity for us and during her time with us she achieved considerable success in securing significant grants thus securing financial stability. A new fundraiser was appointed who has continued to build on the earlier foundations. We also recognised that with the growth of Hope and Vision Communities we needed to professionalise the senior management roles. To that end Treflyn Lloyd-Roberts joined as our new CEO bringing with him extensive experience at a senior level in the field of residential rehabilitation. Our founder, Tony Attwood moved to a more outward facing role whilst taking on discrete aspects of our operations.
It is inevitably invidious to single out the contribution of any single donor. We have been extremely fortunate in the generous support we received and continue to receive from those who provide us with funding. Thank you. We were successful in receiving a three-year award from the Lloyds Bank Foundation. The funds involved are of course both important and welcome, but in addition the award brings access to the range of consultants who are assisting us in establishing both firm foundations and the future development of Hope and Vision Communities.
This will be my final report as Chair of the charity. I will be handing over to my successor, Tracey Hancock at the end of August 2024. I am so grateful to all of the trustees who have worked with me to found the charity, giving substance to Tony Attwood’s vision. I am also most grateful to all of our staff, both past and present whose commitment has been key to getting us to where we are today.
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Chief Executive’s Report
Tony Attwood and Treflyn Lloyd-Roberts
Highlights of the Year
2023-24 got off to a fantastic start, as we held our first major public event. With over 250 attendees, ranging from staff, volunteers, residents and supporters, it was a brilliant occasion to celebrate the formation and success of Hope and Vision Communities and our hopes for the future.
Whilst it is a challenging time for all charities financially with the cost-of-living crisis and increased competition for grant funding, we have been thrilled by the number of financial gifts we have received from organisations and individuals. During the summer of 2023 we heard we'd been successful in our bid to the Lloyds Bank Foundation, which brings in £75,000 over three years, but perhaps more significantly brought a range of charity consultants who are working with us to build a firm foundation for future growth.
In this year, we launched our Ambassador Programme, appointing nine individuals who have agreed to champion our cause within their own networks and inspire more people to support our work. During October we brought the team together to learn more about each other and set out our plans, for which they will help us identify support for us.
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During the year we have attended several different events to raise the profile of our work, including the Thames Traditional Boat Festival with the Shanly Foundation, being guest speakers at the Berkshire Community Foundation Annual Symposium, recording podcasts for the More Than My Past and Evolving Prisons podcasts and speaking at Grendon and Bullingdon Prisons.
A huge highlight of the year was our 21 Peak Fundraising Challenge, with Abingdon Extreme Fundraisers, ambassador Danny Williams and many of our residents. We were delighted to raise over £8,000 and experienced incredible camaraderie amongst those taking part. Thank you to all those who sponsored us, in addition to Places Leisure for providing gym memberships for training, and Day 1 Connectivity for providing the technology to maintain communication in the mountains!
We were able to expand our staffing team from 1.5FTE to 3.1FTE to better serve our growing community of residents. With thanks to Zero Two Digital, we were excited to launch a new website at no cost to the charity. This has enabled us to keep supporters better updated.
Acknowledgements and Thanks
We would like to extend a huge thank you for all of the following, as without you, Hope and Vision Communities would not exist: Every individual donor and grant giving organisation, the Trustees for their commitment and service, the staff team for their dedication and hard work, all of our volunteers including those keeping the allotment going and for Cypher Accountancy for taking on our accounting and gifting back their time.
At the end of this year, we experience further change to continue our growth, where I (Tony) step into a new role as Head of Operations and Development and welcome Treflyn Lloyd-Roberts as the new Chief Executive. We look forward to working together to further our reach and impact as we move into the next season for the charity.
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What We Do
Hope and Vision Communities was created in 2019 by Tony Attwood along with His Honour Peter Ross, the Judge who sent him to prison. We work with people after they successfully leave treatment for addiction but need to move on from rehab to find a safe place to continue their recovery. We know that it is at this point in their journey, when there is fear over the uncertainty, that negative thinking patterns can lead to relapse. The current housing and cost of living crises have created further stress and fear for those wanting to transition and maintain their recovery after treatment.
We know that if you give someone a home - a place where they can close the door and know that the space is theirs for as long as they need it - you provide a stable basis for continued recovery. We rent houses on behalf of our residents. Our residents live together in small, family sized homes with each other for support. There’s a sense of camaraderie with men cooking meals together, volunteering together and supporting each other through the ups and downs of life.
We know that a roof over your head isn't enough. Along with a place to live we provide a supportive community that our residents can belong to for life. Relationships matter. Our residents get to do life with people they can learn to trust. They have opportunities to work, volunteer, socialise and re-train. They are kept accountable by key workers who have the lived experience to understand and empathise with their experiences. Residents can deepen their understanding of addiction and trauma in a structured framework which provides the unconditional love and trust needed for long term recovery. We believe that safe and secure accommodation, combined with purposeful activity and meaningful relationships, provide an essential basis for ongoing recovery.
We have a Christian ethos which means we support residents of any faith, or no faith and do not impose our views or beliefs on anyone we work with.
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Impact Snapshot
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7 properties 21 residents
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94% average occupancy
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3 successful resident move-ons
3 resident relapses Every resident was either employed, attending voluntary work or engaging in education and training
In the last month of the financial year 2022-23, we took on an additional 3 properties, which almost doubled our capacity taking our total number of properties to 7, with a capacity for 15 residents. Therefore, 2023-24 was a year to ensure this significant growth was handled efficiently and effectively, by developing staffing capacity, maintaining high quality support for our residents and renovating properties. We began and ended this year with 15 residents, having a total of 21 residents across the year. Our average occupancy was 14.1 (94%). We always have at least 1 or 2 people on our waiting list, so any gaps in occupancy were due to safely managing the exit of one resident and the start of another.
Over 2023-24, 14 residents remained abstinent and in continued recovery with 3 successfully moving on to independent living. 2 of these residents
“Hope and Vision Communities has helped me stay clean. People are genuinely interested in you and your recovery. They’re always there if you need them and they help keep community together.” A current resident
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left into full-time employment and the other resident was in part-time employment, but has since gone on to full-time employment. We had 3 residents leave the program due to relapse. For each of these men we were able to support their transition safely in to alternative housing or support. Whilst with us, every resident in 202324 was involved in either employment, voluntary work or education/training.
“I would be dead or on the streets if it were not for the existence of Hope and Vision. I love being a part of this community.” A current resident
Leo’s Story
Resident Leo had been with us since 2021. He was homeless on the streets of Reading for four years and battled crime, violence and a heroin dependency, having been a substance misuser for 25 years. In 2018 he secured a place with a rehab and started recovery. As rehab came to an end, he knew he couldn’t go back to his home to Somerset because he’d meet people from an old life. He also lost his Mum during the pandemic. He moved into one of our homes with two bin bags of belongings and a house plant. He told us that keeping the plant alive would give him something positive to focus on. He secured a part-time job, which then turned into a full-time position, so he was no longer on benefits. He also became a mentor to many of our other residents and served others through a voluntary role. He is hoping to move in with his girlfriend next year. We couldn’t be prouder of him!
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Annual Accounts 1st April 2023 - 31st March 2024
Income and Expenditure Account
| Notes | 2024 £ |
2023 £ |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Income | 294,286 | 177,050 | |
| Gross Surplus | 294,286 | 177,050 | |
| Interest Income | 141 | 0 | |
| Expenditure | (236,229) | (129,751) | |
| Net Surpluses /(Deficit) | 58,198 | 47,299 |
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Balance Sheet
| Balance Sheet | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Notes | 2024 £ |
2023 £ |
|
| Fixed assets | |||
| Tangible fixed assets | 1 | 23,968 | 25,975 |
| 23,968 | 25,975 | ||
| Current assets | |||
| Debtors | 2 | 7,763 | 0 |
| Restricted cash at bank and in hand | 22,299 | 7,123 | |
| Unrestricted Cash at bank and in hand | 98,820 | 53,725 | |
| 128,882 | 60,848 | ||
| Creditors: amount falling due within one year |
3 | (19,098) | (11,269) |
| Net current assets | 109,794 | 49,579 | |
| Net assets | 133,752 | 75,554 | |
| Reserves | |||
| Opening Reserves | 75,554 | 28,255 | |
| Net surplus/deficit | 58,198 | 47,299 | |
| 133,752 | 75,554 |
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Notes to the Financial Statements
| 1. Tangible fixed assets Cost |
Motor Vehicles £ |
Fixtures and Fittings £ |
Total £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| At 01 April 2023 | 25,000 | 975 | 25,975 |
| Additions | - | 4,316 | 4,316 |
| Disposals | - | - | - |
| At 31 March 2024 | 25,000 | 5,291 | 30,291 |
| Depreciation | |||
| At 01 April 2023 | - | - | - |
| Charge for year | 5,000 | 1,323 | 6,323 |
| On disposals | - | - | - |
| At 31 March 2024 | 5,000 | 1,323 | 6,323 |
| Net book values | |||
| At 31 March 2024 | 20,000 | 3,968 | 23,968 |
| At 31 March 2023 | 25,000 | 975 | 25,975 |
| 2. Debtors: amounts falling due within one year |
2024 £ |
2023 £ |
|
| Trade Debtors | 7,763 | 0 | |
| 7,763 | 0 |
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| 3. Creditors: amount falling due within one year |
2024 £ |
2023 £ |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade Creditors | 18,833 | 11,269 | |
| Other Creditors | 265 | 0 | |
| 19,098 | 11,269 | ||
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Detailed Income and Expenditure Account
| Account | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income | 2024 £ |
2023 £ |
|||
| Fundraising | 18,287 | 5,527 | |||
| HMRC Gift Aid | 6,328 | 2,559 | |||
| Donations | 25,280 | 26,050 | |||
| Grants | 54,600 | 57,500 | |||
| Restricted Grants | 38,944 | 12,500 | |||
| Housing Benefit | 94,908 | 41,960 | |||
| Private Rent | 34,480 | 22,407 | |||
| Service Charge | 12,610 | 5,922 | |||
| Rent Deposits | 1,625 | 2,625 | |||
| Reimbursements from landlords | 7,224 | 0 | |||
| 294,286 | 177,050 | ||||
| Operating income | 294,286 | 177,050 | |||
| Interest income | |||||
| Interest Receivable and Other Income | 141 | 0 | |||
| 141 | 0 | ||||
| Total Income | 294,427 | 177,050 | |||
| Expenditure | |||||
| Wages & Salaries | 73,078 | 25,452 | |||
| Pension Contributions | 4,846 | 2,056 | |||
| Staff Training | 1,906 | 310 | |||
| Accountancy Fees | 3,979 | 0 | |||
| Legal and Professional Fees (Allowable) | 498 | 3,001 | |||
| Rent | 69,095 | 43,406 | |||
| Utilities | 42,543 | 25,001 | |||
| Motor Repairs and Servicing | 1,831 | 4,249 | |||
| General Travel Expenses | 3,204 | 2,046 | |||
| Depreciation Charge: Motor Vehicles | 5,000 | 0 | |||
| Depreciation Charge: Fixtures & Fittings | 1,323 | 0 | |||
| Advertising | 1,566 | 25 | |||
| General Insurance | 4,336 | 3,532 | |||
| Computer Expenses | 179 | 1,520 | |||
| Repairs and Renewals | 10,905 | 12,128 |
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| Stationery and Postage | 433 | 439 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Telephone, Fax and Internet | 2,262 | 162 | ||
| Charitable Activities | 1,902 | 3,391 | ||
| Sundry Expenses | 1,132 | 249 | ||
| Entertainment (Disallowable) | 1,577 | 0 | ||
| Promotional meals | 0 | 276 | ||
| Supplies | 0 | 1,851 | ||
| Volunteer Expense | 0 | 657 | ||
| DBS Checks | 205 | 0 | ||
| Drug Testing Kits | 255 | 0 | ||
| Fines | 295 | 0 | ||
| Fundraising Events | 2,581 | 0 | ||
| Subscriptions | 1,298 | 0 | ||
| (236,229) | (129,751) | |||
| Net Surplus/(Deficit) | 58,198 | 47,299 |
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I ndependent Examiners Report Hope & Vision Communities Financial Year ended 31 March 2024
Examiner’s unqualified report (for a non-company charity preparing accruals accounts) with a gross income of less than £1,000,000 in the relevant financial year. The Independent examiner is qualified with one of the listed bodies advised by the Charities Commission.
Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Hope and Vision Communities.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Hope and Vision Communities for the financial year ended 31 March 2024.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the 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 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 giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
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the accounts do not accord with those records; or
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the accounts 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 accounts to be reached.
Signed:
Rachel Hayward
Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW) Address: 42 Hawkedon Way, Lower Earley, Reading, RG6 3AP Date: 30th November 2024
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