Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 Aug 2024
Charity Number 1191973
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Contents
| Legal & Administrative Information | page 3 |
|---|---|
| Report of the Management Committee | page 4 |
| Statement of Financial Activities | page 6 |
Reference and Administrative Information
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| Charity Name: | Pass It on |
|---|---|
| Charity Registration Number: | 1191973 |
| Registered Ofce: | Smiths News, |
| London Travel News, | |
| Axis Park, | |
| Langley, | |
| Slough SL3 8AG | |
| Trustees: | Michael Makinson (Chairman) |
| Mahendrasinh Jadeja | |
| Roddy Martin | |
| Zoe Cruice | |
| Management Committee | Jonathan Bunting |
| Jonathan Denton | |
| Rachael Stewart | |
| Solicitors: | Foot Anstey |
| Bankers: | The Co-operative Bank |
Report of the trustees for the year ending 31 August 2024
The trustees of the Pass It On charity present their annual report and related financial statements for the year ended 31 August 2024 and confirm they comply with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011, and the Charities SORP (FRS 102).
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Our Aim & Objectives
Our CIO is, for the public benefit, to prevent and relieve hardship, need and distress among persons who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless or are otherwise vulnerable.
The focus of our work
We collect donations of new and second-hand goods (clothing, food, toiletries, hygiene products, bedding etc) from private individuals and corporate entities. We sort those donations and supplement with purchased goods. We then arrange for those donations to be delivered to the homeless either directly by our volunteers via our seasonal campaigns or via other organisations supporting the homeless or those at risk of being homeless.
Operations
Using the Smiths News network of newspaper and magazine distribution warehouses we established a base of operations in Wednesbury which would serve as the main sorting hub. The remaining 34 Smiths News distribution centres across the UK were designated as collection hubs each with a Pass It On champion that is responsible for organising fund-raising events with the support of centrally created collateral.
Website https://passitonofcial.org/
Our website, social media (@passitonofficial) are the key communication channels we use to talk to volunteers and also request support for donations. We have a schedule of regular messages that focus around our key campaigns and we provide progress updates along the way on how our activities are benefitting individuals and broader communities. Our operational success is down to the dedicated time of volunteers which has been refreshed and expanded in 2024. The steerco group is connected to the trustees via a whatsapp group sharing regular updates on progress and using it to discuss informal charity matters quickly and efficiently
How our activities deliver public benefit?
Our funding limits the services we can provide in the target areas we operate and we have a longer-term vision that we will partner with other third parties to provide services such as podiatry, hairdressing, dentistry etc.
The charity provides a direct benefit to individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness by supplying vital items and services they would otherwise struggle to secure including adequate clothing, food, personal care items. To date the organisation has (i) worked with existing organisations in a given geographical location to reach those who are homeless, and / or (ii) used its volunteers to be present on the ground in a particular locality to reach those who are homeless. This approach will continue going forward. [If the organisations capacity allows it to start offering support to other vulnerable groups, in the future trustees will adopt criteria to this effect.]
The organisation currently operates exclusively in England and Wales however, it is possible that we will carry out activities in Scotland, and if so, the needs it seeks to address will be the same as our work in England and Wales – through existing organisations that are already working with the homeless in the region to identify particular areas of need.
Objectives in Year
Pass it On will continue to support our street friends and seek to alleviate their immediate hardships, but continues to believe that the State, through local authorities, needs to act more urgently and more systematically in fulfilling its statutory duties to accommodate the vulnerable that are homeless or at risk of homelessness, through formulated strategies undertaking early interventions.
Our in-year objectives have remained similar to the previous years in terms of delivery however our reach has been more ambitious. We have tested new locations including Newcastle where we were able to help a record number of people. This has meant producing an increased numbers of care packages to distribute. We delivered 3 campaigns in the year – January, June and October coinciding with key seasons or known peaks. Through Spring and Summer we focussed on personal hygiene, skin protection and lighter clothing along with nutrition and hydration products,
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whilst in Winter our primary focus was around dealing with the colder temperatures, key products handed out being winter sleeping bags, hot drinks and thermal clothing.
Out Reach
We have taken a new outreach approach and seeking to add more volunteers to support our events by inviting colleagues, and their friends and families to help. We have also taken a decision to expand our steerco group by 4 more individuals who are generating new ideas and new ways of working to complement our existing programme. We have also created Subject Matter Experts (SME) within our steerco group and this allows us to lean into existing expertise and generate increased focus for our programme throughout the year. Our distribution remains unchanged, organised directly or in conjunction with organisations that are currently operating in our target areas. In each of the locations we partner existing charities or incumbent support organisations in the execution and these take the form of either a static point, usually one which our street friends attend for food, drink or other support services or we walk the streets in conjunction with a local charity or similar organisation, following a pre-determined route which considers all of the areas where our street friends are. Once again in 2024, we have partnered with Showerbox (https://showerbox.org/) whose mission sentiment is the same as our own (“ provide free and secure shower space for the street and hidden homeless in London”). The team that runs Showerbox in key geographic locations including London are extending their reach in 2024 and Pass It On volunteers will be on site supporting the new launch.
To date we have collected and sorted over 10,000 items of clothing and distributed 8,000 items in 14 cities across the UK through 90+ volunteers. Offering free hot and cold drinks along with useful ruck sacks containing care packs filled with essentials – food, drinks, toiletries, sleeping bags reaching more than 2,000 homeless or vulnerable people.
In our Fourth year operating as a charity
We further strengthened our existing corporate partnerships all of which are outside of the immediate industry of Newspapers and Magazine wholesaling, thereby supporting our drive for independence and sustainability. We created a robust yet realistic 3-year plan and undertook a feasibility study to determine if additional services such hair & feet care provision could be practically sourced and delivered.
The website created in our first year is fully maintained and current https://passitonofcial.org/ with simple ‘go to ‘pages which detailed important information on what we are doing, why we are doing it and guidance on how anyone can support. Additionally, we have links to our Just Giving charitable page where we have been successful in raising the majority of our in-year financial donations. The website is updated regularly and often links to our social media channels Instagram and Facebook. The website enables regular and consistent communication to our volunteer, supporters and anyone who is curious to know more about us. We were excited and pleased that we could leverage our social marketing channels to promote our new range of Christmas greetings cards in 22/23 which had a 50% sell through and generated additional funds.
Achievements
In year we have had 3 successful grant applications including the National Lottery. We also linked up with the National Federation of Magazines and undertook a fundraising campaign at their annual dinner. This was a new approach for us and raised significantly more funds that expected. We hope to continue this in the new year.
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Financial Review
BRANCH : BUSINESS DIRECTPLUS 0892996722291500 BIC : CPBKGB22 IBAN : GB83CPBK08929967222915 TYPE : COMMUNITY DIR PASS IT ON FY24
The charity has had a successful year helping and supporting the homeless. With sound financial management. Our expenditure during the year broadly matched our income and we finished the year with net funds of £31k.
Principal Funding Sources are by the way of corporate donations, volunteer donations, Just Giving donations, sponsored events and activities within the organisation or initiatives. Smiths News made a donation of £10,000 in FY 2024 and we were also successful in receiving a National Lottery grant of £8,500 and a £3,000 donation from Fine and Country.
Grant Making Policy
Our approach to grant making will include selection criteria and if the trustees decide to make grants in furtherance of the organisation’s purposes, we will select other organisations that are currently working with people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless – this does not require membership of the organisation to benefit from its purpose
Reserves
Our financial objectives are simple and clear and we will aim to have no less than £10,000 in the bank at any one time. The reserves are needed to meet the procurement strategy aims of the charity should current funding drop significantly in any one year.
Structure, Governance and Management
The charity is organised in a simple manner with a board of trustees supporting an operational board which manages the day-to-day finances and operations. All members of the management committee give their time voluntarily and received no benefits from the charity.
Governing Document We are a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) registered on 23 October 2020
Reappointment of Trustees
All four existing appointed trustees (Mike Makinson, Roddy Martin, Mahendra Jadeja and Zoe Cruice) completed their first term on the charity trustee board. Their reappointments for a further
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three-year term were unanimously ratified by resolution of the Trustees at the January and July 2024 meetings in accordance with clause 10(1) of the constitution.
Trustee Induction and Training
Trustees may be familiar with the practical work of the charity and are supported with general inductions which will always include a ‘sort day’ and ‘walk about’ which we will run every year. Additionally, trustees and volunteers are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the charity and the context within which it operates
Risk Management & Risk Register (appendix 1)
The management committee has conducted a review of the major risks to which the charity and its volunteers is exposed. Our risk assessment has been established and is updated at least annually or in the event of a new location or geography in which we will operate but are not familiar and if we are collaborating with other local organisations in the activities then we will observe their own risk assessment.
Internal / financial control risks are minimised by the implementation of simple policies and procedures to ensure compliance for all transactional authorisations and procurement projects. Additionally, procedures are in place to ensure compliance with the health and safety of our volunteers.
Organisational Structure
4 trustees and 3 members of the Smiths News business which constitutes the management committee meet quarterly and are responsible for the strategic direction and policy pf the charity. All members are involved in the decision making and we currently do not have any scheme of delegation until such time the charity requires one. Responsibilities of the Management Committee include the preparation of the financial statements for each financial year which give a fair and true view of the state of the affairs of the charity detailing the income and applied expenditure within the financial year.
Appendix 1
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The Matrix for assessing impact, likelihood and effectiveness of existing controls
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Each risk is scored in terms of:
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likelihood i.e. the probability of future occurrence, how likely the risk it is that the risk will occur and how frequently it has occurred in the past.
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impact i.e. the impact on the organisation and external stakeholders if the risk occurs.
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effectiveness of existing controls i.e. given the controls which are currently in place, how effective are they at mitigating the risk.
A scale of 1 to 5 is used for Likelihood and Impact , and 1 to 3 is used for the effectiveness of existing Controls , according to the following matrix:
| Likelihood Scale of 1 - 5 |
Impact Scale of 1 - 5 |
Controls Scale of 1 - 3 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 = Rarely,ifever | 1 = No signifcant impact | 1 =Controlshighly efective |
| 2 = Possible | 2 = Minor impact | 2 = Controls efective, but could beimproved |
| 3 = Likely | 3 = Signifcant but containable impact |
3 = No controls / controls are inefective |
| 4 = VeryLikely | 4 = High impact | |
| 5 = Unavoidable / already occurring |
5 = Extremely detrimental impact |
The risk score is determined by multiplying the risk impact by the risk likelihood by the effectiveness of the controls .
The following traffic light system can be used on a risk register to highlight / prioritise risk:
| Risk Level | Risk Score | Action / Response |
|---|---|---|
| High | 25+ | Take immediate action and monitor |
| Medium | 13– 24 | Reviewquarterly andhave actionplan |
| Low | 0 – 12 | Review Annually |
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