## Trustees’ Annual Report & Accounts ## For the period January 1[st] 2024 to December 31[st] 2024 ## Contents |Contents|| |---|---| |Charity information|4| |Trustees’ report|5| |Achievements and performance|6| |Partnerships|7| |Planned actions for 2025|7| |Quantifying impact|8| |Statement of public benefit|8| |Significant expansion of our carers breaks scheme|9| |Donors|10| |Kind words|11| |Risk assessment|12| |Investment policy|12| |Financial review & Reserves|12| |Fundraising and other policies|12| |Serious incidents report (Nil report)|13| |Receipts and payments accounts|14| |Statement of assets and liabilities|15| |Notes to the accounts|16| |Charitable support costs breakdown|17| |Post balance sheet events/Going concern and last words|18| |Independent examiner’s report|19| 3 ## Charity Information ## **Patron** Dame Joanna Lumley OBE, FRGS **Current Trustees** Hon. Alderman Alex Bentley - Honorary Chair (at 31[st] December 2024) Miss Valerie England - Honorary Co-Treasurer Miss Rosemary England - Honorary Co-Treasurer Mrs Claire Pond Mrs Joanne Clark **Charity Number** 1193232 **Address** Highfield Barn Lewdown Okehampton Devon EX20 4DS help@respiteassociation.org **Independent Examiner** Streets Bush Limited Accountants 2 Barnfield Crescent Exeter Devon EX1 1QT **Bankers** (Main) CAF Bank Ltd 25 Kings Hill West Malling Kent ME19 4JQ **Bankers** (Reserve Account) CAF Bank Ltd 25 Kings Hill West Malling Kent ME19 4JQ **Investments** M&G Charities PO BOX 9038 Chelmsford CM99 2XF 4 ## Trustees’ report for the year ended December 31[st] 2024 ## **Trustees** The Trustees who served during the period 1[st] January 2024 to 31[st] December 2024 were as follows: Hon. Alderman Alex Bentley - Honorary Chair Miss Valerie England - Honorary Co-Treasurer Miss Rosemary England - Honorary Co-Treasurer Mrs Claire Pond (Joined 28[th] June 2024) Ms Kemi Adenubi (Stepped down 29[th] April 2024) Mrs Joanne Clark The Charity is governed by an executive committee of no less than 3 members. The power of appointing new trustees is vested in the surviving or continuing trustees. ## **Investment Powers** The constitution authorises the trustees to make and hold investments. ## **Structure, governance and management** The charity was originally established as an unincorporated association by written constitution dated 22nd January 2000 (registration number 1086598). A new Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) was formed (under this new Charity number of 1193232) on 25th January 2021. All assets, staff and trustees transferred to the new charity at the end of February 2021 as reflected in the published accounts of Charity number 1086598 for the period ended 28th February 2021. The old unincorporated charity number 1086598 will remain open for the time being to allow for the continued collection of anonymous and/or recurrent donations and any legacies. A legal transfer document to periodically transfer any funds collected in this way from charity number 1086498 to charity number 1193232 is in place. ## **The objects of the new CIO are:** The relief of sickness and poverty of people with disabilities, long-term physical or mental health conditions or terminal illnesses, and their carers, within the United Kingdom, by (a) offering assistance to enable those in need to secure respite care and (b) providing respite breaks and other support for carers. The policy of the charity continues to be to seek additional finance and support to run the charity for the benefit of current and future beneficiaries. Throughout the year the trustees delegate the day to day responsibility for managing the charity to the administrator/chief executive Mr John Turner MBE. ## **Objectives and Summary of activities in their support** In support of these objectives our main activities during this reporting/accounting period have continued to involve us enabling Carers to obtain alternative care, either in the home or via residential provision, for the person or persons (almost always a close family member) for whom they normally provide assistance so that they may take a much-needed break to recharge their batteries. We continue to work closely with a number of other charities, and with statutory authorities, whilst ensuring that our help is in addition to their funding and not a replacement. 5 ## **Recruitment and training of Trustees** Trustees are encouraged to take part in and attend appropriate external training courses as are staff. Recruitment of Trustees is open to any suitable individual regardless of age, race, religion, sexuality or gender. New Trustees will be required to take part in an induction course organised by the Chair of Trustees and will be issued with a copy of the Charity Commission's 'The Essential Trustee Guide'. ## **Achievements and performance** **----- Start of picture text -----**
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- T - T - Applications for support from desperate carers rose by **15.4% compared to 2023** (to the highest number of carers supported in a year since we were registered in 2001) - Applications for support have **risen by 80.9%** since 2019 (which was itself our busiest year on record) - Carers breaks were **oversubscribed by 100%** The loss of Revitalise in November 2024 was a major blow to carers. Our strategic partnership, with Revitalise match funding our support, added over **£31,000** of value for our carers. - T Following a very successful appeal, and some incredibly generous support from organisations across Yorkshire and beyond, we purchased our third holiday facility. Our caravan at Bridlington is on a family owned park and within easy reach of the beach and local facilities. Although the caravan was only available for use from the end of July the feedback from carers was incredibly positive. The caravan is named Eilene’s Retreat in recognition of our first Carers’ Breaks Administrator, Eilene Keeling, who retired in 2020 and is sadly now living with Dementia. - T Thanks to the generosity of the Delamere Dairy Foundation we were able to refurbish our caravan in North Wales, including replacing some wall panels and the fixed seating in the lounge area to make the room more comfortable. T 2024 saw us radically update our online presence, a new more accessible website was created, to many plaudits from our carers. Not only is the website easier to navigate but from May our new online application went live. This allowed carers who only have a phone to apply directly using their phone, and since its inception the online form has become the most popular route for applications. T Following the success of the online form we launched the 2025 holidays applications with an online form in October 2024 and this too has become the most popular route for carers’ breaks applications. 6 ## **Partnerships** As a small organisation we have recognised that working together with other organisations allows us to exponentially increase our effectiveness, reach more of those who desperately need our support and provide more effective support to those who reach out. - T Our ongoing partnership with The Victoria Convalescent Trust (VCT) has been incredibly successful and will be expanded in 2025. The partnership allows us to signpost carers who require a slightly different service and, by acting as a referrer to their services, VCT have generously provided support for carers who need assistance with the travel costs for their free carer breaks. - T 2024 saw us continue our partnerships with organisations providing summer camps for youngsters with a variety of medical conditions and disabilities. We supported more places than in any previous year, and received some incredible feedback. The support not only gives families a well earned break from caring duties, and allows for some quality time with other family members, but also provides the youngsters attending camp with an amazing life experience. - T We have started a partnership with Special Spirtis another summer camp based in Manchester. We supported them for the first time in 2024 and have formalised the partnership for 2025. We are excited to be able to support carers in the North West of England with this innovative offering. - T Our work continued with two organisations supporting the Jewish community in North London, allowing us to reach a group of carers who suffer significant deprivation and who might otherwise not be able to apply due to literacy issues. In the case of one of our partners all of our support is match funded by the organisation too which allows us to support double the number of carers. We remain incredibly grateful to our Patron, Dame Joanna Lumley, for her amazing support and generosity of spirit. This year Joanna very kindly helped with a continued fundraising campaign for our new holiday facility in Yorkshire, as well as sending a Christmas message to our carers, which is always very well received. ## **Planned actions for 2025** - i Our weekly lottery is growing steadily and providing an important income stream for us. We plan to continue promoting the lottery throughout the year. - i We are planning to continue our legacy giving campaign through several initiatives including the Law Society and training events for solicitors. Whilst this may not bear fruit in the short term we remain convinced that this is an income stream that can provide significant returns in the long run. - i With our new facility on the Yorkshire coast, we will expand our carers’ breaks to 90 weeks of availability in 2025. - i To expand our partnership with The Victoria Convalescent Trust to increase the support available. for carers travelling to our holiday facilities. 7 Since our creation in 2001 we have always had incredibly positive feedback from the carers we have helped, but in 2023 we decided to see if we could formally quantify our impact. We set up an online survey and asked everyone who received our support to complete the survey. The following statistics cover both 2023 and 2024 and full, anonymised, breakdowns of the data are available on request. - T **89%** of carers stated they were _**very stressed or stressed**_ before they were helped by The Respite Association, just four responded that they were ‘OK’. - T **85%** were **relieved or very relieved** when we offered to help them. - T **Over 90%** reported that their **mental health had either improved or was much better** after they had received the respite break. Four respondents were ‘OK’ and only two remained stressed. The change in mental health from **89% very stressed** before our intervention to **0% very stressed** after is a clear indication of the impact we can have. Some of the comments at the top of the pages of this report are from the survey feedback. ## **Statement of Public Benefit** The Trustees of the Respite Association have complied with their duty to have due regard to the Charity Commission's public benefit guidance. The work of the Respite Association benefits significant numbers of unpaid Carers, these being persons who are caring for someone who has a disability, a long term physical or mental health condition or who is terminally ill. The Charity helps unpaid Carers without any bias regarding age, ethnicity, religion, sexuality or gender. The support provided benefits not only the Carer but frequently their whole family. Many carers of young children with disabilities or long term illnesses have other children who are unintentionally given less attention than these parents would prefer due to the needs of the other child. Our respite care breaks allow these parents to spend quality time with their other children. The provision of a respite break for a carer also has a beneficial effect for the person who they usually care for, who may otherwise become distressed at the level of physical, mental or financial stress that their carer may be experiencing. Beneficiary quotes have been utilised throughout this report and a feedback (kind words) page is also provided on page 11 by way of demonstration of the public benefit and individual impact of our work. 8 ## **Significant expansion to our Carers’ Breaks Scheme** In the spring of 2024 we purchased our third holiday facility, a caravan on a family run park in Bridlington. Not only does the new facility increase the number of Carers’ Breaks that we can offer by 50% but also offers an option for those living on the East Coast. Carers desperately need a break, but don’t like to be too far from home ‘just in case’ so the new caravan offers those from Lincolnshire, through Yorkshire and across the north east a chance to have some much needed respite beside the seaside. **We are tremendously grateful to everyone at North Bay who have been very welcoming and supportive of the project.** Despite only being open for part of the season we already have some incredibly positive feedback: _**“ Very welcoming. Check in was perfect. All staff are so kind.”**_ _**“It was perfect. Stunning caravan.”**_ _**“Beautiful park. So quiet and peaceful. Pure heaven.”**_ As always a huge thank you to everyone at Kenegie Manor in Cornwall. Ed, Chris and the amazing team always go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure our carers are warmly welcomed **:** _**“Staff were so friendly and helpful**_ **”** _**“Everything was great it felt like home”**_ Lan Y Mor Hafan in Wales was fully refurbished over the closed season **,** thanks to a generous donation from The Delamere Dairy Foundation and the feedback reflected this: _**“Caravan was stunning. The photos sent didn't do it justice. It was big, cosy and spotlessly clean.”**_ Diolch yn fawr also to the management and staff at Lyons Holiday Parks, Towyn for giving our carers such a great time in Wales. ## **PLEASE NOTE:** It is not the policy of the Charity to publish the names of any private individuals who may have donated during the year, however we do wish to express our sincerest thanks to them for their support. 9 **DONATIONS RECEIVED DURING THE 12 MONTHS ENDING DECEMBER 31[ST] 2024** Our sincere thanks go to the following organisations for their much appreciated financial support during 2024. We also send our thanks to those organisations that asked not to be named publicly. Abbfest Andor Charitable Trust Bicker United Charities Carriejo Charitable Trust Chrimes Family Charitable Trust David Lister Charitable Trust Edgar Lee Foundation Edward Vinson 1957 Charity Settlement Eleanor Hamilton Educational Trust Forest Hill Charitable Trust Harford Charitable Trust Installed Commanders RAM Lodge 1218 - Middlesex John and Susan Bowers Fund JS & EC Rymer Charitable Trust Langdale Trust Leslie & Lilian Manning Trust Lillie Johnson Charitable Trust May Hearnshaw Charitable Trust Murphy-Neumann Charity Company Ltd Percy Hedley 1990 Charitable Trust Peter Courtauld Charitable Trust Pilkington Charities Fund R Longstaff & Co Rachel Charitable Trust Saloman Foundation CIO Santa Barbara Heights Charitable Trust SC and ME Morland's Charitable Trust Sir John and Lady Amory's Charitable Trust St Jude's Trust Stanley Smith Memorial Trust The Angela Gallagher Memorial Fund The Ardwick Trust The Benham Charitable Settlement The Bergne-Coupland Charity The Castanea Trust The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust The Collins Charitable Trust The Dalby Charitable Trust The David Dutton Foundation The Dorcas Trust The Douglas Heath Eves Charitable Trust The Dr & Mrs A Darlington Charitable Trust The Earl & Countess of Harewood's Charitable Trust The Eva Reckitt Trust The Family Rich Charities Trust The Fitton Trust The Florence Turner Trust The Gennets Charitable Trust The Gowling WLG (UK) Charitable Trust The Grant Foundation The Gray Trust The Haramead Trust The Harris Foundation The Heathside Charitable Trust The Ian Fleming Charitable Trust The Jessie Spencer Trust The John & Ruth Howard Charitable Trust The John Cowan Foundation The Kiln Family Trust The LAPA Charitable Trust The Laspen Trust The Maud Elkington Charitable Trust The Mill Meadow Charitable Trust The Morrison Foundation The Mulberry Trust The Norman Family Charitable Trust The Ogilvie Charities The Paget Trust The Pat Newman Memorial Trust The Patrick Rowland Foundation The Pennycress Trust The Phillips Family Charitable Trust The Rest-Harrow Trust The Reuben Foundation The Robert McAlpine Foundation The Rockcliffe Charitable Trust The Roger and Jean Jefcoate Trust The Serendipity Foundation Limited The Sunset Charitable Trust The Talisman Charitable Trust The Theodore Maxxy Charitable Trust The Vandervell Foundation The W L Pratt Charitable Trust The William Allen Young Charitable Trust The Woodroffe Benton Foundation Tylers' and Bricklayers' Charitable Trust William Arthur Rudd Memorial Trust Worshipful Company of Basketmakers' 2011 Ch Trust 10 ## **Kind Words** A small selection of extracts from letters and emails received from carers we have supported _[It was] just so easy and comfortable. [We] didn't realise how much we needed this place._ _**I would like to thank you and all the Respite Association for this wonderful break. We would have never gone without you. It was my first time in 21 years and I absolutely loved it. Thanks to you I've realised how important it is to actually have a break from [caring] but also how important it is to spend the time with your partner as we usually lose ourselves in parenthood and daily responsibilities. You have truly changed our lives and I really want you to know that!**_ Your support has been invaluable to us, and especially to B who got to enjoy the holiday club. With services being so stretched, and over run with referrals, waiting lists and application waiting times, charities like yours are an absolute life saver. Thank you so much for helping us TRA means the world to me and [son's name]. You make it all possible. As carers, just to have that week to forget everything and relax is everything to us both. Thank you.Thank you for allowing me the holiday in Joanna's cottage which I thoroughly enjoyed, it was a place of peace and quiet. The cottage was very well equipped and cosy... the respite association does a fantastic job for allowing carers to take a break to re-charge and I thank you for that opportunity like so many others. _"Myself, my partner and my child [name] cannot thank the Respite Association enough. The fact something like this even exists gives me faith in the world, and the thought of parents providing care to children having access to these facilities is amazing"._ _Thank you ever so much! I really appreciate it. It's going to help massively during the summer holidays_ I am overwhelmed. Thank you so so much, this is wonderful. Once again thank you for all of your help. _Thank you so much again for your help and support, really appreciated!_ _Receiving the support has made the impossible possible! It meant that I have been able to pay for a carer to look after my mother whilst I got away for a truly necessary break with my husband. Without it we could never have afforded it. We have been able to visit my husbands mother in Southport, who is in a nursing home, and this has not been possible for a very long time. We have been able to relax and go for long walks and spend quality time together._ _Our relationship has improved considerably and we both have benefited enormously from our time away. It has also improved my relationship with my mother as I am now less stressed, tired and able to cope better caring for her since I have returned._ Thank you so much for amazing news, really appreciated! I am so happy that I can have a rest for couple of days, it is so good that charities like Respite Association exists and help people like me. It means a lot to me and my mental state, because you can't stop day [or] night when you have ASD and ADHD child at home. Many thanks for the your support for SEN parents _We are both so very grateful for the opportunity to enjoy each other's company, to rest & relax without worrying for a whole 24 hours knowing our daughter was well cared for & safe. Thank you Respite Association - we are extremely lucky to have received your help it literally meant the world to us as a family._ ## _**It was the biggest gift anyone could have given us**_ 11 ## **Risk Assessment** The Board receives a report from the Administrator/Chief Executive each year. The current report does not identify any serious risks to the charity either financial or physical, save for the ongoing challenges of the financial crisis which is having a detrimental effect on the voluntary sector as a whole. ## **Investments** In 2021 the Charity invested £125,000 with M&G Charities due to the very poor interest rate available from any mainstream banking facility. We were supported in doing this by the Roger and Jean Jefcoate Trust who generously donated £10,000 to us to act as an investment buffer, recognising that investment values can go down as well as up. At the end of the year, the value of the investments had dipped slightly to £111,847, something the buffer protected us from. The investments are held in two M&G investment accounts (£20,255 in their Charibond account and £91,592 in their Charifund account). This consisted of £96,847 of general funding and £15,000 of a large restricted donation for the benefit of carers in Dorset from a Trust that donated £50,000 to us on their dissolution, with the instruction that it should be used for the benefit of carers in Dorset as The Respite Association saw fit. M&G was chosen due to our ability to recall the investment within three working days if needed and was made on the strict proviso that any investment loss should be borne by the general funding and not the restricted donation. Despite the reduced investment value at year end, the Charity has received £17,149 in investment income since 2021. We also received the benefit of a further £10,000 donation from The Roger and Jean Jefcoate Trust during the 2024 financial year to further help us with our investments for which we are extremely grateful. Indeed, it was due to this support that we were able to ‘buy out’ £10,000 of the restricted monies invested to increase our general fund holding in these accounts. ## **Financial Review & Reserves Policy** During the period under review, the Charity made a small cash surplus of £4,261. Whilst all payments are carefully planned, the Trustees remain mindful of the precarious nature of income generation as a result of the current financial crisis and have created a reserve policy to reflect this. As per the Charity Commission’s recommendation, 6 months’ running costs for the Charity (estimated at £60,000) are held in reserve should a sudden drop in income occur. Three further amounts have been ringfenced at the year end totalling £73,679. This includes £15,145 being the remainder of the social investment loan outstanding to Big Issue Invest in order that this loan may be repaid in its entirety should it be called in for any reason, a ‘caravan replacement fund’ of £35,000 as the Charity is mindful that the caravan in Wales is increasing in age and will need to be replaced in the next couple of years and £23,534 to cover grants promised in 2024 but still at outstanding at year end. Once these amounts are taken into account, the Charity held a general fund balance of £9,570 at the year end. However, this general fund balance is further reduced by other known short term liabilities totalling £3,770. This leaves us with a small unallocated surplus of unrestricted general funding totalling £5,800 at the year end. ## **Policies** The Charity’s formal Fundraising Policies, along with all other policies, were reviewed by the Trustee Board in December 2024. Trustee and Staff Expenses Policy was reviewed and amended in May 2024. |‚|Disciplinary Code|‚|EDI policy| |---|---|---|---| |‚|Conflict of Interest Policy|‚|Volunteer policy| |‚|Grievance Procedure/Policy|‚|Safeguarding policy| |‚|General complaints|‚|Fundraising Charter| |‚|Fundraising Complaints|‚|Data Protection Policy| |‚|Grant making & respite break policy|‚|Trustee and Staff Expenses Policy| 12 ## **Serious Incidents** There were no serious incidents to report during the period covered by this Trustees’ Report. ## **Approval** The Trustees approved this report on 30[th] May 2025 and it is signed on their behalf by: **Hon. Alderman Alex Bentley Trustee & Hon. Chairman** 13 **The Respite Association Receipts and Payments accounts for the financial period January 1st 2024 to December 31st 2024** ||**Notes**|**2024**|**2024**|**2024**|**2023**| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**|**Total**| |**RECEIPTS**|||||| |Trusts and Corporate Donors||107,162|75,650|182,812|158,350| |Donations from individuals||3,450|1,450|4,900|14,457| |Bank interest/investment income||8,817|-|8,817|7,571| |Society Lottery income|1|416|-|416|382| |In memoriam donations||88|-|88|1,227| |||**_______**|**_______**|**_______**|**_______**| |**TOTAL RECEIPTS**||**119,933**|**77,100**|**197,033**|**181,987**| |**PAYMENTS**|||||| |**Direct charitable expenditure**|2||||| |Charitable support costs||89,618|48,722|138,340|118,534| |Purchase of fixed assets (new||14,330|33,170|47,500|-| |Holiday caravan in Yorkshire)|||||| |Loan repayments to external funder||7,262|-|7,262|-| |(Holiday bungalow in Cornwall)|||||| |**Other expenditure**|||||| |Training and travel costs||-|-|-|50| |Purchase of fixed assets (equipment)||2,298|-|2,298|1,290| |Software and Office sundries||537||537|-| |Fundraising|1|12,557|-|12,557|10,247| |Utilities and rent|3|3,161|-|3,161|2,820| |Governance|4|5,336|-|5,336|4,414| |||**_______**|**_______**|**_______**|**_______**| |**TOTAL PAYMENTS**||**135,099**|**81,892**|**216,991**|**137,355**| |||**_______**|**_______**|**_______**|**_______**| |**Net receipts/ (Payments)**||**(15,166)**|**(4,792)**|**(19,958)**|**44,632**| |Transfers between funds|5|19,427|(19,427)|**-**|**-**| |**Surplus/(Deficit) for the year**||**4,261**|**(24,219)**|**(19,958)**|**-**| |||**_______**|**_______**|**_______**|**_______**| |**Cash funds brought forward (31/12/2023)**||**27,140**|**112,383**|**139,523**|**94,891**| |||**_______**|**_______**|**_______**|**_______**| |**Cash funds carried forward (31/12/2024)**||**31,401**|**88,164**|**119,565**|**139,523**| |||**======**|**======**|**=====**|**======**| 14 **The Respite Association Statement of assets and liabilities as at December 31[st] 2024** |||31stDecember|31stDecember| |---|---|---|---| |||2024|2023| |**CASH FUNDS**|||| ||CAF Current Account|27,779|52,889| ||CAF Gold account (reserves)|91,786|86,634| |||**_______**|**_______**| |Total Cash Funds||**119,565**|**139,523**| |**INVESTMENT ASSETS**|||| ||M&G Investment Fund holdings (Charifund)|91,592|20,995| ||M&G Investment Fund holdings (Charibond)|20,255|89,265| |||**111,847**|**110,260**| |**TOTAL CASH & INVESTMENT ASSETS**||**231,412**|**249,783**| |**Represented by funds:**||======|======| ||Unrestricted funds (The general fund)|9,570|31,401| ||Designated funds including reserves|133,679|81,028| ||Restricted funds|88,163|137,354| |||**_______**|**_______**| |**TOTAL FUNDS**||**231,412**|**249,783**| |||======|======| |**FIXED ASSETS FOR CHARITY USE**|||| ||Holiday bungalow (Joanna’s Cottage, Cornwall)|75,000|75,000| ||Holiday caravan (Lan Y Mor Hafan, Nth Wales)|17,397|20,296| ||Holiday caravan (Eilene’s Retreat, Yorkshire)|42,750|-| ||Office Equipment|2,516|1,296| |||**_______**|**_______**| |**TOTAL FIXED ASSETS FOR CHARITY USE**||**137,663**|**96,592**| |||======|======| |**SHORT TERM ASSET**|||| |(Unrestricted|Overpaid Council Tax re Joanna’s Cottage|-|1,055| |funds)|||| |**SHORT TERM LIABILITIES**|||| |(Unrestricted|Grant commitments to Carers|(23,534)|(4,271)| |funds)|||| ||Independent examiner’s fee (estimate)|(1,250)|(1,000)| ||Unclaimed refundable break deposits|(350)|(150)| ||Pension liability (Aviva)|(211)|| ||Site fees for Joanna’s Cottage, Cornwall|(1,959)|(1,894)| |(Restricted funds)|Grant commitments to carers|(7,749)|(8,450)| |**NET SHORT TERM LIABILITIES**||**(35,053)**|**(14,710)**| |||======|======| |**LONG TERM LIABILITIES**|||| ||Balance of Social investment loan(Big Issue Invest)|(15,145)|**(21,028)**| |The Trustees approved these accounts on 30thMay 2025 and they are signed on their behalf|||by:| **Hon. Alderman Alex Bentley Trustee & Hon. Chairman** 15 ## **The Respite Association Notes to the accounts for the financial period ending December 31[st] 2024** ## **Note 1:** We launched our Society Lottery (with Sterling Lotteries) in December 2022, as noted in our plans for 2025, we will continue to attempt to build our supporter base for the Lottery as part of our wider plans to diversify our income streams for the future. The fundraising costs during the financial period further reflects our ongoing work in this area and includes investment in a nationwide legacy campaign, any results from which are likely to take a number of years to come to fruition. ## **Note 2:** Our charitable support costs continue to rise. This year’s increase is due to the provision of an increased number of grants and respite breaks. In order to demonstrate how the demands placed on our limited resources have increased in the past few years, we have included figures for 2019 and 2020 from our previous Charity Number of 1085598 by way of comparison. ||**Charitable Support**|**Grants carried forward**|**Total**| |---|---|---|---| ||**Costs**||| |2019|£77,221|£28,656|**£105,577**| |2020|£81,544|£34,708|**£116,252**| |2021|£90,875|£56,296|**£147,171**| |2022|£113,762|£30,972|**£144,734**| |2023|£118,534|£12,721|**£131,255**| |2024|£138,340|£31,283|**£169,623**| ## **Note 3:** Rent relates to the cost of a small storage unit as The Respite Association does not (by choice) have a formal office space, with the two part time staff members working from home. Our staff will continue to work from home for the foreseeable future. However the Trustees are mindful that, given the surging price of utilities, our staff should not be financially disadvantaged when working in this manner. Consequently, a new policy to enable staff members to claim a proportion of their utility and other working from home costs was formally agreed and adopted during 2023. ## **Note 4:** Governance costs are those costs that enable the proper legal running and oversight of the Charity. These include a proportion of staff and administrative costs allocated to Trustee meetings, the cost of holding a bank account with the Charities Aid Foundation, insurance costs and the cost of the independent examination of the accounts. ## **Note 5:** The respite break costs are paid for from the general unrestricted funds. Transfers between funds at year end related to the cost of respite breaks for carers residing in areas supported by trusts who wished to restrict their grant making to beneficiaries from specific geographical locations. The respite break transfers were completed at year end to ensure that we had an accurate figure for the cost of each caravan per week provided. As has been noted elsewhere in this report, the Charity also transferred £10,000 from general funding to restricted funding to ‘buy out’ £10,000 of the restricted monies previously invested with M&G Charities. 16 ## **Accounting Policies and Basis of preparation of accounts** The Charity's Trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (The Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed. The accounts are prepared on a Receipts and Payments Basis and comply with the Charities Act 2011. ## **Income** Income and donations are accounted for as received. No permanent endowments have been received in the period. ## **Value Added Tax** Value added tax is not recoverable by the Charity, and as such is included in the relevant costs in the Accounts. ## **Non-Monetary Assets** The Charity owns a purpose built holiday cottage in Cornwall (Joanna’s Cottage), a caravan in North Wales (Lan-Y-Mor Hafan), a caravan in Yorkshire (Eilene’s Retreat), a desktop computer, two printers, a laptop and a tablet together with some additional office equipment. All non-monetary assets and liabilities were calculated as estimates at the period end following depreciation. ## **Trustees' Remuneration and Expenses** During the period no Trustee received any remuneration for the time they gave to the Charity. No Trustee claimed nor was paid any expenses in relation to their duties during the period under review. The Trustees’ insurance included Trustee indemnity insurance. There were no related party transactions. ## **Restricted Income** Restricted Income is income that is to be strictly used (at the donor’s request) for the benefit of carers who reside within specific geographical locations or sometimes in cases involving people within certain age categories e.g. elderly persons or children. Occasionally donors may sponsor a piece of equipment, part of the cost of our carers break facilities and their running costs or perhaps the printing of one of our information leaflets. In all such cases the monies are used solely for the purpose(s) the donor has specified. ## **Direct Charitable Expenditure** breakdown |**irect Charitable Expenditure**breakdown||| |---|---|---| ||**2024**|**2023**| |Employee costs|45,960|36,539| |Direct respite care provision|142,248|78,012| |Website (including new application forms)|759|-| |Utilities|2,617|2,515| |Postage & stationery|1,518|1,468| ||**193,102**|**118,534**| |**Employee Costs**||| |Total staff costs|**52,227**|**41,521**| |Staff in 2024 (1 x 30 hours, 1 x 18 hours)*|2 p/t|2 p/t| *Staff hours were increased in 2024 to reflect the increased workload of our 2 p/t members of staff due to more carers needing alternative care support and the expansion of our carers’ breaks scheme. 17 ## **Post Balance Sheet Events/Going Concern** As these accounts were being finalised, two things happened that are likely to cause an impact on the Charity during the next financial year. Firstly, the UK Government announced it was reducing benefits for some claimants of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP). This is likely to put increasing pressure on some carers who are already struggling with low incomes. Not least because the loss of the cared for person’s PIP may result in carers who were previously entitled to receive Carers’ Allowance, becoming ineligible. While it is not known how widespread this issue may be, it has caused considerable stress and anxiety for people with disabilities and their carers across England. Statutory support for unpaid carers also continues to dwindle, due to the closure of day centres and other areas of respite support. The charitable sector has also been hit equally hard by the ongoing financial pressures. The loss of one of our partner Charities (Revitalise) during 2024 has already been mentioned in the Trustees’ Annual Report. Further losses are to be expected given the ongoing economic climate. Secondly, in March 2025, the Trump Administration sent shockwaves through global stock markets by introducing trade tariffs. While the extent of the effect of this on the Charitable sector remains unknown, many of the Charity’s donors are grant making Trusts who rely on investments in the form of stocks and shares to generate their charitable giving. Despite this, the Charity remains cautiously optimistic for the financial year ahead as our work becomes more widely known across the sector and due to the continued support from a number of grant making organisations to our work over many years. ## **This report is all about our charity, but our charity is all about the unpaid carers that we support, so the final words we leave to them:** _**I have looked forward to this break for so long. The caravan was so comfortable. For the first time in a long time I read a book, laid in bed and relaxed. Thank you so much.**_ _**The respite I was awarded felt like a life saver as it enabled me to attend my sons wedding, which I wouldn’t want to have missed for the world. It’s the first break I’ve had in ten years so it was very much appreciated as caring for my mother with Alzheimer’s is a full time job.**_ _**The much needed rest allowed me to recharge my batteries so I can continue caring for my daughter**_ 18 The Respite Association Independent examlner's report to theTru$ta88 of The Resplta Association I reporr on the accounts of the Ch8ritytor thByeaiended 31 D8C8mbBr 2024. The Chgrity'sTrurte88 are r¢spon5ibiefoi the preparation olthe account5. The Charity'5 Tiusioes considei that an audit 18 not required lorihis￿ar under seciion 144121 of the Chariii8s Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and Ihot 8n indepent1ent ex8min8tion 13 needed. It bs myiesponsibilityto: examSne the account5 undev section 145 oltho 2011 Aci- Tollowthe procedures iald down In the Gener81 Th'ieciion¥ wven bythecharity Commlssioner un(J8r section 145lSllbl otth8 2011 Act: anL1 . statewheiher p8rticular matters have come to myatteniion. My eJ¢aminarion was carried out in a￿ordanc•￿11h Ihe Gener81 Oireciiong glven ty the Charity CommIssl￿81. An exarnlnation inclu(Jesa revlew olthe accountin8recordJ kept bythe Cherity ané 8 cornpoiison olthe accounts prn$ented wlth Ih08e re¢ord8. Ir 8180 Includes ¢ortsidei8tlon of any unusual Items oi disclosure8 In the 8c¢ounis. 8nLI the 3erkingof explan8tion8from you 88Tru8tee8 ¢on¢orning any8ueh matters. The pro¢¢dyr¢g un(Jenaken do noi provlde all the evidènce that would be rtrquirèd In an audii, And con$equenriyno opir)ion 18 88 towheiherthe ¥count8 prelent a-true and lalr vlew. 8n(J the report is limited 10 Ihose matt•W$ set￿1 in ihe st8t•meni below. Independent Ex¥mln•r's St￿eMent In connection wllh mywmin8tion. no matter h88com8 to myMtenrion: 1. Which wves me reason8t)le cau8e ro believe ihai. in any rnateri81 respeci, the requlrements: To keep 8ccountln8record5 in gecordance with Se￿lOn 130 of the 2011 Act,. and . To prepare accDuntswhtch accord wth the accounting record5 and to Comply￿1h th8 gc¢ouniin8requtrements of the 2011 Act have not been met- or 2. To whiGh. in myopinloft. Ottention Should be drawn In order io on8ble 8 woperund•rstanding of the account5 to be re#ched. SunnyTruran FCCAFCA SITcet5 Ru*h Limited Chartered Aecouniams 2 8amfleld Crescent Exeter