2023-03-31-accounts

Registered charity no: 1193295

Trustees report &

Unaudited Financial Statements for financial year ended 5[th] April 2023

For CLWB PLANT BRYNAMAN KIDS CLUB

Bowling Pavilion, Maes Elwyn Park, Brynceunant, Upper Brynaman, Carmarthenshire SA181AH

CONTENTS:

1. OVERVIEW

2. PREMISES

3. STRUCTURE OF THE ORGANISATION

4. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

5. FIVE YEAR PLAN

6. ANNUAL ACCOUNTS

1. OVERVIEW

Clwb Plant Brynaman Kids Club, was originally established in 2007, in response to local demand for affordable, bilingual, after-school childcare. In January 2021, the organisation became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation ( Foundation Model ) charity no: 1193295. Clwb Plant Brynaman’s aim is to support working parents/carers, allowing them to sustain their careers in the knowledge that their children are cared for in a friendly, stimulating and safe environment, until they return from work.

Clwb Plant Brynaman Kids Club has developed and grown as an organisation. It now includes after school childcare sessions, a holiday club during most school holidays and a wrap-around, day-care service for 3-4 yr olds, on half day sessions in the nearby junior school. This was made possible by the Welsh Assembly Government’s Offer for Wales childcare scheme, offering 30 free hours childcare to working parents.

All children who attend day-care and after school sessions are pupils of nearby Ysgol Gynradd Brynaman and club staff and trustees have an excellent working relationship with the school. Summer and holiday club pupils come from further afield and as long as parents/carers can drop their children off safely, there is no restriction on which area they reside.

A £10,000 grant received at the end of the last financial year has now been fully spent on refurbishing and modernising the kitchen at the club. Further funding will be needed to install a washer and dryer so that staff can wash soiled art and craft overalls and towels on the premises.

The club continues to lease the building from Cwarter Bach District Council for a quarterly fee of £325. The tenancy agreement will be revised over the coming year to clarify who has responsibility for the cost of regular fire safety inspections so that the club itself does not incur these repeat costs.

At present, Clwb Plant Brynaman supports 120 individual families in the area, has two full time staff, three regular part time staff, 4 additional part time staff for holiday clubs and a student in the day care provision.

2. PREMISES

Bowling Pavilion, Maes Elwyn Park, Brynceunant, Upper Brynaman, Carmarthenshire SA181AH

The organisation operates from the old Bowling Pavilion in Upper Brynaman, which is perfect for our needs. The building is leased on a rolling 5 year tenure from the local District Council of Cwarter Bach. The building is spacious and light, with plenty of surrounding green space. Its proximity to the local junior school, Ysgol Gynradd Brynaman is our Unique Selling Point, enabling staff to escort children safely, by foot, to and from the school in less than two minutes. The building shares a car park with the school, enabling parents to collect their children from either the club, or school ,without needing to make two separate stops.

It has been identified that the roof of the Bowling Pavilion is in a state of disrepair and will need re-furbishing over the next few years. As owners of the building, the District Council are in the process of applying for a Government Grant to safeguard its assets. The treasurer is in communication with the clerk of the District Council regarding the grant application, with a view of securing the grant in 2024. The aim is to carry out the works during an Easter holiday break so as not to disrupt the running of the organisation during term time.

3. STRUCTURE OF THE ORGANISATION

Clwb Plant Brynaman is registered with CIW for up to 24 children between the ages of 3-11 and is a member of Clybiau Plant Cymru and Mudiad Meithrin.

The organisation is governed by a board of 4 trustees from various professional backgrounds. The board is committed to recruiting, appointing and employing all staff in accordance with all relevant legislation and ensuring they meet the job description and personal specification requirements. The Trustees give their time freely, however with busy lives and full time careers themselves, outside the childcare sector, the governing body are keen to recruit additional trustees from within the community, with particular expertise in childcare. The aim is to increase Trustee numbers during 2024.

List of Trustees:-

Christine Seabrook Angharad Pearce Jones Layna Taws Emma Morgan Mair Hannah Williams

Responsible Individuals:

Angharad Pearce Jones and Emma Morgan are registered as Responsible Individuals for the organisation. They are the first point of contact between the organisation and CIW.

Jennifer Taws, ( Manager), is the official ‘Person in Charge’ and is responsible for the daily running of the organisation.

4. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

In Carmarthenshire County Council’s 2019 profile of Cwarter Bach, it was found that the ward is the 31[st] most deprived from 58 wards in Carmarthenshire. The average income is the 7[th] lowest in the county and it has a higher than average number of people with no qualifications. Clwb Plant Brynaman seeks to directly address these inequalities, helping single parents in particular to take up opportunities for further education.

the club employs two full time staff, two regular part time staff and four seasonal or fill in part time staff. The low fees charged for childcare only covers a percentage of their monthly wage so additional funding and grant aid enables the club to ensure that staff wages are in line with comparative posts across the county.

Clwb Plant Brynaman prides itself on keeping fees low and is therefore the most affordable childcare facility in the district. However, with a higher than average rise to the minimum wage, an increase in utility bills and cuts to some of the regular grants it relies on, trustees have made the difficult decision to implement a rise in its pricing structure in the next financial year. Without this rise in fees, the club will no longer be financially sustainable.

Clwb Plant Brynaman’s income comes from the following sources:-

• Offer For Wales 30 free hours a week set at £5.00 an hour, to include holiday clubs

• Sustainability Grants from the County Council’s Family Services

• Small yearly grant from Cwarter Bach District Council

• Fundraising activities, e.g. sponsored events, local discos, raffles

• Fees from Parents for 2022/23: Day care - £5 an hour

• After School club - £10 per session

• Holiday clubs - £20 per day: £13 per half day.

( fee will rise in last quarter of 2024 )

MANAGING FINANCES

Income is managed by the Club Manager and overseen by the treasurer and trustee Angharad Pearce Jones. Fees are increasingly paid online and new invoicing software adopted in 2022/23 has enabled the Manager to set reminders and keep on top of late payments. Parents are struggling during this time, however and late payments do continue to be an issue.

Dawn Graham, the club’s payroll manager has stood down due to full time work commitments. Payroll is now undertaken by JB Davies, Upper Brynaman; a local and reputable firm of accountants with a good knowledge of the community it serves. The new payroll manager has enrolled two full time members of staff on a government work-place pension scheme with a further, part time member of staff going onto a voluntary payment pension scheme. This, together with a higher than usual rise in the minimum wage over the last two years increases the club’s staffing costs in 2024.

The club’s annual accounts are verified by Huw Evans, Chartered Accountant, based in Ammanford. Huw Evans, originally from Brynaman continues to offer his services free of charge, in order to support his community.

The treasurer provides regular financial reports to the board of trustees during monthly meetings. She has responsibility for grant applications with certain elements shared amongst the rest of the trustees.

5. FIVE YEAR PLAN

• Clwb Plant Brynaman have had a challenging year, with a combination of staff illnesses and rising costs putting a strain on finances. A grant application to Awards for All ( Wales Lottery ) for a new and streamlined heating system, was unsuccessful. This will now be included in the grant application for the roof refurbishment work, incorporating solar panels, so that the club can generate its own electricity and become more sustainable.

• Trustees have had to make difficult decisions regarding the pricing structure of childcare sessions. Fees for all sessions at the club will increase during the latter part of 2024 and a drive to apply for a broader range of sustainability grants has been put in place.

• The Offer for Wales ( 30 hour a week childcare ) is now streamlined across the whole of Wales and payments are paid regularly, on a fortnightly basis rather than monthly. The offer has not increased with inflation however and the planned price rise for 2024 will mean that parents on the offer will need to pay the shortfall in hourly rates themselves.

• The development of an outdoor play area with a permanent wooden pergola incorporating planters and more areas for growing plants, has been put on hold until the roof refurbishments are carried out. A structure in front of the building would inhibit the scaffolding that needs to be erected around the building. The garden area will therefore be developed once the roof repairs are complete.

• Clwb Plant Brynaman staff and trustees continue to work with Mudiad Meithrin on increasing the use of the Welsh Language within the club and its activities. The area representative has been very supportive over the last year and will assist the Manager in her endeavours to learn the Welsh language. All other staff members are fluent Welsh speakers.

Signed on behalf of Clwb Plant Brynaman Kids Club board of trustees:

…………………………………………………Position………… Treasurer/Trustee

date…29/01/24…………..

Clwb Plant Br naman Kids Club – accountin ear 2022/23 y g y

	Debit	Credit
Turnover		56,484
Childcare fees		24,151
Offer for Wales(Welsh Government 30 hrs)		29,832
Charitable donations		2,501
Other income		2,898
Tax refund		529
Grant Income		2,369
Less cost of sales	15,714
Refuse collection	746
Playequipment	685
Food and cleaning products	2,741
Art and crafts	151
Fixtures and fittings	669
Electricity	337
Subcontractor costs(Kitchen refurbishment)	10,385
Less Administrative Expenses	3,357
rent	650
Computer software	9
Office equipment	146
Internet and telephone	599
Mobilephone	208
Printing	32
Stationery	312
Legal andprofessional fees	891
Accountancy/ Payroll	480
Subscriptions	105
Insurance	125
Less Staff Costs	49,266
Net Salaryexpense	46,394
PAYE/NI Expense	2,872
Operating profit	(8,955)
Retainedprofit thisperiod	(8,955)
Retainedprofit brought forward	10,453
Distributable Reserves/ Retained profit carried forward	1,498

I have reviewed the accounts of Clwb Plant Brynaman Kids Club from the period 1st April 2022 to 5[th] April 2023 and can confirm that they are in order and have been prepared in line with accounting principles.

Details:

Huw Evans FCA

48 Brynmawr Avenue

Ammanford

SA18 2DA

e-mail enquiries to – [e-mail]

Tel [phone]

Signed ……………… ………………………. Date……29.1.2024……………….