Registered charity no: 1193295
Trustees report &
Unaudited Financial Statements for financial year ended 5[th] April 2024
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 have had a challenging year and despite a decrease in numbers it has made a very small profit this year.
The 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.
At present, Clwb Plant Brynaman supports 105 individual families in the area, has two full time staff, 2 regular part time staff and 3 sessional workers.
The club continues to lease the building from Cwarter Bach District Council for a quarterly fee of £325. The tenancy agreement has been revised, to clarify who has responsibility for the cost of regular fire safety, water safety and plumbing inspections so that the club itself does not incur these repeat costs.
Numbers of children booked in regularly are decreasing, due to changing work habits, the cost of living crisis and a drop in birth rate across the whole of Wales. This will begin to impact the organisation during the next financial year and the club needs to make sure that it can withstand these challenges until numbers of new starters at the nearby Primary School begin to rise again in Easter 2025.
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 its needs. The organisation has negotiated an increase in its 5 year tenure with the local District Council of Cwarter Bach, to 10 years. This will allow the organisation to apply for more substantial grants to improve aspects of the building and exterior areas. The clubhouse is spacious and light, with plenty of surrounding green space. Its proximity to the local junior school, Ysgol Gynradd Brynaman is its success, 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.
Clwb Plant Brynaman has secured a £15,000 grant to repair the roof at the premises. The Local District Council have agreed to fund any shortfall. The grant will be paid during financial year 2024/25 with the work being completed by March 2025. Work will be carried out during half term holidays, so as not to impact the daily running of the organisation.
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 still keen to recruit additional trustees from within the community, with particular expertise in childcare. The aim is to increase Trustee numbers during 2025.
List of Trustees:-
Christine Seabrook Angharad Pearce Jones Layna Taws Emma Morgan
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 now employs two full time staff, two regular part time staff and three seasonal or gapping staff. A student apprentice was scheduled to start working on a full time contract in September 2024 but chose to take alternative work in the Adult Care Sector. Existing staff have taken on more individual hours to account for this, during this time of financial hardship for many UK workers. The low fees charged for childcare only cover a percentage of the total cost of wages 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 the continuing rise in the minimum wage and increases in utility bills, the club implemented a rise in its pricing structure this year. Fees will rise again in April 2025 when the minimum wage rises again and in response to the rise in Employers’ National Insurance.
Clwb Plant Brynaman’s income comes from the following sources:-
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Offer For Wales 30 free hours a week set at £5.00 an hour, to include holiday clubs. (This will rise to £6 in Easter 2025)
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2 x regular Sustainability Grants from the County Council’s Family Services
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Small yearly grant from Cwarter Bach District Council
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Fundraising activities, e.g. sponsored events, local discos, raffles
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Fees from Parents for 2023/24: Day care - £5 an hour + a daily £2 pick up
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and drop off charge.
After School club - £15 per session
Holiday clubs - £25 per day: £17 per half day.
( fee will rise again in April 2025 )
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.
Payroll continues to be undertaken by professional accountancy firm, J B Davies, based locally. The two full time members of staff are enrolled on the government work-place pension scheme.
The club’s annual accounts are verified by Huw Evans, Chartered Accountant, based n 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 but is eager to share this responsibility with the other members of the board and to recruit more trustees in 2024/25.
5. FIVE YEAR PLAN
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A successful grant award for roof repairs will be utilised in 2025 with further plans to have solar panels installed on the newly refurbished roof so that the club can afford its increasing energy costs.
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Clwb Plant Brynaman have signed up for the EGIN support programme, to create a complete energy strategy for the club so that it can address its own energy needs as well as the climate emergency.
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Fees will need to rise yearly at the start of the new financial year, due to the rise in the National Minimum Wage.
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The Offer for Wales ( 30 hour a week childcare ) funded by Welsh Government will increase in April 2025 from £5 an hour to £6. With projected increases in numbers of children attending day care, this will have a positive impact on finances going forward.
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A Coalfields grant to sustain the Manager’s post has reached stage 2 and will enable the club to cover core costs and free up some finances for more toys and equipment for the children.
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A grant is being sought to sustain a part time financial manager and grant officer post. Applying for regular grants is integral to running a modern day charity and this work is putting too much strain on volunteers and interrupting with their own working lives. A paid post is therefore essential.
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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.
Signed on behalf of Clwb Plant Brynaman Kids Club board of trustees:
……………………………………………Position… Treasurer/Trustee
date…23/01/25…………..
Clwb Plant Br naman Kids Club – accountin ear 2023/24 y g y
| Debit | Credit | |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | 57,475 | |
| Childcare fees | 24,779 | |
| Offer for Wales(Welsh Government 30 hrs) | 31,020 | |
| Charitable donations | 1,676 | |
| Other income | 3,990 | |
| Tax refund(Gift Aid) | 1,208 | |
| Grant Income | 2,782 | |
| TOTAL | 61,465 | |
| Less cost of sales | 5,108 | |
| Refuse collection | 702 | |
| Playequipment | 492 | |
| Food and cleaning products | 3,024 | |
| Art and crafts | 136 | |
| Fixtures and fittings | 148 | |
| Electricity | 606 | |
| Less Administrative Expenses | 3,791 | |
| rent | 1300 | |
| Office equipment | 124 | |
| Internet and telephone | 656 | |
| Mobilephone | 313 | |
| Printing | 196 | |
| Stationery | 181 | |
| Legal andprofessional fees | 298 | |
| Advertisingandpromotion | 61 | |
| Accountancy/ Payroll | 296 | |
| Subscriptions | 241 | |
| Insurance | 125 | |
| Less Staff Costs | 52,434 | |
| Net Salaryexpense | 47,948 | |
| PAYE/NI Expense | 3,348 | |
| Staffpensions | 1,020 | |
| Staff training | 118 | |
| Operating profit | 132 | |
| Retainedprofit thisperiod | 132 | |
| Retainedprofit brought forward | 1,498 | |
| Distributable Reserves/ Retained profit carried forward |
1,630 |
I have reviewed the accounts of Clwb Plant Brynam3n rids Club from the period 6th April 2023 to 5th April 2024 and can confirm that they are in order and have been prepared in line with accounting principles. Detalls: Huw Evans FCA 48 Brynmawr Avenue Ammanford SA18 2DA e-mail enquirles to- Huw124 hotmail.com Tel 07890611317 Signed _