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2024-12-31-accounts

Annual Report of the Trustees of Baby Box Isle of Wight

1[st] January 2024 to 31[st] December 2024

The Trustees present their 2024 Annual Report and independently reviewed accounts for the year ending 31[st] December 2024 and confirm they comply with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011. Baby Box Isle of Wight registered formally as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (registration number 1193830) on 16[th] March 2021. This report covers the work of the Charity for the period 1[st] January 2024 to 31[st] December 2024.

OUR AIMS:

The Objects of the Charity are

The Constitution of Baby Box Isle of Wight gives Trustees the power to make decisions on behalf of the Charity and to determine the ethos, strategy and policies for achieving the objectives set. Baby Box Isle of Wight is managed by the Trustees who meet at least four times per year. Trustees are highly involved in the day to day work of our organisation.

OUR ETHOS

Baby Box Isle of Wight is committed to working with everyone with dignity and respect. All three projects share the same charitable objectives and each project shares the same ethos of ‘Cascading Kindness’.

Baby Box Isle of Wight takes inclusion seriously and strives to assist the Isle of Wight community in a way that both recognises and works to remove barriers that may, albeit unintentionally, lead to sections of the community being unaware or less aware of the support we offer because they can be ‘easily overlooked’.

Sustainability - Baby Box Isle of Wight takes a positive approach to environmental concerns and works with other organisations such as local supermarkets, Fareshare, and other food redistribution sources to reduce food insecurity by avoiding food waste and to help avoid landfill of waste materials such as clothing and baby equipment. We are always interested in, and open to ways of improving our working practices in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way and are grateful to Community Action for their support and guidance. Trustees have prepared their own report upon the financial sustainability of our community pantry model and our team works cooperatively with a network of food insecurity organisations both locally and nationally through the Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN). IFAN advocates on behalf of independent food aid providers across the UK.

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CHARITABLE ACTIVITY DURING 2024

Baby Box Isle of Wight Trustees are pleased to report the following activities have been undertaken for the public benefit. All three of our projects provide support to those in need on the Isle of Wight without a referral from other agencies. Trustees are proud of the good reputation built up since Baby Box Isle of Wight opened in 2018 and is mindful of the community trust built up over the years. Our goal is to guard our good reputation by always respecting the dignity and confidentiality of our customers, particularly in respect of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).

Our tiny charitable organisation works from a former youth club in Ventnor and, whilst we have limited space, we have managed to respond to local need by integrating all three of our projects into what is basically an old basketball court. What we lack in physical resources, we make up for in community goodwill and commitment. Ventnor Town Council has provided meaningful support since 2018 and has helped us to take care of local people in need of a helping hand. At the same time we strive to be as sustainable as possible by avoiding food waste as well as recycling and reusing items of clothing and equipment that might otherwise have ended up in landfill. Throughout 2024 there have been many local businesses and individuals who have made a world of difference by helping our charity we can acknowledge and more who have requested anonymity. In this report we will acknowledge as many as we can.

Who helps sustain Baby Box Isle of Wight? The community does.

We are proud that many of our grassroots volunteers have just acquired, or learned some time ago, the skills needed to become ‘experts by experience’ in making a little money stretch a very long way. Food insecurity affects households across much of the Island and we are proud to welcome them as the foundation of our team that helps to ‘Cascade Kindness’. We never forget that it is an honour to be trusted to ensure that everyone’s contribution reaches someone whose life is made better by that small act of kindness. The Trustees extend their gratitude to everyone who supports our charity whether their contribution is in time, money or donations of much needed essential items. We are reliant upon local businesses, big and small, the local organisations and individuals that chip in what they can. Everyone helps make a world of difference.

The headline news for 2024 was the one off grant of Lottery funding that meant we could increase services and improve our premises. This was vital to help us meet a massive increase in demand upon Pantry provision. Opening estimates of demand in 2022 was that we would support up to 50 households per week. During 2024 that figure reached nearer 150 households per week. The vastly increased administrative workload in terms of local reporting and data requirements meant we needed more management support whilst boosting volunteer recruitment and training for frontline support. With the pressure of demand increasing throughout the year we often dealt with over 60 visits in the opening 45 minutes of a Fareshare delivery Pantry session in the winter months. We acknowledged the need to work smarter, not harder. As well as fundraising efforts we needed better coproduction.

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During 2024 our Ventnor Community Foodbank supported a total of 1,217 individuals. We provided crisis or emergency food support for 863 adults and 354 children. This represents a slight, yet welcome decrease in demand for crisis food support of 15% from the previous year.

Summary Table: Actual Support Provided

Category 2023 2024 Change (%)
Individuals 1409 1217 -13.6
Adults 999 863 -13.6
Children 410 354 -13.7

Summary: Individuals: 13.6% decrease | Adults: 13.6% decrease | Children: 13.7% decrease

Trustees view this decrease as a really positive indicator of the success our team has had in introducing former foodbank regular visitors to a new way of stretching their food budget that much further by joining our Ventnor Community Pantry. Yet whilst he Community Pantry is a great idea that does really well it isn’t perfect. The household sizes can vary from a single person through to a multigenerational household. This results in an unintended consequence that translates into ‘an inverse care law’. Put simply, pantry members with bigger households may still need crisis food when times are hard and bills are high. Former regulars at the foodbank who joined our community pantry say that they welcomed the inclusive atmosphere.

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During 2024 Ventnor Community Pantry supported 6813 members’ visits which meant sustained, weekly, practical food support for 19,308 individuals (Adults = 11,308, Children = 7,961). This is an increase of Pantry Support to the Island Community of 67% .

Summary Table: Actual Support Provided

Category 2023 2024 Change (%)
Visits 4063 6813 +67.7
Adults 7801 11348 +45.5
Children 6251 7961 +27.4

Summary: Visits: 67.7% increase | Adults: 45.5% increase | Children: 27.4% increase

Demand during 2024 for Ventnor Community Pantry increased by over 67% compared to demand in 2023. Demand reached the point that we had to acknowledge that we were becoming overwhelmed. Reluctantly, Trustees decided that after Christmas 2024, pantry membership would be restricted on the basis of residence in our local catchment area (based upon a shared post code). The spread of pantry across the Island had increased dramatically and we gently informed and then guided members of Ventnor Community Pantry living outside this area to those newer community pantries available to them closer to their own homes and we reassured them that they retained the services of Baby Box and our Foodbank too. We welcomed the chance to target support to those in need locally.

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During 2024 Baby Box supported 2,186visits (Adults = 3,971, Children = 5,043) and this for a tiny Charity shows a 35% increase in demand since 2023.

Summary Table: Actual Support Provided

Category 2023 2024 Change (%) Visits 1619 2186 +35.0 Adults 2920 3971 +36.0 Children 3716 5043 +35.7

Summary: Visits: 35.0% increase | Adults: 36.0% increase | Children: 35.7% increase

Baby Box is our grassroots support project that began late in 2018 when our founder decided to tackle the need to ensure that babies and toddlers were provided with what they need. With the help of households who donated items ranging from have no longer needed equipment, preloved toys and outgrown clothes we worked to provide tailored support that included the right size packets of nappies, weaning food, and other essentials and evolved into a sustainable ‘swap shop’ type of session where preloved baby clothes, bedding and equipment is checked before being distributed (free of charge) and throughout 2024 we continued to support households with children to meet the needs of babies, children, teenagers, young adults, expectant parents and school pupils.

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Baby Box Isle of Wight loves to ‘Cascade Kindness’ and since the outset in 2018 has operated upon the basis of ‘what we have, we share’ . We simply could not do this as well as we do without the help of our community made up of individuals and warm-hearted local businesses. In 2024 one team of allies initiated a fun way to raise funds for us and other causes. The Ventnor Darling fundraising team has reinvigorated community fundraising engagement and simply could not happen with the support of Ventnor Library staff. Tickets are in demand and attendees enjoy a memorable evening with fun quizzes and great entertainment and Baby Box gets a higher profile and unrestricted funding raised too.

More traditionally, we are supported weekly by the customers and Community Champion of Morrisons in Lake store. Whilst the Ventnor Coop has collection points for food and baby items in store, and provides us with surplus in date food when they have overstocked. ASDA ‘s Community Champion has provided items left over after promotional events for baby items and Shanklin Coop manager supports us in many ways. Smaller, local businesses have always helped us too with Ventnor’s local health food store continuing to act as a donation point for items as well as anonymised cash donations and signposting those in need to our organisation.

During 2024, Baby Box signposted people to formal advice agencies such as the Footprint Trust and Citizens Advice for expert money advice and help with heating problems. We also worked closely with the local support networks provided by the Better Days Caffe, and the Well-being Café. When possible we attended the monthly ‘Really Useful’ community sessions in St Catherine’s church where support organisations go to meet the public face to face..

Baby Box continued to provide a useful resource to professional agencies and welcomed social worker and health visitor requests and referrals, as well as supporting foster carers and others who help our community such as the Living Wel team and the local refuge. We are fully aware that we could not have done a fraction of what we did without the support of countless small acts of kindness from unknown individuals, or bigger organisations such as Ventnor Town Council, the Isle of Wight Council’s Household Support Fund team.

AVOIDING FOOD WASTE

In 2024 the organisers of all of the Isle of Wight Community Pantries began to work together to improve collaboration between all organisations dealing day to day with food insecurity including pantries, foodbanks and larders.

We are also fortunate to be part of a network includes an Island-wide food distribution approach to avoid food waste. This dovetails well with our weekly deliveries from FARESHARE, our local COOP store and Morrison’s Community Champion and we are truly appreciative of the support of all customers who are the main donors of provisions shared by supermarkets. The seasonal kindnesses of local schools and local churches in sharing their harvest festival collections with our charity is fully appreciated.

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LOCAL NEED

Ventnor has been identified in the latest JSNA (published in March 2022) as an area of higher deprivation and of higher food insecurity in both the Central Ventnor and Upper Ventnor areas. Ventnor is also identified as an area where there is an increased risk of higher social isolation. This is a longstanding situation that predates the further difficulties encountered due to the recent pandemic. The Government’s Index of Multiple Deprivation published in 2010 and Local Strategic Output Areas of Central and Upper Ventnor, Central Ventnor is in the 10% most deprived area nationally whilst Upper Ventnor falls in the 20% most deprived area. Later publications of the Government’s index of multiple deprivation (published 2015 and 2019) show that these areas have become more deprived.

Whilst all three organisations support people in need from across the whole of the Isle of Wight, we are based in Ventnor, and it follows that a lot of our contacts are with local households experiencing food insecurity and food poverty in Ventnor and the surrounding area and from January 2025 our Ventnor Community Pantry will met the needs of our catchment area; whilst our Ventnor Community Foodbank and Baby Box will continue to support the whole of the Isle of Wight.

Keeping on going – who helps?

Huge thanks are due to so many people and organisations and Trustees want first and foremost to extend our gratitude to each and every one of our volunteers who generously and unstintingly donate their time, many of whom go ‘above and beyond’ to help our community..

As Trustees we feel rightfully very proud of what our small grassroots community organisation has achieved, and we fully appreciate that we simply could not have done a fraction of what our small charity achieved during 2024 without an amazing network of practical help and support from our local Ventnor Town Councillors and officers,

Ventnor Businesses, local Churches of many denominations as well as the Isle of Wight Council have made a world of difference.. We have been supported by fundraising efforts arranged by the team organising Ventnor Darlings at Ventnor Library events, which are memorable for so many reasons.

Cash donations from so many small organisations such as local Lions and Rotary clubs as well as others ranging from Unison Local Government branch to the local runners, Ventnor Sloggers, that we’ll do our best to acknowledge where space allows. We are an organisation that struggles to meet running costs and are therefore grateful for any and all ‘unrestricted funds, some of which are donated by religious organisations and many very kind individuals who wish to remain anonymous. Without these ‘unrestricted funds’ we would truly be lost without them. Trustees are grateful to everyone who helps us help others across the whole of the Isle of Wight.

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During 2024 our charity was supported by many individuals and many organisations. Thanks are due to: -

Ventnor Town Mayor and Ventnor Town Deputy Mayor, other Ventnor Town Councillors, the Town Clerks, the Community Development Officer and the whole team at Ventnor Town Council who support our endeavours.

Southern Housing Group senior management who not only visited us in 2022, but continued to support us through 2023 and 2024.

Fareshare in Southampton that delivered to us plentiful supplies to share with our Pantry members. The Fareshare delivery team is made up of heroes who find their way to Ventnor in all weathers, a particularly difficult challenge after the landslip at the end of 2023 and the coastal road remained closed throughout 2024.

We are very proud to have an amazing working relationship with many different organisations in our community, our very effective networking can translate in to results like obtaining free additional items of support to our service users, examples include: incontinence packs from Age Uk, we distribute pet food on behalf of local animal charities such as the RSPCA, Cat Protection League and Friends of Animals as well as absolute essentials for dignity such as toiletries and sanitary products donated the weekly donations from Morrisons customers. The local knitting club in Wroxall donate lovely baby clothes too.

Each year we also distribute Christmas toys as part of Isle of Wight Radio Toy Appeal, where we hand out presents for Christmas to local families. In December 2024, 127 individual children received main presents and stocking fillers from the Toy Appeal.

RISK MANAGEMENT:

The Trustees recognise that systems can only provide reasonable but not absolute assurance that major risks have been adequately managed and are responsible for overseeing risks faced by the organisation. Internal financial controls are in place. Financial commitments are closely monitored and opportunities for further grants are actively explored to meet future needs. We take seriously the Risk Management process and Trustees are satisfied major risks have been identified and adequately mitigated. Detailed consideration is carried out in consultation with key postholders, and we have a Safeguarding lead officer who has undertaken detailed risk assessments, produced written policies.

FINANCIAL MATTERS

All Trustees give their time freely and no Trustee received remuneration or Trustee expenses for undertaking this role during the financial period covered by this Annual Report. The accompanying independently examined financial report shows income and expenditure for the year 1[st] January 2024 to 31[st] December 2024.Whereas in previous years donations came mostly from private individuals, local organisations and in the case of the foodbank from Ventnor Town Council, during 2024 we benefited from a substantial Lottery grant and were able to extend the service and improve the premises.

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OTHER RELATIONSHIPS:

Whilst the attached, signed, examined and approved financial accounts summarises total amounts of cash provided by government grants, individuals and organisations, thanks are due to many others who offer wisdom and support:

FUTURE PLANS

Baby Box Isle of Wight Trustees are committed to continuing the work of the charity and to recruiting new suitably skilled Trustees and our Charity requires more Trustees with the breadth and depth of experience to carry out its duties effectively and efficiently. When recruiting new Trustees, we will always consider the important attribute is a passion for the work undertaken by our Charity as well as the business and professional experience to ensure that applicants for Trustees are considered on the basis of the essential skills and experience they offer as well as any skill gaps that may exist in the existing makeup of the board of Trustees.

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Trustee Recruitment:

We recruited a new Trustee in 2023, and we continue to seek applicants with commitment, knowledge and skills drawn from a background in the following fields of expertise: legal, financial and accountancy, social inclusion, business and management experience, including the management of volunteers.

Trustees will work to address the needs of those experiencing food poverty.

Whilst all three organisations support people in need from across the whole of the Isle of Wight, we are based in Ventnor, and it follows that a lot of our work will address those experiencing food poverty and reside in Ventnor and the surrounding areas. We will start 2025 by addressing the dramatic increase in demand our Community Pantry has experienced throughout 2024. Accordingly from January 2025 we will review membership and offer it only to those residing in the PO38 catchment area and gently guide former members living across other areas of the Island with community pantries available to them closer to their homes. Every member who is affected by this will be offered support to help them with the transition. For those in need of crisis and emergency food regardless of where on the Island they live, our community foodbank will never ever fail to offer practical help.

Ventnor has been identified in the latest JSNA (published in March 2022) as an area of higher deprivation and of higher food insecurity in both the Central Ventnor and Upper Ventnor areas. Ventnor is also identified as an area where there is an increased risk of higher social isolation. The Government’s Index of Multiple Deprivation published in 2010 and Local Strategic Output Areas of Central and Upper Ventnor, Central Ventnor is in the 10% most deprived area nationally whilst Upper Ventnor falls in the 20% most deprived area. Later publications of the Government’s index of multiple deprivation (published 2015 and 2019) show that these areas have become yet more deprived. This has long been acknowledged by Ventnor Town Council and our tiny charity owes a great deal to the officers and elected councillors who have done so much to help us help the local community. It was with great sadness that Trustees attended the funeral of the Ventnor Town Clerk, David Bartlett in February 2024 where we learned of his lifelong commitment to organisations like ours. We will be forever in his debt for the personal support and encouragement he offered us from the outset.

Poverty Reduction Strategy – playing our part

Trustees will work through all three of our organisations to continue to interact with our local and wider community and to build positive relationships with families and individuals in need, local businesses, faith communities, schools and local support networks, Ventnor Town Council, the Isle of Wight Council and other elected bodies.

Baby Box Isle of Wight took part in the consultation exercises carried out by the Isle of Wight Council in the drafting of the Isle of Wight Poverty Reduction Strategy. We look forward to playing our part in meaningful coproduction with the Isle of Wight

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Council and to work with their elected Councillors and officers to bring about their vision for the .Isle of Wight to be a fair and inclusive place to live……and to aid them in their vitally important task of bringing everyone together as community partners to help residents live a life free from poverty and inequality .’

The Isle of Wight Poverty Reduction Strategy draws upon the latest JSNA data sets that show that:

Our trusted team of volunteers and staff will continue to meet those in need face to face and to link individuals in need of advice and support to Island – wide agencies including Citizen’s Advice, Family Centres, Veteran’s Outreach, Healthwatch, Footprint Trust, and other appropriate agencies..

For those in need of connection with others, company, advice and a place to be warm we refer them to the Better Days Caffé, The Well-Being Café, and the monthly Really Useful Thursday sessions held at St Catherine’s Church which brings together agencies in a warm space providing company, food and advice under the same roof.

Cascading Kindness to those in need takes a network of goodwill and cooperation and our true appreciation is extended to every individual, most particularly our amazing team of volunteers, and all organisations, big and small, that help us help they many people they likely may never meet.

Trustees: Joyce Milford Stephen Milford FCPFA Tony McCarthy Mark Chiverton

Ventnor Community Foodbank operating venue address: Victoria Street, Ventnor, Isle of Wight PO38 1ET

Baby Box Isle of Wight operating venue address: Victoria Street, Ventnor, Isle of Wight PO38 1ET

Ventnor Community Pantry at Baby Box operating venue address: Victoria Street, Ventnor, Isle of Wight PO38 1ET

Baby Box Isle of Wight Office address: Salisbury Gardens, Dudley Road, Ventnor, Isle of Wight PO38 1 EJ

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Bankers

NatWest Newport Isle of Wight 107 St James Square Newport Isle of Wight PO30 1XH

Independent Examiner

Warren Fresle ACMA (professional body CIMA)

Insurance Brokers:

Norris & Fisher Insurance Brokers Ltd Threefield House Threefield Lane Southampton SO14 3 LP

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Charity Name No (if any) BABY BOX ISLE OF WIGHT 1193830 Receipts and payments accounts CC16a

For the period Period start date Period end date To from 01-Jan-24 31-Dec-24

Section A Receipts and payments Section A Receipts and payments
A1 Receipts Unrestricted
funds
to the nearest £
16,912
4,031
34,001
-
-
-
-
-
54,944
-
-
-
54,944
25,814
45
28,614
-
-
-
-
-
-
54,473
-
-
-
54,473
471
-
27,969
28,440
Restricted
funds
to the nearest £
52,323
24,701
67,234
-
-
-
-
-
144,258
-
-
-
144,258
31,334
20,870
69,863
-
-
-
-
-
-
122,067
-
-
-
122,067
22,191
-
23,326
45,517
Endowment
funds
to the nearest £
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Total funds
to the nearest £
69,235
28,732
101,235
-
-
-
-
-
199,202
-
-
-
199,202
57,148
20,915
98,477
-
-
-
-
-
-
176,540
-
-
-
176,540
22,662
Last year
to the nearest £
BabyBox 16,912 25,334
Foodbank 4,031 25,529
Pantry 34,001 69,497
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
Sub total(Gross income for
AR)
54,944 120,360
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).
-
-
-
~~Sub total~~ - -
Total receipts
A3 Payments
120,360
BabyBox 25,814 33,197
Foodbank 45 23,136
Pantry 28,614 73,081
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
**Sub total ** 54,473 129,414
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
-
-
**Sub total ** - -
Total payments
Net of receipts/(payments)
A5 Transfers between funds
A6 Cash funds last year end
Cash funds this year end
129,414
471 22,191 - 22,662 - 9,054
- - - - -
27,969 23,326 - 51,295 -
28,440 45,517 - 73,957 - 9,054

CCXX R1 accounts (SS)

23/10/2025

1

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
Categories
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees
B1 Cash funds
B2 Other monetary assets
B4 Assets retained for the
charity’s own use
B5 Liabilities
B3 Investment assets
Signature
Details
Details
Baby Box
Foodbank
Pantry
Details
Details
Total cash funds
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))
Details
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
to nearest £
to nearest £
- 6,260
23,471
24,437
4,472
10,263
17,574
28,440
45,517
OK
OK
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
to nearest £
to nearest £
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Fund to which
asset belongs
Cost (optional)
-
-
-
-
-
Fund to which
asset belongs
Cost (optional)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Fund to which
liability relates
Amount due
(optional)
-
-
-
-
-
Print Name
Stephen B Milford
Endowment
funds
to nearest £
-
-
-
-
OK
Endowment
funds
to nearest £
-
-
-
-
-
-
Current value
(optional)
-
-
-
-
-
Current value
(optional)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
When due
(optional)
Date of
approval
Stephen B Milford 05-Oct-25

CCXX R2 accounts (SS)

23/10/2025

2