## **Trustee Report & Financial Accounts** ## **1st April 2024 - March 31st 2025** ## **Charity Name: Give. Help. Share.** ## **Registered Charity No: 1193872** ## **Charity Address: 35 Links Drive, Elstree, Herts WD6 3PP** ## **Board of Trustees:** Ben Barbanel (Chair) Adam Daniels Simon Harris Sophie Macadar ## **Management Structure:** 1. Co-Founders 2. Contract Educators 3. Volunteers ## **Constitution** The principal objects of the charity are to relieve financial hardship amongst people (in particular but not exclusively) of vulnerable youth in London, Hertfordshire and the surrounding areas: - by providing emergency food, essential toiletries, and household items to individuals and families in need - by providing support or signposting to relevant information and other advisory services ## **Charity Aims** In setting our aims and planning our activities, our Trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance. Hence, our three aims are: - to **‘GIVE’** children nutritious food - to **‘HELP’** families in crisis - to **‘SHARE’** food knowledge with children All our charitable activities focus on the wellbeing of disadvantaged children and families. These activities provide recipient children and families with access to free, healthy food parcels and essential nutrition knowledge that is not typically taught in school or at home. We understand that food is 'fuel for learning': we aim for our beneficiary children (ages 7-11) to attend school well-nourished through receiving healthy foods and to make independent, healthier food choices. ## **Governance** Give. Help. Share is a registered charity, constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and governed by its Constitution. The co-founders manage the charity’s day-to-day operations, with strategic oversight and accountability provided by the Trustees through quarterly meetings. The charity actively seeks feedback from its beneficiaries - disadvantaged children and families - as well as from key stakeholders, including partner schools, to help shape and improve the delivery of its projects. During the year, Simon Harris stepped down from his role as Trustee in February 2025. The Board thanks him for his valuable contribution to the charity’s development. ## **Charity Activity - 2024/25** ## **‘GIVE’** The year 2024/25 marked the fourth year of operation for Give. Help. Share. We are pleased to report that the charity has strengthened its financial position, closing the year with £142,000 in reserves. This represents just over six months of core expenditure and places the organisation in a stable and sustainable financial position, enabling us to continue delivering high-impact food and education support to disadvantaged children and families. In 2024/25, we distributed 16,000 wholesome food bags to disadvantaged children and families through our established weekly school distribution network - an increase from 14,200 in the previous year. This equates to approximately 400 food bags delivered each week across the 40week academic year. School leadership teams retain discretion over the allocation of these parcels, ensuring they reach the families most in need within their communities. Each food bag includes a thoughtful selection of staple items such as pasta or rice, tinned vegetables, cereal or oats, milk (dairy or plant-based), fresh fruit and vegetables, healthy snacks, and bread or crackers. The contents are designed to provide enough for 2–3 nutritious family meals, as well as child-friendly snacks and breakfast items. Based on continued feedback from recipient families, each parcel contained more goods than in previous years, resulting in a more valued and impactful service. Our dedicated team of volunteers packed these food bags during weekly sessions, playing a vital role in the consistency and scale of our delivery. In parallel, our food education work also expanded, with the number of workshops delivered rising from 200 to 250 taught lessons during the year. We did not renew the contract for the part-time coordinator role in 2024/25. Instead, we chose to strengthen our educational delivery by employing an additional contract educator. We now have three qualified teachers consistently working with the charity on a weekly basis, each delivering approximately four food education lessons. Our core team continues to operate on a lean model, with one full-time employee - our CEO, Jacqueline - and Amanda, who volunteers on a full-time basis. Despite limited staffing, this structure has allowed us to maintain efficient operations and expand the reach of our food education programme in primary schools across North London and Hertfordshire. School holiday food bag distribution, delivered as part of the government-led Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, was a repeating component of our charitable activity in 2024/25. We provided child-friendly snack parcels during the Easter, Summer and Winter school holidays, distributing 1,700 bags in total. ## **‘HELP’** Throughout 2024/25, food prices remained significantly high, continuing to put pressure on lowincome households. According to the Food Foundation's _Broken Plate 2025_ report, families in the most disadvantaged 20% of the UK population would need to spend approximately 70% of their disposable income on food to afford the government-recommended healthy diet. Against this backdrop, beneficiaries consistently described Give. Help. Share’s food parcels as “a lifeline” and “a cupboard filler.” In addition to food support, we continued our Fuel for Change appliance project, supplying energy-efficient kitchen appliances - such as air fryers, soup makers, slow cookers, electric grills and handheld blenders - on a case-by-case basis in response to requests from families. We distributed these appliances with guidance materials, such as recipe cards and nutritional tips, to ensure families feel confident in using them to prepare low-cost, nourishing meals. We also recognised the growing issue of hygiene poverty in the UK, which has become an increasingly urgent concern for the families we support. In line with our charitable objectives, we have expanded our provision to include essential toiletries - such as toothpaste, soap, deodorant and sanitary products - within our food parcels wherever possible. This integrated approach ensures that families not only receive nutritional support but also maintain access to basic hygiene products, contributing to their overall dignity and wellbeing. ## **‘SHARE’** In 2024/25, Give. Help. Share. delivered 250 food education workshops across Key Stage 2, expanding our reach to include Years 3 through 6. This strategic shift aims to provide children with consistent, age-appropriate food education throughout their primary years. By engaging pupils from an earlier age, we lay the foundation for healthier eating habits and nutritional awareness. To support this expanded delivery, the Give. Help. Share. team developed a comprehensive, age-appropriate curriculum tailored to each year group - marking a significant shift from previous years, when the programme focused primarily on Year 6 pupils. Our three contract educators deliver these carefully designed lessons, which emphasise practical, hands-on learning - such as food preparation, tasting sessions and discussions on nutrition - to help embed lasting knowledge and healthy behaviours. Recognising the ongoing challenges posed by the cost-of-living crisis, our workshops place particular emphasis on: - The health risks associated with high-sugar foods - Creative ideas for preparing budget-friendly, nutritious meals - Encouraging increased consumption of fruits and vegetables to meet the '5-a-day' recommendation To reinforce these lessons, we provided students with hand-held blenders and shared smoothie recipes, demonstrating how to create affordable, vitamin-rich snacks at home. Our goal is to ensure that by the time students complete primary school, they have received a cumulative 25 hours of food education. Research indicates that this duration is effective in consolidating learning and fostering lasting behavioural change in dietary habits. ## **Volunteers** In 2024/25, we welcomed the return of several previous corporate partners to our volunteering programme. Their renewed involvement not only strengthened ongoing partnerships but also provided an opportunity to educate staff about child food insecurity, the importance of healthy eating, and the link between food insecurity and rising childhood obesity rates. Securing long-term partnerships with corporate supporters is vital to the sustainability of our work, helping to ensure a consistent flow of resources, awareness, and advocacy. This year, we also introduced a new end-to-end volunteering experience, enabling corporate teams to take part in the full cycle - from shopping and packing to delivering food bags - deepening their understanding and connection to our mission. We are incredibly grateful for our growing team of dedicated volunteers, with around 35 individuals contributing regularly each week. Their commitment and reliability enabled Give. Help. Share to operate on nearly every working day throughout 2024/25. In recognition of outstanding service, we proudly nominated two volunteers and their partners for a Room to Reward experience - a small gesture of thanks for the big difference they make. ## **Reserves Policy** Our reserves policy ensures that Give. Help. Share maintains a level of unrestricted funds sufficient to continue its core activities for at least six months in the event of unforeseen difficulties. A proportion of these reserves is held in a readily realisable form to allow prompt access if required. The reserves policy and the adequacy of the reserve levels are reviewed annually by the Trustees. ## **Fundraising** Give. Help. Share. is committed to fundraising that is legal, open, honest, and respectful. We comply fully with the Code of Fundraising Practice and all relevant regulatory standards. Donors can be assured that we protect their data, uphold their rights, and use their contributions responsibly to support our charitable aims. ## **Trustee Selection Methods** The management of the charity is the responsibility of the Trustees, who are elected in accordance with the terms set out in the charity’s Governing Document. Trustees are appointed based on their relevant skills, experience, and commitment to the charity’s aims. Simon Harris elected to step down as a Trustee in February 2025, and his contribution to the charity during his tenure is gratefully acknowledged. ## **Risk Management** The Trustees take a proactive approach to identifying, reviewing, and managing the risks the charity may face across all areas of its work. Risks are regularly assessed to ensure appropriate controls and mitigation strategies are in place, helping to safeguard the charity’s assets, operations, and reputation while supporting the achievement of its objectives. ## **Achievements** - Delivered over **16,000 nourishing food bags** to disadvantaged families - Delivered **250 educational workshops** in primary schools - Provided **1,250 children** aged 7–11 with hands-on food education - Expanded our **primary curriculum** to cover the full Key Stage 2 age range (7–11 years) - Completed **2 months of targeted social media training** , resulting in more engaging and professional content to better showcase our impact **Future Plans** - Continue delivering food support and education, with a focus on communities experiencing the highest levels of deprivation, as identified by the Index of Multiple Deprivation. - Strengthen and secure repeat partnerships with corporate supporters, encouraging ongoing engagement through volunteering days and long-term collaboration. - Explore the feasibility of renting a vacant premises to establish a volunteer-led coffee shop, where all profits would be reinvested into the charity’s core mission. ## **Receipts and Payments 2024/25** ## **Financial Review** In 2024/25, Give. Help. Share generated total income of £227,822, remaining broadly consistent with the previous year. The largest portion of this income came from grants (£137,618), with additional contributions from donations (£51,894) and food donations (£38,154). Although slightly down from last year, this level of income reflects sustained confidence from funders and supporters despite a challenging economic climate. Expenditure rose to £196,892, compared with £187,999 in 2023/24. The main contributor to this increase was food purchases, which climbed to £76,051. This reflects both the continued rise in food prices and the charity’s commitment to addressing beneficiary feedback gathered through regular surveys, which emphasised the importance of including fresh produce in the food bags. While food donation costs decreased to £38,154, the shortfall was met through direct purchasing to maintain the quality, variety and nutritional value of support provided. Salaries fell to £44,355, down from £51,609 the previous year, following the non-renewal of the part-time logistics role. However, contractor fees remained high at £13,000, supporting the increased delivery of food education sessions by a growing team of educators. The increase in professional fees this year was primarily due to the installation of a defibrillator on the exterior wall of the charity’s residence, at a cost of £1,500, along with associated training for all volunteers. Additionally, £8,000 was spent on engaging a social media agency to enhance Give. Help. Share’s online presence. This included platform optimisation, content development, and training for the internal team. These costs were supported by restricted funding awarded specifically for marketing and PR purposes. Despite these fluctuations, the charity ended the year with a net surplus of £30,930, bringing current reserves to £142,602 (including restricted income). This puts Give. Help. Share in a secure financial position, with reserves equivalent to just over six months of core expenditure - well aligned with the charity’s reserves policy. ## **Statement of Assets & Liabilities** Cash c/fwd to 2024/25: £111,672 All reserves are cash, and therefore cash b/fwd: £142,602 ## **Declarations** The trustees declare that they have approved the Trustee’s report above. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees - **Signature: Signature: Full Name: Full Name: Position: Position: Date: Date:** ## Independent Examiner’s report to the Trustees of GIVE. HELP. SHARE. I report to the Board on my examination of the accounts of GIVE. HELP. SHARE. Board (the Board) for the period ended 31 March 2025, which are set out on the attached pages. This report is made solely to the Board, as a body, in accordance with Part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. My work has been undertaken so that I might state to the Board those matters that I have agreed to state to it and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, I do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the Board as a body, for our work, for this report nor for the conclusions I have formed. ## **Responsibilities and Basis of Report** As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011(‘the Act’). I report in respect of our examination of the Trustee’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out our examination we have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act. ## **Independent Examiner's Statement** I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: - (1) accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or - (2) the accounts do not accord with those records; or (3) the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view’ which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Andrew Thomas (ACA) **Nyman Libson Paul LLP** Chartered Accountants 124 Finchley Road London NW3 5JS Dated: 29 October 2025