TouchPoint Stansted
Annual Report for the Period Ending 5 April 2022
TouchPoint Stansted – Annual Report of the Chair of Trustees For the period ending 5 April 2022
TOUCHPOINT is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, reg no 1194098. We have established a community hub and well-being initiative based in Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex. Our objective is to facilitate an array of connected community services which address issues around mental health & well-being, social isolation, digital exclusion, employability and economic recovery, as well as financial stress and debt management.
The TouchPoint model is collaborative and is driven by a recognition of the value and efficiency in working with specialist partners while also harnessing the skills & experience that already exist in our community to build a self-sustaining, innovative and forward-looking entity.
We registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in April 2021 and enjoyed rapid growth and high levels of community engagement. Using the community owned former Day Centre and its gardens as our base The TouchPoint Community Cafe opened its doors in July 2021. Initially the cafe was open on one day a week and by March 2022 demand had led to it being two days a week. We have created a welcoming, inclusive, safe place to act as our initial hub.
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Mindful of the need to remove barriers to engagement, the first tea or coffee is always free of charge at our cafe. Hot food and snacks are very reasonably priced and are offered free to those who are experiencing financial hardship.
We soon began to use the cafe to support specialist groups, often on other days of the week. Working in partnership with St Clare Hospice we started a regular bereavement cafe. A dementia friendly singing group and digital skills training sessions were also launched.
Alongside the cafe we also arranged regular visits and outreach from support services and community interest groups such as Citizens Advice , Peabody Trust (Homelessness prevention), Mind in West Essex , Social Prescribing Link Workers , and Ace Hounds Friendship Dogs amongst others. Helping to make these services easier to access has been particularly satisfying.
In August we worked with British Red Cross to coordinate public donations in our area for their Afghan refugee appeal. This was an outstanding effort by our growing volunteer team, who worked tirelessly to manage an almost overwhelming surge of donations. In 2022 we also worked closely with the Council for Voluntary Services Uttlesford in providing support to recently arrived Ukrainian refugees, particularly during their first few days in the United Kingdom.
Throughout our first year the trustees have been determined to ensure that consultation, collaboration and inclusiveness have been at the heart of what we do. It has been a year of rapid growth and we are proud of the highly effective working relationships we have in place with specialist partners who can add real value to our community. We are even more proud of the fantastic local support and encouragement at ground level. Our Parish Council have proved to be enthusiastic and helpful, we greatly value their practical assistance and trust.
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The trustees have paid close attention to our finances, and we aim as much as possible to be self-sustaining whilst applying for grants for specific projects. Funding highlights in our first year include: Uttlesford District Council provided initial seed funding, The National Lottery supported us through their “Awards For All” scheme, and the Rural Community Council of Essex provided significant funding support via their Covid Safe Buildings fund. We had a number of smaller donations from regional organisations, councillors, pubs, clubs and our very generous local community.
We are very dependent on the extraordinary commitment of our volunteers. At the end of our first year as a registered charity we had 35 active volunteers, with that number increasing on a weekly basis. The importance of their work in helping TouchPoint become so well received cannot be overstated.
We look forward to our next year with high expectations. Planned launches include a Community Foodshare initiative, designed to address issues around supermarket surplus and food waste by collecting and sharing fresh produce with our community at a time of increasing financial hardship. She’s Ready , an empowerment project for women, run by women will be delivered free of charge with focus on physical activity, healthy lifestyles and volunteering. We are planning to host a weekly sanctuary, offering support to those in crisis, run by the team at Mind in West Essex . We continue to listen to our community and invite their ideas and participation.
Trustees & Trustee Recruitment:
Upon incorporation our founding trustees were Paul Chambers (Chair), Shirley Johnson (Secretary) Keith Brown (Treasurer) Elissa Burgoine, and Franqui Wilson.
In considering future Trustee appointments TouchPoint will follow Charities Commission guidance.
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Touchpoint Accounts for the Period 15 April 2021 to 5 April 2022
Receipts and Payments Account
| Receipts and Payments Account | ||
|---|---|---|
| Receipts- café Payments - café Café - net Grants/specific collections Note 1 Various corporate and personal donations Payments Note 1 Overheads Small furniture & equipment Promotional Website & IT charges Insurance Bank & donation charges Registration & associated costs Garden costs Transfer between funds Statement of Assets Bank account Cash float Note 1 Unrestricted Grants UDC/SPC Communities Day Centre Restricted funds UDC Councillors New Homes Fund CVSU Winter Fund National Lottery EALC Microgrant UDC Bereavement Cafe UDC Singing for All / Dementia support Community Covid Safe Buildings Community Foodshare Men in Sheds Ukraine DEC Appeal |
£ 767.98 319.90 2,727.66 716.40 61.71 133.05 75.94 |
Unrestricted Restricted Total funds funds funds £ £ £ 7,907.95 - 7,907.95 (9,015.21) - (9,015.21) |
| (1,107.26) - (1,107.26) 20,560.36 35,738.39 56,298.75 4,403.11 - 4,403.11 - (6,137.81) (6,137.81) (4,802.64) - (4,802.64) |
||
| Receipts 825.00 1,500.00 9,750.00 350.00 1,120.00 900.00 14,985.58 3,000.00 2,444.99 862.82 |
19,053.57 29,600.58 48,654.15 (231.10) 231.10 - |
|
| 18,822.47 29,831.68 48,654.15 |
||
| 18,762.47 29,831.68 48,594.15 60.00 - 60.00 |
||
| 18,822.47 29,831.68 48,654.15 |
||
| 9,300.00 11,260.36 20,560.36 Payments Transfer in Balance - - 825.00 930.47 - 569.53 - - 9,750.00 191.50 - 158.50 158.92 - 961.08 84.00 - 816.00 2,365.11 231.10 12,851.57 - - 3,000.00 1,544.99 - 900.00 862.82 - - |
||
| 35,738.39 | 6,137.81 231.10 29,831.68 |
CIO Foundation - Charity Number 1194098
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Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
Report to the trustees/ Charity Name members of Touchpoint On accounts for the 5 April 2022 Charity no 1194098 period ended (if any) Set out on pages 1 to 6 (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)
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I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the period ended 5 April 2022.
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Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
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accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
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the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Date: 19 Jan 2023
Signed: Name: Stephen Pounder Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: 33 Cambridge Road Stansted CM24 8BX
Section B Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
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Give here brief details of Not applicable any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .
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