North West Hazards Trust Trustees’ Report for 2024-25
North West Hazards Trust (NWHT) was registered by the Charity Commission as a charity in May 2021. NWHT’s purpose is to promote health, safety, welfare and wellbeing of working people by facilitating networking, sharing learning and the adoption of good practice and continuous improvement. NWHT will work with other organisations and campaign groups on health and safety at work and in the environment to provide support, advice and assistance; to educate workers and their representatives; to assist individuals and groups experiencing ill health, poverty or lack of information; and to support research into these issues.
From the start it has been the intention of NWHT to apply for funding from charitable funding organisations and then to award grants, to commission work or research, in order to further the charitable purposes. NWHT does not intend to employ staff or undertake large scale work itself. It will use any funding it receives to award grants and commission work from other organisations. The Trustees use their extensive experience and knowledge of this area of work and of organisations and campaign groups working in this field in order to ensure that funding is appropriately awarded and that positive outcomes are achieved.
The Trustees of NWHT aim to apply as little as practically possible of the finances received to the actual running of NWHT, so that maximum impact and benefit can be achieved by the awarding of funding to other organisations. NWHT aims to keep at most about 10% of any income from grants to cover its running costs and to establish a small surplus / contingency fund to provide stability on a rolling basis. The rest of any income will be paid to other organisations in the form of grants or commissioned work.
The Trustees of NWHT have policies to ensure that any awards of funding are done properly and without risk to the charity or to workers who may ultimately benefit from the work carried out.
Achievements and performance
During the year 2024/25, NWHT received a Fast Track grant and then a Pools grant from the Network for Social Change Charitable Trust, of £5,766 and £12,764 respectively. This was for a project on Climate Justice and the Working Environment, involving producing and disseminating materials for trade unions, via a dedicated website, meetings and conferences. The Pools part of the project also involves working with other organisations on the impact of climate change on workers and workplaces, including a negotiating / collective bargaining toolkit and briefings.
As Greater Manchester Hazards Centre Ltd had successfully completed a project on Toxic Use Reduction which had been carried out using the grant of £10,000 from the Alex Ferry Foundation, and had already been doing work on the impact of climate change, this organisation was chosen to carry out the bulk of the work using the NSCCT grants.
Annual Financial Report
At the beginning of the financial year 2024/25, NWHT had £3,139.93. In the year ended 31[st] March 2025 NWHT received £18,530 in income from two linked grants from the Network for Social Change Charitable Trust for work on Climate Justice and the Working Environment. The first tranche of £5,600 was paid to Greater Manchester Hazards Centre Ltd in November 2024 to do an audit of trade union climate change policies and to start producing and disseminating materials for trade unions on this issue.
Expenditure in total during the year was £6.031.40. This expenditure was made up of £360 to accountants for producing the Annual Financial Return for 2023/24, £5,600 to Greater Manchester Hazards Centre for project work, and the remaining £71.40 was paid in bank charges
At the end of the financial year, NWHT therefore carried forward £15,638.53.
NWHT continues to actively pursue funding from grant making funds.
NWHT Accounts 1[st] April 2024 to 31[st] March 2025
At 1[st] April 2024: Balance brought forward £3,139.93 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025
| Purpose |
Income | Expenditure | Balance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 April 2024 | £ 3,139.93 | |||
| 7 May | accounts | 360.00 | £ 2,779.93 | |
| 30 June | bank charge | 18.00 | £ 2,761.93 | |
| 30 September | bank charge | 18.00 | £ 2,743.93 | |
| 31stOctober | bank charge | 5.40 | £ 2,738.53 | |
| 29 November | grant received | 5,766.00 | £ 8,504.53 | |
| 30 November | bank charge | 6.00 | £ 8,498.53 | |
| 31 December | bank charge | 6.00 | £ 8,492.53 | |
| 2025 | ||||
| 31 January | bank charge | 6.00 | £ 8,486.53 | |
| 17 February | grant awarded | 5600.00 | £ 2,886.53 | |
| 28 February | bank charge | 6.00 | £ 2,880.53 | |
| 14 March | grant received | 12,764.00 | £15,644.53 | |
| 31 March | bank charge | 6.00 | £15,638.53 | |
| Totals | £18,530.00 | £6,031.40 |
Signed
Caroline Bedale, Acting Treasurer