Financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2025 (Registered charity, number 1194613)
Page Contents 2 - 7 Trustees’ annual report 8 Independent examiner’s report 9 Receipts & payments account 10 Statement of assets & liabilities 11 - 12 Notes to the accounts
Apart of Me Trustees’ annual report for the year ended 30 June 2025
Full name Apart of Me
Organisation type Charitable incorporated organisation
Registered charity number 1194613
Principal address The Hermitage, Old Hackney Lane, Matlock, DE4 2QL
Trustees Matt Williams, Chair of Trustees Elizabeth Cramp, Treasurer Jeremy Stone Jessica Coelho Amy McKeown Caroline Gerstein
Independent examiner
Eva Stevens, employee of Community Accounting Plus, Units 1 & 2 North West, 41 Talbot Street, Nottingham, NG1 5GL
Governance and management
The charity is operated under the rules of its constitution adopted 27 May 2021.
Within the terms of the constitution, there must be at least 3 charity trustees and a maximum of 12. Apart from the first charity trustees, every trustee must be appointed for a term of 3 years by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees. In selecting individuals for appointment as charity trustees, the charity trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO.
Any person retiring as a charity trustee is eligible for reappointment. A charity trustee who has served for 3 consecutive terms may not be reappointed for a fourth consecutive term but may be reappointed after an interval of at least one year.
Objectives and activities
The object of the CIO is to prevent and relieve mental and physical illness in children, adults and their families suffering from bereavement, loss or trauma by the provision of support and the promotion of the health and wellbeing of such persons.
Public benefit statement
The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit, 'Charities and Public Benefit'.
All of our activities directly benefit young people who have experienced bereavement and our new web resources provide support for young people and the people who care for them.
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Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit
Apart of Me has three core supportive interventions:
1. The Apart of Me Game is a free, award-winning therapeutic game set in a calm, “magical” world with a trusted in-game Guide. It helps young people explore grief safely through stories from people with similar experiences, gentle prompts to accept complicated feelings, and real-world “quests” that build confidence and connection.
2. The Guide Me School Programme is a school-based (non-curricular) programme that helps young people transform their grief into compassion. We provide bereaved young people with a safe, creative space where they can express their grief and meet others who understand what it's like to lose someone very close to them. Young people are encouraged to cultivate compassion for themselves and develop it into compassion for others, providing information and support across the school for other students who have experienced bereavement.
3. Pathlight is a new, youth-led digital space on our website where bereaved young people can create, connect, and be heard. Unlike static resources, it grows with each story, artwork, and reflection, forming a living archive of collective healing. It bridges our face-to-face Guide Me programme and the Apart of Me game with a moderated online space that is safe, compassionate, and creative. Young people co-design the content and set the tone.
Summary of the main achievements during the period
Year in review
2024 was a pivotal year for Apart of Me. We launched ‘Guide Me’, our schools programme, in secondary schools in Enfield and Hertfordshire, and began developing ‘Pathlight’, a new online space co-created with bereaved young people.
In January 2025, co-founder and CEO Louis Weinstock stepped back from his role, and Justina Forristal joined the charity as Interim CEO to support the charity through this transition. Louis remains closely involved as Clinical Lead for Guide Me and Pathlight and continues to be a passionate advocate for bereaved young people and a committed supporter of Apart of Me.
Strategic focus
Our strategy continues to place young people at the heart of everything we do, offering meaningful opportunities for them to co-design our games, products, and services.
During the year, we developed an evaluation framework that flows directly from the clinical approach underpinning all our work. This focuses on three core outcomes:
- Reduced loneliness - Supporting young people to normalise their grief, recognise that they are not alone, and access basic resources to help them cope.
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Developing self-compassion - Helping young people explore their grief more deeply and equipping them with resources that support kindness towards themselves through the grieving process.
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Compassion for others - Inviting young people to turn their lived experience into care for others by helping shape products, services, and messages that support peers experiencing grief. This step is consistently met with enthusiasm and creativity and is central to our ethos at Apart of Me.
This year, our strategy focused on building integrated online and in-person opportunities that complement and reinforce one another through the Apart of Me game, the Guide Me schools programme, and Pathlight. This blended approach helps ensure young people receive the right kind of support at the right time.
Alongside programme delivery, we also prioritised strengthening the charity’s infrastructure, developing robust policies and practices to support sustainable growth and high-quality delivery.
Key areas of work
Guide Me
Guide Me is a school-based, non-curricular peer support programme for bereaved young people aged 11 to 16. In its first year of delivery, we supported pupils in four secondary schools across Enfield and Hertfordshire.
The programme helps young people process grief safely, reduce loneliness, and develop compassion for themselves and others, while also contributing to a more supportive school culture around grief and bereavement.
Guide Me combines:
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Structured, facilitated group support for bereaved pupils
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Creative, therapeutic activities inspired by the Apart of Me game world
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Youth-led peer support activities that reach the wider school community
During the year we directly supported 38 bereaved students who will progress to becoming Guide Ambassadors. In this role they will develop activities and events to create a more compassionate school culture for bereaved students in their wider school community.
Impact
Participants described meaningful shifts in how they felt:
“The ability to speak out and be brave. The ability to know grief can happen and loneliness can happen, but it can pass and get easier.”
“The ability to share and feel safer with others, even if I did not know them before.” “The strength to carry on, even on bad days. And to know if you have trust and you feel safe, you can do this. You can be a more resilient person.”
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Feedback highlights
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97% agreed the Guide Me programme was suitable for “people like me”
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91% valued the in-person nature of the programme
Apart of Me Game
During the year, the Apart of Me game required essential updates to ensure it continued to function smoothly across both iOS and Android platforms. With funding from Forvis Mazars, we commissioned gaming consultancy Code Wizards to carry out these upgrades. They also developed a web-based version of the game, enabling use in schools and other settings where access to phones and tablets is limited.
While this work was underway, engagement levels temporarily reduced as we were unable to promote the game confidently. However, between July 2024 and June 2025, the game was downloaded 4,700 times across iOS and Google Play.
Confidence in the game’s performance has now been fully restored, and we are excited about future development opportunities.
Pathlight
Pathlight is a new, youth-led digital space on our website where bereaved young people can create, connect, and be heard. Rather than a static resource, it is designed to grow through shared stories, artwork, and reflections, forming a living resource of collective healing.
Pathlight bridges our in-school Guide Me programme and the Apart of Me game with a moderated online space that is safe, compassionate, and creative. Young people co-design the content and set the tone.
During the year, we ran online workshops, held one-to-one interviews with young people, and delivered a social media campaign to support engagement. Early on, it became clear that we needed to migrate our website to a new platform to enable this new resource. This coincided with a rebranding project delivered pro bono by Monks Media Agency, who worked alongside young people to develop visuals and tone that reflect the complexity of their grief experiences.
We are delighted with the results of both the new website and the rebranding, and are now working with young people, both online and in person, to create reflections and resources that offer meaningful peer support.
Looking ahead
In the coming year, we will develop a three-year business plan and fundraising strategy to support the growth and sustainability of our three core services.
Pathlight offers an exciting opportunity to engage with young people in new ways, making it easier for them to shape our work and guide support for others.
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We will grow the Guide Me School programme to at least 3 additional schools and work with young people to maximise its benefit for the wider school community.
We also aim to explore the development of the Apart of Me game version 2.0. The game, which is free to download, was first launched in 2018. We are keen to understand how an updated version of the game could deepen our impact and support for bereaved young people in the years ahead.
Financial review
During the financial year ended 30th June 2025, the organisation received total income of £129k, comprising £89k in restricted funding designated for specific projects and £40k in unrestricted funds.
Notable grants received included £60k from The National Lottery Community Fund for our 'Guide Me' schools programme (representing the second year instalment of a three-year £180k grant). This was complemented by matching funding from Saint James' Place (£10k) and Compass Welfare (£11k). Further contributions included £10k from The Haramead Trust (unrestricted) and £6k from Forvis Mazars (earmarked for IT development and sustainability).
Total expenditure for the year amounted to £114k, with the principal costs being:
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£36k for freelancers and consultants predominantly supporting project delivery
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£60k for staff salaries
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£7k for IT costs
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£5k for specific fundraising costs
The remaining £6k covered other costs including insurance, printing, training, recruitment and minor travel expenses.
At year-end, we held a healthy cash balance of £121k (including reserves of £25k), of which £58k represents restricted funds committed to future spending, primarily for the lottery-funded Guide Me project.
The following table shows the payments for the year under the main cost headings:
| 2024– 2025 | 2024– 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Service delivery (projects) | £93,953 | 83% |
| Fundraising | £9,667 | 8% |
| Governance costs | £10,314 | 9% |
| **£113,934 ** | 100% |
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The charity’s policy on reserves
Apart of Me has a reserves policy agreed by the Trustees and reviewed on an annual basis or at any point where there is a significant change in expense commitments as judged by the Treasurer who will review and consider it on a monthly basis. The policy at the year-end was to maintain reserves at a level which equates to approximately 3 months running costs plus a contingency of £5,000. This is intended to cover any potential cash flow problems, growth opportunities and unforeseen setbacks.
The value of reserves at 30th June 2025 was £25k.
Financial risks
The Trustees continue to be mindful of the challenges in the current environment, which is a tough one for the majority of charities, and as such remain focussed on a diverse fund-raising strategy to support our future work.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:
Signed ______ Date _ 27/02/2026 Matt Williams, Trustee
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Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Apart of Me for the year ended 30 June 2025
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Apart of Me (the charity) for the year ended 30 June 2025.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the trustees of the charity 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 my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner’s statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
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the accounts do not accord with those records.
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.
Signed ____ Date _______ 27/02/2026 Eva Stevens BSc, CPFA Employee of Community Accounting Plus
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Apart of Me Receipts & payments account for the year ended 30 June 2025
| 2024 Total Unrestricted Funds Funds £ Note £ Receipts 105250 Grants 2 15000 54124 Donations 2 5163 - Fundraising 15875 1719 Gift aid 813 1068 Bank interest 3264 162161 Total receipts 40115 Payments 146 CEO expenses 564 70167 Consultants/Freelancers 3062 15118 Fundraising costs 5107 2301 Insurance/Finance 1754 3540 IT costs 3520 60 Printing, Postage & stationery 13 685 Professional fees 1232 89 Recruitment costs 629 171 Sundry expenses 46 464 Training 335 182 Travel 64 123 Trustee expenses 120 - Venue hire - 33222 Wages, NI & Pensions 21772 126268 Total payments 38218 - Charity overheads (6000) 126268 Total 32218 35893 Net receipts/(payments) 7897 70643 Cash funds at start of this period 55103 106536 Cash funds at end of this period 63000 |
Restricted Funds £ 87538 703 - 323 - 88564 18 32860 - - 3193 790 236 - - 389 - - 250 37980 75716 6000 81716 6848 51433 58281 |
2025 Total Funds £ 102538 5866 15875 1136 3264 |
|---|---|---|
| 128679 | ||
| 582 35922 5107 1754 6713 803 1468 629 46 724 64 120 250 59752 |
||
| 113934 | ||
| - | ||
| 113934 | ||
| 14745 106536 |
||
| 121281 |
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Apart of Me Statement of assets and liabilities at 30 June 2025
----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2025
£ Cash assets Note £
106536 Bank accounts 121281
106536 121281
Other monetary assets
472 Prepayments - insurance 486
472 486
Liabilities
(2134) Creditors 4 (6836)
(2134) (6836)
These financial statements are accepted on behalf of the charity by:
Signed _____ Date _____ 27/02/2026
Elizabeth Cramp, Trustee
----- End of picture text -----
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Apart of Me Notes to the accounts for the year ended 30 June 2025
1. Receipts & payments accounts
Receipts and payments accounts contain a summary of money received and money spent during the period and a list of assets and liabilities at the end of the period. Usually, cash received and cash spent will include transactions through bank accounts and cash in hand.
2. Grants & donations
| National Lottery Community Fund NCEL CAMHS Saint James' Place Forvis Mazars Haramead Trust Hadley Trust Gowling WLG Chaldean Charitable Trust Sundry donations |
Unrestricted £ - - - - 10000 2000 2000 1000 5163 20163 |
Restricted Total £ £ 60000 60000 11538 11538 10000 10000 6000 6000 - 10000 - 2000 - 2000 - 1000 703 5866 88241 108404 |
|---|---|---|
3. Funds analysis
| Restricted funds Guides Forvis Mazars Sir Halley Stewart Pathlight Unrestricted funds General fund Total funds |
Opening balance £ 21219 - 5000 25214 51433 55103 55103 106536 |
Receipts £ 81861 6000 - 703 88564 40115 40115 128679 |
(Payments) £ (57533) (3933) (4364) (15886) (81716) (32218) (32218) (113934) |
Closing balance £ 45547 2067 636 10031 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 58281 | ||||
| 63000 | ||||
| 63000 | ||||
| 121281 |
Guides – the Guide Me project. Forvis Mazars – technical support. Sir Halley Stewart – evaluation framework. Pathlight – the Website project.
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4. Creditors
£ Professional fees 678 Wages, NI & pensions 842 Consultants & Freelance 4559 Fundraising costs 757 6836
5. Trustees’ remuneration
Trustees received no expenses, remuneration or benefits in this period.
6. Related party transactions
There were no related party transactions in this period.
7. Glossary of terms
Creditors: These are amounts owed by the charity, but not paid during the accounting period.
Prepayments: These are services that the charity has paid for in advance, but not used during the accounting period.
Restricted funds: These are funds given to the charity, subject to specific restrictions set by the donor, but still within the general objects of the charity.
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