specialist bereavement support for Richmond borough
Annual Report 2024
Charity registered in England and Wales No: 1195114
Registered Address: space2grieve, ETNA Community Centre, 13 Rosslyn Road, East Twickenham TW1 2AR
1
## report of trustees
The Trustees are pleased to present their report, together with the financial statement of the charity for the year ended 30 June 2024.
The Trustees have taken note of the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance when exercising any powers or duties to which the guidance is relevant.
## objectives and activities
The charity’s objective is ‘to relieve the distress and suffering caused by bereavement/grief for the residents of Richmond upon Thames through the provision of one-to-one and group bereavement sessions by expert highly trained specialists in bereavement support’.
Activities that took place in the last year in support of our objectives
- We have grown and developed our team of highly trained Specialist Bereavement Supporters (SBSs) offering free, expert bereavement support for adults, children and young people in Richmond borough.
- Our team of volunteers continues to provide space for clients to talk in a series of one-to-one sessions in person or remotely by phone or zoom. Each session will last up to an hour.
- We have 42 client-facing volunteers including 6 supervisors who, on average, have had over 8 years experience of working in bereavement. All have completed space2grieve’s requirements for safeguarding, Enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring) Certification and training, and on average volunteer for 3 to 6 hours per week.
- Regular continued professional development is provided so volunteers are up to date with developments in grief theory and practice.
- Two of our volunteers wrote and produced our own bereavement training programme ’Pathway to Developing Bereavement Support’ which will be run as needed to ensure we always have enough volunteers to meet our agreed waiting time. 5 new Adult SBSs were recruited and started training this year, ready to see clients in September 2024.
- As part of our ongoing CYP service, we have developed an entirely unique approach to supporting parents, called Parenting through Grief. These sessions are an opportunity to guide the parent of a bereaved child through providing appropriate resources and information.
- Compassionate Cuppa is now a regular monthly event for all bereaved residents of the borough, whether or not they have attended sessions with our specialist supporters. This gives an opportunity for bereaved people to share their feelings with others in the same position.
- We have also trialled a new service, Compassionate Supper and the trial has now been extended until December 2024. The Supper is held monthly for ex-clients to get together in the evening for an informal supper. The popularity of this so far further recognises the power of community and connecting with others.
2
## structure, governance and management
The charity was formed on 9 July 2021 as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and has been supporting clients since August that year. The charity has 6 Trustees and 3 parttime paid employees.
## Trustees :
Barbara Davies (9 July 2021 - present) IT
Jenny Harris (9 July 2021 - present) Co-founder, Organisational and HR
Mary Parry (9 July 2021 - present) Co-founder, CYP and Safeguarding
Dr. Robert Owen (19 December 2022 - present) Clinical
Jennifer Clarke (1 May 2024 - present) Finance
Stella Burgess (1 May 2024 - present) Marketing & Communications
> Service Management & Marketing Staff :
Louise Flory - Service Manager
Hattie Deards - Clinical Services Co-ordinator
Katherine Mathers - Fundraising & Communications Manager
The Trustees hold quarterly meetings.
New Trustees are recruited as and when necessary. Prospective Trustees are asked to provide a range of information by completing a Trustee application form. They are also required to provide a reference. They will be met by all Trustees prior to a decision - taken on both sides - to begin an evaluation process.
During this evaluation period, they are invited to observe proceedings at a Trustee meeting and spend time with the Service Management and the Fundraising & Communication Manager as appropriate.
After this period, and if the prospective Trustee is still interested in joining the Board, a vote is taken by the Trustees to confirm their acceptance. Induction and support of a new Trustee is undertaken by the other Trustees and the Service Management team.
Trustees delegate the day-to-day management of the service to the Service Management team and the Communications and Fundraising Manager, who are expected to adhere to the aims and objectives and policies of the charity.
The Service Manager reports to the Trustees at their quarterly meetings.
3
## Risks and their management
The Trustees maintain a comprehensive Risk Register, critical risks are examined at each Trustee meeting.
|Trustee meeting.|||
|---|---|---|
|Risk|Mitigation|Level|
|Funding|Funding and Reserves Policies regularly
reviewed and always adhered to.
Spread of funders, including community
fundraising.|Medium|
|Trustee Body and Service
Management (SM) Team
lacks relevant
skills/capacity|Skills audit reviewed and required skills
identified. Job Descriptions written for
roles, whether these be Trustee, SM,
Voluntary or paid-for Consultancy
positions|Low|
|Loss of key staff|Succession planning. All main processes
are documented. Contracts of
employment allow for adequate notice
periods and handover|Medium|
4
income 2023/24
**----- Start of picture text -----**
£871
£2,654 [£1,500 ]
Grants - restricted
Grants - unrestricted
£16,047 £22,000
Donations
£42,000
Gift Aid
**----- End of picture text -----**
space2grieve benefitted from highly valued grant support: Hampton Fund (£22,000), Richmond Parish Lands Charity (£12,000) and the Bob Willis Talent Fund (£30,000). We received donations from the CH Dixon Charitable Trust (£5,000), St Margarets Fair (£2,000), Twickenham Rotary (£600), and Waitrose (£750). A sponsored run raised £3,765. A further £3,850 of client donations were received and EasyFundraising provided us with £82. Gift Aid of £2,654 was claimed on these in the year. Total income was £85,072 compared to £111,695 the previous year. Many thanks to all our supporters, we appreciate you!
## expenditure 2023/24
**----- Start of picture text -----**
£5,192 £3,318
Staff
£4,330
Adult support sessions
£2,600
Children & Young
Persons
£18,935 Marketing
£50,312
Training
Office and Equipment
**----- End of picture text -----**
Our three part time staff cost £50,312, essential for the smooth running of the bereavement support process. Adult support sessions, both 1-1 and our peer support groups Compassionate Cuppa and Supper, required £18,935 which was mainly room hire. Our new Children and Young Persons support cost £2,600 of marketing, materials and room hire. Other marketing and IT costs totalled £4,330 as we updated our website and introduced a quarterly newsletter. Training volunteers and staff, both on joining and thereafter remains a priority and cost £5,192 in the year. Just £3,318 (4% of total spend) went on Office and Equipment. Total expenditure was £84,687 compared to £71,951 the previous year.
5
## reserves policy
The reserves policy is reviewed annually by Trustees and is currently set at 6 to 9 months of operational expenditure in unrestricted funds at the end of each financial year. This level is required to accommodate any period where one funding stream has been exhausted and another is committed but not yet been received. It allows us to meet our commitments to staff and creditors through this period.
## reserves
space2grieve had total reserves of £67,824 at the end of June 2024 (2023: £67,439) comprising £3,667 of restricted funds granted for specific purposes (2023: £25,825) and £64,157 unrestricted (2023: £41,614). With budgeted expenditure for the coming year totalling £92,404, the target range of unrestricted reserves is from £46,202 to £69,303 and we are already within this range.
## approval
The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustee’s report above.
Signed on behalf of the Charity’s Trustees by:
Barbara Davies
Trustee
Date Approved: 29[th] November 2024
6
## independent examiner’s report
independent examiner's report to the Trustees of space2grieve
I report to the Trustees on my examination of the accounts of space2grieve (the Charity) for the year ended 30 June 2024.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the Charity 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 account 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 material matters have come to my attention with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
- Accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
- 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:
David Matthews
Chartered Accountant
Date: 29[th] November 2024
1 Blenheim Place Teddington TW11 8NZ
7
space2grieve receipts & payments account year ended 30 June 2024
|Receipts
Grants
Donations
Gift Aid
Contribution to training
Bank interest received
Total receipts
Payments
Staff
Bereavement support
Children & young persons
Marketing
Training
Office & admin
Equipment
Total payments
Net receipts for year
Cash funds at start of year
Cash funds at end of year|2023/24
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total
funds
42,000
22,000
64,000
13,447
2,600
16,047
2,654
-
2,654
-
1,500
1,500
871
-
871
58,972
26,100
85,072
11,960
38,352
50,312
14,964
3,971
18,935
-
2,600
2,600
2,963
1,367
4,330
3,224
1,968
5,192
3,287
-
3,287
31
-
31
36,429
48,258
84,687
22,543
(22,158)
385
41,614
25,825
67,439
64,157
3,667
67,824|2022/23
Total
funds
84,000
22,082
3,914
1,650
49|
|---|---|---|
|||111,695|
|||37,934
19,345
336
5,594
4,644
2,881
1,217|
|||71,951|
|||39,744
27,695|
|||67,439|
statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
|Analysis of cash funds:
Current account
Deposit account|At 30thJune 2024
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total
funds
8,903
-
8,903
55,254
3,667
58,921
64,157
3,667
67,824|At 30th
June
2023|
|---|---|---|
|||Total
funds
27,390
40,049|
|||67,439|
8
statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period (continued)
|(continued)|||
|---|---|---|
|Other monetary assets:
Gift Aid due
Interest & other income due
Prepayments|At 30thJune 2024
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total
funds
69
-
69
67
-
67
332
-
332
468
-
468|At 30th
June
2023|
|||Total
funds
1,214
47
-|
|||1,261|
The receipt of Gift Aid and interest due will be included in the 2024/25 Receipts & Payments account. Prepayments represent the amount of costs that have been paid in 2023/24 and accounted for in the above Receipts & Payments account, but which relate to 2024/25.
|Assets retained for the charity’s own use:
Office equipment
31
2,247
2,278
Office furniture
250
1,887
2,137
281
4,134
4,415
Liabilities:
Trade creditors
105
798
903
Pension contributions due
134
71
205
239
869
1,108|2,247
2,137|
|---|---|
||4,384|
||2,656
115|
||2,770|
Settlement of these liabilities will be included in the 2024/25 Receipts & Payments account.
The Trustees declare that they have approved the receipts and payments account and statement of assets and liabilities above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees by:
Trustee
Trustee
Date Approved: 29[th] November 2024
9