2025-06-30-accounts - Space2grieve

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

specialist bereavement support for Richmond borough

Annual Report 2025

Charity registered in England and Wales No: 1195114

Registered Address: space2grieve, ETNA Community Centre, 13 Rosslyn Road, East Twickenham TW1 2AR

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 2025.

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’.

our values

At the heart of our service is the belief that no one should face loss alone. We walk alongside people in grief, offering comfort, support, and a path towards healing.

We are Compassionate – we listen with empathy and respond with kindness, creating safe spaces for those who are grieving.
We are Responsive – we provide a free, local, face-to-face service, adapting to individual needs and emerging community demand.
We are Respectful – we honour each person’s unique experience of loss, always without judgement.
We are Connected – we help people overcome isolation, and we work in partnership across Richmond to strengthen bereavement support.
We are Professional – we uphold high standards of confidentiality, reliability, and integrity in everything we do.

Together, these values guide every part of our work, ensuring we deliver compassionate, high-quality bereavement support for all who need us.

In the last year, we were privileged to support 326 local residents, providing 2,063 hours of free bereavement support. Alongside this, 152 people joined our monthly Compassionate Cuppa and Grief Café sessions, and 121 former clients came together to share a meal at our monthly Compassionate Supper. Most importantly, 98.5% of our clients reported improved wellbeing and greater confidence in facing the future, while 93% experienced a reduction in loneliness and isolation. None of this would be possible without the extraordinary commitment of our volunteers.

We have over 36 active volunteers including six supervisors who have extensive knowledge of working in bereavement support for adults. Five more volunteers completed our bespoke training enabling ten more clients to be supported. On average they volunteer for eight hours each month. This ensures that we continue to manage our waiting list to be no longer than eight weeks.
As part of our ongoing Children and Young Persons (CYP) service, we have

developed an entirely unique Parenting through Grief approach to supporting parents. This programme provides parents with valuable resources and information to enable them to support their child.

A Children and Young Persons course was delivered by an external CYP training professional which trained seven specialist CYP bereavement volunteers, followed by the completion of level 2 Safeguarding certification.
From four locations within Richmond Borough we offer eight free sessions to adults, twelve sessions for children and young persons (up to the age of 25). Where requested we also operate remotely either by telephone or zoom. Children are also seen at their own school.
2024-25 saw the expansion of our staff team to include a CYP Administrator to support our expanding CYP service. This appointment enabled us to communicate the service to all schools in the Borough.
All our client facing volunteers are required to attend monthly supervision meetings and to keep up to date with changes to grief theory and practise. All have met space2grieve’s requirements for Enhanced Disclosure and Barring (DBS) Certification and for Safeguarding training.
Compassionate Cuppa and Supper continue to be regular monthly events. Compassionate Cuppa is an opportunity for the bereaved to be introduced to our service and perhaps to go on to have one to one support. Compassionate Supper is an opportunity for former clients to come together to support each other over an evening meal. These services recognise the impact of peer to peer support - providing a safe space for managing the loneliness and isolation that is often a consequence of bereavement.

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 4 parttime paid employees.

Trustees :

Barbara Davies (9 July 2021 - present) IT, Finance

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

Stella Burgess (1 May 2024 - present) Marketing & Communications

Hilary Nightingale (30 April 2025 – present) Partnerships

Jennifer Clarke (1 May 2024 – 27 November 2024) Finance

The Trustees hold quarterly meetings.

Prospective Trustees are asked to provide a range of information by completing a Trustee application form. They are also required to provide a reference. During an initial 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. Induction and support of a new Trustee is undertaken by the other Trustees and the Service Management team.

Service Management & Marketing Staff :

Louise Flory - Service Manager

Hattie Deards - Clinical Services Co-ordinator

Katherine Mathers - Fundraising & Communications Manager

Miranda Jessop – CYP Administrator (started 3 March 2025).

The Service Manager reports to the Trustees at their quarterly meetings.

approval

The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustee’s report above.

Signed on behalf of the Charity’s Trustees by:

Jenny Harris, Trustee

Date Approved: 14 January 2026

income 2024/25

----- Start of picture text -----
£928 £1,600 £1,643
£4,675
£8,702
Grants - restricted
Grants - unrestricted
£42,000 Fundraising
Client Donations
Gift Aid
£52,000
Contribution to training
Bank interest received
----- End of picture text -----

space2grieve benefitted from highly valued grant support: Hampton Fund (£22,000 for 2024/25 and £20,000 for 2025/26 restricted), Richmond Foundation (£22,000 unrestricted) and the Bob Willis Talent Fund (£30,000 unrestricted). Fundraising contributed £8,702 including a sponsored swim (£1,714), local concerts (£928), EasyFundraising (£60) and donations from the CH Dixon Charitable Trust (£5,000) and Francis de Sale Church (£,1000). Client donations of £4,675 were received and Gift Aid of £928 was claimed in the year. Total income was £111,548 compared to £85,072 the previous year. Many thanks to all our supporters, we appreciate you!

expenditure 2024/25

----- Start of picture text -----
£2,657
£3,772
£3,691 Staff
£4,497
Adult support sessions
£3,057
Children & Young Persons
Marketing
£21,469 £55,681
Training
Office and Admin
Equipment
----- End of picture text -----

Staff costs increased to £55,681 as we added a fourth part time administrator in support of our expanded Children and Young Persons (CYP) service. A further £3,057

was spent on CYP marketing, materials and room hire. Adult support sessions, both 1-1 and peer support groups, required £21,469 which was mainly room hire. Other Marketing, Newsletter and IT costs totalled £4,497. A gazebo was purchased for promotional use at local fairs and this and other equipment cost £2,657. Training volunteers and staff, both on joining and thereafter remains a priority and £3,691 was spent in the year, less £1,600 of contributions from participants. Just £3,772 (4% of total spend) went on Office and Administration. Total expenditure was £94,824 compared to £84,687 the previous year.

reserves policy

The reserves policy is reviewed annually by Trustees and is currently set at 5 to 6 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 £84,548 at the end of June 2025 (2024: £67,824) comprising £23,667 of restricted funds granted for specific purposes (2024: £3,667) and £60,881 unrestricted (2024: £64,157). With budgeted expenditure for the coming year totalling £105,920, the target range of unrestricted reserves is from £44,133 to £52,960. The planned budget will bring us into this range, targeting 5.1 months unrestricted reserves and 5.5 months total reserves.

risks and their management

The Trustees recognise that effective risk management is essential to the ongoing resilience and sustainability of the charity. A Risk Register is maintained, with critical risks reviewed at each Trustee meeting. The principal risks identified are:

Funding – Securing sustainable income is vital. This is mitigated by adhering to Funding and Reserves Policies and diversifying income sources, including grants, donations, and community fundraising
Loss of Key Staff – The departure of staff could disrupt services. Mitigation includes succession planning, documenting key processes, and ensuring contracts allow for notice and handovers
Trustee and Management Capacity – To ensure the charity has the right skills and experience, regular skills audits are carried out, role descriptions are defined, and external consultancy support is sought when needed.

The Trustees are satisfied that appropriate systems and safeguards are in place to manage these risks ensuring the continued delivery of our support services.

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 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 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: 14 January 2026

1 Blenheim Place Teddington TW11 8NZ

space2grleue recelpts & payments account year ended 30 June 2025 2024/25 Total 2023124 Total UThre8trtcted Re8trfcted Recapt$ Gronts Donations Fundraisng Gift Aid Contribution to troming Bank interest Total recelpts 52.000 4.675 8.702 928 42.000 94.000 4.675 8,702 64.000 3.530 12517 2654 700 87 85.072 I,tA)O 1.600 1.643 111548 67.948 43hOO Stoff Adult Support Sessions Children S uoung persons Marketing Training Offu 8adrnn EquipTnent TotaL Foyments 37.156 17.994 3.057 4.497 2.091 3.772 2.657 224 18.525 3.475 55h81 21.469 3.057 4A97 3.691 3.772 2657 94,824 50,312 18.935 2600 4330 5.Ilf2 3287 31 84,687 I,tA)O 23.600 Net Teceipts for yr Co8h funds ot stort of year Cash fund8 at endof year 13276) 64.157 60,881 20.C(JO 3667 23,667 16.724 67B24 84,548 385 67.439 67,824 statement of assets and Liabilities at the end of the period At 3cPJune 2025 At3C June 2024 Total Unrestricted Restrlcted Total fund8 funds AnaLysls of $$ fund8: Current account Deposit occount 2.984 57.897 60,881 20.000 22984 3,667 61.564 23,667 84548 8.G03 58.¢¥21 67B24

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:

Jenny Harris, Trustee

Barbara Davies, Trustee

Date Approved: 14 January 2026