Crafting2gether Trustee Annual Report
1st April 2022 - 31st March 2023
Prepared By: JULIE COUSINS CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1195177
Ta ~~ble of Contents~~
01 STRUCTURE GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMNT
05 ACHIEVEMENTS
How the Trustee Board Manages the Charity, it’s approach to Risk and long term planning.
A summary of all donations made to beneficiary organisations
02
06
ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
FINANCE
How the Charity and it’s various committee’s and groups are organised
A summary of all donations made to beneficiary organisations
03
07
OBJECTIVES
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Charity’s Vision and Objectives inline with the Charity’s constitution
Saying thank you to everyone who has supported us this year
04
08
ACTIVITIES
AUTHORISATION
A look at the Charity’s main activities throughout the year
Report authorisation and report signatories
5
Structure Governance and 01 Management
crafting2gether is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and is governed by its constitution which was agreed on 14th July 2021 and amended on 26th August 2022, 24th October 2022, 15th January 2023 and 15th May 2023 to take account of changes to the Trustee Board. During that time, we have welcomed three new Trustees and said goodbye to one Trustee who regrettably had to resign due to personal circumstances
GOVERNANCE
Our Trustees have continued to apply robust tests against our 3-year business plan, updating it to reflect the changing priorities of our beneficiaries and ensuring our organisational structure meets the needs of the charity now and going forward.
With this in mind, we have introduced a new Trustee Recruitment selection process and have onboarded 3 new Trustees in this reporting period, reflecting increased diversity and acknowledging previous skill gaps.
01
GOVERNANCE CONTINUED
The Trustees have this year given great prominence in consolidating the activities of the charity, cementing existing relationships with our beneficiary organisations to provide regular crafting and gifting opportunities and at the same time, acknowledging the need to reward our wonderful crafters with “in-house” craft ‘taster’ sessions.
These have been delivered by some of our own wonderful crafters, generating much needed regular revenue which has been identified as critical to our continuing success.
This mix of regular projects interspersed with exciting learning opportunities has seen us increase our regular session attendees and has given rise to creative thinking in our Activity Development Group which has now begun to plan for delivery of taster sessions into the wider community.
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
The Trustees have revisited the 3-year Business Plan, updating it to reflect post pandemic demand and the changing face of need presented to us by our beneficiary organisations.
We have also introduced our Risk Management Policy, which builds on our initial risk assessment activity in year 1 and this is providing us with early sight and opportunity to manage those threats and risks inherent in running a charity which, by its very nature, is demand driven. We have also begun to introduce demand pipeline profiling based on historic need, which is informing our understanding of the funding types and amounts needed to sustain and grow our work in the future. This will become one of our core focus areas next year.
Last year, our risk analysis identified a skill gap in Media/Marketing, regrettably, we have not been able to acquire these skills in the depth and consistency required. We have bridged the gap with help and support from Link CVS (Chesterfield Volunteer Centre), who continue to support us in this regard.
01
GOVERNANCE CONTINUED
We have focused on maintaining and growing our demand and supply pipelines, focussing on the organisations we currently support and nurturing our current volunteer base in order to provide it. This has by necessity, temporarily reduced our ambition to grow our footprint in the local community. We have nevertheless seen our regular attendance numbers grow by 10% and we have added new beneficiary’s and projects to our beneficiary organisations.
This year we have also introduced our Trustee Selection Policy, ensuring robust recruitment going forward. We have also worked with the Chesterfield Volunteer Centre to define the volunteer roles and descriptors needed to grow our organisation in line with our charitable aims, this will give us a framework against which we can recruit the right people into the right roles
Important also has been to acknowledge that post pandemic, those who previously supported were returning to work or had less time to dedicate to crafting. To this end, we launched our data preference survey. This identified that a significant number of individuals had moved on, but that our core volunteer base of 40 - 52 regular volunteers remained. Understanding our level of support is essential for planning.
We thank each and every one of our crafters and volunteers - whatever role they play and for however long, we simply could not do it without them!
Organisational Structure 02
Trustee Board - the Trustee Board meets at least quarterly and provides strategic direction, governance and oversight of the organisation, its committees and working groups. Following observation of the effectiveness of sub-groups in year 1, we have this year consolidated the activities of the Activity Planning Group
Strategy Business Committee (SBC) - the SBC meets monthly and is currently constituted of all standing Trustees. This committee is responsible for the co-ordination and delivery of all aspects of the Business Plan, including oversight of the operational planning groups below.
Activity Planning Group (APG) - this group meets bi-monthly and is formed of volunteers and is headed by member of the Trustee Board. It seeks to promote the Charity’s work. It organises promotional events and fund raising activities and reports to the SBC. Following observation of the former subgroup (Workshop Planning Group), it was decided that in order to avoid duplication of effort, the WPG would be disbanded in favour of the single APG group. This has proven beneficial and has allowed this group greater oversight, control and responsibility, with clearer lines of reporting back to the SBC
Objectives 03
OUR VISION
Our Vision is to provide opportunities and activities through the medium of crafting that enhance the physical and mental wellbeing of all participants and beneficiaries
OUR OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the Charity are set out in the Charity’s constitution and are - summarised as follows:
To promote the benefit of crafting within the local community (including schools and other organisations), preserving and nurturing lifelong and portable skills through the provision of practical crafting sessions which connect and strengthen relationships across our community and enhance overall learning experiences.
To provide volunteer made, hand-crafted goods, free of charge to Charities and Organisations which demonstrate a particular need and where the produce is required to support or improve the quality of life of their service users.
To actively connect with, retain and support local volunteers and service users, providing equipment, technical support, friendship and premises in which to learn, improve and impart their crafting (and other) skills.
To promote volunteering and participation by signposting to Charities or Organisations delivering projects that they may wish to support and to provide a safe and welcoming base for service users, volunteer and members of the community to engage in crafting and other activities, aimed at developing individual skill and competence
Activities
04
A YEAR IN PICTURES APRIL - JUNE
QUEEN ELIZABETH II PLATINUM JUBILEE
We ended last year, with an ambition to connect with and engage our local community through the creation of an installation in honour of the Platinum Jubilee of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and boy did we deliver!
Over 40 crafters created started the year with the Platinum Jubilee Project. We connected with our local infant and junior schools who were provided with a cut out Queen’s head silhouette and asked to let their imagination run riot. We worked with all local Primary Schools and the end result was truly amazing - a once in a generation installation of which we can all be justly proud.
This was truly a feat of imagination, crafting and engineering! We were given the opportunity to host the exhibition for 3 months at the Dronfield Heritage Barn, placing us right at the heart of our community.
To say thank you to everyone involved, we hosted a pre - event afternoon tea. A lovely opportunity to pause and say thank you!
NORTH EAST DERBYSHIRE HERO AWARD
We were also proud to collect the NE Derbyshire Hero Award from Lee Rowley MP for our contribution to our community and beyond during the pandemic by producing over 78,000 items of PPE! It was great to meet other groups around our region who did amazing things to help their community . A poignant reminder of a difficult time for everyone. This award goes to everyone involved. Thank you.
,
04
A YEAR IN PICTURES JULY - SEPTEMBER
WORKSHOPS AND GETTING READY FOR WINTER
We recognise the benefits of people connecting with others. It’s good for our mental health and we find that when our crafters meet, there is so much laughter, love and so much crafting! It’s a wonderful atmosphere.
So, when everyone else is thinking of summer holiday’s, our crafters are knitting and crocheting for the winter months.
It’s also the time for planning crafting workshops. These are offered to our crafters and their family/friends at an affordable price, which means they can try taster sessions of crafts they have perhaps always wanted to do but don’t have the equipment for. Some of our crafters even go on to develop their talents and then pass this learning onto others.
We are now developing plans to offer these courses to our local community.
FUNDRAISING
It’s also market time! Alongside crafting for good causes, we work hard throughout the year to craft hand made products which are then sold at our local Artisan Markets in June, October and November. The planning and execution is organised by the Activity Development Group but everyone is involved. A great way of connecting with our local community and raising revenue!
SAYING GOODBYE AND HELLO
We also paid tribute to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and celebrated the coronation of King Charles III by displaying our coronation installation in the Heritage Barn and the Dronfield Library.
04
A YEAR IN PICTURES OCTOBER - DECEMBER
GETTING READY FOR WINTER
Winter is coming! For many of the organisations we support, winter is a very difficult time. Now is when we start to increase the number of items we produce and donate.
Alongside human need, there is also planning for the next Swift migration. With habitat loss, more chicks are left alone - here is where we get involved. Our beautiful multi use crochet/knitted bird baskets are just the thing for tiny Swifts.
CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL
Christmas wouldn’t be the same without the Dronfield Christmas Tree Festival. It’s a great opportunity for the community to visit our oldest church and enjoy the spectacle of decorated trees provided by local organisations and businesses. Our beautiful hand knitted nativity and the very wonderful wonky donky is always a favourite!
WALKING TOGETHER
We know how important walking and getting outside is for our mental health. It was clear through conversations during regular crafting sessions that some of our crafters wanted to continue their new found friendships in other ways and were keen to meet up in other locations. That’s when we launched our Walking2gether Group.
Open to all crafters, volunteers and friends, family and pets, this is a free to access, all ability activity. It’s a lovely way to really get to know people and to explore parts of our local area (and cafe’s) we never knew existed.
04
A YEAR IN PICTURES JANUARY - MARCH
CELEBRATING OUR HERITAGE
Crafting2gether grew out of the pandemic and the amazing work of Shelagh’s Sewing Circle. We’re rightly proud of our heritage and still retain many crafters from those early days, so when our local heritage group asked us to get involved in a producing a retrospective of that momentous time in our history we were only too pleased to help.
We delivered a living exhibition, featuring hundreds of face masks, live audio and a photo montage of what it was like to have lived through that period, together with a full timeline of the work done by our founding group, Shelagh’s Sewing Circle. The centrepiece was our beautiful memorial quilt.
The exhibition also featured original works of art and memorabilia, together with many hundreds of poignant messages of thanks from all those receiving PPE during those very difficult days.
Shelagh Cheetham, Chair to the Trustees hosted a public lecture with free access for those attending and we invited all those involved and current crafters to a pre-exhibition event.
It was a wonderful opportunity say thank you to everyone who supported our community through this difficult time
Achievements 05 The gift of Amazing 8,736 items donated to 13 organisations !
We have been privileged to have worked on behalf of many diverse charitable and community interest organisations this year, providing 8,736 individuals items which have all been donated free of charge. Our items are then distributed by these organisations to alleviate poverty, improve wellbeing or in the case of bonding hearts or bonding buddies are simply used as comforters for parents and children who are experiencing separation through an extended hospital stay. Whatever the need, our crafters are on hand to deliver.
Here’s a breakdown of what we’ve delivered to our main beneficiaries this year.
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THE DEN
44% BABY BASICS 4%
CHESTERFIELD
17% GUSSIES KITCHEN 2% INKERSALL GREEN SCHOOL
9% ROYAL BRITISH LEGION 2% THE HUB, CHESTERFIELD
8% LILLIES CLOTHING BANK 1% PATHWAYS
ST GILES CHURCH
CHESTERFIELD SPECIAL CARE
5% 1% ST GILES CHURCH
BABY UNIT
4% SHEFFIELD CHILDRENS 1% ST SWITHINS CHURCH
HOSPITAL
1% SWIFT RESCUE
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17%
Please note that this excludes items crafted in period but which were NOT donated in period so will exclude all activity on behalf of Doncaster Hygiene Poverty. for which we have donated over 2000 items
05
Baby Basics continues to be our mainstay project. Our crafters love to work on items for this charity and its also a great way for new crafters to learn to sew or knit, however, we are always on the look out for new projects, and this year, we have linked with Doncaster Hygiene Poverty.
They had already identified a need for discrete hygiene pouches for women and girls in their area. They receive many donated hygiene items, but with nothing to carry them in, women can still feel an invasion of privacy or embarrassment. That’s where we came in, from design to production, our crafters have begun work on the production of 2000 beautifully and uniquely crafted pouches which will be delivered in 23/24.
Financial Statement
06
OUR POLICY ON RESERVES
The Charity’s policy for holding reserves is to maintain a level of capital which enables the Charity to support the future growth and develop of its charitable activities and allows for the provision of a small continency to mitigate against any unforeseen risks.
FINANCIAL OPERATIONS
The Charity was established on the 14th July 2021 and this year is our first, full operational reporting year.
During the year, the charity received donations and gifts of £8,594 (of which £750 was from a council grant and therefore restricted) and we raised a further £3,055 through fund-raising and income generating activities.
This was offset by operational running costs of £8,399 leaving an unrestricted balance at the end of the year of £19,533
OVERVIEW
The funding and donations raised by the charity during the year allow it to develop and provide a range of charitable activities that have fully supported its key objectives as exemplified in this report
As we moved into our second year, we have settled into our new home at the Peel Centre and with our fledgling first year as a charity under our belt, our focus has been very much on consolidating our current footprint in the community and amongst the charitable organisations that we support.
As we all finally emerged from the covid pandemic we expected a natural tapering off in the overall number of services users and volunteers and whilst this has been the case, we have retained a core of between 40 - 52 dedicated individuals and over 160 who still receive weekly communications from us.
Overall, our operational costs have increased due to higher rents and raw materials and whilst we have been successful in continuing to meet our costs and improve our reserve funds we have also expanded the portfolio of goods offered, partnering with new organisations to meet the ever increasing demand which we have seen rise exponentially as a result of the cost of living crisis and the war in Ukraine (which in itself brought us wonderful new volunteers, eager to help and get to know their new community). Our Ukrainian friends have now returned to normal work and school life and we wish them well.
Last year we benefited from a single large donation, which gave us much needed breathing space and again this year, whilst we have again been the recipients of a very kind donation from a local organisation we have driven more revenue generation through craft events and internal fund raising than was previously the case. We hope to do more in this area, whilst ensuring our objectives remain at the heart of everything we do.
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06
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FINANCE CONTINUED
As we continue to build on our stable financial platform, our Trustees are mindful of the need to increase both grant funding and income generation in order to deliver against our business plan and charitable objectives.
To this end, we have increased the number of internally delivered workshops and intend in the coming year to promote these into the local community.
At the same time, we are focused on obtaining grant aid to enable us to offer more sessions in our local area and to provide more support to those in need.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY SINCE BECOMING A CHARITY
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25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
14/7/21-31/3/22 IncomeExpenditureUnrestricted Reserve01/4/22-31/3/23 IncomeExpenditureRestricted ReserveUnrestricted Reserve Total
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Acknowledgements 07
There are so many individuals and groups, without whose support, kindness, generosity and hard work, we would not be able to gift our wonderful items.
to our crafters, thank you
We know that the gift of these items means so much to those receiving them, but it is also true that our crafters work with us not just for the love of crafting, but because they know they are making a difference, each and every time they make a bag, a sheet, a blanket or even a worry worm. Each and every item is precious to someone and we couldn't do it without you!
to our partners, thank you
There is a real connection between ourselves and the organisations that we partner with. We share resources when we can and support each other when it matters, so thank you to Gussies Kitchen, Chesterfield Volunteer Centre, Dronfield Hall Barn, the Peel Centre and our Workshop Leaders. Of special note this year has to be Sheffield University for it’s gift of an unending supply of pillows and bedding that we have turned into stuffing for cushions, draught excluders and much, much more.
to our local community, thank you
For our wonderful Dronfield Nurseries, Infant and Junior Schools, who really went to town with their creativity and imagination, to create a wonderful Platinum Jubilee Exhibition and for the Teachers, who worked hard to get their lovely pieces in on time!
To the people of Dronfield who always support our crafting events. You have been amazing.
to our volunteers, thank you
To the unsung heroes who set-up tables, make tea, count items, man stalls, sell raffle tickets, clean, fetch and carry...and work hard on our Activity Planning Group to secure our future, we simply could not do it without you!
Authorisation
08
The Board of Trustees has reviewed and unanimously agreed the contents of this report.
Signed on behalf of the crafting2gether Board of Trustees
Signature(s) Full Name(s) Shelagh Cheetham John Plant Position Chair of Trustees Trustees Date 01st January 2024
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Categories Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B5 Liabilities B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B3 Investment assets B2 Other monetary assets B1 Cash funds |
Details | Unrestricted funds to nearest £ |
Restricted funds to nearest £ |
Endowment funds to nearest £ 0 0 0 0 OK Endowment funds to nearest £ 0 0 0 0 0 0 Current value (optional) 0 0 0 0 0 Current value (optional) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 When due (optional) Date of approval ~~1/01/24~~ ~~/~~ ~~/~~ ~~01/01/20~~ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash at Bank | 19,040 | 750 | 0 | |
| Cash in Hand | 493 | 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) |
19,533 | 750 | 0 | |
| OK | OK | |||
| Unrestricted funds to nearest £ |
Restricted funds to nearest £ |
|||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (optional) | ||
| 0 | 0 | |||
| 0 | 0 | |||
| 0 | 0 | |||
| 0 | 0 | |||
| 0 | 0 | |||
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (optional) | ||
| 0 | 0 | |||
| 0 | 0 | |||
| 0 | 0 | |||
| 0 | 0 | |||
| 0 | 0 | |||
| 0 | 0 | |||
| 0 | 0 | |||
| 0 | 0 | |||
| 0 | 0 | |||
| Details | Fund to which liability relates |
Amount due (optional) |
||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| Signature | Print |
Name |
||
| Date of approval |
||||
| J M PLANT ~~0~~ |
~~1/01/24~~ |
|||
| ~~S.Cheetham~~ |
~~01/01/20~~ | |||
| Charity Name crafting 2gether |
Charity Name crafting 2gether |
Charity Name crafting 2gether |
No (if any) 1195177 |
CC16a | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Receipts andpayments accounts |
|||||
| For the period from |
1stApril 2022 Period start date |
To | Period end date 31st March 2023 |
||
| Section A Receipts and payments | |||||
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ |
Total funds to the nearest £ |
Last year to the nearest £ |
| Donations,Gifts,Sponsorship | 7,844 0 2,187 868 |
0 | 0 | 7,844 | 17,242 |
| Grants | 750 | 0 | 750 | 0 | |
| Fund Raising Receipts | 0 | 0 | 2,187 | 0 | |
| Other Receipts | 0 | 0 | 868 | 5,008 | |
| Sub total | 10,899 | 750 | 0 | 11,649 | 22,250 |
| 0 0 |
|||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). | |||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Sub total | 0 |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total receipts A3 Payments |
|||||
| 10,899 | 750 | 0 | 11,649 | 22,250 | |
| Staff Costs Premises Costs Supplies and services Fund RaisingCosts |
0 5,169 1,047 1,237 946 0 0 0 0 |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 0 | 0 | 5,169 | 1,979 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 1,047 | 339 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 1,237 | 0 | ||
| Other Costs | 0 | 0 | 946 | 2,962 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Sub total | 8,399 | 0 | 0 | 8,399 | 5,280 |
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) | 0 0 |
||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Sub total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end |
|||||
| 8,399 | 0 | 0 | 8,399 | 5,280 | |
| 2,501 | 750 | 0 | 3,251 | 16,970 | |
| 0 17,032 |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 0 | 17,032 | 62 | ||
| 19,533 | 750 | 0 | 20,283 | 17,032 |