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2024-10-31-accounts

The Sensory Place

Report and Financial Statements Year Ended 31 October 2024

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Contents Page
Legal and administrative information Page 3
Report of the Management Committee Pages 4-7
Report of the Independent examiner Page 8
Statement of Financial Activities Pages 9 - 11
Notes to the financial statements Pages 12 - 14

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The Sensory Place Report of the Trustees Year ended 31 October 2024 Legal and administrative information

Board of Trustees Ann Young
Amy Henderson
Louise Monaghan
Helen Abernethy
Rebecca Follesa
Registered Address 6 Bedford Place
Silksworth
Sunderland
SR3 1LA
Independent Examiner Paul O’Hehir
SM Business Centre,
Barnfield Road
Spennymoor
County Durham
DL16 6EL

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Trustees Annual Report

The trustees present their report and the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 October 2024.

Structure, Governance and Management

The Sensory Place is a registered charity with the Charity Commission for England and Wales since 27 September 2021, charity number 1195932. The Sensory Place is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)

Public benefit statement

The Trustees have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit as published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. In setting our objectives and planning activities our Trustees have given consideration to the public benefit and in particular to the relief of the needs of children and young people with additional needs and disabilities.

Objectives and Activities

The objects of the CIO is: -

To relieve the needs of children and young people with additional needs and disabilities in the North East of England by providing a support network in the form of support groups, sensory friendly activities, training courses, facilities for play, sport and recreation in a safe, secure and non-judgemental environment.

To promote social inclusion amongst parents/carers who are socially isolated or excluded as a result of their child’s condition by providing information, advice, guidance, practical support and recreational facilities in order to promote their life conditions.

Vision

Our vision is that all children and young people no matter what their disability have the same opportunities for play, recreation and fun as their non-disabled peers and that they are free to be able to be themselves.

Mission

Our mission is to provide inclusive and accessible activities for all children and young people with additional needs and disabilities and to give them opportunities they may not otherwise have. We also endeavour to support the whole family by providing family friendly activities and training and information sessions for parents and carers as well as opportunities for them to be relieved of the caring responsibilities even for a short period.

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We will do this by :

The Team

The Sensory Place is supported by a team of passionate trustees and volunteers. The trustees all live and work in the areas in which they serve and also have first-hand, lived experience of raising a child or young person with additional needs and/or disabilities. This gives trustees a unique perspective and an understanding of the challenges that families accessing the charity face as well having the knowledge to be able to provide the right type of support.

Achievements and Performance

The Sensory Place is a family-friendly organisation dedicated to making a real difference in our community. We understand how challenging it can be for families with children who cannot access mainstream activities. That’s why we believe every child should be able to be their authentic self and have fun in a way that’s meaningful to them.

We regularly engage with our families to learn from their experiences—what they have enjoyed, what they would like to see more of and how we can keep improving our services.

Thanks to generous grants and donations, including support from the new local initiative Mackem Money, we have been able to significantly expand our offerings. This support has allowed us to collaborate with local organisations to provide a range of new activities, including art classes, dance sessions and the opportunity for families to learn Makaton and different forms of communication.

Throughout the year, we have offered a wide variety of inclusive activities such as swimming, forest school, science sessions, water sports, climbing, archery, snow tubing, crafts, trampoline

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sessions and gymnastics. We have also hosted special days out to popular destinations including Adventure Valley, Whitehouse Farm, Beamish and Alnwick Gardens.

Following community feedback, our activities now cater to a wider age range—from 0 to 25 years. We’ve worked closely with Sunderland and County Durham Councils to provide holiday activities that include free meals for children. We are proud to be the main provider of SENDfriendly activities in the Sunderland area.

One of our standout events this year was The Greatest Showman family entertainment afternoon. Families enjoyed a relaxed environment with live entertainment, circus skills workshops and lots of fun for all ages. We also provided a two course meal for families to enjoy together. This was such a success that we plan to make entertainment afternoons a regular feature.

At Christmas, we ensured that every child who attended our Soft Play and Breakfast with Santa session received age and ability appropriate gift. We also provided parents and carers with a hot drink and cooked breakfast to share the festive joy.

We have also collaborated with ‘Choice Wellbeing Service’, a local CiC who provide support services for parent carers. We now feature in the new ‘Rainbow Guide’—a local resource for all things SEND. Additionally, we have been able to fund a weekly Stay and Play session for local families.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who has supported us to be able to achieve our aims.

Below is an example of some of the activities we have offered to demonstrate the fun our young people have had.

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Independent Examiner's Report CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiners Report R•port to th8 trusta•s The Sensory Pla On accounts for the year ended 31# October 2024 Charlty no lif anyl 1195932 Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my examination ol the accounts of the above charity Ilhe TIu5t I for the year ended 3111012024. Rbsponslbllltles and basis of report As the charlws trustees, you are responslble for the preparallon of the acwunts in accoidance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 I'tre Acl'l. I report In respect of my examlnatlon of the Trust's accounts carrled out under section 145 01 the 2011 Act and in cairying out ffly examination, I h3ve followed all the applicable Direction5 given by the Charity Cornrnission under sectlon 14515llbl or the Act. Independent I have completecj my examination. I confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement corne to rny attention in connection with the exarnination which give5 tne Cause to belleve that In, any malerlal respect.. the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charfties Act., or the accounts dirj not accor(J with the accounting records- or the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concernlng the forrn and content of accounts set out In the Charttles {Accounls and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the aGGount5 give a 'lrue and fair. view whiGh is not a rnattei considered as part of an independent examination. I have no cOn￿r￿S and have come acioss no other rnatteis in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understandlng or the accounts to be reached. Signed: Date.. 2610312025 Namè: PaLJI O'Hehlr Relovant professlonal quallficatlonlsl or body {if any): Assoclatlon of Chartered Certifled Accounts IACCAI Address: SM Business Centre. Barnfield Road Spennymoor, County Durham DL16 6EL

Accounts

Receipts and Payments Accounts

From 01/11/23 – 31/10/24

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Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestricted funds Restricted lund5 tonewrest£ Endownent funds to nearest£ Laiegor1•5 81 Cash fund8 BaDk 31,553 20,981 Totalcash funds 31,55J 20,￿1 (ageebal￿Ce￿ Mlh reC￿p1Sandp￿￿￿nls Unr•5trict•d fund5 R•5trict•d funds Endown•nt fund5 Details io hèfjrèii£ ton&rst£ to nèttrèitE Fundtowhkh 8*get bÈk)hgg Currentya￿e C05t{Lyl¥Jnall 83 Inv•stm•nt Fund t0￿h￿h •¥et boknnus C05tloptsnall CurrentY&￿e loptiDnall Details B4A8set8 retained for th• charity'8 own usa FundtowhKh labiiny reLqtes When due lopoonal} Details lopDonall BS Llabllltles

The notes on pages 12-14 form an integral part of these accounts.

These financial statements were approved by the board of trustees on 24.006.25 and are signed on its behalf by:

Helen Abernethy

Treasurer

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Notes to Accounts

1. Legal Status of the Charity

The charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and the liability of trustees is limited.

2. Accounting Policies

Basis of Preparation

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011. These financial statements are prepared in Sterling which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts are rounded to the nearest £1.

Preparation of accounts on a going concern basis .

The trustees have reviewed the cash flow forecasts and there is a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue its operations for at least the next twelve months and on this basis the trustees consider that the charity is a going concern.

Fund accounting – Unrestricted and restricted funds.

Unrestricted funds are donations and other income received or generated for the objects of the charity without further specified purpose and are available as general funds. Restricted funds are given for a specific and further details are provided in the notes below. General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance oof the general objectives of the charity and which have not been designed for other purposes.

Reserves.

The purpose of the reserve policy is to ensure the stability of the ongoing operations of the charity by providing an internal source of funds should there be an unanticipated loss in funding, an unbudgeted expense or an unexpected increase in expenses.

In assessing our required level of reserves, we include consideration of:

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The Reserves Policy is to retain enough unrestricted funds at any given time to support six months costs. This ensures we could continue to operate essential services even during a short-term funding disruption. This is estimated to be approximately £15,000 which is approximately £2500 per month. There is also a commitment of £12000 which is ringfenced from reserves for an upcoming excursion. This leaves approximately £4000 in free reserves to be used for any purpose to help the charity achieve its aims.

The reserves level is reviewed regularly by the Board of Trustees as part of our financial reporting.

Trustees Remuneration.

The trustees give freely their time and expertise and do not receive remuneration for this. Expenses, for refreshments were paid to trustees to the value of £32.

3. Analysis of Income

i) Grants – Restricted

i)
Grants – Restricted
Name of Grant Amount Received
CommunityFoundation £1750
CommunityFoundation £5000
CDCF £4992
The National Lottery £20,000
Inclusion North £2900
Total £34,642

ii) Income from Government Contracts

ii)
Income from Government Contracts
Name Amount Received
Sunderland CityCouncil £5474.86
Durham CountyCouncil £4897.51
Total £10,372.37

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iii) Other Donations – Unrestricted

iii)
Other Donations – Unrestricted
Name Amount Received
Donations £14912
Total £14912

iv) Income from Charitable Activities

iv)
Income from Charitable Activities
Name Amount Received
Events and Activities £18020
Total £18,020

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