## ANNUAL REPORT 2023-2024 ## LEIGHTON LINSLADE HELPERS Serving our community in the relief of those in need, by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other social or economic disadvantage ## CONTENTS |Our Contact Details|2| |---|---| |Our Service Ofer|3| |Our People|4| |Trustees, Accountant & Bank|5| |Year Report|7| |Treasurers Report|10| |Consolidated Accounts|11| |Independent Examiners Report|13| |In Conclusion|14| 1 ## LEIGHTON LINSLADE HELPERS Charity Number: 1196332 Emergency Telephone No: 07543 540 997 Email: help@leightonlinsladehelpers.org.uk Web: www.leightonlinsladehelpers.org.uk Community Fridge 30 Waterborne Walk Leighton Buzzard Beds LU7 1DH 2 ## **OUR SERVICE OFFER** Leighton Linslade Helpers is a collective of volunteers who formed during the Covid 19 lockdown period. We very quickly grew into a large charity of over 60 volunteers. We continue to provide a community food bank to our town and surrounding villages. As well as providing food parcels, we embarked on an exciting development of opening the first community fridge in our town in October 2021, We continue to assist our local agencies, schools and our local authority and other foodbanks, with a range of requests including responding to emergencies across Bedfordshire in our own right and in collaboration with other groups and charities. We are now established in our new Community Fridge premises and will continue to support our community, agencies and our local authority. 3 ## **OUR PEOPLE** During the period of 1 April 2023 to March 2024, we had at any one time 70-75 volunteers giving up their free time to volunteer in various roles within our organisation. We have a team of drivers, who collect the supermarket surplus for our Community Fridge. We also have a charity Van for larger collections and deliveries. We have a team who oversee the daily operations of sorting food and opening the fridge to the public. Our volunteers come from a range of backgrounds, communities and with a range of abilities. We pride ourselves that we support and encourage volunteers with special needs. People volunteer with us for various reasons, including to: - - Make a positive impact on their own and other people’s lives - Gain new skills and knowledge and build experience for employment - Improve health, wellbeing, confidence and self-esteem - Meet new people from a range of backgrounds and ages and make friends - Get to know the local community and give something back - Experience support and to feel part of a team We are extremely grateful to have such a dedicated, knowledgeable and friendly team of volunteers. We have a core management team of 4 full time people and are also supported by volunteers who manage the Web page, Press and PR, Social Media and Duke of Edinburgh Volunteers ## OUR COMMITMENT We have 1 emergency telephone number that is manned 7 days a week 7 hours a day by a duty officer. We can respond to emergency requests from BLRF within 1 hour and local requests within 2 hours. We also have a website where the public can make a self-referral through our online form, or they can call or email our help desk, which is also manned 7 days a week. 4 |Ofcers and Trustees|Ofcers and Trustees|Ofcers and Trustees| |---|---|---| |June Tobin|Secretary|| |Sarah Cursons|Chair|Resigned Jan 2024| |Adam Fahn|Chair|From Jan 2024| |Andrew Cursons|Treasurer|| |Karen Cursons|Tustee|| |Steve Jones|Trustee|| |Candys Hunter|Trustee|| |Chris Locket|Trustee|| |Chris Richardson|Trustee|| |Esther Baron|Trustee|| |Ryan Batams|Trustee|| |Avis Fowler|Trustee|| 5 Independent Accountant Simon Cyna 48 Gateshead Road Borehamwood WD6 4NQ Bankers Barclays 28 George Street Luton Beds LU7 2AE 6 ## **YEAR REPORT** The LL Helpers provides a much-needed service to our community and surrounding villages. We have had a successful year in which we have issued 1604 Food Parcels, plus 120 emergency parcels, providing individuals with at least 4430 meals None of this could be achieved without the level of generosity from members of the public, organisations, and businesses who make regular donations, and of course grant funding from our local councils. Our wonderful green environmental initiative of Leighton Buzzards first Community Fridge continues to thrive and 23250 people have visited averaging 447 people each week. We make 4320 Food collections from supermarkets giving approx. 141500kg of food collected per annum (average 2721kg per week). This equates to around 412500 equivalent meals per year (average 7933 meals per week). Every night and early mornings teams of volunteers visit all of the supermarkets and shops that are part of the scheme. They collect dry goods, fresh produce, meats, fish and dairy. This food is then taken back to the Fridge for quality sorting and freezing where necessary. Members of the public then access the Fridge 6 days a week at different times. We have a fair usage policy that allows you to visit twice a week and take one regular size shopping bag of food. So far its proving very popular with people queuing to get in. The super markets are also enjoying being part of the scheme as this helps their waste costs to reduce too. 7 ,YFRILJGE eoMIIIIF41 Y FRIDGE iyfyim v, IT,1! A successful partnership with Amazon has allowed us to open a stall at Leighton Linslade’s twice weekly market offering discounted good to the public the proceeds of which combined with can drives and Grant funding help with the running costs of the Charity. The success and growth of our organization, which is an independent charity and an independent foodbank, is largely down to the dedication of our wonderful teams of volunteers. We are looking forward to the next year with continued growth and to meeting all challenges head on. So it’s a massive thank you to all who help Leighton Linslade Helpers and to be part of a wonderful asset to our community. 9 Treasurers Report (2023-24) The year 2023-24 saw another year of significani tsiruwth for the charily. Unfortunately this was largely fuelled by a tough political envirnnmeni in the L()untry luellcd by iniornaiioniil evenis which led to unexpected source of grant income.'fhe year saw figures for inflaiion rL'aLhing h1￿her than IOOkn fuelled Jnainly by ga5 and electricity price rises. 'fhese werc as a Tesult of problems wilh the supply ol Russian gas caused by the Russian invasion of lJkraine and the inevitable politiL(Il fallout Icading to supply re.striLiions and international price rises. Ineviubly this caused hardships for lower income familie% iind increased demand for our services. Ilowever the gyovernmeni did make available grant funding io holp buffer the problems, this was fed out to tho Ioc**members of**
**On accounts for the year**
**ended**
**Set out on pages**|Charity Name
Leighton Linslade Helpers|Charity Name
Leighton Linslade Helpers|Charity Name
Leighton Linslade Helpers| |---|---|---|---| ||||| ||31 March 2024|**Charity no**
**(if any)**|1196332| ||||| ||1-4
(remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)||| I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31 **/** 03 / 2024. - **Responsibilities and** As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation **basis of report** of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. **Independent** I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have **examiner's statement** come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: - accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or - the accounts do not accord with the accounting records I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. |**Signed:**
**Name:**
**Relevant professional**
**qualification(s) or body**
**(if any):**
**Address:**

||25 October 2024| |---|---|---| |||| ||Simon Cyna|| |||| ||Association of Chartered Certified Accountants|| |||| ||48 Gateshead Road|| ||Borehamwood|| ||WD6 4NQ|| **October 2018** 1 **IER** ## **In Conclusion** We have come so far in the last 4 years and none of us who volunteer with the Leighton Linslade Helpers ever envisaged how big we would grow and how diverse the services we provide would get. More importantly we didn’t know how much our community would need us to help them face new challenges after Covid, We have also found that we are sign posting people more and more to services and organisations for help and support. It’s not just about food anymore. Day after day and week after week, our volunteers turn up and give their time, energy and support to ensure that the wheels of our organisation keep turning. The same can be said of those that donate to us regularly and through one off events. We are often surprised when another organisation turns up with a large cheque as they had chosen to support our work. All of which is gratefully received and put to good work. Then there are our service users. They are so humbled by our support and very grateful too. We receive wonderful messages via cards, emails, text messages and sometimes a baked cake or two made with ingredients from the Community Fridge of course! Thank you to everyone involved. 14