Accounts and Trustees’ Annual Report (01/10/2024 - 30/09/2025)
UP Community
Charity Number: 1196821
Trustees’ Report
About UP Community
Up Community is a small charity based in Hertfordshire. Established in 2021, we are passionate about supporting neurodiverse children and their families. Our aim is to create a supportive community where children can socialise in a safe and non-judgemental environment and parents or carers can seek support, friendship and advice.
Sensory Play Groups
Our Sensory Play Groups have been at the heart of the charity’s work since the first session took place in November 2022, and this year sessions were held at Borehamwood Baptist Church in November 2024, January 2025 and March 2025. Our collaboration with Hertsmere Mencap, which commenced in November 2023, continued to support the running of the sessions, and we remain grateful to their team for their contribution. As agreed jointly with Hertsmere Mencap, a voluntary donation of £2.50 per child was recommended for attendance at the sessions.
UP Community (1196821) – Accounts and Trustees’ Annual Report (01/10/2024 - 30/09/2025)
Despite the dedication of everyone involved, attendance this year was limited. Many of the children and families who regularly attended in the early stages have gradually moved on to other activities as the children have grown older, and there was insufficient uptake from new families to sustain attendance levels. Recruiting and retaining regular volunteers also proved increasingly difficult.
We made determined efforts to raise awareness and participation. In February 2025, we distributed 53 emails to Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) within local mainstream and specialist schools, providing information about all planned sessions for 2025. Regrettably, this initiative did not result in a noticeable increase in engagement or attendance.
After careful consideration, the trustees concluded that the monthly Sensory Play Groups should be brought to a close. This was not an easy decision. The sessions have given families a safe and understanding environment in which to play, connect and support one another, and we are proud of what they achieved. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the leadership and congregation of Borehamwood Baptist Church for hosting us, to Hertsmere Mencap for their partnership, and to every volunteer and family who made the sessions what they were.
A New Direction: Maxi-Comms
While our Sensory Play Groups were winding down, the trustees reflected on where the charity could make the greatest difference for neurodiverse children and their families. From both professional observations and personal experience, we recognised that children often require a significant period of time to become familiar and comfortable with using an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device effectively. Many available trial periods for AAC software and devices are not sufficiently long to enable families to determine whether the system is appropriate before committing to ongoing subscription costs.
We also observed that, unless a child has already developed an understanding at a PECS level that a symbol represents an object, action or need, many standardised communication symbols hold little meaning for them. This highlights the limitations of generic symbol-based communication systems for some autistic children.
UP Community (1196821) – Accounts and Trustees’ Annual Report (01/10/2024 - 30/09/2025)
As a result of these findings, the trustees decided to develop a more personalised AAC communication system that can be tailored to the individual needs and understanding of each child. The concept focuses on enabling families to upload and use their own photographs rather than standard symbols, for example images of the child’s specific drinking cup, coat, bed or family car, in order to create stronger recognition and familiarity. The system also allows the inclusion of recorded family voices in place of generic computer-generated speech, with the intention of creating a more familiar and reassuring communication experience for the child. Flexibility is a key requirement, including the ability for families to add, remove and customise communication tiles according to the child’s changing communication needs and developmental progress.
The tool, currently under the working name Maxi-Comms, will be the primary focus of the charity going forward. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to Epitechnic Ltd, who built the first working version of the tool free of charge. An early prototype is available to try here:
htps://maxi-comms-app, and we warmly invite families, professionals and community groups to explore it and share their feedback as we continue its development.
Community Engagement and Acknowledgements
We are profoundly grateful for the continued support of Councillor Dr Dan Ozarow, whose advocacy for our charity has been instrumental in raising our profile within the community. We would also like to express our deepest gratitude to Paul Walker and the team at Epitechnic Ltd, who continue to host and maintain our charity’s website free of charge and whose expertise and dedication have been instrumental in building the first version of MaxiComms. Their commitment to our mission is truly appreciated.
UP Community (1196821) – Accounts and Trustees’ Annual Report (01/10/2024 - 30/09/2025)
Fundraising
To sustain our operations during the year, we drew on a number of fundraising avenues. Our supporters continued to raise money through EasyFundraising (htps://www.easyfundraising.org.uk), which lets them generate donations at no additional cost to themselves while they shop online, and we again received income from the Hertsmere Lottery. We were also fortunate to receive generous donations from two companies, Velocity Transport Planning and Epitechnic Ltd, whose contributions made up a significant part of our income this year. We are grateful to everyone who supported us.
Future initiatives
Looking ahead, the development of Maxi-Comms will be the charity’s sole focus. We are committed to creating a personalised, flexible and affordable communication tool that helps neurodiverse children express themselves and helps families connect with their children. We will continue to listen to families and professionals to ensure that the tool is both relevant and impactful, and we will invite the groups and communities we have worked with to take part in shaping its development.
With the closure of our Sensory Play Groups, our premises arrangement with Borehamwood Baptist Church has come to an end, and we have wound down our other recurring commitments. This allows the charity to direct its resources towards the development of Maxi-Comms.
UP Community (1196821) – Accounts and Trustees’ Annual Report (01/10/2024 - 30/09/2025)
Accounts
Statement of financial activities (01/10/2024 to 30/09/2025)
| Total incoming resources: | £4838.69 |
|---|---|
| Donatons via EasyFundraising: | £341.13 |
| Donatons from Hertsmere Lotery: | £197.00 |
| Donatons from charitable actvites: | £101.40 |
| Company donatons: | £3275.00 |
| Co-op funding: | £924.16 |
| Total resources expended: | (£435.48) |
| Borehamwood Baptst Church hall hire: | (£225.00) |
| Bouncy castle hire: | (£204.00) |
| Other: | (£6.48) |
| Payments made to or expenses claimed by staf / trustees: | £0.00 |
| Net incoming / outgoing resources: | £4403.21 |
Balance sheet (30/09/2025)
| Assets: | £5,387.66 |
|---|---|
| Cash assets: | £5,387.66 |
| Liabilites: | £0.00 |
| Net Assets: | £5,387.66 |
| Charity funds brought forward | £984.45 |
| Net incoming / outgoing resources for the year | £4,403.21 |
| Charity funds carried forward: | £5,387.66 |
Marcin Pajdzik Chairman Up Community
UP Community (1196821) – Accounts and Trustees’ Annual Report (01/10/2024 - 30/09/2025)