Trustees’ Annual Report for the period 06/04/2023 - 05/04/2024
Charity name: Flourish Mentors
Charity registration number: 1197095
Objectives and activities
| SORP reference | ||
|---|---|---|
| Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document |
Para 1.17 | To act as a resource for young women aged 16-25, living in the Brighton and Hove area, by providing advice and assistance and organising programmes of physical, educational and other activities, to help them advance in life and develop their skills, capacities and capabilities, enabling them to participate in society as independent, mature and responsible individuals. |
| Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts. |
Para 1.17 and 1.19 |
Flourish Mentors offers free wellbeing and mentoring support to young women (aged 16-25 years) in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex. Flourish is proudly LGBTQIA+ inclusive, and aims to empower young women and improve their sense of wellbeing. The charity provides individualised and therapeutically matched one-to-one mentoring, wellbeing events, and fun, experiential workshops, giving its mentees sustainable life-enhancing skills. Flourish aims to help young women increase their confidence, increase their self-awareness and self-regulation, decrease their anxiety, feel empowered, and focus on fulfilling their dreams. The charity targets any young woman who feels invisible because they have fallen through the cracks, by not receiving appropriate wellbeing support at school or in their community. Flourish aims to continue to grow and reach as many young women as possible. The charity's pledge to its mentees and mentors is to genuinely |
| commit to values of co-creation, playfulness, inclusivity, kindness and empowerment. |
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|---|---|---|
| Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit |
Para 1.18 | The following guidance has been shared with all Flourish trustees:Public benefit: running a charity (PB2) . |
Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
SORP reference |
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|---|---|---|
| Policy on grant making | Para 1.38 | |
| Policy on social investment including program related investment |
Para 1.38 | |
| Contribution made by volunteers |
Para 1.38 | Flourish relies on its amazing cohort of volunteer mentors, and would like to share some anonymised testimonials from its mentees on the impact that their mentors have had on their lives: "I found that having a mentor helped me organise my thoughts during my stressful exam period. It was nice to be able to have an informal chat with someone who is not a friend or family…I think there’s never a downside to just knowing that someone is there to talk things through with you if you ever need it." "Flourish has been really helpful for me and L has been an amazing source of information and place for me to go with any issues. It’s very nice to know that I have support and the advice I get is always useful and a source of comfort." “My experience so far with flourish mentors has been amazing…I can definitely see changes from accessing mentoring, it has made me more confident and it has made me realise it's okay to not be okay. I would definitely recommend it to people my age who are thinking of doing it as it is definitely worth it! My mentor is great, she recently supported me at my GP appointment |
and she even took me Christmas shopping! I think Flourish is an amazing charity from the volunteers through to the work that they do!" Other
Achievements and performance
| SORP reference | ||
|---|---|---|
| Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole. |
Para 1.20 | Providing free, therapeutically- matched wellbeing mentoring for up to two years, with around 50- 60 mentoring partnerships supported at any one time. Providing free fun and experiential wellbeing events for mentees, and workshops for sixth forms and colleges in the Brighton and Hove area. Working with the Young Carers Project in Brighton and Hove, providing additional 1:1 and group support to young carers aged 16- 25. |
Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
Achievements against objectives set |
Para 1.41 |
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|---|---|---|
| Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set |
Para 1.41 | |
| Investment performance against objectives |
Para 1.41 | |
| Other |
Financial review
| Financial review | ||
|---|---|---|
| Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period |
Para 1.21 | According to Flourish's annual accounts, the charity's balance on 31/03/2024 was £4,861.03. During the 2023/24 financial year Flourish received £11,862 in donations and grants, and spent £10,781.74 on operating costs. |
| Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held |
Para 1.22 | Flourish keeps financial reserves for six months of operating costs for its 1:1 wellbeing mentoring, as this is considered the core of its operation. |
| Amount of reserves held | Para 1.22 | The reserves held on 31/03/2024 were £2,640. |
| Reasons for holding zero reserves |
Para 1.22 | N/A |
| Details of fund materially in deficit |
Para 1.24 | N/A |
| Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern |
Para 1.23 | N/A |
Additional information (optional)
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
The charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising) |
Para 1.47 |
During 2023/24 Flourish received funding from the Redhill Grant and the Chalk Cliff Grant, and donations totalling £505. |
|---|---|---|
| Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted |
Para 1.46 | |
| A description of the principal risks facing the charity |
Para 1.46 | |
| Other |
Structure, governance and management
| Description of charity’s trusts: |
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|---|---|---|
| Type of governing document (trust deed, royal charter) |
Para 1.25 | |
| How is the charity constituted? (e.g unincorporated association, CIO) |
Para 1.25 | CIO - Foundation Registered 13/12/2021. |
| Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees |
Para 1.25 |
Additional information (optional)
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees |
Para 1.51 |
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|---|---|---|
| The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works |
Para 1.51 | |
| Relationship with any related parties |
Para 1.51 | |
| Other |
Reference and administrative details
| Charity name | Flourish Mentors |
|---|---|
| Other name the charity uses | N/A |
| Registered charity number | 1197095 |
| Charity’s principal address | 4 Kings Gardens Hove East Sussex BN3 2PE |
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 |
Trustee name | Office (if any) | Dates acted if not for whole year |
Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (ifany) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emma Mendes da Costa |
Chair, Interim Treasurer |
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| Shwezin Win | Lead Trustee for Strategy and Partnerships |
23 January 2024 onwards |
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| Maria Jonsson | Secretary | 23 January 2024 - 15 January2025 |
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| Natasha Gamble | Lead Trustee for Safeguarding |
16 May 2024 onwards | ||
| Andrea Brolly | Secretary | 15 January 2025 onwards |
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| Aaradhya Sharma | Treasurer | 15 January 2025 onwards |
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– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved Director name
Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity
Trustee name Dates acted if not for whole year
Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others
Description of the assets held in this capacity
Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects
Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets
Additional information (optional)
Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
Type of Name Address adviser
Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)
Exemptions from disclosure
Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details
Other optional information
Declarations
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Signature(s) Emma Mendes da Costa
Full name(s) Emma Mendes da Costa
Position (eg Secretary, Chair Chair, etc)
Date
20/01/2025
| Flourish Mentors |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual accounts upto year end 31/03/2024 |
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| Cash brought forward 2022/2023 | 3780.7 7 |
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| Operating income (credits) | ||||
| Chalk Clif Grant for salaries | 4880.0 0 |
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| Redhill Grant | 6477.0 0 |
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| Donation | 505.00 | |||
| 15642. 77 |
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| Operating costs (debits) | ||||
| Mentor/Mentee costs | - 2084.6 7 |
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| Admin costs (inc DBS) | - 2601.9 8 |
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| Workshop costs | -844.09 | |||
| Carers programme costs | - 1481.0 0 |
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| Salaries | - 3770.0 0 |
| End of year balance carried forward 2024/2025 |
4861.0 3 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reserves | - 2640.0 0 |
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| Ring fenced for salaries | - 1110.0 0 |
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| Cash available for general operating costs |
1111.0 3 |