|**Charity Name**||**No (if any)**|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Echoes Charity CIO**||**1197447**|||
|**Receipts and payments accounts**||||**CC16a**|
|**For the period**
**from**|06/04/2025
Period start date|05/04/2026
Period end date
**To**|||
|**Section A Receipts and payments**|**Section A Receipts and payments**||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**A1 Receipts**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**1,550**
98
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**1,648**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**1,648**
**216**
**36**
**-**
**-**
**252**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**252**
**1,396**
**-**
**-**
**1,396**|**Restricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**9,560**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**9,560**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**9,560**
**348**
**350**
**74**
**507**
**233**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**1,512**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**1,512**
**8,048**
**-**
**-**
**8,048**|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**Total funds**
**to the nearest £**
**11,110**
**98**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**11,208**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**11,208**
**216**
**348**
**350**
**74**
**507**
**233**
**36**
**-**
**-**
**1,764**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**1,764**
**9,444**||**Last year**
**to the nearest £**|
|Grants/Awards|**1,550**|||||**1,341**|
|Donations|98|||||**-**|
|||||||**-**|
|||||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
|**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for_
_AR)_|**1,648**|||||**1,341**|
||||||||
|**A2 Asset and investment sales,**
**(see table).**|||||||
||**-**||||||
||**-**|||||**-**|
|**_Sub total_**|**-**|||||**-**|
|**_Total receipts_**
**A3 Payments**|||||||
|||||||**1,341**|
||||||||
|
Office|**216**|||||**-**|
|Website||||||**-**|
|Consulting||||||**-**|
|Safe Guarding/DBS||||||**-**|
|Insurance||||||**-**|
|Marketing||||||**-**|
|Training36|**36**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
|**_Sub total_ **|**252**|||||**-**|
||||||||
|**A4 Asset and investment**
**purchases (see table)**|||||||
|**,**|**-**||||||
||**-**||||||
|**_Sub total_ **|**-**|||||**-**|
|**_Total payments_**
**_Net of receipts/(payments)_**
**A5 Transfers between funds**
**A6 Cash funds last year end**
**_Cash funds this year end_**|||||||
|||||||**-**|
||||||||
||**1,396**|**8,048**|**-**|
**9,444**||**1,341**|
||**-**|**-**|**-**|**-**||**-**|
||**-**|**-**|**-**|**-**||**-**|
||**1,396**|**8,048**|**-**|**9,444**||**1,341**|
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
18/08/2026
1
|**Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**|**Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**|**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
**B1 Cash funds**
**B2 Other monetary assets**
**B4 Assets retained for the**
**charity’s own use**
**B5 Liabilities**
**B3 Investment assets**|Signature
**Details**
**Details**
Donations
**Details**
**Details**
**_Total cash funds_**
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))
**Details**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**1,341**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**1,341**
**-**
Agreement Error
Agreement Error
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**liability relates**
**Amount due**
**(optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
Print Name|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||OK|
||||**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**Current value**
**(optional)**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**Current value**
**(optional)**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**When due**
**(optional)**|
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||||Date of
approval|
|||||
|||||
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
18/08/2026
2
Charity Registration Number 1197447
## Annual Report
## April 2025 to April 2026
Echoes Charity is a Rugby-based online service offering free and accessible mental health and wellbeing support, where experiences and helpful strategies can be shared, and practical tools and useful insights gained.
We pride ourselves on being led by the community. Surveys on our website allow us to understand the needs of the community and our aim is to provide workshops and groups to meet those needs, as they arise.
Using only qualified and registered counsellors and psychotherapists we offer a safe, nurturing and therapeutic environment, where people will not be judged and will have their voice and opinions valued and heard. We aim to provide a service that is more interactive and allows those who may have felt previously isolated and unheard, to discuss their needs with others who are, or have been, on the same journey. As professional therapists, we will provide those strategies and skills that we found useful in individual and group therapy.
Our website has a Hub which offers access to free mental health and disability information and resources, including helpful strategies and tools, with direct links to other charities and services, both local and national. Our Creative Corner aims to build a caring community where individuals can share music, art, poetry, or strategies for example, that they have found poignant or useful.
1
Echoes Charity was founded by Maria Robinson and Elissa Vale in June 2020 and was registered in January 2022
## **Board of Trustees**
Chair: Wendy Harrison – November 2020 to May 2025
Chair: Toni Jackson – June 2025 onward Trustee: Andrew Beaumont Trustee: Rayna Shock
## **Management Team**
Joint CEO: Maria Robinson Joint CEO: Elissa Vale
2
## **Trustees**
Due to personal reasons, Wendy Harrison stepped down as Chair in May 2025. Wendy was a highly esteemed and invaluable member of the board and she will be greatly missed.
Toni Jackson was voted Chair in May 2025 and has taken an enthusiastic and active role in the running of the charity. Toni has fulfilled many public sector roles, often helping and supporting those with mental health needs and hidden disabilities. Toni is passionate about providing help and support for those who need it in a way that is accessible for them and offers our charity insightful and productive guidance.
Andrew Beaumont, a founding Trustee, has also done a significant amount of work around dealing with Mental Health in the workplace and upskilling managers so they have the capability to identify early warning signs. Andrew is an invaluable member of Echoes Charity and continues to offer practical guidance, ensuring the organisation meets legal and ethical standards, as well as building a positive and constructive environment.
In May 2025 we welcomed Rayna Shock as a new trustee. Rayna is a supervisor to many of the GDST’s Safeguarding and Pastoral Leads, as well as co-ordinating counsellors across The Trust London, a charity that tackles poverty and inequality. Rayna has many skills and attributes that greatly contribute to, and align with, the effective management and ethos of Echoes Charity. Rayna has strengthened the board with her inclusiveness and compassion.
## **Trustee Recruitment**
Echoes Charity have a fantastic board of trustees, bringing a vast array of skills and knowledge along with a great enthusiasm for the charity and its support of the community.
We are looking to welcome in other potential Trustees and have a post on our website encouraging those who may be interested to apply for a trial run on the board.
A knowledge of how charities work is useful but not essential. Candidates should have a clean financial record and any skills offered would be gratefully received. This can include fundraising, accountancy, research or administration for example, but this is not a barrier if you are willing to give your time and experience.
We view joining the board as an opportunity for someone looking for professional development and wishing to help shape the future of a charity and make a real difference to peoples’ lives.
3
## **The role of Trustee will be** :
- To work with those managing and governing the charity.
- To attend monthly, hour-long trustee meetings to update the board on the workings of the charity and to make policy decisions together with the other members of the board.
- To take ownership of one or more policies and be responsible for any issues that may arise.
- To take an active interest in the work of the charity, promoting it on your social media and, where possible and appropriate, providing networking contacts to the management group
- To volunteer for a few days each year to help with the running of the charity, using their skills and strengths to work alongside the management team.
The law disqualifies some people from acting as a trustee.
Reasons for disqualification include but are not limited to:
- Being bankrupt or having an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA)
- Having an unspent conviction for some offences, including dishonesty or deception offences
- Being on the sex offenders’ register
- Being disqualified directly by the Charity Commission
- The Echoes Charity management team will check each candidate is not on the:
- the insolvency register
- the disqualified directors register
- the register of removed trustees
## **Candidates will be required to:**
- Read and adhere to all Echoes Charity policies including the ‘Register of Interest’ policy and will be required to submit a ‘Declaration of Interest’ form
- Read and agree to follow Echoes Charity governing document
- Understand Echoes Charity ethos and vision
- Provide a list of skills and experience that align with our charity needs
4
- Read, understand and agree to ‘The Essential Trustee’ Chrome-
- extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a80ddf940f0b6 2305b8d98d/Jigsaw.pdf
When taking on new Trustees, the management team will conduct the first interview and prepare a summary of each candidate with skill sets and references. Trustees will be invited to the final interviews and will then choose candidates they would like to go forward for a sixmonth trial period.
## **Volunteers**
Echoes Charity currently have two regular volunteer staff, Maria Robinson and Elissa Vale. As founders of Echoes Charity, both Maria and Elissa wanted to provide for the increasing demand for mental health support and for it to be freely accessible to everyone. They have managed the set-up of the charity and continue to provide their services to the charity. They are responsible for managing the charity and website, marketing and fundraising, collaborating with other services and charities, creating and facilitating workshops and groups, and are guided and supervised by the board of trustees.
## **Volunteering for Echoes Charity**
As a charity we rely on volunteers and we welcome those from all backgrounds and abilities who would like to apply (please see our volunteer post application form on our website at www.echoescharity.org.uk).
We value every member of society and aim to provide a safe and inclusive atmosphere, treating all volunteers and charity workers with equality and respect.
Volunteers can be a part of our community and contribute in many ways, all of which can build transferrable skills and confidence whilst enhancing CV’s.
## **Recruiting volunteers**
The level of assessment and background checks when recruiting a volunteer will depend on the safeguarding risks of a role, and so recruitment may follow on from a friendly conversation
5
or an in-depth interview, reviewed by two or more people (one of whom will understand safeguarding responsibilities), where references would be required.
## **Safeguarding**
Volunteer roles, where there are safeguarding risks, will be offered conditionally until DBS and references checks are completed and volunteer roles in all capacities may be withdrawn if the management team and/or trustees deem the volunteer unsuitable for that role.
Echoes Charity is a mental health and disability support service and volunteers may come across potentially distressing subject matter. If at any point a volunteer feels emotionally challenged or triggered, they are invited to speak to a member of the management team. Disclosures will be kept confidential, unless there is risk of harm, in which instance emergency services may be contacted. Volunteers making a disclosure will be treated with the utmost respect and compassion and support options will be explored and actioned.
## **Role Description & Responsibilities**
Volunteer roles will vary considerably according to volunteer skills and the needs of the charity. Volunteers are encouraged to put forward skills they might have or suggest areas they would like to work in. Examples are administrative work, fundraising, policy writing, or marketing promotion of Echoes Charity. Volunteers may change or adjust their roles after discussion with the management team and/or the trustees.
Qualifications are not mandatory to volunteer, however role suitability will be assessed and will remain flexible and at the discretion of the management team and/or trustees. Echoes Charity would aim to find a role for all those who wish to volunteer.
- All volunteers are asked to promote Echoes Charity
- Volunteers will work online from home after a suitable risk assessment has been done. Volunteers will be given phone and text access to a member of the management team at all times. They will also be able to join in meetings with management and trustees if they wish to do so.
- All volunteers will be trained in, and agree to comply with Echoes Charity policies and procedures.
Although we expect commitment from volunteers, we are flexible and ask only that volunteers give sufficient notice if they are unable to fulfil agreed commitments.
6
## **Echoes Charity aims to:**
- Guide, instruct, or train volunteers in the roles/tasks they are assigned
- Provide monthly supervision where volunteers will be free to discuss issues, concerns, difficulties, suggestions or achievements.
- Provide volunteers with transferable workplace skills, offer references and relevant training where appropriate.
## **Insurance**
Echoes Charity Public and Employer Liability insurance covers all volunteers between the ages of 18 and 75 years and includes any activities they may undertake for the charity.
## **Echoes Charity Mission**
_‘To promote the mental and emotional health of the public, primarily, but not exclusively, by educating and counselling through workshops, therapeutic support and training, those disadvantaged by circumstances in England and Wales, to improve their wellbeing, skills, understanding and competencies and to achieve their potential.’_
We achieve our mission with the provision of online workshops and groups and through our website Hub, where there is access to mental health and disability information and resources (including helpful tools and strategies), direct links to other charities and support services (local and national) and a Creative Corner where service users can build a caring community by sharing music, art, poetry, or strategies for example, that they have found poignant or useful. We are hoping this will help people and encourage them to feel they are part of a community thus reducing isolation.
The Hub will also bring organisations together and add value to their services as they can also use our Hub to find suitable support for, and to signpost, their clients.
We hope to work with and alongside other services, charities and professionals, such as CRUSE (Bereavement) and Autism UK/MIND/CCASS and will welcome their contributions and expertise.
Going forward, we will also be developing funding groups across England and Wales where people can feel part of a community, develop skills, strengths and confidence whilst raising funds for the charity.
7
## **Online Surveys**
Echoes Charity online surveys are accessible from the homepage of our website (www.echoescharity.org) as a means to understand and provide for community need, as and when it arises. We use anonymised data from the surveys to support funding applications. Currently we have a general mental health survey and two surveys under the autism project. The following results are from the parent(s)/carer(s) of autistic individuals survey. This has been the most used survey to date.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Online Parents & Carers of Autistic Survey
25
20
15
10
5
0
Q7 Yes Q7 No Q8 Yes Q8 No Q9 Yes Q9 No Q10 Yes Q10 No
10 Are you/they feeling isolated/low?
9 Are you fining it difficult to manage some behaviour/needs?
8 Are you/they struggling to access community?
7 Are you/they struggling to get into school/work?
**----- End of picture text -----**
Online Survey for Parents and Carers of Autistic
**----- Start of picture text -----**
30
20
10
0
Q1 Yes Q1 No Q2 Yes Q2 No Q3 Yes Q3 No Q4 Yes Q4 No Q5 Yes Q5 No Q6 Yes Q6 No
6 Are you currently on a waiting list?
5 Are you getting support from those around you?
4 Are you getting support from educational establishment/workplace?
3 Are you getting support from mental health teams/autistic services?
2 Would you benefit from online support?
1 Are you caring for an sutistic person?
**----- End of picture text -----**
The greatest areas of need, which we will address in our workshops and groups, and through information, tools and signposting on the hub, are the lack of mental health support, accessing education, work and the community, managing difficult behaviours and feeling low and isolated. Services nationwide are struggling to meet demand, with waiting lists of up to 4 years. We hope to relieve the pressure put on other services, and to enable those in need to receive early intervention preventing the deterioration of the poor mental health that coexists with autism.
8
## **Online Workshops and Groups**
Initial workshops and groups have been chosen because of the need in our community. By networking in many local groups, organisations and businesses in the area we have identified that there is insufficient therapeutic support for the parents and carers of autistic people, and for 18 to 25 year old autistic young people. These two groups often feel unheard, unsupported and isolated.
By providing online workshops and groups for the above cohorts, we are hoping to develop understanding, communication, coping skills, better relationships, confidence and a sense of belonging and community.
We want people to feel heard and supported.
Our first project is for Autism, whether diagnosed, or self-diagnosed, and we are providing a workshop for the parents and carers of autistic people, and a group for autistic 18- to 25 yearolds.
In early 2025 we trialled our workshop for parents and carers of autistic people. feedback on the workshop has allowed us to make our service more effective, efficient and gaol focussed, whilst remaining client-led and relevant to each group.
Feedback from the beta group was a 100% positive and all found it helpful.
The following quotes are from attendees at the end of the beta group sessions:
_‘’The Autism parent carer group run by Echoes Charity was incredibly useful and needed. It was a safe space to learn, share and be supported. The Echoes team were very knowledgeable and put you at your ease. It was so wonderful to have somewhere where you weren’t judged, where others had similar problems and you didn’t feel like a failure or that there was no light at the end of the tunnel. A place offering new strategies or ideas and kind words and support. A support network developed so that you didn’t feel alone or cast adrift. I would strongly recommend the course to anyone.’’_
_‘’The beta test run by Echoes Charity was really interesting and helpful and it was good to share experiences with people who understand, and listen to challenges other parents also experience. The course was different to any other course I’ve attended to date. I learnt new approaches and strategies that have been useful. I felt understood, and my contributions, I felt, were valued.’’_
_‘’The autism parent and carers group run by Echoes Charity was incredibly helpful and supportive. The Echoes Charity staff were welcoming, approachable, inclusive and provided key information and advice that was accessible and user friendly in practice. Their own lived experience made me feel understood and supported in a way that I have never felt when engaging with professionals. The session also provided a valuable opportunity to meet others in similar situations which meant that we could develop a network for support going forward. I would highly recommend the Echoes Charity as an amazing resource.’’_
The beta group helped us secure funding from the Lottery Community Fund in June 2025
9
## **Funding**
Working in collaboration with CSR Project Management, Echoes Charity secured a Lottery Awards for All grant and was awarded £9.560 in June 2025.
**The project** will provide 6-8 weeks of mental-health support to young autistic adults and parents and carers of autistic individuals in cohorts of 12. Groups are available to diagnosed or self-diagnosed 18- to 25-year-olds, in their transitional stages of life, tackling adulthood. Workshops are on offer to parents and carers of autistic people, to support their needs and how they can also support those they care for.
Sessions are client-led and facilitated by registered counsellors and psychotherapists working on areas of need such as:
- Understanding autism
- Sensory needs
- Social needs
- Emotional regulation
- Building confidence and self esteem
- Overcoming trauma
- Strategies/tools
- Working towards independence/life skills
- Coping with the World
- Peer-support
- Improving confidence, resilience and self-esteem
- Developing positive communication skills and improved relationships
The online sessions will be group support, with an integrative approach that provides the ideas, tools and coping strategies for those living with autism. It will create a peer support network across the various cohorts and link in with other services creating a “Shared Community” thus reducing the isolation that often occurs with autism.
Isolation is one of the major impacts of living with autism, leading to poor mental health and this project aims to bring people together within the community and to help more people reach their potential.
## **The Lottery Award Budget:**
Project Admin - £15 p.h x 2hrs x 52 weeks = £1,560
Workshop and group admin, development and facilitation costs- £90 x 2 people per workshop x 40 = £7,200
CRM: £800
10
## **Financial Report**
Echoes Charity has remained in credit this financial year with a year-end total of:
Unrestricted funds - £2,737
Restricted funds - £8,048
Our Tax Return was submitted to the Charity Commission on the 04-08-2026
## **Donations**
The Lottery Awards for All grant of £9,560 was received on the 11[th] July 2025
The Masons donated the sum of £1,550 on the 23[rd] July 2025.
Over the course of this financial year, we received £98.58 from Just Giving
## **Lottery Awards For All Project Finance**
**Project Payments to date – (£9,560 awarded):**
|**Date**|**Cost**|**Payee**|**Total Spent**|
|---|---|---|---|
|12-08-25|£350|CSR Project Management|£350|
|05-08-25|£348|Rugbyweb Design|£698|
|20-10-25|£36|DSL Training|£734|
|25-11- 25|£51.52|Surfshark Antivirus and VPN|£785.52|
|08-12-25|£100|Admin Assassin - Facebook|£885.52|
|10-12-25|£674.48|Jensten & Coalition Insurance|£1,560|
|12-01-26|£70.55|Sage social Media & Marketing|£1,630.55|
|11-03-26|£32.85|Flierprints|£1,663.30|
11
**Charity Name Echoes Charity CIO**
**No (if any) 1197447**
## **Receipts and payments accounts**
**CC16**
**a** Period start Period end **For the** date **To** date **period from** 06/04/2025 05/04/2026
**Section A Receipts and payments**
|**payments**||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**A1 Receipts**|**Unrestric**
**ted funds**
**to the**
**nearest**
**£**
**1,550**
98
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**1,648**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**1,648**
**216**|**Restrict**
**ed**
**funds**
**to the**
**nearest £**
**9,560**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**9,560**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**9,560**
**348**
**350**|**Endowm**
**ent funds**
**to the**
**nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**Total**
**funds**
**to the**
**nearest £**
**11,110**
**98**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**11,208**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**11,208**
**216**
**348**
**350**|**Last year**
**to the**
**nearest £**|
|Grants/Awards|**1,550**||||**1,341**|
|Donations|98||||**-**|
||||||**-**|
||||||**-**|
||**-**||||**-**|
||**-**||||**-**|
||**-**||||**-**|
||**-**||||**-**|
|**_Sub total_**_(Gross_
_income for AR) _|**1,648**||||**1,341**|
|**A2 Asset and**
**investment**
**sales, (see**
**table).**||||||
||**-**|||||
||**-**||||**-**|
|**_Sub total_**
**_Total receipts_**|
**-**||||**-**|
||**1,648**||||**1,341**|
|**A3 Payments**||||||
|Office|**216**||**-**|**216**|**-**|
|Website||**348**|**-**|**348**|**-**|
|Consulting||**350**|**-**|**350**|**-**|
12
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Safe Guarding/DBS
74 - 74 -
Insurance
507 - 507 -
Marketing
233 - 233 -
Training 36
36 - - 36 -
- - - - -
- - - - -
Sub total
252 1,512 - 1,764 -
A4 Asset and
investment
purchases, (see
table)
- - - -
- - - -
Sub total
- - - - -
Total
payments 252 1,512 - 1,764 -
Net of
receipts/(paym
ents) 1,396 8,048 - 9,444 1,341
A5 Transfers
between funds - - - - -
A6 Cash funds
last year end - - - - -
Cash funds
this year end 1,396 8,048 - 9,444 1,341
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end
of the period
Unrestric Restrict Endowm
ted funds ed ent
Categories Details funds funds
to nearest to to nearest
£ nearest £ £
B1 Cash funds Donations
- -
1,341
- - -
- - -
Total cash funds
1,341 - -
(agree balances with receipts Agreement Agreeme
and payments account(s)) Error nt Error OK
Unrestric Restrict Endowm
ted funds ed ent
funds funds
**----- End of picture text -----**
13
Charity Registration Number 1197447
## **Financial and Reserves Policy and Procedures**
## **2025 - 2026**
Echoes Charity reserves are to be used solely for the management and running of the charity and the benefit of its service users. Designated (by the donor), restricted (by the trustees), required and unrequired free (undesignated) reserves will be spent accordingly.
Echoes Charity will endeavour to build its funds through grant applications, sponsorship and fundraising activities so that it may provide and continue to provide a service to the public and fulfil its charitable purpose. Donations and funding will be spent in a timely fashion.
Maria Robinson and Elissa Vale will plan budgets and financial forecasts and will manage, monitor and report finances in monthly meetings with the trustee board throughout the year. The trustees will review and action necessary changes to maintain the reserves. Overall responsibility of finances and reserves lies with Echoes Charity Trustees who should;
- act transparently and in the interests of their charity and its beneficiaries
- act with reasonable care and skill
- manage, plan, protect and safeguard the assets and finances of Echoes Charity to enable it to carry out its activities
- agree a reserves level and endeavour to ensure there is enough undesignated funding to keep the charity going (for 3-9 months)
- seek legal/Charity Commission advice if wishing to hold reserves
- ensure the charity does not misrepresent its financial status
- ensure their charity is accountable
- provide a full and honest annual record of the charity’s accounts to the Charity Commission annually along with a copy of the Reserves Policy and accounts will be made available where applicable (The financial year runs from April 6th to April 5[th] )
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- address the financial risks of unplanned closure on their charity workers and volunteers
## **Banking**
- All bank accounts will be in the name of the organisation
- No bank account will be opened with out the permission of the trustees and
- will be recorded in the minutes
- Trustees to inform the bank (through Maria Robinson) of any changes i.e.
- contact details or additional/changed trustees
## **Current Bank:**
Co Operative Bank, **P.O. Box 101, 1 Balloon Street, Manchester M60 4EP**
## **Accounts, Authorisation and Payment**
- All purchases are recorded in the charity accounts and receipts kept
- Maria Robinson is responsible for the day to day upkeep of the accounts o Every
- transaction will be entered into the accounts including the date of the transaction and the person/service/company money was received from or paid to
- Maria Robinson and Elissa Vale are responsible for keeping and storing receipts
- All financial investments must be agreed and minuted by the board of trustees
- Payer (Maria Robinson) will keep monthly, quarterly and annual spreadsheets of
- accounts
- Payer (Maria Robinson) will share these with an accountant when appropriate
- Payer (Maria Robinson) to bring the monthly bank statements and/or detailed
- accounts to each monthly trustee meeting to be agreed by the board of trustees.
Any changes implemented by the trustees will be put into ECHOES financial procedure and will be adhered to from the date of the meeting. Accounts will be added as an agenda item for every meeting
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## `o` **Payments out;**
- Spending limit for Elissa Vale & Maria Robinson without permission - £500
- Spending between £500 and £1,000 Maria Robinson & Elissa Vale need
- permission from Wendy Harrison (Chair)
- Spending over £1,000 requires permission of every trustee
- 1 signatory (Maria Robinson) then Elissa Vale plus trustees as counter
- signatories. If the bank does not set this up as an automated service, and Elissa Vale is not available to counter sign then a trustee will be contacted to counter sign
- If not an automated bank procedure, we are to email each other re payments and Maria Robinson will log (not to print unless necessary for sustainability) so there is a record of payment request and agreement. Logs will be kept for 6yrs
- Payments will be recorded by payer (Maria Robinson) on a spreadsheet
- Direct Debits will be set up by payer (Maria Robinson) and a second
- signatory for IT, Accounting, Insurance, IT etc
## • **Payments in;**
- Cheques and cash – payer will be notified on day of deposit into
- bank and payer (Maria Robinson) will log on the accounts spreadsheet. Elissa Vale and Maria Robinson will transfer cash and cheques to the branch on alternate months.
- Donations and sponsorship payments will be logged on the
CRM
(amount and conditions of use) as well as on the accounts spreadsheet
## • **Expenses;**
- Expenses requests will be logged on an expense request form
- Receipts should be scanned and emailed to Maria Robinson (on
- the day/within a week) and Maria Robinson will add to the accounts spreadsheet
- Agreed expenses – likely to be minimal but could include
- stationery for example
- Expenses will be paid by the payer (Maria Robinson) once a
- month in the last week of the month
- **Petty cash** – unnecessary at this point in time.
- Account spreadsheets may be required and shared with funders/sponsors.
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## **Donations**
Echoes Charity will follow the Charity Commission guidance on laws around public collections and fundraising
- All donors giving over £1,000 will be checked by Maria Robinson or Elissa Vale.
- Reasonable checks would be Companies House if a business or google/Companies House check if an individual donor
- Suspicious donations will be reported to the Police
- Cash and cheques given will be accurately recorded and payments will be banked (via
- Post Office) or online via the Co Op cheque imaging facility within 14 working days
## **Donations Received 2025 – 2026**
The Lottery Awards for All grant, £9,560, was gratefully received on the 11[th] July 2025
The Masons kindly donated the sum of £1,550 on the 23[rd] July 2025 to use as unrestricted funds.
Over the course of this financial year, we received £98.58 from Just Giving
## **Funding Applications**
Echoes Charity have applied for several funding grants this year, including the Lottery Awards For all Community Grant, Cadburys, Soutor Charitable Trust, Coventry building Society, Heart of England and Saintbury.
## **Insurance**
One Broker - Part of Jensten Insurance Brokers (East) Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Registered address: Nautilus House, 10 Central Avenue, St Andrews Business Park, Norwich, NR7 0HR.
Registered in England and Wales No: 07131737.
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## **Inventory of Assets**
||**Inventory of Assets**||
|---|---|---|
|**Date of**
**Purchase**|**Asset**|**Cost**|
|18-07-2022|Dell Vostro 15 3515 Laptops x 2|£852.32|
|18-07-2022|Platronics Blackwire C3220Headsets x 2|£43.16|
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## **Echoes Charity Reserves – End of Financial Year**
April 6[th] 2022 – April 5[th] 2023 £3,754.63 April 6[th] 2023 – April 5[th] 2024 £575.01 April 6[th] 2024 – April 5[th] 2025 £1,340.92 April 6[th] 2025 – April 5[th] 2026 £10,785.16
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Echoes Charity Financial Reserves
£12,000.00
£10,000.00
£8,000.00
£6,000.00
£4,000.00
£2,000.00
£0.00
2022 – 2023 2023 – 2024 2024 – 2025 2025 – 2026
**----- End of picture text -----**
Over recent years, the charity has demonstrated steady financial growth, supported by a diversified income stream including grants adn donations.. This increased financial stability has enabled the organisation to look to expanding its services, reach more beneficiaries, and invest in sustainable, long-term support for mental health provision.
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## **Echoes Charity Reserve Requirement for Financial Year:**
|April 6th2022 – April 5th2023|£3179.62|
|---|---|
|April 6th2023 – April 5th2024|£575.01|
|April 6th2024 – April 5th2025|£55.20|
|April 6th2025 – April 5th2026|£853|
|April 6th2026 – April 5th2027|£1,230|
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## **Raising, Reporting & Recording Concerns**
## **Regarding Financial Conduct**
If any suspected financial crime or abuse is identified or reported the board of trustees should be immediately informed. If a trustee is the suspect, a board meeting should be held without their being present and the discussion and agreed action recorded. If the trustee board is identified, or the incidents are serious, the Charity Commission should be contacted.
Depending on the type and level of the incident, you must report to:
- all types of fraud to Action Fraud
- tax fraud to HMRC
- any incident involving financial services, such as investments,
- insurance or pensions, to the Financial Conduct Authority
- data breaches to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
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## **Responsibility for Echoes Charity Financial and Reserves Policy:**
Echoes Charity Board of Trustees;
Chair Toni Jackson
Trustee Andrew Beaumont
Trustee Rayna Shock
Please contact a member of the Trustee Board by sending an email to: **enquiries@echoescharity.org.uk**
I have read, understand and agree to the terms of the Echoes Charity Financial and Reserves Policy and Procedures;
Signed:
Print Name: Ellen Maria Robinson
Date: 04-08-2026
Date for next review: 04-08-2027
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