## **Cholsey Volunteers Trust** ## **Registered Charity No. 1197845** **Trustees’ Annual Report 2023** **Chair** : Mr Darren Evans The Cottage 10, Amwell Place Cholsey Wallingford Oxfordshire , OX10 9NZ ## **Names of Trustees** Mr. Darren Evans **Chair** Mr. John Wheeler **Treasurer** Mrs Louise McAlister **Secretary** Mrs Eve Evans Mrs Vicky Beardall-Richards (resigned 18 Sept 2023) Mr Christopher Fry Mrs. Helen Powis Mrs Lizzy Hay (appointed 18 September 2023) ## **Bank** ## Lloyds Bank Newmarket Branch 48 High St, Newmarket CB8 8LF ## **Governance** Cholsey Volunteers Trust was established as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation on 8 February 2022 and registered as charity no 1197845. This is our second Annual Report. The Trust was formed using the Foundation Model structure provided by the Charity Commission, and the seven founding trustees remained in post throughout the duration of the first year of operation. ## **Appointment of Trustees** The founding trustees were allocated fixed terms of office: two for one year, three for two years and two for three years. The first two, John Wheeler and Eve Evans, stood down at **Cholsey Volunteers Trust Annual Report 2023** **Page 1** the annual general meeting in May 2023, and were re-elected for a new three year term. Minaz Beddall stood down early In the year, and Louise McAlister and Lizzy Hay joined the Trustees. Of the three scheduled to step down in 2024, Minaz has already stood down, and Chris Fry and Vicky Beardall Richards will stand down in May 2024, but may offer themselves for re-election. ## **Policies and Procedures** To guide the Trustees in exercising its duty of care, the following policy statements have been adopted: - Safeguarding Policy - Data Protection Policy - Environmental Policy - Equal Opportunities Policy - Reserves Policy - Health and Safety Policy - Volunteer Drivers Policy - Volunteers Policy as well as a thorough range of employment policies Copies of these policies are available to Trustees and other interested parties. ## **Risk Management** The Trustees recognise that they are under a legal obligation to protect service users and employees through adequate and appropriate insurance, and suitable cover has been arranged by Macbeth Chartered Insurance Brokers of Theale in respect of public liability, employers’ liability, business interruption and legal assistance. The Trust also owns a vehicle which is covered by a different broker, Wrightsure of Fareham. ## **Objectives of the Charity** The objects clause in the constitution states that the charity has been set up for the public benefit, the relief of individuals in need, by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage in Cholsey and the surrounding area through the provision of free and subsidised food and volunteer support services, including but not limited to, transport to appointments, assistance with collection of shopping and medication, befriending and advocacy ## **Principal Activities in Pursuit of Objectives** **Cholsey Volunteers Trust Annual Report 2023** **Page 2** CVT has maintained the services which were outlined in the initial application, namely local transport, prescription deliveries, the delivery of meals on foot in association with the Day Centre. the running of the Food Bank, the development of the Community Larder in association with SOFEA, the development of an Advocacy and Support Hub with clearly defined terms of reference. It has also worked with COPA, the Cholsey Befriending Group, to ensure that it continues to provide a welcome outlet for people who enjoy intermittent events like community meals, the Sunday afternoon teas and 'music and memory' days which are 'special events' within the current elderly persons provision. ## **Funding Strategy** It is the strategy of the Trustees to manage the revenue budget on a self-financing basis. This has largely been achieved In 2023 by donations from the public, fundraising and a number of small grants in addition to a surplus carried down from the year before. The Trustees are aware that the relatively healthy financial position which saw generous grants freely available through the various lockdowns is now well past, and will now seek to expand the funding base by approaching local businesses and seeking wider community support through regular donations. ## **Volunteers’ Effort** The CVT Development Officer, the sole paid employee, has done a tremendous job maintaining the volunteer database over the first year of operation, and has been able to match the aspirations of volunteers with the opportunities available. This has led to the creation of a set of dedicated teams for the Community Larder and Food Bank which operate as almost autonomous units with little need for supervision. The Trust has also been the prime mover in establishing Cholsey Warm Space, a dedicated facility making use of the existing heated space in Cholsey Pavilion. This has provided regular puzzle and meeting days throughout the year, as well as a Slow Cooker project funded through grants from South Oxfordshire Housing Association. As the year ended the Trust has managed to secure two more grants to be able to run the scheme in early 2024. A key aspect of the volunteer effort, however, has been to ensure that volunteers are not taking on tasks which properly belong to statutory authorities or which lie outside the limits of competence. The Trustees are aware of the risks of over-reaching and substitution. **Cholsey Volunteers Trust Annual Report 2023** **Page 3** The figures arising from this year’s efforts summarise just how well we have done better than any number of words We have given 390 lifts to hospitals and doctors in the last 12 months, compared to 284 lifts the year, representing a 37% increase. We are also averaging 42 lifts a week to and from the day centre, compared to 26 in the same time last year, a 61% increase. We have delivered around 2,600 meals, 1560 treat bags and 1,976 food boxes, a 46% increase on last year. On top of this we have seen our community larder grow to 151 members, which is a 50% increase on last year. ## **Reserves Policy** The charity was fortunate insofar as another village charity, Cholsey Relief In Need was winding up its affairs at the time when the application for charitable status was being prepared, and the transfer of CRIN’s reserve of almost £21,000 enabled the Trust to set aside £20,000 as an agreed reserve for the long term. The aim remains to maintain this, with provision for inflation, over the next five years ## **Future Plans** 2023 has largely been spent consolidating the existing provision while the Trust has secured its financial position and done a great deal to raise its local profile. For an organisation with such a relatively brief history it has become in very short order a recognised and valued part of the local community. Next year the Trust will look to secure a more widespread funding base and continue to integrate its work with Cholsey Pavilion, Cholsey Day Centre and other village organisations in providing a sustaining network of support for the village. ************************** The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees Darren Evans Full name Mr Darren Evans Position Chair Date 20 May 2024 **Cholsey Volunteers Trust Annual Report 2023** **Page 4** Ind•p•nd•nt Ex4mln•r's Report to th• Tru•tots and mernberd of Chol•ey Volunt••rn Trust for th• y•ar •nd•d 31•t D•cemb•r 2023 The chartty'$ trustees trJnShler that the a￿￿¥t 18 not reqtsl￿ fof this year (under se¢t#)n 43121 of the charl￿88 Act 1993 {the Actll and that an ind•p•ThJent examination L8 nwjed. An examination includes a re￿#W of the accounting record5 kept by the charity and comparison of the accounts presented with those record8. It also indudes Cons￿￿eratIon of any unusu81 ittims or disclosures in Ihe accounts, and 8eekir¥J explanotions frcffl the tru8t888 con¢gmin9 any such matters. The procedLtres undertaken do not provide 811 the t￿dence that wovld be required in an audit, and conwuenty I do r￿1 express an audit opinion on the accounts. In Ih? course of my examinat*Jn, no matter has com8 to my attentr.on 1. vthich gffts me rea80nable Ixuse to beli8ve that in, any rnalerial resFrtt, the trustees have not met Ihe requirem8nts to ens¢Jre ¢hai." Proper a￿Ul￿ng records are kept.. and Ac¢ounts are prepared which agree with the aecounting re￿rdS.. or 2. to which, in my opin￿n, attèntion Shoukl be drawn in order to enab￿ a pryr understanding ofthe accounts to be wched. -,¥W M(XiPE A.c h.A chol￿ Wuffl••M T￿￿tAn￿￿•1 R•port 2023 P•g• S Cholsey Volunt8er5 Trust Annual Report 2023 Pag8 5 ## **Cholsey Volunteers Trust** ## **Registered Charity No. 1197845** ## **Receipts and Payments Account 1 Jan 2023 - 31 Dec 2023** ||**2023**||**2022**|| |---|---|---|---|---| |**INCOME**||||| |**Grants**|**14500.00**||**45406**|| |**Fundraising**|**5326.34**||**6037.4**|| |**Donations**|**6100.65**||**5769.99**|| |**Food Bank**|**7650.00**||**2885**|| |**Sales**|**82.00**||**577.2**|| |**Other**|**731.50**||**2592.87**|| |**Warm Hub**|**0.00**||**8523**|| |||**34390.49**||| |**EXPENDITURE**||||**71791.46**| |**Staff**|**21897.52**||**16539.12**|| |**Pensions**|**1255.80**||**1121.03**|| |**Vehicle**|**1701.88**||**1332.93**|| |**Web Hosting**|**337.89**||**201.6**|| |**Telephone**|**139.65**||**80.55**|| |**Supplies**|**1112.74**||**1906.41**|| |**Insurance**|**488.27**||**382.28**|| |**Premises**|**0.00**||**0**|| |**Food Bank**|**6021.87**||**976.65**|| |**Other**|**3619.42**||**1596.89**|| |**Community Larder**|**9.47**||**208.76**|| |**Warm Space**|**5282.59**||**2057.02**|| |||**41867.10**||| |||||**26403.24**| |**Closing balance**||**37911.61**||**45388.22**| **Cholsey Volunteers Trust Annual Report 2023 Page 6**