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2024-12-31-accounts

Cholsey Volunteers Trust

Registered Charity No. 1197845

Trustees’ Annual Report 2024

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 Mr Christopher Fry Mrs. Helen Powis

Ms Lizzy Hay

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 third 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.

As I prepare to step down as Chair of Cholsey Volunteers, I am filled with immense pride and gratitude for what we have accomplished together since our inception.

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Appointment of Trustees

The founding trustees were appointed with staggered terms to ensure continuity: two for one year, three for two years, and two for three years. In 2024, Minaz stepped down, and both Chris Fry and Vicky Beardall Richards concluded their terms in May. Chris Fry was subsequently re-elected.

In 2025, both Helen Powis and I are due to complete our terms. While Helen may offer herself for re-election, I have decided not to seek reappointment and will be stepping down as Chair.

Policies and Procedures

To guide the Trustees in exercising their duty of care, the following policy statements have been adopted:

Additionally, a comprehensive range of employment policies has been established. Copies of these policies are available to Trustees and other interested parties.

Risk Management

The Trustees recognize their legal obligation to protect service users and employees through adequate and appropriate insurance. Suitable cover has been arranged by Macbeth Chartered Insurance Brokers of Theale for public liability, employers’ liability, business interruption, and legal assistance. The Trust also owns a vehicle, which is covered by a different

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broker, Wrightsure of Fareham.

Objectives of the Charity

The charity's constitution states that it has been established for the public benefit, aiming to relieve individuals in need due to youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship, or other disadvantages in Cholsey and the surrounding area. This is achieved through the provision of free and subsidized food and volunteer support services, including but not limited to transport to appointments, assistance with the collection of shopping and medication, befriending, and advocacy.

Principal Activities in Pursuit of Objectives

Cholsey Volunteers has maintained and expanded the services developed over the past two years:

We have also collaborated with COPA, the Cholsey Befriending Group, to ensure the continuation of events like community meals, Sunday afternoon teas, and 'music and memory' days, which are special events within the current elderly persons provision.

Our Development Officer, Jane Tyndall, our sole paid employee, has done a tremendous job maintaining the volunteer database and matching volunteers' aspirations with available opportunities. This has led to the creation of dedicated teams for the Community Larder and Food Bank, which now operate as almost autonomous units. We have also established Cholsey Welcome Space, a dedicated facility housed in Cholsey Pavilion, providing regular puzzle and meeting days throughout the year, as well as a Slow Cooker project funded through grants from South Oxfordshire Housing Association.

The figures speak volumes about our achievements:

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Our growth and resilience have made us a permanent fixture in the village, encouraging a significant number of 'can-do' individuals to get involved, enriching the community.

Funding Strategy

The Trustees aim to manage the revenue budget on a self-financing basis. In 2023, this was largely achieved through public donations, fundraising, and several small grants, in addition to a surplus carried over from the previous year.

Recognizing that the era of generous grants during lockdowns has passed, the Trustees will seek to expand the funding base by approaching local businesses and seeking broader community support through regular donations.

Reserves Policy

The charity benefited from the winding up of another village charity, Cholsey Relief In Need, which transferred nearly £21,000 to the Trust during the application for charitable status. This enabled the Trust to set aside £20,000 as a long-term reserve. The aim remains to maintain this reserve, with provisions for inflation, over the next five years.

Future Plans

In 2024, the Trust focused on consolidating existing provisions while securing its financial position and raising its local profile.

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In the coming year, the Trust will continue efforts to secure a broader funding base and further integrate its work with Cholsey Pavilion, Cholsey Day Centre, and other village organizations, providing a sustaining network of support for the village.

Closing Statement

As I step down from my role as Chair, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to my fellow trustees for their unwavering support and dedication throughout my tenure. It has been an honour to work alongside such committed individuals, and I am proud of what we have achieved together. I wish the Trust every continued success in its vital work, confident that it will continue to thrive and serve the community with the same passion and commitment that have brought us this far.

I would also like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation for the work that Jane does for the charity as a Development Executive. Without her unwavering commitment and dedication, I am sure that we would not have achieved as much as we have to date, so thank you Jane.

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Full name Mr Darren Evans

Position Chair Date 19 May 2025

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Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees

of Cholsey Volunteers Trust for the year ended 31st December 2024.

The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year (under section 43(2) of the Charities Act 1993 (the Act)) and that an independent examination is needed.

An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts.

In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention

  1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the trustees have not met the requirements to ensure that

  2. proper accounting records are kept; and

  3. accounts are prepared which agree with the accounting records; or

  4. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed: Sent by email Date: 1[st] April 2025

Name: John Moore ACMA

Address: 5 Tudor Crescent, Swindon. SN3 4JS

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Cholsey Volunteers Trust Registered Charity No. 1197845 Receipts and Payments Account 1 Jan 2024 - 31 Dec 2024

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