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Annual Report for Chattertots

(Registered Charity 1198362)

Jan 1 to December 31, 2024

“Helping people with Down Syndrome find their voice.”

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Introduction
The potential of children with Down Syndrome
has never been greater. With the right support
from the earliest years, these remarkable young
people are thriving in mainstream schools
across Berkshire, forming lasting friendships,
developing independence, and building
foundations for fulfilling careers. What once
seemed impossible is now happening in
communities from Windsor to Wokingham,
from Reading to Bracknell.
This transformation does not happen by chance.
It requires specialist early intervention, targeted
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This transformation does not happen by chance. It requires specialist early intervention, targeted speech and language support, and families who

understand how to nurture their child's unique strengths. When children with Down Syndrome receive this support as part of early intervention, they can achieve outcomes that would have been unimaginable just a generation ago.

Chattertots exists to make this possible for every child with Down Syndrome in Berkshire. We provide the specialist early intervention services that help children develop strong communication skills, access mainstream education, and reach their full potential.

2024 marked a significant year of growth and development for our charity. We expanded our services to meet growing demand, strengthened our governance, and took important steps towards greater sustainability. Most importantly, we continued to support families across our region helping children develop the communication skills that will serve them throughout their lives.

Whilst local authorities are expected to provide essential support services such as speech and language therapy, the reality is that provision often falls short. Some children receive no specialist therapy at all, and many schools lack staff with experience in the specific learning profile of children with Down Syndrome.

The learning needs of children with Down Syndrome are now well understood. They require targeted interventions starting from the earliest years, delivered by specialists who understand their unique strengths and challenges. With this support, children can develop effective communication through multiple methods - speech, signing (Makaton), and visual aids - setting them up for success in education and beyond.

Chattertots fills this crucial gap in provision across Berkshire. Since our founding in 2015 and formal registration as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in 2022, we have grown

from supporting three families to thirty-five. Each family represents a child whose communication skills, confidence, and life opportunities have been transformed through early intervention and ongoing support.

This report reflects on our achievements in 2024, a year that saw us expand our services, strengthen our organisation, and deepen our impact across the communities we serve

Governance

Chattertots is governed by a board of trustees, all of whom are parents of children with Down Syndrome. This personal connection ensures our work remains focused on genuine needs and practical solutions. Our trustees bring diverse skills while sharing a common understanding of the challenges faced by families.

In 2024, we experienced some changes to our trustee board:

David Jones — Trustee. David joined our board in 2024, taking on responsibility for legal and regulatory compliance, strengthening our governance framework.

Magdalene ER B L — Trustee. Magdalene also joined in 2024, focusing on parent communications and, alongside her husband Jonathan, providing oversight of our popular summer school programme.

Leiah Norcott — Trustee. After a decade of dedicated service, including eight years as Treasurer, Leiah has expressed her intention to step down in 2025. Her contribution to Chattertots has been invaluable, particularly during our formative years.

Clare McIntosh – Former Trustee . A significant change occurred when Clare McIntosh, who led the charity since 2015, stepped down as Chair and Trustee to take on the role of parttime CEO, providing dedicated leadership and administration that had previously been handled entirely by volunteers.

Mark Murphy — Treasurer. Mark continues to bring his financial expertise and business acumen to ensure sound financial management.

Victoria Kirby — Trustee. Victoria maintains her valuable role, drawing on her experience in training and extensive knowledge of safeguarding from her background in the Guiding movement.

The board of trustees continues to meet quarterly to review progress and make strategic decisions, ensuring we remain responsive to the needs of our Berkshire families.

Activities and Developments

During 2024, we expanded and refined our service offerings: Pre-School Speech and Language Therapy: Our cornerstone service relocated from Windsor to Woodley Baptist Church following a careful review of the locations where our families live to determine where they could be best served. This central venue has improved accessibility for families from Reading, Wokingham and surrounding areas, with positive feedback from parents.

Play Sessions for Very Young Families: We ran a trial of a new initiative at Our House, the venue of Building for the Future in Wokingham. Working with Jemma Keens of Together One Step at a Time, we delivered sessions specifically designed to encourage speech and motor skills in our youngest members. These well-attended events received enthusiastic feedback and represent an important extension of our early intervention approach.

School-Aged Speech and Language Therapy: After years of feedback from parents about the gap in SALT provision when children start school, we developed a pilot programme of bi-weekly sessions based in Woodley. Working with local specialists Functionability, we received approximately 16 enquiries to participate in this much-needed service scheduled to begin in early 2025.

Primary School Consultancy and SEN Support: Following the departure of our long-standing consultant Hazel England to Oxfordshire, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of alternative providers. We selected Inclusively Down to continue the effort of SEN support meeting the individual learning needs of our young people with Down syndrome in both mainstream and SEN schools. While this service is more costly, necessitating a reduction from half-termly to annual visits, it continues to provide essential specialist input for schools across Berkshire.

School Boxes: We secured funding for two "Go to School" boxes for children starting school in 2024. These valuable resources were updated based on the latest feedback to ensure they contain the most effective tools for supporting children in mainstream settings.

Summer Camp: Our popular week-long summer camp continued to provide intensive speech therapy alongside crucial opportunities for social connection among children who are often the only pupil with Down Syndrome in their school.

Reports and Expertise: We maintained our commitment to part-funding specialist reports for families navigating the EHCP process with their local authorities across Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.

Social Activities: We continued to facilitate connections between families at venues such as Camp Mohawk and Thames Valley Adventure Playground.

Organisational Development

In early 2024, our trustees identified several operational challenges:

A steady decline in fundraising across all channels
Suboptimal welcoming processes for new parents
Need for a consistent point of contact with external providers
Outdated policies requiring review
Limited capacity to progress administrative tasks such as Gift Aid claims

In response, we created a dedicated CEO position to provide focused leadership and administration. Clare McIntosh resigned as Chair and Trustee to take on this role on a parttime basis (one day per week), initially as a trial over summer 2024. The trustees have been delighted with the progress made and continue to monitor whether this allocation is sufficient for our needs.

This strategic decision acknowledges that while similar charities typically employ CEOs for 3- 5 days per week, our current financial position necessitated a more modest arrangement while still providing the professional oversight required.

In December 2024, the trustees approved updated Safeguarding, Health and Safety, and Equity and Diversity policies, strengthening our governance framework.

Income

In 2024, our income fell from £42,000 to £27,000. The biggest reductions were in grants and donations. This reflects the challenges in the charity sector, and the fact that we had no staff at that time corralling activity. Our income can be seen in the pie chart below.

We would like to express our extreme gratitude to the Harmony Belles of Marlow and the Fifield Family Fun Day team who together generated approximately £5,000 in combined income
We are also greatly indebted to the National Lottery for funding our summer camp and to Hall and Woodhouse, SPLG Limited, West Berkshire Crematoria Management, Binfield Parish Council and the Earley Charity for their generous donations.

The positive steps we are taking for future financial sustainability include:

Completion of Gift Aid registration to maximise donation income
Submission of several substantial grant applications by year-end, with decisions expected in early 2025
Review of our membership and contribution structure to ensure fairness and sustainability

Expenditure

Our total expenditure remained broadly similar to previous years. The cost of the SEN support package increased as we changed provider due to our existing provider no longer being available.

Overall Financial Performance

We are delighted to see much stronger financial performance in 2023 which gives us reassurance about the sustainability of the charity. We opened the year with £18,468 in reserves and ended with £28,235. This aligns with our reserves policy of maintaining £26,000 reserves which covers 6 months of operating costs.

Priorities

Looking back at our 2023 priorities, we are pleased to have made progress in all areas:

We strengthened our governance through policy reviews
We expanded our service offerings through the school-aged SALT pilot

We maintained sustainable fundraising despite a challenging environment
We improved our relationships with parents through more structured communication

Our priorities for 2025 are:

Run outreach activities across Berkshire to ensure all eligible families are aware of our services
Successfully implement and evaluate our school-aged speech and language therapy programme
Enhance the school consultancy service despite reduced visit frequency
Review our membership structure and contribution rates to ensure they remain fair and sustainable
Strengthen our fundraising approaches to build financial resilience

Conclusion

Despite the challenges of 2024, Chattertots has made significant progress in developing a more sustainable and professional organisation while maintaining our warm, family-centred approach. Our transition to having dedicated leadership, expanded service offerings, and strengthened governance positions us well to continue supporting children with Down Syndrome across Berkshire.

We remain deeply grateful to all our supporters, volunteers, and the local communities of Windsor, Reading, Wokingham, Bracknell and beyond for their continued belief in our work. With their help, we will continue to give children with Down Syndrome the voice they deserve.

Charity Name Chattertots

No (if any) 1198362

CC16a

Receipts and payments accounts

For the period from	Period start date 01/01/2024	To	Period end date 31/12/2024

Section A Receipts and payments	Section A Receipts and payments
A1 Receipts	Unrestricted funds to the nearest £	Restricted funds to the nearest £	Endowment funds to the nearest £	Total funds to the nearest £	Last year to the nearest £
Contributions - Monthly	4,891	-	-	4,891	6,247
Contributions - Report	90	-	-	90	163
Contributions - Summer Camp	1,240	-	-	1,240	3,295
Donations/Fundraising- Events	1,104	-	-	1,104	1,132
Donations/Fundraising- General	2,420	-	-	2,420	687
Donations/Fundraising- Local Giving	2,429	-	-	2,429	7,640
Grant - Restricted	-	5,500	-	5,500	18,100
Grant - Unrestricted	9,123	-	-	9,123	5,000
	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
*Sub total*(Gross income for AR)	21,297	5,500	-	26,797	42,264

A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table).
	-
	-				-
*Sub total*	-				-
*Total receipts* A3 Payments
					42,264

Expenses - Christmas Party	80	-	-	80	185
Expenses - Events	100	-	-	100	-
Expenses - Fundraising	-	-	-	-	275
Expenses - Logopedia	360	-	-	360	3,678
Expenses - Office	4,751	-	-	4,751	345
Expenses - Pre-School SALT	8,075	-	-	8,075	10,824
Expenses - School Box	565	-	-	565	246
Expenses - SEN Support	8,185	-	-	8,185	6,555
Expenses - Summer Camp	-	901	-	901	10,119
Expenses - Summer Party	-	-	-	-	90
Expenses - Symbol Report	248	-	-	248	180
**Sub total **	22,363	901	-	23,264	32,497

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*
					32,497

	- 1,067				9,767
	-				-
	28,235				18,468
	27,168				28,235

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period

Details Chattertots Bank Account (31/12/24)	Unrestricted funds to nearest £ 27,168	Restricted funds to nearest £ 4,599	Endowment funds to nearest £
Chattertots Bank Account (31/12/24)	27,168	4,599	-

CCXX R1 accounts (SS)

12/08/2025

C2 General

		-			-	-
		-			-	-
	*Total cash funds*	27,168		4,599		-
	(agree balances with receipts and payments account(s))	OK		OK		OK
		Unrestricted		Restricted funds		Endowment
		funds				funds
	Details	to nearest £		to nearest £		to nearest £
B2 Other monetary assets		-			-	-
		-			-	-
		-			-	-
		-			-	-
		-			-	-
		-			-	-
	Details	Fund to which asset belongs		Cost (optional)		Current value (optional)
B3 Investment assets					-	-
					-	-
					-	-
					-	-
					-	-
	Details	Fund to which asset belongs		Cost (optional)		Current value (optional)
B4 Assets retained for the					-	-
charity’s own use					-	-
					-	-
					-	-
					-	-
					-	-
					-	-
					-	-
					-	-
		Fund to which		Amount due		When due
	Details	liability relates		(optional)		(optional)
B5 Liabilities					-
					-
					-
					-
					-
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees	Signature	Print	Name			Date of approval

CCXX R2 accounts (SS) #C2 General

12/08/2025

CHATTERTOTS

( Registered Charity 1198362 )

RECEIPTS & PAYMENT Account for the 12 months to 31st December 2024.

RECEIPTS Monthly Contributions Report Contributions Summer Camp Contributions Donations Events Donations General Donations Local Giving Unrestricted Grant TOTAL UNRESTRICTED RECEIPTS Grant Restricted TOTAL RESTRICTED RECEIPTS TOTAL RECEIPTS PAYMENTS Christmas Party Events Fundraising Logopedia Office Pre School SALT School Box SEN Support Summer Party Symbol Report TOTAL UNRESTRICTED PAYMENTS Summer Camp TOTAL RESTRICTED PAYMENTS TOTAL PAYMENTS UNRESTRICTED (DEFICIT)/SURPLUS RESTRICTED SURPLUS (DEFICIT) / SURPLUS FOR THE YEAR	2024 £ 4,891 90 1,240 1,104 2,420 2,429 9,123 21,297 5,500 5,500 £26,797 80 100 0 360 4,751 8,075 565 8,185 0 248 22,363 901 901 £23,264 -£1,067 £4,599 £3,532	2023 £ 6,247 163 3,295 1,132 687 7,640 5,000 24,164 18,100 18,100 £42,264 185 0 275 3,678 345 10,824 246 6,555 90 180 22,378 10,119 10,119 £32,497 £1,786 £7,981 £9,767	Variance £ -1,356 -73 -2,055 -29 1,733 -5,211 4,123
			-2,867
			-12,600
			-12,600

			-£15,467
			105 -100 275 3,318 -4,406 2,749 -319 -1,630 90 -68
			15
			9,218
			9,218

			£9,233
			2,853 3,382
			£6,235

CHATTERTOTS.

( Registered Charity 1198362 ) Balance Sheet as at 31st December 2024.

CURRENT ASSETS Co-op Bank Current Account TOTAL ASSETS RESERVES General Reserve (DEFICIT) / SURPLUS FOR YEAR Balance b/f BALANCE CARRIED FORWARD Restricted Reserve SURPLUS FOR YEAR Balance b/f BALANCE CARRIED FORWARD TOTAL RESERVES Prepared by: Clare McIntosh, General Manager	2024 2023 £ £ 31,767 28,235 £31,767 £28,235 -1,067 9,767 28,235 18,468 £27,168 £28,235 4,599 0 0 0 £4,599 £0 £31,767 £28,235 Examined by: Chris Satchwill.	Variance £ 3,532
		£3,532
		-10,834 9,767
		-£1,067
		4,599 0
		£4,599

		£3,532

I report to the charity Trustees on my examination of the accounts of Chattertots for the year ended 31st December 2024. I confirm that the Profit & Loss account and the accompanying Balance Sheet are in agreement with the records shown to me and the explanations given.

Signed _____________ (Honorary Examiner)

Date _____________

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independont examinerfs report on the accounts Sectioii A Iiidoi)ondoiit Exaiiilnor's Report R•port to the trustee81 momrn of On accounts for the year ended . lolF Charlty no (If any) Sot out on pag88 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above chaiity (Ihe Trusf) for the year ended Rosponsibllitles and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the PparatiOn basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (Yhe Acr). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examinatK>n, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. I have completed nry examination. I confirn that no material matters have come to my attention (other than that disdosed below ') in connection with the examination which gNes me cause to believe that in. ary material respect: accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or the accounts do not accord with the accounting records I have no concems and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention shoujd be drawn in order to enabje a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Please delete the words in the brackets rf they do not apply. Date: Independent examlnerfs statement Slgned: Name: .o.S Relevant professional quallfication(s) or body (if any): Address: o E)QS. IER October 2018

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR IN(IlAND AND WAIIS 11•8312 Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For th• p•flod from 0110112024 To 3111212024 Section A Recelpts aiid pa ments Unr••trlct•d fund• R••trfct•d fund• fund• Total fund• lo th• rnw••t £ lo th• rnw••t £ A1R 4.1 c<ttrt . CffilrltxrtkM . Sufrnf Ca - Events 1,240 1.104 1420 1429 [X)nalK•1FIs 1420 1429 Grnnt - R•8trict8d Grwrt . Lknrn•trictod 18,100 9.123 9.123 Sub total(Gmss income forAR) 21.297 $500 4264 A2 As•et and Inv••tm•nt ul• • tabl• . Sub total Totalrnc•lpts 21,297 5,500 26.797 42.264 A3 •nts Expensès - nStM Party Expenses - Event8 Expenses - Fundraisl Expenses . Logopedia nses - Offlce Expenses . Prfrschod SALT Exp8ns85 . School 8ox Expenses . SEN SupFKYt 185 100 100 275 075 565 246 901 901 EXpOrffj . Sunvrnr P Expenses . Syn*>d PfjFKJI 180 Sub total 901 31497 A4 Ass•t and Investm•nt purchasos, (s•• tablo) Sub total Totalpayments 22,363 901 32.497 Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Trnnsf•rs between funds A6 Cash funds last yoar and Cash funds thls year end 1.067 4,599 3,532 9.767 28,235 27.168 28.235 31.767 18,468 28,235 4.599 Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrostrkted Rutrlcted funds Endrn•nt funds funds to Mar•st £ to M•r••t £ go to n•ar••t £ B1 Cash funds ttertoIS Bank Account (31112124) 27.168 CCXX Rl accounts (SSJ 1210812025

( R•glst•r•d Charlty 1198362) RECEIPTS & PAYMENT Account for the 12 months to 31st December 2024. 2024 2023 Varlanc• <>nthty Conti)utK)ns Report Contnbutk)ns SunThr Caftp ContrfbutK)ns Donatlons Events Donations General Donations Local GN¥ig Unrestted Grant 4,891 90 1,240 1,104 2.420 2,429 9,123 6,247 163 3,295 1,132 687 7,640 5,000 -1,356 -73 -2,055 -29 1.733 -5,211 4,123 TOTAL UNRESTRICTED RECEIPTS 21297 24 164 -2 867 Grant Restricted 5,500 18,100 -12,600 TOTAL RESTRICTED RECEIPTS 5500 18 100 -12 600 TALR £26,797 £42.264 15.467 Christfrns Party Events Fundrdising Logopedia 80 100 185 105 -100 275 3,318 4,406 2,749 419 -1,630 90 48 275 3.678 345 10.824 246 6,555 90 180 360 4,751 8.075 565 8,185 Prn Sthool SALT School Box SEN Support surnr Party syn01 Report TOTAL UNRESTRICTED PAYMEKrs 248 22 363 22 378 15 Sumnr Caff 901 10.119 9,218 TOTAL RESTrICTED PAYMEKrs 901 10 119 9218 TA PA ME £23,264 £32,497 £9,233 Fl TED URPLUS URPLU URP -£1.067 £4.599 £3,532 £1,786 £7,981 £9,767 2,853 3,382 £6,235 FIC RTH

( R•glsl•r•d Charlty 1198362) Balance Sheet as at 31st December 2024. 2024 2023 Varlanc• CURRENT ASSETS c0P Bank Current Account 31.767 28,235 3,532 £31,767 £28,235 £3,532 RESERVES General Reservo (DEFICIT) I SURPLUS FOR YEAR Balanc• blf BALANCE CARRIED FORWARD -1,067 9,767 -10,834 £27 168 £28 235 -£1067 Restricted Reserve SURPLUS FOR YEAR Balanco blf BALANCE CARIUED FORWARD 4,599 4.599 £0 £31767 £28 235 Prepared by: Clare Mclntosh, General Manager Examlned by: Chris Satchwill. I report to the charityTrustees on my examinatlon of the accounts of Chattertotsfor theywar ded 31st December 2024.1 confirni that the Profit & Loss account and the accompanying Balancesheet are in agreement with the recordsshown to me and the explanationsgiven. Slgned (Honorary Examiner) Date

Total cash funds 27,16• Unr••tfkt•d fund• to rnw••l £ R•strfcl•d fund• Endowm•nt fund• Detalls B2 Otlxr mon•tary a•s•ts r•rt Details Co•t (¢*crnl) B3 Inv•sknont ass•ts F1 to wNch •M•t CArr•rt val Details Co•t (a) B4 Assets retalned for th• charlty's uso to wN¢h Iladllty r•lat•• Details (1X) (0$¢) B5 Liabilit5 SiJned by one Orty trustees on behalf of al the trustees Sgnature Priit Na Dato of apwoval IIF Io 8/zf Q Q ty- ialglzr HcxrL CCXX R2 accounts (SS) £2 1210812025

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