Trustees annual report and financial statements
APRIL 2023
Registered charity number: 1198592 Harryspals.org
Table of Contents
| 03 | Message from Chair | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 04 | Our Vision & Mission | ||
| 06 | Message from CEO | ||
| 08 | Objectives & Activities | ||
| 13 | Testimonials | ||
| 16 | Achievements & Performance | ||
| 19 | Fundraising & Events | ||
| 21 | Future plans | ||
| 25 | Statement of public benefit | ||
| 26 | Financial review & reserves policy | ||
| 27 | Structure, governance & | ||
| management | |||
| 28 | Statement of Trustees’ | ||
| responsibilities | |||
| 29 | Legal & administrative | ||
| information | |||
| 30 | Meet the Trustees | ||
| 31 | Independent Examiner’s | Report | |
| 32 | Financial statements | ||
| // HARRY’S PALS | |||
| ANNUAL REPORT 2023 |
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Message from Chair
Welcome. We’re pleased to present the Trustees’ Annual Report and financial statements for the period ended 31 March 2023. It has been an absolute privilege to be a Trustee of Harry’s Pals since its inception in 2022. I am inspired every day by our incredible CEO Hayley Charlesworth, who has used her own devastating life experience as a force for good.
Life-changing support
In our first year, as well as getting our infrastructure in place and forging a range of alliances, Harry’s Pals is already providing life-changing support to parents of critically ill or disabled children. Support that just doesn’t exist elsewhere. At a time when parents faced with devastating news about their child’s uncertain future feel there is just nowhere to turn, Harry’s Pals is uniquely placed to offer a lifeline: a guiding hand to navigate the way forward. Testimonials from families we have supported – parents often at breaking point – clearly evidence how critical our work is and the huge difference it makes.
More families desperately need our help
We know that there are thousands more families right across the UK in desperate need of support and it’s our ambition at Harry’s Pals to provide access to this. Whether this be through counselling sessions to help work through the emotional minefield parents are facing and find coping strategies, support from the Harry’s Pals community or much needed respite breaks. To provide a lifeline to even more families we need to further strengthen our partnerships and build our capacity and resources in the year ahead. Bringing in more funds will be vital.
As you read Hayley’s story, you can feel the despair and loneliness she was facing when she received the heart-breaking diagnosis of her son Harry’s life limiting conditions. Through the support of Harry’s Pals, parents like Hayley will know that they are not alone and that there is emotional support on hand.
A heartfelt thank you
I am so incredibly proud of what we have achieved in our first year as a charity and want to express my sincerest thanks to everyone that has supported us.
Lynn
// HARRY’S PALS
Lynn Stubbs, Chair
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The Harry's Pals mission: to support families of severely ill or disabled children.
It is our mission to provide emotional support to help families across the UK mentally cope when they receive the heart-breaking diagnosis that their child has a life-threatening condition.
Together, we will continue to provide much-needed emotional support, community, and respite to help parents cope in the face of uncertain futures.
“To find out that your child has a severe illness or disability is every parent’s worst nightmare. When Harry was first diagnosed, it was a very lonely, scary and isolating time to say the least.
That's why Harry's Pals is so important. Inspired by my family's experience, we are here to help ensure other parents don't feel alone in navigating what can feel like a minefield you never could have anticipated."
Hayley, CEO and Founder of Harry's Pals
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Our vision: that every parent receiving a diagnosis that their child has a severe illness or disability is provided with information about Harry’s Pals at point of diagnosis.
Building on the success of our first year, we plan to continue to expand our networks and maximise our fundraising efforts so that we have the support and resources available to reach out to and support every parent who needs our help.
Through our ongoing community and advocacy, we envisage Harry's Pals becoming a hub of support where mums and dads can feel cared for and understood. We foresee that everyone in the country working within the field of paediatrics will have a good understanding of Harry’s Pals and know when and how to signpost to our support services.
Join our community
Harryspalscharity@gmail.com
Search ‘Harry’s Pals’ on
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Meet Hayley: Founder of Harry’s Pals
“
My name is Hayley and I’d like to tell you about my son Harry, the little boy who inspired Harry’s Pals.
Harry is now eight years old. Despite all his disabilities and all the surgeries, illnesses, and injustices that he has faced throughout his short life, he continues to be the most smiley and content little boy; filling our hearts with love, admiration, and sadness for all that he endures every single day.
It’s been a roller coaster of a journey since he was born and since his birth I have often reflected on the lack of care and compassion afforded to us as parents upon receiving his diagnosis back in 2015.
Hayley & family in 2015 shortly after Harry was born, not knowing the challenges that were to come.
Harry was just three days old at the time and still suffering seizures; we were ushered into a small side room in the neonatal department where a consultant thrust an MRI scan image towards us whilst explaining that Harry’s whole brain had been pretty much taken out by strokes.
The day we were told that Harry had suffered brain damage caused by strokes, was the day we waved goodbye to our old carefree selves and stepped into a world that we could never have contemplated for ourselves or our child.
The image of the MRI Scan will haunt me for the rest of my life. It was a frightening, heart breaking and a despairing time full of so many questions, worries and dread for what the future had in store for us all.
I remember asking the consultant quite soon after whether there would be any support allocated to us as parents: the response was that this wasn’t something the hospital could help with.
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The consultant suggested that we look online instead. Sadly, despite many attempts and phone calls, we just couldn’t find any charities offering emotional support and this added to our feelings of isolation and massively hindered our ability to cope.
We desperately needed to talk to a professional who could help us come to terms and understand the overwhelming emotions we grappled with. We needed advice, some time out and coping mechanisms to help us face the rocky road ahead.
Over recent years I have met and heard from so many parents who have received harrowing news about their child’s condition and have felt abandoned due to the lack of support or charities offering help to support them with their mental wellbeing.
Each parent I speak to provides their own stories on the detrimental impact this had on them with the conclusion being that things would have been better and more bearable if they hadn’t of felt so isolated, if they’d had someone to talk to and if they would have found ways of coping under immense stress.
Last year, I thought ‘enough was enough’ and launched Harry’s Pals.
Harry, now eight years old
Our first year has been incredible, we have hit the ground running and have achieved a lot in such a small amount of time.
At Harry’s Pals we know the difference our services make and feel determined to bridge the lack of support so that families facing a new and scary reality have the help they need when they need it.
We have high ambitions for the years to come and are looking forward to supporting even more families who sadly find themselves in need of our help.
Hayley
Founder of Harry’s Pals
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Objectives & activities
Harry’s Pals is a charity registered in England and Wales. Its objectives as defined by the governing document is to “relieve the charitable needs of people with disabilities and their family and carers.”
To do this Harry’s Pals provides three main services:
01. Counselling and therapy
We organise free counselling and therapy to help parents work through the overwhelming thoughts and feelings they are faced with so they can improve their mental health and find coping mechanisms to face the future.
02. Respite breaks
We offer short respite breaks for parents and families across the UK. Many families use these much-needed breaks to create precious, lasting memories with their loved ones.
03. Mentoring and community
We offer a peer-to-peer mentoring service so that parents are able to speak to someone facing a similar situation. We have plans to develop this further in the next year to expand our parent-carer network.
As well as these three core areas of support, Harry's Pals continues to advocate for disabled people and their carers. Our campaigns for positive change include the successful Harry's Pledge, which is outlined on pages 11 and 12.
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1. Counselling
We work with a range of counsellors and therapists and are careful to ensure we have an accredited and fully qualified professional available who can help parents who come to Harry’s Pals in very emotionally charged times.
Parents are referred to Harry’s Pals through hospitals, hospices and charities or come to us directly after hearing of us through friends and family or through social media.
The most important thing we do is to understand what type of support would most suit the parent in need. Sometimes parents just feel the need to talk to someone detached from the situation, who can help them to make sense of their feelings, and in this case traditional talking counsellors work well.
Whereas sometimes parents are dealing with panic attacks caused by PTSD and in this instance, we would likely arrange for a therapist to help them to find coping mechanisms and tools to use to help them overcome any trauma.
It is incredibly important to us at Harry’s Pals that the parents can speak to the right practitioner to meet their needs. Once we have established the best route of support, parents are then assigned six sessions which are one-hour long.
Why it matters:
We feel really passionate that having the opportunity to talk to someone is so important not just for parent-carers but also for the wellbeing of their family. Our fully trained and qualified counsellors and therapists are on hand to give Harry’s Pals parents the support they deserve.
“You have given our family hope” -Becky, Harry’s Pals parent.
100% of families said that the counselling they received through Harry’s Pals has made a ‘dramatic difference’ to their mental health.
After these sessions we then review whether
any more are needed. We keep strong communication with parents throughout the process so that they have opportunities to provide feedback and to let us know if there are any issues or anything that needs to change so we can best support them and their needs moving forward.
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2. Respite breaks
Respite breaks are short breaks for parents or the whole family to take some much-needed time out from the stresses, strains and routines that become day-to-day life when you are looking after a family member with significant needs.
We work with the family to determine what type of break would be best for them - from spa breaks, adventure weekends to accessible holiday lets. We have built relationships with holiday providers to provide truly accessible holidays and accommodation where every eventuality is planned for and every disability is considered, to help every member of the family have the best holiday together.
Financial pressures Finding accessible Respite offers and loss of salary accommodation families the mean many families can be difficult, not opportunity to can struggle to get to mention create precious, away. expensive for lasting memories. parents.
We also work with hospices so that parents can use their respite days, allowing them to either get away as a couple so they can get some time away to recharge, recoup and in many cases reconnect, or to take a break with their other children while their loved one is being cared for.
However, it has been more common than not that parents will use their break away to take time together as a whole family, making precious memories whilst they can.
“Harry’s Pals gave us an amazing opportunity that I will cherish forever. The children enjoyed their first holiday. There were plenty of smiles and giggles. It was beautiful and very heart warming watching Iszac and his little sister spend quality time in the sunshine. Thank you.” Alice, Harry's Pals parent
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3. Mentoring & community
We are currently developing a community hub which provides emotional peer support and mentoring for parents. This is one area of the charity that we are keen to develop further.
Our focus during the first year was to build our infrastructure and networks to allow us to deliver the counselling and respite support. In the next year we will begin to develop a parent-carer network that can work with families who have recently received their child’s diagnosis.
We have already begun work to develop this area of our support and are in talks with many parents we have met through our networks who we believe can provide future Harry’s Pals parents with an understanding ear, guidance and advice when they need it most.
Campaigns & awareness
Harry’s Pals is ultimately set up to support parents of children who are severely ill or disabled.
However, as a charity we are also passionate about doing what we can to support carers and disabled people throughout society as a whole.
We support a range of existing campaigns, such as Changing Places, and have founded a specific campaign called Harry’s Pledge which has been a catalyst for positive change in the social housing sector and beyond.
Harry’s Pledge is a commitment to do more to support carers and disabled people living and working in social housing.
By creating Harry’s Pledge, we are ensuring that those in the housing industry honour and support those who need care and the people who provide it.
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100+ organisations have signed up to
Our pledge focuses on 4 key commitments: 1) To become carer-friendly employers.
2) To build accessible homes.
- 3) To make work and community spaces more accessible.
4) To support paid carers in their careers. and improve pay and rewards.
Taking Harry’s Pledge to Parliament
Our campaign to support carers continues to go from strength to strength as we raise awareness and gain more support.
Last June (2022), we introduced Harry’s Pledge at the House of Commons after Harry’s Pals was invited to speak about what more can be done to support disabled people and their carers. During our meeting, MP Peter Bone became so moved by
our plight that he invited us back to put in a parliamentary bill to try and change some of the legislation currently disadvantaging disabled people and their carers.
In July 2023 we met with Tom Pursglove, the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work (pictured top right) to discuss the next steps for taking forward a parliamentary bill to improve UK legislation to create a more inclusive and supportive society for disabled people and their carers. We also received support from Chris Heaton Harris, our local MP and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (pictured bottom right) who visited Harry and Hayley to learn more about Harry’s Pledge.
Learn more at Harrys-pledge.org.uk
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Testimonials: Harry's Pals families
Emma’s story
“Through Harry’s Pals, my family have felt supported during some really tough times.
“Harry’s Pals has been a great support to my family. There is no emotional support out there for families like mine to access so it was great to find Harry’s Pals. Through their emotional support and respite breaks we were able to find coping strategies and enjoy quality time away together as a family. The support that we have been provided has made such a difference to our ability to cope during the most challenging times of our lives.
“Harrys Pals are making a big difference to families like mine and helping people in heart breaking situations to get stronger and find a way through some harrowing times."
Laura’s story
“Honestly there are so many happy and positive words I could say about Hayley and her charity Harry’s Pals.
“Hayley listened to me and allowed me and my two daughters to go away and have some quality time away from home. Hayley even checked in on me beforehand because my mum passed away unexpectedly and was so understanding and caring. I love how Hayley and the charity truly understand the caring role I have and the impact this has."
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We cannot thank Harry’s Pals enough and we cannot stress how important their work is for people in similar situations to our own. Harry’s Pals parent
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Laura M’s story
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"Harry’s Pals is an amazing charity. They gave us the chance to be a family without hospital visits and it was so great to have quality time together with both boys. The boys had such a wonderful time and the charity made it all so easy for us, they thought of everything, right down to hoisting and activities for the children.
“Hayley at Harry’s Pals is so thoughtful and kind and can’t do enough to help families like ours as she understands what it’s like to have a child with complex needs. We are so grateful to Harry’s Pals for giving us such a positive break that we will treasure forever.”
“Our eldest daughter has a lot of medical needs Charlotte’s story due to her physical and mental disabilities and “Our eldest daughter has a lot of medical it made such a difference to have this breakneeds due to her physical and mental disabilities and it made such a difference to away to look forward to. Harry’s Pals is doing have this break away to look forward to. great work for families like mine. We had aHarry’s Pals is doing great work for families lovely break away from the day to day routine.like mine. We had a lovely break away from the day to day routine. It provided us with a It provided us with a great opportunity to havegreat opportunity to have some quality time some quality time together as a family.”together as a family.”
Charlotte, Harry’s Pals parent
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Becky & Rafael’s story
“In March 2020 my son Rafael was born. I had a completely healthy pregnancy, but for reasons not fully known, my son had a bi-lateral stroke after birth, causing extensive brain damage. At the time I had no idea what the effects of this would be on him and our family. But as time has progressed, we have seen the devastating impact of this and what this means for us all.
“Rafael has global developmental delay, he has cerebal palsy that affects all four limbs and his cognitive ability is that of a 3 month old. The stroke has also impacted his vision and he struggles with feeding. This has been really tough to come to terms with, both my husband and I have struggled with our mental health. We also have two older children aged 5 and 7 and have seen how Rafael’s diagnosis has impacted on them too.
to become stressed and overwhelmed. The therapy is helping us to address our mental health and to put coping
mechanisms in place to give Rafael the best care. If we had not had this support now, there would have been a significant impact on the whole family.
“Harry’s Pals has been amazing and given our family much hope.
“We recently reached out to Harry’s Pals as we felt that we really need that emotional and psychological support in order for us to move forward and to help us as a family become more resilient and enable us to look after Rafael and his siblings more effectively.
“They helped us to feel less alone and have given us the tools to ensure we give Rafael and his siblings the best of us. Despite the challenges ahead, we are now able to look to the future with renewed optimism and enthusiasm.“
“We have so many medical appointments and it is very easy
// HARRY’S PALS
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Achievements & Performance
The majority of our first operational year has been spent building the infrastructure and networks to be able to get our service out to the public.
We have devoted much time to making sure that what we can offer parents a service that will make a difference to them and their family. We have not wanted to cut any corners and have been extremely careful to offer a quality service through the right avenues to the most desperate parents.
As a new charity, we have been careful to not over promise and underperform whilst we have been building our resources and for that reason, we have focused our support on particular areas during the first year.
Our first year at a glance
21 days of £16,600 11 April 2022: 47 hours of 12 families respite grants Harry's counselling initially breaks secured Pals provided supported across the is born UK
June 2022: mention in Established key the House of partnerships with Commons hospices and hospitals
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Our scale and scope
As a new charity, we have initially focused on supporting parents locally across Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Bedfordshire and Warwickshire. This is so we can protect our resources, assess demand, and ensure we could support all parents who met our support criteria.
By March 2023, we have supported 12 families with 47 hours of counselling sessions and sent 6 families on respite breaks of 3 to 5 days.
The impact of this support cannot be underestimated, and we are heartened to hear just how positive and, in some cases, life-changing, this support has proven to families who are struggling.
Our first year has been dedicated to building our profile and infrastructure and we have established some great networks across the charity and healthcare sectors. We now have a network of hospices, hospitals and national charities who signpost to our services. We have also reached thousands through our social media, communications, and campaigning, including influential members of Parliament.
Families are also finding us through our online parent support group, where we connect parents and build networks so that families can share their experiences and offer support and community.
As our profile continues to grow, the demand for our services continues to increase and we are careful to monitor this so we can balance the demand with our ability to provide the very best support and services to parents.
Our key alliances
Hospitals
Northampton General Hospital is sharing information about Harry’s Pals with parents through its Child Development Centre within the hospital. The Centre offers an assessment of children referred to them by doctors who are concerned about more than one area of their development. Parents receiving an outcome from their assessment that meet the Harry’s Pals criteria will be offered support immediately. We aim to extend this service to other hospitals once our local pilot period is complete.
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Baby and Children’s Hospices
As Harry’s Pals supports parents of severely ill or disabled children, we reached out to local hospices and are proud to work with Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice in Coventry and Keech’s hospice in Luton. They continue to signpost parents to our services across communications and social media. This has resulted in a steady stream of parents, all grateful to find an organisation who can provide emotional support.
Organisations we’ve worked with
A key benefit of working with hospices is that parents can choose to use their respite nights with the hospice, allowing them to easily have a child-free break through Harry’s Pals.
Charities
By joining forces with charities supporting disabled people and their families, Harry’s Pals can offer additional services that are currently not being offered. We know the importance of emotional support for parent-carers and have joined forces with national charities such as Together for Short Lives and Sense to bridge this gap and offer much-needed additional support to the families they work with.
Working with established charities is already proving successful in signposting more parents to our services and increasing our visibility in SEND communities.
Portage
Portage is a home-visiting educational service for pre-school children with disabilities and their families. Harry’s Pals has recently teamed up with the PORTAGE team in Northamptonshire so that they are armed with some emotional support to share with families when they visit them during their child’s session. This is a great opportunity for parents to be helped during the very first few years when the parent has not long received a devastating diagnosis.
Want to join forces? Get in touch today: Harryspals.co.uk
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Fundraising
Aside from an initial set-up loan of £20,000 when the charity was first formed in April 2022, fundraising has been our core source of revenue.
To pay for our services such as family breaks away and counselling and therapy sessions as well as our operational costs including employing a CEO, the website, marketing materials and an accountant, we have had to fundraise throughout the year. Most of our charity funding for the first year has focused on private and corporate donations.
Public grants
Since achieving charity status we have been able to apply for grants to help us achieve financial support for projects. Since we began operating, we have received support from The Big Lottery Community Fund, The Edith Murphy Foundation, The Albert Hunt Trust, and Persimmon Homes totalling £16,600.
Public donations
By building the profile of Harry’s Pals we continue to attractPublic donations su ~~pport from businesses and individuals keen to make a~~ difference. This ranges from small businesses, such as nurseries who have organised fundraising activities on our behalf, through to large organisations such as Waitrose who have supported us as part of their CSR objectives. We are also grateful for the continued support of individuals who organise sponsored events, or make one-off or regular donations to allow us to continue supporting families in need.
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Events
~~Events~~
In oPublic donationsur first year we have ran many successful events including a ch ~~arity ball and auction, two comedy nights, an Edale skyline tr~~ ek, a sponsored horse ride, mountain climb, two skydives and some sponsored walks.
Events are not only a great way for us to raise money to be able to finance our support for families, but they have also allowed us to raise awareness of Harry’s Pals and our work. Events like these have enabled us to create our own community and support network which has inspired people to support the charity further by organising their own fundraising activity – such as running a marathon, through to talking with their workplace about ways they can help by volunteering some of their time.
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Future plans
After a successful first year, the Trustees are keen to grow further so that Harry’s Pals can support more families on a national scale.
However, we realise that we need to grow carefully, ensuring that the infrastructure is available to meet the increased demand from parents contacting us from the networks we have built. We must therefore secure essential finance to support this increased demand and enable us to reach and support more families beyond our local pilots.
Our longer-term ambition (within 5 years) is to connect with the 53 children’s hospices in England. We aim to achieve our referrals mainly through hospices and hospitals as this means that we know the child is in a life-threatening situation and it helps us manage the number of families coming to us. However, this wouldn’t preclude us from helping other children and families that are not connected to hospices or hospitals.
In 2023/24 we aim to achieve a balance of £100,000 so we can:
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Provide 100 Provide 200 days of respite hours of breaks counselling
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Build our peer mentoring community
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Expand our team to focus on fundraising
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Increase our profile and partnerships
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Establish a Continue to business case campaign and to acquire our advocate for own respite change property
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Our 7 key priorities for 2023/24
1. Provide 100 days of respite breaks
We aim to provide at least 100 days of respite breaks which equates to 25 four-day breaks. To do this we will be working closely with our partner organisation Holistic Thinking Holidays who have agreed to team up with us to support a good proportion of these families who need accessible accommodation. We will also be working with spas, Airbnb accommodation providers, hotels and B&Bs to ensure that parents have the opportunity to have a break that is right for them.
2. Provide 200 hours of counselling
This past year we have focused on building a network of counsellors and therapists across the country that can work with families who need support with a range of issues. It is important to us that a range of counsellors and therapists are available to meet the needs of the parents who come to Harry’s Pals. These practitioners all have an understanding of the issues and challenges facing these individuals and are fully qualified to support parents either remotely during video calls or face to face, dependent on the individual’s preference.
In 2023 our goal is to deliver 200 hours of sessions. Each person is allocated on average six sessions each so around 33 parents over the next year (at least) will get help to cope with their mental health.
3. Build our peer mentoring community
A key focus of the next year will be to further develop a parent-carer network that will become an invaluable community of support. We are already speaking with parents who are keen to be a part of this support network, which we envisage becoming an informal hub where parents can share their experiences and speak to those who are in similar situations. As being a parent-carer can be so isolating, we know the importance of finding others who can listen and share advice and support.
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4. Expand our team to focus on fundraising
Currently the CEO is responsible for fundraising activities. This equates to a large percentage of time which could be better spent developing the services of the charity, campaigning, and building and maintaining networks with stakeholders, service users, partners, and donors.
In 2023 we aim to recruit a part-time fundraising officer to support us with grant applications, organising events and who will be responsible for securing vital finance to enable us to increase our offering to support many more families.
5. Establish a business case to acquire our own respite property
As a charity we believe it would make good business sense for us to invest and buy our own holiday accommodation. Over the next year we will be seeking advice, evaluating costs and developing a plan to acquire our own accessible holiday home where we can dramatically increase our delivery of respite breaks at a more affordable price for the charity.
6. Continue to campaign and advocate for change
At the heart of Harry’s Pals is the passion to use Harry’s family’s lived experiences to inspire change. Since Harry’s birth in 2015, Hayley, founder of Harry’s Pals, has witnessed and experienced the shortfalls in support, understanding, accessibility and inequality that disabled people and carers face. As a nation we do not do enough to support such a large proportion of our population and Harry’s Pals is determined where possible to advocate and be a voice for carers and disabled people. Parent carers are largely unrecognised and valued for their caring role by professionals or even themselves – missing out on desperately needed support. Harry’s Pals will be doing all it can over the next year to shine a light on this underrepresented section of our population.
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7. Increase our partnerships and profile
During our first year we have made great progress in developing some fantastic partnerships. In year two, we plan on expanding our remit for support as finances allow and will look to partner with more hospices and more hospitals to allow for more parents to be referred to us for support.
To increase our brand awareness, we will work with a SEO professional to increase our visibility online.
Harry’s Pals will also be attending more networking and SEND-focused events to reach our target markets. Other activities will be to ensure we are signposted on relevant websites such as county-wide hubs for parent carers to access support such as The Northamptonshire Local Offer page and more national charities such as Action for Carers.
Alongside these activities we will be using every opportunity to increase our earned media on a local and national level. We have already started to build good relationships with influential journalists, editors, presenters, etc and will continue to focus on our marketing and media efforts to increase our scope.
Can you help us support even more families? We need to secure a balance of at least £100,000 to allow us to achieve these goals of supporting more families in need. If you can support our mission please get in touch at harryspalscharity@gmail.com.
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Statement of public benefit
The public benefit of the Charity’s activities is the support and wellbeing of parents of critically ill or disabled children and these are achieved principally through providing a range of emotional support services that provide a lifeline at a time of need. We provide counselling services, respite breaks and buddying up services for parents as well as critical training for health professionals. We also campaign on disability and carer issues.
In delivering our services we further benefit the public by supporting parents to be able to become more resilient and cope better with the challenges that lie ahead, thus protecting the family unit and their ability to cope without lots of intervention. We also benefit the families’ wider networks making it more possible for parents to stay in employment as they spend less time off with mental health related illness such as stress and depression.
In carrying out our services, we have due regard for the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit.
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Financial review and reserves policy
Following a successful first year, Harry’s Pals has:
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Generated income of over £112,000
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Expenditure was £79,000
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Leaving £33,000 in monetary funds carried forward
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£6,000 of this is restricted funding, as set out below.
The results for the year and the charity’s financial position at the end of the year are shown in the attached financial statements.
The Board of Trustees have no concerns about the charity's ability to continue as a going concern.
It is the policy of the charity that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level equivalent to six months’ expenditure. This equates to reserves of approximately £27,000.
The Trustees consider that reserves at this level will ensure that, in the event of a significant drop in funding, they will be able to continue the charity’s current activities while consideration is given to ways in which additional funds may be raised. This level of reserves has been maintained throughout the year.
The Trustees agree to continuously monitor this as the charity grows and develops to ensure the amount held in reserves mirrors the level of activity.
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Structure, governance and management
Harry’s Pals is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation (‘CIO’), registration number 1198592, and is governed by its constitution. Its only voting members are the Trustees who set the strategy of the organisation, while the Chief Executive Officer manages the day to day.
As a new charity, Harry’s Pals Board of Trustees consists of the first charity Trustees appointed at incorporation, who were appointed for a three-year term. The Trustees who served during the year and up to the date of signing the financial statements were:
NE Masters (Appointed 12 April 2022) JC Doyle (Appointed 12 April 2022) C Sumner Sinfield (Appointed 12 April 2022) LM Stubbs (Appointed 12 April 2022)
An annual skills analysis will ensure the Trustees offer a suitable range of knowledge, skills and experience to support the charity. Where a skills gap is identified we will aim to recruit Trustees to bridge this gap. All new Trustees will receive a full induction to the charity and a set of key documents to enable them to gain the required information to effectively fulfil their role.
The Board will aim to adhere to the principles of the Charity Governance Code for Small Charities. This is an ongoing process, and we are working towards fulfilling all aspects of the Code.
Remuneration for employees is benchmarked against similar positions within the charity sector in the UK. The Trustees make a final decision on remuneration based on the year’s budget and the role of the employee.
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Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities
The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations. Charity law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year.
Under charity law, the Trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the excess of expenditure over income for that year.
In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:
-
Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent State whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements
-
Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue its activities.
The Trustees are also responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charity’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the relevant legislation. They have general responsibility for taking such steps as are reasonably open to them to safeguard the assets of the charity and to prevent and detect fraud and other irregularities.
The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the financial information included on the charity’s website.
In addition, the Trustees confirm that they are happy that the content of the annual review in pages 1 to 30 of this document meet the requirements of the Trustees’ Annual Report under charity law. They also confirm that the financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in the notes to the accounts and comply with the charity’s governing document, the Charities Act 2011 and the Charities SORP (FRS 102).
LM Stubbs
Chair, Signed on behalf of the Trustees
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Legal and administrative information
----- Start of picture text -----
Charity name Harry's Pals
Registered Charity
1198592
Number
Badby Lodge Farm, Badby Lane,
Registered Office Badby, Daventry, Northamptonshire,
NN11 3DD
Jervis & Partners,
30 Harborough Road,
Independent Examiner Kingsthorpe,
Northampton,
NN2 7AZ
----- End of picture text -----
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Meet the Trustees
Lynn Stubbs
Lynn sits on the Executive team of a large charitable housing provider, with responsibility for a range of central services. During her 27 years in housing, Lynn remains passionate about empowering colleagues to deliver fantastic levels of customer service. She brings a wealth of experience in business transformation and cultural change, governance and compliance, communications as well as delivery of front-line services.
Julie Doyle
Julie is Chief Executive of a large Registered Provider and registered charity with over 1,300 employees. With over 30 years’ experience in the housing sector, Julie remains committed to ensuring the Group continues to realise its ambition of being a leading developer that improves people’s lives by providing high quality housing and care and support services.
Carly Sumner Sinfield
Carly is an experienced copywriter and communications professional, currently working as Senior Copywriter at The Open University. A passionate storyteller, Carly has worked with major brands to deliver impactful multi-channel communications and believes in using the power of words to inspire positive action that transforms lives.
Norma Masters
Norma is Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive of a large Housing Association and registered charity. Norma is also a Company Director with extensive administration experience particularly within governance and compliance work.
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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF HARRY’S PALS
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Harry's Pals (the charity) for the year ended 31 March 2023.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act). I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act.
In carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
Independent examiner's statement
Your attention is drawn to the fact that the charity has prepared financial statements in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) in preference to the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice issued on 1 April 2005 which is referred to in the extant regulations but has now been withdrawn.
I understand that this has been done in order for financial statements to provide a true and fair view in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Practice effective for reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2015.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
-
1 accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the 2011 Act; or
-
2 the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
-
3 the financial statements do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
Jervis & Partners
30 Harborough Road Kingsthorpe Northampton NN2 7AZ
Dated: 31 August 2023
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STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023
| Notes | Unrestricted funds 2023 £ |
Unrestricted funds 2023 £ |
Restricted funds 2023 £ |
Restricted funds 2023 £ |
Total 2023 £ |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income from: Donations and legacies |
2 | 106,706 | 6,000 | 112,706 | |||
| Expenditure on: Raising funds Fundraising and publicity |
3 | 14,865 | - | 14,865 | |||
| Charitable activities | 4 | 64,428 | - | 64,428 | |||
| Total expenditure | 79,293 | - | 79,293 | ||||
| Net income for the year/ Net movement in funds |
27,413 | 6,000 | 33,413 | ||||
| Fund balances at 12 April 2022 | - | - | - | ||||
| Fund balances at 31 March 2023 | 27,413 | 6,000 | 33,413 | ||||
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
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STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITIONS
AS AT 31 MARCH 2023
| Notes | £ | 2023 £ |
2023 £ |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current assets Cash at bank and in hand |
54,097 | ||||
| Creditors: amounts falling due within one year | 9 | (484) | |||
| Net current assets | 53,613 | ||||
| Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year |
10 | (20,200) | |||
| Net assets | |||||
| 33,413 | |||||
| Income funds Restricted funds Unrestricted funds |
6,000 27,413 |
||||
| 33,413 | |||||
The financial statements were approved by the Trustees on 31 August 2023.
LM Stubbs
Trustee
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023
1 Accounting policies
Charity information
Harry's Pals is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registered in England.
1.1 Accounting convention
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's [governing document], the Charities Act 2011, FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the Charities SORP "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)" (effective 1 January 2019). The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.
The financial statements have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a true and fair view. This departure has involved following the Statement of Recommended Practice for charities applying FRS 102 rather than the version of the Statement of Recommended Practice which is referred to in the Regulations but which has since been withdrawn.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
1.2
Going concern
At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
1.3
Charitable funds
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Endowment funds are subject to specific conditions by donors that the capital must be maintained by the charity.
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023
1 Accounting policies (Continued)
1.4 Income
Income is recognised when the charity is legally entitled to it after any performance conditions have been met, the amounts can be measured reliably, and it is probable that income will be received.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Legacies are recognised on receipt or otherwise if the charity has been notified of an impending distribution, the amount is known, and receipt is expected. If the amount is not known, the legacy is treated as a contingent asset.
1.5
Expenditure
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
1.6 Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
Basic financial assets
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023
1
Accounting policies (Continued)
Basic financial liabilities
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
T rade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Derecognition of financial liabilities
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
1.7 Employee benefits
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
1.8 Retirement benefits
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due
// HARRY’S PALS ANNUAL REPORT 2023
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023
2 Donations and legacies
| Donations and legacies | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted funds 2023 £ |
Restricted funds 2023 £ |
Total 2023 £ |
||||
| Donations and gifts Grants Donated goods and services |
66,480 10,600 29,626 |
- 6,000 - |
66,480 16,600 29,626 |
|||
| 106,706 | 6,000 | 112,706 | ||||
3 Raising funds
| Raising funds | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted funds 2023 £ |
||||
| Fundraising and publicity Staging fundraising events |
14,865 14,865 |
|||
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023
4 Expenditure on charitable activities
| Direct costs 2023 £ |
Support costs 2023 £ |
Support costs 2023 £ |
Total 2023 £ |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staff costs Counselling Respite Website Printing & stationery Sundry Legal and professional Accountancy Loan interest Bank charges Insurance |
- 2,715 978 - - - - - - - - |
40,212 - - 6,500 916 151 12,000 500 200 70 186 |
40,212 2,715 978 6,500 916 151 12,000 500 200 70 186 |
|||
| 3,693 | 60,735 | 64,428 | ||||
| 3,693 | 60,735 | 64,248 | ||||
5 Trustees
None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration or benefits from the charity during the year.
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023
6 Employees
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
| 2023 Number |
2023 Number |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||
| Employment costs | ||||
| 2023 £ |
||||
| Wages and salaries Other pension costs |
39,000 1,212 |
|||
| 40,212 | ||||
There were no employees whose annual remuneration was more than £60,000.
7 Taxation
The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or section 252 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects.
8 Loans and overdrafts
| Loans and overdrafts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other loans Payable after one year |
2023 £ |
|||
| 20,200 | ||||
| 20,200 | ||||
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023
9 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
| 2023 £ |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Other taxation and social security | 484 |
10 Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year
| 2023 £ |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Borrowings | 20,200 |
11 Retirement benefit schemes
Defined contribution schemes
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity in an independently administered fund.
The charge to profit or loss in respect of defined contribution schemes was £1,212.
12 Restricted funds
The restricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpected balances of donations and grants held on trust subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used.
| At | 12 April 2022 £ |
Incoming resources £ |
Incoming resources £ |
At 31 March 2023 £ 6,000 |
At 31 March 2023 £ 6,000 |
At 31 March 2023 £ 6,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | 6,000 | 6,000 | ||||
// HARRY’S PALS
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023
13 Unrestricted funds
The unrestricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpected balances of donations and grants which are not subject to specific conditions by donors and grantors as to how they may be used. These include designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.
| At 12 Apri 202 |
l 2 £ |
Incoming resources £ |
Incoming resources £ |
Resources expended £ |
At 31 March 2023 £ |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General funds | 106,706 | (79,293) | 27,413 | |||
| - | ||||||
| Analysis of net assets | between funds | |||||
| Unrestricted funds 2023 £ |
Restricted funds 2023 £ |
Total 2023 £ |
||||
| Fund balances at 31 March are represented by: Current assets/(liabilities) Long term liabilities |
47,613 (20,200) |
6,000 - |
53,613 (20,200) |
|||
| 27,413 | 6,000 | 33,413 | ||||
14 Analysis of net assets between funds
15
Related party transactions
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year ( - none).
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