2025-03-31-accounts

Annual Report: April 2024 – March 2025

As Chair of Refresh Carers Board of Trustees, I am delighted to have the opportunity to write the report for the period, April 2024 to March 2025, as the charity continued to grow in reach and impact throughout this time.

Refresh Carers has delivered a wide range of workshops, wellbeing programmes and outreach activities to unpaid carers across Leeds, whilst working continuously to strengthen its governance, staffing structures, and financial resilience.

Across the year we have continued to contribute to the parent carer agenda across Leeds. Our name and goal, to empower parents who care for children, young people with disabilities or long-term health conditions to better understand and begin to meet their own needs, is becoming well recognised as our successful networking and partnership work increased.

This year we have delivered six-week wellbeing and confidence building courses, one day wellbeing and skill building workshop, provided one to one goal setting sessions and follow up support including help with CV writing and introductions to volunteer opportunities and access to training. We have worked on building positive and trusting relationships in some of our most marginalised communities, investing time and resources to ensure opportunities are more available for parent carers who live here.

Feedback from participants continued to demonstrate significant improvements in confidence and aspirations, with parent carers reporting increased motivation and reduced isolation.

The board of trustees met regularly and held additional meetings to address staffing and operational matters with key developments being the recruitment and induction of a volunteer who had benefited from one of our six-week courses. The charity was also able to engage a sessional worker to lead a parent carer support group in Armley, Leeds. There was a transition in leadership with the long-standing chair stepping down in December 2024 whilst continuing as a trustee.

The Board also continued oversight of policies, financial procedures and compliance including the adoption of a refreshed Privacy Policy. The Board also reviewed trustee terms of office and ensured all statutory reporting requirements were met.

2024 -2025 was a year of significant improvement in financial stability with successful funding applications and donations received allowing us to continue the programmes and workshops due to this successful fundraising and careful financial management. The charity continues to maintain positive relationships with grant making bodies.

The charity did face challenges, particularly following the resignation of a founder member in late 2024. This placed additional workload on the remaining founder which was carefully managed. With the continued ongoing need to secure unrestricted funding to cover core costs, this required additional trustee and volunteer time. I am delighted that by working together with our vision foremost in our minds, we managed to steady the ship and are forging ahead with plans.

We will continue to strengthen the charity’s infrastructure in the coming year, supporting new staff and volunteers, diversifying funding streams and maintaining the strong governance and compliance we will always strive for.

I thank the staff, volunteers and trustees for their commitment and absolute passion to ensure Refresh Carers is run well, delivers high quality of services and always remains relevant to the needs of the parent carers we serve.

Carol Hart

Chair

Refresh Carers

Refresh Carers Accounts 2024 to 2025

Refresh Carers Accounts 2024 to 2025
Total Receipts & Payments Account Receipts Donation Grant Bank Interest Transfer Payments Rent Equipment Course Costs Stationery Sundry Office Postage Telephone Travel Travel attendees Salary costs Professional Services Bank Charges Net receipts / (payments) Transfer Balance brought forward Balance carried forward Made up of: Current Account Petty Cash Account 3 Account 4 Account 5	Total Unrestricted Brelms Trust Scope Leeds Community Foundation Awards for all Lottery Hill Dickinson Foundation The Bellasis Trust William Openshaw Street Foundation
	2,108.50 2,108.50 - - - - - - - 54,108.00 36,250.00 9,822.00 4,536.00 - - - 500.00 3,000.00 64.85 64.85 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
	56,281.35 38,423.35 9,822.00 4,536.00 - - - 500.00 3,000.00
	4,478.38 - - 4,478.38 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1,532.23 19.28 350.00 260.00 - 902.95 - - - 828.00 112.71 22.50 - 266.27 156.15 270.37 - - 87.32 77.22 - - - 10.10 - - - 15.50 15.50 - - - - - - - 56.00 - 56.00 - - - - - - 150.75 38.60 50.25 - - 61.90 - - - 332.79 - 25.20 - - 307.59 - - - 12,195.60 - 7,498.80 - - 3,500.00 - - 1,196.80 1,229.94 964.57 50.00 - 101.37 114.00 - - - 60.00 60.00 - - - - - - -
	20,966.51 1,287.88 8,052.75 4,738.38 367.64 5,052.69 270.37 - 1,196.80
	35,314.84 37,135.47 1,769.25 (202.38) (367.64) (5,052.69) (270.37) 500.00 1,803.20 - - - - - - - - - 23,922.70 4,379.84 9,762.06 3,469.80 367.64 5,598.34 345.02 - -
	59,237.54 41,515.31 11,531.31 3,267.42 - 545.65 74.65 500.00 1,803.20
	59,222.45 15.09 - - - **59,237.54 **

Please note that Refresh Carers has a reserves policy and will keep £11,000.00 to £16,000.00 for this purpose.

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Refresh Carers Trust

I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31[st] March 2025 which are set out on page three.

Respec�ve responsibili�es of trustees and examiner

The charity’s trustees are responsible for the prepara�on of the accounts in accordance with the terms of the Chari�es and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Chari�es Accounts (Scotland) Regula�ons 2006 (as amended). The charity trustees consider that the audit requirement of Regula�on 10(1) (d) of the 2006 Accounts Regula�ons does not apply. It is my responsibility to examine the accounts as required under sec�on 44(1) (c) of the Act and to state whether par�cular ma�ers have come to my a�en�on.

Basis of independent examiner’s statement

My examina�on is carried out in accordance with Regula�on 11 of the 2006 Accounts Regula�ons. An examina�on includes a review of Page 20 OSCR I Independent Examina�on: A Guide for Charity Trustees the accoun�ng records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes considera�on of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeks explana�ons from the trustees concerning any such ma�ers. 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 view given by the accounts.

Independent examiner’s statement

In the course of my examina�on, no ma�er has come to my a�en�on

1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:

2. to keep accoun�ng records in accordance with Sec�on 44(1) (a) of the 2005 Act and Regula�on 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regula�ons

3. to prepare accounts which accord with the accoun�ng records and comply with Regula�on 9 of the 2006 Accounts Regula�ons

have not been met, or

1. to which, in my opinion, a�en�on should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Address: 1 Haw View, Yeadon, Leeds, LS19 7XF Email: [e-mail] Phone: [phone]

Name: Paul Kelly

Address: 1 Haw View Yeadon Leeds LS19 7XF

Date: 10[th] December 2025

Address: 1 Haw View, Yeadon, Leeds, LS19 7XF Email: [e-mail] Phone: [phone]