projecthope ANNUAL REPORT 2024- 2025
Project Hope Leeds Annual Report 2024 – 2025
Our Vision
Hope in every home
Our Mission
Project Hope Leeds exists to bring hope and positive change to families, individuals and communities in some of the most disadvantaged areas in Leeds. We create encouraging environments that help local people of various nationalities, cultures, beliefs and languages to meet, to get to know each other’s stories and to breakdown some prejudices and boundaries that exist between different groups. We bring people together so that they can learn, form meaningful supportive relationships and help each other flourish in life. We enable people we support to grow in confidence, in parenting skills, in emotional resilience and in various other life skills that help them to create a better future for themselves, their families and their communities! We inspire people to make positive lifestyle choices and help them break the poverty cycle.
Our Work
This year with the help of dedicated staff and a vast army of local and corporate volunteers, we supported 1074 individuals through the following program of activities.
Parenting Courses
We ran two 7-week What Can a Parent Do? courses for parents of children aged 5-15, attended by 16 parents from a wide range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The outcomes included: improved parenting skills, confidence and a more harmonious family life. 100% of the participants have identified at least 8 specific parenting skills that they have learned and put into practice at home. Parents also reported improved emotional wellbeing, increased confidence in both them and their children, and greater readiness to attend other local courses and groups.
We provided a creche facility, that looked after 14 children, which removed a barrier for parents with young children to attend the course. Creche offered volunteering opportunities for 2 local volunteers and sessional work hours for 2 local residents.
Quotes from parenting course parents
“When my children are fighting each other, I know that I need to listen to them carefully and not to judge and punish the older one”
“I have learned to offer limited choices, active listening skills and giving my children more attention”
“I have learned to listen to my children more and to give them a chance to do more housework”
“The I message has helped me and my children so much more”
“I have learned a lot and the course was useful to me – all of it, especially choices & consequences”
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Project Hope Leeds Annual Report 2024 – 2025
Parenting Course January – March 2025
PEEP Group
We provided two 10-week groups of the PEEP Group (Parents as Early Education Partners) for mums, dads, carers, babies and toddlers. The outcomes for the participants included stronger parent-child bonds and increased parental knowledge and confidence in how to support their children’s early learning and communication through play and everyday activities that they can do easily and cheaply at home. The group also helped to increase children’s readiness for school by enabling them to socialise with other children and involving them in structured activities such as song time and story time. We also provided all the families with extra resources that they can use at home such as – book packs, bath crayons, magnetic alphabet, toothbrushes and toothpastes and cookbooks.
The groups were attended by 27 parents and 31 children. The parents reported increased readiness for school and increased confidence for parents to try new activities at home. We have also seen increased confidence, social skills and vocabulary in children.
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Project Hope Leeds Annual Report 2024 – 2025
Quotes from the PEEP Group Parents
“The PEEP Group has helped my children’s social interaction with other children. I have learned to understand my child’s learning stages and to be more patient”
“I have learned about maths at home with my daughter and routines.”
“I have learned how to talk and play with my son and what are healthy food and snacks for him”.
“I have learned how to help my child to feel their feelings and different methods of playing and approaching my child”
PEEP Group Sept – December 2023
The Playgroup
We have continued to run our regular weekly Playgroup, which this year benefited 55 adults and 76 children, including parents, local childminders and foster carers with babies and toddlers.
The outcomes of the group were increased children’s confidence and social skills and greater readiness for nursery / school. Parents also reported increased emotional wellbeing and mental health, increased confidence in playing with their children, as well as forming new supportive friendships and feeling less isolated and lonely.
Because we saw parents regularly, we were able to promptly address any additional difficulties they encountered without the need for things to escalate. This included one-to one support with issues such as mental health, access to nursery, filling in forms, referrals to a local children centre, sleep
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Project Hope Leeds Annual Report 2024 – 2025
training and weaning advice, information on other local support/activities. We also had regular visits from a DWP Outreach Worker, who offered, benefit, childcare and back to work advice to the parents attending.
Quotes from Playgroup Parent & Child:
“You have had a very positive impact in our lives. We would just like to say a massive thank you”.
“Thank you for singing and dancing with me, helping me to do crafts, letting me play with your toys and giving me tasty snacks. I will miss you all when I go to school in September”.
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Playgroup
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Project Hope Leeds Annual Report 2024 – 2025
Surplus Food Collections
Twice a week our staff and volunteers pick up 8-12 trays of surplus foods from Sainsbury’s through their Neighbourly surplus food collection scheme. The food is then distributed to parents, local schools and other local projects.
Community Events
This year we ran three large community events enjoyed by 296 unique children and 170 unique adults (some attended more than one event). The community events included an Easter Community Fun Day on the 4[th] April 2024, a Summer Community Fun Day on the 22[nd] August 2024 and a Halloween Party on the 31[st ] October 2024.
All the community events were run in partnership with Community Unity, C3 Life Church and based at St Hilda’s Church Hall. The events were very well attended and well received by the local community. We also had an army of local and corporate volunteers from organisations such as SKY TV, Turner & Townsend and Irwin Micthell Solicitors.
The events included entertainment from a DJ, arts & crafts and active games, a bouncy castle and free refreshments for all the participants including full food packs for all the children. Children also took home chocolate Eggs for Easter and candy cones for Halloween.
The events provided opportunities for families to do something fun during school holidays, especially for the families who couldn’t afford to go away for holidays this year. They also brought together families from various backgrounds and cultures together to help foster community cohesion and unity.
The Halloween Party was supported by Leeds City Council’s Diversionary Activity Fund – with the aim to provide half term activities for local families in the light of firework displays being cancelled and to prevent antisocial behaviour in the local neighbourhoods.
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projecthope Projett Hope Leeds Annual Report 2024- 2025 Summercommunlty Fun Oay-Au8USt 2024
Project Hope Leeds Annual Report 2024 – 2025
Burmantofts & Richmond Hill Community Anchor Network (BRHCAN)
We continue to play an active part in the local network - BRHCAN, where local charities, community organisations and project meet on regular basis to address local needs and inform each other on support / activities offered. All the organisations have access to a digital database and receive regular updates on local activities, courses and support, which allows us to make our beneficiaries aware of the local support available. BRHCAN also distributes supermarket vouchers, to help relieve the pressure of rising living costs.
Christmas Hampers Appeal
This year, with the help of local and corporate volunteers, we delivered 600 special Christmas Hampers during our annual Christmas Hamper Appeal. As in previous years, we took referrals from local schools, children centres and other local support agencies and thanks to support from generous donors and donations from local businesses we were able to bring some Christmas cheer to families who were struggling this Christmas.
Special Thanks to: Binary Consultants, Liberty Global and High Speed Training Limited for their generous donations to the Christmas Hampers Appeal; B&M store for helping us shop for hampers items; Galaxy Insultation for providing lorry and fork lift truck complete with Santa to make moving of 7800 items that make up the hampers super easy; IKEA for continuing to supply us with their boxes; The Circuit for allowing us to use their delivery app for free; Milestone for organising a fork lift trolley and disposal of the pallets; Leeds City Council – Cleaner Neighbourhoods Team for collecting and disposing of all the packaging refuse; SKY for sending their engineers to help deliver the hampers; Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, Liberty Global, TRU (East Alliance), ITV, SSE Thermal, High Speed Training, Turner & Townsend and Equans for continually supporting us with the wonderful volunteers.
Christmas Hampers Appeal - December 2024
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Project Hope Leeds Annual Report 2024 – 2025
Christmas Gifts ITV’s Emmerdale Partnership
This year Project Hope Leeds and ITV’s Emmerdale team joined forces again this Christmas to support families in need with gifts. The Emmerdale team auctioned the costumes from the show and used the proceeds to purchase and deliver gifts to 220 local children. The gifts included a toy, chocolates and pyjamas for each child and wrapping paper, cellotape and pens for the parents to have everything they need to wrap the gifts. Santa delivered some of the toys to our Playgroup and Emmerdale cast and wider team helped to deliver the toys and Christmas Hampers.
Santa’s Grotto and Santa’s Little Helpers at the Playgroup
Christmas Gifts - ITV’s Emmerdale December 2024
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Project Hope Leeds Annual Report 2024 – 2025
Our WHO
Trustees
Richard Harris – International Project Manager, Chartered Accountant
Huei Koh – Business Analyst
Jennifer Seri-Baroan – High School Teacher
Divina Davidson – Health Care Trainer
Mary Tailby – Former Primary School Teacher – HR & Safeguarding Lead (appointed 09/09/2025)
Staff
Gosia Denham - Project Director Carly Midgley – Administrator / Project Support Worker Lucy Shaw – Sessional Support Worker
Julie Burrows – Local Mum – Sessional Support Worker Kirsty Norman – Local Mum – Sessional Support Worker Izzy Denham – Gymnastic Coach – Sessional Support Worker
Key Volunteers
Azheen Quader – Local Mum - Volunteer Hannah Cocks - Local Mum - Volunteer Kirsty Norman – Local Mum – Volunteer Vithya Ramachandran - Local Mum - Volunteer Terri Lockwood – Local Mum - Volunteer
We work in partnership with
All Saints Church of England Primary School Bridge Community Church Burmantofts Community Friends C3 Life Church Community Unity Coop Oakwood Academy East /Inner East Extended Schools Cluster Ebor Gardens Academy Learning Partnership Leeds Social Care Mencap Middleton Primary School Refugee Forum
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Project Hope Leeds Annual Report 2024 – 2025
Richmond Hill Academy Richmond Hill Children’s Centre Richmond Hill Elderly Action Shakespeare Primary School St Agnes Church St Hilda’s Church St Peter’s Church of England Primary School Victoria Academy
We also work with the Ward Councillors and Leeds City Council representatives for Richmond Hill and Burmantofts Ward and other local statutory and voluntary organisations.
Our FUNDERS
In addition to personal regular and one-off donations, our work this year was funded by:
Binary Consultants C3 Life Church High Speed Training Leeds City Council Liberty Global Yorkshire Building Society
Our FUTURE
Our plans for 2025-2026 include:
-
Training additional volunteers
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Moving into our new home at Ebor Gardens Community Centre (Leeds City Council community centre set for Community Asset Transfer)
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Project Hope Leeds Annual Report 2024 – 2025
PROJECT HOPE LEEDS ACCOUNTS
For the period from 1[st] April 2024 to 31[st] March 2025
Project Hope Leeds – Reference and Administrative Information
Charity Name: Project Hope Leeds Trustees: Huei Koh Richard Harris Jennifer Seri-Baroan Divina Davidson Mary Tailby – appointed 09/09/2024 Charity Number: 1199028 Registered Address: The Workspace 21A Upper Accommodation Road Leeds LS9 8RZ Bankers: Co-operative Bank Po Box 250 Delf House Southway Skelmersdale WN8 6WT
Structure Governance and Management
The charity operates as a registered charity in England and Wales – registration number 1199028.
The charity is governed by the Constitution administered by the Trustees. The trustees who served during the year were: Huei Koh, Richard Harris & Jennifer Seri-Baroan, Divina Davidson, Mary Tailby (Appointed 9[th] September 2024). There are at least 3 trustees at any time. When a vacancy occurs, the trustees note the fact in the minutes of their meeting, the trustees then discuss a possible candidate with relevant experience and commitment. Apart from the first trustees, every trustee is appointed by a resolution of the trustees passed at a special meeting.
Objectives
The objects of the CIO are:
To promote for the benefit of the inhabitants of Leeds and other surrounding areas, without distinctions of sex, sexual orientation, race or of political, religious or other opinions, by associating together the said inhabitants and the local authorities, voluntary and other organisations in a common effort to advance education, to promote and protect good heath, to relieve poverty and to provide facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation and other leisure time
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Project Hope Leeds Annual Report 2024 – 2025
occupations with the objects of improving the conditions of life of the said inhabitants, in particular but not exclusively by:
1) By providing advice guidance and training to address basic educational needs in order to help people overcome the poverty cycle, face life controlling issues or rehabilitate people back into society;
2) By implementing school programmes to assist in the advancement of young people in life;
3) By helping families improve their condition of life by address parenting skills, educational needs and lifestyle choices;
4) By providing emergency food hampers and meals
Financial Review
The charity’s financial policy is to hold up to half of its annual income in reserves, to fund shortfalls in income and/or unexpected expenditure. At the year-end 31[st] March 2025 the charity had £40,558 of unrestricted reserves.
With regards to its assets, the charity’s financial policy has adopted the straight-line method of depreciation as follows:
-
Computers – asset life of 5 years
-
Projectors – asset life of 7 years
-
Stainless Steel Kitchen Equipment – asset life of 10 years
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Project Hope Leeds Annual Report 2024 – 2025
Project Hope Leeds - Receipts and Payments Accounts 2024 – 2025
| Receipts | Unrestricted Funds |
Restricted Funds |
Total Funds | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BinaryConsultants | 36,000 £ |
36,000 £ |
36,000 £ |
|
| StandingOrder Donation | 3,166 £ |
3,166 £ |
2,792 £ |
|
| Local GivingDonations | 54 £ |
54 £ |
624 £ |
|
| SkyBetting | 6,050 £ |
6,050 £ |
||
| C3 Life Church | 5,000 £ |
10,000 £ |
15,000 £ |
|
| Leeds CityCouncil | 4,700 £ |
3,185 £ |
7,885 £ |
480 £ |
| General One Off Donations | 300 £ |
300 £ |
600 £ |
|
| Gift Aid Claim | 1,246 £ |
1,246 £ |
||
| Christmas Hampers Donations | 12,201 £ |
12,201 £ |
9,094 £ |
|
| High Speed TrainingLtd | 600 £ |
600 £ |
||
| Yorkshire BuildingSociety | 1,000 £ |
1,000 £ |
||
| LibertyGlobal | 2,500 £ |
2,500 £ |
||
| HMRC - Maternity | 5,807 £ |
5,807 £ |
5,525 £ |
|
| Income from Activity | 400 £ |
400 £ |
||
| HATCH Local Care Partnership (NHS) | 4,800 £ |
|||
| Amazon Smile | 49 £ |
|||
| Sainsbury's HelpingEveryone Eat Better | 5,000 £ |
|||
| Wades Charity | 5,000 £ |
|||
| Receipts Subtotal | 63,723 £ |
28,486 £ |
92,209 £ |
69,964 £ |
| Payments | Unrestricted Funds |
Restricted Funds |
Total | Last Year |
| Charitable ActivityCosts | 5,746 £ |
17,862 £ |
23,608 £ |
22,052 £ |
| General RunningCosts | 1,679 £ |
1,679 £ |
4,834 £ |
|
| Salaries | 42,085 £ |
14,278 £ |
56,363 £ |
48,810 £ |
| Equipment / Repairs & Maintenance | 992 £ |
992 £ |
1,036 £ |
|
| Payment Total | 50,502 £ |
32,140 £ |
82,642 £ |
76,733 £ |
| Net of Receipts /(Payments) | 13,221 £ |
(3,654) £ |
9,567 £ |
(6,769) £ |
| Cash Funds Last Year End | ||||
| Unrestricted Funds Brought Forward | 27,253 £ |
27,253 £ |
33,618 £ |
|
| Wades CharityBrought Forward | 4,235 £ |
4,235 £ |
||
| Hampers Donations Brought Forward | 711 £ |
711 £ |
180 £ |
|
| Leeds CityCouncil Brought Forward | 3,306 £ |
3,306 £ |
3,932 £ |
|
| Jimbo's Fund Brought Forward | 19,720 £ |
19,720 £ |
19,720 £ |
|
| HATCH BF | 515 £ |
515 £ |
||
| CoopBrought Forward | 1,088 £ |
|||
| M&S CommunityFund Brought Forward | 610 £ |
|||
| Sir George Martin Trust Brought Forward | 1,080 £ |
|||
| The Brelms Trust Brought Forward | 2,280 £ |
|||
| Cash Funds Last Year End Subtotal | 27,253 £ |
28,486 £ |
55,740 £ |
62,508 £ |
| Cash Funds This Year End | 40,475 £ |
24,832 £ |
65,307 £ |
55,740 £ |
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projecthope Prolert Hope Leed5 Annual Report 2024- 2025 Statemonl of A880ts and Liabilities at the End of tho Period Unrestrlcted Fund Restrlcted Funds Cash Funds Bank Petty Cash Total Funds 40,475 £ 83 £ 40,558 £ 24.832 24.832 Physlcal A88et8 Computers Fumlture. Fixturès & Fittings Olher Total Physical A$sets Current Valug Cost 1,925 £ 2.793 94 £ 2,019 £ 156 2.949 Llabilities People's Pensions- Pension ContrSbutions Mar 25 Lamplight- Mar25 DB Hosting MenGap- Room Hire Mar 25 HMRC-Tax & Nl Contributions Mar 25 Wagemale - Payroll Processing Mar 25 Totsl Llabilities 233 33 535 539 48 1 J88 The trustees dedare that they have approved the Trustees Report and Recelpt and Payments Accounts abovÈ. Si8ned on behalf of the charitie5 Trustees 51 Full Name: Full name: MRIL Position: Position: Date: Date: 15
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl rnemrs of On acmunts for the year ended Charty no (If any) arckn 202c- I reF(Vt lo the tr5 my exam¥th of accounts of the atM)Ve charity {"the Trusf) for the year end1 ) l 10 5 {ZOiS Responsibllltles and As the Ctwrity truslees of Tr( Yc respmth for the twaratK basls of rewi of Ihe accounts aC¢¢y(lae wilh the requirements of Charits Act 2011 Acr}. I rerKXt in res of my examiHflcm cl the Tr$V$ carri&J ujt urKlw 145 of 2011 Act aKI in carryty out my 8xaMInatK, I have fol(xYeO ts a&wable Di11 g'ven ty the Chanty ClmI8$ r seckn 1495Xb) of Ihe ACL kndepend•nt I have cUnfted my eXlal. I confwm Ihat rw) matwd mallws have exam19 statement cc4ne to my attentIC (other than that (l%k)wJ bekyw ') in connection wilh the which iwv8s me Cal to bthe that n. any maieri Act I have rl) CITr and Pove come across no othw matters in GonnectKn wth the exafflinatic to whh attenlKm slhyjhj L in Ixdw to enable a UnderStaj of th8 accounts to be reach&l. ' Pkne th8 wcyds iii ts trkats rftsy th) not w. sh•d. 202.6 Relevant professlonal qualifi¢ation(s} LV body (If any): Addr06S: 2 LL) 'Ilow C r IER October 2018