ACES
Alternative Community Education Support
Report of the Management Committee for the year ended 31 December 2023
ACES presents its annual report and financial statements for the year ending in 31 December 2023.
Reference and Administrative Information
Charity Name : ACES
Charity registration number : 1200651
Registered Office and operational address: 12 Newtown Street, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE16WJ
Trustees
Miss Sarah Kenning (Name changed to Mrs Rastall)
Mr Adam Rastall
Mrs Marise Taylor
Our Aims and objectives
To promote social inclusion for the public benefit in Leicestershire by preventing people from becoming socially excluded, relieving the needs of those people who are socially excluded and assisting them to integrate into society. For the purpose of this clause ‘socially excluded’ means being excluded from society, or parts of society, as a result of one of more of the following factors: unemployment; financial hardship; youth or old age; ill health (physical or mental); substance abuse or dependency including alcohol and drugs; discrimination on the grounds of sex, race, disability, ethnic origin, religion, belief, creed, sexual orientation or gender re-assignment; poor educational or skills attainment; relationship and family breakdown; poor housing (that is
housing that does not meet basic habitable standards); crime (either as a victim of crime or as an offender rehabilitating into society).
Ensuring our work delivers our aims
We review our aims, objectives regularly. This review looks at what we are achieving and the outcomes of our work in the previous 12 months. The review looks at the success of each key activity and the benefits they have brought to the people we are set up to help.
The review also helps us ensure our aim, objectives and activities remained focused on our stated purposes. We have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aim and objectives and in planning our future activities. In particular, the trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives they have set.
The focus of our work
Our main objectives for the year continued to be to promote social inclusion for the public benefit in Leicestershire by preventing people from becoming socially excluded, relieving the needs of those people who are socially excluded and assisting them to integrate into society. The strategies we used to meet these objectives
included:
-
providing support time
-
providing guidance on education and support services
-
providing transport
-
linking beneficiaries to local services
How our activities deliver public benefit
Our main activities and who we try to help are described below. All our charitable activities focus on promoting social inclusion for the public benefit in Leicestershire.
Who used and benefited from our services?
Our objects and funding limit the services we provide to those residents in Leicestershire.
During this financial year the following individuals and groups of people benefited from the charity.
- Support to OAP in Queninborough Leicestershire
‘Through her charity Sarah visited Albert my dad at his home . On several occasions he accessed the minibus, played board games, and had a cup of tea. He also did some artwork which Sarah displayed in the minibus. My dad benefited enormously from the visits. He was able to talk about his life as well as current affairs which he was very interested in. He looked forward to the visits and it improved his mental health and feeling of purpose. I will always be very grateful to Sarah and her charity for the invaluable service she provided for my dad, and I know she will continue to make a real difference to those that need someone to talk to and engage with in the future.’ Catherine Cragg (Albert's daughter)
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Supported teenagers (30) in a youth group (Leicester City Centre) to attend Youth Summer Festival in Peterborough- ‘The transport was such a gift, thank you so much for the service. Couldn’t have done the camp without ACES.’ HTL Youth Group Leader
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Provided ongoing support to move furniture from different groups to vulnerable families within Leicestershire, such as refugee families, victims of domestic violence and low-income families. ACES linked the Hope Hub with furniture donors to deliver and install in the homes of vulnerable groups (vulnerable as per constitution 25 beneficiaries)
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Providing tuition and support to youth with SEND needs- weekly sessions with student in Braunstone- Leicester (delivered 35 hours to 1 beneficery)
Financial Review
This financial year the charity aimed to secure £1000 so that it could plan for activities in the next financial year. In total it received £900 from two separate donors. All charity work was voluntarily delivered free of charge by trustee – Sarah Kenning this financial year, therefore there were no outgoings in this financial year. For the next financial year, the charity has £900 of funding to use for planned activities.
Funding Sources/ Reserves
The £900 raised was sourced by two voluntary private donations from two residents of Leicestershire that wanted to support the setup of the charity and it’s work. The £900 was kept as a reserve for future activity planning. There are limited risks to outgoings as the charity does not own any property or have any regular outgoings as the activities it provides to public benefit are responsive rather than regular. The trustees consider an amount of £150 is adequate for reserves to fund charitable activities.
Future Plans
Priorities for ACES are to maintain support with vulnerable groups, delivering small manageable activities linking beneficiaries with existing support services.
Structure/ Governance and Management
ACES is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and follows it’s constitution last amended on 20.06.22. All three trustees were appointed when the charity was founded. In selecting individuals for appointment as charity trustees, ACES must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO. It is not currently seeking to appoint further trustees, as each founding trustee has 3 years of service still left, however next year this will be discussed to ensure sustainability.
The charity trustees will make available to each new charity trustee, on or before his or her first appointment:
(a) a copy of the current version of this constitution; and
(b) a copy of the CIO’s latest Trustees’ Annual Report and statement of accounts.
Accounts
| Accounts | Accounts | Accounts |
|---|---|---|
| Statement of Financial Activities- Financial Year ended Dec 23 | ||
| Incoming | Unrestricted Funds | Total |
| Donations | Mr Campbell Mrs Wong |
£400.00 £500.00 |
| Charitable Activities | 0 | |
| £900.00 | ||
| Outgoing | Total | |
| Charitable activities | 0 | 0 |
| 0.00 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Total Funds carried forward |
£900 |
Declarations
The company has taken advantage of the small companies’ exemption in preparing the report above.
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report (including directors’ report) above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees/directors
| Signature(s) Full name(s) |
Sarah Kenning | Adam Rastall |
|---|---|---|
| SKenning | ARastall |
| Position (for example Secretary, Chair, etc) Date |
Trustee |
Trustee |
|---|---|---|
| 29.09.24 |