## Soul Kitchen Chester
## Trustees’ Annual Report - Financial Year: 1 April 2024 – 31 March 2025
## Contents
1. Chair’s / Trustees’ Statement
2. Charity Information
3. Structure, Governance & Management
4. Our Objects and Public Benefit
5. Our Activities and Impact
6. Financial
7. Risk Management
8. Future Plans
9. Declaration & Approval
## 1. Chair’s / Trustees’ Statement
Helen Anthony: Chair
In 2024/25, Soul Kitchen Chester continued to deepen its commitment to serving people experiencing homelessness, poverty, and social isolation in Cheshire West. Our core drop-in sessions, cookery project (“Soul in a Bowl”), and winter outreach walks remain at the heart of what we do, but it has also been a year of significant growth and ambition.
The dedication of our volunteers, now numbering around 50, and the generosity of our partners and donors have underpinned our success.
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Looking ahead, we plan to maintain our strong service, develop our Soul in a Bowl cookery session, develop a social enterprise producing shortbread biscuits (Second Bite), and strengthen our financial resilience.
## 2. Charity Information
- Charity name: Soul Kitchen Chester
- Registered Charity Number: 1200960
- Legal structure: Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
- Registered office: The Blue Coat Building, Upper Northgate Street, Chester, CH1 4EE
- Website: https://soulkitchenchester.org.uk/
## 3. Structure, Governance & Management
- Governing Document: Soul Kitchen Chester is constituted under a CIO constitution.
- Trustee Board: Soul Kitchen Chester currently has 5 Trustees:
Helen Anthony – Chair,
Katie Mason – Secretary,
Gail Harrison - Trustee,
Morgan Jones - Trustee,
Recruitment of Trustees is by interview based on the skills and knowledge they can bring to the charity.
Trustees meet every 6 weeks.
Volunteer Involvement: approx. 50 volunteers.
No paid employees at the charity.
Policies & Procedures : We maintain key governance policies.
Partnerships: We partner with other third sector groups supporting
homelessness and poverty in Cheshire West, Cheshire West & Chester Council,
Drug & Alcohol Services, and other homeless stakeholders via the “Outside In” network.
## 4. Our Objects & Public Beneft
Objectives:
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To prevent or relieve poverty or financial hardship in Cheshire West by providing items and services to individuals in need, including but not limited to food, clothing, vocational training, and related support.
How we deliver public beneft:
- We operate a weekly open drop-in that provides meals, clothing, and essential items in a safe, welcoming space.
- Through Soul in a Bowl cookery classes, we offer essential life skills (cooking, budgeting), building social connections, and increasing self-confidence.
- Our winter weekly outreach reach people who might not otherwise access support, reducing feelings of isolation, providing a hot meal, and connecting them with services.
## Compliance with Public Beneft Guidance:
We believe we have fully complied with the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit. Our activities are open to a broad section of the community who are financially vulnerable or socially marginalised, and we monitor and report on outcomes to ensure our work delivers meaningful benefit.
## 5. Our Activities & Impact (2024/25)
## a) Drop-in Service
- Held weekly at Campbell Hall, Chester -52 weeks a year.
- Served meals and provided support with essential items, guidance, and referral to specialist support services (approx. 40 people each week attend the drop in)
- This remains a core way we build trust and relationships.
## b) Soul in a Bowl Cookery Classes
- We ran 3 sessions each week.
- Approximately 6 participants attend each session supported by 2 volunteers.
- After sustained attendance, participants received a bespoke apron.
- 9 participants completed Level 2 Food Hygiene certification and 2 enrolled in a
- local catering college.
- Reported outcomes included increased cooking confidence, budgeting skills, and social connection.
## c) Outreach
- Conducted weekly walk-about sessions from 1[st] November – 31 March.
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- Delivered hot food, conducted welfare checks, and signposted to support services.
## d) Volunteer Engagement
- Our volunteer base remained strong: circa 50 active volunteers.
- Volunteers contributed a total of c. 5,000 hours.
- Training and support provided to volunteers included induction, level 2 food hygiene training and first aid.
## e) Partnerships & Community Engagement
- Strengthened relationships with statutory services, third sector networks, and other stakeholders in the Outside In network.
- Increased local awareness through fundraising, social media, and community events.
## 6. Financial (Year to 31 March 2025)
At the year end the charity had £57,672 in the bank.
Soul Kitchen’s reserves policy equates to 3 months of operating costs which will ensure that the charity has sufficient continuity of cash flow to enable it to continue to operate in the event of any unforeseen circumstances, and will provide the opportunity to identify and attract additional revenue funding if necessary.
Amount of reserves held: £10,000.
The reserves policy is reviewed annually by trustees as part of the budgeting and risk process.
Sources of Income:
- Grants (restricted and unrestricted)
- Donations from individuals and local businesses
- In-kind support (food, clothing, venue)
The trustees regard the charity as a going concern. We maintain a prudent reserves policy and have diversified funding streams, Given the strong cash position of the charity, there is no uncertainty surrounding the charity continuing as a going concern.
## 8. Risk Management
Key Risks Identified:
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1. Volunteer sustainability: risk of burnout, turnover, loss of key capacity.
2. Funding volatility: dependency on grants and donations, risk of funding shortfalls.
3. Regulatory or reputational risk: safeguarding, serious incidents, financial mismanagement.
Mitigation Strategies:
- Regular volunteer support, supervision, and recognition.
- Diversify funding: grant applications, local fundraising, community-generated income.
- Robust financial controls, safeguarding policy, trustee oversight, incident reporting procedures.
## 9. Future Plans
1. We are looking at a hospitality collaboration project to offer training and development opportunities for graduates of our Soul in a Bowl cookery sessions.
2.We are looking to expand our Soul in a Bowl cookery sessions to include new locations and additional sessions.
3. We will be looking to recruit additional Trustees with relevant skills and experience.
4.We are looking to find a permanent home for our Soul in a Bowl cookery sessions and our social enterprise Second Bite project.
## 5.Increase Financial Resilience
- Launch local fundraising campaigns.
- Social Enterprise development.
- Deepen corporate partnerships.
## 11. Declaration & Approval
The Trustees declare that they have approved this Trustees’ Annual Report on behalf of the charity’s Board on:
Date: 20 November 2025
Signed: Helen Anthony ( Chair )
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Soul Kitchen Chester 1200960
Receipts and payments accounts
For the period from April 1, 2024 To 31/03/2025
Section A Receipts and payments
Endowment
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds funds Total funds Last year
to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
A1 Receipts
Donation - Cheshire West - 23,715
Donation - Football - 500
Donation - John Lewis - 2,000
Donation - Others - 14,117
Donation - Soul Kitchen 32,312 32,312 180
Donation - Sport Support 300 300
Grant - UKSPF BCP - 2,000 2,000
Grant - CCF 10,500 10,500
Grant - Albert Hunt 5,000 5,000
Grant - Cheshire West 2,750 2,750
Grant - Chester Muncipal 1,000 1,000
Grant - ADWF 1,000 1,000
Grant - Household Support Fund 2,900 2,900
Interest receivable 57 57
- -
Sub total (Gross income for AR) 32,369 25,450 - 57,819 40,512
A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table).
Opening Cash 25,879 3,521 - 29,400 24,519
Sub total 25,879 3,521 - 29,400 24,519
Total receipts 58,248 28,971 - 87,219 65,031
A3 Payments
Expenses - Soul Kitchen Van 2,027 - 2,027 6,850
Expenses on Food support 6,388 4,642 - 11,030 28,470
Expenses onHousehold support 2,900 2,900
Expenses on Misc support 2,122 2,122
Sports Support 72 72
Expenses on Utilities support - 30
Uniforms 630 630
Volunteer costs 829 170 999
Repairs 11 21 32
Rent 1,932 3,800 5,732
Computer Costs 46 36 82
Training 24 732 756
Travel 218 60 278
Telephone Costs 120 120
Bank Charges 70 70
Accountancy -
Meetings -
Insurance - Soul Kitchen 17 17 281
Legal & Professional Fees 680 2,000 2,680
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Sub total 12,457 17,089 - 29,547 35,631
Total payments 12,457 17,089 - 29,547 35,631
Net of receipts/(payments) 45,790 11,882 - 57,672 29,400
Cash funds this year end 45,790 11,882 - 57,672 29,400
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Soul Kitchen Chester
Charity No Company No
1200960
## **Section B Balance sheet**
|Guidance Note
**Fixed assets**
**Intangible assets**
**Tangible assets**
**Heritage assets**
**Investments**
**_Total fixed assets_**
**Current assets**
**Stocks**
**Debtors**
**Investments**
**Cash at bank and in hand**
**_Total current assets_**
**Creditors: amounts falling due within**
**one year**
**_Net current assets/(liabilities)_**
**_Total assets less current liabilities_**
**Creditors: amounts falling due after**
**one year**
**Provisions for liabilities**
**_Total net assets or liabilities_**
**Funds of the Charity**
**Endowment funds**
**Restricted income funds**
**Unrestricted funds**
**Revaluation reserve**
**Fair value reserve**
**_Total funds_**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**
F01
-
-
-
-|
**Restricted**
**income**
**funds**
**£**
F02
-
-
-
-|**Endowment**
**funds**
**Total this**
**year**
**£**
**£**
F03
F04
- -
- -
- -
- -|**Total last**
**year**
**£**
F05|
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-
-
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-
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57,672|-
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-
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- -
- -
- 57,672||
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-
-
29,400|
||57,672|-|- 57,672|29,400|
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||57,672|-|**-**57,672|29,400|
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-|
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-|-
-|- -
- -||
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||57,672|-|- 57,672|29,400|
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45,790|11,882|-
11,882
- 45,790
-|-
-
29,400|
||45,790|11,882|- 57,672|29,400|
_**The company was entitled to exemption from audit under s477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.**_
_**The members have not required the company to obtain an audit in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.**_
_**The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Companies Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts.**_
_**These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to small companies subject to the small companies regime and in accordance with FRS102 SORP.**_
|Signed by one or two trustees/directors on behalf of all the
trustees/directors|Date of
approval
dd/mm/yyyy
Print Name|
|---|---|
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## **Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Soul Kitchen**
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Soul Kitchen for the year ended 31 March 2025.
As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material 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 Trust as required by section 130 of the Act;
or
2. the accounts do not accord with those records.
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 accounts to be reached.
Signed:
Nicola McCann MAAT
60 Pytha Fold Road, Manchester, M20 4UJ
20.10.2025