Pathways and Perspectives Counselling and Well-being Annual Report – Submission to the Charity Commission, February 2025
Charity Number 1201821
Jewels, 6 Bedford Square, LU5 5ES
AGM 28[th] October, 2024, 4pm
Summary of year April 2023 until March 2024
STAFF:
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TRUSTEE NAMES: Christine Clavey (has since resigned), Glenda Danda, Gillian Harvey, Rachel Honeyford, Lilian Ogunbiyi, Ronald Reeves
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MANAGER NAME: Rachel Honeyford
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VOLUNTEER NAMES: David Gibbons (charity documentation/administration and IT consultation, publicity) Rachel Honeyford, (event organisation, facilitation, administration, publicity) Mary Funnel (counsellor, event facilitator, no longer works for Pathways), Anne-Marie Hoade (event facilitation), Anne Jones, (event facilitation), Ronald Reeves (event organisation, facilitation)
HOW STAFF ARE RECRUITED:
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From the local community of Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire
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Social networking and service users at Jewels, Bedford Square, Houghton Regis
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Professional networking counselling/supervision community
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OBJECTIVES
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To provide an accessible and affordable counselling service for Houghton Regis residents
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To provide accessible free of charge or low-cost well-being activities/events
ACTIVITIES
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Wellness Workshops – group sessions
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Professional Counselling Sessions
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Creative Craft Group Sessions
Counselling sessions are usually offered weekly (sometimes less frequently if requested) for 50mins – one hour. The price ranges from £5 to £30 per session. A typical price for professional counselling in the Houghton Regis area would be £40 - £60 per session.
Wellness Workshops are offered once a month on either a Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon at Jewels
Creative Craft is offered once a month on a Saturday morning at Jewels.
Creative Craft and Wellness Workshops are in-person events and are run at Jewels, Houghton Regis every month apart from April, August and December.
ACHIEVEMENTS
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Provision of a low-cost, professional counselling service which is not time limited and where counsellors draw on a variety of therapeutically creditable approaches and techniques to meet the needs of local service users
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Counselling is offered remotely and in-person according to individual service user needs
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Good attendance at the Creative Craft Sessions; users report their satisfaction and a feeling of achievement and empowerment from their engagement with accessible craft activities
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Creative Craft - provision of free beverages and craft materials with the option to buy reasonably priced luxurious coffee/chocolate drinks from the machine at Jewels
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In depth conversations shared at Wellness Workshops, evidence of a good level of trust and engagement
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Wellness workshops have regular attendees, they are completely free of charge and materials are provided
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Psychoeducation at WW is offered by the professional counsellor/s and by facilitation of discussion of life experiences
FINANCE
See separate information – currently (October 2024) we have £552 in our bank account. We will file the accounts for the previous tax year (March 2023-April 2024) with the charity commission by mid-November.
UPDATES AND POSSIBLE NEXT STEPS
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A capital cost grant has been received from Central Beds for well-being and counselling resources
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Insurance will need to be paid, due in early November
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Should there be a modest fee for drinks at well-being events? (previously free) It has since been agreed to keep the drinks free of charge
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Wellness Workshops – should they be run online instead of in-person, or do community research and rethink, e.g. run sessions at local centres such as Rosalyn House, (care home), All Saints View (independent living accommodation) Update – continue to run in person, and visit care homes if possible
Additional Information
STAFFING
It was agreed at our last meeting (November 2025) that we should aim to recruit more volunteers, particularly as Mary, one of our principal volunteers, is no longer working with us. We have now recruited 3 more volunteers, and will continue to try to widen this pool.
FUNDING
We have received a small grant from Central Bedfordshire Council. This is to buy equipment for craft sessions and will help us to extend the variety of activities on offer. As discussed at our previous meeting, we are considering doing a cream tea activity to raise funds for Pathways and Perspectives.
Pathwa s & Pers ectives Summar Accounts y p y
From startup to April 4, 2024
INCOME
EXPENDITURES
| Ward Councillor Grant | £700 | Advertising Materials | £352 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unity Christian Fellowship Grant | £700 | Website Design | £300 |
| Individual Gifts | £500 | Web Hosting & Registration | £81 |
| Blakemore Foundation | £80 | Branding Design | £225 |
| Client Donations | £40 | Office Printer | £360 |
| Activities Supplies | £82 | ||
| Insurance | £139 | ||
| Safeguarding | £73 | ||
| ICO Data Protection | £35 | ||
| Bank Fees | £48 | ||
| Total Income | £2,020 | Total Expenditure | £1,695 |
| Initial Balance | £0 | Final Balance( in Bank) | £325 |