COLNE VALLEY HELP
Report and Financial Statements
1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025
Contents
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Board Members, Officers, Advisors and Bankers
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Chair’s Introduction
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Operating and Financial Review
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Report of the Board
Board Members, Officers, Advisors and Bankers
Trustees
Matthew McLoughlin Richard Izzard – resigned 31.3.2025 Fiona Russell Helen Lund – resigned during the period. Elizabeth Reynolds – resigned during the period. Stephanie Watson – appointed 10.1.25 Lee Seacombe – appointed 8.3.25 Heather Green – appointed 8.3.25
Registered office
Slaithwaite Civic Hall, New Street, Slaithwaite
Registered number 1202732 Auditor Not required Independent Examiner Alison Parkinson Bankers Natwest Bank 8 Market Place Huddersfield, HD1 2AL
Chair’s Introduction
Matthew McLoughlin
Welcome to the fourth Annual Trustees Report of Colne Valley Help. Our aim is to provide services that help people in need in the two electoral wards of Colne Valley and Golcar.
In our fourth year of operation CVH has consistently maintained a core operation of two Food Shares per week, a Hardship Fund as well as other smaller projects. In addition, CVH has again successfully gained 2 rounds of funding from the Government Household Support Fund (via One Community) to provide essential food and energy support to vulnerable households during the energy and cost of living crisis.
CVH has maintained its sound base of volunteers. The Board would especially like to offer thanks to all CVH’s volunteers and supporters, without whom none of the vital work CVH does would be possible.
CVH has developed new fliers for promoting the food shares and also how to support CVH.
Operating and Financial Review Aims and objectives
The objectives of CVH are the relief of need of persons resident in the electoral wards of Colne Valley, Golcar and the surrounding area who are in need for reasons of their financial situation, in particular but not exclusively, by the provision of food and other essential household items that they could not otherwise afford.
Our core service
Helping people to access affordable food and other essential items by
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Providing 2 weekly community food share schemes at Slaithwaite Civic Hall and Golcar Drop By centre
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Making emergency deliveries of food where appropriate
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Managing a hardship fund to help meet the needs of individual households, where other support is not available
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Provision of energy support vouchers
Providing information and signposting people to other support services
- We do this in person at the Food Share and via our website www.colnevalleyhelp.org.uk
Achievements made during the year
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Maintaining 2 weekly food share schemes with the support of volunteers
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Moving to a new home within Slaithwaite Civic Hall
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Providing essential food to an average of 40 households per week throughout the year
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Maintaining a sound base of committed DBS-checked volunteers to provide front line support
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Raising £17,396 from charitable grants and £26,597 through charitable donations and other fundraising efforts
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Distributing £31,847 of funding benefiting 250households through the provision of our weekly food share.
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Continued to develop working relationships with partner organisations including Marsden Resilience Fund and the Welcome Centre. These relationships ensure a more co-ordinated approach to supporting people in need in our area and promote the sharing of best practice
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Considerably Improved our data collection to enable us to monitor the characteristics of households in need, trends in demand and to evidence the outputs and outcomes of our service delivery
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We have registered for Gift Aid claims and have made our first claim in this period.
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We have made good progress in the process of reviewing and updating our policies.
Thank you to our funders and supporters
Marsden Resilience Fund Kirklees MBC One Community Cuckoo’s Nest, Marsden Running Santa Individual members and businesses of our communities
A big thank you must go to West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service for providing the venue for our Slaithwaite food share within the Slaithwaite Fire Station for the past four years.
Future Developments
The key priority of CVH remains to ensure that the organisation is sustainable and viable. To achieve this, we are developing and broadening our fundraising efforts and activities. This includes strengthening our profile through more creative marketing and publicity of what we do to both potential beneficiaries and supporters. This work includes the creation of online donation tools which are now possible as CVH is an officially registered charity.
The ongoing cost of living crisis means that we need to continue our focus on addressing food poverty. This includes an effort to improve our food offer to accommodate an increase in user numbers but also to provide a healthier and more balanced selection, including fresh produce.
We will continue to develop and diversify our volunteer and supporter base and further develop partnership working with: The Welcome Centre, Marsden Resilience Fund, Local Welfare Provision and others.
Public benefit statement
In developing the programme of events and activities described above the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit. The services provided by CVH are targeted at households living in the electoral wards of the Colne Valley and Golcar who are in need. These services aim to relieve and prevent food poverty among these households.
Going Concern
The trustees of charities have undertaken an assessment of CVH’s ability to continue as a going concern covering a period of at least 12 months from the date of this annual report and accounts. The trustees have identified a series of risks that relate to the organisation’s capacity and infrastructure and to the organisation’s finances. The
trustees have developed a risk management plan that mitigates these risks. On this basis it is the conclusion of the trustees that the organisation will remain a going concern in the financial year 2025-26.
Risks identified:
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Governance risk – failure to recruit additional board members to replace those who leave – lack of capacity to continue to manage organisation and operations
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Financial risks – an ongoing increase in demand for services, a reduction in sources of income including from individual donations as a result of the cost of living crisis and increased competition for sources of charitable income
Risk Management – the following are in place to mitigate the risks identified above:
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Recruitment of additional board members to strengthen capacity
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Access to advice and support on governance issues and sources of funding from Third Sector Leaders
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Process of reviewing and updating policies
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Maintenance of robust financial records to ensure that the Board is fully aware of current income levels against financial liabilities
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Partnership working with other support agencies to ensure that users are accessing all and the most appropriate sources of support
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Decision to develop a Reserves policy
The organisation has limited financial liabilities. CVH has no employees and pays rent for both premises. Ongoing financial commitments are limited to the website license, insurance, support for accounting procedures, rent and utilities, membership of FareShare and topping up food supplies. If the organisation’s income falls such that it is unable to cover these commitments and continue providing a service, then the Board will be able to close down operations at relatively short notice.
Related Party Transactions
There were no related party transactions made in the year.
Matthew McLoughlin ( Chair)
Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Colne Valley Help.
I report on the accounts of the Trust for the year ended 31 March 2025 as set out in this document.
As the charity's trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts; you consider that the audit requirement of section 43(2) of the Charities Act 1993 (the Act) does not apply. It is my responsibility to state, on the basis of procedures specified in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners under section 43 (7)(b) of the Act, whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of independent examiner's report
My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. 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 connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
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(1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements
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to keep accounting records in accordance with section 41 of the Act; and
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to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and to comply with the accounting
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requirements of the Act
have not been met; or
- (2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn, in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Alison Parkinson
Alison Parkinson Independent Examiner
Date: 15/08/2025
Income and Expenditure for year ending March 2025
| Income generated from: Grants and Donations 1 Charitable activities Gift aid reclaim Total Income Expenditure spent on: Charitable activities Net surplus / (deficit) Reconciliation of funds: Reserves at 01/04/24 Net movement in funds in year Total Reserves |
Unrestricted Restricted Mar-25 Mar-24 £ £ £ £ 0 17,396 17,396 30,953 18,664 7,933 26,597 0 373 0 373 0 |
|---|---|
| 19,036 25,329 44,365 30,953 13,908 17,939 31,847 27,459 |
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| 5,128 7,390 12,518 3,494 |
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| 12,492 3,561 16,053 12,560 5,128 7,390 12,518 3,493 |
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| 17,620 10,951 28,571 16,053 |
| Balance Sheet Note Fixed Assets Fixtures and Fittings Debtors Prepayments Total debtors Stock Donated stock, and other items Bank and Cash Bank Petty Cash Creditors Suppliers (due within 1 year) Total creditors Net current assets Creditors due after 1 year Total net assets Reserves Reserves b/fwd 1 Current year surplus Total funds |
Unrestricted Restricted Mar-25 Mar-24 Funds Funds £ £ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
|---|---|
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17,442 11,217 28,659 15,715 178 0 178 338 0 0 0 84 |
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| 0 266 266 84 |
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| 17,620 10,951 28,571 15,969 0 0 0 0 |
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| 17,620 10,951 28,571 15,969 |
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| 12,492 3,561 16,053 12,560 5,128 7,390 12,518 3,493 |
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| 17,620 10,951 28,571 16,053 |
| Funds and Reserves Reconciliation | Balance | Balance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B/fwd | Income | Expenditure | C/fwd | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| UNRESTRICTED FUNDS | ||||
| General unrestricted funds | 12,492 | 19,036 | 13,908 | 17,620 |
| Total Unrestricted Funds | 12,492 | 19,036 | 13,908 | 17,620 |
| RESTRICTED FUNDS | ||||
| Cuckoo’s Nest Youth Club | 592 | 0 | 0 | 592 |
| Hardship fund - G&S | 626 | 0 | 626 | 0 |
| One Community - core | 343 | 0 | 343 | 0 |
| Ward Funding (CV | ||||
| Hardship not Golcar) | 2,000 | 0 | 847 | 1,153 |
| Cuckoo's nest core | 0 | 1000 | 1000 | 0 |
| One Community - financial admin | 0 | 2,390 | 1,365 | 1,024 |
| One Community – HSF | 0 | 13,006 | 13,006 | 0 |
| Crowdfunder (rent/electric/fridge) | 0 | 8,933 | 752 | 8,181 |
| Total Restricted Funds | 3,561 | 25,329 | 17,939 | 10,951 |
| Total Funds | 16,053 | 44,365 | 31,847 | 28,571 |
Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting was held on 14 November 2025, where the accounts were approved.