Friends of Evington Trustees’ Annual Report 2025
Friends of Evington
Trustees’ Annual Report to the Charity Commission
For the Year Ended 31st December 2025
1 Reference And Administrative Details
| Charity Name | Friends of Evington |
|---|---|
| Charity Registration Number |
1205219 |
| Legal Form | (Association) Charitable Incorporated Organisation |
| Principal Office | 10 St Denys Road, Evington, Leicester LE5 6DT |
| Trustees During The Year | Baljit Singh (Chair); Nilesh Chauhan (Treasurer); Rob Watson (Secretary); Jason Chauhan; Helen Pettman; Harkesh Farma; Val Fisher |
| Trustee Meetings | The Board of Trustees met six times during the year. |
| Bankers | The Co-operative Bank, 77 to 79 Market Place, Leicester LE1 5EN |
2 Objects And Public Benefit
Friends of Evington exists to support and inspire a healthy community through environmental, educational, civic and community development activity for the benefit of local people. The charity’s work is carried out in line with its constitution and its charitable objects.
In planning activities and reviewing achievements during the year, the trustees had due regard to the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance. The trustees consider that the charity’s activities during the year provided identifiable public benefit through access to local information, support for volunteering, environmental improvement, community participation, heritage activity, health and wellbeing opportunities, and local civic engagement.
3 Activities And Achievements In 2025
3.1 Community Information And Communication
The charity produced six issues of the Evington Echo magazine during the year. The magazine was delivered by volunteers to approximately six thousand homes in the Evington area. The publication promoted community events and services and included content relating to local groups, volunteering, community safety, wellbeing and heritage.
The charity also maintained the Evington Echo website, which extended the reach of the printed publication through additional posts and information relevant to residents, volunteers and community organisations.
3.2 Community Activity, Participation And Wellbeing
The charity organised and supported a range of special events and activities during the year, including talks, social gatherings, clean-up activities, walks, celebration events and remembrance activities. Attendance ranged from approximately twelve to one hundred and fifty people per event. Activities included Remembrance Day, VJ Day, Singing Around
Friends of Evington | Trustees’ Annual Report for the Year Ended 31st December 2025
Friends of Evington Trustees’ Annual Report 2025
the Christmas Tree, the Evington in Bloom tea and thank-you event, and a Diwali event for supporters and volunteers.
The charity also supported a programme of regular community activity through hired local venues, including Zumba, gentle exercise, yoga, the Evington Social Group, the Scrabble Group, the Rummikub Group, the Lunch Club, and a monthly history and heritage group. Additional supported activity included Santa Visits Evington, Sedgebrook Gardeners, Friends of Piggy’s Hollow, and the Horston Hill Project.
3.3 Environmental Improvement And Civic Pride
The charity continued to look after a number of planted containers and small planted garden sites in Evington during the spring and summer seasons. This work was supported by volunteers and contributed to local environmental improvement and civic pride.
Volunteers from East Midlands in Bloom, working with the Royal Horticultural Society, visited and assessed the local Bloom entry on 4th July 2025. The entry received a Silver Gilt award together with a written assessment recognising the quality of planting, commitment to environmental improvement, and community involvement.
The charity also encouraged local litter-picking volunteers to help keep the neighbourhood clean and attractive.
3.4 Partnership Work And Learning
With partners, the charity supported heritage fairs in Leicester and supported training for community reporters. These activities contributed to local learning, heritage engagement and community participation.
4 Financial Review
During the year, the charity received total incoming resources of £12,343.40 and recorded total expenditure of £11,076.36 , giving an overall net surplus for the year of £1,267.04.
4.1 Statement Of Financial Position At 31st December 2025
| Item | £ |
|---|---|
| Cash At Bank–Current Account | 6,244.24 |
| Cash At Bank–Deposit Account | 23,951.81 |
| Total Assets | 30,196. 25 |
| Income for the year | 12,343,40 |
| Expenditure for the year | 11,076.36 |
| Charitable activities | 11,334,15 |
| Investment | 445.25 |
| Fundraising stall | 344 |
| Donations | 220 |
| Income Received In Advance | 2,244.00 |
| Income Owing | 0.00 |
| Accumulated Funds Carried Forward | 30,196.05 |
Friends of Evington | Trustees’ Annual Report for the Year Ended 31st December 2025
Friends of Evington Trustees’ Annual Report 2025
4.2 Reserves Statement
The trustees have considered the charity’s need for reserves in order to manage cashflow, meet foreseeable commitments, and respond to unexpected costs. The charity’s principal ongoing commitments include publication costs, insurance, premises hire and planned community activity.
The trustees’ policy is to maintain an appropriate level of free reserves sufficient to support essential operating costs and commitments while ensuring that funds are applied for charitable purposes. The trustees will continue to review the level of reserves during 2026 alongside a trustee-approved budget and a more formalised reserves statement.
5 Plans For Next Year: 1st January 2026 To 31st December 2026
The trustees intend to strengthen governance during 2026 by reviewing trustee roles and clarifying areas of responsibility. The trustees propose to structure oversight across seven areas: Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Evington Echo lead trustee, business management for the Evington Echo, environmental coordination, and members’ project coordination. The purpose of this work is to improve accountability, oversight and continuity rather than to change the charity’s objects.
Following changes in sponsorship arrangements, the trustees have agreed to continue the environmental and civic pride work previously delivered under the name Evington in Bloom under a revised programme identity. This represents a change of programme name rather than a change in the charitable activity itself.
The trustees also intend to continue exploring opportunities to secure a centre for the charity in line with the powers set out in the constitution. This includes the possible use of space at Evington Park House and associated land for community activity and a community garden, subject to satisfactory written agreements, funding, capacity and trustee approval.
If these arrangements can be secured on an appropriate basis, the trustees would also like to expand community reporting activity and consider further collaboration with relevant partners in order to widen local participation and communication opportunities.
6 Governance And Risk
The trustees recognise that the charity is entering a period of organisational development and that this brings both opportunities and risks. The principal risks identified by the trustees relate to governance capacity and role clarity, conflicts of interest, financial sustainability, property and occupancy arrangements, health and safety, safeguarding, data protection and reliance on external partners for delivery support.
To manage these risks, the trustees intend to maintain written role descriptions, consistently declare and minute conflicts of interest at all trustees’ meetings, improve financial forecasting, review reserves, secure appropriate written agreements for any property use, maintain suitable insurance, implement risk assessments for activities, keep safeguarding and data protection arrangements under review, and ensure that ‘partnership’ arrangements are supported by clear written expectations and decisionmaking records.
Friends of Evington | Trustees’ Annual Report for the Year Ended 31st December 2025
Friends of Evington Trustees’ Annual Report 2025
The trustees will review the charity’s risk register at least annually and more frequently where significant developments arise.
Friends of Evington | Trustees’ Annual Report for the Year Ended 31st December 2025