A e Concern Heathfield and District g
Age Concern Heathfield and District
Income & Expenditure for 12 months ended 30[th] June 2025
Charity Number 1205545
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A e Concern Heathfield and District g
Legal and Administrative Information
| Trustees | Alan Kenneth Hale |
|---|---|
| Elizabeth Jean Keating | |
| Julie Anne Langdon | |
| Andy Shakeshaft | |
| Annabel Williams | |
| Nicole Hudson | |
| John Hudson | |
| Robert George Curtis | |
| Charity Number | 1205545 |
| Principal Address | c/o Little Tinkers Nursery |
| Scocus Barn | |
| Five Ashes | |
| East Sussex TN20 6JJ | |
| Independent Examiner | Steven Kemp, MDJ Services |
| Bankers | NatWest Bank |
| Muster Green | |
| Haywards Heath | |
| West Sussex RH16 4AP |
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Contents
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Cover | 1 |
| Legal & Admin Information | 2 |
| Contents | 3 |
| Trustee’s Report | 4 |
| Chair Report | 5 - 7 |
| Income & Expenditure | 8 |
| Balance Sheet | 9 |
| Notes to Accounts | 10 - 13 |
| Independent Examiners Report | 14 |
| Blank Page | 15 |
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Trustees’ Report
For the period ended 30[th] June 2025
The trustees present their report and accounts for the year ended 30[th] June 2025.
The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies which comply with the Charities Act 2011 and the Statement of Recommended Practice issued in March 2005.
Structure, governance and management
The charity was officially registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) on 2[nd] November 2023 under Charity Number 1205545.
The trustees who served during the year were:
Alan Kenneth Hale Elizabeth Jean Keating Julie Anne Langdon Andy Shakeshaft Annabel Williams Nicole Hudson John Hudson Robert George Curtis
Trustees are elected annually at the Annual General Meeting
The trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed, and are satisfied that the systems are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks.
Objectives and activities
To promote and benefit the well-being of senior residents in the TN21 post-code area. The Charity is staffed entirely by volunteers offering our clients;
-
Minibus transportation services for outings and shopping trips
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Medical car transportation services for hospital, doctor and other medical appointments
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A Men’s Shed providing the opportunity for men to connect, create and converse
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A e Concern Heathfield and District g
Chair Report for the period 1[st] July 2024 – 30[th] June 2025
I am pleased to report that we have had another successful year.
We have continued to offer a comprehensive service to our clients and we are in a strong financial position.
Our biggest challenge remains encouraging new volunteers, as we continue to have an increasing demand which we are not always able to meet, despite trying multiple avenues to recruit.
Minibus Service
Andy Shakeshaft, a Trustee, continues in the lead role for the minibus service. He is supported by Chris Hicks and Mark Fletcher who organise the maintenance and servicing of the mini buses and a team of administrators who book drivers and telephone clients. Chris kindly investigated the VAT we pay as a charity on the vehicle maintenance and as a consequence we are now VAT exempt on our vehicle servicing and maintenance. Thank you, Chris.
Special thanks to Dawn and Elizabeth who work out the logistics of order and timing of clients, which can change on an hourly basis!
The Service continues to be very well used, and trips are often oversubscribed.
There are regular weekly shopping trips to the Co-op and lunches at Punnetts Town and the Union Church.
New venues have been tried out this year, including Staverton Garden Centre, The Heathfield Tavern, Pashley Manor Rose festival, with a boat trip from Medway Wharf Marina planned.
Our clients were invited to the dress rehearsal of two shows by the Rushlake Green Players, in November and June, both were well attended and much laughter was had by all.
We also arranged D-Day Cream team on the 6th June including engaging a local singer who sang many old favourites from the 1940s and 50s. There was much singing, some dancing and lots of flag waving.
Another second cream tea was held in August, co-ordinated by Rhona Verrall, an event now added to the annual calendar. It was lovely to see a number of Rushlake Green residents joining us. As always, we received many compliments and thanks.
Although the buses are ageing, they are well maintained. We are looking at the option of an electric vehicle, although this would need approval and a permanent site for the bus.
I would also like to thank Andy for his perseverance in taking ACH forward with the setting up and training of the Trustees to use a central ‘P Cloud’ database that can be accessed by all Trustees. The database includes client and volunteer information giving instant access for details if required urgently. In addition, all our legal and other paperwork, including Trustee meetings are now stored electronically in one place.
Medical Car Service
Our Medical Car Service is led by Nicole Hudson, a Trustee, and assisted by Elizabeth Keating, Gina Darling, Julie Langdon and most recently Sue Palmer. The service continues to be in great and constant demand for both local and hospital appointments, which can be as far afield as Brighton, Maidstone, East Sussex as well as London. The demand for assistance can sometimes overtake our driver availability supply which, unfortunately, on occasions has led to us having to inform clients that we cannot fulfil their request. Our average trips remain at around 20-30 trips per week.
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It must not be underestimated the amount of time and effort that the administrators put in to keep this service working so efficiently.
The Men’s Shed
The Men’s Shed is led by Bob Curtis, a Trustee and Nic Stenhouse and a committee.
There are a regular group of ‘Shedders’ who are active members, along with an ever-increasing social group. As of the end of June there were 40 members, (27 active and 13 social).
There is currently no waiting list.
The shed is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The ‘Shedders’ work hard to generate money and are consistently looking for new opportunities. They regularly attend local Farmers markets and events to sell their work, in addition to commissioned work.
They have regular social events including coffee mornings, curry evenings and quizzes, with something for everyone.
Accounts
John Hudson, a Trustee has taken on the main role as treasurer for ACH. John has also put together a power point presentation which explains exactly what our services are. In addition, he is recording the workings of ACH that can be an important reference for everyone involved in the running of ACH
As reported in last year’s accounts the legal status of the organisation changed in the 2023/2024 financial year, necessitating the production of two sets of accounts, one for our legacy charity no. 205665 and one for our new charity no. 1205545. The dual reporting continues this financial year as the legacy charity is still in existence, as are its bank accounts which started and closed the year with £0.00 cash balances. This allowed us to capture any odd receipts that had been credited to the legacy bank accounts and transfer the monies to the respective new charity bank accounts as well as notifying the sender of the bank detail change.
During the year, our cash balances increased by £26,249.73 to close at £116,062 credit. Of this, £105,151 (90%) is held in interest bearing deposit accounts which earned £2,472 interest during the year (despite the Bank of England base rate decreasing by 1% to 4.25%, which resulted in our credit interest rates reducing to 2.25% (35-day notice account) and 1.05% (business reserve accounts) as at the year-end}.
Revenues of £51,151 were achieved across the charity from our core services Medical Cars, Minibuses and Men’s Shed, including generous donations from our clients and community (a £15,000 legacy and £500 from Tunbridge Wells Oddfellows).
Expenses were well maintained at £38,264 which is approx. 15% lower than previous years. As is typical with our operation of three mini buses, a large part of our expense base supports the running and maintenance of the fleet, which equated to £11,365 plus depreciation of £9,692. In respect of depreciation, the mini buses will remain our only depreciating asset (depreciating on a 25% per annum reducing balance basis) as the Men’s Shed was fully depreciated by £3,596 during this financial year.
The Trustees have been actively looking at ways to utilise our cash for the benefit of our clients and community. In April 2025, the Trustees agreed that an initial amount of £50,000 be allocated towards potential projects including the Men’s Shed relocation and the establishment of an ACH Hub along with a new minibus. It should be noted that these projects have not been approved and would require additional funds to complete (which would need to be raised by separate funding initiatives). From an accounting perspective, this allocation is an internal ‘paper annotation’ only at this time as funds have not been specifically ring fenced in any bank account or accounting.
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We are extremely grateful, as always, to Steve Kemp at MDJ Services for his continued support in producing our accounts – thank you!
The Charity is now set up to receive Gift Aid and we have received our first payment.
Volunteers
And so, to our lovely volunteers, without you all ACH would not exist and I thank each and everyone of you, for the time you give along with your enthusiasm and patience that you bring to the role.
We held a BBQ in the summer for our volunteers, which provided a lovely opportunity for volunteers to meet, eat, drink and share experiences. A Christmas cheese and wine party also proved popular and both events will be repeated the next year.
There was also the opportunity for volunteers to undertake training in basic first aid, manual handling and dementia awareness.
In April, we were invited to Holy Cross Priory for a lovely cream tea that was organised by some of our clients that live there as a way of saying thank you.
This was well attended by residents and volunteers. Holy Cross Priory has also provided a parking space for one of the minibuses. This is an example of how organisations can work together for everyone's benefit.
Trustees
I would like to thank my fellow Trustees, who work behind the scenes keeping the charity running efficiently and meeting all the legal obligations.
Special thanks must go to Elizabeth. She is the first point of call for our clients and I know she helps many of them with queries and problems outside of our services. There is no doubt that she is the lynch pin that holds everything together in ACH.
Equally, there can be no doubt of the role that ACH provides in benefiting the elderly and disabled in our area and everyone should be very proud of ACH and the work we do.
Julie Langdon
Chair
Age Concern Heathfield & District
September 2025
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A e Concern Heathfield and District g
Age Concern Heathfield & District
Income & Expenditure for period ended 30th June 2025
| Notes Income General Donations and Activities 2 Investment Income 3 Total Income Expenditure Expenses 4 & 8 Accountancy Fees Depreciation Total Expenses Net Income/(Expenditure) for the Year/ Net Movement in Funds |
2025 2024 £ £ 48,679 12,650 2,472 660 |
|---|---|
| 51,151 13,311 |
|
| 24,976 6,167 0 0 13,288 4,567 |
|
| 38,264 10,734 |
|
| 12,887 2,575 |
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A e Concern Heathfield and District g
Balance Sheet As at 30[th] June 2025
| Notes Fixed Assets5 Fixed Assets at Cost Less Depreciation Current Assets Cash at Bank and in hand 9 Debtors: amounts due within 1 year 6 Creditors: amounts due within 1 year 7 Total Assets less current liabilities Funds Unrestricted Funds Transferred from Old Charity |
£ 116,064 625 |
2025 £ 152,470 -123,389 |
£ 89,813 699 |
2024 £ 152,470 -110,099 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29,081 116,689 |
42,371 90,512 |
|||
| 145,770 | 132,884 | |||
| 145,770 0 |
2,575 130,309 |
|||
| 145,770 | 132,884 |
The Accounts were approved by the Trustees on
Julie Langdon
Chairman
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A e Concern Heathfield and District g
Notes to the Accounts
- 1) Accounting Policies
The accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention.
The accounts have been prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards, the Statement of Recommended Practice, ‘Accounting and Reporting by Charities’, issued March 2005 and the Charities Act 2011.
- 2) Income
| 2025 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Income from Mini Bus Services | 16,049 | 6,255 |
| Subscriptions, Donations and Fundraising to Men’s Shed | 9,212 | 3,274 |
| Income from Medical Car Services | 5,583 | 1,696 |
| Central Donations/Gifts/Grants | 17,835 | 1,425 |
| 48,679 | 12,650 |
- 3) Investment Income
| 2025 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Interest Receivable | 2,472 | 660 |
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4) Other Expenses
| 2025 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Advertising | 60 | 0 |
| Computer | 235 | 85 |
| Contractors / Admin Cost | 1,369 | 300 |
| Equipment | 1,393 | 365 |
| General Insurance | 1,082 | 0 |
| Licenses - Blue Badge | 0 | 0 |
| Medical Expenses | 404 | 0 |
| Marketing | 117 | 129 |
| Motor Expenses | 11,589 | 2,569 |
| News Letter | 204 | 0 |
| Postage and office expenses | 121 | 811 |
| Rent | 1,385 | 1,236 |
| Software | 37 | 0 |
| Staff Training, DBS Checks & Welfare | 2,467 | 121 |
| Stationary & Printing | 744 | 248 |
| Subscriptions | 40 | 0 |
| Sundry / Donations | 1,359 | 39 |
| Telephone | 694 | 175 |
| Thank You | 0 | 0 |
| Travel & Subsistence | 0 | 0 |
| Office / Shed / Shopping | 1,163 | 90 |
| Misc. | 512 | 0 |
| 24,976 | 6,167 |
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5) Fixed Assets
| ixed Assets | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2025 | 2025 | 2024 | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Buildings | Motor | Total | Total | |
| Vehicles | ||||
| Fixed Assets at Cost – Transferred | 26,715 | 125,755 | 152,470 | 152,470 |
| Additions in Year | ||||
| Purchased | ||||
| Disposal | ||||
| Gift Aided – DVLA Scheme | ||||
| Total Cost of Fixed Assets C/fwd | 26,715 | 125,755 | 152,470 | 152,470 |
| Depreciation - Transferred | 23,119 | 86,980 | 110,099 | 105,531 |
| Depreciation Charge in Year | 3,596 | 9,694 | 13,290 | 4,568 |
| Depreciation eliminated on disposal | ||||
| Total Depreciation Charge | 26,715 | 96,674 | 123,389 | 110,099 |
| Net Book value at 30thJune 2025 | 0 | 29,081 | 29,081 | 42,371 |
| Net Book value at 30thJune 2024 | 3,596 | 38,775 | 42,371 | 0 |
- 6) Debtors: amounts falling due within one year
| 2025 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Shopping purchased for Clients | 625 | 699 |
| 7) Creditors: amounts falling due within one year | ||
| 2025 | 2024 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Accruals | 0 | 0 |
- 8) Trustees
None of the Trustees (or any person connected with them) received any remuneration or benefits from the charity during the year.
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- 9) Analysis of Funds
| As at 30thJune 2024 | Cash Flow | As at 30thJune 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | |
| Cash at Bank and in Hand | 89,813 | 26,251 | 116,064 |
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Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Age Concern Heathfield and District
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Age Concern Heathfield and District for the year ended 30 June 2025.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of Age Concern Heathfield and District 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 Age Concern Heathfield and District’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.
Independent examiner’s statement
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:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of Age Concern Heathfield and District as required by section 130 of the Act; or
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the accounts do not accord with those records; or
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the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any
requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
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:
MDJ Services Ltd Unit A6 Chaucer Business Park Dittons Road Steven Kemp FCCA Polegate ACCA membership no 2792716 East Sussex Date: 17 September 2025 BN26 6QH
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