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Number
Charity Registration Number : 1206279
## **HIGH PEAK BABY BANK**
A CHARITABLE INCORPORATED ORGANISATION (CIO)
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025
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**High Peak Baby Bank Trustees’ Annual Report**
## **For the year ended 31 December 2025**
## **Reference and Administrative Information**
## **Charity Name: High Peak Baby Bank**
## **Charity Registration Number:** 1206279
## **Registered Address:**
52 High Street Buxton Derbyshire SK17 6HB
## **Trustees**
The trustees who served during the year were:
- Sarah Davis (Chair)
- Soraya Hancox
- Heidi Lownds
- Peter Davis (Treasurer, appointed 20 November 2025)
Krishen Pattni resigned as trustee on 12 August 2025.
## **Independent Examiner**
Sterling Gate Accountants, 3[rd] Floor, 86-90 Paul Stree, London, EC2A 4NE
## **Bankers**
NatWest, 250 Bishopsgate, London, EC2M 4AA
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## **Structure, Governance and Management**
High Peak Baby Bank is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) governed by its constitution. The trustees are responsible for setting the strategic direction of the charity, ensuring compliance with charity law and safeguarding obligations, and overseeing financial management and risk.
Trustees meet regularly and maintain oversight of the charity’s activities, finances and performance. During the year, governance was strengthened through the appointment of a Treasurer, bringing additional financial expertise and increased scrutiny of financial planning and forecasting.
Day-to-day operations are delegated to a small paid staff team, supported by volunteers. Trustees work closely with staff to ensure the charity continues to deliver services safely, ethically and sustainably.
## **Objectives and Activities Charitable Purpose**
High Peak Baby Bank exists to relieve poverty and financial hardship among families with babies and young children across the High Peak and surrounding areas. The charity provides essential items including clothing, equipment, formula and toiletries to families in need, free of charge or for a voluntary donation.
We pursue these purposes by:
- Accepting and re-distributing pre-loved and new items for babies and young children.
- Responding to requests from professional referrers such as health visitors, social workers, schools and other charities, as well as from families direct.
- Working in partnership with local organisations to ensure that no child goes without essentials during early years.
- Offering practical support and signposting families to other services for additional help where appropriate.
Our service is entirely free to families and relies on donations, volunteers, and community support. We aim to support the dignity of families we serve, reduce waste by re-using good quality and safe baby goods, and build a more compassionate community.
## **Public Benefit**
The trustees confirm they have complied with their duty under section 4 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit.
The charity delivers clear public benefit by:
- Providing essential items to families experiencing financial hardship
- Supporting the health, wellbeing and safety of babies and young children
- Reducing stigma through dignified, non-judgemental support
- Promoting reuse and reducing waste through redistribution of donated items
Services are accessible through professional referrals and open community access, ensuring support reaches those most in need.
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## **Achievements and Performance**
The year was marked by significant operational and financial challenge. Trustees were required to make difficult decisions to protect the charity’s long-term sustainability while continuing to meet rising demand.
In April 2025, the charity faced acute financial pressure and sought emergency funding from the Baby Bank Alliance to ensure it could meet rental and core cost commitments through to the end of December 2025. This period prompted a full review of operations, finances and organisational structure.
Even with these difficulties, High Peak Baby Bank have continued to serve the community throughout 2025:
- Supporting just over 550 families, many with multiple children, providing essential clothing, equipment and baby items, this is a 10% increase on 2024 delivered by a reduced team.
- Launched our Sling Library in located at Fairfield Infants School and Happy Hearts Play fé in Buxton, offering:
- Sling fit appointments to provide safe, practical and comfort lead advise to families wishing to carry babies in a sling or carrier.
- A sling hire service that can be used as a short term (e.g. try before you buy) or long term (use for as long as you wish) service for a hire fee / subscription charge. Unlimited access to support and advice is included as well as being able to swap the carrier you use to find the perfect fit.
- Taken on new premises in February 2025 (52 High Street, our Hub) having left Buxton Community Church in January 2025. With this hub, we have built a community space for all our available services. We are incredibly proud of our hub and the interest we have had from the community in the service we provide.
- We thank Buxton Community Church for all the support they have provided to us over the last 4 years. We wouldn’t be where we are today without them and we will be forever grateful.
- Continued our feeding support services, baby weigh and shoe fitting services, accessible now at our Hub for drop in or pre-booked appointments.
- Continued our membership with the Baby Bank Alliance who have been a tremendous support resource and partnership with us this year by providing invaluable training, advice, and access to grants.
- We have covered both Stoke-On-Trent and the High Peak in our services. We saw increased levels of demand in Stoke and we are proud to have been able to serve nearly 50% of all requests received in the area with just 2 staff members available part time. We made the incredibly difficult decision to close the Stoke branch in November 2025 as we were unable to grow the team in this area and servicing both Stoke and the High Peak was not sustainable
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Operational Developments Restructuring and Staffing
In May 2025, the trustees implemented a restructure to ensure that **operations and fundraising** were recognised as distinct and critical functions, each with dedicated responsibility. This improved financial visibility and accountability and enabled the introduction of a formal **Reserves Policy** .
Following this restructure:
- Our **Chief Executive Officer** remained responsible for overseeing the running of the Operations and launching the Stoke Branch.
- An **Operations Manager** was appointed, running the day to day operations in Buxton and supporting the CEO in Stoke.
- A **Fundraising Lead** was appointed, responsible for grant applications to cover core costs and projects.
These roles were funded through National Lottery funding. At the time, the charity had no fixed volunteer base to help with operations on a daily basis, making retention of the paid team critical to keeping services operational.
## **Strategic Focus and Service Changes**
Given financial constraints, trustees prioritised areas of operation that delivered the greatest impact at the lowest cost.
The **Stoke-on-Trent branch** was identified as a potential lower-cost model; however, despite efforts to recruit volunteers and build local capacity, this was not sustainable. Following review, the trustees made the difficult decision to **close the Stoke-on-Trent branch in November 2025** , working with partner organisations to ensure families could be signposted to alternative support.
## **Collaboration with Hummingbirds Project CIO**
In September 2025, High Peak Baby Bank started working towards a collaboration with **Hummingbirds Project CIO** , whose charitable purpose is to relieve poverty and financial hardship through the provision of essential household items and clothing to all ages.
This partnership enables:
- Extended opening hours at the Buxton premises
- Shared volunteers and resources
- A broader, more accessible service offer for the community
The Buxton premises moved from appointment-only access to being open to the public on Wednesdays and Fridays, increasing visibility and engagement and the official launch of the partnership is due Feb 2026.
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## **Financial Review**
At the start of the year, the charity held total funds of **£13,769** , comprising **£3,743 unrestricted funds** and **£10,027 restricted funds** . During the year, total income amounted to **£43,558** , with expenditure of **£41,033** , resulting in total funds of **£16,295** carried forward.
Restricted funds of **£10,283** relate to grants awarded for specific purposes and will be applied in accordance with funder requirements. Unrestricted funds at year end totalled **£6,012** , providing vital flexibility for core costs.
The charity’s main expenditure related to:
- Staffing costs
- Premises and storage costs
- Direct service delivery costs
In April 2025, emergency funding was secured to ensure continuity of operations while financial controls and planning were strengthened.
The trustees introduced enhanced financial monitoring during the year, including monthly oversight and forecasting, alongside a formal Reserves Policy to trigger early intervention when funds fall to a critical level.
## **Reserves Policy**
The trustees aim to maintain sufficient unrestricted reserves to meet essential costs and respond to unforeseen events. Given the charity’s reliance on grant funding, reserves are kept under regular review, and early action is taken when reserves approach the minimum threshold.
## **Plans for Future Sustainability**
Looking ahead, the trustees’ priorities are to:
- Stabilise and grow services in Buxton
- Strengthen the volunteer base
- Develop corporate sponsorship and community fundraising
- Improve financial resilience and governance
Despite a difficult year, the trustees believe the charity enters the next period better structured, more focused, and more resilient.
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## **Trustees’ Responsibilities Statement**
The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and financial statements and for ensuring proper accounting records are kept.
## **Approval**
This report was approved by the trustees and signed on behalf:
Sarah Davis
Chair of Trustees High Peak Baby Bank
February 2, 2026
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## **Independent Examiner's Report**
## **for the year ending 31/12/2025**
Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of High Peak Baby Bank
I report to the Charity Trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31/12/2025 which consists of the statement of financial activities, balance sheet and the related notes
## **Responsibilities and basis of report**
As the charity's trustees, 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.
## **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 which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
- The accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
- The accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
- The accounts did 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
February 4, 2026
Mr M.H Tuffaha AFA Associate Member – Institute of Financial Accountants Sterling Gate Accountants 3rd Floor, 86-90 Paul Street, London, England, EC2A 4NE
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## **HIGH PEAK BABY BANK**
## **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES**
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025
|**Notes**
**Income and**
**endowments**
**from:**
Donations and
legacies
2|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**£**
**Total**
**Funds 2025**
**£**
**Total**
**Funds 2024**
**£**
12,405.56
31,152.87
43,558.43
43,028.01|
|---|---|
|**Total**|**12,405.56**
**31,152.87**
**43,558.43**
**43,028.01**|
||10,136.28
30,896.79
41,033.07
29,258.54|
|**Expenditure on:**||
|Charitable
activities
3||
|**Total**|**10,136.28**
**30,896.79**
**41,033.07**
**29,258.54**|
||2,269.28
256.08
2,525.36
13,769.47|
|Net income||
|**Net movement in**
**funds**||
||**2,269.28**
**256.08**
**2,525.36**
**13,769.47**
3,742.84
10,026.63
13,769.47
-|
|||
|**Reconciliation of**
**funds:**
Total funds
brought forward
**Total funds**
**carried forward**||
||**6,012.12**
**10,282.71**
**16,294.83**
**13,769.47**|
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|||
|---|---|
|**HIGH PEAK BABY BANK**
**BALANCE SHEET**
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025
**Notes**
**Total Funds 2025**
**£**
**Total Funds 2024**
**£**
Current assets
Cash at bank and in hand
5
16,294.83
13,769.47
**Total current assets**
**16,294.83**
**13,769.47**
**Total net assets**
**16,294.83**
**13,769.47**
**Funds of the Charity**
Unrestricted funds
6
6,012.12
3,742.84
Restricted funds
6
10,282.71
10,026.63
Endowment funds
6
-
-
**Total funds**
**16,294.83**
**13,769.47**
The financial statements were approved by the trustees and signed on its behalf by:
**Sarah Davis**
**Chair**||
|||
|||
February 2, 2026
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## **HIGH PEAK BABY BANK**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025
## **1. Accounting Policies**
The principal accounting policies adopted by the Charity, which is a public benefit entity, in the preparation of the accounts are as follows.
## **1.1 Basis of preparation**
These accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention, as modified by the inclusion of charitable properties and fixed asset investments and investment properties at valuation.
These accounts have been prepared in accordance with “Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)” (effective 1 January 2019) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011.
These accounts are presented in pounds sterling and rounded to the nearest pound.
## **1.2 Going concern**
The Trustees have prepared financial projections, taking into consideration the current economic conditions and have, at the time of approving these accounts, a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus they continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the accounts.
## **2. Income from Donations and Legacies**
|**Analysis**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**|**Restricted funds**|**Total funds 2025**|**Total funds 2024**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|Donations
and gifts|12,405.56|31,152.87|43,558.43|43,028.01|
|**Total**|**12,405.56**|**31,152.87**|**43,558.43**|**43,028.01**|
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Docusign Envelope ID: 9DC9CB05-AFFD-4AE5-A716-19B0DF43B26B
## **3. Expenditure on Charitable Activities**
|**Analysis**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**|**Restricted**
**funds**|**Total funds**
**2025**|**Total funds**
**2024**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|Advertising
and marketing|330.30|71.40|401.70|-|
|Staff costs|3,294.21|26,735.98|30,030.19|-|
|DBS|-|-|-|15.85|
|Insurance|125.93|122.76|248.69|153.44|
|Phone &
Internet|61.94|165.22|227.16|106.45|
|Purchases|669.12|1,638.01|2,307.13|9,892.35|
|Rent|3,148.76|1,468.84|4,617.60|198.31|
|Subscriptions|105.00|-|105.00|29.19|
|Training|129.00|-|129.00|1,500.00|
|Travel|-|-|-|189.79|
|Salaries/Wages|-|-|-|16,774.76|
|Premises Costs|2,147.22|272.18|2,419.40|-|
|Accountancy
Fees|124.80|422.40|547.20|398|
|**Total**|**10,136.28**|**30,896.79**|**41,033.07**|**29,258.54**|
||**10,136.28**|**30,896.79**|**41,033.07**|**29,258.54**|
||||||
## **4. Support Costs**
||**Analysis**||**Total funds 2025**
**Total funds 2024**
**£**
**£**
547.20
398.40
**547.20**
**398.40**
**Total funds 2025**
**Total funds 2024**
**£**
**£**
16,294.83
13,769.47
**16,294.83**
**13,769.47**|**Total funds 2025**
**Total funds 2024**
**£**
**£**
547.20
398.40
**547.20**
**398.40**
**Total funds 2025**
**Total funds 2024**
**£**
**£**
16,294.83
13,769.47
**16,294.83**
**13,769.47**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||
||**Support Costs**||||
||**Governance Costs**||||
||Accountancy fees||||
||||||
||**5. Cash at bank and in hand**||||
||||**Total funds 2025**||
||||**£**||
||Cash at bank and in hand||16,294.83||
||**Total**||**16,294.83**||
||||||
||||||
||||||
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## **6. Charity funds**
**6.1 Details of material funds held and movements during the CURRENT reporting period**
||**Fund names**|
**Fund**
**balances**
**brought**
**forward**
**Income**
**Expenditure**
**Transfers**
**Gains and**
**losses**
**Fund**
**balances**
**carried**
**forward**|
|
|---|---|---|---|
|||**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**||
||**Unrestricted**
**funds**|||
|||3,742.84
12,405.56
10,136.28
-
-
6,012.12||
||**Restricted**
**funds**|||
|||10,026.63
31,152.87
30,896.79
-
-
10,282.71||
|||||
||**Total**|**13,769.47**
**43,558.43**
**41,033.07**
**-**
**-**
**16,294.83**||
## **6.2 Details of material funds held and movements during the PREVIOUS reporting period**
|||**Fund**|||||**Fund**||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Fund names**|
**balances**
**brought**|
**Income**|
**Expenditure**|
**Transfers**|
**Gains and**
**losses**|
**balances**
**carried**|
|
|||**forward**|||||**forward**||
|||**£**|
**£**|
**£**|
**£**|
**£**|
**£**||
||**Unrestricted**||||||||
||**funds**||||||||
|||-|
16,198.01|
12,455.17|
-|
-|
3,742.84||
||**Restricted**||||||||
||**funds**||||||||
|||-|
26,830.00|
16,803.37|
-|
-|
10,026.63||
||||||||||
||**Total**|**-**|
**43,028.01**|
**29,258.54**|
**-**|
**-**|
**13,769.47**||
## **Employees Earning Over £60,000**
The charity had no employees whose total employee benefits (including salary, employer pension contributions and employer National Insurance contributions) exceeded £60,000 during the year.
There were also no employees receiving total employee benefits in excess of £60,000 in the prior year (2024).
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## **7. Trustees’ Remuneration, Benefits and Expenses**
No trustees received any remuneration or benefits during the year (Nil in 2024)
Two trustees, being the Chair and the Treasurer (S Davis & P Davis), were reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses incurred when purchasing items for service users within agreed funding allocations. These reimbursements related solely to expenditure incurred on behalf of the charity and were supported by appropriate receipts. All such costs were incurred wholly and exclusively for charitable purposes.
Details of trustee expense reimbursements are transparently recorded within the accounting records. A breakdown by trustee and total amounts can be provided if required.
## **8. Related Party Transactions**
The Chair and Treasurer are related parties, being father and daughter.
One trustee is a close family member of a member of staff who was engaged on a fixed-term contract during the year. Trustees have been involved in decisions relating to staff contracts and expense approvals. All such matters were managed in line with the charity’s conflict of interest policy, with any relevant conflicts declared and appropriately managed through recusal from decision-making where required.
All related party relationships are declared within the charity’s Register of Interests and monitored by the Board of Trustees.
There were no material financial transactions with related parties during the year other than trustee expense reimbursements disclosed above.
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