## **Zak’s Wish – Trustees’ Annual Report** **For the Year Ended [16[th] April 2025]** Charity Registration: 1207888 Registered Office: 2 Staffa Walk Corby Northants NN17 2QX Phone: 07919284396 Web: zakswish.co.uk Email: info@zakswish.co.uk ## **Objectives and Activities** Zak’s Wish exists to bring joy, comfort, and practical help to young people under the age of 25 with Special Educational Needs (SEN) or life-limiting conditions. We fulfil this aim by: - Granting wishes that create treasured memories - Providing essential home equipment to improve quality of life - Offering **discretionary grants** to parents and carers for travel, accommodation, or emergency food Our work goes beyond simply providing items or experiences — it is about offering dignity, relief, and hope during times of great challenge. 2 ## **- Our Long Term Vision** We envision a future where **every** young person facing a lifelimiting condition or SEN has access to the equipment, experiences, and emotional support they need — regardless of financial circumstances. Our long-term goal is to expand from a primarily local charity into a regional, and hopefully a national, network of compassion, with Zak’s Wish becoming a trusted name for families in need. 3 ## **Achievements and Outcomes** This year — our second year of operation — has seen Zak’s Wish grow in awareness, reach, and impact. **We have:** - Supported around **12 families** through wishes, equipment grants, and emergency family support - Hold a series of successful fundraising events including: - **Regular bingo nights and charity events** - **Weekly National Lottery bonus ball draws** - `o` **Seasonal raffles** - Our flagship event, the **Zak’s Wish Christmas Experience** , was a huge success, with hundreds of visitors attending to: - Visit Santa Claus - Walk through our magical Candy Cane Lane - Paint Christmas moulds and make reindeer dust - Enjoy treats at the Reindeer Café - Take part in tombolas and festive raffles The feedback from families and the community was overwhelmingly positive, with many describing the event as magical and memorable. We are already planning for an even bigger and better Christmas Experience this year.  4 ## **The People Behind Zak’s Wish** Our achievements are only possible thanks to a small but dedicated team of **trustees, volunteers, and supporters** who give their time, skills, and energy freely. From organising events, wrapping raffle prizes, and building Candy Cane Lane, to handling grant applications and fundraising — our team demonstrates what community spirit can achieve. 5 ## **Challenges and Lessons Learned** We are committed to honesty in our reporting. While we are proud of what we’ve achieved, there have been challenges: - Demand for support has grown faster than our fundraising capacity at times - Event planning requires significant volunteer hours, and some activities have been scaled back when resources were stretched - A few grant requests could not be fulfilled within the timeframe we hoped, due to supply chain or fundraising delays These challenges have strengthened our resolve to **plan earlier, diversify income, and grow our volunteer base** . 6 ## **Finances and Impact** All of our income is generated through community fundraising and donations. ## **2024/25 Summary:** - **Income:** £31,378 - **Expenditure:** £21,2122 - All income was generated through community fundraising and donations, and was directly applied to the delivery of our charitable aims. - All income was generated through community fundraising and donations, and was directly applied to the delivery of our charitable aims. Every pound raised translates directly into impact. For example, **£250** can fund travel and accommodation for parents visiting a child in hospital, **£500** can purchase adapted equipment that transforms daily life, and **£1,000** can deliver a once-in-a-lifetime wish for a young person. 7 ## **Plans for the Future** ## Looking ahead, we plan to: - Increase fundraising capacity through local business partnerships and grant applications - Grow the Zak’s Wish Christmas Experience to attract wider audiences - Develop a volunteer recruitment programme to sustain and expand our activities - Continue to measure not just how many people we help — but the depth of difference we make in their lives. 8 ## **Final Thoughts and Thanks** We are only in our second year, but already the name _Zak’s Wish_ is becoming recognised as a source of joy, comfort, and community care. We thank every donor, volunteer, eventgoer, and local business who has stood beside us. Together, we are making the impossible possible — and this is just the beginning ## **Structure, Governance and Management** Zak’s Wish is governed by a board of trustees who meet regularly to oversee the charity’s direction, strategy, and grant approvals. All grants are reviewed individually to ensure fairness, transparency, and alignment with our charitable purposes. ## **Trustees during the year:** Victoria Fairhurst Margaret Final Hannah Fairhurst 9 ## **Signed on behalf of the Trustees,** Name: Victoria Fairhurst Position: Chair of Trustees Date: 15[th] August 2025 10 |**MONTHLY TOTA**|**LS**|**MAIN BANK**|**A**| |---|---|---|---| ||||| |**Opening Balance**|||| |||**Credit**|| |**4/1/2024**|||| ||||| |**5/1/2024**||**£ 5,511.00**|| ||||| |**6/1/2024**||**£ 785.44**|| ||||| |**7/1/2024**||**£ 5,137.74**|| ||||| |**8/1/2024**||**£ 1,888.33**|| ||||| |**9/1/2024**||**£ 2,657.63**|| ||||| |**10/1/2024**||**£ 1,430.71**|| ||||| |**11/1/2024**||**£ 2,374.02**|| ||||| |**12/1/2024**||**£ 2,829.85**|| ||||| |**1/1/2025**||**£ 3,141.80**|| ||||| |**2/1/2025**||**£ 429.90**|| ||||| |**3/1/2025**||**£ 529.68**|| ||||| |**4/1/2025**||**£ 371.02**|| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| |**Total**||**£ 27,087.12**|| ||||| ||||| ||**Opening Balance**|**£ -**|| ||**Total Incomings**|**£ 27,087.12**|| ||**Outgoings**|**£ 25,946.95**| |---|---|---| ||**Closing Balance**|**£ 1,140.17**| |||| |||| |**ACCOUNT**|| |---|---| ||| ||| |**Debit**|**MONTHLY**| ||| ||| |**£ 297.16**|**£ 5,213.84**| ||| |**£ 5,358.64**|**-£ 4,573.20**| ||| |**£ 3,991.28**|**£ 1,146.46**| ||| |**£ 3,498.69**|**-£ 1,610.36**| ||| |**£ 1,746.37**|**£ 911.26**| ||| |**£ 1,599.40**|**-£ 168.69**| ||| |**£ 1,516.71**|**£ 857.31**| ||| |**£ 4,011.14**|**-£ 1,181.29**| ||| |**£ 2,713.39**|**£ 428.41**| ||| |**£ 606.83**|**-£ 176.93**| ||| |**£ 356.08**|**£ 173.60**| ||| |**£ 251.26**|**£ 119.76**| ||| ||| ||| ||| ||| ||| ||| |**£ 25,946.95**|**£ 1,140.17**| ||| ||| ||| ||| |MONTHLY TO|TALS|PETTY CASH|| |---|---|---|---| ||||| ||||| |||Credit|| |4/1/2024|||| ||||| |5/1/2024||£ 18.00|| ||||| |6/1/2024||£ 100.00|| ||||| |7/1/2024||£ 1,824.00|| ||||| |8/1/2024||£ 1,504.13|| ||||| |9/1/2024||£ 316.00|| ||||| |10/1/2024||£ 368.17|| ||||| |11/1/2024||£ 79.00|| ||||| |12/1/2024||£ 11.00|| ||||| |1/1/2025||£ 18.00|| ||||| |2/1/2025||£ 31.00|| ||||| |3/1/2025||£ 8.00|| ||||| |4/1/2025||£ 14.00|| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| |||| |---|---|---| |||| |Total||£ 4,291.30| |||| |||| ||OpeningBalance|£ -| ||Total Incomings|£ 4,291.30| ||Outgoings|£ 3,955.10| ||ClosingBalance|£ 336.20| |||| |||| ||||| |---|---|---|---| ||||| ||||| |Debit|MONTHLY||| ||£ -||| ||||| ||£ 18.00||| ||||| |£ 55.09|£ 44.91||| ||||| |£ 71.24|£ 1,752.76||| ||||| |£ 3,062.65|-£ 1,558.52||| ||||| |£ 300.00|£ 16.00||| ||||| |£ 137.36|£ 230.81||| ||||| |£ 87.16|-£ 8.16||| ||||| |£ 150.22|-£ 139.22||| ||||| |£ 61.50|-£ 43.50||| ||||| |£ 21.98|£ 9.02||| ||||| |£ 7.90|£ 0.10||| ||||| ||£ 14.00||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| 3,955.10 336.20 **MONTHLY TOTALS Opening Balance 4/17/2024 5/1/2024 6/1/2024 7/1/2024 8/1/2024 9/1/2024 10/1/2024 11/1/2024 12/1/2024 1/1/2025 2/1/2025 3/1/2025 4/1/2025 THIS ACCOUNT IS ONLY USED AS SAVINGS A AND ANY MONEY OUT ONLY GOES TO MAIN Total Opening Balance Total Incomings** Outgoings Closing Balance ||**CASH MANAGEM**|**ENT**|**O**| |---|---|---|---| ||||| ||||| ||**Credit**|**Debit**|| ||**£ -**||| ||||| ||**£ -**||| ||||| ||**£ 5,003.88**||| ||||| ||**£ 1,500.00**|**£ 3,170.00**|| ||||| ||**£ 1,470.00**|**£ 303.88**|| ||||| ||**£ 14.47**|**£ 1,500.00**|| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||**£ 2,011.15**||| ||||| ||**£ 2,000.00**||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||**£ 21.58**||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||**ANY MONEY IN COME F**|**ROM MAIN BANK ACC**|| ||**BANK ACCOUNT**||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||**£ 12,021.08**|**£ 4,973.88**|| ||||| ||||| ||**£ -**||| ||**£ 12,021.08**||| **£ 4,973.88 £ 7,047.20** **MONTHLY £ - £ - £ 5,003.88 £ 3,333.88 £ 4,500.00 £ 3,014.47 £ 3,014.47 £ 3,014.47 £ 5,025.62 £ 7,025.62 £ 7,025.62 £ 7,047.20 £ 7,047.20 OUNT £ 7,047.20** ## Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner’s Report Report to the trustees/ members of Charity Name Zak’s Wish On accounts for the year ended 24/25 Charity no (if any) 1207888 Set out on pages (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets) Responsibilities and basis of report I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 16/04/2025. As the charity trustees of the Trust, 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 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 (other than that disclosed below *) in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: - accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or - the accounts do not accord with the accounting records I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. * Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply. Signed: ## Nicola Davies Date: 10[th] August 2025 Name: Nicola Davies Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): AAT Level 4 IER 1 October 2018 Address: 23 Queen Street, Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes MK11 1EG Section B Disclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners). Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose . 2 October 2018 IER