Trustees' Annual Report for the period
Period start date Period end date 17 June 2024 31 March 2025 From To
Section A Reference and administration details
Charity name Hartley Wintney Voluntary Care Group
Registered charity number (if any) 1208677
Charity's principal address 15 Cottage Green Hartley Wintney Hampshire Postcode RG27 8DJ
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
| 1 2 3 4 |
Trustee name | Office (if any) | Dates acted if not for whole year |
Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee(if any) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Cornwell |
Chairman | |||
| Christine Watt | Treasurer | |||
| Elizabeth Lockett | Secretary | |||
| Caroline Winchurch |
Vice-Chairman |
Section B Structure, governance and management
Description of the charity’s trusts
- Type of governing document (eg. trust deed, constitution)
Constitution
Hartley Wintney Voluntary Care Group is constituted as a Charitable How the charity is constituted Incorporated Organisations (CIO). (eg. trust, association, company)
Trustees are appointed by the Trustee Board. Trustee selection methods
(eg. appointed by, elected by)
Additional governance issues (Optional information)
You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:
-
policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees;
-
the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;
Hartley Wintney Voluntary Care Group has operated as an unregistered community organisation since 1997, up until 17 June when it is application to be a registered charity was approved by the Charity Commission on 17 June 2024.
- Hartley Wintney Voluntary Care Group is a member of the Good Neighbours Network, which is managed by the Portsmouth Diocesan Council for Social Responsibility (registered charity no 1145162). The Good Neighbours Network provides its member groups with safeguarding support, including Disclosure and Barring Scheme checks, general guidance on policies and procedures, and umbrella Public Liability insurance for their activity.
Section C Objectives and activities
Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document
(1) To relieve inhabitants, resident in the parishes of Hartley Wintney, Heckfield, Mattingley and Winchfield and the surrounding area (the area of benefit), who are in need by reason of their age, disability, sickness or convalescence, by the provision of such voluntary care work as may be charitable.
(2) The provision and maintenance of community buildings for the use of the inhabitants of the area of benefit, without distinction of political, religious or other opinions, include use for (a) meetings, lectures and classes, and (b) other forms of recreation and leisure-time occupation with the object of improving the conditions of life of the inhabitants. Hartley Wintney Voluntary Care Group provides the following services to meet its charitable objects:
- Transport to medical appointments for local residents, who are unable to travel independently to these appointments. Transport is provided by volunteer drivers.
Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)
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Volunteer befriending visits to local residents who are at risk of social isolation.
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Other volunteer support eg shopping, collecting prescriptions, dog walking, help with IT and help as required.
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Support for residents, who have dementia and their carers.
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Other activities in the community to help bring people together socially.
In planning our activities for the year, the Trustees of Hartley Voluntary Care Group have kept in mind the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit.
Section D Achievements and performance
Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year
Hartley Voluntary Care Group provides help, primarily to the residents of Hartley Wintney, Heckfield, Mattingley and Winchfield. However, our weekly Forget-Me-Not Café and Singing for the Mind sessions and the Christmas Day Lunch are available to all. We are always in need of more Duty Officers and Drivers to provide our Medical Transport service, but for all other activity, we usually have sufficient volunteers to manage demand. During the year our activity was supported by over 117 volunteers. The Trustees would like to thank the Good Neighbours Network (GNN), which as an organisation remains unique in the UK, for their continued support. Their professional guidance is important in helping Trustees feel confident that we are providing safe services, particularly for those who are the most vulnerable. In addition, they provide public liability insurance that protects us all as volunteers. Befriending A carry-over from the Covid-19 pandemic, was that we provided a mixture of those who preferred telephone contact and those who welcomed weekly home visits for a cup of tea and a chat. All those we currently assist are visited in their homes. Christmas Day Lunch at the Victoria Hall This is now an established feature of what is available in the village and is open to all who wish to attend, either individuals or partners who would otherwise be eating Christmas Day lunch on their own. We help those without transport to travel to and from the Victoria Hall; one of our local families continue to do the cooking and manage the kitchen; and others set up the Victoria Hall on Christmas Eve and serve, clear away and wash up on the day. Our thanks to the generosity of The Victoria Hall Charity who provide the venue free; Graves the Butcher in Hook; Auriol Wines in the village; Tesco in Hook; and Waitrose in Yateley, along with a number of private individuals who, between them, means it continues to remain free. On 25 December 2024, 46 people sat down to eat. Forget-Me-Not Café This weekly activity, for people living with dementia and their carers, friends and family, continues to thrive. We celebrated our 10[th] Anniversary on 17 September 2024 and continue to provide some variety, from the normal weekly drop-in facility, with musical entertainment from the GreenOaks School choirs, the Dogmersfield School choir, Hartley Rocks and the Fleet u3a Ukulele Band. We are also delighted that the Citizens Advice Hart’s Outreach worker comes along once a month to not only assist Forget-Me-Not Café attendees, but also anyone in the village who might benefit from their expertise on a wide range of issues. We are indebted to St John’s Church for providing their three halls for us free of charge as well as hosting a Christmas Carol Concert before our Christmas Lunch. In return we are pleased to make our table tennis table available to the Youth Club at St. John’s and to have made a contribution towards the cost of purchasing a new dishwasher. Finally, our thanks to the wonderful team who make homemade cakes for us every week,
Section D Achievements and performance
which is quite a commitment with Café attendance exceeding 50 most weeks.
We are grateful to Hook and Odiham Lions whose kind donation meant that we could continue to subsidise our 2024 Christmas Lunch.
Singing for the Mind
We continue to hire premises and a professional Music Facilitator for these weekly sessions. Surprisingly, the number attending has fallen since the pandemic. Thankfully, donations and grants have allowed us to continue to provide this service with a modest £5 contribution per family per week.
M edical Transport
This is the one service that we have provided continuously since we were founded in 1977, even during the pandemic.
In April 2025, following a discussion at last year’s AGM, we talked to Hook Care Group and, based on their experience, introduced WhatsApp on 1 April 2025, which has been welcomed by most and has reduced the time it takes for Duty Officers to find drivers. However, there are both Duty Officers and drivers who prefer to maintain telephone contact with one another and there is no reason why this should not continue. Otherwise, little changes from year to year and we are constantly looking for new Duty Officers and drivers to spread the load. We had expected that new technology would have radically altered access to the reserved parking spaces for volunteers at the North Hampshire Hospital in Basingstoke, but this has not happened yet.
Our thanks to Mark and Sara Porter, who continue to allow us to deposit the contributions received from clients in their premises, for our Treasurer to collect and bank.
Prescription Collection, Shopping, Dog Walking, IT Support and Odd Jobs
The call for these services has, post pandemic, reduced dramatically. We continue to look to help where we can, if we have a volunteer with the necessary skills; can write a sensible Risk Assessment; and the Good Neighbours Network’s Public Liability insurance provides cover.
Trishaw Rides
As we expected last year, trips did not commence until late summer. Despite regular articles in ‘Contact’ few came forward of their own volition. However, knowing a fair number of those who we take to and from their medical appointments quite well, calling them produced takers.
Chris Cornwell Chairman
Section E Financial review
The Trustees aim to retain at least one year’s expenditure in reserve for the following financial year. This includes any funds, which are restricted in purpose, for example for our dementia support activities.
Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves Details of any funds materially Not applicable. in deficit
Further financial review details (Optional information)
You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about:
- the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising);
Hartley Wintney Voluntary Care Group’s principal funding sources are:
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Donations from individuals who have benefitted from our services.
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Charitable grants and donations from businesses and indivduals.
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how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity;
Section F Other optional information
Section G Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Signature(s) Full name(s) Christopher Malcolm Cornwell Position (eg Secretary, Chair, Chairman etc)
Date 10 November 2025
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sects.on B Statement of assets and liabilits.es at the end of the period Catwxies Oets15 fvnd5 fund5 b)MJTh•tz luThd5 Bl Cash fund5 Totsl 12.610 RèstrictÈd fvnd5 b)r•arMtt Endtyffiont fvnd5 fund5 Oetols B2 Other Mortsry assets Deta15 B3 Inveslment assets BIAssèts rètainèd for thè charity's Own Oeta15 r BS Liabililips SvJnatuik Print Nam* Dat& ol rDV 10.11 2025 Chri5 Vla 10.11.2025 31112028