**Charity Registration No 200463**
## **Contents**
**Financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025 Age Concern Luton**
|**Charity information**|**1**|
|---|---|
|**Trustees’ report**|**2-17**|
|**Independent auditor’s report**|**18-21**|
|**Statement of financial activities**|**22**|
|**Balance sheet**|**23**|
|**Statement of cash flows**|**24**|
|**Notes to the financial statements**|**25-38**|
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Charity information**
|**Charity information**
|**Charity information**
|
|---|---|
|________________________________________________________________________________________||
|**Trustees and members**|Dr Siva Puthrasingam|
|**of executive committee**|Mr Aneel Sharma|
||Ms Maxine Braham|
||Mrs Lana Haslam (appointed 1 August 2024)|
||Mr BPK Shah (appointed 1 August 2024)|
||Professor Soraya Dhillon MBE (appointed 1 August 2024)|
|**Patron**|Professor Greg Whyte OBE|
|**Chief Executive Officer**|Mr Tim Lucas|
|**Charity number**|200463|
|**Head office**|Bradbury House|
||39 King Street|
||Luton|
||Bedfordshire|
||LU1 2DW|
|**Auditor**|HW Bedford Limited|
||Accountants and Statutory Auditor|
||Woburn Court|
||2 Railton Court|
||Kempston|
||Bedford|
||MK42 7PN|
|**Bankers**|Virgin Money|
||7 Gold Street|
||Northampton|
||NN1 1EN|
||NatWest Bank|
||31 George Street|
||Luton|
||LU1 2YN|
- 1 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Trustees’ report For the year ended 31 March 2025**
________________________________________________________________________________________
The members of the executive committee and the Trustees present their Report, Statement of Financial Activities and Balance Sheet for the year ended 31 March 2025.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the accounts and comply with the charity’s trust deed, the Charities Act 2011 and Accounting and the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (second edition) and Financial Reporting Standard FRS 102.
## **Organisation**
The organisation is a registered charity, registered with a standard Age Concern Constitution. The charity is unincorporated, however this and other matters related to the charity structure remain under review. The charity is not affiliated to any other charity, local or national. The Trustees administer the charity and work closely with the management team and volunteers to ensure that the charity meets the needs of the local community.
All Trustees have lived experience either as older people or carers of older people and this enables them to bring empathy and insight to their role. The charity is also fortunate to have a Board which reflects the cultural diversity of the town.
Trustees are eligible to stand for election as older people living in Luton, by virtue of their role as representatives of older persons’ organisations, or because through their work they have a special knowledge or interest in older people’s issues. Current Trustees are drawn from medical, legal, academic, human resources, financial and leadership backgrounds both in industry and the voluntary sector. A third of
trustees may retire by rotation each year and/or they can stand for re-election.
There are no formal sub-committees, however from time-to-time Task and Finish sub-groups may be formed.
All decisions are taken by the main body of Trustees at their meetings, including setting the remuneration of the charity’s key management personnel. A Strategic Plan informs the decision making process.
None of the trustees receive renumeration or other benefit from the charity. There are no contractual or non-pecuniary connections between trustees or senior managers. No related party transactions have taken place during the year apart from donations the Trustees have made to the charity.
The Chief Executive Officer has delegated authority within terms set by the Trustees for operational matters which includes service delivery, employment of staff and finance.
## **Trustee training**
Training needs of the Trustees are assessed periodically and cover training necessary to comply with Charity Commission guidance and the various regulatory frameworks in which the charity operates. When a new Trustee is appointed, a full programme of induction will take place to meet the needs of the new Trustee appropriate to the size of the charity. Periodically the Board has undertaken away days to consider the development of the charity and their personal contribution and the Trustees have committed to arrange further away days in the future.
- 2 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Trustees’ report For the year ended 31 March 2025**
________________________________________________________________________________________
## **Objectives and Activities**
## **Charitable objectives and reporting under Public Benefit**
Age Concern Luton’s objectives continue in accordance with its Constitution. The charity’s purpose is to provide the most comprehensive help and support possible for all older people in Luton, so that they, and their carers may continue to have as full and independent a lifestyle as possible. Within this year the Charity has returned to its core services that support Luton’s older population and their carers. The Charity again assisted thousands of people through direct regular service, one-off advice sessions, talks and/or crisis interventions. This represents a significant portion of Luton’s residents aged over 65 years of age.
The charity’s stated mission is to make Luton a great place in which to live and grow old.
The charity’s values were revisited over the last year but remain:
- Compassion and caring for people in need of help and support
- Taking responsibility and being accountable
- Using resources and money creatively and wisely
- Being resourceful and proactive in problem solving
- Creating and nurturing community spirit so that every older person has support
- Generosity and kindness
In setting the charity’s objectives and planning its aims and objectives and future activities the Trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit. The main aims and objectives of the charity were reviewed in 2024 and are:
- To promote the relief of elderly people
- To deliver appropriate services and provide referral pathways to external services that alleviate distress, anxiety and difficulties faced by all those aged 65+ and their carers in the borough of Luton
Through its charitable activities, Age Concern Luton seeks to enable older people in Luton to:
- age safely and securely in a place that is right for them
- retain and enhance their quality of life and dignity
- develop personally and contribute to the community
The Charity delivers various services free at the point of delivery including Advice and Information, Handyman, Hospital Discharge support, Befriending and Wellbeing. In addition, we provide crisis support through food parcels, heater loans and any other practical means to alleviate hardship. We provide advocacy and support for older people, particularly where they do not have any support from family or friends.
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters no group of older people is excluded by reasons of economic hardship and our service planning ensures we monitor service uptake and address any underrepresented groups.
- 3 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Trustees’ report For the year ended 31 March 2025**
________________________________________________________________________________________
## **Charitable objectives and reporting under Public Benefit (continued)**
As we moved away from the effects of COVID our services remained necessary as large inflationary pressures, and a reduction in family support, meant more older people required support.
As such we continued to provide emergency support with food parcels, heater loans, blankets and other creative yet urgent provision of help. This would not be possible without the flexibility of our staff and volunteer team and the agility of the organisation to identify issues, plan interventions and deliver solutions to the town’s older people. As a team, with the support of many volunteers, we have spent countless hours listening to people and providing advice, information, and reassurance in addition to delivering practical help.
We have continued to work with partners in health and social care who often find themselves presented with new and complex issues where statutory interventions do not exist. We have been used as a trusted partner to help deliver innovative plans to distribute remedies designed to help with the cost of living and manage both the logistical process and evaluation of the efficacy of these interventions.
Our core services, honed by years of work with older people and partners, remained popular and effective. We fitted handrails, safety devices and attended to urgent household repairs for many older people without the means to access private sector solutions. We have retained our face-toface
provision to ensure the digitally excluded can continue to access support where statutory and other services have become harder for them to access and use.
We also continue in our role as locally trusted organisation, supporting the people of Farley Hill who were awarded £1 million to improve their local area for the benefit of all residents. To this end with work closely with residents, support them in the administration of their finances and directly employ and manage a worker on their behalf.
- 4 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Trustees’ report For the year ended 31 March 2025**
________________________________________________________________________________________
## **Fundraising activities**
With stronger fundraising regulation now in place in the UK and EU, the charity has worked to ensure that it maintains high standards in how it works with funders, donors and supporters and that fundraising practices and management meet the requirements of the new regulations.
The organisation has prioritised financial prudence and ensured we met the stated aims of our funders and contractual requirements.
Key features of the charity’s approach to fundraising are:
- The charity is a member of the Institute of Fundraising and follows the Code of Fundraising Practice which is set by the Fundraising Regulator through its Standards Committee. The charity is registered with the Fundraising Regulator which maintains the standards for charitable fundraising and ensures that fundraising is respectful, open, honest and accountable to the public. It also takes complaints about fundraising, investigates cases and adjudicates on fundraising practice.
- The fundraising approach is in line with the charity’s aims and objectives.
- The charity raises funds through corporate donations and trusts and foundations fundraising. Individual gifts and gifts in wills are encouraged via a message on the charity’s website.
- The charity does not carry out any telephone, face-to-face or door-to-door fundraising.
- The charity does not swap or share donor data and never sells data.
- The charity has a complaints policy which outlines commitment to resolving fundraising complaints as promptly and amicably as possible. It also sets out the process for handling any complaints received. All complaints are recorded, along with the actions taken to resolve the complaint and the outcome of those actions. Complaints will be reported and referred to the Fundraising Regulator if a resolution with the complainant cannot be reached or if the charity is in breach of any aspect of a code of fundraising practice.
- In 2024/25 no formal complaints (i.e. those not resolved at the initial stage) were received.
## **Activities and achievements**
The Statement of Financial Activities for the year is set out on page 22 of the financial statements. A summary of the financial results and the work of the charity is set out below.
## **Chair’s Foreword**
Throughout 2024, older people in Luton have faced significant challenges, including difficulties accessing statutory and health services, double-digit inflation, and reductions in local provision. In response, our staff and volunteers have once again worked tirelessly to remain agile, responsive, and creative in alleviating the distress and anxiety experienced by many older people in our community.
For much of this financial year, Age Concern Luton was without its Director and founding employee, Colette McKeaveney DL OBE, as she faced serious ill health.
Colette’s leadership and vision have been instrumental in building Age Concern Luton from the ground up. Her legacy is one of compassion, dedication, and unwavering commitment to older people. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I express our deepest gratitude for everything Colette has achieved. She has touched countless lives, and her contribution to this charity and to the community of Luton will never be forgotten.
- 5 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Trustees’ report For the year ended 31 March 2025**
________________________________________________________________________________________
## **Activities and achievements (continued)**
## **Chair’s Foreword (continued)**
We also offer our sincere thanks to the staff team, who ensured the organisation remained operational, maintained and increased service delivery, and worked within agreed budgets throughout this challenging period.
Despite the challenging operating environment, I am delighted that Age Concern Luton has continued to deliver significant impact for older people across the borough. Delivering charitable services in urban areas—particularly those experiencing high levels of deprivation—has become increasingly difficult, with rising demand and growing competition for volunteers and resources. Against this backdrop, the charity’s performance is testament to the strength, resilience, and commitment of the team. During the year, we achieved the following outcomes:
- Hospital Discharge: 496 new patients supported
- Handyman Services: 1,095 Luton residents supported
- Home Support: 11,462 hours of support delivered
- Enhancing Lives: £1,072,802.10 in new or increased benefits secured
- Wellbeing: 7% increase in the number of older people supported
We are deeply grateful to our partners—particularly colleagues within the NHS and Luton Rising / Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation (BLCF)—for their collaboration and flexibility, which has enabled us to adapt our delivery to better meet the needs of older people. However, this necessary focus on service continuity has limited our capacity to develop new income streams, which will be a key priority in the coming years.
We are pleased that our Farley Hill charity shop has continued to perform strongly at a time when many charity shops are struggling to remain viable. This unrestricted income is vital in allowing us to support activities that fall outside funder criteria but remain essential to the wellbeing of older people.
In response to the prolonged absence of the Director, the Board appointed a Management Consultant to undertake a review of the charity’s Constitution and Risk Register. This work has strengthened our governance framework and ensured that we remain aligned with Charity Commission requirements and best practice.
We were also pleased to welcome three new trustees in August 2024, all of whom bring substantial leadership experience and have helped strengthen the skills and capacity of the Board, particularly following the retirement of previous trustees.
Following Colette’s resignation, the Board appointed a Temporary Chief Executive Officer after an open recruitment process. Our new CEO commenced in post on 1 January 2025, and the appointment was confirmed as permanent from 1 August 2025. This provides the charity with stability and strong leadership as we move into the next phase of development.
Our core strength remains our exceptional team of staff and volunteers. While we refer to “services,” in reality we operate as one integrated team, with all functions working collaboratively to provide a single, joined-up point of access for older people and professionals supporting their care. This approach ensures that our work remains outcome-focused and centred on the needs of those we serve.
- 6 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Trustees’ report For the year ended 31 March 2025**
________________________________________________________________________________________
## **Activities and achievements (continued)**
## **Chair’s Foreword (continued)**
We extend our heartfelt thanks to all those who fund our work, and to every member of staff and volunteer who has contributed to improving the quality of life for older people in Luton. We recognise how difficult it has been for those working on the frontline to continue delivering services with compassion and professionalism throughout 2024 and into 2025.
We also thank our management and support teams who have worked diligently behind the scenes to sustain services while responding to new and emerging challenges. Their commitment, flexibility, and problem-solving have been invaluable.
The Trustees would like to express particular thanks to Richard Robinson, CEO of Hourglass, and Dr Mary Harrington, Trustee of Hourglass, for their invaluable guidance and support during the extended period without a CEO. Their experience and generosity of time played a significant role in helping the organisation navigate this difficult period. We are also sincerely grateful to Mrs Lana Haslam for sharing her expertise in Human Resources and Employment Law, which has been greatly valued by the Board.
As we look ahead, we remain committed to strengthening governance, expanding income generation, and continuing to develop our services so that Age Concern Luton can remain a trusted source of support for older people across the borough.
- 7 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Trustees’ report For the year ended 31 March 2025**
_______________________________________________________________________________________
## **Activities and achievements (continued)**
## **Services Overview for the period 1 April 2024 – 31 March 2025**
## **1) Hospital Discharge Meet and Greet**
This service is free to users and provides practical face-to-face support to older people leaving hospital or care. The provision remains essential in helping people return home safely, avoid delays in discharge (thereby ensuring beds are available for new patients), and supports people to remain at home rather than requiring readmission.
Following the change in monitoring introduced previously, this period represents the second full year using the new monitoring template. While this approach no longer generates projected savings figures, it continues to provide clearer information on the breadth and volume of work delivered through the service.
Within the reporting period, 496 new patients were supported, representing a slight decrease compared with the previous year (511) but consistent with pre-pandemic levels. The service continues to ensure that each visit covers a range of practical interventions relevant to discharge. On average, each patient receives over three interventions — including the provision of key-safes, food parcels (and shopping), furniture rearrangement, and ensuring properties are clean, tidy, and ready for return home. Increasing emphasis is placed on helping patients build confidence and shaping the service around their needs and experiences.
As in previous years, we continue to collect feedback through our updated survey system. Of those who stated a preference, 89% strongly agreed that they would recommend the service to a friend and 8% agreed, with just one respondent expressing dissatisfaction across several areas. All other respondents felt that the Meet & Greet service helped the discharge process run smoothly, that Age Concern Luton staff listened to them, and that they would consider using our services again in future. This consistently positive feedback highlights the ongoing value of the service and the trust placed in our staff by both patients and partners.
The service continues to contribute to efficiency savings within statutory services through safer, speedier discharges and admission avoidance. We maintain excellent relationships with our trusted partners and continue to adapt the service in response to their needs and those of patients. The net outcomes achieved through Meet & Greet include reduced re-admission, admission avoidance, greater patient satisfaction, improved referrer experience, enhanced recovery, safer support at home, and speedier, safer discharges.
- 8 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Trustees’ report For the year ended 31 March 2025**
________________________________________________________________________________________
## **Activities and achievements (continued)**
## **Services Overview for the period 1 April 2024 – 31 March 2025 (continued)**
## **2) Home Repair**
This service provides practical, face-to-face support to older people, helping them to remain safe and independent in their own homes. It continues to be essential in supporting timely hospital discharge, enabling care at home, and reducing the risk of hospital admission.
During the reporting period, 1,095 Luton residents were supported, 88% of beneficiaries were aged over 61, and 12% were aged 91 or over.
The vast majority of service users live alone in Luton’s most deprived wards, underscoring the ongoing importance of this service in supporting older, low-income residents to live safely at home. Without these interventions, carers would face significant risks and delays when delivering care packages.
The most requested handyman interventions remain key safes and other safety-related installations such as grab rails. Most key safes continue to be fitted on the same calendar day following referral from health or social care professionals, enabling safer and timely discharge. These interventions are also critical in allowing terminally ill residents to remain at home where this is their and their family’s preference. The team continues to reorganise living spaces by moving beds and furniture to create micro-living environments for safe care delivery, and installs assistive technologies to promote safety and quality of life.
The Home Repair team works closely with the Enhancing Lives, and Getting On to provide practical help and advice to those at risk of, or experiencing, fuel poverty. Emergency heater loans are delivered within hours of referral, ensuring no resident waits long in the cold. Alongside this, energy efficiency and insulation support remains a priority. Specialist thermal clothing, pocket and hand warmers, and blankets are distributed to those without central heating, and eligible residents are assisted to access grants for new boilers and insulation.
Gardening provision continued this year following previous successes. Despite staffing challenges and poor weather, income rose to £14,514. compared with £12,419 in 2023/24. Income remains variable due to staff availability and weather, and no registration or holding fees are charged.
Service recipients were overwhelmingly positive about the help they received from the Home Repair scheme, describing it as excellent or good, and all respondents said they would recommend the service to others.
In August, the service purchased a new van, intended to increase visibility of the service and promote additional take-up. Its impact will be monitored over time.
The net outcomes achieved through Home Repair include reduced risk of falls and hospital admission, improved home safety and security, reduced risk of cold-related illness, greater peace of mind, enhanced opportunities to remain living independently, and increased enjoyment and confidence in the home environment.
- 9 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Trustees’ report For the year ended 31 March 2025**
________________________________________________________________________________________
## **Activities and achievements (continued)**
## **Services Overview for the period 1 April 2024 – 31 March 2025 (continued)**
## **3) Home Support – Domestic cleaning and shopping**
This service provides practical domestic support, including cleaning, shopping, laundry, and bill payment, to frail and disabled adults living in their own homes. It remains essential in helping older and disabled residents maintain their independence and quality of life.
During the reporting period, 11,462 hours of support were delivered. This continues a downward trend following respective decreases in the previous years.
The reduction reflects ongoing challenges in finding clients who both wish to receive support in their homes and felt able to meet the associated costs. Advances in online shopping, improvements in digital literacy among older people, and greater family involvement, in part due to more flexible working patterns, have also contributed to lower demand.
The service continues to support disabled older people without additional charges, including registration, assessment, PPE surcharges, and travel contributions. Historically, funding allowed us to provide additional administrative support for clients whose affairs are managed by POA arrangements or via Safe Custody/Direct Payments. Although no longer funded, we have continued to offer this support without levying extra charges on individuals or their supporting organisations.
Demand remains focused on those in greater crisis rather than early-stage support, meaning new referrals often require more intensive discussions with carers and professionals. Ad-hoc support is provided to those unable to afford a regular service or to offer respite to carers.
Staff on the scheme provide more than domestic assistance; they support clients to maintain independence, well-being, and quality of life, cross-referring to other services both within Age Concern Luton and externally.
Typically, over 91% of service users self-report disabilities, and 13% are aged 91 or over. The service operates across Luton and supports all sections of the town’s diverse population.
Home Support remains one of the charity’s longest-running services. As the only year-round chargeable service, it continues to balance affordability for lower-income clients with the costs of delivery. This includes supporting clients who are not served by other providers due to factors such as financial access, poor payment history, safeguarding concerns, or location.
Market research undertaken in early 2024 indicates that the service remains among the most cost effective nationally, with a rate of £18 per hour via Standing Order, while continuing to offer Real Living Wage-level pay for delivery staff.
The Home Support service delivers tangible benefits for older people, including reduced isolation, improved living conditions, lower risk of falls, better nutrition, increased independence and dignity, improved hygiene and overall health, and reduced anxiety and depression. The service also remains a key enabler for care plans and for other agencies supporting older people in the community.
- 10 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Trustees’ report For the year ended 31 March 2025**
________________________________________________________________________________________
## **Activities and achievements (continued)**
## **Services Overview for the period 1 April 2024 – 31 March 2025 (continued)**
## **4) Enhancing Lives**
The service continues to maintain its Advice Quality Standard (AQS) accreditation, reflecting our ongoing commitment to providing a high-quality, independently verified advice service. Our experienced team provides outreach appointments to housebound clients in addition to office based,
online, and telephone advice. This approach allows us to assist a greater number of people and to increase the proportion of completed cases, resulting in better and more sustainable outcomes for older people.
While feedback from our most vulnerable clients confirms that face-to-face appointments remain the most effective way to achieve the best outcomes, we have made further progress in working with family members and undertaking remote assessments where appropriate. Our commitment remains to offer services flexibly, adapting to client needs. The team has also demonstrated creativity in ensuring access for those unable to engage digitally e.g. by sourcing mobile telephones so clients could speak directly with social workers or by taking electronic devices into people’s homes to complete applications.
We have had to work harder with partners to generate referrals due to a 7% reduction in the number of people phoning the organisation (6,579 answered calls in 2024/25 compared with 7,035 in 2023/24) and a continuing trend of reduced footfall within the town centre for drop-in advice.
Despite this, overall service levels have been maintained and outcomes have continued to improve. We continue to support the carers of older people both in accessing entitlements and in navigating the benefits system. Our team provides ‘better off’ calculations to help carers understand their income position and manage the potential financial impact of caring responsibilities.
In 2024/25, the service supported 691 people, with 201 of these receiving more in-depth casework. While the total number of people supported was marginally lower than the previous year (705), a higher proportion required detailed and complex work, reflecting the growing intensity of need. The service secured an annualised total of £1,072,802.10 in new or increased benefits which is a 10.76% increase on the previous year’s £968,572.28. This represents a significant injection of income into Luton’s local economy, enabling older people to live more comfortably and to access the care they need.
More than two-thirds of Service Users are aged over 75, seeking help with benefits, care, and support to live independently. A small proportion (under 7%) are below pensionable age, typically disabled people, carers, or those experiencing housing-related difficulties. Many of these younger clients are supported to attend or are represented at PIP assessments, having faced sanctions or destitution prior to referral. Increasingly, clients are presenting with issues of poor or insecure housing, often living in neglected accommodation.
The service works closely with other Age Concern Luton teams to ensure these clients have food, heating, and temporary stability while negotiations continue with housing and statutory agencies. These complex cases are time-intensive and have inevitably affected the total number of people the team can support each year.
- 11 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Trustees’ report For the year ended 31 March 2025**
________________________________________________________________________________________
## **Activities and achievements (continued)**
## **Services Overview for the period 1 April 2024 – 31 March 2025 (continued)**
## **4) Enhancing Lives**
The net outcomes for clients using the Enhancing Lives service include increased income, improved knowledge and confidence, access to advice and advocacy, and support to make informed choices. The service also assists clients to obtain Blue Badges and other non-monetary entitlements where applicable.
Overall, the Enhancing Lives service continues to play a vital role in improving the financial stability, housing security, and wellbeing of older and vulnerable people across Luton, ensuring that they can live independently and with dignity for as long as possible.
## **5) Wellbeing – Getting On, Befriending, Telephone Club, Community Transport and Lunch Clubs**
Befriending has continued to focus on one-to-one interventions, delivered either via telephone calls or home visits. While there remains some demand for larger-scale social activities and clubs, older people are generally less inclined to participate in these due to the associated costs and logistical barriers such as transport and membership fees.
This pattern has also been reflected among volunteers, who continue to enjoy the social aspects of working within a team but have been less willing to take on organisational or leadership roles within clubs and group activities.
The changed post–Covid-19 environment continues to impact on community engagement, with substantially fewer town-wide activities available for older people. As a result, services such as Getting On have increasingly focused on in-home interventions. Demand for these remains high, however, the continued shortage of suitable volunteers means referrals must still be prioritised for those who most clearly meet eligibility criteria with specific focus on age and quality/number of networks.
While Telephone Club users saw a slight reduction in 2024/25, this was offset by a significant increase in those supported through the Visiting Scheme. Taken together, the combined number of older people supported across these services increased by 7% compared with the previous year.
We continue to work closely with volunteers to strengthen the matching process and ensure that each pairing or contact arrangement is appropriate, sustainable, and beneficial for both parties. Our Vesper lunch club remains closed, and the team continue to explore external opportunities of suitable group-based activities for older people seeking this type of social intervention.
The outcomes achieved by the wellbeing strand include improved diet and reduced risk of malnutrition; reduced loneliness and depression through increased social contact; earlier identification of deteriorating mental and physical health; and effective signposting and referrals to other services for additional support.
Overall, the Wellbeing services continue to provide essential social, emotional, and practical support for older people in Luton, helping them maintain connection, confidence, and stability in their daily lives despite ongoing pressures on volunteer capacity.
- 12 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Trustees’ report For the year ended 31 March 2025**
________________________________________________________________________________________
## **Activities and achievements (continued)**
## **Services Overview for the period 1 April 2024 – 31 March 2025 (continued)**
## **6) Farley Big Local**
We continued in our role as the accountable body for Farley Big Local (FBL). Now in its penultimate year, the project must commit all remaining funds for expenditure by 2026. These funds are not available for the work of Age Concern Luton; rather, we administer the programme to support the people of Farley Hill in realising their community vision and priorities. The project remains accountable to the Big Local Trust on behalf of the National Lottery Community Fund.
Work began in March on the development of a new community play park located by the football pitches on Stockwood Park. This represents a major achievement for the partnership and a substantial investment of approximately £120k to be paid in the next financial period, delivered in collaboration with Luton Borough Council and KOMPAN. The partnership also continued to support STEM tutoring to enable additional learning and raise aspirations among local children and young people, with a total investment of £140,000 over the course of the agreement.
Alongside these capital and educational projects, FBL continues to support its well-established festivals, Community Chest awards, and local activities, ensuring that residents continue to benefit directly from the initiative.
We are also pleased to report the establishment of a successor organisation – Farley Community Group – which has received support from FBL and intends to continue much of the excellent work already achieved, while introducing new initiatives to meet the evolving needs of Farley residents.
## **7) Community Development**
We continued to offer support to local community organisations and small charities with HR, Governance, and Health and Safety advice free of charge because we see it as a way of improving Luton, which in turn is in the interests of older people. We partake in statutory and voluntary sectors groups & boards in order to both share best practice and also improve our learning of local provision and how we can better support older people in need.
## **8) Charity Shop**
We operate a charity shop to create unrestricted income for the benefit of our beneficiaries. This year improved use of volunteers and more effective planning helped reduce staffing costs. Unfortunately, we have seen a drop in gift aid eligible donations and, whilst inflationary pressures began to ease, these still outstrip any rise in sales. The shop still remains a net contributor to the charity.
We have entered negotiations with Luton Borough Council in order to secure a longer-term tenancy though expect this will increase costs in future years. Similarly continuing inflationary pressures and rises in minimum wage legislation, with Age Concern Luton’s determination to remain a Real Living Wage employer will likely affect profitability in the next accounting period.
- 13 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Trustees’ report For the year ended 31 March 2025**
________________________________________________________________________________________
## **9) Volunteers**
Volunteer recruitment still remains a concern for the charity. While our Retail volunteer numbers remain strong, increasing volunteers for our Wellbeing services has been problematic. Work done in order to streamline applications, improve contact during the application process and increase peer volunteer support have not led to any noticeable improvements. The charity will continue to search for new ways of growing volunteer numbers.
Volunteers working for the charity continue to report high personal satisfaction with their role and mention benefits such as feeling connected to others, and the belief that they are spending their time in a way that is satisfying and worthwhile. The ethos of Age Concern Luton continues to be that older people are best able to deliver this kind of service and so many prospective service users instead become service deliverers and this only increases their sense of wellbeing and community.
We believe we are unique within our borough for taking this approach and are very proud of the work of our volunteers and those who provide them with mentoring and support.
## **Income generation**
The overall incoming resources were £739,743 (2024: £1,000,289).
Age Concern Luton is the accountable body for Farley Big Local (FBL), a Big Local Trust project on behalf of the National Lottery Community Fund. All funds received for Farley Big Local are not available for the work of Age Concern Luton. Total income for Age Concern Luton activities in 2024/25 was £606,356 (excluding FBL income) and Age Concern Luton expenditure in 2024/25 was £723,334 (excluding FBL expenditure).
Transfers between funds to meet the unfunded portion of costs were necessary and are detailed in note 8 on page 30. In total this amounted to £10,347 from the General Fund to restricted funds (2024: £138,442) in order to maintain essential activities following some funding losses.
Although reserves look healthy, most of the amounts are held as functional operational property at Vesper House and King Street. Free reserves at 31 March 2025 are £826,185 (2024: £938,643) which represents approximately 12 months running costs.
The charity is constantly reviewing all the current service offers in partnership with the people we serve and the volunteers and staff who deliver the services. This dialogue enables it to develop and adapt to ensure relevance to the needs of older people in Luton and to act in the most cost effective and relevant ways. Developing fundraising, particularly public donations, is essential if the charity is to meet the needs of the poorest in our community.
- 14 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Trustees’ report For the year ended 31 March 2025**
________________________________________________________________________________________
## **Future activities**
Age Concern Luton is committed to providing high quality, affordable or free and reliable services for all our service users and to expand the work we carry out where possible. The Trustees will focus their attention over the coming year on carefully managing funds to achieve this.
Specifically, the Trustees have agreed plans to work towards the following objectives:
- Proactively seeking new funding to maintain incoming resources at sufficient levels.
- Enact a new retail strategy to improve retail performance.
- Develop existing services where possible and consider innovative ways to support the frailest elderly to live at home
- Maintain wages at or above the Real Living Wage for all staff
- Maintain free and very low-cost services for the poorest in our community.
## **Reserves policy and risk management**
The Charities Risk management strategy comprises of:
- A risk policy which defines risks and sets out control measures through policies, systems and procedures to mitigate those risks
- An annual review and report of the main risks to the charity
- Procedures to be followed should any risk materialise
The various management committees continue to be vigilant in identifying and mitigating risks and a risk register is maintained and reported on to the Trustees at Board meetings. The Trustees have taken steps to identify risks and implemented measures to mitigate these risks. The key risk to the charity is potential cuts in income from public funding and lower income from shops. To mitigate these risks the Trustees have given priority to the development of a structured fundraising plan and the structuring of our reserves to ensure adequate provision for the future of the charity.
The Trustees believe unrestricted financial reserves should be held because of the charity’s dependence on funding from statutory authorities. The continuous risk that all, or some, of our funding may be withdrawn is assessed and mitigated by the holding of adequate reserves. In the event of withdrawal of funding, Age Concern Luton would use reserves to continue services for a period, either bridging the gap if alternative funding could be found or withdrawing slowly from service users for them to be able to seek alternative care arrangements.
Decisions of this nature will not be taken lightly and will be properly considered by the Trustees before implementation. In the opinion of the trustees, the minimum level of unrestricted reserves to be held should be equal to the value of nine months running costs. At the year-end free reserves of the General Fund amounted to £826,185 (2024: £938,643) which is consistent with the reserves policy.
Within unrestricted reserves, but not included in free reserves, is £323,374 (2024: £326,446) held under a designated fixed asset fund and £275,000 (2024: £275,000) held under a designated building fund for future projects.
- 15 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Trustees’ report For the year ended 31 March 2025**
________________________________________________________________________________________
## **Investment policy**
The Trustees have reviewed the investment policy to ensure that the banks used by Age Concern Luton provide the best return and are appropriate for the charity sector and meet their requirements. The Trustees will continue to ensure the best returns on the funds held by Age Concern Luton in this difficult financial environment.
## **Acknowledgements**
The Trustees extend sincere thanks to:
NHS BLMK ICB and Luton and Dunstable Hospital for their continued collaboration and support of the Hospital Discharge- Meet and Greet project.
Luton Borough Council/London Luton Airport Limited (LLAL) via BLCF for their ongoing financial support of many of our services. It is thanks to this support that we can provide vital services free of charge, or at nominal cost to those who are most in need.
We also remember fondly all those who left legacies or gifts in their Wills. Thank you to the grieving families who so generously donated money instead of funeral flowers.
Our thanks also go to Prof Greg Whyte OBE, our wonderful patron and champion who supports us tirelessly in many ways.
Trustees would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Richard Robinson, CEO Hourglass (Safer Ageing) and Dr Mary Harrington, Trustee, Hourglass, for their invaluable guidance and unwavering support during the challenging year we faced without a CEO. Their dedication and expertise were instrumental in navigating this period, and we are deeply grateful for their contributions.
Finally, the Trustees would also like to acknowledge and thank all those that have generously supported the work of Age Concern Luton during the year whether as individual donors, customers, or volunteers. Your contribution has been truly appreciated, and we hope to have your continued support.
- 16 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Trustees’ report For the year ended 31 March 2025**
________________________________________________________________________________________
## **Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities**
The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
The law applicable to charities in England & Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period. In preparing those financial statements the Trustees are required to:
- a) select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently;
- b) observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP 2019 (FRS 102);
- c) make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- d) state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
- e) prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume the charity will continue in operation.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the Trust Deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Approved by the Trustees on 28 January 2026
And signed on their behalf by
**Ms Maxine Braham Trustee**
- 17 -
## **Independent auditors’ report to the Trustees of Age Concern Luton**
__________________________________________________________________________________________
## **Opinion**
We have audited the financial statements of Age Concern Luton (the charity) for the year ended 31 March 2025 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Statement of Cash Flows and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 _The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland_ (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
- In our opinion the financial statements:
- give a true and fair view of the state of the charity’s affairs as at 31 March 2025 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;
- have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
- have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011.
## **Basis for opinion**
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
## **Conclusions relating to going concern**
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
## **Other information**
The other information comprises the information included in the Trustees’ Report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the Trustees’ Report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.
Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
- 18 -
## **Independent auditors’ report to the Trustees of Age Concern Luton**
__________________________________________________________________________________________
## **Matters on which we are required to report by exception**
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 require us to report to you if, in our opinion:
- the information given in the Trustees’ Report is inconsistent in any material respect with the Trustees’ Report; or
- the charity has not kept adequate accounting records; or
- the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
- we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.
## **Responsibilities of trustees**
As explained more fully in the Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities set out on page 17, the trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
## **Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements**
We have been appointed as auditor under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with regulations made under section 154 of that Act.
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The specific procedures for this engagement and the extent to which these are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below:
- We obtained an understanding of the nature of the sector in which the charity operates, including the legal and regulatory framework applicable to the charity. We consider that the most significant are the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), the Charities Act 2011 and the charity’s Trust Deed.
- We obtained an understanding of how the charity complies with these requirements by discussions with those charged with governance and reviewing the minutes of Trustee meetings.
- We assessed the risk of material misstatement of the financial statements, including the risk of material misstatement due to fraud and how it might occur, by holding discussions with those charged with governance.
- We inquired of those charged with governance about their own identification and assessment of the risk of irregularities, including any known actual, suspected or alleged instances of fraud.
- We discussed matters about non-compliance with laws and regulations and how fraud might occur including assessment of how and where the financial statements may be susceptible to irregularities or fraud.
- 19 -
## **Independent auditors’ report to the Trustees of Age Concern Luton**
__________________________________________________________________________________________
## **Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements (continued)**
- Based on this understanding, we designed specific appropriate audit procedures to identify instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. This included making enquiries of management and those charged with governance and obtaining additional corroborative evidence as required.
In addition to the risk of management override of controls, we have identified revenue recognition as the area where the financial statements are most susceptible to material misstatement due to fraud. Audit procedures performed included a review of income paperwork and sample testing.
Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.
As part of an audit in accordance with ISAs (UK), we exercise professional judgment and maintain professional scepticism throughout the audit. We also:
- Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.
- Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the charity’s internal control.
- Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by the trustees.
- Conclude on the appropriateness of the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a material uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention in our auditor’s report to the related disclosures in the financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditor’s report. However, future events or conditions may cause the charity to cease to continue as a going concern.
- Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the financial statements, including the disclosures, and whether the financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation (i.e. gives a true and fair view).
We communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit
- 20 -
## **Independent auditors’ report to the Trustees of Age Concern Luton**
__________________________________________________________________________________________
## **Use of report**
This report is made solely to the charity’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with Part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity’s trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity’s trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
Alberto Di Lorenzo (Senior Statutory Auditor)
for and on behalf of HW Bedford Limited
Accountants and Statutory Auditor Woburn Court 2 Railton Court Kempston Bedford MK42 7PN
Date: 30 January 2026
_HW Bedford Limited is eligible to act as an auditor in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006._
- 21 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Statement of financial activities (including Income and Expenditure Account) For the year ended 31 March 2025**
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
|||||||**As restated**|**As restated**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||**2025**|**2025**|**2025**|
**2025**|**2024**|
|||**Unrestricted**||**Restricted**|**Endowment**|
**Total**|**Total**|
||||**Funds**|**Funds**|**Funds**|
**Funds**|**Funds**|
||**Notes**||**£**|**£**|**£**|
**£**|**£**|
|**Income and endowments from:**||||||||
|Donations and legacies|||6,823|-|-|
6,823|32,621|
|Charitable activities:||||||||
|LLAL income|||-|124,345|-|124,345|143,000|
|Recruitment and Retention|||-|-|-|-|-|
|Household Support service|||-|-|-|-|-|
|Befriending, wellbeing and lunch club|service||-|-|-|-|-|
|Hospital Discharge|||-|135,275|-|135,275|134,469|
|Farley Big Local|||-|113,387|-|113,387|325,979|
|Income from charitable services|||225,056|-|-|
225,056|240,850|
|Other trading activities||**3**|75,741|-|-|
75,741|81,842|
|Investments:||||||||
|Bank account interest|||41,647|4,028|-|45,675|19,840|
|Other income|||13,441|-|-|
13,441|21,688|
||||─────|─────|─────|─────|─────|
|**Total income**|||362,708|377,035|-|739,743|1,000,289|
||||─────|─────|─────|─────|─────|
|**Expenditure on:**||||||||
|Raising funds||**3**|56,205|-|-|
56,205|59,211|
|Charitable activities||**4**|390,334|398,885|-|789,219|926,533|
||||─────|─────|─────|─────|─────|
|**Total expenditure**|||446,539|398,885|-|845,424|985,744|
||||─────|─────|─────|─────|─────|
|**Net (expenditure)/income**|||(83,831)|
(21,850)|
-|(105,681)|14,545|
|Transfers between funds|**8, 14,**|**15**|(10,347)|
10,347|-|
-|-|
||||─────|─────|─────|─────|─────|
|**Net movement in funds**|||(94,178)|
(11,503)|
-|(105,681)|14,545|
||||─────|─────|─────|─────|─────|
|**Reconciliation of funds:**||||||||
|Total funds at 1 April 2024 (as restated)|||1,677,878|89,401|171,646|1,938,925|1,924,380|
||||─────|─────|─────|─────|─────|
|**Total funds at 31 March 2025**|**14, 15,**|**16**|1,583,700|77,898|171,646|1,833,244|1,938,925|
||||═════|═════|═════|═════|═════|
All operations are continuing operations.
The notes on pages 25 to 38 form part of these financial statements.
- 22 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Balance sheet As at 31 March 2025**
|**Balance sheet**
**As at 31 March 2025**|**Balance sheet**
**As at 31 March 2025**|**Balance sheet**
**As at 31 March 2025**|**Balance sheet**
**As at 31 March 2025**|
|---|---|---|---|
|___________________________________________________________________________________________||||
||||**As restated**|
||**Notes**|**2025**|**2024**|
|||**£**|**£**|
|**Fixed assets:**||||
|Tangible fixed assets|**9**|482,515|464,235|
|Fixed asset investments|**10**|325,035|321,861|
|||─────|─────|
|**Total fixed assets**||807,550|786,096|
|||─────|─────|
|**Current assets:**||||
|Debtors|**11**|30,712|59,470|
|Cash at bank and in hand|**12**|1,107,478|1,215,666|
|||─────|─────|
|**Total current assets**||1,138,190|1,275,136|
|||─────|─────|
|**Liabilities:**||||
|Creditors: amounts falling due|**13**|(112,496)|(122,307)|
|within one year||─────|─────|
|**Net current assets**||1,025,694|1,152,829|
|||─────|─────|
|**Total assets less current liabilities**||1,833,244|1,938,925|
|||─────|─────|
|**Total net assets**||**1,833,244**|**1,938,925**|
|||═════|═════|
|**The funds of the charity:**||||
|Unrestricted funds|**14**|1,583,700|1,677,878|
|Restricted funds|**15**|77,898|89,401|
|Endowment funds|**16**|171,646|171,646|
|||─────|─────|
|**Total charity funds**|**17**|**1,833,244**|**1,938,925**|
|||═════|═════|
The notes on pages 25 to 38 form part of these financial statements.
The financial statements were approved by the trustees on 28 January 2026
And signed on their behalf by
**Ms Maxine Braham Trustee**
- 23 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Statement of cash flows For the year ended 31 March 2025**
|**Statement of cash flows**
**For the year ended 31 March 2025**|**Statement of cash flows**
**For the year ended 31 March 2025**|**Statement of cash flows**
**For the year ended 31 March 2025**|**Statement of cash flows**
**For the year ended 31 March 2025**|
|---|---|---|---|
|___________________________________________________________________________________________||||
||**Notes**|**2025**|**2024**|
|||**£**|**£**|
|**Cash flows from operating activities:**||||
|Net cash used in operating activities|**22**|(122,254)|(40,992)|
|||─────|─────|
|**Cash flows from investing activities:**||||
|Interest and dividend income||45,675|19,840|
|Interest income allocated to fixed asset investments||(3,174)|(1,722)|
|Purchase of tangible fixed assets||(28,435)|-|
|||─────|─────|
|**Net cash used in investing activities**||14,066|18,118|
|||─────|─────|
|**Change in cash and cash equivalents in**||**(108,188)**|**(22,874)**|
|**the year**||||
|Cash and cash equivalents at the||||
|beginning of the year||1,215,666|1,238,540|
|||─────|─────|
|**Cash and cash equivalents at the**||||
|**end of the year**||**1,107,478**|**1,215,666**|
|||═════|═════|
- 24 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2025**
___________________________________________________________________________________________
## **1 Accounting policies**
## **1.1 Accounting convention**
The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant note to these accounts.
The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102.
The accounts (financial statements) have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant note(s) to these accounts. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the second edition of the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice issued in October 2019, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011.
The financial statements have been prepared to give a true and fair view and have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a true and fair view. This departure has involved following the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable to the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) issued on 16 July 2014 rather than the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice effective from 1 April 2005 which has since been withdrawn.
The Trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern due to the current level of reserves and the fact that the charity actively tries to raise additional funds each year to cover any excess of expenditure over income.
## **1.2 Grants and contracts**
These comprise amounts receivable during the year. Where income is received in advance of entitlement of receipt, its recognition is deferred and included in creditors as deferred income. Where entitlement occurs before income is received, the income is accrued.
## **1.3 Donations**
Donations are accounted for when the criteria of entitlement, measurement and probability of receipt are met. Donations from goods donated for resale in the charity shops are recognised when the goods are sold.
## **1.4 Commissions**
Commissions are accounted for when receivable.
## **1.5 Operating leases**
Where there is a rent-free period, the cost of the lease is spread over the term of the lease to the next rent review date.
- 25 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2025**
___________________________________________________________________________________________
## **Accounting policies (continued)**
## **1.6 Allocation of costs**
Staff costs are allocated over direct charitable expenditure and management and administration on the basis of time spent. Premises costs are allocated by usage. Other direct costs are allocated by the purpose of the expenditure. Liabilities are recognised on an accruals basis in the period to which they relate.
## **1.7 Governance costs**
Governance costs are those costs associated with maintaining the governance of the charity as opposed to the management of the charity’s activities.
## **1.8 Fixed assets and depreciation**
Fixed assets are recorded at cost.
Assets are depreciated at rates which the Trustees consider will write down the assets over the period of their useful economic lives. The rates used are as follows:
|Freehold property (40% of cost)|50 years, straight line method|
|---|---|
|Freehold property improvements|50 years, straight line method|
|Leasehold property improvements|Straight line method over the lease term|
|Office equipment|20%, reducing balance method|
|Computer equipment|33%, reducing balance method|
|Motor vehicles|25%, reducing balance method|
## **1.9 Investments**
Investments are held in the form of charity accounts with a bank or building society and are recognised at the amount held in the account at the balance sheet date. Any interest received from the account is included in investment income on a receivable basis.
## **1.10 Charity shop income and expenditure**
Charity shop costs are those costs which are directly attributable to the charity shops. These costs are included in the Statement of Financial Activities under incoming resources as Costs of Generating Funds to give a total of net incoming resources available for charitable application.
## **1.11 Stock**
Stocks are recognised at the lower of cost or estimated selling price less costs to sell, less any provision for slow-moving or obsolete stock.
## **1.12 Pension costs**
The charity operates a defined contribution scheme for the benefit of its employees. Contributions payable are charged as an expense in the year they are payable and are allocated between funds in line with the allocation of the related gross pay.
- 26 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2025**
___________________________________________________________________________________________
## **Accounting policies (continued)**
## **1.13 Fund accounting**
General funds reflect the accumulated unrestricted reserves of the charity. They are available for use at the Trustees’ discretion, in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity. Designated funds are also unrestricted funds, but represent funds set aside for a specific purpose by the Trustees. Endowment funds are funds where there is no power to convert the capital into income, and must generally be held indefinitely. Restricted funds are those funds where a restriction on their use has been imposed by the donors.
## **2 Critical accounting judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty**
In the application of the charity's accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision only affects that period, or in the period of revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
In the opinion of the trustees there are no critical accounting judgements or estimation uncertainties within the charity.
## **3 Charity shop income and expenditure**
|||**2025**||**2024**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|**Income**||75,741||81,842|
|**Expenditure**|||||
|Salary and other staff costs|35,720||33,719||
|Rent and rates|8,838||13,322||
|Other shop costs|11,647||12,170||
||─────||─────||
|||(56,205)||(59,211)|
|||─────||─────|
|**Net (expenditure)/income**||19,536||22,631|
|||═════||═════|
- 27 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2025**
___________________________________________________________________________________________
## **4 Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities**
|**2025**||**Other**||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Salary**|**staff**|**Premises**|**Other**|**2025**|
||**costs**|**costs**|
**costs**|**costs**|**Total**|
||**£**|**£**|
**£**|**£**|**£**|
|Care for the elderly|463,801|23,588|
7,875|132,845|628,109|
|Support and governance|86,639|1,633|
29,075|43,763|161,110|
||─────|─────|─────|─────|─────|
||550,440|25,221|
36,950|176,608|789,219|
||═════|═════|═════|═════|═════|
|**2024**||**Other**||**As restated**||
||**Salary**|**staff**|**Premises**|**Other**|**2024**|
||**costs**|**costs**|
**costs**|**costs**|**Total**|
||**£**|**£**|
**£**|**£**|**£**|
|Care for the elderly|438,346|19,937|
4,365|306,420|769,068|
|Support and governance|85,645|-|23,853|47,967|157,465|
||─────|─────|─────|─────|─────|
||523,991|19,937|
28,218|354,387|926,533|
||═════|═════|═════|═════|═════|
|Included in premises costs is depreciation of £10,156|||(2024: £6,760).|||
## **5 Allocation of governance and support costs**
The breakdown of support costs and how these were allocated between governance and other support costs is shown below.
|**2025**|**Support**|**Governance**|**2025**|**Basis of**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**costs**|**costs**|**Total**|**apportionment**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**||
|Staff costs|85,139|1,500|86,639|Staff time|
|Depreciation|9,760|-|9,760|Staff time|
|Premises costs|19,315|-|19,315|Invoiced cost|
|Office costs|12,600|-|12,600|Invoiced cost|
|Advertising costs|-|-|-|Invoiced cost|
|Travel costs|1,633|-|1,633|Invoiced cost|
|Subscriptions|893|-|893|Invoiced cost|
|Professional fees|21,706|-|21,706|Invoiced cost|
|Auditor’s remuneration|-|6,600|6,600|Governance|
|Bank charges|1,894|-|1,894|Invoiced cost|
|Sundry expenses|70|-|70|Invoiced cost|
||─────|─────|─────||
||153,010|8,100|161,110||
||═════|═════|═════||
- 28 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2025**
___________________________________________________________________________________________
## **5 Allocation of governance and support costs**
|**2024**|**Support**|**Governance**|**2024**|**Basis of**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**costs**|**costs**|**Total**|**apportionment**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**||
|Staff costs|84,145|1,500|85,645|Staff time|
|Depreciation|6,760|-|6,760|Staff time|
|Premises costs|17,093|-|17,093|Invoiced cost|
|Office costs|17,963|-|17,963|Invoiced cost|
|Advertising costs|76|-|76|Invoiced cost|
|Travel costs|-|-|-|Invoiced cost|
|Subscriptions|857|-|857|Invoiced cost|
|Professional fees|20,449|-|20,449|Invoiced cost|
|Auditor’s remuneration|-|6,600|6,600|Governance|
|Bank charges|1,833|-|1,833|Invoiced cost|
|Sundry expenses|189|-|189|Invoiced cost|
||─────|─────|─────||
||149,365|8,100|157,465||
||═════|═════|═════||
## **6 Net (expenditure)/income for the year**
This is stated after charging:
|This is stated after charging:|||
|---|---|---|
||**2025**|**2024**|
||**£**|**£**|
|Auditors remuneration for audit services|6,600|6,600|
|Depreciation|10,155|7,336|
|Rent – land and buildings|8,539|13,244|
||═════|═════|
- 29 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2025**
____________________________________________________________________________________
## **7 Analysis of staff costs, trustee remuneration and expenses, and the cost of key management personnel**
|**management personnel**|||
|---|---|---|
||**2025**|**2024**|
||**£**|**£**|
|Salaries|585,045|550,106|
|Social Security costs|36,929|30,128|
|Pension Costs|11,776|11,669|
||─────|─────|
||633,750|591,903|
||═════|═════|
Of the above payroll costs, £35,720 (2024: £33,719) is allocated against the charity shop income.
The Trustees are not remunerated for their work as Trustees. During the year one Trustee (2024: none) was reimbursed for travelling expenses aggregating to £480 (2024: £nil).
During the year there were 7 full time and 11 part time employees (2024: 7 full time and 13 part time), as well as approximately 24 part-time home support workers (2024: 28).
The charity considers its key management personnel to comprise the trustees and Director. The total employment benefits including employer pension contributions of the key management personnel were £45,632 (2024: £61,387). No employees earned more than £60,000 (2024: one employee earned in the band £60,000 to £70,000).
## **8 Transfers**
The analysis of the net transfer of £10,347 from the general fund to restricted funds is shown below.
|below.||
|---|---|
||**£**|
|Transfers from the general fund:||
|For the unfunded element of the HIA and Handyman fund|32,178|
|For the unfunded element of the Befriending and Wellbeing fund|38,292|
|For the unfunded element of the Enhancing Lives fund|60,708|
|For the unfunded element of the lunch club costs|3,514|
|Transfers from the restricted fund:||
|For the core costs funded by LLAL|(124,345)|
||─────|
|Net transfer amount|10,347|
||═════|
- 30 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **9 Fixed assets**
|||**Freehold**|**Property**|**Office**|**Computer**|**Motor**||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**Property**|**Improvements**|**Equipment**|**Equipment**|**Vehicles**|
**Total**|
|||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**||
||**Cost**|||||||
||At 1 April 2024|504,023|40,349|85,797|27,256|
-|657,425|
||Additions|-|-|-|11,440|
16,995|
28,435|
|||──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|
||At 31 March 2025|504,023|40,349|85,797|38,696|
16,995|
685,860|
|||──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|
||**Depreciation**|||||||
||At 1 April 2024|73,808|17,886|76,391|25,105|
-|193,190|
||Charge for the year|4,032|596|1,886|1,386|
2,255|
10,155|
|||──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|
||At 31 March 2025|77,840|18,482|78,277|26,491|
2,255|
203,345|
|||──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|──────|
||**Net book values**|||||||
||31 March 2025|426,183|21,867|7,520|12,205|
14,740|
482,515|
|||═════|═════|═════|═════|═════|
═════|
||31 March 2024|430,215|22,463|9,406|2,151|
-|464,235|
|||═════|═════|═════|═════|═════|
═════|
|**10**|**Fixed asset investments**|||||||
||||||**2025**||**2024**|
|||||||**£**|**£**|
||Endowment fund||||305,035||301,861|
||National savings bond||||20,000||20,000|
||||||─────||─────|
||||||325,035||321,861|
||||||═════||═════|
The balance at the year end includes interest of £3,174 (2024: £1,722) being received. The endowment fund is held in a Charity Investment Account with Santander.
## **11 Debtors**
|**Debtors**|||
|---|---|---|
|||**As restated**|
||**2025**|**2024**|
||**£**|**£**|
|Other debtors|4,591|29,564|
|Prepayments and accrued income|24,017|28,169|
|Customer balances|2,104|1,737|
||─────|─────|
||30,712|59,470|
||═════|═════|
- 31 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2025**
___________________________________________________________________________________________
## **12 Bank balances**
|**Bank balances**|||
|---|---|---|
||**2025**|**2024**|
||**£**|**£**|
|Current account|1,106,870|1,214,351|
|Petty cash|608|1,315|
||─────|─────|
||1,107,478|1,215,666|
||═════|═════|
Included within the above totals is a net amount of £11,485 due to customers (2024: net amount of £15,213 due to customers).
## **13 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**
||**2025**|**2024**|
|---|---|---|
||**£**|**£**|
|Taxation and social security|-|-|
|Other creditors|74,740|66,288|
|Accruals and deferred income|24,167|39,069|
|Client accounts|13,589|16,950|
||─────|─────|
||112,496|122,307|
||═════|═════|
Included in accruals is an amount in respect of pension contributions of £2,211 (2024: £1,479) outstanding at the year end.
## **Deferred income**
|**Deferred income**|||
|---|---|---|
||**2025**|**2024**|
||**£**|**£**|
|At 1 April 2024|-|-|
|Received during the year|-|-|
|Released to incoming resources|-|-|
||─────|─────|
|At 31 March 2025|-|-|
||═════|═════|
Income is deferred when it relates to a future accounting period. There was no deferred income at 31 March 2025.
- 32 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **14 Unrestricted funds**
||**As restated**|**Movement in year**|**Movement in year**|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Balance at**|**Incoming**|**Resources**||**Balance at**|
||**1 April 2024**|**resources**|**expended**|**Transfers**|**31 March 2025**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|General fund|1,076,432|362,708|(443,467)|(10,347)|985,326|
|Designated fixed||||||
|asset fund|326,446|-|(3,072)|-|323,374|
|Designated building||||||
|fund|275,000|-|-|-|275,000|
||_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|
||1,677,878|362,708|(446,539)|(10,347)|1,583,700|
||═════|═════|═════|═════|═════|
During the year ended 31 March 2006 a large grant was received towards the purchase of the building at 39 King Street. During that year the Trustees took the decision to designate part of the general fund to represent the net book value of the assets held as at 31 March 2006. The fund is reduced each year by the depreciation charged in respect of those assets.
During the year ended 31 March 2011 the Trustees created a new designated fund for reserves to be held for a Building Fund for a future project to build sheltered accommodation for older people. The Trustees are aiming for the Building Project to be completed within the next five years and consequently will be seeking additional funding.
## **15 Restricted funds**
|||**Movement in year**|**Movement in year**|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Balance at**||**Incoming**|**Resources**||**Balance at**|
|**1 April 2024**||**resources**|**expended**|**Transfers 31 March 2025**||
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|Core funding|-|124,345|-|(124,345)|-|
|Befriending and Wellbeing|-|-|(38,292)|38,292|-|
|Home Repair and Handyman|30,000|-|(34,433)|32,178|27,745|
|Enhancing Lives|-|-|(60,708)|60,708|-|
|Lunch clubs|-|4,028|(7,542)|3,514|-|
|Hospital Discharge|(1,244)|135,275|(135,191)|-|(1,160)|
|Farley Big Local|43,356|113,387|(122,090)|-|34,653|
|Long Term Conditions|5,289|-|-|-|5,289|
|IT Project|12,000|-|(629)|-|11,371|
|Spread the Warmth|-|-|-|-|-|
||─────|─────|─────|─────|─────|
||89,401|377,035|(398,885)|10,347|77,898|
||═════|═════|═════|═════|═════|
The befriending and wellbeing fund includes the grants and donations income and related expenditure for the charity’s Digital Mondays project.
The deficit balance on the Hospital Discharge fund will be cleared with funding in the following year.
- 33 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2025**
___________________________________________________________________________________________
## **15 Restricted funds (continued)**
The charity acts as the locally trusted organisation for the Farley Big Local partnership. The unspent funds included in the above balance were returned to the funder after the year end due to an overall project underspend.
Details of the transfers are in note 8 on page 30.
|**Name of fund**|**Nature, purpose and description of fund**|
|---|---|
|Core funding|Funding received from LLAL|
|Recruitment and Retention|Funding received to support staff in their training and|
||ongoing development|
|Covid-19|For supporting older people through the pandemic|
|Household Support|For supporting older people in their households|
|Befriending and Wellbeing|For services to promote social support and companionship.|
|Home Support|For supporting older people to remain living in their own|
||homes.|
|Home Repair and Handyman|For providing repairs to homes of older people and to ensure|
||the homes are safe and secure for the resident.|
|Enhancing Lives|For services to provide support to older people, including|
||with applications for financial and other support.|
|Lunch clubs|For the lunch clubs held at Vesper House.|
|Hospital Discharge|For the support of patients who have recently been|
||discharged from hospital.|
|Farley Big Local|For the improvement of the Farley Hill local area.|
|Long Term Conditions|For the support of people with a long term condition.|
|IT Project|Grants received for the upgrade of the charity’s IT|
||equipment.|
|Spread the Warmth|Donations received to help people keep warm in winter.|
Further details about the activities carried in relation to the above funds are contained in the Trustees Report.
Age Concern Luton is the accountable body for Farley Big Local (FBL), a Big Local Trust project on behalf of the National Lottery Community Fund. All funds received for Farley Big Local are not available for the work of Age Concern Luton.
- 34 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **16 Endowment funds**
The endowment fund of £171,646 was transferred from Vesper House in 2006 and the income is used to support the Vesper House lunch clubs.
## **17 Net assets held by funds**
|||**Cash**||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Fixed**|**at bank &**|**Other**|||
||**Assets**|**Investments**|**Assets**|**Creditors**|**Total**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|General fund|482,515|1,182,969|30,712|(112,496)|1,583,700|
|Restricted fund|-|77,898|-|-|77,898|
|Endowment fund|-|171,646|-|-|171,646|
||─────|─────|─────|─────|─────|
||482,515|1,432,513|30,712|(112,496)|1,833,244|
||═════|═════|═════|═════|═════|
## **18 Financial commitments**
At 31 March 2025 the charity had total outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases as follows:
||**2025**|**2024**|
|---|---|---|
||**£**|**£**|
|Land and buildings/other leases:|||
|Within one year|4,531|4,756|
|Between 2 and 5 years|7,902|12,433|
|In over 5 years|-|-|
||─────|─────|
|Total future minimum lease payments|12,433|17,189|
||═════|═════|
There are no capital commitments (2024: £nil).
## **19 Contingent liabilities**
There are no contingent liabilities at the year end (2024: £nil).
## **20 Related party transactions**
The charity received donations from trustees of £nil in the year (2024: £220). There are no other related party transactions during the year that require disclosure.
- 35 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **21 Prior year adjustment**
During the year an adjustment was made to the comparative figures for the year ended 31 March 2022 in relation to a balance that was included in debtors that was found to be irrecoverable. A prepayment for some IT services was included in debtors in the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2022. However, the company to which the money had been paid went into liquidation during the year ended 31 March 2022 and therefore the services will now not be received from the company. The comparative figure for debtors has now been adjusted and the cost has been included in unrestricted expenditure for the year ended 31 March 2022. The effect of this adjustment is:
||**£**|
|---|---|
|Opening reserves at 1 April 2022 (as previously stated)|1,845,216|
|Prior year adjustment|(13,824)|
||─────|
|Opening reserves at 1 April 2022 (as restated)|1,831,392|
||─────|
- 36 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **22 Notes to the Statement of Cash Flows**
## **Reconciliation of net (expenditure)/income to net cash flow from operating activities**
|||**2025**|**2024**|
|---|---|---|---|
|||**£**|**£**|
|Net income for the year||(105,681)|14,545|
|Less investment income shown in investing activities||(45,675)|(19,840)|
|Add back depreciation||10,155|7,336|
|(Increase)/decrease in debtors||28,758|(33,108)|
|(Decrease) in creditors||(9,811)|(9,925)|
|||─────|─────|
|Net cash flow from operating activities||(122,254)|(40,992)|
|||═════|═════|
|**Cash and cash equivalents**||||
|**Year ended 31 March 2025**||**2025**|**2024**|
|||**£**|**£**|
|Cash and cash equivalents||1,107,478|1,215,666|
|||═════|═════|
|**Year ended 31 March 2024**||**2024**|**2023**|
|||**£**|**£**|
|Cash and cash equivalents||1,215,666|1,238,540|
|||═════|═════|
|**Analysis of changes in net funds**||||
||**2024**|**Cash flow**|**2025**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|
|**Net cash**||||
|Cash at bank and in hand|1,215,666|(108,188)|1,107,478|
||─────|─────|─────|
||1,215,666|(108,188)|1,107,478|
||─────|─────|─────|
||1,215,666|(108,188)|1,107,478|
||═════|═════|═════|
- 37 -
## **Age Concern Luton**
## **Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **23 Comparative Statement of Financial Activities**
The Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 March 2024 is presented for illustrative purposes.
||**As restated**||**As restated**|**As restated**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**2024**|**2024**|**2024**|**2024**|
||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Endowment**|**Total**|
||**Funds**|**Funds**|**Funds**|**Funds**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|**Income and endowments from:**|||||
|Donations and legacies|32,621|-|-|32,621|
|Charitable activities:|||||
|LLAL income|-|143,000|-|143,000|
|Recruitment and Retention|-|-|-|-|
|Household Support service|-|-|-|-|
|Befriending and lunch club service|-|-|-|-|
|Hospital Discharge|-|134,469|-|134,469|
|Farley Big Local|-|325,979|-|325,979|
|Income from charitable services|240,850|-|-|240,850|
|Other trading activities|81,842|-|-|81,842|
|Investments:|||||
|Bank account interest|18,840|1,000|-|19,840|
|Other income|21,688|-|-|21,688|
||─────|─────|─────|─────|
|**Total income**|395,841|604,448|- 1,000,289||
||─────|─────|─────|─────|
|**Expenditure on:**|||||
|Raising funds|59,211|-|-|59,211|
|Charitable activities|225,614|700,919|-|926,533|
||─────|─────|─────|─────|
|**Total expenditure**|284,825|700,919|-|985,744|
||─────|─────|─────|─────|
|**Net (expenditure)/income**|111,016|(96,471)|
-|14,545|
|Transfers between funds|(138,442)|
138,442|-|-|
||─────|─────|─────|─────|
|**Net movement in funds**|(27,426)|
41,971|-|14,545|
|**Reconciliation of funds:**|||||
|Total funds at 1 April 2023|1,705,304|47,430|171,646 1,924,380||
||─────|─────|─────|─────|
|**Total funds at 31 March 2024**|1,677,878|89,401|171,646 1,938,925||
||═════|═════|═════|═════|
- 38 -