ROYAL SOCIEfY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS HERTFORDSHIRE EAsf BRANCH ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 2023 Reglster&l Charlty Number: 208244
RSPCA HERTFORDSHZRE EAsf BRANCH REPORT OF THE TRusfEES for the Year Ended 31 December 2023 IMPORTApif NOTICE Anyone wItsssIng, or havlNJ knowledge of acts of cnjelty or rwlect to anirnals or blrds should Immedlatety contact the RSPCA Natlonal Call Centre Tel: 0300 1234 999 Complainants may rest assured thelr names wlll not be dlvulged wlthout thelr consert The Trustees ppa thelr annual report wlth the accounts of the charlty for tr year erKled 31st December 2023. TRusfEES: Mr D Brfan Ms S Burf(e (Reslgned Aug 2023) Mr Brfan Butcher (Resigned June 2023) Mrs P Cope Mrs K Fletcher (Reslgned June 2023) Ms Cathy Hadden, Hon. Treasurer Ms L Jeffrey Ms J Whlte Ms K Puttock, Hon. stsry {CtrOpted 19 Dec 2023) CHARITY NUMBER: 208244 PRINCIPAL ADDRESS Ground Floor, Room 5 Unlts 11 & 12 Baldod( IrKIu5tr1al Estate London Road Baldock SG7 6NG INDEPENDENT EXAMINER: Mr M Ebrahlm
RSPCA HERTFORDSHIRE EAsf BRANCH For the year ended 31 Dec•nber 2023 The Trust5 present thelr annual report year endlng 2023. The TNstees are confident that the charlty Is in a good tIon to contlnue ivs activtses In the comlng year, and that the charifJes are adequate to fulfil tts obligatlons. Confikt of Interests polky The branch has a confiitt of irterest OILY and mtfjgatton strategy to manage any such confilcts. Confllcted Trustees would be asked to leave the room If appropriate and not partake In any votes related to a connected paty. Declsions relatlng to any renumeratjon, pay or any other beneflts wlll always exdude any confllcted Trustees. RSPCA Hertf05h1re East Branch can dedare there are no current confiicted Trustees. The branch welcomed one rW Trustee durfNJ 2023 wlth three Trustees stepptng down from thelr poslttons. We wefcome appficatlons from both Indlvlduals wlth an Interest In anlmal welfare and the sk]Ils requlred to 1p manage the strategy and 9Trnan of the branth. Anyone Interested in becoming Trustee then please e-mail The RSPCA Hwfvdshlre East Branth Is a reglstered charlty, reglstered on 22 September 1962 and govemed by the RSPCA Brarth rules da1 l January 2012. The TnISt5 are elected ty tr members at tr Annual Generdl Meetlng. Folknving a rew appointrnen¢ the apFdnted bvstee receives a pack of rules arKI gUIdan from RSPCA Head Offitr. The charity Is organised so that the Ix)ard of trustees vots in der for declslons to be made. Twsttts meet monthly, includlng the Annual General Meeting. Ad hoc expendlture Is authorlsed by the tharlty treasurer. The board approves all major eXpd[tUre.
RSPCA HERTFORDSHIRE EAST BRANCH For th• end•d 31 Dec•mber 2023 The charws objecuves In the year urKler rerfiew were that of womotlng the woth arKI objecllves of the R.S.P.C.A. (charfty number 219099}. Thls entsils preventlng cruelty, promoting klndness, and alleviattng suffering of anlmals, In parUaJlar thin the area of the branch. The chartty alms to achleve thls through provlding a telephone helpllne, tsking In and rehomlng signed over and stray animals, and providing finarKaal as51starKe towarts rfnary treatrnent for those on lower Incomes. The Trustees have read tr general guSdance wovlded by the Charltles Commlsslon b regard to a statement on the benefit of the wbllc. The charlty has establis activltles to athleve Its objeclves for the publlc benefiL The charlty alms to achleve these objecttves promoting the Vrk and objectlves of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, by wovkllng SUpt arKI financial asSiStsn to those people whose anlmals are In need and WIKJ are unable to flnan It themselves, promotlng good care and w[are of anlmals, and rtrhoming abandoned or abused 5, all wfthln the area of the Lyanch. Durfng the year the (harfty: Provtded a phone Ilne of support and took 1218 calls from the publlc l>rovided 116 finanaal support vouchers whlth went towards help wlth veterlnary costs for W owners In need. Took In and treated 75 anirnals, Includlng strays and abarKloned pets. 50 of these animals were transferred RSPCA Danaher Anlmal Home vla our boarding agreernent 22 of these animals were hOmed, reunlted wlth owners or transferred to other RSPCA areas. Flnandally supported a cat neuterfng scheme (C4) for cats In our reglon. As a branth, we never euthanlse a healthy anlmal unless thls Is by recommendatlon for welfare reasons by a vet.
RSPCA HERTFORDSHIRE EAST BRANCH Trustees ret (contlnued) For the 31 December 2023 Prfndpal rlsks A key risk to the fure of the branth is recwltsnent arKI retentlon of experfenced volunteers and trustees. To mltigate thls W are explorfng new recrultment advertising In addltion to regular soclal medla posting. A further rlsk is the continued general cost base increase. The cost of livlng crlsls cOntIn to hlt us financklly, Impacting all costs wth ut511ty bllls in partlcular hlt. Through all of thls, Tnjstees SUII agree that spe1 <)n wlfare shwld conunue and other areas of spend redurtion be explorej where possible. Flnandal revlew Expenditure axceeded Income by £15,484 (2022: £30,286). Maln Impacts on finanaal rlts were: Shop Inavna Shop Income Increased year on year by £18,303, wlth costs bpAng maintalned at the same level as 2022. desplte Increaw In uttllty bills and shop malntenance requlrements. We recrulted a Sunday shop assistsnt whlch has meant that the shop has largely been able to operate 7 days a vRek. Shop management has also Vrked hard to ensure dlsplays are aplIj and soaal medla has been used to advertlse the shop itself. The cost of living crfsls does mean that new groups of PeOe are stWng wtth us as they strlve tr) drfve down there own spendlng. Vet bllls have In gra1 Increased over the preOuS two years but durfng thEs year the Trustees took the declston to use RSPCA Danaher for our boardlng and etlnary care, for those animals placed there. As well as ensurlng that the anlmals we help are trded In a much higher standard of fadllty, it has meant that we have ten able to keep ¢xJr overall vre costs at a slmllar levd to 2020. The Trustees also made the dlfficult declston to pause suptth for the C4 $drne In Augus¢ as we had already reached our budgeted SUppt allowance. 6IftAld. We dld not recelve as muth gfft ald In 2023 On relatlon to 2022 slw sales) as In evSous years. Thls was as a result of shop dosures due to COVID, but also a lack of omotion in the shop as to benffts to our Charfty of customers agreelng to gn up to glft ald. Lo(lng ahead to the 2024 redalm of glft ald (In relatlon to 2023 shops sales) v have seen more glft ald slgn up than ever before and anticate recelpts In excess of £2,500. This Is due to shop management ensurlng that customer who shq)s wlth us is offered to apply glft ald to thelr purchase, however it is recognised that the current manual nabjre of our glft ald slgn up pr(Kess can deter custc#ners. Fundrnl- fvnd ralslng conOnues to be a thallenge for the branch, as a result of tr cost of living crisls meaning people are unable to offer the same level of donation and swrshlp than otheThvlse Ul be the case, and also due to the reductlon In number of trustees durlng the year resultlng In less manpower to organise events and arrange acltivltes. Thls hang be said, our tw1 yearly quiz nlghts contlnue to be a gr&
Reserves Pollcy The current deslgnated capltsl reserve Is £165,IXK) Put aslde for branch expanslon whlth has continued to be on hold durfng 2023 as we once again conntrated on Tntstee recruitrnent and tylng to siaballse current finan$. The ultlmats aSm of the branch Is to still th towards our ambltlon of a small anlmal dlnlc as and when the cost of Ilvlng alsls eases and we can ensure that Inlthive wlll be a success. £IO,OCM) remains deslgnated towards shop capltal costs and commltrnents, and the remalning rese of £37,922 represent 3 months operatlng exlture wlthln our to hold 3.6 months In reser. Thls year v4111 see the Trustees contlnulng to keep a carefvl watth on cash managemen¢ whllst trylng to ixjlld on ryjr success with trE shop sales and focus on fundraislng costs.. We have been advtsed that we have Iken left a legacy In excess of £I(K),0 In the wlll of a local resldent and the Trnst vlll ensure that thls money Is used to Increase the level of animal welfare supm we W0de to the communlty, as was the wlsh of the benefrdctor. None cf our welfare achlthements would have been po*lble txrt for our wfvI branch Offi staff, shop staff, w)lunteers, donors and supporters. The Trustees w(yJld Ilke to tske this opportunity to thank them all. We are always l(x)klng for vdunteers and If you w(yJld Ilke to flnd Lmrt more abt lunteerlng for us and helping anlmals In your local area then contact for more Inforniatton. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD: C Hadden - Treaswrer DATE 05 June 2024
on the unaudlted accounts of RSPCA Hertlord•hlrn East Branch I rewt to the In&ees on my examlnatlon of the accounts of RSPCA Hethrdshlre East Branth for the year ended 31 D¥ember 2023 whlch COMlSe the recelpts and payments acc(x5nts, trE slatemert of assets and Ilabilities and the related notes. Rwonslbllltlel and ba•ls of rq the Charlty tnjstees you are reswnslble for the preparatlon of the accounts In accordan wlth the requlrgnents of the Qwrftles Art 2011 (the kt). I report in reyct of my examlnatlon of the Trustee's accounts carried out under secti 145 of the 2011 Act and In caryin9 Out my examlnatlon I have followed all the appllcable Dlrectiors given by the Chaflty Cixnmlsslon, urKler s. 145(5)(b) of the 2011 ACL Zndepetht examlnerfs siat•nent I have completed my examlnation. I conflrm that no materfal matters have come to my attentlon In connection wlth the examlnation gmng me cause to belleve that In any material (l) ac£ountlng records v4ere not kept In accordano vth sectlon 130 of the 2011 kt; or (2) the accords do not accord th those records I have no concerns and have come attoss no 0r matters In o)nnettk)n wlth the examlnatlon to whlch attentlon shoukl be drawn In oriler to enable a proper understandlng of the accounts to be reacted. Im FCA Date: 2 f 06 2024 Embee Oak Chartered Accountsnts Cardinal Poin¢ Park Road, Rlcknianwrth, Herts, WD3 IRE
RSPCA NERTFORDSHIRE EAST BRANCH Recelpts and Payments account For th• y•ar ended 31 Decemb•r 2023 2023 2022 Brnnth FuThl PAlslrKJ l) sUbpth)ns Bank Intwest 1,796 5,571 1,100 16,500 r*3nati( EW sales Car sales Pet InsurarKelRwdry Door to Grant Other Grant Income ReFv)mlTrJ 4,152 1,428 2.291 139 1,574 159 23,218 4,767 2,574 59,989 5,596 3,246 150 2,452 78,292 5,776 VAT refunded Gft akl relts 125.997 126.213 Shop (Nots 4) 64,022 1,378 551 InsufarKe Vetednary o)sts & C4 sdp Boardlng & fosterlrKJ 19,924 16,095 26,469 2,777 19,356 16,036 28,g¥38 3,895 Offlo renL heat & Ilght Van purchase Van runnlng crtsts sU1ry expertse5 3) Teleth & Internet 2,129 550 652 576 AGM & w£etlrKJ (tfjts Travdllrwj expenses 1,057 237 670 5,638 620 6,530 VAT pakl Equ1 purchases 481 156,509 Excels of rffdpts 0r Yfflts {4} (30.286)
RSPCA HERTFORDSHIRE EAST BRANCH Statenxnt of assets and Ilabllloes As at 31 Dec•mber 2023 2023 2022 ASSETS REfAINED FOR THE CHARrrYs OWN USE IAT COST) Shop fixtures and fittlngs Office computers and fumiture RSPCA Branch Van 13,265 1.102 13.265 1.102 23.867 23,867 CASH FUNDS Bank accounts Cash and Cred card receipts Totsl cash fund• 212.421 501 212.922 228.111 295 228,406 OTHER MONETARY A88Ers VAT refund Gift aid Rent and insurance paid in advance Subscriptions & donations receivabl8 Grants recelvable Commissions 1,470 2,625 6,572 6.747 375 10,541 11.131 LIABILITIES Suppliers accounts not yet pakl Independent Examlnern F88 Q4 PAYE D8c8mber penslon Stsff Salarles (2,758) (835) (1.337) (13) (2.166> (804) (1,881) (173) (6,954) (4024) Slgned on behalf of the Truste8S C Had(ien - Treasurer DATE 05 June 2024
RSPCA HERTFORDSHIRE EAsf BRANCH Notes to the flnandal statements As at 31 December 2023 2023 2022 Nots 1- Branch fundrnlslng Brnakdown by ar•a H8rpenden Welwyn Gdn Cty Ashwell Marketing team Other fundraising 37 60 261 1,104 1,706 1,796 1,462 Noto 2- R•lmburnom•nts During the year 1 trustee (2022.. 2) was r8lmbursed 8xpenses tot811irvJ £280 (2022: £1,186) in respect of mlleage. fosterlry exp8n8es. c<)mputer expenses and rlems bought for shop. 2023 2022 Note 3- Sundry oxp•ns•8 Bank Charges Accountsncy- payroll Mls¢ellaneous costs 81 355 114 550 2023 2022 Nots 4- shop •xponM8 GocMJs wr¢ha8ed staff costs Rent. rates and Insurance Shop utilities Cleaning and refuse Telephone & stationary Consumables Repalrs & renewals Other cThts Bank and cradrt charges 92 31,200 24,911 3,032 1.117 528 16 827 399 21x1 32,050 25,200 2,660 935 427 24 1.008 76 64,022 83.981 io
RSPCA HERTFORDSHIRE EAsf BRANCH Notes to the flnandal ststements As at 31 D•cember 2023 Nots 5- Unr•8trlct•d fund balan 2022 8urplu8lD•ficlt Tran8f•rn for year 2023 2023 G•n•ral fvnd• General funds (15.484) 37.922 Deslgnatsd funds Grant funds Caprtal reserrfe Shop reserve Totsl ¢a8h funds 185,000 165,000 228M06 (15,484) 212,922 General Funds of £37,922 represent approximately 3 months ewndlknre. Funds of £165.000 have l)een d8Stgnated to fund a capltal project. such as dinlc, wlthin the branch's ar8a, In memory of Mrs Diana Russell and Pat Tmssell. Funds of £10,000 have been designated to fvnd potenlJal capltal costs or commitrnents on the shop lease. Nots 6- L•gaclo8, donatlon• & In momorlam The branca) )Uld Ilke to extend grateful thank8 to all those who have donated during 2023. 11