## LUTTERWORTH & DISTRICT
7 High Street Lutterworth Leicestershire LE17 4AT Phone 01455 557116
Email-info@ageconcernlutterworth.org.uk www.ageconcernlutterworth.org.uk Registered Charity No 247288
## **A.G.M Wednesday 15[th] September 12noon at Lutterworth Town Hall**
## **Agenda**
1. Welcome and apologies
2. Treasurers Report
3. Trustee reports 2020 and 2021
4. Reserves
5. Election of Trustees and Chair
6. A.O.B.
Age Concern Lutterworth & District is a small financially independent local charity established as an Old Peoples Welfare Organisation in 1962. The charity is a friend of Age UK Leicester Shire and Rutland.
_A local Age Concern working for people of Lutterworth and surrounding villages, making later life a fulfilling and enjoyable experience. A Lutterworth charity working for local people._
## **Treasurer’s Report 2021**
Fundraising fell by more than half because the shop was closed, but this was largely made up by grants and furlough payments. Donations doubled, for which we are extremely grateful. The accounts have been examined by Val Cooper (Company Accountant Retired) and found to be satisfactory, and therefore we recommend them for adoption.
## **Annual Accounts**
|Statement of Financial Activities|Statement of Financial Activities||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|Year ended
31 Mar 2021|||||
||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**|Total|
||**Funds**|**Funds**|**Funds**|Funds|
||||**2020-21**|2019-20|
||£|£|£|£|
|**Incoming Resources**|||||
|_Fundraising Activities_|||||
|General Fundraising inc|||||
|Shop Sales|33,883|0|33,883|80,351|
|_Services to Further the Charities Objectives_|||||
|Lunch Clubs|335|0|335|1,407|
|All other services|-867|0|-867|63,830|
|_Other Income_|||||
|Donations inc Gift Aid|6,139|0|6,139|3,125|
|Grants|34,164|0|34,164|1,000|
|Investment Income|1,688|0|1,688|1,601|
|**Total Incoming Resources**|**75,342**|**0**|**75,342**|**151,313**|
|**Resources Expended**|||||
|_Services to Further the Charities Objectives_|||||
|Lunch Clubs|300|0|300|5,526|
|Provision of Other Services|3,671|0|3,671|73,322|
|Staff|54,426|0|54,426|41,267|
|Property|23,725|0|23,725|31,616|
|Overheads|4,942|0|4,942|8,680|
|**Total Resources Expended**|**87,064**|**0**|**87,064**|**160,411**|
|Net Incoming Resources|-11,723|0|-11,723|-9,098|
|Balances Brought Forward|142,405|0|142,405|151,503|
|**Fund Balances**|**130,682**|**0**|**130,682**|**142,405**|
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## **Balance Sheet**
|For the Year Ended 31 Mar
2021
.
Current Assets
Short Term
Cash at Bank and in
hand
Total
Funds
Restricted
General
Total
Restricted Funds
Grant for Travelling Lunch Clubs
Total|2020-
21
2019-
20
£
£
119.973 138,333
10,709
4,073|
|---|---|
||130,682 142,405|
||0
0
130,682 142,405|
||130,682 142,405|
||0
0|
||0
0|
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## **Board of Trustees Report 2020**
The Trustees of Age Concern Lutterworth have written this report and present it during times of great concern, a worldwide pandemic. We start by covering Age Concern Lutterworth & District’s activities during the period from the AGM in September 2019 to March 2020.
The weekly Exercise and Line Dancing sessions ran at full capacity as did monthly Travelling Lunch Clubs, Book Club and Tea and Natter groups. Several quiz afternoons and 3 party events took place at the Wycliffe rooms, as always these were fully booked within days of appearing in the newsletter.
In last year’s report we expressed a desire to improve the coaches used for day trips and TLC’s. A new company have provided an excellent service with modern comfortable coaches at a competitive price. This has meant the demand for day trips has increased and made day trips even more popular, again they are fully booked within days, often two coaches go to each destination!
The wide range of services the staff organise enables Age Concern Lutterworth & District to meet its aim which is to: “Combat loneliness and isolation, promoting health and wellbeing along with providing information and support for older members of Lutterworth and local villages”.
In March Covid-19 had arrived in Europe and Britain, we took the sad decision to cancel several trips and activities to protect our clients. The bad situation moved a pace and in the third week of March the Government ordered a lockdown. All the services were cancelled and the shop and office were closed. We recognised this was a crisis situation for many of our clients and other members of the local community. People were scared and worried about how would they buy food and get their medication in a safe manner? This led to a ‘Lutterworth Crisis group’ being formed between Age Concern Lutterworth & District, the Lutterworth Churches, Community Transport and the Food Bank.
In last year’s report we informed you how the computer systems had been updated. This became an invaluable tool enabling the staff to accept the challenges ahead and work from home as the government were advising. In the first two weeks telephone contact was made with over 700 clients on our database, their needs were accessed and prioritised. Anyone needing help was connected to a volunteer who would help them help with shopping and collecting prescriptions throughout the crisis. Where clients needed help in claiming benefits such as attendance allowance, the staff referred them to the correct agency so they could get the help they needed.
The initial phone calls lead to the realisation that many people were becoming very lonely and isolated. So, over the following weeks a telephone befriending service emerged. The feedback received from clients has been extremely positive everyone has been very grateful to receive regular phone calls from Age Concern Lutterworth & District when they had to ‘stay at home to stay safe’. Staff remained in regular telephone contact with over 300 clients for 4 months.
We recognise working from home during this period was difficult and often stressful. Trying to cheer people up every day, talking to clients who were lonely and scared was very different to the normal staff role. They adapted well and carried out a difficult job for the charity and its clients. We take this opportunity to thank all the staff for showing compassion, support and humour,
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whichever the client needed on any particular day. Their work for Age Concern Lutterworth & district and the Crisis Team has been invaluable to many people over recent months.
In the months leading up to March the Charity’s finances were healthy with the shop trading above the plan. Trips, TLCs and services were being financially supported by the funds. From March to the middle of June income was zero, the major overheads remained the same, salaries, pensions, rent, etc. The middle of June saw some restrictions lifted allowing the shop to reopen. Several grant applications have been successful which will benefit the charity while the income from the shop is a great deal lower than it was prior to March. The new challenge is to increase shop sales and restart activities in a Covid-19 Secure manner.
There are now four members of staff, a General Manager, a Deputy Manager, an Office Assistant and a new Sales Assistant who took up her post in June having been recruited and appointed to start during the lockdown period.
## **Board of Trustees Report 2021**
The Trustees welcome you to this Annual General Meeting of Age Concern Lutterworth & District. This year we have encountered more disruption to the charity’s services and fundraising, and to everyone’s
lives while the world fights the Covid-19 pandemic and the country had more national lockdowns.
A very limited number of services restarted as the government guidelines allowed. The shop reopened albeit reduced hours. Extra safety measures were in place to keep everything ‘Covid secure’ keeping staff, volunteers and clients safe was and continues to be our priority. Small groups of clients came to bingo sessions and exercise classes. TLC lunches were served in the Wycliffe rooms. However, many clients decided to remain safe in their own homes and for them the telephone befriending service continued.
As the country went into another lockdown in November both the shop and all the services were closed for the month. The shop reopened for a few weeks in December until the whole country was plunged into another full lockdown in January. At this point the Trustees decided the best course of action would be to save employment costs and to make use of the government’s ‘Furlough Scheme’ claiming the salaries of 2 members of staff. We could retain both members of staff and have continuity when the shop was allowed to reopen.
The remaining 2 members of staff, worked from home again. The next 4 months was a particularly challenging time for everyone Alison and Lizzie continued to make telephone calls keeping in contact and supporting many clients. Newsletters were produced and over 1,000 were delivered by hand directly through client’s letterboxes. Lizzie continued to sell goods on eBay and a new service was also set up, a weekly lunch delivery service.
Continuing to extend the range of services Age Concern Lutterworth & District offer during the pandemic sees the charity continuing to meet its mission which is to: “ _Combat loneliness and isolation, promoting health and wellbeing along with providing information and support for older members of Lutterworth and local villages”._ and it’s aim.
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_“A local Age Concern working for people of Lutterworth and surrounding villages, making later life a fulfilling and enjoyable experience. A Lutterworth charity working for local people._
Fortunately, the charity finances have been helped by several grants which have been available from the government and through the private sector. Staff have been active in both looking for grants and the applying for them, many staff hours have been used in precuring grants, this has been time well spent and the charity finances are in a good position to move forward.
We would also like to thank the many clients who have supported the charity with both regular and one-off ‘gift aid’ donations. Sadly, there have also been several donations been made in lieu of flowers at funerals. We would like to pass on our condolences to these families and thank them for thinking of Age Concern Lutterworth & District at their sad and difficult time.
As the services reopen, we are in a secure financial position. The shop has been gaining momentum and trade is increasing. During April the charity was very fortunate to receive a large legacy from a local resident, this will ensure the financial security of charity as we move forward.
The new structure of four members of staff, a General Manager, a Deputy Manager, an Office Assistant and a Sales Assistant is working well. The trustees thank the staff for their continued support and dedication over the last year, without them the older people of Lutterworth and villages would have been a lot more lonely, isolated, and mentally challenged. The staff and trustees are looking forward to meeting clients in person and welcoming them back to the regular services as they expand capacity over the coming months.
Trustees continue to monitor and evaluate the day-to-day workings of the charity through policy reviews along with staff and trustees’ meetings.
## **Reserves**
Reserves are to be maintained at a level which ensures Age Concern Lutterworth & District’s core activities could continue during a period of unforeseen difficulty.
To provide for these obligations, the Trustees consider it necessary to establish financial reserves for costs over a 9-month period of £80,000
## **Election of Trustees and Chair**
All the current Trustees have indicated their willingness to stand for re-election: Carol Scholes, Carole Harrington, Sam Weller, Cathy McManus, Helen Potter, Inger Parsons, Allan Heggs, Anne Hicks and Sandy Wheelwright.
Nominations are open for the election of a Chair for 2021/22.
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