AGE north doivn & ards Trustees, Report Trustees and offJeers The trustees and officers serving during the year and since the year end were as follows.. James St¢ven Johnston (resigned 30 November 2023) Paul Leaihem Trust¢es'. Heather Mason Adrianne Brom Gerard O'Boyle (appointed 30 August 2023) Secretary.. Dorothy Willis Beattie The trustees. who are also directors for the purposes of company law. have pledsure in presenting their report and the financial 5talernenls of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2024. Structure, Governance and Management Governing document AGE north down & ards (AGEnda) is a company limited by guaranlee governed by its Mcmorandum and Artic5¢5 of Association. Lt is recognised as a charity by HM Revenue & Ciistomy. Recruitment and appointm¢nt oftruste¢s The Iruslees of the charity are also directors for the purposes of company law. Under the terms of the Memorandum and Articles of Association the directors retire every thrcc years by rotation al the Annual M¢eting. None of the Iruslees receive any remuneration from the charity. The trnstee5 are a blend of senior business professionals and 50¢iallvoluntary sector skills. As and when certain skillslexperience are10st due to natural rotation. active steps are taken to secure succe55or Trustee5 from within the businesslvoluntary sectors. Trustee inductfion and trAinlng Most rnislees are already familiar with the work of the charity and have an affinity with ihe vision, pury)Obe, and values. All ncw Tru5t¢es will undertakc comprehensive induction lo ensure they are familiar with their legal responsibilities as a Trustee of AGEnila. This induction is nornially carried out by a suitably qualified external onsultaDt and is framed around the Principles of Good Governance developed by the Governments Developing Governance Group (Revised 2016) and 15 also a practice recommendcd by Charity Coinmissioii for Northcm Ireland. Orgynisation AGEnda is a limited company which has developed 118 capabilities and reputation in the Ards and North Down area, covering both urban and rural situations. Together with a strong committed ieam Goupled with sound financial management, the5¢ provide a platform to progress ils strategy over the next years. AGEnda has developed the necessary systems, struclure. policies, and procedures to manage finances. staff, and volunteers. This includes good financial control and monitoring and evaluation procedures. AGEnda has a 3-year strategic plan for 2023 2026 and an outcome based operational plan to b¢ reviewed aniiually. Page 2
AGE north down & ards Trustees, Report AGEnda's work is caled out by & team comprising of 8 part tirne paid staff and over 30 volunteers. Led by a voluntary Board of Trustees. the staff complement is funded from grant aid to deliver a range of services lo local people. As in other voluntary charitable organisations, a substantial volume of woi'k is carried out by people who are committed to working with older people and giv¢ their time willingly without recompense. The Board of AGEnda greatly value the work of the volunteers and continually stiive lo ensure this contribution receives suitable recognition. AGEndA complies with all public sector directives and legislation relaiing lo working conditions, health. and safety at work and equal opportunities. The charity is also cornmilled lo comply with all current equality and hunian rights legislation. Over its 24 years as a limited company, AGE north downs & ards has provided direct 5uppori e.g., Good Morning Call, Service, Floating Support Seivice. Support and Si¥nposting, lo ensui'e older people in the Ards & North area al-e comfortable with growing old. Relationships AGEnda has strong working relationships with a wide range of organisalions and agencies that have a Mandate for the delivery of services to older people. Rlsk management Tlie niajor risks, lo which thc Charity could potcntially be exposed as identified by the Trustees, is kept under onstant review. Objectives and activities Charity's Aims The priDGiPdl activities of the company are lo advanc¢ the inlereslb dnd be for tl)e ben¢fit of the Llderly in the area laiown as North Dowii and Ards, aiid to assist others in thc pursuance of tli¢se activities. The AGEnda Strategy 2021 2023 sets out the tollowing. Vision Ards and North Down celebrating older people living healthy and fulfilling lives. Purpose To support and enLourage all older p¢ople to live well and become active, engaged and influential members of the community. MisS1011 To provide person-¢enlered and caring Programmes Iliat ke¢p people safe, well. coiinected aiid independent. Our V Alues To be Collaborative. To be Open and Transparent. Trealing all with Dignity & Re5pccI. To be Inclusive & Accessibl¢. Page 3
AGE north down & ards Trustees, Report Achievements and Performance5 Strategy Review In 2022, we developed a new 3-year strategic plan for 2023-2026. This was Shaped and led by older people in our local community. We completed an intensive consultation with older peopl¢ and stakeholders including 70 survey respondents, 14 stakeholder interviews, a focus group with 20 parti¢ipants from a range of orglsa1]0nS and a telephone consultation with 21 users. The feedbh¢k highlighted an increasing need for enhanced levels of social opportiiniiies for older people and more spaces for them to not only socialise but to interact, engage and speak to statutory agencies such as the PSNL, Nl Fire and Rescue and the NHS. as well as expanding their knowledge and skillset on issues such as budgeting. navigating and accessing services, technology, cooking, scams and advice on housing, benefits and financial security through speaking lo experts in that field etc. As a result. we agreed the following priorities for action for the next 3 years. Priorities for action 2023 - 2026 To sustain and ¢Kiend a free, confidential, telephone servi¢¢. To sustain and extend floating support services of help and advice in a person's home to make it easier lo maintain their independence in the home and community. To create additional support to people who are isolated and lonely. To enable people to access the support they need to live heallhy and independent lives. To organise events that give people an opportunity to conn¢cl, leam, access services and sUPPOrt each other. To continue to build th¢ ¢apacity and long-tem sustsinability of the charity. Services Our main services in this year were.. Good Morning Call service -a free confidential daily telephone call service for those ovei. 65 in oiir council area, which encourages communication among older people. Thi5 year the number of successtul calls made 10 support older people were 20,988. Floating Support Service which provides short tenn advice and helps encourage independence among older people at hom¢ and in their conunuiiity. Support & Signposting which is a listening ear lo those who need reassurance and support. If AGEnda can't help the clients, they pass thern on to the person or organisation who can support them. AGEnda acts as a "Hub" in the local area, focusing on delivering services to older people from 65 years of age. AGEnda provide assistance lo individuals coniacting via email. telephone and web51te. Accordingv to the 2021 Census, Ards and North Down ha5 the oldest age profile in Northern Ireland. The percentage of tlie population who are aged 65 or more has increased over the last len years from 17.70/0 in 2011 to22.10/o in 2021. Ards and North DoThTr Borougli Council liave over 33,000 over 65-year-olds. AGEnda recogni5es that one organisatioii cannot possibly deliver services to all older people in need throughout the local area. AGEnda is therefore commi11 to working in Partnership to ensure older people gel the services tliey iieed. Page 4
AGE north down & ards Trustees, Report FiDancial revlew Results for the year The iolal income for the year was £119,003 (2023- £103,253) ai)d the overall nel defi¢il was £17,475 {2023 deficit of £9.856). The deficit on unrestricted funds was £6,325 {2023 unrestricted surplus £4,796). The principal funders for the year were NIHE - Supporting People, Ihe Souih-Easiern Health & Social Care Tru.%1 & Community Foundation Nl. The charity also received grants froin Halifax as well as various donations. Reserves poliey The Trustees have examiiied the charity's requirement for reserves in light of the main risks lo the funding of the organisalion. Unrestricted free reserves al the year-end were £57,428 (2023 £53,643) which represents 5 months of operating costs. Free reserves are needed to sustain the day-to-day operations of the charity. The Trustees consider that the ideal level of reserv¢s to meet the running costs for a period of 6 months lo be in the region of £60,000. The Trustees consider that the free reserves will be needed (o Sustain the charity as future funding opportuntlies are explored. Disclosure of information to auditor Each trustee lias tsken steps that they ought lo have taken as a trustee in ol'der to make themselves aware of any relevant audit informatioii and to ¢stablish that the charity's auditor is aware of that information. Th¢ trusiees onfim] that there is no levant infonnalion ihal they know of and of which they know the auditor is unaware. Approved by the trustees of thL charity on and signed on its behalf by.. Paul Leathem Trustee Page 5
AGE north down & ards Statement of Trustees, Responsibilities The trustees (who are also the directors of AGE north down & ards for the purposes of company law) 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), including FRS 102 'The Financial Repoiting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial siatemenls for each financial year. Under company law the trustees must not approve the financial Staments unles5 they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the slate of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, of the cliarilable company for that period. In preparing Ihese financial statements, the trustees are required 10- select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP; make judgem¢nts and estimates that are reasonable and pnideni. state whetlier applicable a¢coiinling standards. comprising FRS 102 have been followed. subject lo any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial slaleinen18; and prepa the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume thal the charilable Company will continue in business. The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that can disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and Iience for laking reasonable sleps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other IesTU1&r1Iie5. The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial infonnalion included on the charitable company's website. Legislation goveming the preparation and disseinination of financial statenienls may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions. Appi'oved by the trustees of the charity on L*and signed on its behalf by.. Paul Leathem Trustee Page 6