Ashes to Gold Charity
Trustees' Report
The trustezs present the annual report together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2025.
(bjectives and Activities
Executive Overview
Throughout 2025, Ashes to Gold has demonstrated exceptional service delivery across all projects. Our mission remains steadfast: to improve mental health, restore hope, and build community confidence. We provide a vital sexse of purpose for those navigating the complex intersections of mental ill-health, addiction, poverty, and social isolation.
ur staff and volunteers consistently serve as a safety net for those who have fallen through the gaps of statutory provision. In doing so, we not only support the individual but also provide essential relief to health and social services that increasingly rely on the agility and dedication of the voluntary sector.
QGperatioral Excellence & Impact
The Ashes to Gold team are the heartbeat of our organisation. From facilitating therapeutic horticultural activities to providing |:fe-saving crisis intervention, our staff and volunteers embody our founding vision: "To provide user-led andpurposeful activities to individuals in the Causeway Coast and Glens area."
Our reach is broad and inclusive, supporting:
Individuals managing mental health challenges and disabilities.
Adults on the journey of recovery from addiction.
Families living in areas of high social disadvantage.
Armed Forces Veterans.
Strategic Partnerships & Governance
Qur reputation as a reliable, trustworthy delivery partner has allowed us to work in tandem with key agencies. In 2925, we strengthened our collaborations with the Northern Health and Social Care Trust, Causeway GP Federation, the Probation Board for NI, the PSNI, and the Defence Garden Scheme, alongside local neighbourhood renewal groups.
This collaborative success is underpinned by our commitment to excellence in leadership.
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We are proud to be recognised by our funders as an organisation characterised by robust governance, strict compliance, aad transparent financial management. As we look forward, we remain dedicated to being a pillar of support and a beacon of hope for our community.
Public Benefit Statement
In shaping our objectives for the year and planning our activities, the Trustees have considered the Charity Commissicn’s guidance on public benefit. Ashes to Gold fulfils its mission by improving the mental health and welj-being of our community, with a focus on educating, empowering, and reintegrating those at a social or economic tisadvantage. We bridge the gap between vulnerable individuals and local services to facilitate financial, vocational, and therapeutic support.
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Ashes to Gold Charity Trustees' Report (continued)
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To achieve this, the charity provides a comprehensive range of facilities and services: , | Mental Health & Mentoring: Deliver professional counselling and mentoring frameworks for individuals n?vigating health challenges.
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. Jaclusion & Opportunity: Provide life-enhancing day opportunities for adults living with learning and physical disabilities, fostering independence and personal growth.
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, Social Connection: Combat isolation by facilitating therapeutic courses, drop-in sessions, and coramunity events that build confidence and social cohesion.
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. Addiction & Recovery: Offer specialised support and practical coping strategies for individuals managing addiction or maintaining long term recovery.
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, Community Advocacy : Raise local awareness regarding mental health challenges and streamline access to available support networks in the region.
‘Th trustees corfirm that they have compiled with the requirements of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) to have due regard to the public benefit guidance by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland.
Achievements and performance
Oasis
Casis operates at the cutting edge of frontline care. We provide more than just services; we provide hope to those in the depths of crisis, and we believe our presence has been a decisive factor in saving lives this year. In addition to our robust coynselling service for adults and families, 2026 marks a strategic turning point as we work to iaunch dedicated support for children and young people. This expansion is a direct response to the rising demand for youth mental healt! services in our area.
Our community-led initiatives—ranging from SMART Recovery and Cocaine Anonymous to our essential food baxk and drop-in centre—ensure that no one has to face addiction, poverty, or domestic abuse alone. Programmes like Peaced Together’ exemplify our mission: taking the broken pieces of a life and helping the individual craft a new, resili«nt future.
37 Abbey Street continues to provide a vital space for our community. The transition to this larger meeting room has transforme«i our delivery by offering increased capacity and essential wheelchair access. These improvements have removed previous barriers to participation, allowing us to serve a wider demographic with greater comfort and efficiency.
Grow
The Grow Project continues to serve as a premier therapeutic environment, utilising nature-based therapy to enhance the quality of life for a diverse range of service users. By providing bespoke programming in a secure setting, we cater to specific community needs—from offering a sanctuary for Armed Forces Veterans to hosting primary school sessions focused on environmental education and outdoor play.
Our holistic approach integrates horticultural therapy, mindfulness, and practical skills such as cooking and food cultivation. Beyond its social value, Grow is a centre for environmental excellence. Through the planting of native Irish shrubs aud trees, we are actively boosting local biodiversity and creating protected habitats for wildlife. Furthermore, the project serves as an educational hub, empowering the community with practical strategies to combat climzte change through small, sustainable actions.
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Ashes to Gold Charity
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th 2925, we were proud to host a diverse range of community groups, further cementing our role as a hub for therapeutic and ¢ducational support. Our key partnerships included: Veterens & Mental Health: Delivered a specialised Horticultural Therapy programme for local Aimed
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. Forces Veterans and a mental health support programme for Mountsandel Medical Centre for adults managing mental health challenges.
Peace & Reconciliation: Supported MUVE in their work with innocent victims of the Troubles.
Families & Youth: Partnered with Homestart Causeway to support families with young children, and Macosquin Primary School for a 12-week outdoor play and environmental awareness initiative
Education & Skills: Collaborated with Northern Regional College on food cultivation and culinary prajects for young adults.
Social Justice & Inclusion: Supported the Probation Board for Northern Ireland in their work with women in the criminal justice system, alongside our "Blossom" programme, which addresses social isolation through gardening, DIY, and cooking.
Furthermore, our long-standing partnership with the NHSCT continues to provide vital day opportunities for adults with learning and physical disabilities. None of this would be possible without our dedicated volunteer team, whose commitment to site maintenance and group support remains the backbone of our operations.
The Workshop
The Workshop serves as a vital hub for skill-building, offering volunteers and service users practical experience in DIY and woodcraft. 2025 was a year of significant engagement, highlighted by the delivery of four "DIY for Women" courses—reaching a diverse demographic of participants aged 18 to 80. Additionally, the facility provided essential placements for day opportunity services and hosted specialised programmes for local mental health teams. To support our commitment to sustainability, the Workshop continues to generate social enterprise income by setling handcrafted items both on-site and at local markets. .
We are.delighted to announce that we secured nearly £50,000 through the National Lottery Sustainable Community Buildings grant. This investment will be used to transform the Workshop and install a modern heating system.. This project is a strategic milestone that will:
Significantly reduce our utility costs and carbon footprint.
Convert the Workshop into a comfortable, year-round facility (addressing previous seasonal limitations).
To facilitate these upgrades, the Workshop will close in December 2025, with a scheduled grand reopening in Spring (March/April) 2026.
Moorbrook. Fishery
Moorbrook remains a dynamic and evolving project. In 2025, we reached a new milestone by hosting our first overnight camping expeditions for youth groups following their angling sessions. To further diversify our outdoor offerings, we have invested in professional archery equipment; several staff members and volunteers have completed their instructor training to ensure safe, high-quality delivery of this new service. Our core angling programmes remain a cornerstone of the site, with consistent engagement from schools, youth groups, and local community organisations.
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Ashes to Gold Charity
so Trustees' Report (continued)
in addition to our core programmes, the successful facilitation of projects for Macosquin Primary School and Inspire Wellbeing has highlighted Moorbrook’s significant potential as a versatile outdoor venue. These ccllaborations have provided a successful "proof of concept" for the site as a rentable space for external events. Moving forward, we are exploring the development of a formal hire model, which would create a sustainable new income stream to reinvest back into our charitable services. ,
Blossom
Our Blossom initiative has evolved into a self-sustaining community, providing a vital support network for local women. The programme’s diverse curriculum—spanning DIY, gardening, kickboxing, and artisanal skills like jam-making—ensures broad appeal and high engagement.
A. key highlight of 2025 has been the significant increase in formal referrals from GPs, mental health practitioners, and the Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI). This growth in third-party referrals is a testament to Blossom’s established reputation as a trusted provider of social prescribing and rehabilitative support. Additionally, the "Love Grace Handbag Appeal" saw a record volume of donations this year, enabling the group to extend its charitable seach and deliver essential items to women’s refuges in Ballymena and Londonderry.
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Structure, governance and management
Operationa! Overview
Board of Trustees
The Board. of Trustees currently consists of five active members. During 2025, we saw the departure of Claire Reid and Valeri« Finch, who stepped down due to other time commitments. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to both Claire and Valerie for their dedicated service. While they have formally resigned from the board, they remain valued friends of Ashes to Gold and continue to offer their support to the organisation in an informal capacity.
Governance
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in late 2025, the Board of Trustees conducted a review of our governing document to strengthen our internal controls and mitigate risks associated with conflict of interest or financial oversight. A formal amendment was adopted to ensure the highest standards of transparency and integrity.
Specifically, the board updated the requirements for a quorum (the minimum number of trustees required to make a iegal decision). Given that two of our office bearers, Mark and Jacqui McKinney, are related, the board has increased the quorum from two to three members for ali decision-making processes.
While no issues have arisen previously, this proactive change aligns with best practices in charity governance and ensures that no two related parties can form a majority decision-making body.
Management Update
After half a decade of steadfast leadership, Peter Finch has transitioned from his role as Charity Manager. Peter recognised that the organisation had reached a successful turning point where significant growth is essential to meet community needs, and he felt the time was right to pass the baton.
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Ashes to Gold Charity
We are thriiled that Alison McCloskey has accepted the role of Charity Manager. Having served as our Funding Coordiator and worked hand-in-hand with Peter for four years, Alison is perfectly positioned to lead this new era of growth. We are also incredibly fortunate that Peter’s journey with Ashes to Gold continues; he has officially joined our Board of Trustees, where his deep understanding of our daily operations will provide invaluable guidance for cur future.
Buiiding Future Resilience
Through the support of the National Lottery Community Fund (Dormant Assets NI), we have secured £17,600 to strengthen our organisational foundations. This funding addresses three strategic pillars:
Communication: A new website to better serve our community.
Sustainability: Professional mentoring in fundraising to secure our financial future.
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Governance: The introduction of data-driven monitoring and evaluation systems.
These enhancements will transform our internal reporting and allow us to demonstrate the tangible impact of our work to furders and the public with greater transparency.
Funding
I: an increasingly competitive funding environment, Ashes to Gold has proactively diversified its income streams to ensure long-term resilience. While the Department for Communities remains a core partner—providing the essential funding that allows Oasis to operate—we have successfully expanded our support base through several channels:
- Sociai Enterprise & Community Contributions: At Oasis, we introduced a voluntary donation mode! for our counselling services. By encouraging those who can afford it to make a small contribution, we have seer. a significant increase in unrestricted funds without creating barriers for those on low incomes.
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Corpsrate & Community Partnerships: We were honoured to be selected as a Charity of the Year by CP
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- Hire. Their bi-annual golf day, held in memory of Norman Hutchinson, resulted in a generous £17,500 donation. Per the Hutchinson family's wishes, these funds are dedicated to our frontline courselling services.
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: ° Grant Successes: Significant project-specific funding was secured from the LFT Trust, Nineveh Trust, NIE, and Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council. Additionally, a late 2025 grant from The Veterans Foundation will fund our upcoming "Spring Defence Garden Scheme" and associated workshops.
Strategic Support from ATG Group: ATG Group remains our primary benefactor. Beyond financial security, their accounts team provides essential pro-bono financial management. Following three years of operating at a deficit, 2025 marks a financial turning point. With ATG’s guidance, we have implemented robust operational budgets and expenditure monitoring systems across all projects.
Strategic Outlook: 2026 and Beyond
As we entsr a new chapter, Ashes to Gold is poised for significant growth to meet the increasing demand for our services. Our focus for 2026 is built upon four strategic pillars:
Growth & Expansion: We have successfully progressed to Stage One of the National Lottery’s Strengthening Communities fund. If successful, this investment will allow us to scale "The Grow Project" and enbance our community outreach.
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Ashes to Gold Charity
Trustees' Report (continued)
Youth-Centric Services: In response to the local mental health crisis, January 2026 marks the launch of ur first dedicated counselling service for children and young people. Furthermore, we are moving toward an early-intervention model, delivering drug and alcohol awareness sessions to youth groups with the potential to establish a youth-specific Smart Recovery programme.
: User-'‘Led Development: Following extensive research and feedback from our participants, we are ‘os expanding our drop-in sessions with new, user-led activities. This ensures our services at Oasis remain deeply rooted in the actual needs of those we serve.
Operational Excellence: The full implementation of our new monitoring and evaluation system in 2026 wilt transform our reporting capabilities, allowing us to provide data-driven evidence of the impact we have on our volunteers and the wider community.
As we re-apaly for core Departmentfor Communities funding in February, we remain confident in the prover value of our work. Our heart remains embedded in the local community, and we look forward to a year characteiised by doth growth and security.
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, Ashes to Gold Charity
Trustees' Report (continued)
Statoment of Trustees' Responsibilities
The irustees are responsible for preparing the trustees’ report and the financial statements in accordance with the United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice) and applicable law and regulations.
The law applicable to charities 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 of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
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select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
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make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
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state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed
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‘ and explained in the financial statements; and
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prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.
The trustees ave 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 witk the Charities Aci 2011, the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008, and the provisions of the constitution. The trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonabie steps for the preveaticn and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The trustees 2re responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information inciuded on the charitabie company's website. Legislation governing the preparation and dissemination of financia} statements may differ %som legislation in other jurisdictions.
T ‘bain seport was approved by the trustees of the charity on 9 March 2026 and signed on its behalf by:
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Dr Mark McKinney
Trustee
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Jacqueline McKiy ey
) Trustee
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