## Glasgow South West Foodbank
Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2025
Scottish Charity Number SC045121
**Glasgow South West Foodbank**
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## **Charity information**
**Trustees During 2024-25** Chair Treasurer
Other Board Members
Development manager Operationscoordinator Warehouse coordinator Data and Communication Officer
Independent examiner
Bankers Bank of Scotland BX2 1LB
Charity number SC045121
Contact Address
Unit 65, Elderpark Workspace, 100 Elderpark Street, Glasgow, G51 3TR
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## **Report of the Trustees**
The Trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025.
## **Structure, governance and management**
## **Governing document**
Glasgow South West Foodbank was originally facilitated as a restricted fund of Ibrox Parish Church.
On 23 September 2013 it become incorporated as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Glasgow South West Foodbank is registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator under the charity number SC045121. Particulars of the trustees and professional advisors are shown on page 2.
## **Trustees**
The minimum number of Trustees in the Board of Management is three and the maximum number is eleven. The power of appointing and removing Trustees rests with the Trustees.
At each AGM, the Trustees retire and are then re-elected unless they or the Board of Trustees state otherwise.
The Trustees at the date of this report and those who have served during the year are shown on page 2.
## **Trustee induction and training**
The Trustees have considered a policy on induction and training prior to new Trustees being approached. This includes awareness of a Trustee's responsibilities, the governing document, administrative procedures, and the history and philosophical approach of the charity.
A new Trustee receives copies of the previous year's financial statements, minutes of Trustee meetings and a copy of the OSCR leaflet "Guidance for charity Trustees - acting with care and diligence".
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## **Objectives and activities**
The purpose of Glasgow South West Foodbank is to provide food and other basic necessities to those in need, and to be associated with campaigns and other actions to alleviate and end food poverty.
The objectives as stated in the constitution are:
## (a) The prevention or relief of poverty;
(b) The relief of those of need by reason of age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage.
## **Risk management**
The main risk to the charity remains its funding situation.
Although we have passed through the worst of the financial pressures experienced over the last year, our situation remains pressured, and there is significant reliance on the future success of our fundraiser who came into post in February 2025, shared with Glasgow SE Foodbank.
## **Financial review**
The results for the year are as shown in the statement of receipts and payments on page 8.
These show a deficit of £44,636 (2024 – deficit of £86,141) and closing funds of £81,265 (2023- £125,902).
Our financial governance has come under severe pressure during 2024/25. After the resignation of our original treasurer in February 2024, our second treasurer resigned in July 2024.
Our new treasurer came into post alongside several other board members in October 2024. He has worked in a very committed way to strengthen our reporting procedures alongside the two other members of the finance sub-committee.
Our policy of spending down reserves in advance of the employment of the fundraiser saw us overshoot, due to not being able to increase fundraising before his arrival.
In the latter part of the year our finances came under pressure as never before, and we are grateful for the support of Trussell, whose emergency grant saw us through this period.
2025/26 will be a year of rebuilding to our 6 months reserves target.
We are enormously grateful for the painstaking work of our new independent examiner, Alma Paolini, in the preparation of the accounts.
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## **Review of the Year**
This has been a year of enormous change at board level.
In July, we fell to having only four trustees involved. However, we were lucky to recruit six new trustees, appointed at the AGM in October, each of whom proceeded to make an enormous contribution to our work, for which we are already grateful.
Much of that work has involved the implementation of an organisational review funded by Trussell, which had several recommendations relating to operational and governance matters. Those included the establishing of finance, operations and fundraising sub committees.
Our partners at The ALLIANCE and Money Matters have continued to deliver our links worker and money advice services, the former being subject to a very positive evaluation, funded by Trussell.
Our core service continues to be the provision of food and compassion to people in severe poverty referred to us by our network of referral organisations.
Our volunteers continue to be crucial to that work, and we remain enormously grateful to them.
Most of all, we are grateful to our staff.
There were times this year when they felt as if they would potentially lose their jobs.
At no point was the frontline service affected. We never fell short for our clients. That is testament to their commitment, passion and compassion.
## **Reserves Policy**
The trustees have agreed a policy of aiming for 6 months reserves, with action to be taken to reduce costs should reserves fall below four months operating costs.
## **Future strategy**
No changes are envisaged in the charity's policies. The focus of the charity will be on sustaining current activities over the next few years.
## **Trustee Expenses and Remuneration**
No Trustees received any remuneration or expenses in either of the year ended 31 March 2025.
## **Board Approval**
The report and financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees on 31[st] December 2025 and were signed on their behalf by:
Chair
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## **Statement of responsibilities of the Trustees**
The Trustees are responsible for preparing the annual 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 Scotland 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 those
financial statements, the Trustees are required to:
* make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
* state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
* prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.
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 it to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) and the provisions of the charity's constitution. 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.
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## **Report of the Independent Examiner to the Trustees of Glasgow South West Foodbank**
I report on the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2025 which are set out on the following three pages.
## **Respective responsibilities of the Trustees and Independent Examiner**
The charity's Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the terms of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. The charity Trustees consider that the audit requirement of Regulation 10-1 (d) of the Accounts Regulations does not apply.
It is my responsibility to examine the financial statements as required under section 44(1) (c) of the Act and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. At no point was the frontline service affected.
## **Basis of Independent Examiner's Statement**
My examination is carried out in accordance with Regulation 11 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the financial statements presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements, and seeks explanations from the Trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the financial statements.
## **Independent Examiner's Statement**
In the course of my examination, four matters, detailed on page 12 below have come to my attention, but I have no reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:
- to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 44(1) (a) of the 2005 Act and Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations
- to prepare financial statements which accord with the accounting records and comply with Regulation 9 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations
have not been met.
I draw attention to these matters to ensure that a proper understanding of the financial accounts can be reached, and in the expectation that I will examine and approve revised accounts for submission to OSCR once relevant information from the organisation’s financial services providers is received.
December 30[th] 2025
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## **Statement receipts and payments for the year ended 31 March 2025**
||Unrestricted Funds|Restricted
Funds|Total 2025|Total 2024|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||£|£||£|
|**Receipts**|||||
|Donations including interest
income & Gift Aid|63,908|0|63,908|83,821|
|Grants|34,000|142,984|176,984|95,141|
|Total receipts|97,908|142,984|240,892|178,962|
||||||
|**Payments**|||||
|Cost of charitable activities|176,358|109,170|285,528|265,103|
|Governance costs|0|0|0|0|
|Total payments|176,358|109,170|285,528|265,103|
||0|0|0||
|**Surplus/(Deficit) for the**
**year before transfers**|-78,450|33,814|-44,636|-86,141|
|Transfer between funds|-340|340|0|0|
|Surplus/(Deficit) for the year|-78,790|34,154|-44,636|-86,141|
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## **Statement of Balances for the year ended 31 March 2025**
||**Unrestricted Funds**|**Restricted**
**Funds**|**Total 2025**|**Total 2024**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|Opening cash at bank and in
hand|110,114|15,788|125,902|212,043|
|Surplus for the year|-78,790|34,154|-44,636|-86,141|
|Closing cash at bank and in
hand|29,664|49,602|81,265|125,902|
||||||
||||||
|**Bank and cash balances**|||||
|Bank account|26,000|49,602|75,602|121,013|
|Cash|531|0|531|531|
|Vouchers|0|0|0|1,627|
|Supermarket cards|0|0|0|714|
|GCVS Prepayment|4,108|0|4,108|0|
|Volopa cards|1,025|0|1,025|2,017|
||29,664|49,602|81,266|125,902|
||||||
||||||
||**Opening Balance**|**Income**|**Expenditure**|**Closing**
**Balance**|
|**Restricted Funds**|||||
|Corra Foundation|0|0|0|0|
|Neighbourly|0|500|0|500|
|Trussell Trust - Winter|0|0|0|0|
|Trussell Trust - Financial
Inclusion|0|51,750|51,750|0|
|Trussell Trust - Pathfinder|0|90,734|57,420|33,314|
||0|142,984|109,170|33,814|
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## **Notes to Accounts**
|**Notes to Accounts**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Donations**|||||
||**Unrestricted Funds**|**Restricted**
**Funds**|**Total 2025**|**Total 2024**|
||**£**|**£**||**£**|
|Donations including interest income & Gift Aid|63908.2|0|63908.2|83821|
|**Grants**|||||
||**Unrestricted Funds**|**Restricted**
**Funds**|**Total 2025**|**Total 2024**|
|Trussell Trust -Emergency|34000|0|34000|0|
|Trussell Trust - Pathfinder (1)|0|142984|142984|95141|
||34000|142984|176984|95141|
|**Cost of charitable activities**|||||
||**Unrestricted Funds**|**Restricted**
**Funds**|**Total 2025**|**Total 2024**|
|Salaries|99296.59|0|99296.59|75865.47|
|Cleaning|25.14|0|25.14|0|
|Consulting|312.12|0|312.12|0|
|Staff Training|339|0|339|0|
|Repairs & Maintenance|21|0|21|0|
|Postage, Freight & Courier|52|0|52|0|
|Food (incl toiletries)|39888.13|0|39888.13|30754.84|
|Store cards given out|0|0|0|0|
|Foodbank centre costs|3281.42|0|3281.42|1849.15|
|Storage unit costs inc rent|24993.08|0|24993.08|24826.89|
|Van and van costs|1907.56|0|1907.56|1363.94|
|Rent - head office|2025|0|2025|2700|
|Donation to the Fuel Bank Foundation|0|0|0|0|
|Volunteers' Lunch|0|0|0|0|
|Trussell Trust annual fee|0|0|0|360|
|Just Giving fee|561.6|0|561.6|561.6|
|Living Wage fee|0|0|0|79.2|
|Information Commissioner|40|0|40|40|
|Insurance|1423.14|0|1423.14|1294.22|
|IT equipment, software and consumables|347.99|0|347.99|203.99|
|Stationary and Printing|88.70|0|88.70|132.35|
|Job Advert, advertising and marketing|24|0|24|1380|
|Hootsuite|0|0|0|0|
|Zoom|0|0|0|0|
|Telephone|955.2|0|955.2|656.32|
|Financial Inclusion and Pathfinder Spending|0|109169.96|109169.96|121356|
|General expenses|252.27|0|252.27|50|
|Subscriptions|508.3|0|508.3|527.2|
|Travel - national|16.2|0|16.2|127.18|
|Reconciliation of 2024 Account Error||||974.60|
||**176358.44**|**109169.96**|**285,528.40**|**265,102.95**|
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Approved by the Board of Trustees on 31[st] December 2025 and signed on its behalf by
Glasgow South West Foodbank
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## **Notes to the financial statements from Independent Examiner**
Three matters became apparent in the course of the examination of these accounts.
1. There was a difference between the opening bank balance recorded in the original version of these accounts submitted to me (that balance calculated based on the 2024 accounts) and the balance showing in actual bank statements. The accounts showed an amount £741.83 larger than the statements.
2. The closing balance on the Volopa (company credit card) account was recorded in the original version of these accounts submitted to me (that balance calculated based on the 2024 accounts) as being £1,258.26 but the closing balance on the relevant statement provided by Volopa showed £1,024.79.
3. Based on the 2024 accounts, the original version of these accounts submitted to me recorded a start of year deficit of £340 on the Trussell Pathfinder grant under the organisation’s restricted funds. No money was in fact owing to the organisation from Trussell.
With respect to the first issue, I am satisfied that the first matter is explained by a previous year’s accounting error. It has been corrected in the final accounts submitted.
With respect to the second issue, it has not proved possible to ascertain the source of the error, although the organisation is clear that it occurred prior to April 2024. The blockage on confirming this was the failure of Volopa to provide timeous information in the form of statements for March to July 2024. The organisation’s judgement is reflected in the final accounts submitted.
With respect to the third, I am satisfied that there was no negative balance on the Trussell Pathfinder grant, and that has been reflected in the final accounts submitted.
There was one further issue resulting from the lack of timeous provision of information from the organisation’s financial services providers.
Despite requests from the organisation, the bank providing the interest bearing 32 day account failed to timeously provide statements for part of the year 2024/25. However, the closing balance recorded in the accounts and in the bank statement of March 2025 match and I am satisfied that information relating to this account presented in the accounts is consistent with reality.
It is possible that the eventual provision of information from the bank and Volopa will necessitate a revision of these accounts post submission, which I understand is possible under OSCR regulations. I am prepared to work with the organisation as necessary on a revised version.
I am satisfied that the organisation is taking the necessary steps, through the setting up of a finance subcommittee to tighten its financial governance procedures in response to issues raised in this examination.
December 30[th] 2025
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