FAMILY HOLIDAY CHARITY 2025 Annual Review & Accounts Trustees Annual Report & Financial Statements for the year ending 31 December 2025 Re9iStered charity in England and Wales.. 800262 Registered charity in Scotland: SC048203 Company limited by 9uorantee'. 02301337
Contents
Trustees Annual Report
Reference and administrative details .................................................................................... 3 Objectives and activities ........................................................................................................ 5 A word from our Chair of trustees ........................................................................................ 14 Achievements and performance .......................................................................................... 15 Plans for future periods ....................................................................................................... 19 Structure, governance and management ............................................................................ 21 Financial review .................................................................................................................. 24 Statement of trustees responsibilities .................................................................................. 27 Independent auditors’ report to the members and trustees of Family Holiday Charity ......... 28
Financial Statements
Statement of financial activities ........................................................................................... 33 Accounting policies ............................................................................................................. 36 Notes on the financial statements ....................................................................................... 40
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Reference and administrative details
Name of the charity: Charity registration number in England and Wales: Charity registration number in Scotland: Company registration number in England and Wales:
Family Holiday Charity 800262 SC048203 02301337
Principal office and registered address:
Canopi, 82 Tanner Street, London, SE1 3GN
Trustees/Directors:
| Trustees/Directors: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Philippa Harris (Chair) | Resigned | 08/05/2025 |
| Helen Webb (Chair) | Appointed | 08/05/2025 |
| Jackie Kerslake | ||
| Ben Leet | ||
| John Appleby | Resigned | 08/05/2025 |
| Ingrid Bussell | ||
| Davinia Batley | ||
| Charlotte Hills | Resigned | 08/05/2025 |
| Julia Lo-Bue Said | Resigned | 31/03/2025 |
| Julie Tucker | ||
| Saket Jasoria | ||
| Phoebe Cross | Resigned | 08/05/2025 |
| Adam Reeves | Resigned | 05/06/2025 |
| Emma Ibrahim | Appointed | 28/02/2026 |
| Howe Gu | Appointed | 28/02/2026 |
| Senior leadership team: | ||
| Rob Parkinson | Appointed | 16/07/2025 |
| Chief Executive Officer | ||
| Kate Harris | Resigned | 16/08/2025 |
| Director of Finance and Resources/Interim | CEO |
Mags Rivett Director of Income and Engagement
Auditors:
Price Bailey LLP, 24 Old Bond Street, London, W1S 4AP
Legal advisors:
Bates Wells LLP, 10 Queen Street, London, EC4R 1BE
Bankers:
CAF Bank, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, ME19 4JQ Barclays Bank, 89 Hatton Garden, London, EC1N 8DN
Investments:
Fidelity, Beech Gate, Millfield Lane, Lower Kingswood, Tadworth, Surrey, KT20 6RP
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Objectives and activities
Our purpose
Our purpose as set out in our governing document is:
‘To promote and provide access to holidays and day trips for families or members of families which or who have need of such holidays or day trips for rest and recreation by reason of their youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage.’
Our activities
Our main activities which achieve our purpose are:
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We provide funded holidays to families facing tough times, so they can have a holiday and benefit from time away together.
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We build partnerships with those who can help provide holidays and day trips to families facing tough times.
-
We support families to share their stories to help promote the reasons why including all families in the travel and leisure industry makes a difference.
Providing access to holidays and day trips
Our funded holidays
We provide funded holidays to enable families to have a short holiday in the UK. Applications for a funded holiday are made by referrers, who usually work in a registered charity or statutory service provider, and who are currently supporting the family and know the families’ particular needs and circumstances.
We pay a trusted booking agency, with whom we work closely, for the cost of accommodation and travel by public transport for a funded holiday. Families travelling by private transport receive a petrol voucher. We also give every family a food voucher to help with the cost of food whilst they’re on holiday.
We ensure that the booking and holiday experience for families is both smooth and positive
The funding process
We make our application process for a funded holiday proportionate and accessible to our referrers. We respect the time and expertise of our referrers, whilst ensuring we’re accountable for the funds we manage on behalf of our donors and partners.
Our criteria for funding a holiday is that families should have:
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a household income of less than £24,000 a year
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� at least one child under the age of 18 who will go on the holiday
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not had a holiday together in the last four years
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Families come in all shapes and sizes. We aren’t prescriptive about how a family defines themselves or the support they might need to be able to go on holiday.
When assessing applications for our funded holidays, we use a consistent and fair approach. We also consider safeguarding issues which might cause unreasonable risks for families when having a holiday. Our referrers work closely with us to ensure this happens, and they provide support to the families throughout the process.
Building partnerships
We build partnerships with the travel and leisure industry and with our supporters and donors to create more holidays and day trips for families. We work with businesses who wish to donate day tickets or their accommodation for use by families at no cost, and with referrers to identify families that would benefit from such donated holidays. We use the same criteria as our funded holidays to identify families.
Promoting access to holidays and day trips
Families’ stories
We ask all the families who benefit from our holidays if they’d like to share their story with our supporters, partners and the public. We share families’ stories about themselves and their holidays on our communication channels. This helps our supporters and donors to understand the issues and barriers which prevent families from taking a holiday, and to learn about the benefits a holiday brings for a family.
Travel and leisure industry
To fulfill our purpose, we need to influence the travel and leisure industry to provide experiences which are more inclusive and to influence the government to develop policies which enable wider inclusion. We do this by undertaking research and developing an evidence base on family holidays and their importance, as well as the barriers to going on holiday. We use our research to provide leadership, to campaign on key issues, and to bring stakeholders together to make change happen.
Our theory of change shows how our main activities relate to each other and to achieving our charitable purpose – you can view an accessible version of our Theory of Change via: - - https://familyholidaycharity.org.uk/our story/theory change
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Public benefit
The trustees have paid due regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit when exercising their powers and duties. They have concluded that all our main activities focus on furthering the charity's purpose; to promote and provide access to holidays and day trips, for the public benefit.
Delivering public benefit
Families are facing tough times
Families in the UK are facing ongoing pressures caused by uncertainty, rising living costs, and shifting public policy. Slow growth, persistent inflation and rising unemployment are squeezing household budgets, which is deepening inequalities, especially for low-income families.
21% of UK residents, and 3 out of 10 children, currently live in poverty.[1] Families facing tough times caused by hardship, bereavement, disability or domestic abuse, encounter major barriers to engaging in travel and leisure activities due to cost, accessibility, and lack of awareness of opportunities.[2]
1 https://www.jrf.org.uk/uk-poverty-2025-the-essential-guide-to-understanding-poverty-in-the-uk (last accessed 28/01/2026)
2 https://familyholidaycharity.org.uk/our-story/our-impact/barriers-tourism (last accessed 28/01/2026)
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The average family holiday taken in the UK costs between £1,500 and £2,000. This cost is out of reach for many families. Many households, especially with children, fall short of a socially acceptable living standard[3] and so the benefits of time away are inaccessible to those who need them most.
Having a holiday makes a difference
For families facing tough times, having a holiday makes a real difference to their lives. Holidays are the moment things start to feel possible again. A holiday offers space to breathe, reconnect and build hope. Holidays are an important and much overlooked tool for improving wellbeing and resilience, building stronger relationships, for child development, and for raising aspirations[4] . Families who experience the joy and restorative power of time away together come back stronger.
We know the difference a holiday makes. Of those families who shared feedback with us in 2025, 90% of adults felt their mental health improved and 93% felt their children's mental health improved, because of the holiday we gave them.
Wellbeing is a key indicator of quality of life. We ask our families about their wellbeing before and after their holiday. Of those families who shared feedback with us in 2025, 88% improved on at least one of the wellbeing measures, because of the holiday we gave them.
The difference a holiday makes to well-being
----- Start of picture text -----
8
7.27
7.04
7 6.72 6.83
6.19
6.04 5.96
6
4.92
5
4
3
2
1
0
Overall, how satisfied are you Overall, to what extent do you Overall, how happy did you Overall, how anxious did you
with your life nowadays feel that the things you do in feel yesterday? feel yesterday?
your life are worthwhile?
Pre Holiday Post Holiday
----- End of picture text -----
3 https://www.jrf.org.uk/a-minimum-income-standard-for-the-united-kingdom-in-2025 (last accessed 28/01/2026)
4 https://familyholidaycharity.org.uk/our-story/our-impact/barriers-tourism and https://familyholidaycharity.org.uk/our-story/ourimpact/impact-data-and-report (last accessed 28/01/2026)
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Having a holiday makes a long-term difference
Having a holiday also makes a long-term difference for families. Holidays lead to positive outcomes such as long-term wellbeing, social inclusion and positive educational outcomes. Our research with the University of Nottingham into the long-term benefits of a holiday showed that holidays[5] :
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increase happiness and optimism and reduce stress and anxiety
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improve quality family-time
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create positive long-term family memories which are important for a child’s emotional development
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contribute to positive educational outcomes for children, by improving motivation, behavior and readiness to learn
Families need our support
Our research shows that families are typically facing four different challenges when they’re referred to us for a holiday. In 2025, the primary challenges families were facing were:
----- Start of picture text -----
Primary referral reasons, 2025
General Well-being Support
Child with SEN
Domestic abuse support
Young carers
Family in crisis
Other
School attendance/behaviour
Kinship Care
Homelessness
Mental Health Conditions
0.00% 2.00% 4.00% 6.00% 8.00% 10.00% 12.00% 14.00% 16.00%
Primary referral reasons, 2025
----- End of picture text -----
Secondary challenges were
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low confidence and support with isolation
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general wellbeing and support
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family in crisis
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unemployment due to caring responsibilities
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life-limiting conditions in children or adults.
5 https://research.birmingham.ac.uk/en/publications/who-needs-a-holiday-evaluating-social-tourism/ (last accessed 09/04/2026)
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Our research also shows the reasons given by referrers and by families themselves, as to why families haven’t been able to access holidays and day trips:
----- Start of picture text -----
Reasons why families haven't accessed a holiday
7%
Court proceedings 7%
Haven't considered one 8%9%
14%
Suitable holidays not available 11%
Access to information 11%13%
21%
Housing and relocation 15%
Pets 5% 15%
Abuse 17% 26%
27%
Not having the support you need 24%
22%
School holiday/annual leave restrictions 28%
29%
Physica or Mental Impairement 30%
29%
Caring Responsibilities 44%
Confidence 37% 48%
Health Issues 38% 41%
55%
Family Difficulties 50%
59%
Family Circumstances 55%
Financial Difficulties 80% 95%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Referrer Family
----- End of picture text -----
The difference we make
Without the work we do to both provide and support families to go on holiday, the majority of families we’ve supported would not have been away, nor would they have gained the benefits a holiday brings.
Of those families we supported to have a holiday in 2025, 40% had never had a family holiday and 60% last had a family holiday more than four years ago.
Of those families who shared feedback with us in 2025, 96% said the support we provided ahead of their break helped reduce the stress of going away.
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The families we support
Poverty rates are highest among those families with children. The majority of families we support to have a holiday have three or more children.
| No dependent children | UKpopulation | Families we supported |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24% | 30% |
| 2 | 48% | 30% |
| 3+ | 28% | 40% |
We monitor the ethnicity of the lead family member of the families we support, to help us understand how our work supports communities in the UK.
In 2025, 26% of the families lead member identified as being from Black, Asian, Mixed or another ethnicity group. This compares to 16% of the UK population identifying as such.
| Lead family member ethnicity |
Typical UK population | Families we supported |
|---|---|---|
| White | 82% | 71.84% |
| Mixed/Multiple Ethnic Groups | 1.5% | 4.69% |
| Asian/Asian British | 9% | 7.58% |
| Black/African Caribbean/Black British |
4% | 10.11% |
| Other ethnic groups | 2% | 3.61% |
| Missing info | 1.5% | 2.17% |
We ensure we reach families that are most in need of our funded holidays by actively building relationships with a wide range of referrers and by seeking to work with families from minoritised and historically excluded communities. We aim to reach families across the UK who are from a range of places, communities, and backgrounds.
Continuing to deliver public benefit
We will respond to growing need by continuing to expand access to holidays and experiences for those most at risk of exclusion. We will strengthen our advocacy to ensure family holidays are recognised in the national debate, and harness partnerships and technology to help ensure that every family can experience the joy and benefits of time away together – now and into the future. By doing so we will continue to deliver public benefit and to fulfill our charity’s purpose.
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Volunteers
Our trustees play a vital role in delivering our mission. They give their time, skills and insight entirely as volunteers. Alongside their formal responsibilities for governance and oversight, they also actively champion our purpose, support strategic decision-making, and help ensure that families facing tough times can access the life-changing benefits of a holiday. Our trustees contribute their professional expertise, act as ambassadors for our work, and provide valuable guidance as we develop our services and partnerships. Although we do not currently have other volunteer roles, the commitment and energy of our trustees made a significant contribution to achieving our charitable objectives this year.
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A word from our Chair
2025 has been a defining year for us - we’ve strengthened our leadership, sharpened our focus, and set the foundations for the next phase of our growth. We’ve also developed an ambitious new strategy which will guide our work for the next three years.
During the year, we appointed Rob Parkinson as our new CEO. Rob is an experienced charity leader and has been a great addition to the team. His expertise and ambition have already helped us deliver stronger results, building on the foundations established over the past few years.
Throughout the year, we’ve continued to provide hundreds of families and over 1000 family members with funded holidays. We’ve broadened and deepened our external partnerships, including a new and exciting partnership with Airbnb, which will result in 300 families being provided with a funded holiday in 2026.
At a time when more families are being pushed into hardship and opportunities for rest and connection are increasingly out of reach, the case for our work has never been clearer. The evidence in this report shows the tangible impact holidays have on wellbeing, resilience and relationships - and underscores the scale of unmet need we must address.
Looking ahead, our ambitions are deliberately bold. We intend to support many more families, and further deepen our partnerships across many sectors, including the travel and leisure industry and family support sectors. We will seek to play a stronger national role in championing why time away is essential for wellbeing, connection and resilience. This is not simply an organisational aspiration; it is a practical response to the level of need we are seeing, and a commitment to driving systemic change, so that access to a holiday does not depend on circumstance.
The progress we’ve made has only been possible because of the dedication of our staff team, the support and stewardship of our trustees, and the generosity of our donors, funders, partners and referrers. I would like to thank each and every one of them for their wonderful contribution to our work, which will continue to be vital as we move forward with our new strategy, Time Away Together.
Helen Webb Chair of trustees
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Achievements and performance
Our impact in 2025
2025 has been a year of change for the charity. We have a new CEO, a new Chair of trustees and, along with other staff and trustee changes, a new strategy which will guide our work to 2028.
The new strategy has revitalised and re-energised our purpose. It has also initiated a period of investment and growth which we intend to sustain throughout 2026 and beyond so that we ensure that even more families have the chance of time away together.
Our funded holidays
In 2025, 1,276 individuals from 300 families enjoyed a holiday or day trip as a result of our support. This equates to 1,221 days or 29,304 hours of precious time together.
In 2025, we received referrals for a funded holiday from over 500 families. We currently can’t send all the families referred to us on holiday due to a lack of funds and donated holidays. Increasing our capacity to deliver holidays is therefore a crucial element of our new strategy.
The average cost of a funded family holiday in 2025 was £741 and the average cost per head for a family holiday in 2025 was £143. The average family size was 4 people.
Of those families who shared their feedback with us in 2025:
98% tried an activity for the very first time whilst they were on holiday. The most popular activities tried were:
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61% arcade games and rides
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56% time on the beach
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46% swimming
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42% visiting towns and villages
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39% visiting outdoor spaces
The opportunity to try new things while away encourages families to keep trying new things when at home, too. 68% have done an activity, or are planning to, since their holiday. They have tried or done more of the following:
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63% local community activities
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33% swimming
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33% visit to outdoor spaces
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28% visit to other towns or villages
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26% visit to tourist attractions
The impact of a holiday on our families is immediate and very positive. Because of the holiday:
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90% felt relationships within their family had improved
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79% felt more confident engaging with their peers
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79% had a new outlook
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68% were going to use skills gained from going on holiday
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67% of the children felt more confident engaging with other children
And 100% would like to go on day trips, outings or holidays again, in the future.
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Our partnership holidays
HF holidays and Pathfinders
During 2025, we worked with HF holidays, the walking travel company, who donated holidays for two families, as well as their entire Longmynd hotel in Shropshire for a Christmas-themed family weekend for 10 families, which we delivered alongside Pathfinders, a Birmingham-based family support organisation.
Working in partnership is central to how we help families experience the life-changing benefits of a holiday and this year our collaboration with Pathfinders and HF Holidays was especially important. Together, we delivered a truly supportive group holiday experience at Longmynd, which gave 10 families, many on their first ever country break, the chance to reconnect, play, and make memories in a nurturing environment.
This partnership model, which brings together skilled community organisations like Pathfinders with exceptional accommodation providers like HF holidays, will be an increasingly important part of our future delivery plans. By combining high-quality group holiday settings with trusted, on-the-ground support, we can create safe, confidence-building experiences for families who would otherwise miss out.
“Sometimes there just isn’t the financial means to afford a change of scenery, and you end up feeling stuck. This holiday changed that for us. It gave me hope and motivation that still stay with me today.” Feedback from a family member
Mellor Group
The Mellor group, who own Fantasy Island and Skegness Pier, generously donated day trip tickets to 160 individuals from 40 families in 2025.
“[Some of the best were] being able to spend time with my family and experience something we have never done before. Being out along the seaside and having lots of fun.” Feedback from a family member
Airbnb
In 2025 we launched our first ever partnership with Airbnb. Their donation of £299,873 will mean around 300 families will be able to have a holiday for the first time in 2026.
We’re also working on some joint research around tourism barriers and accessibility which will be published in 2026.
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Lana’s story
Lana (not her real name) visited the North Yorkshire Moors, because of a gifted break from HF Holidays. She told us about her experience:
“I’ve always wanted to explore new places across the UK — it’s something I had dreamed of for a long time but never had the chance to do during my abusive marriage, which left me emotionally and financially deprived. It was always a quiet promise I made to myself: “One day, I will”.
When I heard that my children and I had been fortunate enough to be given this holiday, I had to pinch myself — not only because of the incredible generosity we were offered, but also because a dream I had carried for so long was suddenly becoming real. Every time I saw places like that on TV, I used to think, “One day I’ll go there and see it with my own eyes”.
Driving through the valleys of the North York Moors, my children and I were completely speechless. In between the silence we kept said to each other, “How beautiful is this place!” We had never seen anything like it. I was so happy to see my children just as amazed as I was — it felt like the beauty of the landscape touched their hearts as deeply as it did mine.
The experience also taught me something profound: that the world is vast. That lesson felt symbolic of my own journey. It reminded me of how terrified I was of the unknown before leaving the marital home, and how freeing it is to discover that there are amazing people and beautiful places out there that I never even knew existed. I don’t need to carry guilt or shame — there simply isn’t time for it. It felt like a personal message to keep moving forward.
It also meant so much that my children got to experience such a wonderful adventure. I hope these memories will give them strength and hope in the future, whenever life feels difficult or they feel lost – as much as it did to me.”
With thanks to HF Holidays
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Our promotional and influencing activities
Engaging with our supporters
We continued to engage with our supporters by providing 3 updates and appeal mailings, as well as monthly e-newsletters. We undertook campaigns to increase support through various fundraising platforms and continued to monitor, learn and develop our fundraising and supporter activities. Engaging further with our supporters and new supporters will be a key focus for us in 2026.
Working in partnership
This year we significantly increased our visibility and influence across the travel and leisure industry, and family-support sectors.
We strengthened our influence by representing the charity at key events including the Youth Hostels Association Strategy Launch, World Travel Market, the VisitBritain Annual Review, TTG Media Awards, and the Chartered Institute of Fundraising Scotland Conference. Attending these events enabled us to promote an inclusion-focused narrative, positioning holidays as essential to wellbeing and advocating for greater access for families facing disadvantage.
We broadened and deepened our network of partners through collaborative activities with organisations such as Cruise Lines International Association, British Educational Tourism Association, Inside Travel, TTG Media, Travel Weekly, Tourism Alliance, Institute of Travel and Tourism, ABTA Lifeline, Rail Delivery Group, Field Studies Council, Marwell Zoo, and Sheffield Family Holiday Fund. Working with these partners is strengthening and enabling our capacity to influence policy, widen participation, and build a coalition committed to tackling holiday inequality.
We took collective action on promoting inclusion in travel and leisure by participating in the 11 Million Postcards event which focused on how inclusion in day trips and heritage sites could be achieved. We helped to highlight the barriers families face in engaging in everyday experiences in the UK. The event has since grown into a collaborative movement and campaign, and we’re delighted to be a lead partner for the campaign in 2026.
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Plans for future periods
In 2025, we developed a bold new vision underpinned by ambitious strategic goals, which will guide our work between 2026 and 2028.
Our bold new vision is simple:
Every family should have the chance of a holiday. Time away together isn’t a luxury – it’s a lifeline. It helps families reconnect, recharge and rebuild hope.
Our ambitious new strategic goals are:
1. Support more families
- By 2028, we will provide 5,000 families a year with holidays, day trips, group trips, activities and experiences that have a transformative impact
2. Champion why family holidays matter
We will become the UK’s leading voice on why time away matters for families and what needs to change to make it possible
To achieve these goals we will:
1. Support more families by:
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continuing to fund holidays for families in need
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unlocking new holiday opportunities by:
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building partnerships with the travel and leisure industry to secure donated holidays and experiences
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building partnerships with funders, charities, and the government to develop and co-create meaningful new holiday programmes
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trying out new holiday formats like micro-holidays, day trips, social prescribing, providing educational/cultural experiences which foster aspirations
2. Champion why family holidays matter by:
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leading the conversation by:
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running annual campaigns
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publishing policy reports
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hosting travel and leisure sector events
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building our influence and become the go-to voice on family holidays by:
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growing our reach
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increasing awareness
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deepening engagement
We’ll measure and report on our success. By 2028 we plan to:
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be delivering 5,000+ holidays a year
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have developed 10+ travel partnerships
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have delivered 3+ national campaigns
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have secured £1million+ new income from new initiatives
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have staff satisfaction rates of 80%
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have grown our supporter database by 50%
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have grown our brand awareness across the travel and leisure industry and beyond
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be setting a surplus budget
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Structure, governance and management
Family Holiday Charity is a charity registered in England and Wales, and in Scotland, and is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales. We’re governed by our memorandum and articles of association and run by the Directors of the company, who are also the charity’s trustees, which make up the Board.
Appointment, induction and training of trustees
Trustees are appointed as set out in our memorandum and articles of association.
New trustees are recruited through an external, open, and competitive process. Prospective trustees meet with the Chair, the CEO, and are interviewed by a panel of trustees. Successful appointees are then appointed to the Board at the next meeting.
New trustees receive an induction. This includes an induction pack, copies of our memorandum and articles of association, the latest trustee annual report and financial statements and management accounts, strategy documents, impact reports and other literature. They also meet with the CEO and key staff as needed.
The Board undertakes regular skill audits, governance and performance reviews to identify any skills or knowledge gaps, which are then filled either with training or by seeking new trustees to join the Board. Our trustees are from diverse backgrounds with a range of ages, genders, ethnicities and lived experience represented.
Organisational structure
The Board meets quarterly and is responsible for directing the affairs of the charity, ensuring it is solvent, well run, its assets are safeguarded, it complies with relevant laws and regulations, follows the Charity Governance Code, and it delivers its strategic objectives. The Board’s focus is on the strategic direction of the charity and performance against its charitable objects.
The Board has two sub-committees: the Audit and Risk Committee and the Nominations and Remuneration Committee.
The Audit and Risk Committee meets quarterly and is responsible for overseeing financial controls, risk and compliance, complex legacy gifts, reviewing the draft annual report and financial statements and making recommendations to the Board. The Committee also provides oversight and accountability for key projects and tenders, giving updates to the Board as appropriate, and recommends to the Board the appointment of the external auditors.
The Nominations and Remuneration Committee meets as required and is responsible for advising appropriate remuneration and reward within the charity, and for strategic HR-related matters and making recommendations to the Board. The committee also leads on new appointments to the Board, to the CEO role, and advises on appointments to the senior leadership team.
The day-to-day management of the charity is delegated to the CEO who is directly supported in their role by the senior leadership team and the wider staff team. The CEO and senior leadership team report to the Board on progress against the strategic goals set by the Board and provide updates on financial and operational performance. A Schedule of Delegation describes the roles
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and responsibilities of the trustees, the decisions delegated to sub-committees and the CEO, as well as authority limits to decisions which can be taken by the CEO and the wider staff team.
Pay and remuneration
We have a salary structure in place for all our staff roles. The salary structure has been externally benchmarked. The salary structure has two scales: one for 100% office-based roles and one for hybrid-based roles.
Our salary structure is reviewed approximately once every three years and was last reviewed in 2024 with changes coming into effect in January 2025. Changes to the salary structure are always subject to business conditions at the time and are at the discretion of the Board. The Board strives to ensure that our salary structure is commensurate with the London Living Wage.
In 2025, the charity employed an average of 11 staff (2024: 13), which was the equivalent of 9.5 full-time staff (2024: 11.4). The ratio of our highest salary to our lowest salary during 2025 was 3.08:1 (2024: 3.09:1).
Related parties
The charity has no related parties to disclose.
Fundraising
Most of the charity’s income is brought in from various fundraising activities which raises money by securing donations from the public, companies, foundations and grant-making institutions, and gifts and legacies from wills. We also operate a small charity lottery which is administered on our behalf via a third party. From time-to-time we use the services of specialist fundraising consultants and companies.
In 2025, our biggest fundraising event was once again the London Marathon, where 28 runners ran for our charity and raised a total of £60,089 (2024: £70,382). Two of our supporters trekked across Mongolia, raising £4,350 and long-time supporters from the Cruise Lines International Association undertook their annual bike ride around the New Forest, raising £6,879 (2024: £3,019). The British Educational Travel Association raised £2,575 through events and nearly £10,000 through their networks.
Many generous donors gave to us throughout the year. This year our biggest appeal was the Big Give Christmas Challenge where our supporters donated a very generous £38,044 (2024: £29,366). We’re very grateful to the additional support of our match funders, Sheffield Family Holiday Fund and Scouloudi Foundation who contributed an additional £10,000 each as part of the Big Give Christmas Challenge.
Fundraising standards
We’re registered with, and pay the voluntary levy to, the Fundraising Regulator and follow its Code of Conduct. In 2025 the Fundraising Code was updated, and we undertook a full policy review to ensure we continued to comply with the code.
In 2025, there was 1 complaint regarding our fundraising practices (2024: 1). The complaint was resolved and learning from it has fed into process improvements.
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There were no complaints about our fundraising practices or compliance issues raised by the Fundraising Regulator.
Our Complaints Policy, Fundraising Policy and Fundraising Promise are all available on our website.
Safeguarding
As we support families who are facing a variety of challenges, safeguarding is a key focus of our work. We have a lead trustee for safeguarding on the Board who works closely with our Designated Safeguarding Manager to ensure our Safeguarding Policy is followed and implemented.
All our trustees complete safeguarding training and safeguarding is a standing item on our Board agendas. All our staff and any of our freelancers who may require it also complete safeguarding training.
We received 0 reported safeguarding concerns in 2025 (2024:0). We reported 0 serious safeguarding incidents to the Charity Commission in 2025 (2024:0).
Risk management
Our trustees are responsible for identifying, managing and mitigating risks to the charity. Our trustees regularly review and consider risk at their meetings.
We have a strategic risk register which captures the risks that directly impact on the charity’s ability to deliver its three-year strategy and to maintain long-term organisational resilience. Operational risks are managed by the staff team and escalated to the senior leadership team and, where appropriate, to the Audit and Risk Committee.
Principal risks and uncertainties
The top five risks which have been assessed to be the most significant in terms of potential impact are:
| Principal risk | Management plan |
|---|---|
| Income volatility and under-delivery against income generation plans |
Diversify and strengthen performance of our income sources and partnerships |
| Costs of funded holidays and charity operations are rising faster than our income |
Increase donated holidays and breaks, which will increase capacity whilst keeping costs more manageable, and implement cost control measures |
| Organisational capacity due to personnel changes |
Embed new staff and trustees, maintain culture, and ensure adequate resources |
| Reputational and regulatory exposure due to public profile and new partnerships |
Continue to improve governance, strengthen leadership and communications, review policies |
| Cyber, data and digital infrastructure not yet significantly mature |
Invest in attaining digital maturity, cyber security, and embedding internal databases and improving data quality |
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Financial Review
Financial review
Summary of financial position
The charity’s financial position at the 31 December 2025 was a surplus of £304,338 (2024: deficit of £320,515). The surplus position was largely due to receiving a donation of £299,873 from Airbnb at the end of the year, to be spent in 2026.
Total income for the year was £1,265,193 (2024: £940,411) an increase of 35%. Unrestricted income from donations and legacies was £1,082,678 (2024: £751,064) an increase of 44% due to the Airbnb donation, increased donations from corporates, and another year of significant legacy donations. Restricted income from donations used for our funded holidays totaled £151,524 (2024: £189,347) a decrease of 20%. Gifts in kind, which is made up of donated holidays and day trips, totaled £20,385 (2024: £23,040) a decrease of 12%.
Total expenditure for the year was £960,855 (2024: £1,260,925) a decrease of 24%. This deacrease was due to our continued commitment to supporting families and to strengthening our operations. A significant proportion of our resources went on directly providing funded holidays for families. Our staff team are our most important asset and the largest area of expenditure. Staff costs were reduced this year due to changes within the team and a temporary period of lower staffing levels. This helped us to manage our resources whilst maintaining a high-quality service for families.
Our cash balance at the 31 December 2025 was £1,236,132 (2024: £989,953) an increase of 25%. This increase is due to the receipt of the donation from Airbnb, which will be mostly spent in early 2026.
Net assets at the 31 December 2025 was £1,313,300 (2024: £1,008,961) an increase of 30%. The net assets are made up of £77,487 of restricted funds (2024: £74,760), £318,677 of designated funds (2024: £330,503) and £917,136 of unrestricted funds (2024: £603,698). This increase is due to the receipt of the donation from Airbnb.
Investments
The charity has a clear investment policy which is driven by the charity’s principles. The investment policy is reviewed annually and is consistent with the trustee’s responsibilities under the Charities Act 2011.
The Audit and Risk Committee is responsible for monitoring investment performance on behalf of the Board. The trustees seek to balance maximising income from funds invested, with closely monitoring cashflow to assess the term for which investments can be made. The trustee’s overall aim is to maximise annual income from the investments. The investment manager’s performance and the degree of risk considered appropriate for the investments is measured against this overall aim.
The charity’s investments have been held with Fidelity International since August 2024. In 2025 income from investments was £29,086 (2024: £24,058) an increase of 21%.
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Reserves
At the 31 December 2025 restricted reserves were £77,487 (2024: £74,760) an increase of 4%. The restricted funds held are for funded holidays. These reserves relate to funds received and either not yet or not yet fully spent in 2025. They will be spent, in full, in 2026.
The charity has a reserves policy which determines the level of general reserves the trustees wish to hold. The reserves policy is reviewed annually as part of strategic and financial planning processes. The level of general reserves held is one of the factors taken into consideration when setting future budgets.
The trustees have agreed to maintain a level of general reserves which is consistent with three to six months budgeted expenditure. Trustees believe this level is necessary to enable the charity to better manage:
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the uncertainty and unpredictability of income, due to most funding being short-term and for one year only
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the need to plan for the longer term and to use resources efficiently
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to ensure a strong foundation for current investment and growth plans
At the 31 December 2025 general reserves were £917,136 (2024: £603,698) an increase of 52%. However, £299,873 of these general funds relate to the donation received from Airbnb, the majority of which will be spent in early 2026. After these funds are spent, general reserves in early 2026 will reduce to £617,263. This amount is within the range agreed by trustees.
Trustees are satisfied with the remaining £617,263 of general funds held, as they will be used to manage risks relating to the continuing uncertainty of future income and for plans for investment in the charity’s new strategic plan and goals for 2026-2028.
Trustees have committed £220,000 from designated and general reserves in 2026, to invest in the charity’s capacity to bring in future income, to expand the number and types of holidays and experiences the charity can provide to families, and to develop the charity’s position as a leader on the importance of holidays to families in need.
Designated reserves are reserves set aside from unrestricted, general reserves by trustees to be used as decided by the trustees. The trustees have currently designated funds to invest in fixed assets, digital development, new services, research and advocacy, and donor acquisition.
At the 31 December 2025 designated reserves were £318,677 (2024: £330,503) a decrease of 4%. The balance of each individual fund is available in note 15 of the accounts.
Going concern
Trustees anticipate that fundraising plans will bring in enough income to cover the majority of operating costs for the next 12 months, and that there are enough general reserves that can and will be used to cover any shortfall in income. Having carefully assessed internal and external factors, the trustees believe that the charity will be able to operate for the foreseeable future and pay its debts as they fall due and therefore trustees are confident that the charity will continue as a going concern.
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Statement of trustees responsibilities
The trustees who are also Directors of Family Holiday Charity for the purposes of company law are responsible for preparing the trustees’ report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the situation of the charity and of the income and expenditure of the charity for that period.
In preparing the financial statements the trustees are required to:
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select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently
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observe the methods and principles in Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP), preparing the accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standards applicable to the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)
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make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent
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state whether applicable United Kingdom Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements
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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 operation
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 them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and deception of fraud and other irregularities.
Each of the trustees confirm that:
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so far as the trustee is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the charity’s auditor is unaware
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the trustee has taken all the steps that ought to have been taken as a trustee to be aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the charity’s auditor is aware of that information
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the accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime
The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of financial information including on the charity's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.
The trustees annual report was approved by the Board of Trustees in their capacity as company Directors, and signed on the board’s behalf by:
Helen Webb, Chair Dated 20 May 2026
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Independent auditors’ report to the members and trustees of Family Holiday Charity
For the year ended 31 December 2025
Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of Family Holiday Charity (the ‘charitable company’) for the year ended 31 December 2025 which comprise the Statement of Financial activities, the Balance Sheet, the Statement of Cash Flows and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice) and the Charities SORP 2019.
In our opinion the financial statements:
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give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 December 2025, and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;
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have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
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have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006, the Charities SORP 2019, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and regulation 8 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006.
Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
Conclusions relating to going concern
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
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Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
Other information
The other information comprises the information included in the trustees annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
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the information given in the trustees’ report (incorporating the directors’ report) for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
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the directors’ report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
Matters on which we are required to report by exception
In the light of our knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors’ report included in the trustees’ report.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
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adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
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the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
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certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
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we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
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- the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies’ regime and take advantage of the small companies’ exemptions in preparing the directors’ report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report.
Responsibilities of trustees
As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement on page 27, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements
We have been appointed as auditor under section 44(1)(c) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and under the Companies Act 2006 and report in accordance with the Acts and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder.
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:
We gained an understanding of the legal and regulatory framework applicable to the charitable company and the sector in which it operates and considered the risk of the charitable company not complying with the relevant laws and regulations including fraud; in particular those that could have a material impact on the financial statements. This included those regulations directly related to the financial statements, including financial reporting and tax legislation. In relation to the operations of the charitable company this included compliance with Companies Act 2006, Charities Commission and OSCR.
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The risks were discussed with the audit team and we remained alert to any indications of non-compliance throughout the audit. We carried out specific procedures to address the risks identified. These included the following:
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Review of legal fees incurred;
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Reviewing minutes of Trustee Board meetings;
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Agreeing the financial statement disclosures to underlying supporting documentation;
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Enquiring of management, including those charged with governance;
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Reviewing key accounting policies and estimates
To address the risk of management override of controls, we carried out testing of journal entries and other adjustments for appropriateness, and assessed management bias in relation to the accounting policies adopted and in determining significant accounting estimates.
Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.
A further description of our responsibilities is available on the FRC's website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditors/audit-assurance/auditor-s-responsibilities-for-the-auditof-the-fi/description-of-the-auditor%E2%80%99s-responsibilities-for
This description forms part of our auditor’s report.
Use of this Report
This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006, and to the charitable company’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with Regulation 10 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members and trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company, the charitable company’s members as a body and the charitable company’s trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
Michael Cooper-Davis FCCA ACA (Senior Statutory Auditor)
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for and on behalf of PRICE BAILEY LLP Chartered Accountants Statutory Auditors 24 Old Bond Street London W1S 4AP
Date: 26 May 2026
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Statement of financial activities
Family Holiday Charity
Statement of financial activities (incorporating income and expenditure account) for the year ended 31 December 2025
| Unrestricted | Restricted funds |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notes | funds 2025 | 2025 | Total 2025 | Total 2024 | |
| Income | |||||
| Donations & legacies | 2 | 1,082,678 | 151,524 | 1,234,202 | 900,470 |
| Investments | 3 | 30,991 | - | 30,991 | 24,058 |
| Other | - | - | - | 15,883 | |
| Total income | 1,113,669 | 151,524 | 1,265,193 | 940,411 | |
| Expenditure | |||||
| Raising funds | 4 | 505,780 | - | 505,780 | 529,299 |
| Charitable activities | 5 | 270,037 | 185,038 | 455,075 | 731,626 |
| Total expenditure | 775,817 | 185,038 | 960,855 | 1,260,925 | |
| Net gain/(loss) on investment | - | - | - | - | |
| Net movement in funds | 337,852 | (33,514) | 304,338 | (320,514) | |
| Reconciliation of funds | |||||
| Total funds brought forward | 934,202 | 74,760 | 1,008,962 | 1,329,476 | |
| Net movement in funds | 337,852 | (33,514) | 304,338 | (320,515) | |
| Transfers | (36,241) | 36,241 | - | - | |
| Total funds carried forward | 1,235,813 | 77,487 | 1,313,300 | 1,008,962 |
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses in the year and therefore a statement of total recognised gains and losses has not been prepared.
All the above amounts related to continuing activities.
The notes on pages 40-46 form part of these financial statements.
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Family Holiday Charity
Balance sheet for the year ended 31 December 2025
| Notes Fixed Assets Tangible assets 11 Current Assets Debtors 12 Cash at bank and in hand Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 13 Net current assets Total net assets less current liabilities Net assets Charity funds Unrestricted funds Designated funds 15 Restricted funds |
2025 2024 63,897 78,761 63,897 78,761 53,687 59,269 1,236,132 989,953 1,289,819 1,049,222 (40,416) (119,022) 1,249,403 930,200 1,313,300 1,008,961 1,313,300 1,008,961 917,136 603,698 318,677 330,503 77,487 74,760 1,313,300 1,008,961 |
|---|---|
The notes on pages 40-46 form part of these financial statements.
Company number: 02301337
These accounts are prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small charitable companies.
The financial statements were approved by the trustees on 20 May 2026 and signed on their behalf by
Helen Webb, Chair Dated 20 May 2026
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Family Holiday Charity
Statement of cash flows for the year ended 31 December 2025
| Notes Cash flows from operating activities Net cash used in operating activities 22 Cash flows from investing activities Dividends, interests and rents from investments Purchase of intangible or fixed assets Sale of investments Net cash used in investing activities Net increase in cash and cash equivalents Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of period Cash and cash equivalents at the end of period |
2025 2024 223,084 (286,364) 30,991 24,058 (7,896) - - - 23,095 24,058 246,179 (262,306) 989,953 1,252,260 1,236,132 989,954 |
|---|---|
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Accounting policies
The principal accounting policies adopted, judgements and key sources of estimation and uncertainty in the preparation of the financial statements are as follows:
1.1 Basis of preparation of financial statements
The Family Holiday Charity is a private company limited by guarantee and incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Canopi, 82 Tanner Street, London, SE1 3GN.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of accounting and reporting by charities: Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standards applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102, effective from 1 January 2019) and the Companies Act 2006. The charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102.
Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note. The financial statements are presented in Sterling which is the functional currency of the company, and are rounded to the nearest whole pound.
1.2 Going concern
The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern. The trustees have considered a period of at least 12 months from approval of the financial statements and have reviewed the financial position and financial forecasts, taking into account the levels of reserves and the systems of financial control and risk management. As a result of this review, the trustees believe that they are well placed to manage operational and financial risks successfully.
1.3 Charitable funds
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the charitable objectives unless the funds have been designated for other purposes.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used. The purpose and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
1.4 Incoming resources
Income is recognised when the charity is legally entitled to it, after any performance conditions have been met, the amounts can be measured reliably, and it is probable that income will be received.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under gift aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Gifts in kind received include the provision of donated holidays. The estimated value of donated holidays is included in the statement of financial activities at the market rate to obtain services or
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facilities of equivalent benefit on the open market. A corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of receipt.
For legacies, entitlement is taken as the earlier of the date on which either:
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the charity is aware that probate has been granted
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the estate has been finalised and notifications have been made by the executor(s) to the charity that a distribution will be made
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or a distribution is received from the estate
Receipt of a legacy, in whole or in part, is only considered probable when:
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the amount can be measured reliably
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and the charity has been notified of the executor’s intention to make a distribution
Where legacies have been notified to the charity, or the charity is aware of the granting of probate, and the criteria for income recognition have not been met, then the legacy is treated as a contingent asset and disclosed if material.
Income from other grants whether capital or revenue, is recognised when:
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the charity has entitlement to the funds
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any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met
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it is probable that the income will be received
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the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred
Investment income is recognised on a receivable basis.
Income received in advance of the provision of a specific service is deferred until the criteria for income recognition are met.
1.5 Resources expended
Liabilities are recognised as soon as:
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there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the trustees to the expenditure
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� it is probable that settlement will be required
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the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably
All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under the headings that aggregate all costs related to the category.
Costs of generating funds comprises costs associated with attracting voluntary income and investment management fees.
Funded holidays are payments made to third parties in the furtherance of our charitable objectives to provide holidays to families facing tough times.
Governance costs include costs of the preparation and examination of the statutory accounts, the costs of trustee meetings, expenses, and the cost of any legal advice to the trustees on governance or constitutional matters.
Support costs include overheads which have been allocated to activity costs on a basis consistent with the use of resources, for example, staff costs by their time spent, and other costs by their usage.
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1.6 Tangible and intangible assets
Tangible and intangible assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses. All assets costing more than £500 are capitalised at their historical cost when purchased.
Depreciation is provided on tangible fixed assets so as to write off the cost or valuation, less any estimated residual value, over the expected useful economic life as follows:
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office equipment 25% straight line
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� digital infrastructure 20% straight line
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset and is recognised in the income and expenditure for the year.
At each reporting end date, the charity reviews the carrying amount of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of any impairment loss.
1.7 Fixed asset investments
Fixed asset investments are a form of basic financial instrument and are initially measured at transaction price excluding transaction costs and are subsequently measured at fair value at each reporting date using the closing quoted market price. Changes in fair value are recognised in the income and expenditure for the year. Transaction costs are expensed as incurred.
1.8 Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts.
1.9 Financial instruments
The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 Basic Financial Instruments and Section 12 Other Financial Instruments Issues of FRS 102 to all its financial instruments.
Financial Instruments are recognised in the charity’s balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument. Financial assets and liabilities are offset with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value. Fixed assets are recorded or depreciated at historical cost. All other assets and liabilities are recorded at cost which is their fair value. Investments are recorded at the closing market value.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is
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measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised. Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
1.10 Employee benefits
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
1.11 Retirement benefits
The employees of the charity are entitled to join a defined contribution pension scheme. The pension cost charged in the accounts represents the contributions payable by the charity during the year and is disclosed in the notes to the financial statements.
1.12 Operating leases
Operating leases are recognised over the period of which the lease falls due.
1.13 Taxation
The company is considered to pass the tests set out in Paragraph 1 Schedule 6 of the Finance Act 2010 and therefore meets the definition of a charitable company for UK corporation tax purposes. Accordingly, the company is potentially exempt from taxation in respect of income or capital gains received within categories covered by Chapter 3 Part 11 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 or Section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992, to the extent that such income or gains applied exclusively to charitable purposes.
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Notes on the financial statements
Family Holiday Charity
Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025
| 2 Donations and legacies Donations and gifts Legacies Total |
Unrestricted funds 2025 Restricted funds 2025 Total 2025 Total 2024 928,940 151,524 1,080,464 768,315 153,738 - 153,738 132,155 1,082,678 151,524 1,234,202 900,470 |
|---|---|
Included in donations and legacies are gifts in kind received in the year totaling a value of £20,385 (2024: £23,040).
| 3 Investments Interest Income from listed investments Total 4 Raising funds Cost of generating voluntary income Fundraising costs Staff costs Support costs Cost of generating voluntary income 5 Charitable activities Staff costs Depreciation and impairment Funded holidays costs Support costs Governance costs Analysis by fund Unrestricted funds Restricted funds |
Unrestricted funds 2025 Unrestricted funds 2024 1,905 5,281 29,086 18,777 30,991 24,058 Unrestricted funds 2025 Unrestricted funds 2024 82,094 108,416 249,169 245,623 174,517 175,260 505,780 529,299 Direct activities costs 2025 Direct activities costs 2024 67,074 135,904 22,761 26,640 89,835 162,544 182,261 255,076 158,813 280,416 24,166 33,590 455,075 731,626 270,037 573,818 185,038 157,808 455,075 731,626 |
|---|---|
Staff costs in notes 4 and 5 include employee costs from note 9 and temporary staff costs of £51,981 (2024: £40,065).
| Funded holidays Grants to families for funded holidays |
Direct activities costs 2025 Direct activities costs 2024 182,261 255,076 182,261 255,076 |
|---|---|
6 Funded holidays
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Family Holiday Charity Trustees Annual Report & Accounts 2025
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Family Holiday Charity
Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025
| 7 Support and Governance costs Staff costs Establishment costs Printing, postage and stationery Subscriptions and donations Travel and subsistence Bank charges Depreciation (Profit)/loss on disposal of fixed assets Legal and professional Auditor's remuneration Analysed between Fundraising Charitable activities Support and Governance costs Staff costs Establishment costs Printing, postage and stationery Subscriptions and donations Travel and subsistence Bank charges Depreciation (Profit)/loss on disposal of fixed assets Legal and professional Auditor's remuneration Analysed between Fundraising Charitable activities |
Support costs Governance costs 2025 220,924 - 220,924 90,262 - 90,262 4,593 - 4,593 9,749 - 9,749 1,342 - 1,342 6,460 - 6,460 22,761 - 22,761 - - - - 10,366 10,366 - 13,800 13,800 |
|---|---|
| 356,091 24,166 380,257 174,517 - 174,517 181,574 24,166 205,740 |
|
| 356,091 24,166 380,257 Support costs Governance costs 2024 275,656 - 275,656 125,470 - 125,470 4,923 - 4,923 13,433 - 13,433 2,070 138 2,208 6,715 - 6,715 26,640 - 26,640 769 - 769 - 15,512 15,512 - 17,940 17,940 |
|
| 455,676 33,590 489,266 175,260 - 175,260 280,416 33,590 314,006 |
|
| 455,676 33,590 489,266 |
8 Trustees
None of the trustees or any persons connected with them, received any remuneration during the year. Trustees were reimbursed expenses to the value of £0 (2024: £138)
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Family Holiday Charity Trustees Annual Report & Accounts 2025
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Family Holiday Charity
Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025
| 9 Employees Experience and Impact Income and Engagement Support Total Employment costs Salaries National insurance costs Pension costs Total |
2025 2024 2 3 5 6 4 4 11 13 2025 2024 405,549 536,361 42,866 45,257 17,914 22,409 466,329 604,027 |
|---|---|
Key Management personnel
Total Key Management Personnel remuneration for 2025 was £182,367 (2024: £319,580) The number of employees whose annual remuneration was £60,000 or more were:
| 2025 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| £130,000 - £139,999 | - | 1 |
| £70,000 - £79,999 | 1 | - |
| £60,000 - £69,999 | - | 1 |
The CEO and Directors are considered Key Management Personnel. Redundancy and settlement payments for 2025 was £0 (2024: £20,000).
10 Net income/(expenditure) for the year
| this is stated after charging: | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Depreciation | 22,761 | 26,640 |
| Auditor remuneration | 13,800 | 17,940 |
| Operating lease expenditure | 24,719 | 24,791 |
11 Fixed assets
| Cost At 01.01.2025 Additions Disposals At 31.12.2025 Depreciation and impairment At 01.01.2025 Depreciation charged in the period Removal in respect of disposal At 31.12.2025 Carrying amount At 31.12.2025 At 31.12.2024 |
Intangible Tangible Digital infrastructure Office equipment Total 97,630 117,833 215,463 7,896 7,896 - (1,534) (1,534) |
|---|---|
| 97,630 124,195 221,825 22,299 114,402 136,701 19,526 3,235 22,761 - (1,534) (1,534) |
|
| 41,825 116,103 157,928 |
|
| 55,805 8,092 63,897 |
|
| 75,331 3,430 78,761 |
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Family Holiday Charity Trustees Annual Report & Accounts 2025
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Family Holiday Charity
Notes to the financial statements for year ended 31 December 2025
12 Debtors
| Amounts falling due within one year Prepayments and accrued income Other debtors 13 Creditors Amounts falling due within one year Trade creditors Accruals and deferred income Taxation and social security Other creditors |
2025 2024 49,507 54,589 4,180 4,680 53,687 59,269 (3,053) 14,030 38,470 91,419 10,391 10,297 (5,392) 3,276 40,416 119,022 |
|---|---|
Deferred income
£14,122 relates to income received in this period for the London Marathon April 2026 (2024: £14,739)
| Balance brought forward Released in year Deferred in year Balance carried forward |
2025 2024 14,739 9,642 (37,521) (29,693) 36,904 34,790 14,122 14,739 |
|---|---|
14 Retirement benefit schemes
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately to those of the charity in an independently administered fund. The costs in the year for the defined contributions pension scheme was £17,014 (2024: £22,409). There was £1,374 of outstanding pension contributions payable to the pension fund at the end of 2025 (2024: £0).
15 Designated funds
The funds of the charity include the following designated funds which have been set aside from unrestricted funds by the Trustees for specific purposes
| Tangible & intangible assets Digital investment Research & advocacy Service development Donor acquisition |
Balance at 01.01.25 Incoming resources Transfers Balance at 31.12.25 78,761 - (7,896) 70,865 68,661 - (2,400) 66,261 36,357 - (1,530) 34,827 46,724 - - 46,724 100,000 - - 100,000 |
|---|---|
| 330,503 - (11,826) 318,677 |
Tangible & intangible assets For the purchase of fixed assets Digital investment For a digital project to improve systems, operations and our digital offer Research & advocacy For development of research and advocacy activities Service development For development and diversification of services Donor acquisition For a project to increase donors
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Family Holiday Charity Trustees Annual Report & Accounts 2025
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Family Holiday Charity
Notes to the financial statements for year ended 31 December 2025
16 Analysis of net assets between funds
| Unrestricted Restricted funds |
Unrestricted Restricted funds |
Unrestricted Restricted funds |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| funds 2025 | 2025 | Total 2025 | |||||
| Tangible and intangible assets | 63,897 | - | 63,897 | ||||
| Current assets/(liabilities) | 1,171,916 | 77,487 | 1,249,403 | ||||
| 1,235,813 | 77,487 | 1,313,300 | |||||
| Unrestricted Restricted funds |
|||||||
| funds 2024 | 2024 | Total 2024 | |||||
| Tangible and intangible assets | 78,761 | - | 78,761 | ||||
| Current assets/(liabilities) | 855,440 | 74,760 | 930,200 | ||||
| 934,201 | 74,760 | 1,008,961 | |||||
| **17 ** | Funds analysis - current year | ||||||
| Balance at | Gains / | Balance at | |||||
| 01.01.2025 | Income | Expenditure | Transfers | (Losses) | 31.12.2025 | ||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Unrestricted funds | |||||||
| General funds | 934,202 | 1,113,669 | 775,817 | (36,241) | - | 1,235,813 | |
| Total general funds | 934,202 | 1,113,669 | 775,817 | (36,241) | - | 1,235,813 | |
| Restricted funds | 74,760 | 151,524 | 185,038 | 36,241 | - | 77,487 | |
| Total restricted funds | 74,760 | 151,524 | 185,038 | 36,241 | - | 77,487 | |
| Total funds | 1,008,962 | 1,265,193 | 960,855 | - | - | 1,313,300 | |
| Funds analysis - prior year | |||||||
| Balance at | Gains / | Balance at | |||||
| 01.01.2024 | Income | Expenditure | Transfers | (Losses) | 31.12.2024 | ||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Unrestricted funds | |||||||
| General funds | 1,262,107 | 751,064 | 1,093,151 | 14,182 | - | 934,202 | |
| Total general funds | 1,262,107 | 751,064 | 1,093,151 | 14,182 | - | 934,202 | |
| Restricted funds | 67,369 | 189,347 | 167,774 | (14,182) | - | 74,760 | |
| Total restricted funds | 67,369 | 189,347 | 167,774 | (14,182) | - | 74,760 | |
| Total funds | 1,329,476 | 940,411 | 1,260,925 | - | - | 1,008,962 |
Restricted funds
These funds are grants from funders which are restricted specifically for the purposes of providing funded holidays to families who meet specific criteria. There are no unfulfilled conditions or contingencies relating to amounts recognised during the year. A full list of the funders and their conditions is available on our website.[6]
18 Operating lease commitments
| Within one year Between two and five years |
2025 2024 6120 5,073 - - 6,120 5,073 |
|---|---|
19 Related party transactions
The charity received £615 in donations from trustees in 2025 (2024: £250). There were no other related party transactions during the year.
6 https://familyholidaycharity.org.uk/trust-fund-list
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Family Holiday Charity Trustees Annual Report & Accounts 2025
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Family Holiday Charity
Notes to the financial statements for year ended 31 December 2025
| 20 Cash generated from operations (Deficit)/Surplus for the period Adjustments for: Investment income recognised in SOFA Loss/(gain) on disposal of tangible fixed assets Depreciation and impairment of fixed assets Movement in working capital (Increase)/Decrease in debtors Increase/(Decrease) in creditors Cash generated from operations |
2025 2024 304,338 (320,515) (30,991) (24,058) - 769 22,761 26,640 5,582 (20,287) (78,606) 51,087 223,084 (286,364) (23,095) (24,057) |
|---|---|
21 Analysis of changes in net funds
| The charity had no debt during the year Cash in hand Total cash and cash equivalents |
31.12.24 Cash movement 31.12.25 989,953 246,179 1,236,132 989,953 246,179 1,236,132 |
|---|---|
22 Contingent assets
The charity has been notified that it will receive legacy donations from seven separate estates. As these legacies can not yet be reliably measured and we’ve yet to receive notification of a distribution from the estate, as per out accounting policy for legacies, no value for these legacy donations have been included in the financial statements.
23 Contingent liabilities
The charity is defending an employment tribunal claim. A preliminary hearing is due to take place in 2026. The outcome of the case is uncertain. The charity has appointed legal representatives, and appropriate insurance arrangements are in place which are expected to materially limit the charity’s exposure to financial risk, subject to policy terms. No provision has been made in these financial statements as the trustees consider that, at the balance sheet date, the existence and amount of any obligation could not be measured with sufficient reliability.
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Family Holiday Charity hello@familyholidaycharity.org.uk 0203 117 0650 FUNDRAISING REGULATOR