The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 July 2024.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006 and "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)".
YESU was established under the memorandum and articles of association on 11 February 2002 and registered with the Charity Commission on 16 July 2002. The primary purposes of YESU are to relieve persons who are in conditions of need or hardship or who are aged or sick, and to relieve the distress caused thereby, and to advance the education of the public and offer advice on life issues.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
YESU is a Christian based project based in Sheringham, Norfolk providing vital community-based services for all age groups with a special emphasis on young people, families, single parents, the unemployed and the elderly.
Established in 2002 YESU has built up a reputation over the years for being able to meet the needs of individuals isolated in a rural village and seaside location. YESU responds to a lack of activities for disadvantaged individuals by providing community-based facilities where anyone can come to access specialist advice and information on a range of issues.
YESU encourages community participation to look out for neighbours and support those in need.
During September – November 2023 the YESU Centre went through a major refurbishment ready to launch our new Parent Support Work, as well as continue our youth and families’ activities.
Many of those who come to us are struggling and are often embarrassed to ask for help as they feel that they should be able to manage. YESU has become a place where people feel safe to open up about their struggles, knowing that they won’t be judged but loved and supported. Those who do seek support often end up helping others and go on to serve in other areas of the work like the community fridge, serving teas and coffee, helping cleaning. We often hear from people who say they felt welcomed and accepted.
Many of the groups become like family to those that attend. It’s a lifeline to some and its always lovely to see those who at first would try to hide themselves start to open up, laugh and smile.
Our clubs and groups include:
►8-11’s: our term-time after-school club for 8–11-year-olds where individuals develop personal and team working skills. We have found the children really enjoy doing the crafts together, and have had parents saying how excited their children are to show them their creations. It has been encouraging to see the children getting involved and learn how to interact with each other in the group. Seeing them listen and eager to participate with the activities has been so wonderful.
For our final 8-11’s club of the summer term we invited the children’s parents and siblings to join us for a meal after the club. We had a great response with over 40 booked in, including children, parents, siblings and leaders. It was a great evening connecting with the children’s parents and families enjoying a meal altogether before the summer holidays.
I enjoy coming to 8-11’s as I can be myself.
My child loves coming to 8-11’s and looks forward to it every week.
►Emerge Youth: an evening youth group where secondary school aged young people are encouraged to be themselves, be creative, and have lots of fun. During their sessions together the young people discuss issues that have caught their attention such as: care for the environment, dealing with exam pressure, mental health, social media and staying safe.
►Girls Group: a small support group for girls aged 12–16 years providing opportunities to sit and eat together and discuss personal issues, peer pressure and difficulties or situations they face at school and in life general.
►Come to Play: these sessions are becoming increasingly popular.
With the addition of new soft play equipment these sessions are great times when parents/carers can come along with their children in a safe environment to chat, have a coffee, play and be supported. Many of those we have supported through Life Ed /8-11’s now come along and find these times valuable in building new friendships and support networks.
►Life Education: an after-school group where our multigenerational volunteers come alongside children at risk from exclusion. We support them and their families by spending time reading with them, strengthening relationships, and giving them an outlet to express their fears and confusion.
Life Ed has now been running just over 2 years and we have supported 19 children during this time, all of whom have grown in confidence and advance d in their reading abilities.
The school have said to us: “Life Education is having a massive impact on our young people; we can’t thank you enough”
Here is a brief report on Life Education from one of our volunteers
Our work through Life Education has proved to be most fruitful with both children and families benefiting from the work. We have seen all the children who have attended grow in their reading abilities, and through that we have seen them grow in confidence. The school also reported a great growth in their confidence and the impact on their reading ages has been extraordinary to see.
Families/carers have appreciated the devoted attention their children have received and see the benefits from their child coming along both educationally and emotionally.
The comment has been made by several of parents/carers that “I have trouble getting …. to school except on Tuesday and Thursday when they have Life Ed”
The multigenerational nature of our volunteers means that the children are seeing a demonstration of family in action. The group has become a family, and they are surrounded by Auntie, Uncle and Grandparent figures all of whom genuinely care about how their day has been. Talking through their triumphs and challenges, empathising with them when their cat is poorly, listening about their concerns for the future, and this is before they even start their reading!
►Other: We also provide drop-in sessions at Sheringham High School, are involved in sessions looking at transition from Primary to High School, as well as carry out school assemblies in both Primary and High School. We also put on a programme of activities, clubs, trips, camps, and family fun days during school holidays.
►Connect Next: The young people that attend this group are all dealing with life issues such as mental health / physical health issues, learning difficulties, social difficulties. As a group they meet fortnightly for lunch and activities. A number also meet with a Befriender, someone who is able to support them, encourage and help put some structure in their lives also providing volunteering opportunities for those able to do so. Two of the guys are now mtg up with a befriender learning to play the guitar. It has been encouraging to see a sense of community grow amongst the group. Each time we gather, we eat round a large table and the conversations flow, with gradually more people involved. It has been encouraging to see the members of group feel able to share about their lives. As they have grown in confidence, they have started getting involved in serving at special events such as our recent volunteers thank you evening.
At Next I have grown in confidence, getting to know people.
►Connect brunches and lunches: During school holidays we have launched a lunch and brunch for anyone to come along to. These have proved popular with families and those who live alone, and it’s a great opportunity to bring all ages together – especially over food!
►Life Connect: This is a growing and evolving group, with the provision of an area for mums and their baby’s as we are seeing more of them join us. Connect is a wonderful example of seeing family in action, people of all ages coming alongside, chatting, listening and serving one another cuddling babies and even being covered in post-it notes by a 3-year-old! This group is certainly multi-generational and creates a lovely atmosphere.
►Cameo (Come and meet each other): A monthly group for widows, isolated single women, and divorced ladies
The ethos of the group is to break down barriers that isolate the ladies who live alone and encourage them to support each other, building friendships that will continue outside the group.
During their time together they have a good healthy 2 course lunch (many of these women eat alone and sometimes don't bother). It’s an opportunity for them to support one another through their struggles, chat things through, laugh, cry and understand the loneliness that they feel through their losses.
►Parent Support Drop In: In Nov 23 we launched a dedicated Parent Support Centre which is open 2 days a week for parents with their children to access support and guidance and the Community Fridge if needed. Parents of the local primary school and complex needs school have a need to meet somewhere independent from the schools and away from their children to seek support for themselves. This includes specific training on how to support their children with maths and literacy homework and workshops around budgeting, filling in access to support forms, cooking healthy meals, bedtime routines etc and further support for parent of children with SEND/social, emotional, mental health needs. We also signpost parents to other agencies eg, mental health practitioners, housing departments etc.
An amazing place to relax with the little ones with people who care so, so much.
You get to have a lovely chat with people that help you with anything you need, a good place to socialise.
I come in for a dose of sanity – it’s my life line.
I just really like it here, it’s warm, the moment you step in the door, cosy and I can just help myself to tea, good sound advice and popping in just gives me the right start to the day. We love the toy swop and free stuff too.
It has made the world of difference knowing I have somewhere I can go with my daughter and that she is so loved and I feel so supported. They are like the family I didn’t have. Thank you.
►Community Fridge: Having been open for over 3 years, we are now collecting more food a week than ever before from stores in Sheringham and Cromer. We get between 60-80 trays of surplus food donated each week, which a dedicated team of volunteers collect and log and make available for anyone in the community to come and use. Every day, before we open, we have a queue of folk waiting to see what is available. A number who have accessed produce now volunteer supporting the Fridge collections etc, as well as calling into Parent Support / Come to Play / Connect etc.
‘I can’t imagine now how much my shopping would cost me each week if I didn’t come here. I would have to choose between eating proper meals and whether to put the heating on. Things have got really tight.’ Community Fridge user
'Before I shop, I often call in, I get some bread and it saves it from being thrown away, it's a win, win!’ Community Fridge user
'It’s so good to be at the heart of the community, we love our community fridge mornings, we get to know people and we feel really part of something’ Community Fridge volunteer.
As you can see YESU continues its on-going work within the community expressing to people that they are special, important and valued and we are so encouraged to see so many people of all ages grow, gain confidence, build friendships and learn new skills.
We believe we have a proven model that we are able to continue, improve and expand upon.
The Charity achieved a surplus this year of £12,878 (2023: surplus of £16,267) as detailed in the SOFA.
Funds carried forward at 31 July 2024 are £112,890 (2022: £100,012 ) of which £5,000 are restricted.
The Trustees have had to again this year consider a difficult operational climate in which grant income is difficult to obtain. They have continued to be prudent in anticipating the reduction in funding and at the year-end have been able to retain more than three months of expenses in reserves. Whist the charity is dependent on regular funding, the Trustees maintain that a level of cash flow to meet two months' worth of expenditure needs to be kept in order to cover on-going costs. This has been achieved for the current year.
The trust receives the majority of its income through various grants, some of which are provided for specific purposes. It also receives donations from Life Church Sheringham and other private donors.
The trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed, and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks.
The charity constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 1985 and is controlled by its governing document, the memorandum and articles of association.
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
The appointment of trustees is governed by the Articles of Association. Existing trustees are authorized to appoint new trustees to fill vacancies arising through resignation or death of one of their number.
The Yesu project has occupied a community centre building owned by Life Church Sheringham (previously New Wine Church Trust) since July 2002. The building is let rent free to YESU, and provides a venue for our youth workers and community staff to work from. Life Church Sheringham also donated £47,151 of Money, Goods and Services during the year.
Richard Allen, a Trustee of Life Church Sheringham, was reimbursed for mileage travelled on behalf of Yesu during the year in his role as Project Manager.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Yesu (the charity) for the year ended 31 July 2024.
As the trustees of the charity (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (the 2006 Act).
Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act). In carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or
the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
the financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
Mark Johnstone FCA
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Yesu is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is 15 High Street, SHERINGHAM, Norfolk, NR26 8JP, United Kingdom.
Each member's shares is limited to £10.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the Charities SORP "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)" (effective 1 January 2019). The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, [modified to include the revaluation of freehold properties and to include investment properties and certain financial instruments at fair value]. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors or grantors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
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.
Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation
committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will
be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure
is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all
cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they
have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.
Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
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 statement of financial activities.
At each reporting end date, the charity reviews the carrying amounts 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 the impairment loss (if any).
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. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
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 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.
The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.
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.
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
Grant income
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
The restricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used.
The unrestricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants which are not subject to specific conditions by donors and grantors as to how they may be used. These include designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2023 - none).