The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 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)".
Power2Inspire's vision is of a society where everyone can enjoy inclusive sport together, or as we say, "No one left on the bench". Our mission is to embed inclusive sport in communities by delivering events for everyone to enjoy:
Our PowerHouseGames, our inclusive sports sessions with Universities and Schools;
Games2Inspire;
Festivals of Inclusive Sports, including Super Sensory Kilometres.
Inspired by our founder's experience of not being allowed to join in sport with his non-disabled friends, Power2Inspire is committed to creating sporting opportunities for all. This includes encouraging everyone regardless of age, gender, race, faith, or (dis)ability, to play sport together.
We take our PowerHouseGames primarily into universities. We use a range of sports including sitting volleyball, new age kurling, visual impaired football, goalball, and boccia. These games are by their nature inclusive, but we also adapt them to suit the needs of each occasion, to include numbers, timing, length and the choice of sports. The purpose is to bring together different parts of the community: university students, local school students from state, independent and SEN schools and local companies, breaking down all sorts of perceived barriers. We are increasingly taking the PowerHouseGames into sports clubs too, encouraging academy, women and men's first teams to mix.
Our Games2Inspire are to demonstrate inclusive and adapted sports in mainstream schools and wherever possible ensure the participation of disabled and others with additional needs in activities with their peers.
We also hold Festivals of Inclusive Sport, concentrating at each festival on one sport. Each time there has been true inclusive sport, with all abilities playing together. In 2024, we held a Festival of Inclusive Tennis, as well as our annual SuperSensory Inclusive Kilometre at Histon which gives people the opportunity to exercise with their friends while experiencing using all of their senses. So successful have these 'SS1Ks' been that we also held five more in new locations in 2024, including a corporate event with Liberty Global.
Taking all of the above into account the trustees have given due consideration to the Charity Commission’s published guidance on public benefit and consider the charity’s objectives and activities to be in line within the general charitable purpose of advancement of health and education.
2024 has been a stunning year of growth as we built on the strength of 2023, with increasing demand for our PowerHouseGames and we begin to develop a key hub in Kent.
We held 23 PowerHouseGames, up from 18 in 2023 and only 11 in 2022, including return visits to Leicester Tigers, Bisham Abbey and Middlesex County Cricket Club at Lord’s. We were also warmly hosted at a number of universities, including Warwick, Canterbury Christchurch, Anglia Ruskin and Worcester. We were delighted to partner with corporate entities on Granta Park, Cambridge and at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. Local interest from sports clubs and colleges at Cambridge University also continues to grow and we thank the University Sports Centre for their continued support.
Games2Inspire remained steady at 20 days as schools schedule these events into their busy academic calendars. Our great thanks to Quilters Junior School in Essex as they hosted their seventh Paralympic Week based on our Games2Inspire.
Building on the enthusiasm of the truly integrated SuperSensory Inclusive Kilometre at Histon’s Running Festival on the May Day Bank Holiday we held SS1Ks at Shelford, Fulbourn, Bedford and a corporate version with Liberty Global. The Tennis Festival continued the fun and success of our Festivals of Inclusive Sport series.
Following previous partnerships with the rugby clubs from Oxford and Cambridge universities delivering inclusive online seat-based exercise sessions, we also delivered our first PowerHouseGames with Oxford University and local schools in 2024.
Summary of events and attendance:
Summary 2024 2024 2023 2023
Events Attendees Events Attendees
PowerHouseGames 23 1,401 18 1,067
Games2Inspire 20 3,499 24 3,382
Community Games 0 0 4 150
Festival of Inclusive Sports 1 36 2 115
SS1Ks 6 505 4 159
TOTALS 50 5,441 52 4,873
Income and expenditure 2024 2023
£000 £000
Income 122 89
Expenditure (106) (93)
Surplus/(Deficit) 16 (4)
Income was helped not only by the increased number of PowerHouseGames but also by generous donations and many successful grant applications, particularly towards the end of the year. Power2Inspire aims to build on this success in 2025 as awareness and recognition of the charity grows across the country.
Costs raised in line with the increased activity but were also affected by inflation.
Balance sheet 2024 2023
£000 £000
Fixed assets 0 0
Current assets 35 15
Current liabilities (16) (12)
Net assets 19 3
The charity ended the year with strengthened reserves following the small deficit in 2023 which was incurred as a result of planned investment into expanding our geographical reach. In line with the trustees’ commitment to the financial viability of the charity, the strategic plan for 2025 is to carefully analyse the wider benefit of its activities and increase revenue received for each day’s activity, whether this comes from grants, donations or sales. There is also the possibility of at least two significant fundraising events in 2025.
The majority of the charity's funding comes from donations and due to the unpredictable nature of fundraising income the trustees maintain reserves to support the charity's financial sustainability. It is the policy of the trustees that reserves representing three to six months' expenditure should be held in reserves. Following a successful end to 2024, it is our aim to further increase the reserves in 2025.
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 trustees are responsible for ensuring effective risk management, and that internal controls are in place to appropriately manage the risk exposure of Power To Inspire. The main risks faced by the charity are "Loss of fundraising income"; and "Safeguarding" failures.
We aim to diversify our sources of funding by reaching out to a wide range of organisations including Government, schools, other charities, businesses and individuals, so we are not dependent upon one source of funding for all our activities. When we run our events, which by design include vulnerable people, young and old, we do this in partnership with schools and other organisations so that professional safeguarding standards are maintained throughout.
The key risks faced by the charity and its mitigations of those risks are set out below.
Risk 1 - Safeguarding, an incident occurs at an event involving a child or vulnerable adult.
Mitigation - Safeguarding policy set and followed; liaison with schools and other participating organisations to use their expertise in safeguarding. Specialist sub-committee established to review best practice, any incidents and to review the charity’s policy. It reports to the Board at every meeting.
Risk 2 - Failure to find sufficient funds to cover costs.
Mitigation - Fundraising plan agreed; finances monitored, and actions agreed at Board; indirect costs minimised. Sub-committee formed to review sources of income and expenditure. Will report to the board frequently.
Risk 3 - Failure to find sponsors for University PowerHouseGames.
Mitigation - Events and finances planned in advance and only go ahead if finances are satisfactory.
Risk 4 - Loss of Founder & Chief Ambassador.
Mitigation - Increase diversity of Board; seek funding for additional paid staff, separate CEO employed to lead the charity, and plan for succession. Develop a team of Ambassadors, themselves reputed disabled sports players, to host the events in place of the Chief Ambassador, which will also reduce the strain on his diary especially as we increase geographical coverage.
Risk 5 - Unable to run events due to unforeseen circumstances, followng the impact of the pandemic or other global events.
Mitigation - Re-establish and then maintain contact with participating organisations; minimise indirect costs; investment in marketing and advertising; word of mouth following a return to increased activity and new ways of working.
Risk 6 - Lack of demand for events.
Mitigation - Feedback taken at events and learning taken; investment in PR and communications.
Risk 7 - Board does not have the skills to run the organisation.
Mitigation - Skills matrix; recruitment drive, including specialist expertise; trustee training opportunities.
Risk 8 - CEO does not deliver on strategy set by the Board.
Mitigation - Scheme of delegation of authority; clear strategy set; performance measured against strategy at Board meetings.
The charity’s trustees reviewed the strategy set in 2024 in January 2025 and broadly agreed to continue with it.
Those priorities are:
Increasing the PowerHouseGames by a modest number primarily through repeats at venues that have held one before.
Maintaining the number of Games2Inspire.
Developing the SuperSensory Inclusive Kilometres as a flagship within the banner of Festivals of Inclusive Sport.
Increasing the revenue from each day’s activity to ensure the charity’s sustainability.
Promoting the 108 Challenge to clubs, schools, community groups and companies to fundraise for the charity in fun and inclusive ways.
Fundraising
Power To Inspire’s fundraising has been undertaken by staff, trustees and volunteers. The charity has not used professional fundraisers during the year.
Power To Inspire’s fundraising team adheres to Section 1.2 of the Code of Fundraising Practice and is committed to protecting vulnerable donors. We are not aware of any occasion when we have been in breach of the Fundraising Code of Practice.
We have received no complaints relating to the Fundraising team.
Going concern
The trustees have reviewed the circumstances of Power To Inspire and consider that adequate resources are available to fund the activities of the group for the foreseeable future. Projections are included in management’s regular financial reports to trustees, and income and expenditure is monitored against budget. The trustees are of the opinion that the charity is a going concern and the accounts have been prepared on this basis.
The charity is controlled by its governing document, the Articles of Association, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006.
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 charity recruits trustees to match the skills needed on its Board. Trustees are inducted into the charity by the Chair and Chief Executive.
The Board meets at least four times a year to discuss strategy, policy and funding.
None of the trustees has any beneficial interest in the company. All of the trustees are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £10 in the event of a winding up.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Power to Inspire (the charity) for the year ended 31 December 2024.
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.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Power to Inspire is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is South Barn, Church Farm, Royston Lane, Comberton, Cambridge, CB23 7EE, United Kingdom.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance 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)". 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 applying FRS 102 Update Bulletin 1 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. 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 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.
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, 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 classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
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.
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 of 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.
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 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.
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
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.
Grants
Insurance
Marketing and advertising
Interns, Admin and PA support
Event costs
Travel
Administrative expenditure
Trustees' expenses
None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration or were reimbursed for expenses during the year (2023: one trustee was reimbursed £90 expenses).
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within sections 466 to 493 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 or section 252 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects.
Boost Charitable Fund was to cover an extra day a week of the deputy CEO’s time to enable the charity to deliver more inclusive sport. This expired 31 March 2024.
The grant in 2024 from Philip King Charitable Trust was to enable the charity to develop and grow the Festival of Inclusive Sports Series, including SuperSensory Inclusive Kilometres (SS1K), support the delivery of Games2Inspire in state schools, and to support the CEO.
Cambridge Rotary Club South provided funding to enable us to hold two PowerHouseGames – the Cambridge University Cricket Club and Cambridge University Football Club PowerHouseGames engaging over 150 participants including 24 disabled players.
The High Sheriff fund provided similar funding for Cambridge University’s Rugby League and Netball clubs to combine to host and for Fitzwilliam College to host a PowerHouseGames, again with over 150 participants.
Tennis4Cambridge funded our Festival for Inclusive Tennis in 2023.
The Cambridgeshire Tennis Association took over the funding of our Festival of Inclusive Tennis, delivered in December 2024.
‘Development Interns’ covers a grant made by a donor known to trustees who wished to remain anonymous to cover the costs of a specific intern.
The Illumina Corporate Foundation grant was to cover the costs of a PowerHouseGames held at Granta Park and a SS1K and a grant of £2,744 for a PowerHouseGames due to be held in the autumn of 2024 but this has been postponed to March 2025.
The University of Roehampton grant (in turn received by them from a corporate sponsor) covered the costs of two interns who assisted Power2Inspire for 80 hours each during the year.
The Sawston Fun Run awarded a Restricted grant for specialist sports equipment for use at Power2Inspire’s games.
The Independent Schools Association made a grant towards the holding of further ISA PowerHouseGames.
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2023 - none).