REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 02272550 (England and Wales)

REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 299988

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND

AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

FOR

AGE CONCERN KINGSTON UPON THAMES

(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

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Report of the Trustees

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Report of the Independent Auditors

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Statement of Financial Activities

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Statement of Financial Position

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Statement of Cash Flows

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Notes to the Statement of Cash Flows

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Notes to the Financial Statements

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The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2025. The trustees have adopted the provisions of 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).

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2025. The trustees have adopted the provisions of 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).

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Our vision and objects

Our charitable objects are:

The relief of those in need by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage, in any manner which now or hereafter may be deemed by law to be charitable in England and Wales.

Our vision is:

To make life a greater life.

Our core work is with older people and we aim to support our beneficiaries to live with independence and dignity, decide the direction of their own lives and enjoy life as part of the community. We work to influence local policy and practice and create a greater understanding of the needs of our users and their potential to contribute to community life. We aim to foster greater understanding between the generations by involving younger people in our work through volunteering. Through our Information and Advice and social prescribing work we address the needs of people who experience financial hardship and disadvantage.

Public Benefit

We review our aims, objectives and activities each year and, in doing so, the Trustees have taken into account the general guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission. In reviewing our aims, and planning objectives and activities to meet them in the future, we consider and evaluate the outcomes of each activity and the impact of our work on our beneficiaries and stakeholders.

Objectives for the year 2024-25

Our overarching objectives for the year 2024-25 were:

- to enhance the mental and physical wellbeing of the people we work with

- to involve and empower the people we work with

- to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the charity and

- to be a leader in our field.

Our strategy to achieve these objectives has been to maintain our focus on our service users and stakeholders, listening to them and building our services around what they say they want, and what we have learned works. We support and work with individuals, their families and carers via our building-based services, our Information, Advice and Guidance service and our work in the community. One of our key objectives is to ensure our financial strategy is driven by, and supports, our vision, values and aims.

Summary of our main activities

We offer a holistic, outcomes-focused and evidence-based range of services. Our building-based services act as hubs, with a range of targeted prevention and support services provided in buildings, complemented by flexible outreach services provided from buildings. Our person-led approach is designed to ensure that a whole array of services is easily accessible, according to each individual's needs and wishes. In the operation and development of all our activities, we are committed to working in partnership, and, as a local organisation, advocating for the interests of our user groups. With a staff team of 75,combining decades of experience and local knowledge, Staywell is the leading organisation supporting older people in Kingston borough.

There are four main strands to our activities:

Meaningful social activities and support

Services which aim to reduce social isolation and to foster connections that help build strong and cohesive communities:

- Raleigh House Day CentreM

- The Bradbury Centre

- 'FaNS' Friendly and Neighbourly Support Befriending projects

Home support services

A range of services that support people to live independently and safely in a comfortable home environment and stay out of hospital and residential care:

- Community Team

- Home from Hospital service

- Help@Home service

- Handyperson service

- Kingston Community Furniture

Health and Wellbeing

Services that encourage people to keep active and engaged, maintaining physical and mental health or delaying/reducing deterioration, an approach which is also fundamental in our day service and community centre provision:

- Community Connectors service

- Peer Support for Older People with Serious Mental Illness

- Dementia Support

- Opportunities for Volunteering

We continue to play a key role in Kingston and Richmond's multi-disciplinary approach to supporting people who have rising health and social care needs - the Proactive Anticipatory Care programme (PAC).

Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG)

A specialist service which aims to inform people of their choices, empower them and ensure they are receiving all their financial and other entitlements.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Charitable activities

In total during 2024-25 we worked with 2,400 unique individuals.

629 older people were regularly supported on a weekly basis via our At Home services and our Raleigh and Bradbury centres.

Across all services we worked with 1,126 people aged 80 and over, of whom 739 were 85 and over; of these 361 were 90 and over, comprising 31% of the 90+ year-olds who live in our community.

In March 2024 our Help@Home service made a record 924 home visits, beating our previous record of 905 from March 2022.

Generally, our users are getting older and frailer. We are seeing more older people with dementia and higher numbers with mental health issues. The numbers of those living on their own is rising. For example, of those who were supported by our Home from Hospital service, 76% lived on their own.

The feedback we have received from carers, users and professional frontline partners over the last year has never been more positive.

Meaningful Social Activities and Support

Day Services

Loneliness, inactivity and isolation are major problems for our ageing population - these are amongst the issues we aim to address through the provision of high-quality day services at Raleigh House and The Bradbury.

Buildings where services for the community are housed, and from which they are delivered, offer a huge opportunity to respond flexibly and creatively to the needs and aspirations of a wide range of people. Through a hub and spoke model we aim to offer services and facilities to the wider community, as well as to people using centres on a weekly or daily basis. The hubs provide an extensive range of activities and services under one roof and act as bases for our community outreach services: FaNS Friendly and Neighbourly Support scheme, the Community Team, Home from Hospital, Community Connectors (social prescribing service), Proactive Anticipatory Care team and Help@Home/Handyperson/Furniture collection services. There are no comparable venues elsewhere which are accessible to any older person. Our centres also play a vital part in supporting carers and providing respite.

Our experience and evidence demonstrate that our day services play an important part in preventing older people from becoming isolated and inactive, with consequent impact on their overall physical and mental health and wellbeing. Our users come from all parts of the borough and the majority have multiple and significant needs, including dementia and learning disabilities, as well as physical impairments. Raleigh House caters for very frail people who need personal care; The Bradbury Centre is geared towards those who are able to look after their own personal care. However, both services are 'universal' in that they are open to all older people who live in the borough.

Day services are commissioned by Kingston Council through a Day Opportunities contract and this year we have seen a growth in demand. Day service attendances increased by 12% on the previous year and almost 2,000 more sessions were provided than in 2022-23 - evidence of the increasing need for these services. The need for support for people living with dementia is evidenced by an increase of 22% in the number of people living with the condition using day services at both Raleigh House and The Bradbury.

Our approach remains to evolve our services to meet the changing needs and choices of older people and their carers, to make a tangible difference to their quality of life and support them to stay living in their own homes whilst they can safely do so.

Case Study

'Betty' is an example of someone we have supported as her needs developed over a period of years. Referred by her GP for social prescribing with one of our Community Connectors in 2020, she was independent and active in her community but there were some concerns about her memory. She joined The Bradbury after a diagnosis of dementia in 2022, attending once a week, enjoying the company of others and going on trips and attending classes. Her physical needs increased during that year as did the day service team's communication with her son and Staywell assisted Betty with an application for accessible transport and a Taxicard. She was also given advice regarding the incontinence clinic by our IAG team, and her son was signposted to Kingston Carer's Network for support. The following year Betty began using our Help@Home services.

During 2023, Betty suffered a series of falls, infections and hospital admissions and her dementia became more advanced. Sadly, her physical cand mental health became much poorer and she began to use a wheelchair. Her son struggled with her care and there were concerns about her weight and food/fluid intake.

In the autumn of that year Staywell's Community Team referred her for Occupational Therapy and she began attending Raleigh House, where she received personal care support, as well as going to The Bradbury. Over time since then Betty's situation has vastly improved. We liaised with her dietician to support her with recommended food options and increase her calorie intake. She gained a significant amount of weight and her mood, alertness, communication and ability to join in activities all improved markedly, being noticed by other members as well as her own family and the staff teams at both day centres. Her son described Staywell's involvement as 'a complete game changer.'

Betty now attends Bradbury three times a week and Raleigh House weekly, where she has a regular shower. Her weight is stable and she is eating much better, enjoying her days and participating in many of the activities on offer to some degree. She is almost always in good spirits and her son has fed back that he hadn't seen her this cheerful for a long time.

Befriending

Staywell's befriending and companionship services include one-to-one befriending, telephone befriending and social activities within our centres offering regular social contact and emotional support to older and lonely adults over the age of 65 years, providing friendship and helping to promote a feeling of self-worth. 75% of clients are aged 80 and over.

Our FaNS (Friendly and Neighbourly Support Scheme) scheme was set up in 2019 with National Lottery funding to develop and increase the capacity of our befriending and companionship services and we are grateful to the National Lottery for a second tranche of funding from November 2022.

Demand for befriending remains high but we continue to find it more difficult to recruit new volunteers since the pandemic. We currently have 27 volunteer befrienders, each of whom was in touch with between one and ten people, offering support, friendship, contact with the outside world, emotional support and reassurance where they can. Befriending activities include outings and small group walks.

The continuing impact of our befriending services is due to the way that our teams work across service and organisational boundaries. Our volunteer befrienders are supported not only by the Coordinator funded by the Lottery grant but by a wider team with the skills and expertise needed to respond to clients' often complex needs. This provides confidence and reassurance to our volunteers, clients and the professionals making referrals. Our local knowledge and strong partnership connections, particularly with Primary Care and our voluntary sector partners ensure that we are linking people to the right local groups and resources.

This means that a volunteer befriending relationship arranged through Staywell's FaNS project will have an impact on more than loneliness and isolation. People are connected into the Staywell community and consequently exposed to a range of appropriate local services tailored to their needs and preferences.

Demand for befriending continues to grow, we continue to receive a steady stream of referrals from health and social care partners for people who are lonely and/or isolated. More people want face-to-face contact, rather than phone calls alone.

Home Support Services

Help@Home

Our Help@Home service provides support with a range of practical tasks in and around the home. This chargeable service includes cleaning, laundry and ironing, shopping, cooking and other household tasks, as well as accompanying clients on outings and to appointments and providing sitting services so that unpaid family carers can have some respite. Each client receives a home assessment and is matched with an experienced home-helper.

In 2024-25 client numbers increased by almost 10% to 245, with our team delivering 13,644 hours of help.

Help@Home enables people to stay living independently in their own homes who would be unable to do so without the support provided. This often also provides great reassurance to families, many of whom live far from their loved ones, including overseas. The service has grown as it has demonstrated its worth in providing flexible support to meet people's varied needs.

Help@Home's unique selling point is its close integration with our other services, giving staff, as well as clients, easy access to a range of support and expertise to help people deal with the myriad issues that ageing can bring. The Help@Homers are trained to be familiar with all our activities, and to monitor their clients for changes in their circumstances which might mean they could benefit from another Staywell service, for example, a Handyperson visit or a benefits check.

We receive no external funding for this service; all income is generated through charges. During this period the service has supported our Home from Hospital scheme, with that funding enabling us to offer up to six hours of free support to people 65+ to help them settle back in at home when discharged.

Handyperson Service

Our Handyperson service offers a range of simple and low-cost interventions including small building repairs, minor adaptations such as the installation of grab rails and key safes, 'odd' jobs (such as putting up curtain rails, moving furniture), falls and accident checks, and home safety and energy efficiency checks. These are the types of interventions which enable older, disabled and vulnerable people to live independently in their own homes for longer, in greater levels of comfort and security.

In addition, we offer garden tidying and grass cutting, plus one-to-one computer tuition and help with setting up laptops, tuning in and troubleshooting problems with TVs. The service is supported by volunteers.

Evidence consistently shows that older people place great value on services that provide 'that little bit of help' to support them them to stay living independently, and there is considerable demand for the service. Staywell's Handyperson scheme also works in an integrated way with our other services, notably our Community and IAG Teams.

In 2024-25 the service supported 216 households.

We have received no external funding for this important service for several years; it has been sustained by income from charges, subsidised through our charitable resources. As set out in our last annual report, we invested in a new storage facility and an electric vehicle for the service. We are delighted to report that an application to the National Lottery Community Fund for funding for 2025-26 was successful. This will enable us to offer free Handyperson services to pensioners on the lowest incomes.

Kingston Community Furniture

Kingston Community Furniture (KCF) was part of Staywell for eleven years. Its goals were:

- to provide high quality reusable furniture to anyone experiencing deprivation or social exclusion

- to divert waste back into reuse/recycling and away from landfill as a means of encouraging environmental sustainability together with a reduction in carbon emissions

- to generate voluntary and work placement opportunities for anyone experiencing marginalisation and encourage their integration into the community.

We knew last year that Kingston Council were withdrawing their support for the scheme but a grant in 2024-25 enabled us to spend the year adapting the model. Whilst we no longer have a retail premises, demand for used furniture removal remains high. We have developed our 'bulky waste' collection service and any proceeds will contribute to our organisational running costs and enable us to keep charges for our other services as low as possible.

Importantly, KCF supports our Home from Hospital service by removing and rearranging furniture in people's homes to create space for hospital beds and equipment, an area of increasing demand.

Older People's Community Team

Older people face heightened risk of admission to hospital or residential care as a result of ill-health (including mental ill-health), disability, social isolation, unsuitable housing and loss of support networks. However, the ageing process is not necessarily one of progressive decline and, by working with people in a targeted way, our experience demonstrates that there are multiple opportunities to effect positive changes that will not only reduce A&E attendance and unplanned hospital and residential admissions but also improve the quality of life and safety of older people living at home.

This community outreach service, delivered by a small team of part-time staff and volunteers, supported 213 people. People referred by a GP or other professional usually need support with independent living due to frailty. Clients are very often housebound. A Community Team worker or volunteer visits each person in their home and discusses their situation including medical history, how they manage activities of daily living, housing situation, income and benefits, levels of social contact and risk of falls. The objective is to support and encourage people to take up appropriate sources of support which will help them regain and/or retain their independence. Over recent years the service has seen an increase in the levels of complexity in clients referred, including people with undiagnosed dementia alongside physical ill-health and people self-neglecting and/or living in unsuitable accommodation.

One of the strengths of the Community Team is its ability to respond flexibly to people's changing needs, and speedily harness the expertise of Staywell's other services, such as Information, Advice and Guidance, and Befriending. It works closely alongside our Community Connectors social prescribing service and PAC (Proactive Anticipatory Care) Coordinators.

The model of engagement used by the Community Team fosters a relationship of trust because it places the focus on the older person's aspirations - what they would like to do to stay well - rather than on assessing their entitlement to services or their financial means. Unlike many other community services, it is not time-limited but wholly outcome-focussed. This, together with its ability to offer people an extensive choice of services provided by Staywell and other agencies, plus Staywell's long-established and strategic position in the local health and social care system, is at the heart of its success.

A new three-year contract with Kingston Council, following a competitive tender process, commenced in April 2024.

Home from Hospital Service

We successfully applied to the South West London Health Integrated Care Board (ICB) Health Inequalities Fund to continue providing our Home from Hospital service during 2024-25.

The objective of this work is to support older, frail people to be discharged back home more quickly, safely and sustainably than might otherwise be possible. The service works on a proactive in-reach model to try and build relationships of trust with people whilst still in hospital and to build relationships with clinical and social services staff to promote use of the service. The skills and extensive community knowledge of our other outreach services enables us to deliver the service in an agile way. For example, our Help@Home service can shop and make meals for people returning home and Kingston Community Furniture vehicles and manpower provide the practical means of creating 'microenvironments' (rooms which need to be rearranged to accommodate a hospital bed and other equipment) in people's homes.

Case Study

'Mrs B', aged 79, was referred to Home from Hospital via Staywell's befriending service. She was taken to hospital as an emergency and although not admitted, was discharged still feeling quite unwell. The concern was that she was the carer for her husband with dementia and urgently needed respite.

We referred Mr B. to Staywell's day services and to our Older People's Community Team for wider support. Within the week, a Community Team Coordinator visited and subsequently took Mr B. for a taster day at Raleigh House day centre. Mr B. settled in straight away and chose to become a regular member, providing him with social contact, activity and monitoring, and his wife with much-needed regular respite.

On follow up a few weeks' later both clients were happy. Mrs B. continues to receive regular calls from her befriender, who can quickly refer any concerns to the Befriending Coordinator.

Due to the ending of the short-term project funding, there was a risk that the Home from Hospital service would have been lost to Kingston. We worked with Kingston Council Adult Social Care to ensure the continuation of the service in 2025-25, resourced jointly by the Better Care Fund and the ICB.

Health and Wellbeing

Proactive Anticipatory Care

The Proactive Anticipatory Care Model (PAC) is Kingston and Richmond's multi-disciplinary approach to working with people who have rising health and care needs. The PAC team includes GPs, community, adult social care and hospital-based services working together to provide more proactive and coordinated care. The approach helps people to stay healthier for longer, reduces the need for reactive health care and supports work to address the wider determinants of health, helping to find ways of keeping local people well, for longer.

In the past year our PAC Care Coordinators supported 101 clients, working with New Malden and Worcester Park Primary Care Network which spearheaded the original PAC proof of concept. These Coordinators, who are at the heart of the model, help people plan ahead, be more in control and manage changes in their health and wellbeing, harnessing the considerable strength of working together as a local community.

Staywell remains strategically engaged with the development of the PAC model in Kingston and Richmond and funding has been confirmed for 2025-26

Community Connectors Service

Our team of Community Connectors provide social prescribing on behalf of eight of the borough's GP practices. The roles are funded through the NHS Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS).

The Connectors work with referred individuals aged 18+, drawing on their strengths, interests and skills (assets) in order to identify goals to improve the person's quality of life, health and wellbeing. The focus, where possible, is on self-help/support, and self-care and management, enabling people to access and use voluntary and community services and resources wherever possible, as well as maintaining the individual's independence at home. Individuals are encouraged and supported to engage with services through motivational discussions, escorting a person to a service or programme of activities, researching and introducing other community options etc.

The pressure of demand on other support services both voluntary and statutory and build-up of waiting lists - or lack of any services, notably in supporting people with their mental health and housing needs - places pressures on the Community Connector service. This has been sustained through close team-working, peer support and wide sharing of the skills, expertise and local knowledge across all of Staywell's services.

Our plans for the future are to continue to help local GP practices provide personalised support to people whose social situations add major challenges to leading a healthy and happy life, as part of the drive to tackle health inequalities and improve population health and wellbeing. The practices with whom we currently work in partnership have confirmed funding for 2025-26.

Peer Support for Older People with Serious Mental Illness

The service is funded by South West London & St George's Mental Health Trust (SWLSGT) and delivered by Mind in Kingston in partnership with SWLSGT, Staywell and other local voluntary organisations. The service is open to people with severe mental illness (SMI) who are service users of the mental health trust. Staywell provides group and one-to-one peer support to people aged 65+, focusing on their aspirations and goals. Part of the transformation of community mental health services, the model enables professionals to use their lived experience of mental health issues as a positive way of connecting with clients.

Information, Advice and Guidance

Our Information and Advice service's typical client is aged between 80 and 89; a high proportion of them live alone. The bulk of the work involves securing age-related benefits, support at home, housing issues and accessible transport. Income maximisation is a key area where we aim to be proactive, assisting clients to access benefits such as Attendance Allowance, Pension Credit and accessible transport schemes.

In 2024-25 we worked with 1,072 unique individuals and helped people claim disability benefits worth over £145,000.

We also advise on Appointeeships, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Wills, and inform families and carers about Care Needs Assessments and Carer's Assessments. We continue to provide an Alternative Office for the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), processing disability benefit applications on its behalf.

A new three-year contract with Kingston Council, following a competitive tender process, commenced in April 2024.

Information, Advice and Guidance remains an important gateway for older people to access support services. In the increasingly digital world, our in-person approach is highly valued by clients. We will continue to champion high-quality, impartial, information and advice and believe it is crucial for older people, their families and informal carers, and a fundamental part of our service portfolio.

Opportunities for volunteering

Volunteer help is central to the successful delivery and the character of our services. Although, like many charities, we have found it has become more difficult to recruit suitable volunteers, 83 local people supported our services by volunteering in a variety of roles.

Volunteers do not just bring a measurable financial value to our work; they bring a wealth of skills, experience and knowledge - not least local knowledge - and often personal experience, for example, as a carer or a service-user. They add a richness to our service provision which cannot be quantified.

Working in partnership

Staywell is the largest local voluntary sector provider of services in the borough of Kingston, and we spent over £1.9 million on charitable activities in 2024-25. As we evidence within this report, all our services work together in an integrated way, in partnership with the person and their network and with colleagues in other organisations, both statutory and voluntary. They are designed to work coherently to help prevent and delay ill-health and unnecessary admission into hospital or, prematurely, to residential care, whilst also helping to maintain and improve people's physical and mental wellbeing, enabling them to remain active and independent in their own homes, in our centres and in the community, thereby bolstering community resilience.

An exciting new development in 2024 was the opening of a Kingston Council Occupational Therapy Assessment Centre in Raleigh House. This has had positive impacts for both partners with frontline staff sharing expertise and learning. Service users have benefitted from reduced waiting times and mutual referrals to services. We hope that there will be further opportunities for joint working in the next few years.

We are working in partnership with Kingston Council Public Health to re-establish an Older People's Forum in Kingston borough, its launch meeting was held in October 2024.

Investment Performance

During the year under review, the income return achieved on our investment portfolio managed by Rathbones was 3.4%. The property investments held by the organisation produced a return of 7.5% on their capital value.The short-term cash deposits earned interest at an average rate of 1.2%.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Financial position

The Statement of Financial Activities shows a net surplus at the year-end of £698,977. Three key factors contribute to our secure financial position: a revaluation of our investment properties; a positive year for our Rathbones investment portfolio which produced net gains and the inclusion (due to charity accounting rules) of a generous legacy, which we have not yet actually received in the bank. These factors mask the ongoing operational challenges in ensuring our services cover their costs.

Principal funding sources

The charitable company receives and acknowledges money from the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames for the provision of Information, Advice and Guidance; Older People's Community Team, and day services (Raleigh House and The Bradbury). We also acknowledge support for Kingston Community Furniture from the Royal Borough of Kingston Resilience Fund and from the Royal Borough of Kingston Public Health department for funding towards the Kingston Older People's Forum.

Funding from the National Lottery has enabled us to maintain our FaNS befriending activity, and we are grateful for their support.

We received and acknowledge funding from South West London ICB and the New Malden and Worcester Park Primary Care Network for Proactive Anticipatory Care; from South West London ICB for our Home from Hospital Service and from the Surbiton Health Centre and Chessington & Surbiton Primary Care Networks for the Community Connectors social prescribing service. We received and acknowledge funding from SWLSTG via Mind in Kingston for our Mental Health Peer Support project.

Income generated from centres contributes towards the cost of meals, transport and other activity, and the maintenance of our centres. Our Help@Home and Handyperson services are primary purpose trading activities, with income from charges. Kingston Community Furniture generated funds for the charity from furniture resales and waste collection services.

We are grateful for the continuing support of the Kingston Nursing Association. We also thank the many individual donors, including legacy donors - often grateful service users and their relatives - who supported us during 2024-25.

A further major source of income is investment income.

Investment policy and objectives

The Board's policy is to hold a proportion of funds not required for immediate operational expense as long-term investments. Such funds are invested in global equity and fixed interest instruments at a risk level which the Board considers prudent. From time to time the Board reviews performance of the investments and considers alternative options to maximise returns for the charity.

The charity's current investment portfolio comprises three main elements:

- equity and fixed interest investments managed by Rathbones Investment Management

- social investments - directly held property let as social housing

- short-term cash deposits.

Our investment objectives are to maintain the capital value of the assets and to generate income to support our charitable activities.

Reserves policy, risks and uncertainties

The Board of Trustees of Staywell reviews the Reserves Policy on an annual basis in the context of the risks and opportunities facing the organisation, its plans and its resources. Its reserves policy aligns with its investment policy, i.e. to manage its assets to achieve the best value for the charity's beneficiaries.

We actively work to diversify and widen our funding and supporter base and to enrich and develop our proposition as both a charity and a service provider. Although our recent successful tenders to Kingston Council have given us greater security, with three-year contracts for our 'core' services, which can be extended for up to two years, the contract values remain what they were more than a decade ago - in effect a cut of at least 30% over that period. Meanwhile the cost of providing these vital services to people with higher and more complex needs continues to grow.

In the light of these risks and demands, the Board aims to maintain a prudent level of retained, unrestricted reserves, including liquid cash assets, equivalent to approximately six months' expenditure. The holding of reserves is recognised as good practice by the Charity Commission. These reserves provide working capital for operational running costs and short-term cash flow issues (such as late payment of contract instalments) and support the delivery of the organisation's objectives in an efficient and cost-effective way. This provides a means of managing unforeseen expenditure and allows business development to continue in an environment where a significant proportion of our funding is short-term and there is stiff competition for funding from other sources, such as charitable trusts. In 2018 the charity reported a deficit in excess of £0.5million and its general reserves were 15% below its target level. For the last seven years our reserves have been utilised to fund service delivery.

Reserves mean that were there to be a sudden event, such as another pandemic, or an unanticipated reduction in our grant or contract income, we would have time to reconfigure our services to ensure continuity for the approximately 630 regular users who rely on us each week and also enable us to meet our legal requirements in relation to statutory redundancy payments to staff, should we have to wind down any services due to lack of funding.

With some greater certainty about the next two to four years, the Board has reviewed the designation of funds. The need to maximise assets means that a redevelopment of part of Raleigh House is considered possible within the next five to ten years. The Board has therefore designated a Property Maintenance and Development Fund of £600,000 towards this and the costs of maintaining our other buildings.

The total funds at year-end were £4,933,267 of which £132,217 was unrealised gains on the investment portfolio.Of these total funds, £3,072,366 can only be realised by disposing of tangible fixed assets (i.e. fixed assets, primarily buildings, used for the delivery of services) and social investments. The year-end value of the managed investments was £1,193,659, the income from which, together with income from the social investments, directly supports those services that are not funded through grants or contracts, notably our Handyperson and Help@Home services and helps us with our support costs.

The amount of free reserves, i.e. the funds we have that can be spent on any of our charitable purposes, was £1,244,234. These comprise the total funds excluding tangible fixed assets (£1,822,366), social investments (£1,250,000), the designated funds (£834,557) and restricted reserves (£16,667). The funds were therefore above the target by £27,290. Thanks to a generous legacy which was received in July 2025, a new fund has been designated this year for investment in the development of our services over the next two to three years. This investment will include a new website offering improved ways for the public to contact and interact with us digitally and the establishment of a hardship fund, enabling us to support people whose financial situation may prevent them from accessing our services.

This Policy and the designation of funds will be reviewed during the financial year 2025-26.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

Next year we will mark and celebrate 80 years of supporting older and disadvantaged people in our community. Our 'ancestor' organisation, Malden and Coombe Old People's Welfare Association, was founded in 1946. We plan to use this anniversary as an opportunity to celebrate the contribution of older people in our community as well as highlight the overlooked needs of those who rely on our support more than ever. We have set ourselves a fundraising target of £80,000 and if we achieve this whilst sustaining and developing our range of services, we believe we will put Staywell on a solid foundation to continue to play a vital role in our community for another 80 years!

Increased demand for community services and the expectation from contracting authorities that providers will deliver 'more for less' is the context of our planning. However, we are optimistic that the forthcoming NHS 10-year Plan will offer greater opportunities to frontline organisations providing evidence-based preventative services such as ourselves.

We will continue to provide vital services that support people in practical and emotional ways and target loneliness, isolation and the effects of frailty and dementia.

The proportion of our income generated from charges to service users has increased and, as the thresholds for statutory care and support continue to be raised, we know that the numbers of people having to pay for their own care and support will also increase. We therefore continue to focus on the quality and development of our Help@Home and associated services.

We will continue to work with Kingston's wider voluntary sector and community partners, healthcare sector and the local authority.

We will continue to maximise the use of our assets for the benefit of our communities and to ensure the long-term sustainability of the charity.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing document

Staywell (Age Concern Kingston upon Thames) is a limited company. Its governing document is its Articles of Association, dated 12th September 2013, and members of the Board of Trustees are the directors of the company. The charity has used the working name of Staywell since September 2014.

Recruitment and appointment of new trustees

Trustees are recruited by various means, including advertising in newspapers, our own publications and on our website. The Board is elected in accordance with the Articles of Association. Trustees serve for a term of three years and may be re-elected; any Trustee elected as Chair may serve for a maximum of six years. Appointment is by election at the Annual General Meeting, which usually takes place in October each year.

Organisational structure and decision making

The charity is governed by its Board of Trustees, which met four times during the financial year 2024-25, in addition to the Annual General Meeting.

A scheme of delegation is in place; the Chief Executive, who is also Company Secretary, has overall responsibility for the day-to-day management of the organisation and delegates performance and quality management responsibilities to the Deputy Chief Executive, including ensuring that services are delivered in line with the operational policies, contract specifications or grant conditions. Service managers are responsible for day-to-day operational management and the supervision and development of both staff and volunteers.

The Finance Group (which in the year being reported consisted of the Chief Executive, the Deputy Chief Executive, the Financial Controller, and the Treasurer) met every four to six weeks. The senior management team met weekly and employees and volunteers continued to be involved in the development of the organisation through staff briefings, team meetings, and one-to-one meetings with their line managers.

Induction and training of new trustees

New Trustees receive an induction which provides an overview of the organisation, its ethos and strategic aims, the activities and services it provides, funding, and policies and procedures, including diversity and equality, as well as the role and responsibilities of Trustees.

Our Trustees are experienced and knowledgeable about our work and the needs of our users and have skills and experience in a wide variety of fields, including social care, healthcare, local government, and the commercial sector. Ongoing training and development is provided in various ways. Trustees participate in strategic planning and other development sessions alongside staff, volunteers and other stakeholders. Trustees also meet from time to time between Board meetings, to focus on development of their skills and understanding of the organisation. Senior staff and managers periodically attend Board meetings to give presentations and update Trustees on developments affecting the work of the organisation.

Key management remuneration

The pay of the Chief Executive is set by the Board. The pay of the remaining Senior Management Team, and staff is reviewed annually by the Finance Group, in line with both market conditions and affordability for the charity, and a proposal is submitted to the Board for their approval.

Wider network

Staywell is an independent local charity.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Registered Company number

02272550 (England and Wales)

Registered Charity number

299988

Registered office

Raleigh House

14 Nelson Road

New Malden

Surrey

KT3 5EA

Trustees

Ms E Aitchison

Mrs A C Cann

Ms C Fitzgerald

Dr D Stinson

Mr A J Sherville (resigned 24/10/24)

Dr J C H D'Souza

Mr R P Phillips

Auditors

Hartley Fowler LLP

Statutory Auditors

Chartered Accountants

4th Floor Tuition House

27-37 St George's Road

Wimbledon

London

SW19 4EU

Chief Executive Officer and Company Secretary

Mr S Brennan

Bankers

CAF Bank Ltd

Handelsbanken

National Westminster Bank Plc

25 Kings Hill Avenue

Burgoine Quay

New Malden Branch

Kings Hill

8 Lower Teddington Road

64 High Street

West Malling

Kingston upon Thames

New Malden

Kent ME19 4JQ

KT1 4ER

KT3 4HB

Investment Managers

Rathbones Investment Management

Port of Liverpool Building

Pier Head

Liverpool

L3 1NW

STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES' RESPONSIBILITIES

The trustees (who are also the directors of Age Concern Kingston upon Thames for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Report of the Trustees and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice) including Financial Reporting Standard 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland".

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to

-	select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

-	observe the methods and principles in the Charity SORP;

-	make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

-	prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business.

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

In so far as the trustees are aware:

-	there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company's auditors are unaware; and

-	the trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditors are aware of that information.

AUDITORS

The auditors, Hartley Fowler LLP, will be proposed for re-appointment at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.

This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Approved by order of the board of trustees on 4 September 2025 and signed on its behalf by:

Mr R P Phillips - Trustee

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Age Concern Kingston upon Thames (the 'charitable company') for the year ended 31 March 2025 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Statement of Financial Position, 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 (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice), including Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland'.

In our opinion the financial statements:

-	give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company's affairs as at 31 March 2025 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;

-	have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland'; and

-	have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 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 Auditors' 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.

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 trustees are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the Annual Report, other than the financial statements and our Report of the Independent Auditors thereon.

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.

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, 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 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:

-	the information given in the Report of the Trustees for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and

-	the Report of the Trustees has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the 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 Report of the Trustees.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

-	adequate accounting records have not been kept or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or

-	the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

-	certain disclosures of trustees' remuneration specified by law are not made; or

-	we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or

-	the trustees were not entitled to take advantage of the small companies exemption from the requirement to prepare a Strategic Report or in preparing the Report of the Trustees.

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities, 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.

Our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

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 a Report of the Independent Auditors 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.

The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

We identify and assess risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, and then design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, including obtaining audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

In identifying and assessing risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, we considered the following:

-the nature of the industry and sector, control environment and the charity's activities;

-results of our enquiries of management about their own identification and assessment of the risks of irregularities;

-any matters we identified having obtained and reviewed the charitable company's documentation of their policies and procedures relating to:

- identifying, evaluating and complying with laws and regulations and whether they were aware of any instances of non -compliance;

- detecting and responding to the risks of fraud and whether they have knowledge of any actual, suspected or alleged fraud;

- the internal controls established to mitigate risks of fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations;

- the matters discussed among the audit engagement team regarding how and where fraud might occur in the financial statements and any potential indicators of fraud.

As a result of these procedures, we considered the opportunities and incentives that may exist within the organisation for fraud. In common with all audits we are also required to perform specific procedures to respond to the risk of management override.

We also obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory framework that the charitable company operates in. The key laws and regulations we considered in this context included the Charities Act 2011, UK Companies Act and tax legislation.

In addition we considered provisions of other laws and regulations that do not have a direct effect on the financial statements but compliance with which may be fundamental to the charitable company's ability to operate or to avoid a material penalty.

As a result of performing the above, we did not identify any key matters related to the potential risk of fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations.

Our procedures to respond to risks identified included the following:

- reviewing the financial statement disclosures and testing to supporting documentation to assess compliance with provision of relevant laws and regulations described as having a direct effect on the financial statements;

-enquiring of management concerning actual and potential litigation and claims;

-performing analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships that may indicate risks of material misstatement due to fraud;

-reviewing minutes of meetings of those charged with governance, reviewing internal reports, and

-in addressing the risk of fraud through management override of controls, testing the appropriateness of journal entries and other adjustments, assessing whether the judgements made in making accounting estimates are indicative of a potential bias and evaluating the business rationale for any significant transactions that are unusual or outside the normal course of business.

We also communicated relevant identified laws and regulations and potential fraud risks to all engagement team members and remained alert to any indication of fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations throughout the audit.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council's website at www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our Report of the Independent Auditors.

Use of our 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. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditors' 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 and the charitable company's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Jonathan Askew (Senior Statutory Auditor)

for and on behalf of Hartley Fowler LLP

Statutory Auditors

Chartered Accountants

4th Floor Tuition House

27-37 St George's Road

Wimbledon

London

SW19 4EU

11 September 2025

2025

2024

Unrestricted

Restricted

Total

Total

funds

funds

funds

funds

Notes

£

£

£

£

INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM

Donations and legacies

3

267,488

-

267,488

69,355

Charitable activities

5

Kingston Day & Transport Services

740,673

-

740,673

698,810

Kingston Information, Advice & Advocacy

90,000

-

90,000

90,000

Kingston Community Services

616,090

212,815

828,905

800,733

Kingston Community Furniture

92,323

25,996

118,319

141,059

Investment income

4

160,199

-

160,199

113,992

Total

1,966,773

238,811

2,205,584

1,913,949

EXPENDITURE ON

Charitable activities

6

Kingston Day & Transport Services

759,389

-

759,389

771,282

Kingston Information, Advice & Advocacy

87,095

-

87,095

84,426

Kingston Community Services

732,892

198,419

931,311

855,138

Kingston Community Furniture

135,033

25,996

161,029

183,225

Total

1,714,409

224,415

1,938,824

1,894,071

Net gains on investments

132,217

-

132,217

74,311

NET INCOME

384,581

14,396

398,977

94,189

Other recognised gains/(losses)

Gains on revaluation of fixed assets

300,000

-

300,000

-

Net movement in funds

684,581

14,396

698,977

94,189

RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS

Total funds brought forward

4,232,019

2,271

4,234,290

4,140,101

TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD

4,916,600

16,667

4,933,267

4,234,290

2025

2024

Notes

£

£

FIXED ASSETS

Tangible assets

13

1,822,366

1,456,639

Investments

Investments

14

1,193,659

1,168,498

Investment property

15

1,250,000

1,135,000

4,266,025

3,760,137

CURRENT ASSETS

Stocks

16

-

1,000

Debtors

17

415,714

252,901

Cash at bank

388,261

384,154

803,975

638,055

CREDITORS

Amounts falling due within one year

18

(136,733

)

(163,902

)

NET CURRENT ASSETS

667,242

474,153

TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES

4,933,267

4,234,290

NET ASSETS

4,933,267

4,234,290

FUNDS

21

Unrestricted funds:

General fund

2,136,351

1,376,621

Revaluation reserve

482,064

182,064

Building development reserve

600,000

600,000

Fair value reserve

1,064,445

938,334

Social Investment Fund

399,183

1,135,000

Capacity Development Fund

234,557

-

4,916,600

4,232,019

Restricted funds

16,667

2,271

TOTAL FUNDS

4,933,267

4,234,290

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to charitable companies subject to the small companies regime.

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on 4 September 2025 and were signed on its behalf by:

Mr R P Phillips - Trustee