The Charity

Sefton Council for Voluntary Service is constituted as a Company Limited by Guarantee and not having a share capital and registered in England and Wales, No 2832920. The principal governing document is the company Memorandum and Articles of Association. The charity is registered with the Charity Commissioners, No 1025456. Sefton CVS was founded in 1974 as an unincorporated charity and became a charitable company in 1993. Sefton CVS celebrated its 50th year in 2024.

The principal address and registered office of the company is Suite 3B, 3rd Floor, Burlington House Crosby Road North, Waterloo, Liverpool, Merseyside L22 0LG.

The Trustees report for 2024/25 has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act, 2016 and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice and the charity’s governing document.

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)".

The charity’s objects, as described in the CVS Memorandum and Articles of Association, and amended in 2023, are:

To promote any charitable purposes for the benefit of the community in the Borough of Sefton and in such other areas as the Trustees determine from time to time and in particular (but without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing):

•    The advancement of education;

•    The advancement of health;

•    The prevention and relief of poverty;

•    The relief of those in need, by reason of youth, age, ill health, disability, financial hardship or other     disadvantage.

To promote and organise cooperation in the achievement of the above purposes and to that end to bring together representatives of the statutory authorities and voluntary organisations engaged in the furtherance of the above purposes within the Borough of Sefton and in such other areas as the Trustees determine from time to time.

To advance any other exclusively charitable purpose according to the law of England and Wales as the trustees may determine from time to time.

The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.

Mission, Vision and Values

Mission

To promote and assist voluntary, community and faith sector activity.

Vision

A vibrant voluntary, community and faith sector that encourages and supports independent resilience and sustainable communities.

Values

The CVS guiding principles:

• Put Sefton people, places, and organisations at the heart of what we do.

• Be open and fair in our transactions.

• Take responsibility and be accountable for our actions.

• Promote equality, diversity, and cohesion through our activities.

• Support the most vulnerable people in our communities.

• Seek solutions, not problems.

• Be prepared to listen and learn.

• Operating ethically, honestly and with the highest standards of integrity.

Sefton CVS has six overarching activities:

• Providing support services to the voluntary, community and faith (VCF) sector.

• Promoting partnerships within the sector and between the voluntary sector and other sectors.

• Providing a channel through which the sector is represented.

• Developing new ideas, strategies, and organisations.

• Supporting and developing volunteering opportunities.

• Promoting equality of opportunity and access and promoting the value of diversity

Governance and Management

The Board of Directors as Trustees are responsible for setting the strategic direction and over-seeing the financial sustainability of the organisation, establishing policy, priorities and forward planning through the governance structures of the charity. The Trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit in deciding what activities the charity should undertake. An annual board programme to track progress is produced.

Board meetings and sub-committees have operated face to face and digitally. The sub committees of CVS, which includes the Corporate Management Group and Finance Group, met on a regular cycle with actions reported back to each Board meeting.

Key activities include:

• Presentation of latest management accounts, investment updates and budget and sustainability performance

• Chief Executives strategic and operational report

• Recruited Dr Peter Hawkins and Margaret Ollivier to the July 25 Board as new Trustees

• Regular updates on HR, governance and compliance, health and safety

• Project presentations received from Sefton Young Advisers, Merseyside Offender Mentoring Project, Hospital Discharge, High Intensity Users

• Partnership working and responding to the impact of the Southport Tragedy

• Submission for the Navajo LGTBQI assessment subsequently achieved in July 2024

• Ongoing review of policies and strategy development

• CVS new Strategic Plan

• Safeguarding Assurance and Governance

• The Board continued to review its practice using the Charity Governance Code modules for larger charities.

• Approval of new lease arrangements for Burlington House and office refurbishment works

Appointment of Officers

At the Board meeting in Feb 2024, Mark Sonne was appointed Chair and Paulette Lappin Vice Chair with Brian Thomas acting as Treasurer, following Liz Barnett’s resignation as Chair due to ill health. The Board agreed to continue the officers for the financial year 24/25.

President and Patrons

Mark FW Blundell CVO, the Lord-Lieutenant of Merseyside, continued to act as President. Colonel Martin Amlôt OBE FRSA DL and the office of the Mayor of Sefton continued as Patrons. President and Patrons provided unstinting support to the organisation during the year.

Sefton CVS AGM 2024

The 31st Annual General Meeting as a charitable company was held at Sefton CVS office on 16th October 2024, where the accounts and annual report were adopted. Mitchell Charlesworth Limited were appointed as Auditors for the following year. Margaret Ollivier and Dr Pete Hawkins joined the Board in year and were confirmed for a further three years at the AGM. Three Trustees were reappointed: Val Elson, Romils Mathew and David McGregor. The CVS President and Patrons were present and spoke at the meeting.

Professional Advisers

EBS Law act as CVS’s external Human Resource advisers. WRM are CVS’s external Health and Safety advisers. Brabners LLP Liverpool continued as our specialist advisers on charity governance and law. MRB act as financial management and employee benefits advisers. Rathbones manages Sefton CVS investment portfolio.

Use of Buildings

The lease for Burlington House with Tracey Investment Ltd was due for renewal in 2024 and was extended for a further 10 years, with reduced floor space. A programme of refurbishment of the Third Floor would be undertaken in 2025. This was agreed by the Trustees in November 2025.

CVS manage Southport Community Centre in a partnership with the Parochial Church Council of St Simon and St Jude’s. CVS and Brighter Living Partnership hold a joint lease until 2039 with the Diocesan Board of Finance.

Due to the repurposing of the Strand, Strand by Me secured a new premise within the shopping centre, 47, Medway, Strand Shopping Centre, Bottle, Merseyside, L20 4SR which was opened during November 2024. A new 3 year lease was agreed with Sefton Council The official opening took place in January 2025.

Reserves

The Trustees have determined the reserve levels of the charity giving consideration to the income and expenditure streams, the need to match variable income with fixed commitments and the nature of the reserves. The Trustees have concluded that, to allow the charity to be managed efficiently and to provide a buffer for uninterrupted services, a general reserve equivalent to approximately 3 months of all core expenditure should be maintained.

Therefore, the General Reserve has been set as £171,840.

There has been a review of designated funds in the light of forecast activity for the year ahead, and these are included in note 26.

Sefton CVS Investment Policy

Rathbones act as Investment Managers and manage a portfolio investment in line with the ethical investment intentions of Sefton CVS. This portfolio performance is reviewed on a regular basis to ensure a satisfactory return that can contribute to the furtherance of the objectives of the Charity. Some funds are still held on a short-term investment basis with HSBC, which enables the charity to have access to the funds to ensure liquidity.

The Trustees regularly review the performance of these funds with consideration to the investment of the organisation’s reserves and an investment strategy in line with the organisation's ethical and environmental values. The lasting impact of the pandemic on the world-wide economy and international conflicts had affected the short-term performance of CVS portfolio investments which has been considered by the Trustees on a regular basis.

Quality Assurance

Sefton CVS hold the following quality assurance marks and training accreditations:

• Volunteer [RJ1] Centre Quality Assurance

• Navajo (LGBTIQ friendly) Charter Mark (renewed in the year)

• Workplace Wellbeing Charter

• Disability Confident Employer

• Open Awards Approved Centre

• Recognised Centre Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH)

• Social Value Quality Mark Level 1

• Living Wage Employer

• LCR Fair Employment Charter

Sefton CVS is a key agency in strategic partnerships and interventions in the borough, addressing local priorities through the work of the key Partnership Boards, Health and Wellbeing Board and Children’s Partnership Board.

CVS is also recognised as a key non-statutory partner within Sefton Local Safeguarding Children’s Board and Sefton Safeguarding Adults Board.

In addition, CVS works closely with Sefton Council and NHS Cheshire and Merseyside via Sefton Partnership Board, the Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and the borough’s thematic planning groups to support local commissioning priorities.

Sefton CVS is also a partner in sector engagement and developing initiatives across the City Region with VS6, engaging with the Combined Authority and Metro Mayor’s Office, and across the wider North West working with Voluntary Sector North West and engaging with the Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Partnerships.

Key features of this and other strategic work during 2024/25 included:

• Continued participation in ongoing workstreams relating to NHS transformation, health and social care integration and advocating the vital role that both the funded and unfunded sectors play in providing services and support to borough residents by addressing the priorities of statutory partners and the Sefton Partnership.

• Facilitating sector networks and forums, involving both groups and individuals, as a consultation and engagement conduit, helping to develop public policy and shape local services.

• Participation in a range of Sefton Council work programmes, including the Health and Wellbeing Board and the Sefton Partnership Board.

• Also engaging in the work of the People and Communities Group, Community Safety Partnership, Sefton Leadership Collaborative Multi-Agency Group, Sefton Adult Forum, Sefton Domestic Abuse Partnership and Sefton Combatting Drugs Partnership.

• Active involvement in other work programmes relating to children, young people and families including the Corporate Parenting Board, SEND Continuous Improvement Board, Children and Young People Partnership Board, Youth Offending Service Management Board, Early Help Partnership Board, Emotional Health and Wellbeing Board and Sefton Safeguarding Children Partnership Forum.

• Continued involvement as Chair of the multi-agency Welfare Reform and Anti-Poverty Partnership (WRAP) and making a significant contribution to the Child Poverty Strategy for Sefton.

• Delivery of MECC (Making Every Contact Count) training to the wider workforce, including elected members, local authority staff, GPs, DWP staff and the VCF sector.

• Facilitating participation and engagement mechanisms with the equalities groups, the Young Advisors, SYMBOL, and the Youth Cabinet as conduits to our public sector partners.

• Facilitating the New Realities Steering Group and supporting key areas of work that demonstrate innovative working across public and voluntary sector agencies.

• Providing VCF sector representation and input to the NHS Leading for Systems Change groups.

• Participation by the Chief Executive in the Sefton Lieutenancy Panel, providing advice and updates on the VCF sector to the Deputy Lieutenants of Merseyside covering Sefton.

• Continuing to co-ordinate the wide range of services delivered by Living Well Sefton, an integrated wellness service commissioned by Public Health, with additional activities delivered by the Strand By Me community and health services shop.

• Engaging with stakeholder groups about the proposed redevelopment of Bootle’s Strand shopping centre, with particular emphasis on CVS/VCF sector participation in the development of a proposed health hub.

• In partnership with VOLA, continuing to deliver the Include-IT Mersey digital inclusion programme through a City Region collaborative of RSLs and VCF sector organisations, further funded by the Shared Prosperity Fund through the LCR Combined Authority.

• Hosting a celebration event in November to mark Sefton CVS’s 50th anniversary attended by the Deputy Lord Lieutenant Ruth Hussey, the Mayor of Sefton, partners, funders, VCF sector representatives, trustees, staff, and volunteers.

• Continuing to co-ordinate and develop Sefton’s Warm and Welcome Spaces provision, a network of safe and accessible venues providing food, warmth and social activities for people affected by the cost of living crisis. 762 sessions were run during the year by our 40 community partners with 14,497 attendances. Options were also explored to sustain the project beyond 2024.

• Co-ordinating a group of 16 organisations who provided vouchers and clothing to 1,616 residents in need.

• Working as an active member of the Greater Merseyside VS6 which is a focal point for VCF and social enterprise infrastructure/support providers to debate, influence and shape policy at the Liverpool City Region level.

• Ongoing participation in VS6 work plans including monitoring of the Shared Prosperity Fund, development of the VS6 manifesto, ensuring the sector is engaged with ICB regional and place developments and supporting the delivery of LCR digital connectivity programmes.

• Working with VS6 partners and NHS Mersey Care NHS Trust to secure a Sefton allocation of around £171,000 of Community Mental Health Transformation funding into locally based voluntary organisations.

• Supporting the delivery of activities by the Liverpool City Region Dementia Friendly Advisory Group to raise awareness of dementia and the services and support available to people affected by the condition.

• Working in partnership with the other CVS organisations on Merseyside as part of a sub-regional network. This year we co-ordinated VCF engagement with the development of regional NHS structures to ensure the appropriate involvement of the sector and local communities in new relationships and joint working across the City Region.

• Through the Sefton CVS CEO, engaging with Merseyside Resilience Forum and the VCSE Emergencies Partnership’s national monthly network.

Southport Tragedy and Recovery

On July 29th August 2024, Southport experienced the tragic events of a knife attack at the Hart Street dance class, which culminated in the loss of life of Alice, Bibi, and Elsie with others seriously injured and traumatised. On July 30th, riots and disorder broke out in the town and targeted at Southport Mosque with similar events occurring in towns and cities across the UK.

• Southport Sefton Council established a ‘Recovery Cell’ to lead the local response to the two separate incidents in Southport with Sefton CVS being a key strategic partner. CVS inputted to the initial thematics and is represented on the four pillar thematics going forward.

• Sefton CVS established the Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector, (VCFS), Recovery Group to harness the local experience and expertise to put in place a VCFS Recovery plan. Over 35 different Southport VCF groups and organisations are represented on the group which continues to meet.

• CVS commenced a comprehensive ‘listening exercise’ with the voluntary, community and faith sector during the months of August and September 2024 to gain insight into the immediate, medium, and long-term needs of the community.

• Coordinated a Small Grants Fund with £15,000 from Sefton Council to meet local needs in the immediate and medium-term. To date over 45 different community, family, youth, and interfaith community activities. It also included the commissioning of training on building security and safety and trauma informed practice for frontline VCF staff and volunteers.

• Worked closely with the Community Foundation for Lancashire and Merseyside as they coordinated the public appeal ‘Southport Stronger Together Appeal’ The main priorities for the allocation of the funds are for directly impacted individuals and families experiencing bereavement, serious injury, immediate hardship, and psychological injury and the first grants were awarded in the early days of the funds being established. This still remains the main priority for the fund.

11 schools were awarded grants with an association with those immediately impacted by the tragedy. An element of the fund, in accordance with the priorities, criteria and approval of the appeal, could be used to support Southport VCFS agencies, or those that deliver services in Southport, The Foundation supported eight anchor Southport community organisations to build capacity and continue to support the local community following the tragic events of last summer to extend delivery. CVS were asked to lead the Voluntary, Community & Faith (VCF) Sector Grant Fund for grants between £500 and £5,000. The priorities for the grant fund: community cohesion, psychological and wellbeing support, youth provision and community reassurance programmes, training, capacity building, events, and activities. The deadline for submissions was 23rd February. Subsequently, the grant panel allocated £62,709,63 to 22 VCF sector organisations based in or providing services in Southport.

• The VCF sector Recovery group developed the ‘VCF Anti-Racism and Inclusion Pledge’ which was successfully launched on 31st October 2024 in partnership with the Liverpool City Region’s Race Equality Unit. To date 22 VCFS groups and organisations have signed up to the Pledge and further work will be continued into 2026.

• Worked with the Belong Network on behalf of the sector to support them to reach different groups and organisations in Southport as part of their community assessment work.

• Building security and audit training was delivered to 12 Southport VCF groups in order to strike the balance of open access and inclusion with safety and security.

• The CEO of Sefton CVS sits on the Council’s Southport Recovery Executive Leadership Group and will retain strategic oversight of the sectors’ funding allocation across the different work programmes through sector representation.

Locality Working

Sefton CVS is aligned to Sefton Council’s locality based working model strategically and adopts a locality approach when working with Sefton’s communities.

Community Development Interventions

Organisation Development and Capacity Building

CVS deliver comprehensive organisation development and capacity building services in localities to support people and organisations to initiate, strengthen and renew social action and community led service delivery by:

• Supporting local people to set up and develop robust, sustainable and high impact groups, associations, organisations and social enterprises.

• By supporting established local community organisations and social enterprises to improve their effectiveness, reach and social impact.

• By bringing people together to network, share knowledge, operate creatively and collaborate more effectively and extensively.

• Supporting organisations to mitigate against, and respond to the Cost of Living Crisis.

Groups can access support in charity or social/community enterprise start up; acquiring/managing community assets; governance and leadership; achieving quality standards; social impact; project development and organisational growth; identifying and applying for funding; business planning; developing policies; skills development; accountancy services and payroll and volunteering having a voice in local decision making.

Key activity undertaken in 2024/25 included:

• 750 intensive cases of capacity building and customised support were provided to 212 groups and 78 individuals. 17% of the groups worked with had an annual income between £10K and £100K and 16.5% had an annual income under £10K.

• The majority of support provided by CVS has been for services that have a focus on the following themes of work: Children, Young People & Families (9%), Adult Health and Wellbeing (12%), Faith/Place of Worship (12%), and Sports/Recreation/Arts and Culture (17%) and Education/Training/Employability (11%).

• Groups who deliver services across the full geographical area of the borough accessed support from CVS, however the service demand has been greatest amongst those delivering services which operate borough wide (57%).

• Hosted six ‘Meet the Funder’ events, connecting 91 attendees with local, regional and national funders.

• Held a ‘Social Impact Tool Workshop’ which provided support to four organisations to improve their social impact reporting.

• Five VCF organisations benefitted from attending a Volunteers and the Law Masterclass which was delivered in partnership with Brabners LLP.

• Facilitated the Shared Prosperity Capacity and Resilience Grants distributing £90,000 to 21 VCF sector organisations targeted on activities in reducing operating costs and increasing income levels.

Funding Advice and Information

The Funding Advice and Information function provides bespoke information and interventions to enable VCFSE sector organisations to access funding opportunities and support them to become more financially sustainable and build organisations’ capacity to prepare strong proposals to charitable trusts, funders and commissioners.

The Group Development Team works closely with local and national charitable trusts and grant makers to ensure that their criteria are widely understood and available to potential applicants through one to one advice sessions, Meet the Funder surgeries, the MFIP portal and customised mailings. CVS also brief local funders and Charitable Trusts as to local demands and impacts, which assists them having an increased understanding of needs on the ground.

The service provides detailed support in developing proposals to bid status, assistance in compiling evidence and data, final submission and bespoke advice in monitoring and managing the grants once awarded. It also provides a bid review service, which improves the quality of applications and the ability of the applicant for future submissions. CVS also provides a bespoke bid reading service on request.

Identifying funds and resources to continue support responses to the Cost of Living Crisis and supported the local VCFSE sector to submit £3,824,479 worth of funding applications, whilst securing £2,183,256 in known funding applications through bespoke advice and support.

Key activity undertaken in 2024/25 included:

• A further £1,346,223 worth of bids were awaiting funding decisions at the end of March 2025.

• Sefton CVS also administers Merseyside Funding Information Portal (MFIP) website on behalf of the VCF infrastructure bodies in the Liverpool City Region. During 2024/25 MFIP has attracted 40,000+ views from over 12,000 unique visitors to the website.

• Sefton CVS provides a bespoke service to organisations making submissions to the Big Lottery Programmes, specifically Reaching Communities and Awards for All. Throughout the year, we supported groups to secure £1,662,799 from the Reaching Communities Fund.

• Funding surgeries were facilitated for National Lottery Heritage Fund, Burbo Bank Community Fund, Steve Morgan Foundation and Duchy of Lancaster. Connecting 91 attendees with local, regional and national funders.

• Participated in the work of the Merseyside Charitable Trusts Group and the Merseyside Funders Advice Network.

Grants

Throughout the year, we secured and administered a range of grants from a variety of funders, which resulted in £1,179,066.75 worth of grant funding being awarded to local community, voluntary and faith sector organisations.

Grants awarded during 2024-25 included:

• Living Well Sefton awarded £83,182 via Community Resilience Grants, £60,000 via Locality Grants and £8,889 via Workplace Wellbeing Grants, meaning LWS awarded a total of £111,948 in grants to the sector.

• Working in partnership with Sefton Council, grant funding totalling £88,310 was awarded to 40 organisations to deliver Warm and Welcome Space sessions across Sefton.

• Winter Clothing, in partnership with Sefton Council, £75,000 was administered via 16 VCF sector organisations to reach 555 recipients to provide winter clothing and essentials.

• Administered £45,000 on behalf of Sefton Council’s 13 organisations from public health funding to support initiatives which aim to improve the wellbeing of people aged over 65 in Sefton.

• Administered £25,000 to eight organisations to deliver initiatives aimed at reducing drug and alcohol related harm to young people, and £12,000 to four organisations to capture qualitative insights into drug and alcohol use, on behalf of Sefton’s Combating Drugs Partnership.

The funds we supported organisations to secure, alongside the grants we administered and our grant allocation carried out by VOLA, and Living Well Sefton, means we facilitated £3,362,322 worth of investment into the VCF sector.

Heritage

Sefton at 50, Hearts of Gold Heritage Lottery Project aims to; involve a wider range of people in heritage; identify and better explain Sefton’s rich and diverse heritage; help people and organisations to develop skills; educate people about heritage and make the local area a better place to live, work or visit. The project aims to achieve these outcomes by: awarding community grants for heritage projects, celebrating special people, places and events from the last 50 years in Sefton and creating three locality-based heritage trails with research and local knowledge from volunteers.

Key activities for 2024-25

• The Hearts of Gold Project has awarded Heritage Lottery Community Grants of £23,054.42 to 15 VCF groups between 1 April 2024 – 31 March 2025, totalling £50,010.42 to 32 VCF organisations over the duration of the project. Some of the vibrant community activities have included: intergenerational podcasts; creative writing and story-telling; projects about horticultural heritage and coastal biodiversity; performing arts and community theatre and tapestries illustrating Sefton’s rich heritage.

• 3 community heritage trails have been completed in Bootle, Netherton and Formby informed by research from local volunteers. Printed trail leaflets have been produced for each location, along with dedicated websites and wooden hearts placed at points along the route with QR codes to explain more about the locations featured on the trails.

• There have been 2 Heritage Meet the Funder events between 1 April 2024 – 31 March 2025, one with National Lottery Heritage Fund North.

Community Accountancy

The Community Accountancy Service provides a range of services including payroll management, bookkeeping, preparing annual accounts, budgets and forecasts, as well as offering advice and guidance in areas such as VAT and Gift Aid. The Team provide training to staff and trustees either on a one-to-one basis or in group sessions and offers support to VCF sector groups in financial crises.

Key Activity undertaken in 2024/25 included:

• Provided accountancy services to 115 groups.

• Annual accounts prepared for 112 groups.

• Independent Examinations carried out for 50 groups.

• Provided Payroll Bureau Service to 24 groups and Pensions Service to 15 groups.

• Contracted to undertake bookkeeping for 45 groups.

• Provided VAT return support to 1 group.

SEFTON 4 GOOD

Sefton 4 Good supports philanthropy and local giving, primarily through an online presence. The project encourages local people and organisations to donate their time, skills, money, or resources to support Sefton-based good causes. There are a range of options through which donors can donate (payroll giving, Just Giving through Virgin Money and text giving). Local good causes also have the opportunity to maximise their fundraising by channelling it through Sefton 4 Good, who can claim gift aid on their behalf. Sefton 4 Good works with the Private Sector, the Public Sector, the VCF sector and the general public to empower them to support the good causes on their doorstep.

Key activities undertaken in 2024/25 included:

• Continued to grow our social media presence on Facebook (787 followers), Instagram (708 Followers) and LinkedIn (40 Followers) for Sefton 4 Good. This year, we reduced our use of Twitter (X) and launched a presence on Blue Sky.

• Fundraising activity involved: an Easter raffle, a silent auction, Euro 2024 sweepstakes, a Halloween quiz, a raffle at the Volunteer Celebration Event and Sefton 50th Event. Selling Sefton 4 Good craft group pink hearts at a couple of craft events.

• There have been three Citizens 4 Good awards held at Southport, Bootle, and Maghull Town Halls. 42 local people, groups or educational establishment teams who have gone above and beyond for their local community were celebrated at these three events. The Mayor of Sefton thanked the nominees, handing out certificates and recognising their selfless contributions to Sefton.

• £500 was donated to the Southport Citizens 4 Good awards by Southport BID in October 2024.

• Raised the profile of Sefton 4 Good by attending events and holding promotional stands, for example, Black Norman Solicitors networking evening.

• Supported the Winter Warm packs for vulnerable citizens in the borough; Waterloo Primary School and St Philip’s School, Litherland bought students to help pack the bags ready to be distributed.

• To celebrate the borough of Sefton turning 50 we hosted a number of Volunteer Taster Days with Friends of Waterloo Seafront Gardens, Canal and River Trust, Bootle Library, Southport Community Centre and The Inclusion Network. Together, we had 94 people volunteer.

Training and skills

The Sefton CVS Training and Skills Programme builds the knowledge and skills of the VCF sector workforce, thereby strengthening the capability and capacity of the organisations they work for to sustain and grow their operations.

Key activities during 2024/25 included:

• Providing training opportunities that benefitted a total of 531 individuals, including e-learning packages offered as a suite of 28 online courses by online learning platform TES Development.

• Providing TES Development online training packages to 193 individuals.

• Delivering more than 20 ‘in-person’ and remote training courses and masterclasses on a wide range of topics including mental health, bid writing, safeguarding policy, recruiting volunteers, mentoring, dementia, equality, and diversity.

Volunteering

Volunteer Centre Sefton supports volunteers, and the organisations that recruit volunteers, by providing a brokerage service that matches local people to organisations with volunteering opportunities.

Staff also provide bespoke support to organisations deploying volunteers including good practice guides, advice on policies and procedures, training and support with developing new initiatives. The centre also links in with regional and national agencies in policy work relating to volunteering, and has been awarded the Volunteer Centre Quality Accreditation from NAVCA.

Key activities during 2024/25 included:

• Increasing the number of volunteer registrations on the Team Kinetic system from 975 to 1,549 during the year.

• Increasing the number of volunteer-involving organisations on the system to 505 during the year, offering a total of 765 volunteering opportunities.

• Holding four Volunteer Co-ordinators’ Forums covering a range of volunteer-related topics attended by 68 people.

• Hosing a volunteer celebration event during Volunteers’ Week attended by the Mayor of Sefton, Councillor June Burns, as well as other elected members. The event was attended by 34 organisations with a total of 150 guests.

• Providing intensive one-to-one support to 28 individual volunteers, signposting them to relevant roles and introducing them to appropriate organisations.

• Responding to 239 enquiries from 127 groups and individuals on topics such as volunteer recruitment, policies and procedures and best practice.

• Working with nine businesses on employer-supported volunteering opportunities.

• Continuing to grow our Volunteer Centre Sefton social media presence on Facebook (815 followers), Instagram (761 followers) and LinkedIn (59 followers). This year, we reduced our use of X/Twitter and launched a presence on Blue Sky instead.

Criminal justice

The aim of Sefton CVS’s work in this field is to provide strategic leadership within the VCF sector, and to be a conduit to partners and interpret policy relating to the criminal justice system, community safety and reducing reoffending.

It involves working with key partners within Merseyside Police, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, HM Prison Service and Sefton Council.

Merseyside Offender Mentoring Project

This project provides mentoring and befriending support to offenders before and after release from HMP Liverpool, with the aim of helping them to resettle positively back into the community.

A comprehensive tailored service is provided to assist offenders with overcoming any barriers they face, with the objective of reducing reoffending rates significantly, and thus the impact on the wider community.

In 2024/25 the project was funded by a range of agencies and charitable trusts including the National Lottery Reaching Communities Fund, the John Armitage Charitable Trust and Sefton Council’s Drug and Alcohol Partnership.

Key activities during 2024/25 included:

• 230 offenders engaged with the project to seek support, of whom 98 were matched with a volunteer mentor to progress work on their individual action plans.

• Supporting mentees via 2,968 one-to-one interventions.

• Recruiting and training 239 new volunteer mentors.

• Providing mentees with 2,735 hours of volunteer mentoring support which equates to an economic value of £42,666 based on average wage rates in Sefton.

• Achieving a 10% cent reoffending rate for those who engaged with the project and subsequently returned to prison, compared with the national average of 33%.

Equalities

Sefton Equalities Team works with partners to reduce inequalities in the borough by supporting and enabling partners to meet their requirements under the Equalities Act 2010 legislation.

It also provides a conduit through which Sefton’s protected groups can gain access to, and participate in, decision making, consultation and engagement.

Key activities during 2024/25 included:

• Supporting the delivery of the Combined Authority’s Race Equality Strategy.

• Delivering understanding personality disorder training and cultural competency training to South Sefton PCN staff.

• Delivering equality, diversity and inclusion training to the senior leadership team of the UK Clinical Research Facilities Network.

• Delivering self-harm training to staff and volunteers of the Crisis Cafes in Sefton.

• Delivering modern day slavery and human trafficking awareness training to almost 30 strategic partners including the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

• Supporting Sefton Prevent, a multi-agency forum which aims to combat extremist activity and indoctrination across the borough.

• Supporting the local authority asylum seeker/refugee forum, a multi-agency group providing information, advice and support.

• Participating in Sefton Hate Crime Joint Action Group meetings, and the Crown Prosecution Service Hate Crime Sub-group.

• Hosting asylum seeker surgeries with NHS GPs at Thornton and Netherton health centres, and weekly migrant surgeries in the north of the borough at Parenting 2000 and Holy Trinity School.

• Ensuring the implementation of the Navajo Action Plan to enable Sefton CVS to retain the Navajo Charter Mark.

• Providing advocacy at DWP and employment tribunals, with extensive arrears recovered for clients.

• Ongoing support for football’s Show Racism the Red Card educational work.

• Helping NHS partners to access DEB communities in Sefton.

DEBs CDW Project (Diverse Ethnic Backgrounds Service)

This project provides intensive one-to-one support to vulnerable members of Sefton’s DEB communities who are experiencing mental health issues.

Key activities during 2024/25 included:

• Delivering 2,477 interventions for 565 people from DEB/migrant backgrounds from 48 different nationalities. 61 were asylum seekers, of whom 36 had complex needs.

• Working with a total of 257 new clients during the year. The three most common issues raised were again mental health, legal matters and safeguarding.

• Helping 19 clients to claim £114,963 in benefits arrears from the DWP through representation at social security appeal tribunals.

• Providing ongoing support to Ukrainian and Russian clients affected by the current conflict.

• Attending 24 meetings of the Southport Recovery Group and Community Cohesion Sub-group in response to the knife attack in the town.

• Providing direct support to Southport Mosque by meeting with the Imam in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy.

Children, young people and families

This area of the work of Sefton CVS involves the development of a co-ordinated, strategic approach to local services, seeking to embed best practice to deliver quality outcomes for children, young people and families, with a focus on multi-agency working and integrated processes.

The Every Child Matters Forum, which has 773 members, facilitates VCF sector representation, enabling the sector to provide service solutions to the needs and priorities identified locally and nationally.

There are also additional sub-groups focusing on key areas of work including the Thrive Network, the Education and Mental Health Network and the Sefton Youth Voice Strategic Steering Group.

Key activities during 2024/25 included:

• Facilitating four meetings of the Every Child Matters Forum and supporting the VCF sector’s response to a range of themes including family hubs, domestic abuse and youth voice and participation.

• Co-ordinating the Thrive Network sub-group which brings together organisations in Sefton who are keen to support children and young people using the Thrive model. Chaired by the CVS Children Young People and Families Lead, the group is well attended by a wide range of partners.

• Facilitating the Education and Mental Health Network sub-group which provides an opportunity for local schools to highlight good practice and partner agencies to share information about their services. Regular updates are also provided by school mental health support teams.

• Co-ordinating Perinatal Community of Practice meetings, which provide partners across Sefton who work with families with children up to two years old with an opportunity to share good practice and information on the services available in the borough.

• Involvement in the new Sefton Youth Voice Strategic Steering Group established by partners including Sefton CVS, Sefton Council, Mersey Care and Career Connect to bring together youth voice and engagement in the borough.

• Co-ordinating 162 referrals for Southport and Birkdale Provident Society Trust grants for vulnerable families.

• Co-ordinating the Sefton Emotional Achievement Service (SEAS), a partnership of charities working to deliver bespoke emotional wellbeing support to children, young people, families and schools.

• Co-ordinating Buddy Up, a mentoring and befriending project for young people (13-18) with special educational needs and disabilities. It aims to reduce their social isolation, increase their confidence and prepare them for a more independent adulthood. 35 young people accessed 1,226 hours of activities during the year.

• Co-ordinating the linked Buddy Up+@Alchemy social club for young adults aged 18-25 which aims to improve their emotional health and wellbeing and increase their independence. 64 young adults accessed 3,765 hours of social opportunities during the year.

Sefton Young Advisors

Sefton CVS employs seven Young Advisors aged from 15-22 to show community leaders and decision makers how to engage young people in community life.

They help organisations to ‘youth proof’ their practices, policies, strategies and commissioning, and engage directly with other young people to get them involved.

The Young Advisors have gained local, regional and national recognition for their work through a range of awards and commendations.

Key activities during 2024/25 included:

• Representing the views of young people at the Healthwatch Sefton Steering Group, Sefton Children’s and Young People’s Board, Sefton Education and Mental Health Network, the Every Child Matters Forum, the Public Engagement and Consultation Panel, the Youth Providers Network, the Thrive Network and the former Experience and Patient Engagement Group.

• Developing and launching Have Your Say Sefton, an opportunity for young people across the borough to comment on topics important to them, with the information gathered then fed back to senior leaders and elected members. During the year the Young Advisors consulted on transport and activities for young people in Sefton.

• Updating the Youth Voice and Participation Toolkit to include the Lundy model of participation.

• Providing feedback on the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP).

• Attending the Sefton Parent Carer Forum Local Offer Event at St Michael’s School and Youth Quake at Mann Island.

• Providing feedback to Sefton School Health Team on ‘Chat Health’.

• Taking part in the ‘Deliver You’ campaign as part of the National Youth Strategy.

Health and wellbeing interventions

During 2024/25 the Health and Social Care Forum ensured that the voice of the VCF sector was heard within the strategic planning arenas of both health and social care.

Throughout the year members worked with Adult Social Care in preparation for their first CQC inspection and also participated in the options appraisal for the Shaping Care Together Programme.

Key activities during 2024/25 included:

• Facilitating six meetings of the Health and Social Care Forum which currently has 176 members. Speakers from a range of organisations have provided members with insights into critical issues, for example Oliver McGowan training and the system challenges this would present for people with learning difficulties and autism.

• Engaging in consultation on Change NHS, Shaping Care Together, urgent and emergency care at Southport and Ormskirk hospitals and women’s services across Sefton and Liverpool.

• Providing an opportunity to articulate the wider community impacts of the Southport knife attack, and a space to reflect. This intelligence was used to inform plans to support community cohesion and resilience.

• Disseminating safeguarding training opportunities to align with the aims and objectives of Sefton Adult Safeguarding Board and activities associated with Safeguarding Awareness Week.

• Providing a community engagement mechanism for the Sefton Combatting Drugs Partnership, addressing issues including the challenges of complex lives, homelessness and the new property pool process.

• Sefton Partnership for Older Citizens hosting three meetings focusing on topics including ageism, physical activity, extra care housing, dementia prevention, falls prevention, hydration awareness and the older people’s forums.

• Co-ordinating a public health grant scheme providing funding for projects and initiatives designed to improve the wellbeing of Sefton residents aged over 65.

Dementia Friendly Sefton

The Dementia Friendly Sefton Forum, which had more than 60 members, held four meetings during 2024/25. It has subsequently merged with the Sefton Dementia Steering Group established by the Cheshire and Merseyside ICB.

Key activities during 2024/25 included:

• Championing a range of issues including the importance of dementia design, hydration in dementia, dementia prevention, cancer and dementia and the Herbert Protocol.

• Supporting activities at the Atkinson Southport, Maghull Town Hall and Bootle Library during Dementia Action Week.

• Providing representation at a number of strategic health and social care meetings throughout the borough including, for example, the Liverpool City Region Dementia Advisory Board and the Sefton Carers Partnership Board.

• Leading on the Dementia Friendly St Oswald’s project which aims to collect insights and create innovative and creative solutions to low dementia diagnosis rates within Sefton’s St Oswald’s electoral ward area.

• Consulting with University of Liverpool Senior Clinical Lecturer Dr Uazman Alam resulting in a successful funding bid for further research into ophthalmology and dementia diagnosis.

Mental Health Navigation Service

Sefton CVS established a new Mental Health Navigation Service during the year using Mental Health Transformation funding.

A gap analysis of existing service limitations identified a need for additional resources in cost of living support, carer support and help for individuals experiencing loneliness and isolation.

In summer 2024 a grant scheme was launched seeking expressions of interest for the provision of these services and three organisations received funding:

• Citizens Advice Sefton is delivering social welfare law advice and support services across the borough.

• Sefton Carers Centre is providing support to both individuals caring for someone with a severe mental illness, and those who have a severe mental illness who also have caring responsibilities.

• Expect is providing support to people living with severe mental illness who feel lonely and isolated.

This service began operations in February 2025 and receives referrals directly from the NHS Mersey Care Community Mental Health Team.

Sefton In Mind

Sefton In Mind, a sub-group of the Health and Social Care Forum, has around 140 members. Four meetings of the group were held during 2024/25.

Key activities during the year included:

• Producing an adult mental health snapshot in response to the tragic events in Southport in July. This mirrored a previous snapshot developed for children’s mental health support.

• Redeveloping the Sefton In Mind Directory to underpin the Public Health-led ‘We’re Here’ campaign. The directory features contact details for 30 organisations. During the campaign the website received more than 25,000 views from 1,700 unique users, resulting in 974 click-throughs to organisational information.

• Hosting a ‘Time to Talk Mental Health Research’ event in partnership with the Mental Health Research for Innovation Centre (M-RIC). As part of this initiative small grants were awarded to ten VCF sector groups undertaking activities supporting M-RIC’s work in making mental health research more accessible.

Living Well Sefton

Sefton CVS co-ordinates the Living Well Sefton programme, funded by Public Health with the aim of reducing health inequalities experienced by vulnerable groups in Sefton and those living in the most deprived communities in the borough.

The emphasis of the programme is on prevention and early intervention, and working with a broad range of partners to meet the needs of local people by enabling them to access the services they need easily.

The overall aim of the service is to enable Sefton residents to live well by addressing the factors that influence their health, helping them to be independent, resilient and support both themselves and the people around them.

Sefton CVS is the lead partner in the initiative in a consortium model with the May Logan Centre, Netherton Feelgood Factory, Brighter Living Partnership, Citizens Advice Sefton, Sefton Carers’ Centre, SmokeFree Sefton and Active Lifestyles, in addition to more than 20 other Living Well Sefton neighbourhood partners.

In addition, the Social Prescribing Link Worker Service is overseen by Living Well Sefton managers, subcontracted to the Brighter Living Partnership in north Sefton and funded by the Primary Care Networks.

Key activities during 2024/25 included:

• A total of 7,509 Sefton residents interacting with the service (including Active Sefton/Smoke Free).

• 3,235 new clients interacting with the service for the first time. Key issues of concern included being more active, healthy eating, mental wellbeing and social isolation.

• 94% of clients completing either a Universal Consultation and/or a Brief Intervention.

• Achieving 92% improved mental wellbeing among clients, measured by the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale.

• 224 clients starting and completing a course, and 2,155 individual goals set and completed including improvements to diet, being more active and reducing stress/anxiety.

• Hosting six Making Every Contact Count training sessions attended by 41 people.

• Delivering a wide range of courses and sessions on subjects including growing confidence, weight management, healthy cooking, a ladies friendship group, bereavement support, welfare benefits support, sleep mentoring, eating for health, a craft group and mindful movements

• Attending a wide range of community events including a men’s health event at the Feelgood Factory, Sefton healthy hearts event, the InvestSefton marketplace and a cardio vascular disease prevention awareness day.

• Providing emergency response and community engagement following the Southport Knife attack and subsequent riots.

• Partner organisations offering drop-in sessions to support clients with low-level mental health issues.

• Supporting 30 VCF sector groups and 2,819 individuals with £52,130 of funding in Community Resilience Grants. The two rounds focused on mental health and healthy eating and physical activity.

• Supporting 16 small and medium-sized businesses with a total of £6,783 in Workplace Wellbeing Grants.

Strand By Me

Strand By Me is an ‘in-person’ addition to the service provided by Living Well Sefton.

Located in Bootle’s Strand shopping centre, the service allows people to access face-to-face advice and support on Living Well Sefton services, as well as those provided by other organisations in Sefton whose role is to improve the health and wellbeing of residents and encourage positive lifestyles.

Key activities during 2024/25 included:

• Relaunching the service at the end of November 2024 after it had been closed for most of the year.

• Welcoming 315 visitors, with 209 of them new to the service. 133 members of the public experienced Brief Interventions with 167 residents being signposted to other sources of support.

• Hosting a wide range of services including Smoke Free Sefton, Healthwatch Sefton, Life Rooms, the Alzheimer’s Society, Sole Survivors PTSD support, Sahir (LGBTQ+), Salvation Army Employment Plus, Light for Life, Parenting 2000, Bootle Hub, the Feelgood Factory bereavement clinic, Reach Men’s Centre and sight loss charity Galloways.

• Hosting pop-up events to support national awareness weeks on a range of topics including sexual health awareness, dementia and healthy hearts.

• Providing a community venue for the Social Prescribing Link Workers and the Community Connectors to undertake one-to-one client work.

• Working as a member of the Strand Group in collaboration with local community groups, Salt and Tar, the Strand management team and Sefton Council.

Community Connectors

The Community Connectors team link residents to organisations and activities in their local communities, helping to reduce levels of social isolation and loneliness.

To reach as many people as possible the team can call on a team of Community Champion volunteers who work alongside individuals on a short-term basis, increasing their confidence in attending groups and activities, while encouraging them to make their own connections as well.

Key activities during 2024/25 included:

• Handling 181 referrals into the Community Connectors service during the year, offering clients one-to-one support and signposting information.

• Making 1,068 signposting referrals to other organisations over the 12-month period, including those offering careers advice, dementia support, long-term condition support and mental health services.

• Offering an outreach service to those visiting Maghull Advice Centre.

• Participating in a wide range of open days, awareness events and forums across the borough.

• Providing ‘Happy to Chat’ benches at four locations in south Sefton – the May Logan Centre, North Park, Sean’s Place and SING Plus. These feature scannable codes which encourage people who feel isolated or lonely to get in touch with the service.

• Expanding outreach promotional opportunities by developing a monthly Health Hub with partners Parenting 2000 (Respiratory Parent Champion), Healthwatch and the Salvation Army.

• Expanding the service’s digital offer by running Meet the Connectors ‘Cuppa and Chat’ Zoom meetings to explain the role of the service and the assistance available.

• Co-ordinating the team of Community Champion volunteers who provide key services including support with the running of groups and offer ‘buddy’ support to clients who lack the confidence to attend groups or activities for the first time.

• Supporting the collation of a physical activity spreadsheet for Public Health focused on the activities and groups available across the borough.

Social Prescribing Service

The Social Prescribing Service now has a team of 18 workers across Sefton who liaise closely with the local primary care networks to improve the wellbeing of isolated and vulnerable people by helping them to access the wide range of community support available in the borough.

Key activities during 2024/25 included:

• Handling 2,711 referrals during the year.

• Continuing to build excellent partnerships working alongside local NHS mental health services including the APPs (Associate Psychological Practitioners), community mental health teams (primary and secondary) and the ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences) programme.

• Organising drop-in sessions in a variety of community settings to encourage people who may wish to access support from the service.

• Engaging with academic research opportunities such as the Defining Social Prescribing Practice study conducted by the Social Prescribing Research Group at Oxford University.

• Continuing the Brighter Connections group in Southport. Funded by a Living Well Sefton Community Resilience Grant the group gives residents the chance to socialise, chat and meet new people.

• Delivering training sessions on the service to NHS staff in Southport and Formby and GP registrars.

• Working with the Complex Lives Group, a pioneering project in north Sefton looking at reducing barriers to support for those who meet the complex lives criteria, and trying to reduce the impact of the health inequalities they face.

• Developing closer links with the Social Prescribing GP Champions to increase awareness and support communication.

• Introducing fully-funded tai chi to support the mental health and wellbeing of residents with support from the Locality Grants, and supporting ongoing activities such as the Men’s Group and Men’s Shed run as part of the Living Well Sefton programme.

• Delivering a range of healthy living courses as part of the Living Well Sefton offer including Think Differently Cope Differently and others focusing on healthy cooking, weight and sleep.

Enhanced Care at Home Social Prescribing

This service continues to work alongside South Sefton Primary Care Network on providing social prescribing support to older, housebound and/or frail people who have experienced a recent hospital admission.

Staffing changes during the year resulted in capacity within other services being utilised and subsequently a reduced staffing structure of two Enhanced Care Social Prescribers.

Key activities during 2024/25 included:

• 541 referrals being received by the team.

• 244 support plans being completed and 572 cases completed and closed following 6,087 interventions towards achieving goals.

• 452 signposting referrals being made to a range of different services.

• Processing 53 successful lower rate attendance allowance applications resulting in annual income increases totalling £200,223.

• Processing 60 successful higher rate attendance allowance applications resulting in annual income increases totalling £338,676.

Reablement Service

The Reablement Service provides rehabilitative support to people with a range of health conditions and unmet social issues to enable them to regain their independence.

This includes interventions for timely and safe discharge from hospital, and the assessment of needs to avoid unnecessary dependence on more acute, long-term services.

The service is delivered by the South Sefton Health and Wellbeing Trainers and the High Intensity User Service and Enhanced Care Social Prescribing Link Workers.

Key activities during 2024/25 included:

• 701 referrals being received by the team of Health and Wellbeing Trainers.

• 14,780 interventions being delivered by the team, the most common areas that clients needed support with being finance, social inclusion and accommodation-related issues.

• Clients achieving 90% of the personal goals they set with the help of the Health Trainers, a significant increase on 67% the previous year.

• Clients accessing £60,956 in benefits and grants with the support of the team.

High Intensity User (HIU) Service

This initiative, funded by NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Sefton Place, aims to reduce inappropriate A&E attendances and hospital admissions by individuals identified as

‘frequent attenders’. The project aims to address the underlying causes for presenting at A&E.

Key activities during 2024/25 included:

• Intensive work with 90 people to reduce their A&E attendances and hospital admissions – 55 from Southport and Formby A&E and 35 from Aintree A&E.

• Providing support to 198 people who re-attended Southport A&E for dressings, advising them on using other sources of community-based treatment services rather than A&E.

• 41 signposts to other services – 30 from Southport and Formby and 11 from Aintree.

• Providing 6,621 interventions to help people achieve their goals, 4,829 from Southport and Formby and 1,792 from Aintree.

• Attending a wide variety of multi-disciplinary team meetings in both the north and south of the borough.

• Making a presentation on Sefton’s HIU journey at the first National HIU Community of Practice event.

REDI (Reablement Drives Independence)

This project is an extension of the High Intensity User Service and is funded by Mersey Care’s Mental Health Transformation.

The aim is to use the methodology of what works for the High Intensity User Service and embed this into community mental health to help address the underlying causes for frequent calls to community mental health teams (CMHTs) and crisis lines.

Key activities during 2024/25 included:

• Intensive work with five people during the year (three from north CMHT/two from south CMHT) to reduce the frequency of calls.

• Keeping caseloads low due to the complexity of the cases and to provide a high quality of service and level of interactions.

• Carrying out 64 face-to-face interactions and 401 non-face-to-face interactions.

• Introducing the new clinical system RIO which supports integrated working.

Sefton Crisis Cafes

The Crisis Café Service offers out-of-hours support to anyone experiencing a mental health crisis in Sefton.
The service runs drop-in sessions at two sites (Crosby and Southport) from 5pm-11pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to give borough residents aged 18 and above a place of safety as an alternative to attending A&E.

Team members offer one-to-one support and a social space with refreshments in order to reduce distress and better manage crisis situations. Support is also provided via phone, email or Zoom meeting if required.

Key activities during 2024/25 included:

• Recording a total of 1,826 attendances across both sites during the year. Out of these visits 86 were categorised as people in crisis, 175 in post crisis and 1,485 were to maintain wellbeing during a difficult period.

• Crosby recording 53 new registrations during the year, and Southport 66, a total of 119 new clients.

• Providing telephone support on 1,580 occasions.

• Working in partnership with Parenting 2000 who provide a full-time Peer Support Worker at each Crisis Café to provide additional support to people who may need it during weekdays.

Community Cancer Navigators

The Community Cancer Navigators offer support to people living with, or affected by, cancer who are over the age of 18 and registered with a south Sefton GP practice.

The Navigators can support clients with physical, practical, financial and emotional difficulties, and assist them in contacting the most appropriate services that can provide help.

Key activities during 2024/25 included:

• 343 cases being referred to the project.

• Active promotion of the service to health professionals within adult social care, primary care nursing teams, GP practices and local support groups.

• Helping clients to access £5,000 in Macmillan grants and to make 212 applications for benefits and other grants, adding up to a total financial gain for clients living with cancer of £495,859.

• Signposting clients on 744 occasions to a total of more than 45 other groups and support services, and making 1,215 onward referrals to services such as occupational therapy, benefits advisers and clinical psychologists.

• Continuing to run the Navigating Cancer Together Group which meets weekly and has provided more than 40 people with a range of information, advice and support.

Sefton Cancer Social Action Lead

This project focuses on raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer within local communities, and to encourage more people to go for NHS screening when invited.

The service focuses on tackling inequalities in cancer outcomes and empowering people to seek timely advice.

Key activities during 2024/25 included:

• Working with People First Merseyside on making information accessible to people with limited literacy skills.

• Provision of healthy eating resources, slow cookers and healthy eating skills development to St. Leonard’s Community Centre.

• Supporting local group In Stitches run by Sefton Opera which offers attendees companionship and support while involved in knitting, crocheting and other craft activities.

• Developing a Make Every Contact Count approach for hairdressing and beauty therapist students at Hugh Baird College encouraging them to share positive contacts

Hospital Discharge and Admission Avoidance Service

The Hospital Discharge and Admission Avoidance Service (HDAAS) accepts referrals from health and social care professionals, and self-referrals, from any Sefton resident aged 18 and above who has recently been discharged from hospital, or who is unwell at home and being supported by any team in Sefton Emergency Community Response as part of admission avoidance support.

The service provides free practical support for up to six weeks, including ensuring that patients have basic provisions in their home, help with accessing assistive technology and carrying out basic risk assessments to ensure accommodation is suitable to meet a patient’s needs.

The team also help patients to maximise their income through signposting to other services, for example specialist benefits and debt advice.

Key activities during 2024/25 included:

• Receiving 717 referrals over the 12-month period.

• Completing 726 home visits, making 2,306 welfare telephone calls and signposting clients to more than 30 other services and organisations.

• Supporting 62 clients with Blue Badge applications.

• Supporting 149 clients with benefits applications including Attendance Allowance, PIP and Pension Credit.

Healthwatch

Sefton CVS employs the management teams of both Healthwatch Sefton and Healthwatch Knowsley who report to their respective Boards. Each organisation produces its own annual report. Healthwatch operates throughout England as the consumer champion for health and social care.

Include-IT Mersey

Sefton CVS, in collaboration with the VOLA Consortium, delivers the Include-IT Mersey digital inclusion project across the Liverpool City Region.

The aim is to help digitally excluded residents to improve their digital skills, motivation, confidence and access to digital technology.

Launched in 2017 it was originally funded by the European Social Fund and the National Lottery Community Fund. Since 2023 the project has been funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

Since its inception, Include-IT Mersey has supported 2,747 people through basic digital skills courses, 1,312 of whom are known to have progressed to employment, active job search or volunteering. Several thousand more have accessed support through the network of volunteer-led digital drop-ins across the city region.

Key activities during 2024/25 included:

• Training a further 298 learners to develop essential digital skills, making a total of 638 for the two-year period 2023 to 2025, exceeding UKSPF targets.

• 82% of learners achieving their learning aims and completing their programme of study.

• 179 learners progressing to training/education, paid employment, volunteering or moving into active job-search.

• Expanding the network of digital drop-ins, with notable success in establishing them in libraries.

• 1,182 attendances at digital drop-ins, making a total of 1,923 over the two years, with the second-year figure 60% higher than the first.

• 59 volunteers actively involved in the digital drop-ins over the two years, contributing around 4,250 hours of volunteering.

• An evaluation of the project indicating high levels of satisfaction among learners with 100% of survey respondents reporting improved digital skills and 94% saying that this had had a positive effect on their health and wellbeing.

Southport Community Centre

Southport Community Centre in the town’s Norwood area works closely with the Brighter Living Partnership to provide local access to voluntary, community and faith sector services across north Sefton.

Key activities during 2024/25 included:

• Welcoming more than 15,000 visitors and service users over the 12-month period.

• Continuing to provide activities, services and groups for the local community based on their needs. This included Warm and Welcome Spaces provision over the winter and summer periods.

• Acting as a hub for local organisations and residents to hire, which attracts a high number of users.

• Providing an IT suite which is available for use by the public and also used for regular training and support sessions run by local providers.

Communications

Sefton CVS manages the Here For You online directory, providing details of around 3,000 services offered by 1,000 VCF sector organisations in the borough, which attracted more than 10,000 visitors during the year.

Where applicable the directory also includes links to each organisation’s website, social media pages and Companies House and Charity Commission pages.

CVS has continued to regularly review and update the listings and add the details of newly-established VCF sector groups and the services they provide.

Other key activities during 2024/25 included:

• Sharing more than 120 separate articles on the CVS website including details of events, activities, job vacancies, policy updates and consultations. These generated 90,000 views and 35,000 unique visits.

• Issuing 49 separate CVS email updates sent to around 1,100 subscribers per update.

• Managing the Sefton CVS X/Twitter account - @SeftonCVS – which had a total of 5,500 followers on 31st March 2025.

• Managing the Sefton CVS Facebook page (facebook.com/SeftonCVS) which has around 2,300 followers.

• In response to the tragic incident in Southport on 29th July 2024 establishing a dedicated web page, Support for Southport. This signposted to updates, information and details of wider support services on Sefton Council’s Southport Together Hub, as well as details of VCF sector involvement in the Southport Recovery Programme.

• Hosting a dedicated Warm/Welcome Spaces Network page on the CVS website with information on providers across Sefton. This attracted 3,900 views during the year.

• Acting as an information and consultation conduit on a wide range of strategic and operational consultations and stakeholder engagement activities for partners including Sefton Council, the Integrated Care Partnerships for Cheshire and Merseyside and Cheshire and Merseyside NHS Trust.

The input of volunteers and donations in kind

13 volunteers have supported the Trustee Board and role of Patrons this year. A further 191 volunteers have engaged through Sefton CVS projects and initiatives.

Disclosure of Trustees Remunerations Notes to the accounts

None of the Trustees have been paid any remuneration or received any other benefits from employment with the charity or related entity.

Disclosure of Trustees Expenses

Trustees were reimbursed travel costs to attend meetings on behalf of the charity totalling £nil.

Use of assets

The Trustees consider the value of assets to be fairly stated.

Balance sheet in the light of future plans

The Trustees consider that the balance sheet is strong enough to fulfil the short-term plans of the core activities and that of the managed projects.

The extent of dependence of particular donors

Sefton CVS has, wherever possible, diversified its funding sources for the development of specific projects. The core services are highly dependent upon the continued support of Sefton MBC with their contribution of £419,315 (2024: £419,315).

Availability of assets

The current assets are available for the general purposes of Sefton CVS although some of its funding is restricted to specific core services and deferred income for services to be delivered in discrete and managed projects.

Fixed assets

The fixed assets of the company and major changes therein during the period are recorded in the notes to the accounts.

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:

Sefton MBC Representatives non-voting:

Councillor John Pugh                  Sefton MBC

Councillor Clare Carragher             Sefton MBC

Councillor Dave Robinson             Sefton MBC    

Patrons The Worshipful the Mayor of Sefton

Colonel Martin G C Amlôt OBE, OStJ DL FRSA

President The Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside Mr Mark FW Blundell CVO

Company Secretary and Chief Executive     Angela White (Carter) OBE FRSA

Chair of the Board of Directors         Mr Mark Sonne

In accordance with the company's articles, a resolution proposing that be reappointed as auditor of the company will be put at a General Meeting.

Small company provisions

These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions relating to small companies within Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006.

Each of the trustees has confirmed that there is no information of which they are aware which is relevant to the audit, but of which the auditor is unaware. They have further confirmed that they have taken appropriate steps to identify such relevant information and to establish that the auditor is aware of such information.

The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.

The trustees, who are also the directors of Sefton Council for Voluntary Service for the purpose of company law, are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

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

In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;

- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

- state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and

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

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

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Sefton Council for Voluntary Service (the ‘charity’) for the year ended 31 March 2025 which comprise the statement of financial activities, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flows and the notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

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 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 Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity 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.

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 charity’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 other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of our audit:

the information given in the Trustees' Report, which includes the directors’ report prepared for the purposes of company law, for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and

the directors' report included within the trustees' report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charity and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors' report included within the trustees' report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which 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 prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies' exemptions in preparing the trustees' report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report.

As explained more fully in the statement of trustees' responsibilities, the trustees, who are also the directors of the charity for the purpose 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 charity’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 objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.

Our approach to identifying and assessing the risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, was as follows:

• the engagement partner ensured that the engagement team collectively had the appropriate competence, capabilities and skills to identify or recognise non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations;

• we identified the laws and regulations applicable to the company through discussions with directors and other management

• we focused on specific laws and regulations which we considered may have a direct material effect on the financial statements or the operations of the company, including the Companies Act 2006, taxation legislation and data protection, anti-bribery, employment and health and safety legislation;

• we assessed the extent of compliance with the laws and regulations identified above through making enquiries of management and inspecting legal correspondence

• identified laws and regulations were communicated within the audit team regularly and the team remained alert to instances of non-compliance throughout the audit.

We assessed the susceptibility of the company’s financial statements to material misstatement, including obtaining an understanding of how fraud might occur, by:

• making enquiries of management as to where they considered there was susceptibility to fraud, their knowledge of actual, suspected and alleged fraud; and

• considering the internal controls in place to mitigate risks of fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations.

To address the risk of fraud through management bias and override of controls, we:

• performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships;

• tested journal entries to identify unusual transactions; and

• assessed whether judgements and assumptions made in determining the accounting estimates were indicative of potential bias; and

• investigated the rationale behind significant or unusual transactions.

In response to the risk of irregularities and non-compliance with laws and regulations, we designed procedures which included, but were not limited to:

• agreeing financial statement disclosures to underlying supporting documentation;

• reading the minutes of meetings of those charged with governance; and

• enquiring of management as to actual and potential litigation and claims.

There are inherent limitations in our audit procedures described above. The more removed that laws and regulations are from financial transactions, the less likely it is that we would become aware of non-compliance. Auditing standards also limit the audit procedures required to identify non-compliance with laws and regulations to enquiry of the directors and other management and the inspection of regulatory and legal correspondence, if any.

Material misstatements that arise due to fraud can be harder to detect than those that arise from error as they may involve deliberate concealment or collusion.

A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.

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 auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Investment income

Raising funds

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.

Investment income

Raising funds

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.

Sefton Council for Voluntary Service is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is 3rd Floor, North Wing, Burlington House, Crosby Road North, Waterloo, Liverpool, L22 0LG.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's Memorandum and Articles of Association , 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 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 accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.

At the time of approving the accounts, 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 accounts.

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.

Designated funds comprise funds which have been set aside at the discretion of the trustees for specific purposes. The purposes and uses of the designated funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the charity for particular purposes. The cost of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the Trustees' Annual Report.

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 is recognised at the time of the donation.

All income is included in the Statement of Financial Activities when the charity has entitlement to the funds, certainty of receipt and the amount can be measured with sufficient reliability.

Income from donations and grants, including capital grants, and contract income is included in income when these are receivable, except as follows:

• When donors specify that donations and grants given to the charity must be used in future accounting periods, the income is deferred until those periods.

• When donors impose conditions which have to be fulfilled before the charity becomes entitled to use such income, the income is deferred and not included in income until the preconditions for use have been met.

• When donors specify that donations and grants, including capital grants, are for particular restricted purposes, which do not amount to preconditions regarding entitlement, this income is included in restricted funds when receivable.

Voluntary income includes discretionary grants for projects, goods and services where no service agreement or contract exists.

Other grants, which have particular service requirements and which are provided in accordance with a contract or service level agreement are included in the Statement of Financial Activities under the heading Charitable Activities.

All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to that 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.

Management and governance costs are those incurred in connection with administration of the charity and compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements.

Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.

Tangible fixed assets costing more than £500 are capitalised and included at cost, including any incidental costs of acquisition.

Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost less estimated residual value of each asset over its expected useful life, as follows:

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.

Fixed asset investments are initially measured at transaction price excluding transaction costs, and are subsequently measured at fair value at each reporting date. Changes in fair value are recognised in net income/(expenditure) for the year. Transaction costs are expensed as incurred.

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.

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.

The company operates a defined contribution scheme for employees. Contributions are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate.

Group accounts

The charity had two wholly owned subsidiaries, Healthwatch Sefton Limited and Communities are People Limited.

Healthwatch Sefton Limited is commissioned by the local authority, Sefton MBC and operates under the control of its independent board. Consolidated accounts are not produced as these would not be materially different from the single entity financial statements and the control of the subsidiary is through its independent Board.

Communities are People Limited was dissolved on 14 January 2025.

The charity benefits from various exemptions from taxation afforded by tax legislation and is not liable to corporation tax on income or gains falling within those exemptions. Recovery is made of tax deducted from income and from receipts under Gift Aid.

The charity is not able to recover Value Added Tax and expenditure is recorded in the accounts inclusive of VAT.

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.

Support costs are allocated against the projects of the charity on a percentage basis reflecting time spent in the appropriate areas.

Raising funds

Community Development Programs

The main grant programme is with Living Well Sefton, Sefton4Good is described in the Trustees' report.

Grants payable are recognised in the accounts when the grant is formally accepted by the receiving organisation. Any undistributed balances at the year end are included in the restricted fund balances for the appropriate theme.

Community Development Programs

The main grant programme is with Living Well Sefton, Sefton4Good is described in the Trustees' report.

Grants payable are recognised in the accounts when the grant is formally accepted by the receiving organisation. Any undistributed balances at the year end are included in the restricted fund balances for the appropriate theme.

The analysis of auditor's remuneration is as follows:

The average monthly number of employees during the year was:

Contributions totalling £4,497 (2024: £4,164) were made to defined contribution pension schemes on behalf of employees whose emoluments exceeded £60,000

The remuneration of key management personnel was £256,098 (2024: £261,599)

None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration during the year and none of the trustees were reimbursed for expenses (2024: None).

Deferred income is included in the financial statements as follows:

The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity in an independently administered fund.

At the reporting end date the charity had outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases, which fall due as follows:

No remuneration was paid to any trustee during the year (2024: None).

No guarantees were given or received.

Remuneration paid to key management is disclosed in note 11. There were no other disclosable related party transactions during the year (2024 - none).

As at 31 March 2025, the charity had financial commitments of £104,827 relating to office refurbishments.

£11,421 was invoiced and prepaid during the 24/25 financial year.