The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025.
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 Articles of Association, 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).
Vision and Values
Our Vision is:
To Enrich Lives
Our Values are:
Empowerment
Fostering individual growth & autonomy
Community
Building strong supportive networks
Promote Purpose
Inspire individuals to find meaning and direction
Champion Ability
Championing the rights & abilities of others
Compassion
Showing empathy and care towards others
Mainstay at a Glance
Our History
Mainstay started in 1990 when a group of parents and carers of adults with learning disabilities and autism joined forces to create a local service that offered excellent care and support. What began as Down Residential Project, a small home for 9 service users, has grown and adapted over the years to meet the changing needs of our clients.
Today, Mainstay is a dynamic organisation with over 200 clients across various services in multiple locations in Downpatrick. Our dedicated team of 130 work closely with the service users, forming one big Mainstay family.
Our aim has always been to provide safe, effective and compassionate services for people of different abilities and their families. We aim to focus on outcomes and help clients see their possibilities rather than their disabilities. Together, we create a caring community of opportunity.
Significant Activities
Community Hub |
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In our Community Hub, weekly activities continue to run along with one off activities and outings. Outings have included cinema trips to the local Omniplex and Mountpanther Farm Park. Sessional activities included dance classes during which the service users learned dances for groups, and also those for solo performances. With these skills they spent weeks rehearsing, ultimately producing a Christmas concern at the Great Hall in December with an evening of music, laughter and joy. This was a resounding success, showcasing the talents of our clients and providing a memorable night for their loved ones. We have also held themed days, eg 4th July Independence Day celebration, Pride day and Easter parade.
Our weekly schedule of activities has included sports sessions and Ballymote Centre, local walks, indoor games, aromatherapy, relaxation sessions, quizzes, bingo, chair yoga/exercises, arts/crafts, and fortnightly music sessions. We also have daily cookery sessions in our kitchen with some service users choosing to do cookery 2 or 3 times per week.
Community Club
Mainstay DRP continued the running of the Community Club. This club has many members from the local learning disability community who meet on Thursday evenings to take part in fun activities. Members come from a mixture of Mainstay residential, support housing and short breaks services together with community based clients. Activities this year included a bowling trip, baking sessions, dance sessions, quizzes, bingo and social discos. The year's activities ended in the annual Formal at the Slieve Donard Hotel in June with over 200 guests from our services, Community Club and other local services. The evening featured a prize ceremony followed by live music from Hugo Duncan, making it a fantastic night for all.
Residential Services
Residents' holidays have returned following Covid. Seven residents enjoyed a three day trip to Portrush in the year and a number of residents expressed an interest in trips to the USA, Old Trafford, Coronation Street/ Emmerdale tour and a Mediterranean Cruise. At the year end, staff were already in the process of organising these.
On the night of the Community Club Formal, a number of residents stayed overnight at the Slieve Donard Hotel.
Day trips have included a day at the races, bowling, restaurant/pub trips and various music nights (Millbrook Lodge/ Burrendale/ Owenbeg for example). Residents also enjoyed attending the parades on St Patricks Day and 12th July, going to the Panto, Disney on Ice, and attending birthday parties with live music in the house and outdoor BBQs with other services invited to attend.
Residents are brought on various drives and walks on a frequent basis.
All residents are offered the chance to participate in weekly activities including Bocce, Golf, Community Club, Special Olympics events and Football.
Clients regularly take up the opportunity to have treatments. This is done either in the home or out depending on residents wishes. These include Reflexology, Podiatry, Haircuts and Nail Care/Polish.
Short Breaks
Our Short Breaks users have taken part in trips which included bowling and dinner, the circus, fireworks displays at Halloween, Panto at Christmas, the aquarium and sunflower fields.
Some service users were in our facility on their birthday, and outings were arranged to celebrate with mini golf, bowling, dinner and drinks in the local restaurants.
Clients got involved in growing their own apples to make apple crumble, took part in a baking competition, BBQs in the garden area, karaoke, and some of our service users have been helping at allotments.
We have been encouraging the service users to help doing the shopping and making the dinner.
Our facility has welcomed a further 11 referrals in the year.
Supported Housing - Ardcora
Ardcora Supported Housing organised trips for clients which included Tenerife, Paris, Manchester and Portrush.
Staff supported clients in many social inclusion trips, which included beach walks, aquarium visits, flower picking, gardening activities, shopping trips and visits to restaurants. We also supported clients with their birthday celebrations.
Big achievements have been celebrated in the year which include the increase in social inclusion for two tenants:
One who met a personal goal of losing weight and climbing up Slieve Patrick. The client worked so hard to do this and this has led to a much more settled placement with fewer behaviours which challenge. This is now a very successful placement with the staff support he is receiving.
Another client who was previously only comfortable going in the vehicle for journeys with staff has started going to eat in restaurants. They also attended Christmas fayres and went shopping. Over the years staff were unable to provide this level of support due to behaviours, but it is testament to the staff who provide support that this has been possible.
Supported Housing - Rathdree
Rathdree had a successful year, with service users being content and engaging in focus groups and discussions around future living plans and day opportunities which they are excited about.
Supported Housing trips included Tenerife and Armagh City Hotel, together with clients attending routine social clubs and activities ranging from Bocce, golf, line dancing, football, Community Club, day centres and work placements.
The staff team has remained very stable over the last year, with the use of agency staff minimised to one regular member working 3 or 4 nights a week. This stability has helped greatly with consistency for clients and enabled staff to handle very professionally a number of complex situations involving other statutory agencies.
Staff
Three senior management staff members commenced their Level 5 Diploma in Health and Social Care in Adult Management, further enhancing their skills and professional development. In addition to this, from March 2025 all new Support Workers now begin an apprenticeship in Level 2 or Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care within their first year of employment.
Three senior staff completed their NEBOSH Health & Safety qualification.
Eight staff completed their Level 3 Diploma in Health & Social Care.
In October 2024, Colin McGrath MLA highlighted Mainstay DRP at Stormont for exceptional work carried out across our services.
In November 2024, one of our Supported Housing clients was awarded Young Person of the Year at the Social Enterprise Awards.
Staff Development and Team Building - Team Building days continued throughout the year, with activities at local centres including outdoor challenges such as zip lines, clay pigeon shooting, and teamwork exercises in escape rooms. In January 2025, we introduced monthly staff recognition awards to celebrate contributions, each month having its own theme and enabling colleagues to nominate one another. Through our Staff Development Training Fund, staff have undertaken a variety of courses to enhance the support offered to clients. Staff undertake training/ qualifications not directly linked to their job so they can gain new skills to help enhance our clients' lives.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
The results for year are set out in detail on pages 13-27. The charity had net incoming resources for the year of £131,853 (2024 - £407,992). The surplus for the year was after making a donation of £650,000 to Mainstay DRM Ltd, as disclosed in note 22. At the year end cash at bank and in hand was £1,892,369 (2024 - £1,385,063).
At 31 March 2025, the total funds of the charity amounted to £1,880,558 (2024: £1,748,705) comprising of solely unrestricted funds.
Mainstay DRP receives contract funding from a range of statutory organisations including three of the Health & Social Care Trusts. Supported Living services also received funding from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive Supporting People Programme. We continue to operate in a challenging environment where costs are rising at unprecedented rates.
Reserves policy
The organisation has a reserves policy which ensures it has unrestricted funds (free reserves) not committed or invested in fixed assets to provide for 4 months operating expenditure to provide for uninterrupted services. This need for 4 months reserves is due to Health & Social Care Trust contracts being issued for a one-year duration. It is required with this uncertainty to have reserves which will enable us to properly manage a redundancy process for over 130 staff and to rehome over 55 permanent residents. Operational expenditure for a four-month period based on 2025 expenditure is £1.7 million. The Trustees have reviewed this policy and confirm that unrestricted reserves are sufficient to meet four-month expenditure. At the year end the charity had free reserves of £1,839,886 (2024 - £1,736,428).
The charity is committed to the continued provision of current services subject to satisfactory funding arrangements.
The charity is also committed to continue to meet the requirements of a range of regulatory and legislative bodies including Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority, Residential Care Homes Regulations, Health & Safety at Work Order (1978) and accompanying regulations 1999, Food Safety (Northern Ireland) Order 1991, and regulations 1995, and HTM 84 fire code regulations.
Governing document
The charity is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association and is established as a company limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006. The charity was incorporated on 12 September 1990 and registered as a charity with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland on 4 July 2016. The organisation changed its name from Down Residential Project to Mainstay DRP in November 2010 to reflect the diversity of services it offers.
The charity is managed by a Senior Leadership Team, led by an Interim Chief Executive Officer, Mr Cyril McKinney. A permanent Chief Executive, Sarah-Jane Mowbray took up post on 24 February 2025. The charity operates within the authorities as delegated by the Trustees.
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:
Recruitment and appointment of new trustees
The governing body is the Board of Trustees whose members are also directors for the purposes of company law. Under the requirements of the Memorandum and Articles of Association the directors are elected by members of the Committee. The trustees have responsibility for ensuring that the charity is performing well, is solvent and complies with its obligations.
The Board comprises of a Chair and trustees with skills in Learning Disability services, Social Care, Health Care, Finance, Law, HR, and Planning and Business.
Organisational structure
The charity committee is made up of the trustees, who are directly responsible for the oversight of the day-to-day management of the charity. They meet on a monthly basis to review all aspects of the charity. The full committee delegates Finance & HR responsibilities to subgroups with expertise in these areas. Subgroups meet monthly and report to the full committee.
The committee is made up of both founder and more recent members with a shared vision, commitment, and passion for achieving the objectives of the organisation. Members come with a range of skills crucial to the management of the organisation.
The trustees, who are also the directors of Mainstay DRP 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; 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.
In accordance with the company's articles, a resolution proposing that GMcG BELFAST be reappointed as auditor of the company will be put at a General Meeting.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of Mainstay DRP (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 notes to the financial statements, including 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:
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 for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared, which includes the directors' report prepared for the purposes of company law, 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.
The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.
We identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, and then design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, including obtaining audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
In identifying and assessing potential risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliances with laws and regulations, we considered the following:
The nature of the industry and sector, control environment and business performance, including the company’s remuneration policies for directors, bonus levels and performance targets, if any;
Results of our enquiries of management about their own identification and assessment of the risks of irregularities;
Any matters we identified having obtained and reviewed the company’s documentation of their policies and procedures relating to:
Identifying, evaluating and complying with laws and regulations and whether they were aware of any instance of non-compliance;
Detecting and responding to the risks of fraud and whether they have knowledge of any actual, suspected or alleged fraud; and
The internal controls established to mitigate risks of fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations;
The matters discussed among the audit engagement team regarding how and where fraud might occur in the financial statements and potential indicators of fraud.
As a result of these procedures, we considered the opportunities and incentives that may exist within the company for fraud and identified the greatest potential for fraud in revenue recognition. In common with all audits under ISAs (UK), we are also required to perform specific procedures to respond to the risk of management override.
We also obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks that the company operates in, focusing on provisions of those laws and regulations that had a direct effect on the determination of material amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The key laws and regulations we considered in this context included the Companies Act 2006, and local tax legislation.
In addition, we considered provisions of other laws and regulations that do not have a direct effect on the financial statements but compliance with which may be fundamental to the company’s ability to operate or to avoid a material penalty.
Our procedures to respond to the risks identified included the following:
Reviewing the financial statement disclosures and testing to supporting documentation to assess compliance with provisions of relevant laws and regulations described as having a direct effect on the financial statements;
Enquiring of management concerning actual and potential litigation and claims;
Performing analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships that may indicate risks of material misstatement due to fraud;
Reading minutes of meetings of those charged with governance and reviewing correspondence with tax authorities; and
In addressing the risk of fraud through management override of controls, testing the appropriateness of journal entries and other adjustments; assessing whether the judgements made in making accounting estimates are indicative of a potential bias; and evaluating the business rationale of any significant transactions that are unusual or outside the normal course of business.
We also communicated relevant identified laws and regulations and potential fraud risks to all engagement team members and remained alert to any indications of fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations throughout the audit.
Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that we may not have detected some material misstatements in the financial statements, even though we have properly planned and performed our audit in accordance with auditing standards. In addition, as with any audit, there remains a higher risk of non-detection of irregularities, as they may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal controls. We are not responsible for preventing non-compliance and cannot be expected to detect non-compliance with all laws and regulations.
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.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Mainstay DRP is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in Northern Ireland. The registered office is 2 Cumulus Heights, Ballyvange, Downpatrick, Co Down, BT30 6WT.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's Memorandum 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 financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors or grantors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the statement of financial activities.
At each reporting end date, the charity reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).
Stocks are stated at the lower of cost and estimated selling price less costs to complete and sell. Cost comprises direct materials and, where applicable, direct labour costs and those overheads that have been incurred in bringing the stocks to their present location and condition. Items held for distribution at no or nominal consideration are measured the lower of replacement cost and cost.
Net realisable value is the estimated selling price less all estimated costs of completion and costs to be incurred in marketing, selling and distribution.
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the charity's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
Rentals payable under operating leases, including any lease incentives received, are charged as an expense on a straight line basis over the term of the relevant lease.
Operating leases
Rentals under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities incorporating Income and Expenditure Account on a straight line basis over the lease term.
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.
The annual depreciation charge on fixed assets depends primarily on the estimated lives of each type of asset and estimates of residual values. The directors regularly review these asset lives and change them as necessary to reflect current thinking on remaining lives in light of prospective economic utilisation and physical condition of the assets concerned. Changes in asset lives can have a significant impact on depreciation and amortisation charges for the period. Detail of the useful lives is included in the accounting policies.
Short term debtors are measured at transaction price, less any impairment. Impairment of such debtors involves some estimation uncertainty.
Judgements are made in relation to allocation of income and expenditure to restricted and unrestricted funds. The directors consider it appropriate to allocate these funds based on interpretation of donations received.
Governance costs includes payments to the auditors of £7,400 (2024: £8,100) for audit fees.
None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration or benefits from the charity during the year.
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The total amount of employee benefits received by key management personnel is £522,091. The charity considers its key management personnel to comprise of the Chief Executive Officer and the service managers.
The charity is exempt from income tax and capital gains tax to the extent that its income and gains are applied for charitable purposes. No tax charge has arisen in the year.
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.
The restricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used.
Explanatory notes to the funds
Supporting people
The restricted funds for Supporting People relate to income provided to support clients to live independently in supported housing facilities. For 2024/25 financial year the fund was in deficit of £59,902. This was covered by Mainstay DRP unrestricted funds.
The Community Foundation
The restricted funds for the Community Foundation related to funds received to provide the ‘Give My Head Space Project’. This project provided a bespoke 8 month programme to 15 carers. The programme provided carers with the tools to improve their physical, mental health and wellbeing, together with a learning space to improve their technology skills allowing them to link into or access further advice and support.
Northern Ireland Social Care Council
The restricted funds from NISCC related to training grants for care staff to achieve Level 2 & 5 Diplomas in Health & Social Care.
Transfers
There were no transfers in the year. In the prior year, there were transfers of £4,200 from restricted funds to unrestricted funds. £3,840 of this related to expenditure that was misallocated to unrestricted funds in a previous year. The remainder of £360 related to additional income that The Community Fund were not requesting back, therefore resulting in a transfer to unrestricted.
The unrestricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants which are not subject to specific conditions by donors and grantors as to how they may be used. These include designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.
The charity has granted a floating charge over all its undertakings and its assets as security in relation to the bank borrowings of a related party, Mainstay DRM Ltd. The total bank borrowings of Mainstay DRM Ltd at the balance sheet date were £595,004.
A portion of capital grants received may become repayable if the company fails to comply with the terms of the letters of offer.
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:
The company has a common board of trustees and works closely with Mainstay DRM Ltd which shares the charity's passion for providing accommodation and care and support to people who have a learning disability and their families.
As at 31 March 2025 a balance of £1,513 is owed to Mainstay DRM Ltd (2024 - £753 owed from Mainstay DRM Ltd). During the year the charity rented a number of properties from Mainstay DRM Ltd for £245,352 (2024 - £227,904) and Mainstay DRM Ltd also received service charge income of £10,524 (2024 - £11,196) from Mainstay DRP. During the year, the charity made a donation of £650,000 to Mainstay DRM Ltd.
The charity had no material debt during the year.