The trustees 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 governing document, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" 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)".
During 2024–2025, Sheffield YWCA continued to focus on the six strategic pillars of our three-year strategic plan: finance, governance, strategic alliances, profile, employer of choice, and quality. These priorities guide our efforts to ensure sustainability and growth in an environment where resources are diminishing, demand for services continues to rise, and competition across the sector intensifies. This report outlines the progress made and the challenges faced throughout the year.
Finance
Sheffield YWCA remains committed to strengthening financial resilience through diversification and by maximising all available funding opportunities. This year, we reinvested reserves to secure improved returns supporting long-term sustainability. We continued our involvement in the Rotherham consortium and secured ongoing National Lottery funding to provide a broad range of services for children and young people.
Our Fleming Gardens premises achieved Family Hub registration, supported by funding for the delivery of Family Hub services, including the “Little Blossoms” toddler group, and for the installation of a new Wellbeing Hub planned for 2025–2026. Additionally, revenue from our charity shops increased thanks to the hard work of our volunteers and staff. These developments reflect our strong commitment to financial stability and to meeting the rising demand for specialist services.
Governance
We were delighted to welcome Cassandra Brown to the Board this year. With nearly 40 years of experience in STEM and a passion for supporting women and girls into scientific careers, Cassandra brings invaluable knowledge and international experience, including charitable work with ENT Malawi.
Our Chair, appointed in 2022, continues to provide strong leadership as a dedicated male ally, using his business and financial expertise to advance the organisation’s mission.
In January 2025, Diane Offers was appointed as CEO of Sheffield YWCA. She succeeded Tracy Gollins, who retired on 31 March 2025 after more than 30 years of remarkable service. We remain committed to the highest standards of governance, ensuring accountability to our funders and maintaining our commitment to the women, children, and families we support across South Yorkshire.
Strategic Alliances
Building strong strategic alliances remains vital to our work. This year, Sheffield YWCA continued to strengthen relationships with statutory, business, and voluntary sector partners. We once again received generous support from key partners including S2S Group, Premier Partnership, Tesco, IKEA, Next, Wesco Anixter, Roy Hatfield, and others.
Strengthening these alliances continues to be a major focus for the organisation, supporting service delivery and forming a key part of our efforts under the “profile” strand of our strategic plan.
Profile
This year saw significant growth in our visibility and public presence. Our Peile House staff team proudly received the “Team of the Year” award. We continued working with a PR specialist, resulting in features in local and national press, sector publications, and radio.
A major highlight was the launch of our Listening Project, initiated in April 2024. This project led to the publication of Look How Far You Have Come, a collection of poems expressing the experiences and voices of vulnerable young women. The book was launched during International Women’s Day events on 3 March 2025.
We also experienced significant growth on social media, particularly Facebook and LinkedIn, helping to amplify our message and broaden the reach of our work.
Employer of Choice
Sheffield YWCA continues its commitment to becoming an employer of choice within the sector. We invest in staff development, wellbeing, and a culture of continuous improvement. Our work with Investors in People plays a key role in maintaining high standards and supporting our teams’ growth, while we strive to provide the best wellbeing tools available.
Quality
Sheffield YWCA is dedicated to ensuring the ongoing quality, safety, and effectiveness of our services. This year, we achieved ISO 9001 accreditation with 100% compliance across all areas and maintained CHAS registration.
We also began working with external health and safety consultants to further strengthen our internal systems. Progress continued toward achieving Ofsted registration, which will enable us to support more children and young people.
Our organisational Safeguarding Lead and Quality Lead Officer oversee safeguarding and quality standards across the charity. We also continued to host student social work placements, enriching our services and contributing to sector development.
Service Delivery, Innovation, and Capacity
This year, we successfully retained all services. We re-tendered and secured the Green Gables contract, which we have held since 2004, and obtained a new two-year contract for the Building Successful Families programme in Sheffield. Both Fleming Gardens and Green Gables celebrated 20 years of delivering vital services.
We continued using reserves strategically to fund posts across geographic areas, supporting innovation and increasing capacity.
Volunteering
Our volunteer programme remains strong, with successful recruitment and retention across diverse roles including remote and in-person befrienders, administrative volunteers, and handypeople. These contributions expand service capacity, enhance client support, and provide meaningful development opportunities for volunteers.
The Sheffield charity shop continues to provide significant financial support to the Peile House Project, driven by a dedicated team of volunteers.
Acknowledgements
The Board extends sincere thanks to our management team, staff, volunteers, and partners for their unwavering commitment and support throughout the year. Their expertise, dedication, and hard work remain essential to our mission of supporting vulnerable women, children, and families across South Yorkshire.
Public benefit
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
The income and expenditure of the charity for the year and the state of affairs at the end of the year are shown on pages 8 to 11. The trustees are satisfied with the position of the charity at the year end. The financial statements show a deficit for the year of £69,684 and total funds of £1,368,726 being a decrease in funds of 4.8%.
The charity aims to maintain the return-on-investment funds, and the value of the investments increased in the year by £7,271. The charity manages its investments with the help of an investment adviser and the investment income is budgeted to support salary costs. The charity aims to preserve sufficient funds to enable it to continue its normal activity.
The charity's main funders are local councils through Supporting People grants and housing benefits. This income enables the charity to provide accommodation and support for the residents. It is only with this funding that the charity has been able to meet its objectives.
The trustees have reviewed the charity's finances and consider that adequate resources are available to fund its activities for the foreseeable future.
It is the policy of the charity that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level equivalent to between three and six month’s expenditure. The trustees consider that reserves at this level will ensure that, in the event of a significant drop in funding, they will be able to continue the charity’s current activities while consideration is given to ways in which additional funds may be raised. This level of reserves has been maintained throughout the year.
The Sheffield Young Women's Christian Association is a registered charity (Charity number: 1080111), and a company limited by guarantee (Company number: 03866756). The charity operates from Peile House, 255 Pitsmoor Road, Sheffield, S3 9AQ.
The Association was incorporated on 27th October 1999 and is governed by the Memorandum and Articles of Association. All powers of management and control are vested in the executive committee.
The directors/trustees are appointed at the annual general meeting. They meet periodically to consider and formulate policy. They are also responsible for the management of the charity, including the appointment and discharge of staff, the making and altering of rules, and the authority for all expenditure.
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:
None of the trustees has any beneficial interest in the company. All of the trustees are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £1 in the event of a winding up.
The trustees, who are also the directors of Sheffield Young Women's Christian Association 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.
In accordance with the company's articles, a resolution proposing that Knowles Warwick Audit Services Limited 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 Sheffield Young Women's Christian Association (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 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.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
the information given in the financial statements is inconsistent in any material respect with the trustees' report; or
sufficient accounting records have not been kept; or
the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records; or
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.
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.
We have been appointed as auditor under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with the Act and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder.
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. As auditor, in accordance with ISAs (UK), we have exercised professional judgement and maintained professional scepticism throughout the audit.
The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.
We assessed the susceptibility of the company’s financial statements to material misstatement, including 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.
In response to the risk of revenue recognition, we;
Performed analytical procedures to identify unusual transactions; and
Performed detailed substantive testing across all revenue streams
In response to the risk of fraud through management bias and override of controls, we:
Performed analytical procedures to identify unusual transactions;
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
Enquiring of management as to actual and potential litigation and claims; and
Reviewing correspondence with HMRC and other relevant parties.
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 charity’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with Part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity’s trustees 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 charity and the charity’s trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
Knowles Warwick Audit Services Limited is eligible for appointment as auditor of the charity by virtue of its eligibility for appointment as auditor of a company under section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Sheffield Young Women's Christian Association is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Peile House, 255 Pitsmoor Road, Sheffield, S3 9AQ.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" 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)". 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, there are no material uncertainties and 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.
Grants are credited to revenue when receivable. They are considered receivable when the conditions for receipt of the grant are deemed, by the trustees, to have been met.
Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the Bank. |
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).
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the charity's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
Supporting people grants
Other funding
All investment income received is allocated to unrestricted funds.
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
Loans were taken out to acquire domestic properties and are secured against the properties that they relate to.
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 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 building and accommodation fund has been designated by the trustees for the purpose of meeting contractual obligations in respect of the provision of accommodation.
The maternity fund has been designated by the trustees to meet future maternity costs.
The major repairs fund has been designated by the trustees to cover any large-scale property repairs.
The IT equipment depreciation fund has been designated by the trustees for the depreciation cost of equipment purchased through the IT equipment fund.
The IT equipment fund has been designated by the trustees for any major overhaul of computers required for the charity.
The nature of the expenditure on the above four funds is not specific in timing and therefore no precise date can be attributed as to when these costs will be incurred.
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:
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2024 - none).