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 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 objects of the charity are:
The relief of sickness and the preservation of health among young people residing in the North West of England, through the provision of financial and other assistance and;
The relief of financial hardship, either generally or individually, of young people living in the North West of England by making grants of money for providing or paying for items, services or facilities and raising awareness among young people.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
This financial year has continued where the previous one finished with further testing times. A new government is in place and plans to turn around the fortunes for families in the UK will take time. Certainly families in our area, and in particular St Helens, are continuing to struggle to pay for the most basic of items, meaning social spending has seen a drastic reduction. Our charity has responded as much as possible by revising prices of items, event tickets, activity fees to try and make it possible for families to still spend time at The Tunza Centre - a place where hundreds of families feel at home. This has led us to maintain, and in fact, increase the number of visitors attending sessions, projects, activities and events, however, the spending at events etc has somewhat decreased, leading to the charity struggling some times to 'break even' with costs. This is a big factor in the negative free reserves presented in the financial statements. We have also struggled at times manpower wise as we do rely on volunteer support a lot to help us deliver our weekly and monthly programmes and events, meaning there has been a tendency to just deliver our basic activities and events this past year, rather than looking into creating new opportunities.
With this in mind, we have taken further steps to attain social investment funding and have been successful in securing the funds necessary to pay for the assistance of an experienced social investment consultant from Pulse Regeneration who has spent many months working with our team to complete a substantial piece of work which was submitted to a proposed funder, Livv Housing Group, based in Merseyside. The process certainly was cathartic and brought to light a few areas the trustees decided to act upon. Our governance procedures have been updated and we have secured the services of new trustees and directors who joined the charity in October 2024. Audra Molyneux, Tracy McNeill, Jonathan McNeill and Ian McEvoy have between them a wealth of experience in family matters, education, HR and business skills to bring to the charity. A final decision whether we have secured social investment funding is due during the early part of the next financial year. If successful, the charity will be able to look into employing a few people to help with the running of catering services and activity delivery, plus paying for some key improvements to the facilities at The Tunza Centre.
Our partnership work with The Friends Charity, The Rotary Club and other locally based voluntary organisations is flourishing and the support we receive from them and support we can offer them are great highlights of our ongoing work in the community. Our Christmas campaign during the financial year was our busiest yet with hundreds of children and families attending special Christmas parties and events. We had some significant donations to help us with the costs from groups and businesses, including Planet Kids Day Nursery, Laughton & Wallace Plumbing and Heating, The Rotary Club of St Helens, The Providence Hospital Trust, Craig Construction, Rainford's Farm, The 41 Club, Steve Caunce Ltd, The Talbot Bingo Club, The Card Factory, the family of Carol Clarke, plus dozens of supporters who donated via our Wishes Tree and Grand Raffle campaigns.
Although in financial terms it's not been the best year, the charity has achieved many positive landmarks and continues to be one of St Helens most successful social businesses and children's charities with a thriving community hub.
The charity has a net deficit of expenditure over income for the year of £788, (2024: £4,579). The charity held £2,135, (2024: £5,521) in its bank accounts at the year end. Total reserves at the year end were £4,747 (2024: £5,535). Restricted funds at the year end were £6,000, (2024: £6,500).
The trustees, after taking into account all information that could reasonably be expected to be available, consider it appropriate to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
Policy on reserves
Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard (Charities SORP) defines reserves as income which becomes available to the charity and is to be spent at the Trustees' discretion in furtherance of any of the Charity's objectives, but which is not yet spent, committed or designated.
The definition therefore excludes income funds which could only be realised by disposing of fixed assets. Free reserves as at 31 March 2025 are in deficit by £1,253, an increase of £288 from the previous year. The trustees do recognise however, that it would be prudent if the level of free reserves were increased to enable the charity to continue to further its objectives.
As work progresses on the attainment of social investment, the trustees have earmarked areas within The Tunza Centre which require improvement, namely, addressing some cosmetic areas inside the centre, purchasing new refrigeration units for the catering and bar areas, improving the quality of the PA system as well as a few spaces within the garden area. As the centre becomes busier year-on-year, it's been evident for a while that more help is required to run certain aspects of the business. Catering and activity delivery - with funding, the plan is to recruit 2/3 part-time staff who will help with the improvement of cafe and food services and a person who can improve and develop new activity sessions for families to attend. The aim is to have them in situ by September 2025, ready for a new season of events and activities after the summer break.
A bid has been submitted to obtain funds from the newly created St Helens Council Ward Councillors Fund, which, if successful, would see a wooden canopy in the garden area converted into a workable room and a base hub for outdoor activities. The charity has been trying for the past 2 years to secure the necessary funds required and up to now has seen no success. If this funding can be acquired it would add to the portfolio of room availability at The Tunza Centre and increase the number of activities and events taking place in the future.
During this financial year we celebrated another milestone of 21 years since our formation - a landmark we are all very proud of.
The charity is administered by its board of trustees. The board, together with the senior management team, is responsible for formulating the strategy and policies of the organisation.
The company is limited by guarantee and governed by its constitution. The trustees have delegated day to day management of the charity to Mr. I Smith, a trustee.
The trustees are drawn from a variety of backgrounds to ensure the board has the required expertise. All new trustees are subject to an induction process which includes the opportunity to meet with senior management and staff and to visit the centre to see how it operates on a day to day basis.
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' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Tunza's Pride Ltd (the charity) for the year ended 31 March 2025.
Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act 2011.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
The notes on pages 7 to 15 form part of these financial statements.
The notes on pages 7 to 15 form part of these financial statements.
Tunza's Pride Ltd is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is 3 Huyton Avenue, Dentons Green, St Helens, Merseyside, WA10 6LY.
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 charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities not to prepare a statement of cash flows.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors 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.
Raising funds
These are costs incurred in attracting voluntary income and those incurred in trading activities that raise funds.
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 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.
None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration or benefits from the charity during the year.
Mr. I Smith, a trustee, received management and consultancy fees of £13,809 during the year. (2024: £15,400).
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
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.
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.
At the reporting end date the charity had outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases as follows:
During the year the charity entered into the following transactions with related parties:
The charity has been charged consultancy management fees of £13,809, (2024: £15,400) by Alibel, a business run by Mr. I Smith, a trustee. At the year end there are accrued Alibel fees of £16,205 (2024: £22,867).