OVERVIEW
We successfully increased our income in 2024/2025 through a combination of grants and increasing some of our charging rate to move towards a full cost recovery model. This has enabled us to make a small operating surplus to help replenish our depleted cash reserves currently standing at 2 months operating costs against a long-term free cash reserves target of 6 months operating costs.
It continued to be another challenging year for our learning-disabled service users. The cost-of-living crisis continued throughout the year with rising food inflation at 3.1% and gas prices at 7.8%.
These cost increases exacerbated the pre-existing disability price tag, estimated at £900 a month for our service users, to live the same quality of life as their non-disabled peers. So where possible we continued to hold down our prices to ensure we did not financially exclude vulnerable people from our provision.
We trust that the new government will listen to representation from the learning disability sector in the upcoming Spring Statement to only make changes to the Personal Independence Payment entitlement based on fairness and equality as our service users are extremely nervous and worried about the financial impact any changes will have on their future quality of life and ability to assess our vital services.
However, as stated last year, seeking continued subsidisation of our core services by grant awarding Trusts, Foundations and Lottery income is not financially sustainable in the medium to long term so we aim, over the next 2 years, to ensure all frontline services move towards full cost recovery. This will be achieved by improved productivity, cost reduction, increasing attendance and where possible increased charges for new and innovative activities in demand from the client base.
One such example is the successful investment of £120,000 in 2024 by The Wolfson Foundation, Will Charitable Trust and Basingstoke and Deane Community Infrastructure Levy in a new 100m2 creative space and new solar powered toilet block at our Greenfingers site. This will not only improve the experience for existing service users but allow us to migrate some of our Leisure Service activities to this new facility by the end of 2025 saving significant annual community hall hire costs.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
The charity continued with our plan of improving both the quality and breadth of the services that we offer. During the year our main charitable activities were as follows:
Adult Day Care Provision = 9,000 hours of provision benefitting 19 service users
Supported Volunteering = 3,200 hours of provision benefitting 8 service users
Leisure Services = 7,000 hours of provision benefitting 120 service users
Gardening in the Community = 900 hours of provision benefitting 120 clients
1-2-1 Home Support = 2,600 hours of provision benefitting 13 service users
IRIS Suicide Ideation Project (NEW) = 3,240 hours of provision benefitting 180 service users
Regular Volunteers = 3,200 hours of provision with a total gift-in-kind contribution valued at just over £48,000 of skilled and non-skilled support across our operations.
KEY EVENTS AND DEVELOPMENTS
Successful monthly plant sales and Christmas Events at Greenfingers.
Significant capital investment secured for a new 100m2 flexible space and new toilet facilities.
New partnership formed with Sovereign Network Group for winter garden clearance contract for Gardening in the community that will generate further public engagement as well as grass cutting and land maintenance contracts in the future.
Delivery of the new IRIS Project that we hope will lead to multi-year BIG Lottery funded programme for 2025-2027.
PUBLIC BENEFIT STATEMENT
Our principal charitable object as laid down in our Memorandum of Understanding and Articles of Association is the promotion of any charitable purpose for the benefit of people with learning disabilities and their carers in Basingstoke and Deane through advancement of education, health and relief of poverty, distress and sickness. We believe that our existing services, detailed below, continue to effectively tackle these key inequalities for our target beneficiaries in and around the Basingstoke area.
Trustees are mindful of potential upcoming local authority boundaries changes in the South East and will keep our charitable area under review in consultation with the Charity Commission.
Our overall aim is to support local people with learning disabilities with the objective of leading fulfilling and happy lives through life-long meaningful occupation, leisure and social activities. Currently we offer 4 main charitable activities.
Our 1:1 non-medical home support service offers our elderly learning-disabled residents vital help with banking, cleaning, cooking in their homes, shopping attending appointments and visiting new places.
Our Leisure Service offers a wide range of activities from cooking to sports, bingo to discos, music, dance and life skills.
Our Gardening in the Community service offers to help local residents with disabilities keep their gardens tidy and accessible and thereby maintain their physical and mental health.
Our Adult Day Care Service (also known as Greenfingers) at the Elizabeth Road allotment site in Basingstoke is a 2-acre site that provides a safe and welcoming environment for learning-disabled people to spend time, learn new horticulture and woodworking skills, build friendships and develop their self-confidence.
GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT
Conflicts of Interest
A conflict of interest arose in relation to a contract with Inclusion Education, of which one trustee is CEO. The trustee declared the conflict and withdrew from all discussions and decisions relating to this matter. The remaining trustees agreed the contract in accordance with the charity’s conflicts of interest policy.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
Financial position.
Please refer to the attached accounts for details about the financial performance of the charity. Questions about financial performance may be submitted to our Office Manager on office@basingstokemencap.org.uk in advance of, or at, our Annual General Meeting held in April.
Principal Funding Sources
The charity benefitted from grants and donations in the period April 2024- March 2025. These include;
Basingstoke & Deane Strengthening Communities Fund
Garfield Weston Foundation
Four Lanes Trust
Hampshire County Council
SNG Thriving Communities Fund
SNG Commercial Contract
National Lottery Awards for All
Inclusion Education Contract
Basingstoke & Deane Community Infrastructure Levy
NISA Award
The Will Charitable Trust
The Wolfson Foundation