REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 07384409 (England and Wales)

REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1142171

Report of the Trustees and

Unaudited Financial Statements for the Year Ended 30 September 2025

for

Access Dorset Limited

Page

Report of the Trustees

1

to

11

Independent Examiner's Report

12

Statement of Financial Activities

13

Balance Sheet

14

to

15

Notes to the Financial Statements

16

to

26

The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 30 September 2025. The trustees have adopted the provisions of 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).

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Objectives and Activities

Access Dorset is recognised locally and nationally by individuals and organisations as the leading user-led, pan-impairment disability rights organisation in Dorset. Through our Information and Advice Services, our Crisis Advocacy Service, our Vocational Support Services , our Community Café, our Activity Program, Training and Outreach we are in daily contact with disabled people, older people and carers who self-refer, or are referred by our partner organisations, other voluntary sector organisations and increasingly by statutory authorities.

Access Dorset's purpose as an organisation is to support and champion the lived experience of our constituents, particularly those at the margins, who are isolated because of social circumstances and whose voices are seldom heard. We do this by involving those who have lived experience in the running of our organisation, as Board Members, volunteers and staff. The majority of our Trustees are disabled people.

Too often, adults with disabilities or neurodivergences are marginalised, face long periods of inactivity, experience isolation and chronic loneliness, and encounter barriers that negatively affect their social inclusion and health and wellbeing.

We are committed to the social model of disability and are dedicated to improving health and wellbeing, challenging stereotypes and empowering people to attain their full potential. As a pan-impairment organisation we strive to be inclusive and accessible to all disabled people regardless of impairment, age or any other protected characteristic.

From our base at The Bridge we think of everyone as members of the community we are creating, The people who benefit from our projects, our volunteers, our customers, our staff and our trustees are all members of our community - each of equal worth. Beyond that, some members have additional responsibilities and duties.

Public Benefit

The Board confirms that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the Charity's aims and objectives and in planning future activities. All current and future activities are and will be of direct benefit to the public.

Objects

The founding members of Access Dorset adopted the following objectives which we remain committed to:

" To establish a Centre for Independent Living in Dorset which will provide information and advice, peer support, advocacy and training, and generally supporting people to live independently and improve their life chances

" To develop the capacity and skills of disabled people, carers, older people and other users of support in Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole in such a way that they are better able to identify, and help meet, their needs and to participate more fully in society

Vision

Our vision is a community where disabled people, older adults, and carers-regardless of background or impairment-have the same opportunities, choices, and life chances as everyone else.

We want to end the high levels of inactivity, social isolation, and economic exclusion that disabled adults in England face, which puts them at greater risk of poor physical and mental health.

Volunteer and Beneficiary Activities

With a small team of paid employees Access Dorset is heavily dependent on a team of dedicated volunteers who support the governance, administration and activities of the charity. We would like to say a huge thank you to each and every one of them.

Our volunteers play a vital role in supporting members, running activities, and helping in our café and social events. 15 regular volunteers, over 75% of whom are from the communities we serve, contribute more than 2,050 hours annually to our charity and community.

We provide regular voluntary employment opportunities to eight people with lived experience of disabilities. Volunteering provides each of these individuals with valuable opportunities to gain skills, build confidence, and feel part of a supportive community.

We engage a broad range of volunteers from our community to support and grow our services, including trustees with expertise in finance, social care, and the arts, and volunteers from local organisations through corporate volunteering programmes that bring skills, capacity and fresh perspectives to our work. In 2025, volunteers gave nearly 2,200 hours of their time to enable Access Dorset to improve the lives of disabled people, older people, and carers by promoting inclusion, wellbeing, and greater independence.

Our Volunteers are involved in a range of peer support activities, including Board Membership; Vocational Skills Projects (including our Woodwork and Gardening Groups and our Horizons Café), our Activity Program, Outreach, and our Disability Equality Consultations. We continue to deliver our Volunteer Development Program to volunteers, to ensure that their training and development needs are met. We celebrate all our volunteers' achievements on social media and with our Volunteer of the Month programme.

"Volunteering with Access Dorset has given me a sense of including and contributing, which is really important as people with disabilities experience so much judgement and are excluded. Rejection can make you feel undervalued. Being a forum rep means people can come to us, share feedback and take a role in shaping activities. It's a safe, supportive place and members can make friends, give their ideas and learn together. It's really helped me develop my social and communication skills, and made me a more confident and better person."

Most of those we support have learning disabilities and/or mental health support needs - many previously missed out on opportunities for personal development or are struggling with transition. When our beneficiaries start at The Bridge, they are often anxious, socially isolated, and lacking confidence.

"I love it at Access Dorset! I can do art here, and performing arts. It's the best bit of my week."

We have on average 80 beneficiaries attending activity at The Bridge per week. Before each new beneficiary joins our Activity Program at Access Dorset, they meet one to one with the Activity and Volunteer Lead for an informal discussion. During this meeting, the Activity and Volunteer Lead and new beneficiary will assess the individual's needs and identify a plan for meeting these needs together, using an assessment/application form as a guide.

The main needs of our beneficiaries include support in building self-confidence and self-esteem, reducing isolation, gaining experience, meeting new people, building relationships, building resilience and help in considering next steps. Other needs are either immediately apparent or emerge over time, and might include seeking re-assessment of care needs by Social Care, support around Housing, support to access welfare benefits or appeal decisions.

We receive referrals from Supported Living providers, the NHS Learning Disability Team, Social Workers and other local charities. We also have a strong relationship with YMCA's youth disability project Chatterboxes, Sheiling College, Autism Unlimited and some local schools that refer to us.

Volunteer and Beneficiary Activities (continued)

We support our beneficiaries to undergo training courses when needed, including Makaton Basics, First Aid, Adult Safeguarding, Health and Safety and Food Hygiene. We have introduced nationally accredited vocational training, for example an Entry Level Woodwork course and aim to add other courses around catering and gardening during the year. We are an approved centre with Open College Network.

Risk Management

The Board has appropriate Policies and Procedures in place, which are reviewed annually, to outline, minimise and manage all major risks to the Organisation and observes the methods and principles in the Charities SORP. Access Dorset Staff and Trustees have worked tirelessly to keep our Covid Risk Assessments up to date and have publicised these risk assessments and current protocols to all who visit Access Dorset.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Charitable activities

Access Dorset is delivering key services in what is an extremely challenging environment in a year when the Charity has undergone some radical changes internally. The Charity has come through those challenges this year and is planning for long-term sustainability in the coming year.

Participation in the Activities Programme at Access Dorset has demonstrable benefits for adults with disabilities. Evaluation of the programme shows that the activities increase wellbeing, confidence, social connectedness and overall happiness by providing opportunities for social interaction, skill development and meaningful engagement.

By being more active and socially connected, adults with disabilities can be more mentally resilient. They are less likely to experience chronic loneliness and adverse mental health conditions, and therefore less likely to require as much support from NHS mental health services.

By enabling people with disabilities to develop their practical skills, life skills, and creative art skills, this can help to address the employability gap by enhancing their personal growth, engaging them in meaningful activities, and demonstrating their commitment to a routine to other organisations and potential future employers.

Our programmes provide inclusive, accessible opportunities to build confidence, connect with others, and improve wellbeing, helping participants overcome these barriers and participate fully in their communities.

We are one of many charities that has been challenged by the changes to local authority spend and stiff competition for grant funding. However, Trustees and staff shared and have successfully taken forward our vision for creating a vibrant community hub and establishing an environment where local people can learn, experience, share, and support each other in maintaining an independent quality of life. We are bridging the gap that young disabled people experience in transition to adulthood, the gap between unemployment and employment and the gap between ill-health and self-management of health conditions. We are supporting disabled people in housing and financial crisis and taking great steps to reduce social isolation.

We use quantitative and qualitative methods to report on our impacts including:

- Biannual beneficiary surveys - measure members' levels of satisfaction with activities and services and more specifically improvements in the mental health, physical health, and social connection of participants.

- Bi-Monthly Community Forums - direct feedback from members and understanding of the impact of activities. 3 nominated Community Forum Representatives run the agenda each fortnight, collate meeting minutes, and report to our Board of Trustees on their feedback experiences and suggestions.

- Testimonials and case studies - illustrate real-life examples of how activities positively impact the lives of beneficiaries by highlighting personal stories of change, skill development and well-being.

Information and Advice Service

Access Dorset's Information and Advice Service provides independent, free, peer-led support to disabled people, older people and carers. Enquiries to our service relate to a wide range of issues including:

- Benefits and financial advice

- Rights and discrimination

- Aids and adaptations in the home

- Health and self-management

- Social and leisure activities

- Community Safety

- Transport

Information and Advice Service (continued)

This service currently provides telephone advice 5 days per week aimed at disabled people of all ages (and any impairment type), older people and carers. All Access Dorset staff and volunteers contribute to delivering our Information and Advice Service and each bring different areas of expertise.

Disabled people face the impact of combined cuts to care and support for independent living and welfare benefits. These cuts are having a profoundly negative impact on disabled people's independent living and participation in the wider community. Consequently, there is enormous demand for the provision of free information, advice and support. This has only increased as a result of the pandemic.

Advocacy

We have previously provided a flagship Crisis Advocacy Service for disabled people in housing, health and financial crisis. Independent evaluation highlighted this as an exceptionally successful service that supported disabled people to navigate across and between various statutory and non-statutory services, with the individual in the centre of our holistic approach to support. Although we were able to extend this service from its initial 5-year funding period, we eventually ran out of project funding. We are still routinely approached by services, including Bournemouth Hospital and Adult Social Care, hoping to refer into the service, and we continue to support some of beneficiaries through our building-based activities. Given the demand for this service we still consider it a priority to seek replacement funding to support disabled people who struggle to access more generic support.

Charitable activities

From The Bridge, we support between 70-80 adults with disabilities per week to take part in activities and access support that promotes well-being, builds confidence and foster independence. Our programme incorporates 23 hours of regular scheduled activities each week.

As a user-led organisation, we involve service users in the design and delivery of activities and actively seek their feedback to ensure we meet their needs. This encompasses:

- Horizon Community Café - open Monday to Thursday 12:00-14:00, providing a welcoming, inclusive, space for socialising and connection, with catering and hospitality training for volunteering members.

- Access All Areas Performing Arts Group - a weekly (Monday) session celebrating creativity, movement and expression for people of all abilities, building confidence, self-expression and social skills in an inclusive environment.

- Artisans Art Group / Art for All - twice weekly (Monday & Wednesday) art groups using varied mediums to foster creativity, self-expression and skill development.

- Grow programme - weekly (Wednesday) group supporting members to engage in gardening and outdoor activities that promote wellbeing, independence, and social connection.

- Build programme - weekly (Wednesday) group empowering participants to develop practical skills, confidence, and independence through hands on practical skills and DIY activities.

- Cook programme - group supporting members to learn cookery skills to plan and prepare simple, delicious, healthy meals from scratch (group paused since March 2025 pending volunteers).

- Walking, games & sports - weekly (Wednesday) groups offering adults with disabilities a fun, social space, to connect, play and build relationships.

- Music & Movement - weekly (Tuesday & Wednesday) groups that promote fun, self-expression, and social connection through rhythm and activity.

- Information & Advice Service - providing independent, peer-led support to disabled people, older people and carers with a free telephone advice line supporting 120 hours a year.

We run themed social events for members throughout the year and our social events and outings programme has thrived with beneficiaries choosing activities and designing the programme through our monthly Community Forum and use of our recently implemented suggestion box. This has recently included; a Halloween disco, Christmas lunch, Pride celebrations and LGBTQ+ community event, and bingo nights.

The Bridge also hosts activities provided by local organisation, including a social group run by Autism Unlimited, and weekly adult education courses run by Bournemouth & Poole College and BCP Skills & Learning. The centre is regularly used by other community groups for meetings and events. This includes City Gate Church who use The Bridge on Sundays, and Bournemouth & District Society of Model Engineers, who have a miniature railway at Littledown.

Some of our activities, particularly performing arts, are extremely popular and currently oversubscribed, with waiting lists in place.

Charitable activities (continued)

Through ongoing community engagement, including our twice monthly members' forum, members have told us they would like more cooking and performing arts activities, delivered in a safe, inclusive environment, alongside training to help them cope with bullying and antisocial behaviour that many disabled people experience. There is also growing demand around digital and personal safety, opportunities to develop social skills, and additional wellbeing activities such as relaxation and music therapy.

Horizon Café

Access Dorset currently runs a small Horizons café from The Bridge which is open Monday-Thursday between 12:00-14:00.

The pescatarian café is run by volunteers overseen by the charity's staff and serves a variety of hot and cold drinks, snacks, and lunch items, including sandwiches, toasties, jacket potatoes, pasta, fish fingers, and chips. Items sold in the cafe cost between £1.00-£3.50.

The cafe's total income is approximately £5,000 per year which contributes towards the cost of consumables used during the cafe's operations.

The café provides a supported training environment where adults with disabilities can develop a range of practical, transferable skills. These include preparing and serving food and drinks, handling cash and card payments, cleaning and maintaining equipment, managing stock levels and ordering supplies, and following food hygiene and health and safety procedures. The café also supports individuals to build confidence in interacting with a wide range of people, serving customers, and developing customer service skills. For those who are able and interested, this experience can support progression towards employment by providing valuable, real-world café experience that can be included on their CV and demonstrated to future employers.

In addition to Access Dorset, the cafe's facilities are also used by other community groups who rent The Bridge either regularly or on an ad hoc basis. This includes City Gate Church (who used The Bridge on Sundays), Bournemouth & District Society of Model Engineers (who have a miniature railway at Littledown), Autism Unlimited (who run activity groups three times a month), along with other social gatherings arrange by local community members. The Bridge is currently used by Access Dorset and members of the local community at least 310 days a year.

When the funding for the Food And Energy Support Fund became available we successfully applied to fund an extension of our cooking on a budget group until March 2025 where we will promoted the availability of very low cost, nutritious meals which beneficiaries will learned how to cook and at the same time provided a free Warm Space community meal. Beneficiaries will had the opportunity to learn cooking and budgeting skills, including top tips for healthy shopping on a budget. We will added to this provision an experienced Crisis Support Worker who provided personalised and holistic advice and advocacy to ensure beneficiaries of our cooking on a budget group had support to address the hardship-related challenges they face. The group was aimed at those most impacted by the cost-of-living crisis. Our advocacy support included supporting beneficiaries to apply for small grants, to address furniture poverty for example, to access the benefits to which they were entitled and to access statutory support

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Funding sources

Access Dorset are committed to the implementation of an ongoing Funding Strategy that recognises the need for a healthy mix of income from varied sources to ensure that the charity is not overly dependent on any one particular funding source. Our aim has been to secure a balance between core grant funding, project grant funding, enterprise, business sponsorship, fundraising initiatives and service contracts. The funding environment is currently highly competitive. We are extremely grateful to DOTS Disability for the core grant funding support that it has provided throughout the year, as well as the Trusts and Foundations that have provided both restricted and unrestricted grants to support our activities (including Lloyds Bank Foundation, Peoples Health Trust and Nationwide Building Society, Dorset Community Foundation, Talbot Village Trust, Allice Ellen Cooper Dean Foundation, Valentines Trust and The Big Lottery Fund)

Reserves

In line with Charity Commission guidelines Access Dorset's spends income it receives within a reasonable period of time unless there is a good reason not to. Access Dorset has in place stringent management accounting practices including cash flow forecasting.

Access Dorset's Reserve Policy is to maintain free reserves, which have been calculated to cover costs of redundancy payments to staff and any tax liability. They also cover the cost of the office rental, which would still be due and any other outstanding monies due. These costs are currently estimated at £23,537 and are met through total funds carried forward.

Access Dorset's Reserve Policy aims to build reserves to an optimum six months' operating costs.

FUTURE PLANS

Our key goals remain the same as previous years and are focussed on providing support to disabled people, older people and carers so that we can enjoy the same life chances as others.

Aims

1. To continue to develop The Bridge as a vibrant community resource that provides meaningful personal development opportunities for individuals and promotes positive mental and physical wellbeing within a therapeutic community environment.

2. To secure the long-term sustainability of Access Dorset.

3. To tackle health inequalities by helping to bridge the gap between ill-health and self-management of health conditions.

4. To tackle employment inequalities by helping to bridge the gap between unemployment and employment.

5. To promote independent living and provide welfare benefit support.

6. To challenge disability related hate crime/harassment.

7. To work closely with our voluntary sector partners to strengthen ourselves collectively.

8. To develop as therapeutic community where we value everyone as equal members of the community we are creating.

Objectives

1. We will seek to strengthen and widen our Activity Program at The Bridge to meet demand for meaningful personal development opportunities for individuals and promote positive mental and physical wellbeing within a therapeutic environment.

2. We will review our funding approach and explore ways of reducing our reliance on grants.

3. We will sustain our Vocational Training Opportunities, building on our accredited woodwork course to introduce further courses focused horticulture and our Community Café, providing beneficiaries with transferrable skills and confidence.

4. We will increase the capacity of the charity to meet the demand for information, advice and welfare benefit guidance. We will seek funding to re-introduce our advocacy service.

5. We will look to introduce training and individual support to help disabled and older people to be more in control of their finances and better equipped to manage their affairs digitally.

6. We will introduce new and accessible exercise opportunities for disabled and older people to support them to lead healthier lives and self-manage health conditions.

7. We will introduce new opportunities that bring together people of different backgrounds and ages to reduce social isolation and foster a sense of belonging.

8. We will value our volunteers, develop our Volunteer Development Program and continue to demonstrate our commitment to our volunteers.

9. We will continue to work in partnership with Dorset Healthwatch (who are based with us here at The Bridge) and will support increased use by other organisations and the wider community. Our objective is for The Bridge to be a place of safety and support - vibrant, enterprising, and inclusive.

10. We will build upon our previous work on tackling disability hate crime, prejudice and inequality by continuing to work in partnership with Dorset Police and other statutory and voluntary organisations to raise awareness and celebrate diversity and equality.

11. We will further develop our services and activities at The Bridge with stringent Performance Review and Financial Control systems in use so that the Board of Trustees and Senior Management Team can easily access the information they need to secure the long-term sustainability of Access Dorset.

12. Our goals are far reaching and encompass our broad vision of supporting disabled people, carers and older people to participate more fully in society and have improved life chances. To achieve that we recognise the importance of developing joined up working relationships with a wide range of partners in the community, voluntary, statutory and business community to provide our beneficiaries with the best possible opportunities. We will continue to foster and build partnerships to achieve this.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing document

Access Dorset is a registered charity (No. 1142171) and Company Limited by Guarantee (No. 7384409) and is accountable to both the Charity Commission and Companies House. The charity is governed by a Memorandum and Articles of Association which meets the legal requirements of both those bodies.

The charity is managed by a Board of Trustees and between Annual General Meetings meet quarterly to oversee the business of Access Dorset. New Trustees receive a package of support which includes induction, Trustee training and peer mentoring from fellow Trustees.

The rules of the charity are laid out in full in the Articles of Association. Accordingly, elections to the Board of Trustees are held annually with a third of elected Trustees retiring at each General Meeting. Membership of Access Dorset is free and open to all disabled people, older people and carers living and/or working in the shire of Dorset. Any member can stand for election to the Board and vote at the election. Trustees serve for a maximum term of three years at which stage they retire and can if they chose stand for re-election. Six partner organisations can appoint a representative to the Board of Trustees who become co-opted full members of the Board.

All trustees serve voluntarily and receive no remuneration for their role.

Recruitment and appointment of new trustees

Trustees are elected by the membership of Access Dorset. The Charity is extremely fortunate to have Trustees from a variety of backgrounds and ages whose skills, knowledge and experience combine to help inform and guide the strategic direction of the organisation.

Staffing

The Trustees delegate day to day management of the organisation to the Chief Executive, Jonathan Waddington-Jones until August 2025 when that duty was passed by the Trustees to Jayne McCann, Interim CEO

Access Dorset's staff team currently consists of 4-5 members of staff supported by a team of extremely committed volunteers.

Jonathan Waddington-Jones remained in post as Chief Executive until August 2025 when he resigned. Jayne McCann (Development Manager and then Interim CEO from August 2025), Kamila Gembal (Volunteer and Activity Lead), Naomi Davies (Volunteer and Activity Lead from August 2025) and Karen Davies (Executive Assistant).

Risk management

The Board has appropriate Policies in place, which are reviewed annually, to outline, minimise and manage all major risks to the Organisation and observes the methods and principles in the Charities SORP.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Registered Company number

07384409 (England and Wales)

Registered Charity number

1142171

Registered office

The Bridge

Chaseside

Bournemouth

Dorset

BH7 7BX

Trustees

L M Brooks (resigned 25.9.25)

C L King (resigned 23.4.26)

A E Simpson (resigned 23.4.26)

A S Bule

Ms A Hartland

I Hamilton

Mrs P Hamilton (resigned 23.9.25)

E Down

Independent Examiner

Leighton John Barnes FCCA

LJB Chartered Certified Accountants

Tax & Business Advisors

864 Christchurch Road

Bournemouth

Dorset

BH7 6DQ

Bankers

HSBC Plc, 15 High Street, Christchurch, Dorset BH23 1AF

Senior Management

Jayne McCann - Chief Executive Officer from August 2025

Approved by order of the board of trustees on 14 May 2026 and signed on its behalf by:

I Hamilton - Trustee

Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Access Dorset Limited ('the Company')

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 30 September 2025.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity's trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 ('the 2006 Act').

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity's accounts as carried out under Section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 ('the 2011 Act'). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under Section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner's statement

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:

1.	accounting records were not kept in respect of the Company as required by Section 386 of the 2006 Act; or

2.	the accounts do not accord with those records; or

3.	the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of Section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or

4.

the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities (applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)).

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 accounts to be reached.

Leighton John Barnes FCCA

LJB Chartered Certified Accountants

Tax & Business Advisors

864 Christchurch Road

Bournemouth

Dorset

BH7 6DQ

14 May 2026

30.9.25

30.9.24

Unrestricted

Restricted

Total

Total

funds

funds

funds

funds

Notes

£

£

£

£

INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM

Donations and legacies

2

53,492

59,729

113,221

115,883

Charitable activities

5

Support for disabled people, older people and carers

31,711

-

31,711

25,950

Other trading activities

3

3,819

-

3,819

3,955

Investment income

4

2,326

-

2,326

2,508

Total

91,348

59,729

151,077

148,296

EXPENDITURE ON

Raising funds

6

3,811

673

4,484

4,161

Charitable activities

7

Support for disabled people, older people and carers

118,998

57,576

176,574

173,322

Total

122,809

58,249

181,058

177,483

NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)

(31,461

)

1,480

(29,981

)

(29,187

)

RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS

Total funds brought forward

75,863

35,266

111,129

140,316

TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD

44,402

36,746

81,148

111,129

30.9.25

30.9.24

Unrestricted

Restricted

Total

Total

funds

funds

funds

funds

Notes

£

£

£

£

FIXED ASSETS

Tangible assets

11

4,115

-

4,115

4,762

CURRENT ASSETS

Debtors

12

1,097

-

1,097

1,395

Cash at bank and in hand

58,767

56,104

114,871

176,450

59,864

56,104

115,968

177,845

CREDITORS

Amounts falling due within one year

13

(19,577

)

(19,358

)

(38,935

)

(71,478

)

NET CURRENT ASSETS

40,287

36,746

77,033

106,367

TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES

44,402

36,746

81,148

111,129

NET ASSETS

44,402

36,746

81,148

111,129

FUNDS

14

Unrestricted funds:

General fund

40,123

36,008

Designated fund

4,279

39,855

44,402

75,863

Restricted funds:

Restricted fund

36,746

35,266

TOTAL FUNDS

81,148

111,129

The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 30 September 2025.

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 30 September 2025 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for

(a)	ensuring that the charitable company keeps accounting records that comply with Sections 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006 and

(b)

preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company as at the end of each financial year and of its surplus or deficit for each financial year in accordance with the requirements of Sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to financial statements, so far as applicable to the charitable company.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to charitable companies subject to the small companies regime.

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on 14 May 2026 and were signed on its behalf by:

I Hamilton - Trustee

1.	ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of preparing the financial statements

The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) '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)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.

Income

All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.

Income from grants, whether 'capital' grants or 'revenue' grants, is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred.

Receipt of a legacy, in whole or in part, is only considered probable when the amount can be measured reliably and the charity has been notified of the executor's intention to make a distribution. Where legacies have been notified to the charity, or the charity is aware of the granting of probate, and the criteria for income recognition have not been met, then the legacy is treated as a contingent asset and disclosed if material.

Donated services and facilities

Donated services or facilities are recognised as income when the charity has control over the item, any conditions associated with the donated item have been met, the receipt of economic benefit from the use by the charity of the item is probable and that economic benefit can be measured reliably. On receipt, donated services and facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the charity which is the amount the charity would have been willing to pay to obtain services of facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open market; a corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of receipt.

The time of volunteers is not recognised, refer to the Trustee's annual report for more information about their contribution.

Interest receivable

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the Bank.

Expenditure

Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, 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 accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the 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.

Support costs

Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the charity but do not directly undertake charitable activities. Support costs include back office costs, repairs and maintenance costs, finance etc which supports the charity's activities. All support costs are deemed to relate to charitable activities, any costs related to other income methods are deemed to be immaterial.

Governance costs

Those costs incurred to meet the statutory and constitutional requirements of the charitable company. These are now shown as part of support costs due to the new reporting regulations.

Grants offered subject to conditions which have not been met at the year end date are noted as a commitment but not accrued as expenditure.

Tangible fixed assets

Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life.

Improvements to property

-

in accordance with the property

Fixtures and fittings

-

20% on reducing balance

Computer equipment

-

33% on reducing balance

Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.

Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.

Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.

Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits

The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the charitable company's pension scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate.

Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid after taking account of any discounts due.

Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash held in no notice bank accounts.

Creditors and provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any discounts due.

2.	DONATIONS AND LEGACIES

Grants & donations by project

30.09.25

30.09.25

30.09.25

30.09.24

Unrestricted

Restricted

Total

Total

funds

funds

funds

funds

£

£

£

£

038 - Build

Dorset Community Fund

-

30,000

30,000

12,500

Food & Energy

Dorset Community Fund

-

8,062

8,062

6,342

General Core Income

Lloyds Bank Foundation

14,583

-

14,583

DOTS Disability

8,832

-

8,832

27,164

Other

27,499

-

27,499

38,334

The Big Lottery Fund

-

10,000

10,000

10,000

Activities Program

Peoples Health Trust

-

-

-

11,936

BCP Funded Activities

1,533

-

1,533

716

Talbot Village Trust

-

11,667

11,667

8,334

52,447

59,729

112,176

115,326

General grants & donations

1,045

-

1,045

557

53,492

59,729

113,221

115,883

3.	OTHER TRADING ACTIVITIES

30.09.25

30.09.25

30.09.25

30.09.24

Unrestricted

Restricted

Total

Total

funds

funds

funds

funds

£

£

£

£

Sales of Goods

038 - Build

-

-

-

192

Cafe income

031 - Enterprising Projects

3,819

-

3,819

3,763

3,819

-

3,819

3,955

4.	INVESTMENT INCOME

30.09.25

30.09.25

30.09.25

30.09.24

Unrestricted

Restricted

Total

Total

funds

funds

funds

funds

£

£

£

£

Bank interest

General

2,326

-

2,326

2,508

2,326

-

2,326

2,508

5.	INCOME FROM CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES

30.09.25

30.09.25

30.09.25

30.09.24

Unrestricted

Restricted

Total

Total

funds

funds

funds

funds

£

£

£

£

Provision of Support services

035 - Social Events

General

2,904

-

2,904

934

040 - Cook

Cooking class

1,717

-

1,717

1,705

041 Performing Arts

Drama class

3,686

-

3,686

2,123

Shrek

-

-

-

50

Aladdin

-

-

-

112

Grease

-

-

-

164

042 - Art

Art Class

4,202

-

4,202

1,647

Woodwork Class

-

-

-

70

General

Room hire

1,100

-

1,100

1,200

029 - Room Hire

Room hire

16,831

-

16,831

17,945

Other

Other

1,271

-

1,271

-

31,711

-

31,711

25,950

6.	RAISING FUNDS

Other trading activities

30.09.25

30.09.25

30.09.25

30.09.24

Unrestricted

Restricted

Total

Total

funds

funds

funds

funds

£

£

£

£

Cafe purchases

031 - Enterprising Projects

3,811

673

4,484

4,161

3,811

673

4,484

4,161