SUFFOLK BEFRIENDING SCHEME FOR PEOPLE WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES

Registered charity 1074800 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as SUFFOLK BEFRIENDING SCHEME, THE BEFRIENDING SCHEME

Operates groups for adults with learning disabilities and other vulnerable individuals to socialise and make friends. Volunteers befriend individuals one-on-one or assist in Groups, offering various activities in Sudbury, Lowestoft and Haverhill. Regular group outings for meals, cinema, and bowling. Advocacy services, telephone befriending, community care farm, gardening, life skills

Objects

For the public benefit, to relieve people and their families who are disadvantaged by reason of age, learning disability, physical disability, ill mental health or financial hardship in particular but not exclusively by the provision of community, recreational, educational and befriending services in the region of East Anglia

Area of benefit: SUFFOLK AND THE ANGLIAN AREA

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: Education/training · The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives · Disability · Amateur Sport · Animals · Economic/community Development/employment · website · Get email alerts

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that total income increased by nearly 40% to £439,228, resulting in a net surplus of £29,705 for the year. Total funds carried forward rose to £318,452, with unrestricted reserves at £133,764. The trustees maintain a reserves policy of six months' core expenditure to cover potential closure costs and legal liabilities.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

• Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
• Complaints handling
• Complaints policy and procedures
• Conflicting interests
• Financial reserves policy and procedures
• Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
• Internal risk management policy and procedures
• Risk management
• Safeguarding policy and procedures
• Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
• Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
• Social media policy and procedures
• Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
• Volunteer management

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — The Befriending Scheme (matched by registered charity number).

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2021)

Reported reserves equal ~6.3 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 7.1 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (37% of income) — components as reported reconcile to the return’s total income; not from the accounts narrative.

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 0.1% of total income — below the median for charities its size (3.0%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

• Adam Liam Brunning
• Belinda Hooke
• Jeremy Darrell Morgan
• Melissa Jo Wiggins

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Cambridgeshire · Essex · Norfolk · Suffolk

Income and spending

Common questions

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).