FIRST STEP OPPORTUNITY GROUP

Registered charity 1106002 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

First Step provides support for families of children with special needs and/or disabilities and offers a range of services which support children to reach their individual potential, through developmental play and learning.

Objects

TO PROVIDE PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, RESIDING IN THE LONDON BOROUGH OF HAVERING, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT INA CARING ENVIRONMENT THROUGH A WIDE RANGE OF PLAY ACTIVITIES AND EXPERIENCES AND TO OFFER FAMILIES OF SUCH CHILDREN SUPPORT, INFORMATION AND ADVICE, INA FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE OF TRUST AND CONFIDENTIALITY.

Area of benefit: GREATER LONDON

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 · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Havering, London, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£294k

Latest spending

£335k

Registered

2004

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity achieved an unrestricted net surplus of £18,960 for the year ended 31st March 2025, while restricted funds showed a deficit of £60,349. Total net assets decreased to £569,913 from £611,302 in the previous year, with unrestricted funds standing at £213,258. The trustees report that current reserves are just under 9 months of operating costs, which they consider prudent against their policy target of 4 months.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: 4 months operating costs (held: £213k)

“Trustees have adopted a reserves policy whereby the charity needs to have a minimum of 4 months operating costs if no further income were to be received.” — page 6

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

In its annual return the charity told the Commission it is also regulated by: Ofsted (Office For Standards In Education). This is the charity’s own declaration; it is not a rating and has not been verified by the Commission or by this site.

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
Campaigns and political activity 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
Investing charity funds policy and procedures
Investment
Paying staff
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
Trustee expenses policy and procedures
Volunteer management

From the charity’s annual return (Part A, self-declared)

Answers and figures the charity gave in Part A of its annual return to the Charity Commission. They are self-declared: not verified by the Commission or by this site. Only positive answers and figures are listed; items not listed are simply not shown.

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2025

Volunteers: 53
Employees paid over £60,000: 1 (£60,001–£70,000: 1)

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2024

Volunteers: 20
Employees paid over £60,000: 1 (£60,001–£70,000: 1)

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2023

Volunteers: 20

Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

Property (HM Land Registry)

1 registered title in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (0 freehold). All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

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

Trustees · trustee networks

Simon Richard Powellchair
BRUCE MCLAREN ANDERSON
David George Kinder
Gillian Webb
Ian Malcolm Gorsuch
Lynn Topps
Martin Roger Flower Mr
ROISIN McCORRY
Stephen Robert Whatling

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

Operates in: Havering

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2025	£294k	£335k
31/03/2024	£316k	£397k
31/03/2023	£352k	£393k
31/03/2022	£172k	£265k
31/03/2021	£360k	£307k

Common questions

Is FIRST STEP OPPORTUNITY GROUP financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity achieved an unrestricted net surplus of £18,960 for the year ended 31st March 2025, while restricted funds showed a deficit of £60,349. Total net assets decreased to £569,913 from £611,302 in the previous year, with unrestricted funds standing at £213,258. The trustees report that current reserves are just under 9 months of operating costs, which they consider prudent against their policy target of 4 months. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

Who funds FIRST STEP OPPORTUNITY GROUP?

Funders whose own accounts filings name FIRST STEP OPPORTUNITY GROUP as a grant recipient include THE BUZZACOTT STUART DEFRIES MEMORIAL FUND.

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
THE BUZZACOTT STUART DEFRIES MEMORIAL FUND	FY2024	£3k
THE BUZZACOTT STUART DEFRIES MEMORIAL FUND	FY2025	£665

Government & lottery funding

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

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
The National Lottery Community Fund	18/03/2022	£231k	Family First
The National Lottery Community Fund	10/09/2021	£10k	First Step Opportunity Group
City Bridge Foundation	02/12/2010	£111k	Grant to First Step

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

Funder	Similar charities funded	Amount to them
THE GENERATIONS FOUNDATION	1	£41k
THE JOYCE FLETCHER CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£12k
THE NORLAND FOUNDATION	1	£11k
THE CLARE MILNE TRUST	1	£10k
QUARTET COMMUNITY FOUNDATION	1	£7k
DR RADCLIFFE'S TRUST	1	£5k
THE HOBSON CHARITY LIMITED	1	£3k
THE DAVID GIBBONS FOUNDATION	1	£2k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with FIRST STEPS (BATH).

FIRST STEPS (BATH) income £2.0m
FIRST STEPS FAMILY HUBS income £27k
STEP ONE CHARITY income £3.7m
FIRST STEPS NURSERY income £1.5m
THE FIRST STEP LTD income £1.4m
FIRST STEP TRUST income £1.4m

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
FIRST STEP OPPORTUNITY GROUP	£294k	—	—	above	—	no doubt
FIRST STEPS (BATH) FY2025	£2.0m	—	0	within	—	no doubt
FIRST STEPS FAMILY HUBS FY2026	£27k	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
STEP ONE CHARITY FY2025	£3.7m	£80,001 - £90,000	—	below	—	no doubt
FIRST STEPS NURSERY FY2025	£1.5m	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
THE FIRST STEP LTD FY2025	£1.4m	—	0	above	—	no doubt

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.