Annual Review and Impact Report 2025/2026

Extract

Board of Trustees

In Autumn 2025 the Board of Trustees undertook a skills audit and held a visioning meeting to look at ways to enhance and strengthen governance and further support the CEO and delivery team. This resulted in further developing our sub-committees and seeking new expertise to chair and

support each one. Our four sub-committees include Finance and Income Generation, Strategy, Policy and Development, People and Culture, and PR,Communities and Partnerships. A programme of recruitment has ensured additional highly skilled trustees are currently being recruited, and a relevant staff member has been co-opted for each committee. This has further enhanced the relationship between staff and trustees and ensured themomentum for growth.

Thanks to Funders

We are always grateful to our generous funders and supporters and this year more than ever every penny has counted as we havediversified our work and set up our Family

Charity Shop and Community Hub. We needed to generate the highest level of income so far to meet the growing needs of families and to help with longer-term sustainability. Our huge thanks go to all the charitable organisations, trusts and grant givers who we are so lucky to work with and who have supported us this year. Whether this is through one-off, regular or multi-year funds, through donations, expertise or advice, it has all helped us to get where we are today, thank you!

Developing and Diversifying

2025-26 has been another fantastic year and pivotal in our development as we have focussed on income generation and longer-term sustainability. We have diversified our business through establishing the provision of our new specialist Family Charity Shop, Community Hub and e-commerce centre, as well as ensuring the formation of stronger bonds with Dorset Council. Our first step into retail involved an incredible amount of work to transform disused premises into our new outlet which opened on 12th February 2026 in Christchurch by our Patron, local children’s author, Sarah Lean. The hugely successful launch was attended by many of our local funders, businesses, the Charity Retail Association and the local Mayor,as well as other local people and supporters. We are delighted to say that we have been inundated with donations from members of the public and are confident that this will help to bring in essential funds as well as helping the environment, being able to support more families and increasing our profile. ………..

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