2025-12-31-accounts - The Hazards Forum

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

HAZARDS FORUM

ANNUAL REPORT

2025

Registered Charity Number 1047047

Hazards Forum – Registered Charity No. 1047047 Trustees’ Annual Report for the Year ended 31 December 2025

Annual Report and Accounts for the Year Ended 31 December 2025

Contents	Page
Trustees’ Annual Report (including Chair’s statement)	3
Reference and Administrative Information	4
Governance and Management	5
Charitable Objects and Public Benefit	6
Activities and Achievements	7
Financial Review and Reserves	9
Principal Risks and Risk Management	10
Approval of the Trustees’ Report	11
Independent Examiner’s Report	12
Financial Statements	13
Receipts and Payments Accounts	13
Statement of Assets and Liabilities	14
Notes to the Accounts	18

Hazards Forum – Registered Charity No. 1047047 Trustees’ Annual Report for the Year ended 31 December 2025

Trustees’ Annual Report

(including the Chair’s Statement)

The Trustees present their Annual Report and financial statements for the Hazards Forum for the year ended 31 December 2025.

The year has been one of continued delivery and development for the Charity. The Trustees undertook a structured review of the Charity’s operating environment, capabilities, and long-term role, resulting in the development of a new Strategy to 2030. This strategy sets out the Charity’s purpose, vision, and strategic priorities for the coming period and will guide the Trustees’ decisionmaking and allocation of resources going forward.

Through its programme of events, workshops, and collaborative activity, the Charity has continued to provide an independent forum for informed debate on current and emerging hazard and risk issues.

During the year, the Trustees maintained oversight of the Charity’s governance, finances, and activities, ensuring that resources were applied in furtherance of the Charitable Object and that activities delivered public benefit. The Board continued to strengthen governance arrangements in light of the new strategic priorities, recognising the importance of maintaining relevance, credibility, and financial sustainability in a changing risk and policy landscape.

The Trustees are grateful for the continued support of the Charity’s Members, partners, and volunteers, and for the commitment of those who contribute their time and expertise to the Charity’s work. This support remains essential to the Charity’s ability to convene high-quality discussions and to facilitate interdisciplinary learning.

The Trustees believe that the Charity is well-placed to continue delivering its objectives and to build on the progress made during the year, while maintaining a prudent and proportionate approach to governance, risk, and financial management.

Hazards Forum – Registered Charity No. 1047047 Trustees’ Annual Report for the Year ended 31 December 2025

Reference and Administrative Information

Charity name: Hazards Forum

Charity registration number: 1047047

Principal office:

One Great George Street Westminster London SW1P 3AA

Trustees:

Mr Nick Shaw CMgr FCMI MIOD
Ms Ayssar Hanza CEng MEI MIOD
Mr Ian Wallis CEng FIChemE
Mr Peter Stewart CEng FIMechE
Ms Ruth Wilkinson CMIOSH
Eur Ing David M Hirst CEng, Chartered Energy Manager, FICE, FEI
· Dr Owen Keyes-Evans MFPHM MFOM
Mr Matt Stalker MCIM CMktr MCIPR (appointed April 2025)

There were no trustee resignations during the reporting period.

Key management personnel:

Dr Luise Vassie – Head of Membership and Operations

Independent examiner: Stephanie Beeston-Clarke FCCA Beeston-Clarke Accountants Limited 92 Gladstone Street Winsford Cheshire CW7 4AZ

Bankers:

National Westminster Bank plc Strand Branch

Hazards Forum – Registered Charity No. 1047047 Trustees’ Annual Report for the Year ended 31 December 2025

Governance and Management

Hazards Forum is an unincorporated association and a registered charity governed by its constitution, originally adopted in June 1994 and subsequently amended. The Charity is governed by a Board of Trustees who are responsible for setting strategic direction, ensuring good governance, and overseeing the delivery of the Charitable Object.

The constitution provides for a minimum of four and a maximum of eight Trustees. Trustees are elected by the Members or co-opted by the Board in accordance with the governing document, normally for a term of up to three years. Trustees may be re-elected, although it is normal practice for Trustees to serve no more than two terms. All Trustees, including those nominated by member organisations, act in the best interests of the Charity.

The Board normally meets four times per year, with additional meetings held as required. Meetings may be held in person or by videoconference. During the reporting period, the Board met regularly and maintained effective oversight of the Charity’s activities, finances, and risks.

The Trustees are supported by a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), which provides advice on technical and professional matters relevant to the Charitable Object. The TAC operates under terms of reference approved by the Board and reports to the Trustees. The committee normally meets several times per year.

Day-to-day management and administration of the Charity are delegated to the Head of Membership and Operations, within authorities set by the Trustees. The Trustees maintain a clear separation between governance and operational management and review governance arrangements periodically to ensure they remain effective and proportionate.

Hazards Forum – Registered Charity No. 1047047 Trustees’ Annual Report for the Year ended 31 December 2025

Charitable Object and Public Benefit

The Charitable Object of Hazards Forum is to mitigate and reduce hazards and disasters, both human-made and natural, for the public benefit.

In pursuing this object, the Trustees seek to enable interdisciplinary learning and dialogue between professionals involved in the prevention, management, and mitigation of major hazards. The Charity provides an independent forum for discussion, knowledge exchange, and critical debate on current, emerging, and systemic risks affecting society.

In planning and delivering its activities, the Trustees have had due regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and are satisfied that the Charity’s activities during the year have been carried out in furtherance of its Charitable Object. The Charity’s principal activities include the convening of events, workshops, and discussions that bring together practitioners, regulators, academics, and other stakeholders to share experience, explore lessons learned, and improve understanding of hazard and risk management.

The Charity’s activities are directed primarily at professional stakeholders and institutions with responsibilities for managing hazards and safety in complex systems. By informing and influencing those bodies, the Trustees believe the Charity contributes indirectly but materially to public safety, resilience, and the reduction of harm.

Hazards Forum – Registered Charity No. 1047047 Trustees’ Annual Report for the Year ended 31 December 2025

Activities and Achievements

During the year, Hazards Forum continued to deliver its mission of enabling interdisciplinary learning between professionals to support the prevention and mitigation of hazards and disasters, consistent with its charitable object and increasingly aligned with the new purpose and vision agreed by the Trustees in 2025.

The Charity’s primary mechanism for achieving its Charitable Object remains the convening of high-quality events, workshops, and discussions on topics of current and emerging relevance. During the reporting period, the Charity delivered a programme of in-person, hybrid, and online activities addressing a range of hazards and systemic risk issues, including risk communication, mitigating the impact of space weather on critical infrastructure, unlocking the UK's potential in smart machines, navigating the complexities of cascading and interconnected hazards, and achieving effective interdisciplinarity in respect of learning.

These activities brought together professionals from engineering, safety, regulation, academia, and industry, creating opportunities for the exchange of knowledge, challenge, and learning across disciplinary boundaries. Attendance at events was provided at no cost to employees of member organisations and other stakeholders, supporting broad participation and access.

In addition to its formal events programme, the Charity’s interest groups met regularly throughout the year, providing members with further opportunities to explore specific topics in greater depth and to share experience and learning.

The Charity also continued to enhance the accessibility and reach of its work by publishing event outputs and recordings, where appropriate, through its website and digital channels. This has enabled learning generated through the Charity’s activities to reach audiences beyond those able to attend events in person.

The Trustees consider that the activities delivered during the year have furthered the Charitable Object and provided clear public benefit by strengthening professional understanding of hazards, risk, and safety in complex systems.

Hazards Forum – Registered Charity No. 1047047 Trustees’ Annual Report for the Year ended 31 December 2025

Financial Review and Reserves

The financial statements for the year are set out in this report and have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis.

The accounts show a net surplus for the year of £1,600 (2024: £7,455). This surplus reflects continued control of costs and broadly stable underlying membership income. The apparent reduction in subscription income reflects the timing of cash receipts around the year end rather than a reduction in members or subscription rates.

The trustees aim to maintain unrestricted reserves equivalent to approximately one year’s income to ensure the Charity can continue its activities should there be a temporary reduction or delay in membership subscription income.

At year end, unrestricted reserves were £46,590 (£2024: £44,990). This represents slightly more than one year of income for the year (£39,263). The trustees consider this level appropriate given the Charity’s reliance on membership subscriptions as its principal income stream and the potential for timing variations in subscription receipts under the receipts and payments accounting basis. The trustees will continue to monitor reserves against this policy in future years.

The Trustees keep the Charity’s financial position under regular review. Income is derived primarily from membership subscriptions, supplemented by eventrelated income and bank interest. Expenditure is largely incurred in delivering the Charity’s activities and in supporting governance and administration.

Surplus funds are held in short-term deposits. The Trustees do not consider it appropriate to undertake higher-risk investments and seek to manage funds in a prudent and proportionate manner.

The Trustees recognise that maintaining financial sustainability will be critical to delivering the ambitions set out in the Strategy to 2030 and continue to monitor income, expenditure, and reserves as part of their oversight of the Charity’s affairs.

Hazards Forum – Registered Charity No. 1047047 Trustees’ Annual Report for the Year ended 31 December 2025

Principal Risks and Risk Management

The Trustees recognise that effective identification and management of risk are essential to the delivery of the Charitable Object. The Trustees have reviewed the risks to which the Charity is exposed and are satisfied that appropriate systems and controls are in place, proportionate to the size and activities of the Charity.

Responsibility for risk oversight rests with the Board of Trustees. Risks are reviewed periodically and considered as part of the Charity’s planning, decisionmaking, and governance processes. The Trustees maintain a risk register which is used to identify, assess, and monitor risks and to ensure that appropriate mitigations are in place.

The Trustees consider the principal risks facing the Charity to fall within the following broad categories:

Financial sustainability , including reliance on membership income and the need to maintain adequate reserves to support ongoing activities.
Reputational risk , including the potential impact of controversial content, speakers, or events on stakeholder confidence.
Compliance risk , relating to the Charity’s obligations under charity law and other applicable regulatory requirements.
Operational and delivery risk , including the capacity to deliver safe, high-quality events and to maintain effective engagement with members and stakeholders.

The Trustees have taken steps to mitigate these risks through appropriate governance arrangements, financial controls, policies and procedures, oversight of public-facing activity, and regular engagement with members and key stakeholders.

The Trustees will continue to review and strengthen risk management arrangements to ensure that risks remain within acceptable levels and that the Charity is well-placed to deliver its Charitable Object.

Hazards Forum – Registered Charity No. 1047047 Trustees’ Annual Report for the Year ended 31 December 2025

Approval of the Trustees’ Report

The Trustees confirm that they have approved the Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2025.

Signed on behalf of the Board of Trustees:

Peter Stewart

Chair of the Board of Trustees

Date: 10[th] March 2026

Hazards Forum – Registered Charity No. 1047047 Trustees’ Annual Report for the Year ended 31 December 2025

Independent Examiner's Report

I report to the Trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Hazards Forum for the year ended 31 December 2025 which are set out on pages 11 to 13.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity Trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts as required under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

1) accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
2) that accounts do not accord with those records; or
3) that accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than the requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view’ which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

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.

St ep h an i e B ees t on- Cl ar k e FCCA Beeston-Clarke Accountants Ltd 92 Gladstone Street Winsford Cheshire CW7 4AZ Dated: 23 March 2026

Relevant Professional Body: Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)

Hazards Forum – Registered Charity No. 1047047 Trustees’ Annual Report for the Year ended 31 December 2025

Financial Statements

Receipts!&!Payments!Account! for!the!year!ended!31!December!2025!

		2025	2024
RECEIPTS	Unrestricted funds		Unrestricted funds
Membershipsubscriptions	37,450		45,515
Events&meetings	1,500		2,160
Bankinterest	313		411
Facilitation	-		-
Totalreceipts	39,263		48,086
PAYMENTS
Administration&support	8,953		11,057
Committeemeetingexpenses	255		192
Events&meetings	1,730		3,329
Subscriptionstootherbodies	512		496
Publicity&promotions	5,383		5,837
GraphicDesign	182		-
Website	3,782		3,442
Facilitation	-		900
TACManagement	14,651		14,675
Insurance	76		131
LegalAdvice	1,539		-
Postage	-		1
Bankcharges	-		1
Independentexamination	600		570
Totalpayments	37,663		40,631
Netreceipts/(payments)	1,600		7,455
Cashfunds&othermonetaryassetslastyearend	44,990		37,535

Cashfunds&othermonetaryassetsthisperiodend		46,590	44,990

Hazards Forum – Registered Charity No. 1047047 Trustees’ Annual Report for the Year ended 31 December 2025

Statement!of!Assets!and!Liabilities! as!at!31!December!2025!

	2025!	2024!
CASH!FUNDS!	Unrestricted! funds!	Unrestricted! funds!
Cash!at!bank!	4,904!!	1,799!!
Short!term!deposits!	28,251!!	30,938!!
	33,155!!	32,737!!
OTHER!MONETARY!ASSETS!
Funds!held!by!the!Institution!of!Civil!Engineers!	13,435!!	12,253!!
Total!cash!funds!&!other!monetary!assets!	46,590!!	44,990!!
ASSETS!
	!!!!!-!!!	!!!!!-!!!
LIABILITIES!
Independent!Examination!	660!!	600!!
Suppliers!	3,202!!	2,637!!
Subscriptions!paid!in!advance!	12,970!!	14,295!!
	16,832!!	17,532!!

The!receipts!&!payments!accounts!were!approved!by!the!Trustees!on!10[th] !March!2026! and!were!signed!on!their!behalf!by:!

Pete!Stewart! Chair!of!Trustees!

Hazards Forum – Registered Charity No. 1047047 Trustees’ Annual Report for the Year ended 31 December 2025

Notes to the Accounts

for the year ended 31 December 2025

1. Responsibilities of the Trustees

The Trustees are responsible for maintaining adequate accounting records that disclose, with reasonable accuracy, the financial position of the Hazards Forum and for taking reasonable steps to safeguard the assets of the Charity and to prevent and detect fraud and other irregularities.

In preparing the financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently;
· make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and
· prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis, unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Charity will continue in operation.

2. Accounting Policies

The Hazards Forum is a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. The financial statements have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis.

a) Basis of accounting . The accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention.
b) Income recognition . Income is recognised on a receipts basis.
c) Expenditure recognition . Expenditure is recognised in the period in which it is paid and includes any irrecoverable VAT. Costs are allocated to the activity to which they relate directly. The majority of the Charity’s expenditure relates to the furtherance of its charitable activities. The Charity does not incur fundraising costs.
d) Donated facilities and services (in-kind support). The Charity receives support in kind from professional engineering institutions and other bodies, including the provision of meeting and event facilities. It is not practicable to place a consistent monetary value on such support and it is therefore not recognised in the accounts, although material items may be disclosed by way of note.

3. Related Party Transactions

No Trustees received remuneration for their services during the year.

During the year, committee expenses and event catering costs totalling £512 (2024: £655) were reimbursed to one Trustee.

The Charity received donations in kind during the year, comprising the provision of meeting and event facilities valued at £3,460 from the Institution of Civil Engineers (2024: £5,860). AtkinsRéalis, British Pipeline Agency (BPA) and Costain Group provided meeting facilities valued at £1,000, £500 and £1000 respectively each during the year (2024: £nil).