Big Life Centres (a company limited by guarantee)
Annual Report
Year Ended
31 March 2023
Company Number 03311884 Charity Number 1062333
Report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023
Big Life Centres
Contents
Page:
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1 Legal and administrative information
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2 Directors' and trustees' report
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9 Statement of trustees' responsibilities 10 Independent auditor's report
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14 Statement of financial activities
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15 Balance sheet
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16 Notes to the financial statements
Big Life Centres
Legal and administrative information for the year ended 31 March 2023
| Directors and Trustees | |
|---|---|
| of the charity: | M Fitzgibbon |
| F Selvan | |
| E Robinson | |
| S Islam | |
| A Rafferty (Resigned 1 April 2022) | |
| L Symonds | |
| Secretary: | M Fitzgibbon |
| Principal and | |
| Registered Office: | 1stFloor |
| 463 Stretford Road | |
| Manchester | |
| England | |
| M16 9AB | |
| Company Number | 03311884 |
| Charity Number | 1062333 |
| Website | www.thebiglifegroup.com |
| Constitution: | The charity is registered as a company limited by |
| guarantee. The governing documents are the | |
| company’s memorandum and articles of association. | |
| Bankers: | Santander |
| Bridle Road | |
| Bootle | |
| Merseyside | |
| L30 4GB | |
| External Auditor: | Beever and Struthers |
| One Express | |
| 1 George Leigh Street | |
| Manchester | |
| M4 5DL |
1
Directors' and trustees’ report for the year ended 31 March 2023
Big Life Centres
The directors and trustees are pleased to present their report together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2023.
Legal and administrative information set out on page 1 forms part of this report. The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements, the Memorandum and Articles of Association and the Statement of Recommended Practice "Accounting and Reporting by Charities".
1 Structure, Governance and Management
Status
Big Life Centres is a company limited by guarantee, (company number 03311884), and a registered charity (number 1062333) governed by its memorandum and articles of association.
Directors and Trustees
The Trustees serving during the year were as follows.
M Fitzgibbon F Selvan E Robinson S Islam A Rafferty (Resigned 1 April 2022) L Symonds
Recruitment and Training of Trustees
As set out in the Articles of Association, the Chair and other Trustees are appointed by The Big Life Company Limited by sending a notice in writing to the Charity.
The training and induction of new Trustees is the responsibility of the Chair and is tailored to the individual needs of new appointees. All Trustees have a one to one meeting with the Chair each year to discuss training and development needs.
The Standing Orders of the charity give details of the decisions which are made at Board level and the powers delegated to the management team.
Organisational Management
The Board of Trustees evaluate and agree the priorities of the organisation as a whole and sub committees of the Board determine the general policies. Big Life Centres is part of the Big Life Group of social businesses and charities. It contracts with The Big Life Company Limited for the provision of corporate services through a Service Level Agreement.
Risk Management
The directors have identified the risks that the charity may be exposed to in the next financial year and have established strategies to mitigate those risks. A risk management process is in place whereby risks are identified and profiled against likelihood and consequence, with actions put in place. Each risk is assigned to a member of the Senior Management Team.
2
Directors' and trustees’ report for the year ended 31 March 2023 (continued)
Big Life Centres
Key Management Personnel - Remuneration
Big Life Centres consider its key management personnel to be trustees and senior leadership of the group. Full costs are borne by The Big Life Company Limited and disclosed in those accounts. The costs of the charity’s key management personnel relating to Big Life Centres are paid for as part of an overall service level agreement with The Big Life Company Limited that is annually agreed by Big Life Centres trustees.
Remuneration of the senior leadership within the group is set by the group’s Audit & Remuneration Committee based on benchmarking against comparable external organisations.
2 Objects of the charity
The charity’s object and principal activity is to promote and provide initiatives to advance wellbeing. It is a charity which offers opportunities to people who have had a raw deal in life to change their lives for the better. It is an independent charity which works within the Big Life Group.
The charity manages three health and community resource centres including the Energise Centre in Salford and the Zion and Kath Locke Centres in Manchester as well as the Wesley Community Furniture project. It also delivered Be Well in Manchester, Wellbeing Matters in Salford, the Living Well and Achieve contracts in Bolton, Salford and Trafford. This year Big Life Centres piloted a welfare service for people on remand, working with a variety of voluntary sector providers.
3 Statement of public benefit
The Trustees have given due consideration to Charity Commission published guidance on the operation of the public benefit requirement. Full details of the public benefit provided by the charity are detailed in the review of activities in section 4.
4 Review of activities
Big Life Centres provide community and self-help services to support people to improve their health and wellbeing. The charity manages two healthy living centres in Manchester (Zion and Kath Locke Centres) alongside Wesley Community Furniture Project, and a healthy living centre in Salford (Energise). The charity also delivers social prescribing services in Manchester (Be Well) and Salford (Wellbeing Matters), as well as Living Well in Rochdale, and Achieve, drug and alcohol service in Bolton, Salford and Trafford. This year Big Life Centres piloted a welfare service for people on remand, working with a variety of voluntary sector providers. During the year, Big Life Centres achieved the following
Manchester Healthy Living Centres: Zion and Kath Locke
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Zion and Kath Locke Centres welcomed 21,334 visitors (2022:11,990), while 3,517 people attended faceto-face activities / peer support groups and an additional 444 people joined our online Anxiety and Depression Peer Support Groups running weekly.
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This year, new activities and peer support groups were introduced to our centres including Music Therapy, Art Therapy, Long-Covid peer support group and a Bump to Baby group, while we re-opened our Zion Community Café doors to the public alongside a Community Shop offering fresh produce, healthy meals, and household staples in affordable prices.
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The very first Big Life Festival took place at Kath Locke Centre during October half-term bringing together Manchester Services to promote their offer while attendees had the chance to enjoy wellbeing activities available on the day.
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On International Women’s Day, Zion Centre hosted an event including a variety of wellbeing activities alongside a showing of the Everywoman Menopause film, a Whisper Sisters and Reel Films Manchester Production which premiered at Whitworth Art Gallery earlier this year. The International Women’s Day event, funded by the Neighbourhood Investment Funding (NIF), was attended by 33 women who also sampled our Community Café food, and received healthy eating information and recipes alongside a box of handmade chocolate truffles.
3
Big Life Centres
Directors' and trustees’ report for the year ended 31 March 2023 (continued)
Wesley Furniture Project
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Wesley Furniture Project welcomed approximately 18,000 people, while over 55,000kg of items were saved from landfill.
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Wesley Furniture Project was featured in The Sue Colman Antiques Adventure television show on Channel 5, and our community offer was also promoted on local FM radio.
Salford Healthy Living Centre: Energise
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Energise healthy living centre welcomed 21,255 visitors, while 4,281 people attended our activities and peer support groups taking place in the centre.
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This year, new activities and peer support groups were introduced to the centre including Creative Writing, Holistic Share, Warm Club and a Women’s Peer Support Group, while the Energise Centre secured funding via Tesco’s Community Grants for a healthy cooking initiative.
Be Well
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This year, Be Well supported 10,178 people while 1,628 young people from the city’s most deprived areas benefited from our 16Up pilot offering health and wellbeing coaching alongside therapeutic interventions and activities.
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In March, the Be Well team got together to celebrate National Prescribing Day with a variety of activities and sessions across Manchester promoting our service and connecting residents, health professionals and providers.
Wellbeing Matters
- Wellbeing Matters supported 3,669 people this year while an additional 4,666 people attended community groups and activities. Mental Health and Social Support were the highest reason for referrals into the service while majority of service users reported significant improvements to their health and wellbeing at the point of discharge.
Living Well
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This year, Living Well supported over 4,000 people across the borough and we continue to reach people in areas of deprivation.
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In 2023 our Champions offered 33,327 hours of support and ran 56 events over the course of the year, delivered over 300 hours of training, and had 9,110 attendances at walking groups.
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Living Well was asked to be the lead organisation with partners for the climate action fund around biodiversity and have been successful in the first stage of receiving funding to bring partners together to co-produce the plan.
4
Big Life Centres
Directors' and trustees’ report for the year ended 31 March 2023 (continued)
Achieve Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service
- The Achieve Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service operated across Bolton, Salford, Trafford and Bury and supported 3440 referrals through Assertive Outreach (2022: 2117). The service looks to engage people into structured treatment and re-engage with those who struggle to comply with treatment or have dropped out of treatment. The service aim is to decrease the numbers of high risk individuals losing contact with structured treatment, reduce unsuccessful completions of treatment, and engage with new clients.
The increase in referrals relates to the Achieve increasing its geographical and specialist capacity in Bury and developing specialist criminal justice and rough sleeper teams. The new teams are funded through The Supplementary Substance Misuse Treatment Grant (SSMTG) and The Rough Sleepers Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant (RSDATG), secured as part of the Achieve partnership.
The Achieve team also provided Blood Borne Virus (BBV) spot checks in communities, in support of eliminating Hepatitis C and provided Drug and Alcohol training for partners services, so they are up to date on current practise and challenges.
Welfare service pilot (GMIRS)
- Big Life Centers has led a partnership of local Greater Manchester organisations, in delivering the Greater Manchester Integrated Rehabilitative Service (GMIRS), supporting people on probation with their wellbeing and welfare needs.
The services was jointly commissioned by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) to work in the community and support people on probation. The service aims to help individuals meet their goals and aspirations. When people work with us, they benefit from the partnership’s in-depth local knowledge and well-known, convenient locations. The mission of the service is to make sure that people have all the tools, information and support they need to succeed while on probation.
Each provider runs a local hub and a one stop shop into which people on probation can be referred into by their offender manager. Until March 2022, we received 1008 referrals and supported 600 people. The service provides assessment and support using Triangle consultancies HomeStar, which provides support across ten areas of a person life. In the pilot most people accessed support for their wellbeing (25%), their living situation (23%) and their money (24%).
After a mobilisation period the pilot service operated from September 2022 to September 2023. We have been successful in bidding for the fully commissioned service will start September 2023.
5 Principal risks and uncertainties
A risk management process is in place whereby risks are identified and profiled against likelihood and consequence, with actions identified. Each risk is assigned to a member of the Senior Management team.
There remains uncertainty around the renewal of a number of our existing Public Health contracts in their current form given the likelihood that Local Authorities’ budgets will be tight. Over the years we have developed good relationships with commissioners which we will use going forward to influence commissioning decisions.
Changes in the economic climate and government policy remain high on the agenda as they impact on our income and costs. Rising fuel bills have already begun to increase expenditure and we are predicting increasing wage costs in line with inflation. There is a risk that we will not be able to recover these costs through increased income and will need to reduce performance to balance budgets.
5
Big Life Centres
Directors' and trustees’ report for the year ended 31 March 2023 (continued)
At an operational level services provided by the Group are subject to legislative and quality standards, including CHAS (the Health and Safety Quality Standard), ISO 9001 and 14001.Failure to maintain these standards would impact on the Group’s ability to retain and win contracts, therefore services are constantly reviewed and audited, and appropriate action taken to ensure targets are met and exceeded.
6 Related parties
The charity forms part of the “ Big Life Group ” of social enterprises and charities. This includes The Big Life Company Limited , a not for profit company limited by guarantee, of which one of the company's directors, F Selvan, is the sole guarantor. The Group also includes Self Help Services Ltd and Big Issue North Trust Ltd.
Self Help Services Ltd is an independent charity within the Big Life Group and is a user led primary care mental health service offering self-help groups, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), computerised CBT, counselling, volunteering and peer support.
Big Issue North Trust Ltd is an independent charity within the Big Life Group and provides services to vendors of Big Issue Magazine; including assistance with access to health care services, accommodation and addiction services.
With effect from 1 April 2022 Big Life Schools is no longer consolidated in the Group accounts as control has changed.
7 Financial Review
In 2023 income increased to £7,983,957 (2022: £7,603,259) with a corresponding increase in expenditure to £7,880,978 (2022: £7,512,498). The net incoming resources for the year amounted to £102,979 (2022: £90,761). At the year-end restricted funds total £34,545 (2022: £18,945) and unrestricted funds total £2,220,107 (2022: £2,132,728).
8 Key performance indicators
Targets are set and are monitored during the year, and their progress included within the Board Reports. They are categorised under three objectives:
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We will work with more people and places to create opportunities and inspire change
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We will be a good business with our social mission at the heart of all we do
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We will have an organisation that enables us to work in the Big Life Way
9 Reserves policy and going concern
At the year end the Reserves Policy is reviewed for all companies in the Group.
The aim of Reserves is to:
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Reduce the risks to service delivery and operations should income levels fall for a period.
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• Allow entry into new projects and initiatives that require investment, be paid in arrears or that may not be profitable in the early periods.
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Facilitate investment in capital assets
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Ensure that, should a contract end, funds are available to allow redeployment of staff.
Reserve Level
Target free reserves (net of Fixed Assets) are based on three months’ salary levels and should be built up to that level where possible. If the level of reserves at the end of a financial year exceeds the target aim, then plans will be made to ensure that excess reserves are utilised.
At 31 March 2023 Big Life Centres held unrestricted funds of £2,220,017 (2022: £2,132,728).
Big Life Centres
Directors' and trustees’ report for the year ended 31 March 2023 (continued)
The current target level of reserves is £998k and the actual level of free reserves at 31 March 2023 was £1,120k (2022: £1,089k). Trustees are planning major investments in the charity’s infrastructure to improve service delivery in the near future.
The directors are of the view that all companies in the Group are a going concern.
10 Future developments
The Big Life Group is in the business of changing lives and we fight inequality by working with people and places to create opportunities and inspire change. All our services work with people to support areas of their life and help remove obstacles which are barriers to individuals in changing their life for the better. We help people see the skills and support they already have so that they can build on it and reach their full potential.
Our work is done in the Big Life Way namely:
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Community led : We work with people and communities to change the things they want to change, build on their strengths, and respond to their aspirations.
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First class : We believe all people deserve a first-class service which develops their resilience, is led by them, and responds to their priorities.
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Listen, learn and change : We know that we can always improve. We listen and learn from the people we work with and the world around us to take action to change things that aren’t right.
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Never give up : Everyone has the capacity to change, but we know it’s not always easy. That’s why we celebrate every achievement, and we never give up.
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People not problems : We work with people on all areas of their lives. We see the skills and potential in everyone and value their life experience.
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Tread new ground : We are not afraid to tread new ground and innovate to respond to new challenges.
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Work in partnership : We work in partnership with people and other organisations to achieve more together than we can alone.
The Group’s Business Plan 2020-25 has identified three key work priorities over the next five years which include
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(1) To work with more people and places to create opportunities and inspire change:
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To work with more people to support them in all areas of their life.
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To have volunteer opportunities in every service.
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To increase the opportunities for people to engage with our services through the use of technology, such as online chats, video conferencing and virtual reality.
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To develop place-based plans for every area we work in, and develop partnerships and integrated working.
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(2) We will be a ‘good’ business with our social mission at the heart of all that we do:
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To grow in our existing geographies to diversify our offer and move into new areas where there is an opportunity to develop significant roots to anchor ourselves in a community.
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To increase feedback to continually improve the quality of what we do.
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To invest in our assets and technology and ensure we maximise efficiency and the quality of our data to drive service improvement.
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To reduce our carbon footprint and implement agile working.
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• To ensure we have an appropriate legal structure that works for us and the people we work with.
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Big Life Centres
Directors' and trustees’ report for the year ended 31 March 2023 (continued)
(3) We will have an organisation that enables us to work in the Big Life Way:
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To have management structures, IT systems and change processes that facilitate staff and services working together.
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To deliver our workforce strategy, ensuring we have diverse, trained and happy staff, as evidenced by achievement of Best Companies 3-Star accreditation.
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To have trained Multi-Modality Practitioners in every service and ensure all staff will be trained in strengths based approaches.
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To develop tools for people to have control of their own stories and data.
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To ensure Service user engagement shapes our services.
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To ensure all our services are informed by research and evaluation, and to measure the impact of our work.
11 Provision of information to auditor
Each of the persons who are Directors at the time when this Directors' and Trustees' Report is approved has confirmed that:
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there is no relevant information, being information needed by the auditor in connection with preparing their report, of which the company’s auditor is unaware, and
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the trustees, having made enquiries of fellow directors and the company’s auditor that they ought to have individually taken, have each taken all steps that he/she is obliged to take as a director in order to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditor is aware of that information.
The auditors, Beever and Struthers, will be proposed for reappointment in accordance with section 485 of the Companies Act 2006.
12 Basis of preparation
This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions relating to companies subject to the small companies regime within Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006. As such, the Company is exempt from preparing a Strategic report.
This Annual Report is signed by the Chair on behalf of the Board of Trustees. The Trustees also approve the Directors’ and Trustees’ report which is contained within this report, in their capacity as Company Directors.
F Selvan Trustee
Date 13 December 2023
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Big Life Centres
Statement of trustees' responsibilities
The Trustees (who are also directors of Big Life Centres for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year in which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charity for that period.
In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:
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select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP 2019 (FRS 102);
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make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
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prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Financial statements are published on the charity's website in accordance with legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements, which may vary from legislation in other jurisdictions. The maintenance and integrity of the charity's website is the responsibility of the trustees. The trustees' responsibility also extends to the ongoing integrity of the financial statements contained therein.
F Selvan Trustee
Date 13 December 2023
9
Big Life Centres Independent auditor's report
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF BIG LIFE CENTRES
Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of Big Life Centres (“the charitable company”) for the year ended 31 March 2023 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities (combining income and expenditure account), the Balance Sheet and the related notes. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
In our opinion, the financial statements:
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give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 March 2023 and of its incoming resources and application of resources for the year then ended;
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have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
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have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
Conclusions relating to going concern
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
Other information
The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.
In connection with our audit of the financial statements our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
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Big Life Centres Independent auditor's report
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF BIG LIFE CENTRES
We have nothing to report in this regard.
Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
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the information given in the trustees’ report, which includes the directors’ report prepared for the purposes of company law, for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
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the directors’ report included within the trustees’ report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
Matters on which we are required to report by exception
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors’ report included within the trustees’ report.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
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adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
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the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
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certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
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we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
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the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies’ regime and take advantage of the small companies’ exemptions in preparing the trustees’ report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report.
Responsibilities of directors
As explained more fully in the Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities set out on page 9, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
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Big Life Centres
Independent auditor's report
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF BIG LIFE CENTRES
Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements (continued)
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The specific procedures for this engagement and the extent to which these are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:
Our approach to identifying and assessing the risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, was as follows:
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the engagement partner ensured that the engagement team collectively had the appropriate competence, capabilities and skills to identify or recognise non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
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we identified the laws and regulations applicable to the charitable company through discussions with trustees and other management, and from our knowledge and experience of the charity sector.
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we focused on specific laws and regulations which we considered may have a direct material effect on the financial statements or the operations of the charitable company, including the Companies Act 2006, the Charities Act 2011, taxation legislation, data protection, anti-bribery, employment, environmental and health and safety legislation.
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we assessed the extent of compliance with the laws and regulations identified above through making enquiries of management and inspecting legal correspondence.
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identified laws and regulations were communicated within the audit team regularly and the team remained alert to instances of non-compliance throughout the audit.
We assessed the susceptibility of the charitable company’s financial statements to material misstatement, including obtaining an understanding of how fraud might occur, by:
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making enquiries of management as to where they considered there was susceptibility to fraud, their knowledge of actual, suspected and alleged fraud.
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considering the internal controls in place to mitigate risks of fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations.
To address the risk of fraud through management bias and override of controls, we:
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performed analytical procedures on income and salaries to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships.
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tested journal entries to identify unusual transactions.
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assessed whether judgements and assumptions made in determining the accounting estimates set out in note 1 were indicative of potential bias.
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investigated the rationale behind significant or unusual transactions.
There are inherent limitations in our audit procedures described above. The more removed that laws and regulations are from financial transactions, the less likely it is that we would become aware of non-compliance. Auditing standards also limit the audit procedures required to identify non-compliance with laws and regulations to enquiry of the directors and other management and the inspection of regulatory and legal correspondence, if any.
Material misstatements that arise due to fraud can be harder to detect than those that arise from error as they may involve deliberate concealment or collusion.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.
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Big Life Centres
Independent auditor's report
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF BIG LIFE CENTRES
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
Sue Hutchinson FCCA (Senior Statutory Auditor) For and on behalf of
Beever and Struthers Statutory Auditor Beever and Struthers One Express 1 George Leigh Street Manchester M4 5DL
Date: 21 December 2023
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Big Life Centres
Statement of financial activities (Combining income and expenditure account) for the year ended 31 March 2023
| Restricted Unrestricted Note funds funds £ £ Income and endowments from: Donations and legacies 2 - 66,630 Charitable activities 3 134,552 7,762,563 Investments 4 - 20,212 __ __ Total Income 134,552 7,849,405 __ __ Expenditure on: Charitable activities 5,6,7 118,952 7,762,026 __ __ Total Expenditure 118,952 7,762,026 __ __ Net income and movement in funds 8 15,600 87,379 __ __ Total Funds brought forward at 1 April 2022 18,945 2,132,728 __ __ Total Funds carried forward at 31 March 2023 34,545 2,220,107 |
Total 2023 £ 66,630 7,897,115 20,212 __ 7,983,957 __ 7,880,978 __ 7,880,978 __ 102,979 __ 2,151,673 __ 2,254,652 |
Total 2022 £ 68,272 7,534,117 870 _ 7,603,259 _ 7,512,498 _ 7,512,498 _ 90,761 _ 2,060,912 _ 2,151,673 |
|---|---|---|
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All amounts relate to continuing activities.
The notes on pages 16 to 27 form part of these financial statements.
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Big Life Centres
Balance sheet
at 31 March 2023
| Company number 03311884 Note 2023 £ Fixed assets Tangible assets 11 Current assets Debtors 12 397,359 Cash at bank and in hand 2,353,769 _ 2,751,128 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 13 (1,596,372) _ Net current assets Total assets less current liabilities Defined Benefit Pension Scheme Liability 20 Total net assets 15,16 The funds of the charity: Restricted income funds 16 Unrestricted funds 16 Total funds |
2023 2022 £ £ 1,099,896 529,929 1,675,342 _ 2,205,271 (1,038,316) _ 1,154,756 _ 2,254,652 - __ 2,254,652 _ 34,545 2,220,107 _ 2,254,652 _ |
2022 £ 1,091,718 1,166,955 _ 2,258,673 (107,000) _ 2,151,673 _ 18,945 2,132,728 _ 2,151,673 __ |
|---|---|---|
These accounts are prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act relating to small companies and constitute the annual accounts required by the Companies Act 2006 and are for circulation to members of the company.
The financial statements on pages 14 to 27 were approved and authorised for issue by the board on 23 December 2023 and are signed on its behalf by:
F Selvan
Trustee, approved and authorised on behalf of the Trustees
Date: 13 December 2023
The notes on pages 16 to 27 form part of these financial statements.
15
Big Life Centres
Notes forming part of the financial statements
for the year ended 31 March 2023
1 Accounting policies
General Information
Big Life Centres is a private company, limited by guarantee, incorporated in England and Wales under the Companies Act 2006 and Charities Act 2011. The address of the registered office is provided in Legal and administrative details. Details of the charity’s operations are provided in the Directors’ and Trustees’ Report.
Accounting Policies
The principal accounting policies adopted, judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty in the preparation of the financial statements are as follows:
(a) Basis of preparation
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with 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) – (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Act 2011.
Big Life Centres meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at their historic cost or transaction value.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling which is the functional currency of the charity.
The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis which assumes an ability to continue operating for the foreseeable future, there are no material uncertainties about the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern and the Trustees consider it appropriate to continue to prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis.
(b) Legal status of the Charity
The charity is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. In the event of the charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £10 per member of the charity.
(c) Incoming resources
Voluntary income is received by way of donations and gifts and is included in full in the Statement of Financial Activities when receivable.
Grants, including grants for the purchase of fixed assets, are recognised in full in the Statement of Financial Activities in the year in which they are receivable.
Services and recharge income reflects revenue recognised in respect of services supplied during the year. Incoming resources from investments is recognised when receivable.
16
Notes forming part of the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 (continued)
Big Life Centres
1 Accounting policies (continued)
(d) Resources expended and cost allocation
Resources expended are recognised in the period in which they are incurred.
Resources expended are allocated to the particular activity where the cost relates directly to that activity. Certain other costs, which are attributable to more than one activity, are apportioned across the cost categories on the basis of an estimate of the proportion of time spent by staff on those activities. Costs allocated to charitable activities are the costs associated with achieving the charity’s main objectives.
Governance costs represent expenditure relating to the governance of the charity, to allow it to operate and to generate information for public accountability.
(e) Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds are donations and other incoming resources receivable or generated for the objects of the charity without further specified purpose and are available as general funds.
Restricted funds are to be used for specific purposes as laid down by the donor. Expenditure which meets these criteria is charged to the fund, together with a fair allocation of management and support costs.
(f) Pensions
Big Life Centres is a member of the Big Life Group’s defined contribution pension scheme and the pension charge relating to this scheme represents the amounts payable by the charity to the fund in respect of the year.
Big Life Centres is also a member of the National Health Service defined benefit pension scheme for all its eligible employees. The NHS scheme is a multi-employer defined benefit scheme where there are no separable identifiable assets and liabilities therefore costs are accounted for as a defined contribution scheme.
See note 20 for further details.
(g) Corporation taxation
The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or section 252 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects.
(h) Tangible fixed assets
Items of equipment are capitalised at cost where the purchase price exceeds £4,000.
Depreciation is provided to write off the cost of tangible fixed assets on a straight line basis over their expected useful lives as follows:
-
Leasehold property is depreciated on a straight line basis over 60 years.
-
Leasehold improvements are depreciated on a straight line basis over 60 years.
-
• Office and gym equipment is depreciated on a straight line basis over 4 years.
17
Notes forming part of the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 (continued)
Big Life Centres
1 Accounting policies (continued)
(i) Debtors
Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid after taking account of any trade discounts due.
(j) Cash at bank and in hand
Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.
(k) 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 trade discounts due.
(l) Financial instruments
The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value.
(m) Leases
Rentals payable under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straightline basis over the lease term. Any premiums received at the inception of the lease are recognised on a straight-line basis over the life of the lease.
(n) Judgements
In preparing these financial statements, the directors have made the following judgements:
-
Determine whether leases entered into by the charity either as a lessor or a lessee are operating leases or finance leases. These decisions depend on an assessment of whether the risks and rewards of ownership have been transferred from the lessor to the lessee on a lease by lease basis.
-
Determine whether there are indicators of impairment of the charity’s tangible assets. Factors taken into consideration in reaching such a decision include the economic viability and expected future financial performance of the asset and where it is a component of a larger cash-generating unit, the viability and expected future performance of that unit.
Other key sources of estimation uncertainty:
Tangible fixed assets (see note 11)
Tangible fixed assets are depreciated over their useful lives taking into account residual values, where appropriate. The actual lives of the assets and residual values are assessed annually and may vary depending on a number of factors. In re-assessing asset lives, factors such as technological innovation, product life cycles and maintenance programmes are taken into account. Residual value assessments consider issues such as future market conditions, the remaining life of the asset and projected disposal values.
18
Big Life Centres
Notes forming part of the financial statements
for the year ended 31 March 2023 (continued)
2 Donations and Legacies
| Restricte d Funds Unrestricte d Funds Donations £ £ Gifts and donations - 66,630 __ __ - 66,630 _ _ 3 Income from charitable activities Restricte d Funds Unrestricte d Funds Grants received £ £ The Big Local Plan 116,422 - Furlough Grant - - Local Pilot - Minor Grants 8,130 - National Lottery Community Fund 10,000 __ __ 134,552 - _ _ Services and recharges Contract services - 7,282,748 Room bookings and external service charges - 321,414 Sundry income and recharges - 158,401 __ __ - 7,762,563 _ _ Total income from charitable activities 134,552 7,762,563 |
Total Funds 2023 £ 66,630 __ 66,630 _ Total Funds 2023 £ 116,422 - - 8,130 10,000 __ 134,552 _ 7,282,748 321,414 158,401 __ 7,762,563 __ 7,897,115 |
Restricte d Funds Unrestricte d Funds £ £ - 68,272 _ _ - 68,272 _ _ Restricte d Funds Unrestricte d Funds £ £ 93,644 - 14,349 - 24,842 - 8,312 23,867 - - _ _ |
Restricte d Funds Unrestricte d Funds £ £ - 68,272 _ _ - 68,272 _ _ Restricte d Funds Unrestricte d Funds £ £ 93,644 - 14,349 - 24,842 - 8,312 23,867 - - _ _ |
Total Funds 2022 £ 68,272 _ 68,272 _ Total Funds 2022 £ 93,644 14,349 24,842 32,179 - __ |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 141,147 _ - - - _ - __ 141,147 |
23,867 _ 7,064,035 267,453 37,615 _ 7,369,103 __ 7,392,970 |
165,014 _ 7,064,035 267,453 37,615 _ 7,369,103 __ 7,534,117 |
| Investments | Unrestricted | Unrestricted |
|---|---|---|
| Funds | Funds | |
| 2023 | 2022 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Bank Interest | 20,212 | 870 |
| __ | __ | |
| 20,212 | 870 | |
| ______ | __ |
4 Investments
19
Big Life Centres
Notes forming part of the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 (continued)
5 Expenditure on charitable activities
| Staff costs Depreciation General Equipment hire Minor equipment Property expenses Recharges - group companies Governance costs: audit fees Restricted Unrestricted |
Services and recharges Governance £ £ 4,406,812 - 27,792 - 1,999,610 - 6,772 - 39,906 - 376,491 - 1,015,460 - - 8,135 _ _ 7,872,843 8,135 _ _ 118,952 - 7,753,891 8,135 _ _ 7,872,843 8,135 |
2023 £ 4,406,812 27,792 1,999,610 6,772 39,906 376,491 1,015,460 8,135 _ 7,880,978 _ 118,952 7,762,026 __ 7,880,978 |
2022 £ 4,191,849 27,793 2,042,917 7,266 32,557 382,644 822,207 5,265 _ 7,512,498 _ 149,163 7,363,335 __ 7,512,498 |
|---|---|---|---|
Recharges from group companies relate to Finance, HR, Payroll and other central support services provided by The Big Life Company Limited.
6 Total resources expended
| Staff Depreciation costs £ £ Services and recharges 27,792 4,406,812 Governance costs - - _ _ 27,792 4,406,812 _ _ Summary analysis of expenditure and related income Donations and legacies Grants Contract services Room hire Other Interest Governance: audit fees |
Other 2023 Costs Total £ £ 3,438,239 7,872,843 8,135 8,135 _ _ 3,446,374 7,880,978 _ _ Income Expenditure £ £ 66,630 134,552 7,282,748 321,414 158,401 20,212 - - - 7,872,843 - - - 8,135 _ _ 7,983,957 7,880,978 _ _ |
2022 Total £ 7,507,233 5,265 _ 7,512,498 _ Net £ 66,630 134,552 (590,095) 321,414 158,401 20,212 (8,135) _ 102,979 _ |
|---|---|---|
7 Summary analysis of expenditure and related income
20
Big Life Centres
Notes forming part of the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 (continued)
8 Net income
Net income for the year is stated after charging:
| Rental under operating leases Auditor’s remuneration Depreciation 9 Remuneration and expenses Staff costs: Salaries Social security costs Pension costs Defined Benefit Pension costs The average full time equivalent number of persons employed (based on a 35 hour week) and analysed by function was: Services and projects |
2023 Total £ 6,963 8,135 27,792 _ 2023 £ 3,991,672 341,050 181,090 (107,000) __ 4,406,812 __ Number 144 __ |
2022 Total £ 19,396 5,265 27,793 _ 2022 £ 3,745,617 288,407 172,825 (15,000) _ 4,191,849 _ Number 132 _ |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| _ |
The average monthly headcount was 165 staff (2022 - 151 staff).
No employee received emoluments of more than £60,000 in the current or prior year.
Key management personnel of the charity are the Trustees and senior leadership of the group. Costs are borne by the parent company, The Big Life Company Limited, Big Life Centres, and Big Life Schools and are not recharged to Big Issue North Trust Ltd. The total employee benefits paid to key management personnel by The Big Life Company Ltd was £517,584, comprised of salary of £441,325, pension contributions of £20,653 and employer’s national insurance contributions of £55,606 (2022: £615,417, comprised of salary of £529,500, pension contributions of £24,425 and employer’s national insurance contributions of £61,492).
The salary of the Chief Executive and Accounting Officer, a Trustee, is paid by The Big Life Company Ltd. Employee benefits of £109,862, comprised of salary of £93,400, pension contributions of £4,250 and employer’s national insurance contributions of £12,212 (2022: £105,450 comprised of salary of £90,000, pension contributions of £4,250 and employer’s national insurance contributions of £11,200) was paid by the Big Life Company Ltd during the year.
Big Life Centres
21
Notes forming part of the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 (continued)
10 Trustees’ remuneration and expenses
During the year remuneration of £8,000 (2022: £8,000) was paid to E. Robinson, a trustee, by The Big Life Company Limited for her role as chair of The Big Life Company Limited. Costs are borne by the parent company, The Big Life Company Limited, and are not recharged to Big Life Centres Ltd.
No other trustee received remuneration from the charity or a related entity during the year (or the prior year) other than disclosed in note 9.
No reimbursement of expenses has been made to trustees during the year (or the prior year).
11 Tangible fixed assets
| Leasehold Leasehold Office Fixtures and property improvements Equipment Equipment £ £ £ £ Cost At 1 April 2022 1,600,000 67,471 57,613 16,059 - - - 17,036 Additions _ At 31 March 2023 1,600,000 67,471 57,613 16,060 ________ ________ ________ ________ _Depreciation At 1 April 2022 559,992 15,761 57,613 16,059 Charge for the year 26,666 1,127 - - _ ________ ________ ________ At 31 March 2023 586,658 16,888 57,613 16,059 _ _ _ _ _Net book value At 31 March 2023 1,013,342 50,583 - 17,036 _ _ _ _ At 31 March 2022 1,040,008 51,710 - - |
Vehicles £ - 19,095 _ 19,095 _ - 160 _ 160 _ 18,935 __ - |
Total £ 1,741,144 36,131 1,777,274 |
|---|---|---|
| 649,426 27,953 _ 677,378 _ 1,099,896 __ 1,091,718 |
22
Big Life Centres
Notes forming part of the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 (continued)
12 Debtors
| Debtors | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trade debtors Amounts owed by group entities Prepayments Accrued Income Social security and other taxes |
2023 £ 208,205 27,575 19,544 130,759 11,276 397,359 _ |
_ |
2022 £ 330,065 20,044 83,561 96,258 ___ __- |
|
| 529,929 _ |
All debtors fall due within one year.
Amounts owed by group undertakings are unsecured and repayable on demand.
13 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
| Trade creditors Amounts owed to group entities Social security and other taxes Accruals Deferred income (note 14) |
2023 £ 55,283 95,577 - 317,516 1,127,996 __ 1,596,372 __ |
2022 £ 137,985 4,218 72,144 528,225 295,744 _ 1,038,316 _ |
|---|---|---|
All creditors fall due within one year.
Amounts owed to group undertakings are unsecured, interest free and repayable on demand.
14 Deferred income
Deferred income represents grant, services and recharge income received in advance.
| Balance at 1 April 2022 Amounts received and deferred in the year Amounts released to incoming resources in the year ___ Balance at 31 March 2023 |
£ 295,744 1,026,302 (194,050) ___ 1,127,996 __ |
|---|---|
Of the £1,127,996 of deferred income, £5,775 is held for Salford Healthy Living Centre room bookings, £179,428 for Achieve underspend, £47,017 for Big Local Plan, £261 for Be Well hardship fund, £4,853 for Kirkholt Ride & Repair, £11,008 for Local Pilot, £1,100 for Whisper Sisters, £6,070 for childhood Obesity Trail Blazer, £800 for MFP, £55,236 for GM IRS, £6,667 for GM IRS - ROIF Funding for Tameside Welfare Hub, £1,500 for Manchester CC-VCSE LIF-shop and Café , £233 for Kath Locke Centre - room bookings, £20,000 for Rochdale Living Well - Community Champions Organiser, £666,667 for Rochdale Living Well - Community Champions Organiser, £4,167 for Rochdale Living Well - Bounce Back, £25,000 for Rochdale Living Well - Cardio Disease (CDV), £7,740 for Rochdale Living Well - SMI Vaping Project, £8,768 for Action Together - Community Cooking Programme, £54,853 for Achieve - SSMTRG Salford and £20,853 for Achieve - SSMTRG Bury.
23
Big Life Centres
Notes forming part of the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 (continued)
| 15 Analysis of net assets between funds Net current assets Defined benefit pension scheme liability Fixed assets 16 Movement in funds Balance At 1 April 2022 £ Restricted funds Chisholm Memorial 6,250 Transition Fund 1,033 Manchester City Council / Other 4,644 Transformation Fund 5,595 Big Local Plan 1,423 Kirkholt Ride & Repair - Whisper Sisters - Community Doulas - Violence Reduction Programme - Social Prescribing – Doulas GM - Toy Sales - International Women’s Day - _ Subtotal 18,945 _ Unrestricted funds General funds 2,132,728 __ Total funds 2,151,673 |
Restricted Unrestricted £ £ 34,545 1,195,589 - - 1,099,896 _ _ 34,545 2,220,107 _ _ Income Expenditure £ £ - - - - - - - - 116,422 116,175 1,300 1,300 1,050 869 10,000 - 2,600 - 1,500 213 1,000 - 680 395 _ _ 134,552 118,952 _ _ 7,849,405 7,762,026 _ _ 7,983,957 7,880,978 |
Total £ 1,154,756 - 1,099,896 _ 2,254,652 _ Balance at 31 March 2023 £ 6,250 1,033 4,644 5,595 1,670 - 181 10,000 2,600 1,287 1,000 285 __ 34,545 __ 2,220,107 __ 2,254,652 |
Total £ 1,154,756 - 1,099,896 |
|---|---|---|---|
| __ 2,254,652 |
At 31 March 2023 Big Life Centres held restricted funds of £35,545 (2022 - £18,945) this comprised £6,250 remaining from the Di Chisholm Memorial which paid for the outdoor gym at the Zion Centre, £1,033 remaining from the Transition fund which allowed preparations and structuring for the change in funding, £4,644 for several small projects from Manchester City Council and others, £5,595 from the Transformation Fund funded by Rochdale Borough Council and £1,670 from Big Local Plan.
At 31 March 2023 Big Life Centres held general funds of £2,220,107 (2022 - £2,132,728). The reserve level is considered sufficient to satisfy the reserves policy.
24
Big Life Centres
Notes forming part of the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 (continued)
17 Related party transactions
In accordance with FRS 102, the charity discloses related party transactions that were recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities. Remuneration of key management personnel is disclosed in note 9. Trustees’ remuneration and expenses are disclosed in note 10.
The charity is charged for direct salary costs, finance, HR, payroll and other central support services provided by The Big Life Company Limited. Salary costs are recharged based on staff time and other costs are recharged based on estimated income.
Related party transactions with other group entities during the year were as follows:
| Amounts charged to group entities | Amounts charged to group entities | Amounts charged by group entities | Amounts charged by group entities | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| The Big Life Company Limited | 3,111,010 | 3,090,577 | 5,858,613 | 5,259,222 |
| Self Help Services Limited | 121,418 | 32,757 | 18,406 | 466 |
| Big Issue North Trust Ltd | 1,933 | 6,678 | 19,909 | - |
| Big Life Schools | - | 2,091 | - | - |
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | |
| 3,234,361 | 3,132,103 | 5,896,928 | 5,259,688 | |
| ___ | ____ | ___ | ___ |
The following amounts were owed by/to group entities at the year-end:
| Amount owed by group entities | Amount owed by group entities | Amounts owed to group entities | Amounts owed to group entities | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| The Big Life Company Limited | 13,840 | 19,425 | 89,460 | 4,218 |
| Self Help Services Limited | 13,734 | 619 | 3,708 | - |
| Big Issue North Trust Ltd | - | - | 2,409 | - |
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | |
| 27,574 | 20,044 | 95,577 | 4,218 | |
| ___ | ____ | ___ | ___ |
18 Ultimate parent undertaking and controlling party
The ultimate parent company and controlling party is The Big Life Company Limited, a company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales.
The parent undertaking of the smallest and largest group for which consolidated accounts are prepared is The Big Life Company Limited. Consolidated accounts are available from Companies House, Crown Way, Cardiff, CF14 3UZ.
The mission of The Big Life Company Limited is to change lives. We fight inequality by working with people and in places to inspire change. Two of the directors of Big Life Centres are also directors of The Big Life Company Limited. Operational and strategic oversight of Big Life Centres is exercised by The Big Life Company Limited.
25
Notes forming part of the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 (continued)
Big Life Centres
19 Commitments
Operating lease commitments
At 31 March 2023, the charity had total future minimum commitments under non-cancellable operating leases as set out below:
| Operating leases commitments which are owed: Not later than one year Later than one year and not later than five years Later than five years |
2023 £ 6,932 12,143 745 __ 19,820 |
2022 £ 7,134 16,097 3,723 __ 26,953 |
|---|---|---|
20 Pensions
Big Life Centres operates three pension schemes:
1 Big Life Centres Pension Fund
This is a defined contribution scheme available to all employees.
2 National Health Service Pension Scheme (group)
Past and present employees are covered by the provisions of the two NHS Pension Schemes. Details of the benefits payable and rules of the Schemes can be found on the NHS Pensions website at www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/pensions . Both are unfunded defined benefit schemes that cover NHS employers, GP practices and other bodies, allowed under the direction of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in England and Wales. They are not designed to be run in a way that would enable NHS bodies to identify their share of the underlying scheme assets and liabilities. Therefore, each scheme is accounted for as if it were a defined contribution scheme: the cost to the NHS body of participating in each scheme is taken as equal to the contributions payable to that scheme for the accounting period.
In order that the defined benefit obligations recognised in the financial statements do not differ materially from those that would be determined at the reporting date by a formal actuarial valuation, the FReM requires that “the period between formal valuations shall be four years, with approximate assessments in intervening years”. An outline of these follows:
26
Notes forming part of the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 (continued)
Big Life Centres
a) Accounting valuation
A valuation of scheme liability is carried out annually by the scheme actuary (currently the Government Actuary’s Department) as at the end of the reporting period. This utilises an actuarial assessment for the previous accounting period in conjunction with updated membership and financial data for the current reporting period, and is accepted as providing suitably robust figures for financial reporting purposes. The valuation of the scheme liability as at 31 March 2023, is based on valuation data as 31 March 2022, updated to 31 March 2023 with summary global member and accounting data. In undertaking this actuarial assessment, the methodology prescribed in IAS 19, relevant FReM interpretations, and the discount rate prescribed by HM Treasury have also been used.
The latest assessment of the liabilities of the scheme is contained in the report of the scheme actuary, which forms part of the annual NHS Pension Scheme Accounts. These accounts can be viewed on the NHS Pensions website and are published annually. Copies can also be obtained from The Stationery Office.
b) Full actuarial (funding) valuation
The purpose of this valuation is to assess the level of liability in respect of the benefits due under the schemes (taking into account recent demographic experience), and to recommend contribution rates payable by employees and employers.
The latest actuarial valuation undertaken for the NHS Pension Scheme was completed as at 31 March 2016. The results of this valuation set the employer contribution rate payable from April 2019 to 20.6% of pensionable pay.
The actuarial valuation as at 31 March 2020 is currently underway and will set the new employer contribution rate due to be implemented from April 2024.
- 3 Local Government Scheme – The Greater Manchester Pension Fund (GMPF)
The defined benefit pension scheme liability reflects the Charity’s share of the Local Government defined benefit deficit in respect of its employees. The amount is a guarantee to The Big Life Company Limited to underwrite the deficit in respect of appropriate Big Life Centres employees.
21 Donations
Big Life Centres is not charged rent for occupying the Kath Locke Centre from Places for People. Big Life Centres has the right to occupy the property rent free provided they are operating within their charitable objectives as noted in the Trustees report. The market value of the annual rent at the property is deemed not material to Big Life Centres and the Trustees do not believe it to be commercially efficient to spent time or resources on obtaining an accurate value. Therefore no value has been included in the financial statements.
27