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2023-03-31-accounts

Connect in the North

Charity number 1078829 A company limited by guarantee number 03127540

Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2023

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Connect in the North

Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2023

Contents Page
Trustees' report 2 to 10
Examiner's report 11 to 12
Statement of financial activities 13 to 14
Balance sheet 15 to 16
Notes to the accounts 17 to 25

Prepared by West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO

1

Connect in the North Trustees' report for the year ended 31 March 2023

Reference and administrative details of the charity, its trustees and advisors

The trustees during the financial year and up to and including the date the report was approved were:

Name

Position

Dates

Vicky Hiles Chairperson Maisie Hirschhorn Treasurer Michael Buttery Leanne Johns resigned 6 Dec 2022 Kenny Hendy Robert Stephens appointed 6 Dec 2022

Company secretary

Madeleine Fahy

Charity number 1078829 Registered in England and Wales Company number 03127540 Registered in England and Wales

Registered and principal address

Bankers

Office 45 Co-operative Bank plc Sugar Mill Business Park 19/20 Commercial Street Oakhurst Road Leeds Leeds. LS11 7HL LS1 6AL

2

Connect in the North Trustees' report for the year ended 31 March 2023

Reference and administrative details of the charity, its trustees and advisors

Independent examiner

Katy Sargeant ACA

West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO

Stringer House 34 Lupton Street Leeds LS10 2QW

Structure, governance and management

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and was formed on 17 November 1995. It is governed by its articles of association last amended by special resolution on 25 June 2019. The liability of the members in the event of the company being wound up is limited to a sum not exceeding £1.

Method of recruitment and appointment of trustees

The trustees of the charity are also the directors for the purposes of company law and are appointed by the members at the AGM.

3

Connect in the North Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2023

Objectives and activities

The charity's objects

The relief of people with learning difficulties within the Leeds Metropolitan area and the North of England.

The charity's main activities

We are a Centre for Inclusive Living led by people with learning difficulties. We work to make things better for people with learning difficulties. We help people with learning difficulties change their own lives through person centred planning. We run training in person centred thinking. We provide an information and signposting services for people with learning difficulties in Leeds.

Public benefit statement

In setting our objectives and planning our activities our trustees have given serious consideration to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit and in particular ensuring that people with learning difficulties have control of their own lives and equal power in the world.

Achievements and performance

Connect in the North ran 4 members events in person and on Zoom. They were a way for members to meet up and to find out what was happening in Leeds.

We held Get Ready for UK Parliament Week and Meet the Councillor Events. Connect in the North partnered with Asking You ran a session about local government. Participants decided what would make their lives better.

4

Connect in the North Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2023

Achievements and performance continued

They wrote questions to ask their local councillors. Councillor Kevin Ritchie supported us to invite Leeds Councillors to a follow up event at Leeds Civic Hall. 12 Leeds Councillors came. They answered the questions people had written. They also spent time meeting people from their wards. We wrote a report about what councillors said. One of our members of staff shadowed a Councillor for a day.

Leeds Learning Disability Awareness Week in June was back in person. Connect in the North had a stall at the Learning Disability Picnic at Temple Newsam. Connect in the North hosts the Being Social.

Leeds Learning Disability Awareness Week in June was back in person. Connect in the North had a Task Group, this is a group of people with learning difficulties, family carers and staff from different organisations. They come together to plan how we can improve the social lives of people with learning difficulties. This year we ran an information event in Kirkgate Market in Leeds Learning Disability Week. There were 18 stalls run by different organisations in Leeds. We also had an information stall at Beeston Festival in July.

This year we were able to run the Through the Maze Drop in service in person again. We met a total of 783 online, face to face and at events by running stalls. 764 people were subscribed to the quarterly newsletter. The Through the Maze website had 26,011 visits over the year. The Pass it on People are all paid members of staff with learning disabilities visited many places in Leeds and wrote detailed articles about them in the quarterly newsletter.

5

Connect in the North Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2023

Achievements and performance continued

During the year we have been promoting the Being Employed Leeds website as much as possible.

We attended the Employment Task Group meetings. We delivered 2 presentations to the Developing You groups at The Thackray Museum and also attended SEND Next Choices (getting ready for adult life) event at The First Direct Arena in June.

We are funded for 2 years to run bereavement sessions for people with learning difficulties.

We are also running sessions for family carers and professionals. We are being funded by Jimbo’s Fund. We have run 3 x 6 Week courses for people with learning difficulties. We have done sessions for the Carers Reference Group, staff and People in Action.

We have run continued to run ‘What’s on Your Mind’ with Asking You, the West Yorkshire Police and the Health Facilitation Team.

We ran a Health Day where people learnt how to get the most from their doctor and how to manage Type 2 Diabetes.

We also trained 130 people with learning difficulties. Training for people with learning difficulties included Stamp out Bullying, My Life My Way (which we ran 5 times), Good Relationships, Diversity Awareness, Campaigning and Webwise.

Rooots are a group of trainers with learning difficulties from Black and Minority Ethnic Communities. Rooots have been delivering Good to be Different – Right to be Fair. They have run it for staff teams and people supported by Aspire.

We ran some of our Person Centred thinking workshops for staff and family carers online this year. We also ran training in person. This year we trained 121 people.

6

Connect in the North Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2023

Achievements and performance continued

As well as our open courses we ran training for Siber, Leeds Autism Service and The Carers Reference Group.

Asking You and the Pass it on People successfully bid for money to hire the screen in the Market in June 2023. This is so we can stream the People’s Parliament at the Being Social Information Day.

We are being funded by Mencap’s Positive Futures team.

Learning Disability England paid us to host a research focus group for people with learning difficulties from minority ethnic communities.

7

Connect in the North Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2023

Financial review

The net income for the year was £5,000, including net income of £8,222 on unrestricted funds and net expenditure of £3,222 on restricted funds.

Reserves policy

The charity's free reserves, excluding fixed assets, at the year end were £128,400.

In the light of the national Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) recommendations to ensure adequate cash flow, the board aims to build up unrestricted funds equivalent to six to twelve months total running costs.

At 31st March 2023 the reserves equated to 9.8 months of budgeted total running costs for 2023-24. We recommend that the reserves are higher than six months as we know there will be future rent increases due to the large utility prices and that there could be future cuts to the Grants from the Local Authority.

8

Connect in the North Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2023

Statement of trustees' responsibilities

The trustees (who are also the directors for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees report and the financial statements in accordance with the applicable law and UK Accounting Standards.

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial accounts for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for the year. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently;

observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;

make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

state whether applicable UK accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;

prepare the accounts on a going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in operation.

9

Connect in the North Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2023

Statement of trustees' responsibilities continued

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial accounts 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.

This report has been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities (Charities SORP (FRS102)), and in accordance with the special provisions of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

approved by the board of trustees on 7/8/23

Maisie Hirschhorn (Trustee)

10

Connect in the North Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Connect in the North

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charitable company for the year ended 31 March 2023, which are set out on pages 13 to to 25.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity's trustees of the charitable company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 ('the 2006 Act').

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the charitable company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity's accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act ('the 2011 Act'). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 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:

11

Connect in the North

Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Connect in the North (continued)

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.

Katy Sargeant ACA

7/8/23

West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO

Stringer House

12

Connect in the North Statement of Financial Activities

(including summary income and expenditure account) for the year ended 31 March 2023

Notes
2023
Unrestricted
funds
£
Income from:
Grants and donations
(2)
68,944
Contracts
76,116
Services provided
1,570
Bank interest
166
Total income
146,796
Expenditure on:
Staff costs
(3)
103,542
Events and activities
130
Premises costs
16,498
Printing, stationery, post and phone
11,192
Other running costs
102
Insurance
2,629
IT costs
2,388		 2023
Restricted
funds
£
-
-
-
-
-
1,044
-
896
119
-
134
-		 2023
Total
funds
£
68,944
76,116
1,570
166
146,796
104,586
130
17,394
11,311
102
2,763
2,388		 2022
Total
funds
£
79,110
76,116
8,555
36
163,817
112,633
1,570
16,754
9,218
101
2,562
1,527

13

Connect in the North Statement of Financial Activities

(including summary income and expenditure account) for the year ended 31 March 2023

Notes
2023
Unrestricted
funds
£
Expenditure on:
Professional fees
-
Accountancy and independent examination
792
Office equipment
97
Marketing
-
Depreciation
1,411
Bank charges
120
Subscriptions
(327)
-
Total expenditure
138,574
Net income / (expenditure)
8,222
Fund balances brought forward
121,493
Fund balances carried forward
(4)
129,715		 2023
Restricted
funds
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,029
-
3,222
(3,222)
7,282
4,060		 2023
Total
funds
£
-
792
97
-
1,411
120
702
-
141,796
5,000
128,775
133,775		 2022
Total
funds
£
173
672
616
162
1,321
120
-
147,429
16,388
112,387
128,775

All incoming resources and resources expended derive from continuing activities.

14

Connect in the North Balance sheet as at 31 March 2023

Fixed assets
Tangible assets
(5)
Total fixed assets
Current assets
Prepayments
Cash at bank and in hand
(6)
Total current assets
Current liabilities:
amounts falling due within one year
Creditors and accruals
(7)
Total current liabilities
Net current assets / (liabilities)
Net assets
Funds
Unrestricted funds
Restricted funds
Total funds		 2023
Unrestricted
£
1,315
1,315
1,922
129,218
131,140
2,740
2,740
128,400
129,715
129,715
-
129,715		 2023
Restricted
£
-
-
-
4,060
4,060
-
4,060
4,060
-
4,060
4,060		 2023
Total
£
1,315
1,315
1,922
133,278
135,200
2,740
2,740
132,460
133,775
129,715
4,060
133,775		 2022
Total
£
2,371
2,371
887
128,397
129,284
2,880
2,880
126,404
128,775
121,493
7,282
128,775

15

Connect in the North Balance sheet as at 31 March 2023

For the year ending 31 March 2023 the charitable company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

The members have not required the charitable company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476. The trustees (who are also the directors for the purposes of company law) acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts.

These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime and with FRS 102 (effective January 2019).

The financial statements were approved by the board of trustees on 7/8/23

Maisie Hirschhorn (Trustee)

16

Connect in the North Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2023

1 Accounting policies

Basis of accounting

These accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant note(s) to these accounts. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by 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) and with the Charities Act 2011.

The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102.

There has been no change to the accounting policies since last year.

No changes have been made to the accounts for previous years.

Going concern

The trustees are satisfied that there are no material uncertainties

Incoming resources

All incoming resources are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) when the charity becomes entitled to the resources, if it is more likely than not that the trustees will receive the resources and the monetary value can be measured with sufficient reliability.

Grants and donations

Grants and donations are only included in the SOFA when the charity has unconditional entitlement to the resources.

17

Connect in the North Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2023

1 Accounting policies continued

Where grants are related to performance and specific deliverables, they are accounted for as the charity earns the right to consideration by its performance.

Expenditure and liabilities

Expenditure is recognised on an accrual basis as a liability is incurred. Liabilities are recognised where it is more likely than not that there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to pay out the resources and the amount of the obligation can be measured with reasonable certainty.

Taxation

As a charity the organisation benefits from rates relief and is generally exempt from income tax and capital gains tax but not from VAT. Irrecoverable VAT is included in the cost of those items to which it relates.

Tangible fixed assets

Tangible fixed assets costing more than £200 are capitalised and included at cost including any incidental expenses of acquisition. Gifted assets are shown at the value to the charity on receipt.

Depreciation is provided on all tangible fixed assets at rates calculated to write off the cost on a straight line basis over their expected useful economic lives as follows: Fixtures, fittings and equipment: over 4 years

Pensions

The charity operates a defined contribution scheme for the benefit of its employees. The costs of contributions are recognised in the year they are payable.

18

Connect in the North Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2023

1 Accounting policies

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity.

Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure imposed by the donor or through the terms of an appeal.

Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the accounts.

Leases

Rents under operating leases are charged on a straight line basis over the lease term or to an earlier date if the lease can be determined without financial penalty.

19

Connect in the North Notes to the accounts continued for the year ended 31 March 2023

2 Grants and donations

Grants and donations
2023
2023
Unrestricted
Restricted
funds
funds
£
£
Leeds City Council (LCC) Joint Commissioning
68,829
-
Leeds Community Foundation (LCF)
-
-
Seeability
-
-
Other donations
115
68,944
-
Staff costs and numbers
Gross salaries
Social security costs
Employment allowance
Pensions
Other staffing costs		 2023
2022
Total
Total
funds
funds
£
£
68,829
72,653
-
5,457
-
1,000
115
-
68,944
79,110
2023
2022
£
£
95,153
102,838
8,927
8,699
(5,000)
(4,000)
4,464
4,800
1,042
296
104,586
112,633

3 Staff costs and numbers

The average number of employees during the year was 8.8, being an average of 2.6 full time equivalent (2022: 11, 3.6 FTE). There were no employees with emoluments above £60,000.

Defined contribution pension scheme
Defined contribution pension scheme 2023 2022
£ £
Costs of the scheme to the charity for the year 4464 4800

20

Connect in the North Notes to the accounts continued for the year ended 31 March 2023

4 Restricted funds

Employability hub LCF Jimbo's

----- Start of picture text -----
Balance b/f Incoming Outgoing Transfers Balance c/f
£ £ £ £ £
- -
1,825 1,079 746
- -
5,457 2,143 3,314
- -
7,282 3,222 4,060
----- End of picture text -----

Fund name

Employability hub

LCF Jimbo's

Purpose of restriction

To develop a website to aid people with learning difficulties in Leeds to find employment

To provide bereavement training to people with learning difficulties and family carers.

Tangible assets
Cost
£
At 1 April 2022
8,440
Additions
355
At 31 March 2023
8,795
Depreciation
At 1 April 2022
6,069
Charge for year
1,411
At 31 March 2023
7,480
Net book value
At 31 March 2023
1,315
At 31 March 2022
2,371
Fixtures, fittings and
equipment		 Total
£
8,440
355
8,795
6,069
1,411
7,480
1,315
2,371

5 Tangible assets

21

Connect in the North Notes to the accounts continued for the year ended 31 March 2023

6 Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and in hand
Cash at bank
Cash in hand
Creditors and accruals
Accruals
Taxation and social security		 2023
£
133,098
180
133,278
2023
£
792
1,948
2,740		 2022
£
128,217
180
128,397
2022
£
672
2,208
2,880

7 Creditors and accruals

8 Related party transactions

Trustee expenses

No trustee received any expenses during this year or the previous year.

Trustee remuneration and benefits

No trustee received any remuneration or benefit during this or the previous year.

Remuneration and benefits received by key management personnel

The total employee benefits received by key management personnel were £0 (previous year: £0).

22

Connect in the North Notes to the accounts continued for the year ended 31 March 2023

9 Operating leases

Within one year
In the second to fifth years inclusive
Over five years from the balance sheet date
Expected future minimum lease payments over the remaining life of the lease,
analysed into the period in which the commitment falls due:		 2023
£
784
997
-
1,781		 2022
£
1,403
523
-
1,926

23

Connect in the North Statement of Financial Activities including comparatives for all funds (including summary income and expenditure account) for the year ended 31 March 2023

2023
Unrestricted
funds
£
Income
Grants and donations
68,944
Contracts
76,116
Services provided
1,570
Bank interest
166
Total income
146,796
Expenditure
Staff costs
103,542
Events and activities
130
Premises costs
16,498
Printing, stationery, post and phone
11,192
Other running costs
102
Insurance
2,629
IT costs
2,388
Professional fees
-
Independent examination
792		 2022
2023
2022
2023
2022
Unrestricted Restricted
Restricted
Total
Total
funds
funds
funds
funds
funds
£
£
£
£
£
72,653
-
6,457
68,944
79,110
76,116
-
-
76,116
76,116
8,555
-
-
1,570
8,555
36
-
-
166
36
157,360
-
6,457
146,796
163,817
103,371
1,044
9,262
104,586
112,633
1,570
-
-
130
1,570
16,754
896
-
17,394
16,754
9,218
119
-
11,311
9,218
100
-
1
102
101
2,424
134
138
2,763
2,562
1,527
-
-
2,388
1,527
173
-
-
-
173
672
-
-
792
672

24

Connect in the North Statement of Financial Activities including comparatives for all funds (including summary income and expenditure account) for the year ended 31 March 2023

2023 2022 2023 2022 2023 2022
Unrestricted Unrestricted Restricted Restricted Total Total
funds funds funds funds funds funds
£ £ £ £ £ £
Expenditure
Office equipment 97 616 - - 97 616
Marketing - 162 - - - 162
Depreciation 1,411 1,321 - - 1,411 1,321
Bank charges 120 120 - - 120 120
Subscriptions
Total expenditure
Net income / (expenditure)
Fund balances brought forward		 (327)
138,574
8,222
121,493		 -
138,028
19,332
102,161		 1,029
3,222
(3,222)
7,282		 -
9,401
(2,944)
10,226		 702
141,796
5,000
128,775		 -
147,429
16,388
112,387
Fund balances carried forward 129,715 121,493 4,060 7,282 133,775 128,775

25