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2023-02-28-accounts

The Challenge Fund Charity number: 1079181

Report and Financial Statements

for the year ended

28th February 2023

Wenn Townsend Chartered Accountants

Oxford

The Challenge Fund

Contents

Page
Legal and Administrative Information 1
Report of the Trustees 2 - 7
Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees 8
Statement of Financial Activities 9
Balance Sheet 10
Notes forming part of the Financial Statements 11 -15

The Challenge Fund

Legal and Administrative Information

Charity name: The Challenge Fund – The Fight Against Cancer
in the Emerging World
Charity working name: The Challenge Fund
Registered charity number: 1079181
Trustees: Prof. Sir Walter Bodmer (Chair)
Mr Geoffrey Niblett
Dr. Max Parkin
Dr. Anna Rohatiner
Dr. Anne Makena (joined June 2023)
Mr Mark Lodge (joined June 2023)
Executive director: Ms Patricia Newland (resigned in March 2023)
Administrator: Mrs Biying Liu
Principal office: Prama House
267 Banbury Road
Oxford
OX2 7HT
Independent examiner: Mr Andrew Rodzynski FCA
Wenn Townsend – Chartered Accountants
30 St Giles
Oxford
OX1 3LE
Bankers: Royal Bank of Scotland
Child & Co Bankers
1 Fleet Street
London
EC4Y 1BD
HSBC Private Bank (UK) Limited
8 Canada Square
London
E14 5HQ

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The Challenge Fund

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 28th February 2023

The Trustees present their annual report and financial statements of the charity for the year ended 28th February 2023. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the accounts and comply with the charity’s trust deed, the Charities Act 1993 and the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities published in 2005.

Structure, governance and management

The Challenge Fund is a registered charity in England and Wales, charity number 1079181. In 2008, the Charity adopted the working name The INCTR Challenge Fund. At the Trustee’s meeting on 17[th] June 2021, the Board of Trustees decided that the name “The Challenge Fund” will be the only title for the charity.

The Challenge Fund was established by the European School of Oncology (ESO) in 2000 for the purpose of raising funds to support programmes that help fight cancers in developing countries. The management was transferred to the UK office of the International Network for Cancer Treatment and Research (INCTR) in 2007. INCTR was an international, not-for-profit, non-governmental organization in Official Relations with the World Health Organisation and dedicated to helping build capacity for cancer research and treatment in developing countries. [INCTR officially ceased to exist as a charity registered in Belgium in 2023, after the period covered by this report].

On appointment, new Trustees sign a model Trustee Declaration Statement committing them to giving of their time and expertise. The induction process has been changed to follow the ICSA good practice guide with a formal induction programme for any newly- appointed Trustee, which includes an initial meeting with the Chair and the Trustees, followed by a series of short meetings with the Director on fundraising, promotion and responsibilities of the Trustee board. The welcome pack includes a brief history of the Charity, a copy of the membership list of the Board of Trustees, a copy of the last annual report and accounts, a copy of the governing trust deed and a copy of the Charity Commission’s guidance ‘The Essential Trustee: What You Need to Know’ and Charities and Public Benefit’. The Trustees, director and administrator give their time freely and no remuneration was paid in the year.

The Charity treats Data Protection matters seriously. Following the call for the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 in early 2018, The Challenge Fund registered itself voluntarily with the Office of the Information Commissioner under registration number A8405014 , with the Data Controller being Ms Biying Liu (Administrator). A Privacy Policy document and a Consent Form were developed and are available on the charity website.

Objectives and activities for the public benefit

The Challenge Fund currently supports projects approved by the Board of Trustee of the charity that improve the healthcare delivered to cancer patients in low- and middle-income countries and help reduce their suffering by:

Policy of accepting projects of the charity

The Charity has established its grant-making policy to achieve its objects for the public benefit to improve the lives of sufferers with cancers who live in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC). The beneficiaries of our grant-making programme are cancer patients and front-line health workers in countries where the projects (listed below) are being carried out.

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide accounting for the deaths of nearly 10 million people in 2020[1] ; approximately 70% of which occur in low- and middle- income countries. Globally, cancer is killing more people

1 International Agency for Research on Cancer, Cancer Today https://gco.iarc.fr/today/home

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The Challenge Fund

Report of the Trustees (continued) for the year ended 28th February 2023

in the low- and middle-income countries than HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis combined, at an average rate of ten deaths a minute.

Over 19 million new cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2020; the number of new cancer cases is expected to increase more than 76% in low- and mid- income countries by 2040. 80% of patients with cancer in low- and middle-income countries are only diagnosed when their cancers are too advanced for curative treatment. In many of these countries there is little or no access to effective pain relief. As a result, cancer patients and their families have to endure terrible suffering.

The need to carefully plan cancer services in Africa is well recognised, in view of the limited resources available to combat the rising tide of non-communicable diseases, and especially cancer. Rational planning must be based on accurate information on the size and nature of the problem to be addressed, and, especially in Africa, population-based cancer registries are a crucial component of national cancer control plans. The AFCRN continued to provide technical and scientific support to cancer registries in SSA; delivered tailored training in cancer registration methods and the management of the data; advocated the cause of cancer registration in the region and facilitated setting up associations and networks of cancer registries; and coordinated international research projects and the dissemination of findings.

The Charity invites solicited applications for research grants and educational grants. Eligibility is restricted to applicant who has expertise in the field and is operating projects in LMICs, either from the UK or in the countries concerned.

Procedures of accepting a new project

A potential applicant would be invited to submit a copy of his/her curriculum vitae along with a copy of a completed New Project Application Form. The Form contains a summary of the project that the applicant wishes to operate under the mechanism of the charity.

The Board of Trustee will discuss and give instruction for the next step. Should the trustees consider that the project is suitable, they would invite the candidate for a meeting (either in person or virtual) to clarify any remaining queries.

A final decision is upon the outcome of the meeting. The applicant would be informed of the decision within 10 working days.

How our grants and research programmes delivered public benefit in March 2022- February 2023

Burkitt lymphoma is the most common childhood cancer in equatorial Africa, accounting for up to 50% of all paediatric cancer in that region. Most families cannot afford the cost of treatment or even travel to a centre capable of providing care. Yet the disease is highly curable, even when resources are limited.

The INCTR BL programme began in 2004. Over 800 patients had been enrolled on the treatment protocol from several institutions in sub-Saharan Africa and overall survival is 62% at four years. The programme aimed to provide cancer treatment drugs and care free to eligible patients. The programme also covered some side-effect treatments such as antibiotic drugs.

Since the resignation of Dr Ian Magrath as chairman/director of INCTR (and PI of the programme) in May 2021 due to ill health, the trustees endorsed the continuation of the programme under the direction of Melissa Adde. However, the trustees would like to assess the status of the BL treatment programme in near future. Trustees requested an update from the BL team during the Trustees’ meeting in October 2022. [Dr Ian Magrath and Melissa Adde died in March 2023]

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The Challenge Fund

Report of the Trustees (continued) for the year ended 28th February 2023

The Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration Foundation (TWCC) was established as a Canadian registered society and charitable foundation in 2011 for the provision of strategy, infrastructure and funding to support the existing palliative care (PAX) programme, and to enable expansion of its activities in Hyderabad, Nepal and other global jurisdictions.

The beneficiaries of the Nepal Hospice Project were terminally ill cancer patients and their families and the palliative care health providers in Nepal. As part of the programme, one of the main objectives of the Project is to build a new palliative care centre to provide quality cancer care to terminally ill patients, and tailored education to doctors and nurses in Nepal.

In 2022, the Hospice project (www.projecthospicenepal.org.uk ) coordination team in the UK, led by Patricia Newland and Emily Brown and their families, continued to raise fund towards the development of the Nepal hospice. They raised funds from events such as Cheers Campaign pre-Christmas, Big Give Christmas Challenge. Most notably, in May 2022, Ms Kerri Munn-Bookless raised funds via GoFundMe for her participation in the Everest Marathon; a charity dinner in Blackheath was organised in July by the Brown family to raise fund towards the Project.

The money raised for the Nepal Hospice Project is ring-fenced and hosted in the charity accounts until funding requests are received and approved by the Trustees.

The beneficiaries of the AFCRN programme are the population-based cancer registries (PBCRs) and the users of the data produced by these PBCRs in SSA.

During 2022, all AFCRN member registries were back on track with their day-to-day activities following the Covid epidemic, and the Network supported a membership of 35 members across 25 SSA countries. The most significant projects during the year were:-

D. London Global Cancer Week (LGCW)

The Cancer Week events started back in 2016 in Oxford Town Hall, as part of the charity’s promotion and fundraising activities. Since 2020, the Cancer Week received more substantial funding and expanded into the London Global Cancer Week (LGCW).

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The Challenge Fund

Report of the Trustees (continued) for the year ended 28th February 2023

The purpose of LGCW is to promote activities for improving healthcare for cancer patients in developing countries both in the UK and in LMICs. The nature of the event is a series of meetings, webinars, discussion and workshops within a fixed timeframe (one week). The main PI for LGCW is Mr Mark Lodge, the charity’s former Executive Director.

The London Global Cancer Week conference ran from 13-18 November 2022 and featured 32 events presenting 201 expert speakers and drawing an estimated audience of 2500+ attendees from 150 countries. Topics ranged from policy making to data collection in African hospitals and providing cancer care and conducting cancer research in times of conflict. Events included sessions hosted by WHO (in association with IARC and IAEA), NCI Kyiv and a Parliamentary event on Cervical Cancer Elimination hosted jointly by Cancer Research UK/ Commonwealth Secretariat at the House of Lords.

The test for LGCW is how successfully it has provided the opportunity for new developments and positive change. LGCW 2022 provided the catalyst for the launch of a Lancet Oncology Commission on Cancer in the Commonwealth, the establishment of a UK Global Cancer Network Nigeria Action group bringing together UK Nigerian Diaspora health professionals on collaborative projects with colleagues working in Nigeria, a Fellowship established in the memory of Professor Gordon McVie, and the appointment of three ambassadors for the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition.

As part of succession planning Dr Susannah Stanway will be joining Mark Lodge as Co-Convenor for next year’s conference, LGCW 2023.

Monitoring achievement

The success of the PAX programme is evaluated by the increased number of nurses and medical staff being educated by the programme and with an increase in the number of patients being helped by the team. The current goal was to raise sufficient fund to start the construction of the hospice, which was hoped to commence in 2023.

The overall goal of the AFCRN is to increase coverage of high-quality cancer registration in the SSA countries. The success of the AFCRN activities is evaluated in terms of the number of registries and the number of countries with a cancer registry, their data quality and comprehensiveness, and the use of their data.

The indicator of a success of the LGCW event is the number of organisations contributing to the LGCW, and the impact from their event, and the activities entailed after that.

Trustees’ Meeting

There was one board meeting during this financial year (October 2022).

Matters arising.

Following the resignation of Dr Ian Magrath from his trustee position, only four trustees remained on the Board. Dr Parkin proposed three candidates: Dr Richard Sullivan from King’s College of London, Mr Mark Lodge, Director of the London Global Cancer Week, and Dr Anne Makena from the Oxford-Africa Initiative, University of Oxford. The trustees agreed that Dr Parkin should write to invite them to join the Board, and that those who agreed should be interviewed for the post.

The trustees agreed that the charity would continue ring fence the funding for BL until the project situation is clear. The Board also decided that welcoming new projects is a positive way to move forward. They will consider one project at a time to start with.

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The Challenge Fund

Report of the Trustees (continued) for the year ended 28th February 2023

Financial review

The Charity’s work is partly reliant on individual donations, fundraising by volunteers and, partly on the receipt of restricted grants from other donors.

BL

The Christopher Niblett Memorial Fund is a long-term fundraising partner of the Charity. It has raised over 100,000 GBP for the BL programme since 2006 by carrying out many fundraising activities including a Christmas card sale, a craft fair sale, sports events, quiz nights and home/street collections held throughout the year.

PAX

The Nepal Hospice UK team remained active in 2022, via a series of family activities, they raised £13,880.

AFCRN

AFCRN activities were mainly funded by the Bloomberg Data for Health Initiative via its research agency the Vital Strategies in the US. The main expenditure of these funding were project activities fund, support of the development of cancer registries in SSA, and travel for consultancy and training purposes. Other research institutes included University of Halle-Germany, UICC and WHO/IARC. The total income for the programme in 2022 was £294,625. Overheads on grants received for the programme were used to finance the running costs of the charity.

LGCW

Via the 2022 event, LGCW raised £29,200 through sponsorship and donations.

Reserves policy

The Trustees aim to maintain free reserves in unrestricted funds at a level which equates to approximately three months of unrestricted charitable expenditure. The Trustees consider that this level will provide sufficient funds to respond to applications for grants and ensure that there are sufficient funds available to cover support and governance costs. It is considered that a level of 3 months is sufficient.

The balance held as unrestricted funds at 28th February 2023 was a surplus of £1,582 against an actual 3 month spending of £200 for rent. The current level of reserves is therefore higher than is needed.

Plans for the future

The Charity will continue to support the programmes described above in the next financial year.

This report was approved by the Board on ………………………… 2024 and signed on its behalf by

…………………………… Prof. Sir Walter Bodmer Trustee

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The Challenge Fund

Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of 28th February 2023

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the year ended 28th February 2023 which are set out on pages 9 to 15.

Responsibilities and basis of report

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

I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 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

Since the charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, which is one of the listed bodies.

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 charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

  3. the 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 any 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.

Andrew Rodzynski FCA For and on behalf of Wenn Townsend Chartered Accountants, 30 St Giles, Oxford OX1 3LE

…………………………… 2024

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The Challenge Fund

Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 28th February 2023

Unrestricted Restricted Total Unrestricted Restricted Total
Notes funds funds 2023 funds funds 2022
£ £ £ £ £ £
Income
Donations - 43,861 43,861 300 26,191 26,491
Investment income 3 256 - 256 34 - 34
Charitable activities 2 - 294,625 294,625 - 190,765 190,765
Other income - 462 462 - 3,509 3,509
───── ───── ───── ───── ───── ─────
Total income 256 338,948 339,204 334 220,465 220,799
───── ───── ───── ───── ───── ─────
Expenditure
Charitable activities 4 214 318,890 319,104 205 223,222 223,427
───── ───── ───── ───── ───── ─────
Total expenditure 214 318,890 319,104 205 223,222 223,427
───── ───── ───── ───── ───── ─────
Net income/(expenditure) 42 20,058 20,100 129 (2,757) (2,628)
Fund balances brought forward at 1st March 2022 1,540 232,538 234,078 1,411 235,295 236,706
───── ───── ───── ───── ───── ─────
Fund balances carried forward at 28th February 2023 1,582 252,596 254,178 1,540 232,538 234,078
═════ ═════ ═════ ═════ ═════ ═════

The notes on pages 11 to 15 form an integral part of these financial statements

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The Challenge Fund

Balance Sheet as at 28th February 2023

Notes 2023 2022
£ £ £ £
Non current assets
Computer equipment 7 - 285
Current assets
Debtors 90,077 -
Cash at bank 192,328 235,497
───── ─────
282,405 235,497
Creditors: amounts falling due
within one year 8 (28,226) (1,704)
───── ─────
Net current assets 254,179 233,793
───── ─────
Net assets 254,179 234,078
═════ ═════
Unrestricted funds 1,583 1,540
Restricted funds 9 252,596 232,538
───── ─────
254,179 234,078
═════ ═════

The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Trustees on …………………. 2024 and signed on their behalf by:

…………………………………..

Prof. Sir Walter Bodmer Trustee

The notes on pages 11 to 15 form an integral part of these financial statements

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The Challenge Fund

Notes to the Accounts

for the year ended 28th February 2023

1 Accounting policies

(a) Basis of preparation

(b) Fund accounting

Income from investments is credited in the period in which it is receivable.

(d) Expenditure

Debtors and creditors receivable/payable within one year

(f) Going concern

(g) Fixed assets

Furniture and equipment 25% Straight line

2. Income from charitable activities

2023 2022 £ £ Grants 294,625 190,765 ══════

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The Challenge Fund

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 28th February 2023

…………………. continued

3. Investment income

Investment income
2023 2022
£ £
Interest receivable 256 34
══════ ══════
Charitable expenditure
AFCRN BL PAX
LGCW		 Total Un- 2023 2022
restricted restricted
£ £ £
£		 £ £ £ £
Restricted
Administrative costs 34,509 - - - 34,509 - 34,509
32,130
Research co-ordination
costs 1,600 - - - 1,600 - 1,600
13,630
Consultancy 13,418 - - 43,047 56,465 - 56,465
15,600
Meetings 62,574 - - - 62,574 62,574
681
Training 12,825 - - - 12,825 - 12,825
4,794
MoU agreement 147,767 - - - 147,767 - 147,767 142,944
Grants - - - - - - -
7,500
Bank charges 1,795 - - - 1,795 - 1,795
1,543
Support costs (note 5) 266 - 1,089 - 1,354 214 1,568
4,605
274,754 - 1,089 43,047 318,890 214 319,104 223,427
Support costs
2023 2022
£ £
Rent 660 720
Promotion 1,089 991
Travel, subsistence and accommodation 4,704 2,819
Website costs 546 96
Sundries 214 205
Exchange difference (8,296) (2,323)
Governance costs (see note 5a) 2,366 1,813
Depreciation expense 285 284
───── ─────
1,568 4,605
═════ ═════
Governance costs
2023 2022
£ £
Independent examiner’s fees 2,366 1,686
Trustee meetings - 127
───── ─────
2,366 1,813
═════ ═════

4.

5. Support costs

5 (a) Governance costs

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The Challenge Fund

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 28th February 2023

…………………. continued

6. Related party transactions

The Trustees neither received any emoluments nor reimbursed expenses during the year (2022: £Nil).

There were no related party transactions in the current or preceding year.

7. Tangible fixed assets

Computer Equipment
£
Cost b/fwd and c/fwd 1,137
─────
Depreciation b/fwd 852
Depreciation charge for the year 285
─────
Depreciation c/fwd 1,137
─────
Net book value at 28th February 2023 -
═════
Net book value at 29th February 2022 285
═════
8. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
2023 2022
£ £
Independent examiner’s fees accrued 4,070 1,704
Deferred grant income 24,156 -
───── ─────
28,226 1,704
═════ ═════

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The Challenge Fund

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 28th February 2023

…………………. continued

9. Restricted funds – current year

9.
Restricted funds – current year
Balance at Transfer Balance at
1st March Income Expenditure between 28th February
2022 funds 2023
£ £ £ £ £
The African Cancer Registry Network
182,221		 295,088 (274,754) - 202,555
Palliative Care Access programme 22,587 13,880 (1,089) - 35,378
Burkitt Lymphoma 7,263 780 - - 8,043
LGCW 20,467 29,200 (43,047) - 6,620
───── ───── ───── ───── ─────
232,538 338,948 (318,890) - 252,596
═════ ═════ ═════ ═════ ═════
Restricted funds – prior year
Balance at Transfer Balance at
1st March Income Expenditure between 28th February
2021 funds 2022
£ £ £ £ £
The African Cancer Registry Network
190,586		 190,766 (199,131) - 182,221
Palliative Care Access programme 12,330 11,248 (991) - 22,587
Burkitt Lymphoma 3,882 3,381 - - 7,263
LGCW 28,497 15,070 (23,100) - 20,467
───── ───── ───── ───── ─────
235,295 220,465 (223,222) - 232,538
═════ ═════ ═════ ═════ ═════

The Report of the Trustees on pages 2-7 provides further information on each restricted fund held.

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The Challenge Fund

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 28th February 2023

…………………. continued

10. Analysis of funds – current year
Restricted Unrestricted Total
£ £ £
Tangible assets - - -
Debtors 90,077 - 90,077
Bank and cash 190,745 1,582 192,328
Creditors (28,226) - (28,226)
───── ───── ─────
252,596 1,582 254,178
═════ ═════ ═════
Analysis of funds – prior year
Restricted Unrestricted Total
£ £ £
Tangible assets 285 - 285
Bank and cash 233,957 1,540 235,497
Creditors (1,704) - (1,704)
───── ───── ─────
232,538 1,540 234,078
═════ ═════ ═════

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