- en form Annual Report and Accounts 2023
15 Church Walk Colchester CO1 1NS
Telephone 01206 367776 - e-mail info@en form.org.uk - Website www.en form.org.uk
Registered Charity Number 1083216 Registered Company Number 03881968
Review of the year ........................................................................................................................... 3 Mission Statement ........................................................................................................................... 4 Objectives ........................................................................................................................................ 4 Projects ........................................................................................................................................... 5 ALEO East ........................................................................................................................ 5 Cycling Projects ................................................................................................................ 5 Clean Air Colchester ......................................................................................................... 5 Eco- Festival ..................................................................................................................... 5 Environment Hub – Colchester LEAF ............................................................................... 5 Love Your Flow ................................................................................................................. 6 Monkwick .......................................................................................................................... 6 ReUse Essex Website ...................................................................................................... 7 Recycling .......................................................................................................................... 7 Water Saving Project – Drop 20, Leaky Loos and Keep It Clear ....................................... 7 E Cargo Bike Project ......................................................................................................... 8 Publicity ........................................................................................................................................... 8 Visitor Numbers ............................................................................................................................... 8 Staffing ............................................................................................................................................ 8 Volunteers and Training Placements ............................................................................................... 8 Partnerships .................................................................................................................................... 8 Significant Events since the Year End ........................................................................................... 10 Future Plans .................................................................................................................................. 10 Legal and Administrative Information ............................................................................................ 10 Trustees and Management Committee Members ......................................................................... 10 Funders ......................................................................................................................................... 10 Notes to the Accounts ................................................................................................................... 11 1. Accounting Policies ..................................................................................................... 11 2. Grants ......................................................................................................................... 11 3. Staff Costs and Numbers ............................................................................................ 11 4. Fund Accounting ......................................................................................................... 12 5. Restricted Funds ......................................................................................................... 12 6. Trustees’ Remuneration and Expenses ...................................................................... 12 7. Tangible Fixed Assets ................................................................................................. 12 8. Related Parties ............................................................................................................ 13 9. Reserves Policy .......................................................................................................... 13 Statement of Financial Affairs for the year ended 30 November 2023 .......................................... 14 Consolidated Income and Expenditure Account for year ending 30 November 2023 .................... 15 Consolidated Balance Sheet as at 30th November 2023 .............................................................. 16
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Review of the year
The past year continued to be challenging, and the decision was made to review our operations and consolidate our services and align them to our limited resources.
The Eco festival 2023, took place on the 2nd September 2023. This was our third festival and although a great success in terms of the number of visitors it attracted and the success of the stallholders, required a huge effort and stretched the resources of the organisation.
We started the Love your Flow project in 2022 and because of a lack of resources, the decision was made not to continue this project after the initial period finished in March 2023.
The partnership with Anglian Water to raise awareness of the environmental impact of water usage continued until the end of October 2023. It was decided not to continue for a further period.
We decided to concentrate on providing activities from our Town centre premises in Priory Walk with a number of new activities planned for 2024.
Our online presence, particularly through social media continued to be our main method of providing information throughout the year.
Recycling of hard to recycle items, particularly through Terracycle continued to be popular. It was our second most successful recycling year and increased our engagement with the general public.
Peter Chisnall
Chairman of Trustees
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Mission Statement
en-form’s main mission is to establish an Environment Charity dedicated to the provision of nonbiased information. We want to promote a clean environment and increase chances of survival in the future, both for ourselves and the species with whom we share this planet.
Objectives
The advancement of public awareness and the promotion of research (and the publication of useful results of such research) in:
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(a) The conservation and protection and improvement of the environment
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(b) Economic and social development in ways which protect and preserve the environment for future generations
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(c) The links between local and global issues within the subjects described in the foregoing and
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(d) The scope for individual action mentioned in a, b and c
Primary Aims:
A source of environmental information
An attractive and easily accessible environmental and sustainable development centre in central Colchester
An active role in raising the awareness of the issues concerning the environment and sustainable development, both locally and globally
Encouragement for the public to get involved in safeguarding and improving the environment
We will do this by:
Providing information on all aspects of community and environmental issues Raising awareness of general environmental issues Educating and training where needed
Making the global to local link Influencing decision makers, through providing guidance and campaigning on significant issues Providing a community service and resource
Empowering communities and creating change Bringing people together, creating partnerships and building consensus
Being a centre of excellence in the development and demonstration of best practice and sustainability
Providing a focal point, space and shared facilities to local groups Inspiring communities by providing a lead in a shared vision Providing information on all aspects of community and environmental issues Building on community participation, assisting in the creation of a sustainable future
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Projects
ALEO East
We became the Secretariat for HECA East in September 2015. The name of this network was changed in 2017 to ALEO East and we continue to be the Secretariat.
Whilst we are still the secretariat for this network, we no longer receive funding for this project and our involvement has reduced. We still maintain the network database and send out information provided primarily by ALEO but other functions have been discontinued at the present time.
Cycling Projects
We have hosted a number of cycling projects over the years, and we continued to offer Dr Bike, cycle maintenance sessions throughout the year. We have also worked with other groups to provide free Bikes to those who cannot afford them.
Clean Air Colchester
Clean Air Colchester was a project set up by Colchester Borough Council to raise awareness of air pollution within the Town. What causes it and how individuals can take action to reduce it.
This project was transferred to en-form in March 2022 and during the year primarily consisted of hosting the website.
Eco- Festival
The eco festival originally planned for July 2020 which was cancelled due to covid finally took place on the 4[th] September 2021. It was a huge success with over 3,500 visitors.
In addition to a wide range of environmental stalls and activities, it included local music and dance acts, a children’s area, a speaker’s tent, a sustainable transport and try out area and a health and wellbeing area.
Following the success of the first eco festival, a second festival was held on 3[rd] September 2022 and a third festival on 2nd September 2023. Both festivals attracted over 4,500 visitors and over 90 stalls.
Whilst the eco festival has been a huge success exceeding our expectations it was difficult to put on in 2023 and required the use of most of en-form’s resources.
Environment Hub – Colchester LEAF
It has long been an ambition for en-form to be part of and manage a hub for the use of other environment groups and for en-form to have more space to develop and host more projects suggested by the local community. The idea was to have a large hub in town centre premises with shared resources to form a better one stop shop for the environment.
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We have looked at many potential sites over the past 20 years which for several reasons were both very expensive and proved not viable.
In addition, we have received several approaches from a number of environment groups in recent years asking if they could share our existing small premises. These included GEMS, The Textile Collective, Together We Grow and Abberton Rural Training (ART). We have attempted to accommodate some of them in the past including the Green Network, the Colchester Volunteer Centre and Timebank, the Colchester Food Co-op and GEMS. This had proved challenging for space and operational reasons. Members of the Colchester Climate Alliance, which is a network of individuals and groups interested in environmental issues were also interested in setting up a Climate Emergency Centre in Colchester.
en-form was represented on the Colchester Climate Alliance network and indeed had an existing Facebook group set up in July 2020, Colchester Climate and Environment Action Group – Admins with the same objectives.
In May 2022, we received an approach from Avire offering us large Town Centre premises rent and rate free on a short-term lease for a maximum of 36 months.
The Trustees decided to take up this lease in June 2022, to set up an environment hub to move some existing en-form projects to the new premises and invite other groups to host projects from the hub. In particular, to move the swap shop from Church Walk and offer The Textile Collective, who wanted to use part of our existing Church Walk ground floor office space to sell reclaimed textiles.
The premises had several problems that needed to be resolved, and the utility bills have proved more expensive than we anticipated, but we hope to make progress in the coming year.
More issues occurred during the current year, but we have managed to test a number of projects such as the Hygge Swap shop which operated on one day per week and proved very successful with an average of 20 swappers per week.
The centre has also been used to host speaker and film night events as well as providing space for the successful Textile Collective project which operates in half of the premises. It has also offered a meeting space for individuals and local organisations.
Love Your Flow
This project was set up to provide information on period products particularly reuseable products and their impact on health and the environment. It started in March 2022 and ended in 2023. The biggest success was from doing talks to other organisations, particularly schools.
Monkwick
This is a sustainable transport project set up by Colchester Borough Council in the Monkwick Estate area. A number of activities and services were provided by en-form during the year. This project was completed in 2023 and is now closed.
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ReUse Essex Website
The www.reuseessex.org.uk website was launched on 26[th] May 2011. It was set up by the Essex Community Reuse and Recycling Network (ECORRN) and the running of this website transferred to en-form when ECORRN was closed on 1[st] April 2012. The site lists primarily Charity and other Community Organisations that accept unwanted but useable items for resale or to give away. It contains an item and postcode search facility. Although the website still works for visitors a number of technical problems have occurred and the website needs to be reviewed.
Recycling
Since becoming a Terracycle collector at the request of our visitors and supporters in November 2018, the number of items we currently collect for recycling is 23 items.
The Terracycled items which includes items such as crisp packets, biscuit wrappers and toothpaste tubes for example are sorted and packaged by volunteers and en-form receives a small payment. Since starting in 2018 we have recycled over 2.401 tonnes of waste and raised £3286 in funds.
2023 was a very successful year for our recycling project. We recycled 665kg of waste, raising £855 from an average of 12 people and organisations per week. This was our second-best year since we started it in 2018. However, there are changes occurring within the recycling sector such as supermarkets collecting soft plastics and Terracycle closing a number of schemes which means results are likely to be much lower next year.
We had previously decided to discontinue collecting mobile phones and printer cartridges for recycling at our office. This was because the number of outlets accepting these items for recycling had declined and were no longer paying for them. However, we decided to restart collecting printer inkjet cartridges and mobile phones as we have found new paying outlets for these items.
We continue to collect corks for the recorked network.
We continue to encourage the public to reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible.
Water Saving Project – Drop 20, Leaky Loos and Keep It Clear
We were approached by Anglian Water to run a water saving project in Colchester in 2020. Water use in Colchester is higher than average and a lot above what it needs to be. Colchester currently uses 169 litres per person per day. The average in the Anglian Region is 142 and it needs to drop to 120 litres. The first project took place from 1[st] June till 30[th] September 2020.
The project was extended with a focus on Leaky Loos, and we continue to run a water saving project throughout the year in partnership with Anglian Water. The project was extended to include ‘Keep it Clear’ to reduce environmental problems caused by sewage and continued throughout the year.
We continued to offer a water information and education project throughout the year in partnership with Anglian Water. This project ended on 30[th] October 2023. It was decided not to continue this project as we did not have the resources to continue it.
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E Cargo Bike Project
In January 2021 we were approached by somebody who wanted to set up and run an E Cargo bike project. Our original intention was to set this up under en-form which for insurance reasons was not possible. However, we offered support and provided functions to enable this project to set up as its own community group. Though we still offer support to this project, the need for us to offer support has reduced throughout the year and by October our support was minimal.
Publicity
We now tend to promote our projects and environmental information through electronic means, particularly through the website and social media. We have found all other means to be both less effective and costly. Also, as an environment centre we aim to reduce the amount of paper we use. However, a broader range of publicity, including leaflets and posters was used to promote the Eco Festival.
Visitor Numbers
Most of our enquiries are via e-mail, social media or telephone. We originally aimed to reply to all enquiries within a week although due to the number now being received this is no longer possible. Our website was revamped in 2015. The original website was launched on 30[th] November 2001 and received 110,555 visitors until it was withdrawn in February 2016. The new site went live in March 2015 and attracts around 5500 unique visitors during the year. This equates to around 15 visitors per day.
We also launched a Colchester specific site www.ecocolchester.org.uk on 11[th] May 2020 which attracts around 2000 unique users per year.
Staffing
With effect from April 2023, we no longer employ staff directly. Because of the nature of the paid for tasks we are involved with and the costs and burden of employing staff all tasks are now paid for on a self-employed invoice basis.
Volunteers and Training Placements
We have a core of 11 volunteers primarily working on sorting recycling, contributing around 1700 hours per year. We also have several volunteers working on various projects on an ad hoc basis including 35 who helped us to deliver the Eco Festival. We are very grateful for their assistance. As we are a small organisation, we would find it almost impossible to function without the support of volunteers. At the present time we do not have the staff resources to support a larger number of volunteers or placements.
Partnerships
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We do not currently operate in partnership with any other organisation. Our partnership with Anglian Water to deliver water saving advice ended in October 2023. However, we continue to work closely with other local organisations and local authorities in the Colchester area. Particularly Colchester City Council.
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Significant Events since the Year End
Future Plans
We will continue to look for ways to utilise our resources more efficiently by sharing them with other local groups and projects.
We will consider holding another Eco Festival and extending the services and events held at the Colchester LEAF.
Legal and Administrative Information
The Charity is registered and is a company limited by guarantee governed by its memorandum and articles of association. Charity number: 1083216. Registered Company Number 03881968.
Trustees and Management Committee Members
The Directors of the charitable company (the Charity) are its trustees for the purposes of charitable law and throughout this report are collectively referred to as the trustees.
There are currently 4 Trustees, who meet quarterly to decide overall policy. The trustees serving during the year were as follows: Peter Chisnall (Chairman and Secretary) Adam Rose Oliver King Lisa Cross
Funders
We received grants totalling £23337 from the following funders over the past 12 months:
Colchester Borough Council Monkwick Project £3094 Colchester Borough Council Cultural Fund £1450 Colchester Borough Council Locality Budget £ 700 Colchester Borough Council £1900 Essex County Council Love Essex Fund £1000 Essex County Council Cultural Fund £ 348 Suffolk County Council £1110 Chelmsford City Council £1154 Essex Community Foundation £2000 Cycling UK £1200 East of England Co-op £1000 University of Essex £2500 The Active Wellbeing £ 671 Together We Grow £4710 Provide £ 500
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Notes to the Accounts
1. Accounting Policies
Projects are set up as a separate cost centre within the Charity accounts. As most projects are funded on a restrictive basis, separate bank accounts are held and consolidated figures are entered into the report and accounts as restricted or designated funds.
The Trustees have decided to build up a reserve in future years to cover one years running costs of approximately £28,000. This is to limit risk to the Charity and ensures it continues should income streams be lost in future.
Financial systems have been implemented where all projects are set up on a self-contained basis. Resources of the Charity are charged to the project in accordance with our scale of charges. This both simplifies and adds transparency to the financial accounts and removes the need for an arbitrary allocation accounting system.
2. Grants
Local Government Grants Grant Funders |
Restricted Designated Unrestricted Total 0 10756 0 10756 0 12581 0 12581 0 23337 0 23337 |
|---|---|
3. Staff Costs and Numbers
Salaries and Wages Social Security Costs Expenses Pension Costs |
2023 2022 £12092 £29847 £ 0 £ 0 £ 27 £ 141 £ 0 £ 0 £ 12119 £29988 |
|---|---|
The average number of staff employed by the charity and the projects it undertakes (including casual and part-time staff) was as follows:
| Projects Total |
9 0 9 0 |
|---|---|
The number of employees earning over £50,000 during the year was nil (2023 – nil). These figures include self employed staff who deliver projects for us.
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4. Fund Accounting
Funds held by the Charity are either:
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Restricted – these are funds that can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. They are incoming resources on which the donor or funder has laid down conditions relating to the expenditure thereon or when funds are specifically raised for particular restricted purposes.
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Designated – incoming resources set aside by the trustees out of unrestricted general funds for specific future purposes.
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Unrestricted general – incoming resources on which there is no restriction or designation.
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Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.
5. Restricted Funds
At 1[st] December 2022 Incoming Outgoing At 30[th ] November 2023
Total Restricted Funds 0
0 0 0
Balances on restricted funds at 30[th] November 2023 were nil. Although funds have been donated for specific projects and are designated funds which will be applied to the appropriate project in the coming year.
Grants and funds received for specific projects that will be spent or allocated within 12 months are allocated as designated funds.
6. Trustees’ Remuneration and Expenses
The directors of the charitable company are the trustees under charity law and received no remuneration, emoluments, or reimbursed expenses from the charity during the year.
7. Tangible Fixed Assets
Fixed assets are depreciated on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives as follows:
Type of Asset Annual Rate Office equipment and Fixtures 25%
At the Trustee meeting of the 27[th] October 2005 it was decided to increase the rate of depreciation to 25% so that the balance sheet reflects the assets more accurately.
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8. Related Parties
At the present time en-form operates projects with the help of a number of partners but operates entirely independently.
9. Reserves Policy
At the Trustee meeting of 27 October 2005, it was decided to transfer a sum equivalent to one years running costs for en-form and one year of salary costs totalling £28,000. This was transferred to the reserves fund on the 18[th] April 2006. The reserves will be reviewed each year with consideration given to setting up a new building fund. Due to lower income, we have had to withdraw all funds from the Reserves account. The Reserves now stand at £0.
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en-form Company No 03881968
Statement of Financial Affairs for the year ended 30 November 2023
| 2023 | 2022 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GENERAL | RESTRICTED | TOTAL | |||
| FUND | FUND | ||||
| INCOME | |||||
| Grants | 23337 | 23337 | 43171 | ||
| Restricted Funds | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Projects | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Membership donations | 2532 | 2532 | 9889 | ||
| Sales | 10310 | 10310 | 11439 | ||
| Sponsorships and Stall Fees | 11717 | 11717 | 5725 | ||
| Bank Interest | 907 | 0 | 907 | 27 | |
| Rent Received | 1040 | 1040 | 1040 | ||
| Other | 0 | ||||
| Total | 49842 | 0 | 49842 | 71291 | |
| EXPENDITURE | |||||
| Rent | 5501 | 5501 | 5369 | ||
| Rates | 137 | 137 | 244 | ||
| Insurance | 1222 | 1222 | 957 | ||
| Heating & Lighting | 517 | 517 | 497 | ||
| Telephone/Broadband | 1011 | 1011 | 889 | ||
| Water | 197 | 197 | 160 | ||
| Postage/Stationery/Consumables | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Sundries | 422 | 422 | 495 | ||
| Advertising | 481 | 481 | 347 | ||
| Projects Designated Projects |
18856 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Other | 18856 | 18856 | 18230 | ||
| Salaries & Employment Costs | 12119 | 0 | 12119 | 29988 | |
| Depreciation Furniture/Fittings | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 40463 | 0 | 40463 | 57176 | |
| Surplus of Income over Expenditure | 9379 | 0 | 9379 | 14115 | |
| Transfer From Restricted Funds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Net Surplus of Income over Expenditure | 9379 | 0 | 9379 | 14115 | |
| Reconciliation of year ended 30th | |||||
| November 2023 | |||||
| Balance brought forward 1st December | 2022 | 39821 | 22894 | 61691 | 47577 |
| Net Movement detailed above | 9379 | 0 | 9379 | 14114 | |
| Total | 49200 | 22894 | 71070 | 61691 |
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en-form Company No 03881968
Consolidated Income and Expenditure Account for year ending 30 November 2023
INCOME
| INCOME | ||
|---|---|---|
| Grants General |
0 | |
| Designated | 23337 | 23337 |
| Restricted Funds | ||
| Restricted Fund Total | 0 | 0 |
| Membership and Donations | 2532 | |
| Legacies | 0 | |
| Sales | 10310 | |
| Rent Received | 1040 | |
| Sponsorships and Stall Fees | 11717 | |
| Bank Interest | 907 | |
| Total | 49842 | |
| EXPENDITURE | ||
| Rent | 5501 | |
| Rates | 137 | |
| Insurance | 1222 | |
| Heating & Lighting | 517 | |
| Telephone/Broadband | 1011 | |
| Water | 197 | |
| Postage/Stationery/Consumables | 0 | |
| Sundries | 422 | |
| Advertising | 481 | |
| Volunteers Expenses | 0 | |
| Projects | ||
| Other | 18856 | 18856 |
| Restricted Funds | ||
| Happy Handlebars | 0 | 0 |
| Designated Funds | ||
| Salaries | 12119 | |
| Depreciation Furniture/Fittings | 0 | |
| Total | 40463 | |
| Surplus of Income over Expenditure | 9379 | |
| Restricted Funds Transfer | 0 | |
| Net Surplus of Income over Expenditure | 9379 | |
| Reconciliation of year ended 30th November 2023 | ||
| Balance brought forward 1st December 2023 | 61691 | |
| Net Movement detailed above | 9379 | |
| Total | 71070 |
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en-form Company No 03881968
Consolidated Balance Sheet as at 30th November 2023
| 2023 | 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed Assets | ||||
| Furniture, fixtures & fittings | Cost | 0 | 0 | |
| Depreciation at | ||||
| 100% | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | ||
| Current Assets | ||||
| Prepayments | 0 | 0 | ||
| Cash in hand and Bank | 71070 | 61691 | ||
| Cash at Bank for Restricted Funds | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 71070 | 71070 | 61691 | |
| Debtors- amounts owed within one year | ||||
| Debtor | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total Assets | 71070 | 61691 | ||
| Creditors- amounts falling due within one year | ||||
| Accruals | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total Assets less Current Liabilities | 71070 | 61691 | ||
| Capital Account | ||||
| Balance at 30th November 2023 being surplus | 71070 | 61691 | ||
| of income over expenditure in year |
For the year ending 30/11/2023 the 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 company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476.
The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and for the preparation of accounts.
The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the micro-entity provisions.
Peter Chisnall Chairman of Trustees 30th April 2024
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