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2022-03-31-accounts

THE MARSH COMMUNITY CENTRE CHARITABLE COMPANY Annual Report Year ending 31 March 2022

Director’s Report for the purposes of the Companies Act 2011 and Trustees’ Annual Report for the purposes of Part VI of the Charities Act 1993 for the year ended 31 March 2022.

The trustees present their annual report on the affairs of the company, together with the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2022, together with the Independent Examiner’s Report thereon.

Registered Charity: 1085116 Company Registration Number: 04156154

CONTENTS

Page
Structure, Governance and Management p. 1
Report of the Chair of Trustees p. 3
Objectives, Activities and Achievements p. 4
Report of the Treasurer p. 6
Statement of Statutory Compliance
Financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2022 p. 7
●Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees
p.8
●Statement of Financial Activities p.9
●Balance Sheet
p.10
●Notes to the accounts p.11

ii

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Name

The full name of the charity is The Marsh Community Centre Charitable Trust.

Constitution and governing legislation

The charity is established as a company limited by guarantee, without share capital, under the Companies Act 1985. Its operation is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 8[t] February 2001 and amended 25 February 2003. The company number is 04156154. The company is a registered charity (no. 1085116).

Trustees and directors

The persons who served on the Board of Trustees and were directors of the company during the year were:

Jon Barry (Trustee and Chair) (Marsh Resident)

Michael Farnfield (Trustee)

Andrew Nicholson (Trustee)

Karin Olsson (Trustee and Secretary) (Marsh Resident)

Ken Peasnell (Trustee and Treasurer)

Sally Pidd (Trustee)

Appointment of trustees

The appointment of trustees is governed by provisions contained within the company’s Articles of Association. These are as follows:

1

Trustees’ responsibilities

Company and charity law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year that give a true and fair view of the state-of-affairs of the charitable company as at the end of the financial year and of the surplus or deficit of the charitable company for that year. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to:

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and to enable them to ensure that the accounts comply with all relevant legislation. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Registered office

The registered office of the company is Marsh Community Centre, Willow Lane, Lancaster, LA1 5PP.

Secretary

The Company Secretary is Karin Olsson.

Treasurer

The Treasurer is Ken Peasnell

Bankers

The company’s bankers during the year ended 31 March 2022 were the Cumberland Building Society, 26-28 Cheapside, Lancaster LA1 1LZ.

Accountants

The company’s finances are managed in-house by the Chief Executive supported by the Secretary and Treasurer. Our payroll and Independent Examination are conducted by Lancaster & District CVS, Sulyard St, Lancaster LA1 1PX.

Specific restrictions on the company

2

shall be transferred to other charitable institutions having similar objects and which similarly prohibit the distribution of income or property among its members.

Full details of all the restrictions imposed on the company and the framework within which the company operates are contained in the Memorandum of Association.

Investment powers

The company is permitted by its Memorandum of Association to invest any funds not immediately required for its purposes in any investments, securities or property as may be thought fit, subject to such conditions and consents as may be imposed or required by law. In exercising these powers, the trustees have had regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit.

Management and financial oversight

The centre’s manager, Deborah Hargreaves, is responsible for the centre’s operations. On the financial side, she is assisted by the treasurer and the secretary. The board of trustees meet at least once a month, with the centre manager in attendance, to monitor activities and to make policy decisions.

REPORT OF THE CHAIR OF TRUSTEES

This has been an excellent year for the Marsh Community Centre, both financially and through the continued success of our activities. This has been despite an environment still very much in the shadow of the Covid pandemic.

We have been successful in some major grant bids this year – including Reaching Communities from the National Lottery, Awards for All and the Postcode Neighbourhood Trust. We are also grateful to Lancaster City Council and the Tudor Trust for their continued support – as well as all our other funders and donors.

There have been some new initiatives this year. One of these, “The Friends of the Marsh Community Centre,” is a group set up to provide more of a link between trustees and centre users. The group has already successfully lobbied for a new bench in the Coronation Field play area and is currently fundraising for new play equipment on Sycamore Grove. One of our trustees, Andrew Nicholson, has been working hard to get more funding from local businesses. He has already achieved an endorsement and donation from Sir Ian McKellen. We anticipate that this project will be built on during 2022 and 2023.

Running a community centre is never easy and we never quite know what ‘issues’ are around the next corner. However, we are blessed with some excellent trustees and staff as well as many helpers and supporters from the local community – including both the Priory and Hope Church. Perhaps my highlight of the year was the Marsh Fun Day and the performance of the Marsh choir. In troublesome times, it is always good to have our spirits lifted.

3

OBJECTIVES, ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Established in 2001 as the Marsh Community Centre Charitable Company, the central objective of our work is to address the needs of local people particularly children and young people living in this deprived ward of Lancaster. Unfortunately, the levels of deprivation have only increased since the centre was formed. We have sought better ways to support adults struggling with poverty, mental health issues and stress. With funding and partnership, we try to provide support for hard-to-reach and vulnerable children and young people. We aspire to achieve the following four objectives:

1. ACTIVITIES

To provide and facilitate activities, advice, information, advocacy and support that improve the quality of life of local people and promote the wellbeing of the community.

2. BUILDING

To run an accessible and safe building that enables us to make a difference.

3. COMMUNITY

To engage and consult the local community so that we are responsive to its needs and aspirations.

4. ORGANISATION

To ensure that we are well managed and governed and effective in all that we do.

Activities during the year

Since the pandemic we have seen numbers rise in every group we run. We have been busy with Open Access helping people with benefits, housing, homelessness, training and employment. Numerous people have sought our help in making claims to the local council’s household fund and the utilities fund, funds which are designed to help with the cost of living of people in need.

Mental health problems in the Marsh area have increased markedly during the pandemic. We have helped people to cope with their problems and signposted them to the relevant services. As part of this, we have worked alongside the NHS who have run drop-in sessions at the centre each month designed to take people’s blood pressure and deal with any concerns they may have. These sessions have been attended very well.

Our Food Club has been meeting for several years and it continues to be very popular. The club has approximately 50 families a week participating, and the numbers are growing. This service is needed now more than ever due to the rise in the cost of groceries. During the year, we charged £5 for food packages which include bread, eggs and milk. We source our food from Fareshare and Eggcup which is our local food distribution centre. We also collect surplus food from Tesco, Greggs, Asda and Sainsburys, and are very grateful for the help they provide.

The Youth clubs we run have large numbers of attendees and are thriving. We also work closely with YMCA, and they attend some sessions where they run different activities for the young people. We are also working with other organisations and are collectively running sessions with all the young people across the Lancaster and Morecambe area including The Bay Triathlon.

Our new groups involve a Visually Impaired group who meet up to support each other and give advice. It is a small group, but it is such an inspiration for these people to meet and enjoy each other's company. Our Relaxation group is run by The Tara centre and helps people deal with stress and daily life.

4

We have a Gardening club which cares for our allotment and gardens. This is run by volunteers, and is a fairly new development for the centre. The club is attended by local people who enjoy getting together and being active in the outdoor space.

Our Coffee and Cake group is well attended, and more people have joined. These sessions are run by volunteers and are invaluable in bringing together people in the area.

We have a choir, Marsh Music , that has been running since 2017 and is open to all local people - men and women, old and young, and of all abilities. The numbers fluctuate but generally average about 15 members. It is a very popular activity, run by volunteers. During the Covid panic we managed to keep the choir going via Zoom. When we able to do so safely, the choir met again in person, to everyone’s relief. A highlight of the year was putting on a concert at Lancaster Priory Church.

We now also have a Friends of The Marsh group , which is chaired by Katie Schad, one of our volunteers. They have regular meetings at the centre and are working alongside the local councils in trying to purchase new play area equipment for the estate.

We hire out the venue to outside organisations which include Hope church which runs on a Sunday and a dance group which is well attended.

We held a Jubilee Party which was well attended, and the community really enjoyed their time together.

Overall, our goal continues to be to help people in the Marsh area in whatever ways we can throughout the year. Our records show that we helped around 640 people per calendar month. These numbers sometimes include the same person attending on a weekly basis, a testament to their popularity.

5

REPORT OF THE TREASURER

Income and expenditure

Detailed information concerning our charitable spending during the year and the income that made this possible is provided in the financial statements which follow. The key features can be summarised as follows.

Our operating expenditures during the year amounted to £109,104, an increase of 25.6% over the previous year. This increase was mainly driven by two factors: there was a more than threefold increase in expenses directly attributable to our activities, reflecting the fact that we were able to do much more face-to-face work with people in the Marsh area in this later phase of the covid-19 crisis; and spending on wages and salaries increased by 20%, reflecting the fact that the centre was now open for business.

Funding available to us to support these activities totalled £117,170, a decrease of 10.2% over 20120-21, and came from three sources: grants from external funding agencies (£103,390), donations from individuals and organisations (£7,575), and income we generate ourselves (£6,206). Without such grants and donations, we could not function. We are particularly indebted this year to the Tudor Trust, Lancaster City Council, Postcode Neighbourhood Trust and the National Lottery Community Fund for substantial awards, as well as to other bodies for smaller amounts listed in Note 1 of the financial statements.

As in previous years, the donations we received came from a variety of sources, both large and small, some for specific purposes and others to help us cover general running costs and our activities. Many take the form of regular small donations and others one-off larger amounts. Whatever the amount or frequency they are extremely valuable because they help us build up our reserves in ways that grants do not and cannot and thus help buffer us from shocks to the funding regime.

Reserves policy

Our objective is to maintain a level of free reserves (those not tied up in fixed assets and designated and restricted funds) at a level sufficient to fulfil the Company’s continuing obligations. This is always a struggle because of our heavy reliance on grants as our principal source of income. Unlike in the previous year where our unrestricted funds increased by by £9,222, this year they fell by £1,938 during the year, a fall caused by unfunded capital expenditures of £3,500. A key long-term objective of the Company is to conserve this vital reserve in order to ensure our continuing solvency, but we accept there will be ups and downs from one year to the next.

As of 31 March 2022, our unrestricted reserves amounted to £45,726, which equates to about five months of our current level of non-capital spending. This is, of course, an extreme worsecase scenario in which all grant income has been consumed and no income of any kind is being received. In fact, we had £92,129 cash in the bank and in hand at the year-end, an amount only marginally down on last year (£92,668), and equal to about 10 months of current spending. Furthermore, shortly after the financial year-end we received the very welcome news that we have been awarded a grant of £151,331 from the National Lottery under their Reaching Communities programme. This will be sufficient to cover a large portion of our operating costs for the next three years. As a result, the Trustees remain fully confident in the continuing financial viability of the Company.

6

STATEMENT OF STATUTORY COMPLIANCE

The trustees’ and directors’ report and the attached accounts comply with current statutory requirements, the Memorandum and Articles of Association and the Statement of Recommended Practice 2015 – Accounting and Reporting by Charities.

The above report has been prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2011 relating to small companies and was approved by the board on and signed on its behalf by:

Jon Barry

Chair of Trustees

7

The Marsh Community Centre Charitable Company

Registered Company No. 04156154 Registered Charity No. 1085116

Financial statements

Year ending 31 March 2022

7

Independent examiner's report to the trustees of

Marsh Community Centre

Charity No. 1085116

I report on the accounts for the year 1st April 2021 – 31[st] March 2022

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

Basis of independent examiner's report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair view' and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

Independent examiner's statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

(1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:

have not been met; or

(2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Shweta Pankhadiwala

C/o Lancaster District CVS, The Cornerstone Sulyard Street Lancaster LA1 1PX 14[th] Sept 2022

The Marsh Community Centre Charitable Company

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

Year ended 31 March 2022

Note
Income from:
Donations and legacies
1
Grants
1
Other Income
2
Total
Expenditure on:
Charitable activities
3,4,5
Depreciation
Total
Net income (expenditures)
Fixed asset purchases
Other transfers between funds
Net movement in funds
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward
Unrestricted
Funds
£
6,114
-
6,206
12,319
10,737
-
10,737
1,582
(3,500)
(20)
(1,938)
47,663
45,725
Restricted
Funds
£
1,461
103,390
-
104,851
98,367
-
98,367
6,484
(3,919)
20
2,585
42,985
45,570
Fixed Assets
Fund
£
-
-
-
-
-
10,534
10,534
(10,534)
7,419
-
(3,115)
235,479
232,364
Total Funds
2022
£
7,575
103,390
6,206
117,170
109,104
10,534
119,638
(2,468)
-
-
(2,468)
326,127
323,659
Total Funds
2021
£
11,644
107,867
10,956
130,467
86,891
6,140
93,031
37,436
-
-
37,436
288,691
326,127

The notes that follow form part of these financial statements.

9

The Marsh Community Centre Charitable Company

BALANCE SHEET

As at 31 March 2022

Note
Fixed Assets
Tangible fixed assets
6
Current Assets
Cash at bank and in hand
Total current assets
Current Liabilities
Creditors and accrued expenses
Net Current Assets
Net Assets
Funds:
Unrestricted funds
Restricted funds
7
Fixed Assets fund
2022
£
232,365
92,129
92,129
835
91,294
323,659
45,726
45,569
232,364
323,659
2021
£
235,480
92,668
92,668
2,021
90,647
326,127
47,663
42,985
235,479
326,127

For the year ending 31 March 2022 the Company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Act 2006 relating to small companies.

The members have not required an audit in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

The directors acknowledge their responsibility for complying with the requirements of Act with respect to accounting records and for the preparation of accounts.

These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.

Approved by the board of trustees

Jon Barry

Ken Peasnell

Date: 14 October 2022

The notes on the following pages form part of these financial statements.

10

The Marsh Community Centre Charitable Company

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS Year ended 31 March 2022

Accounting Policies

Basis of accounting

The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis under the historical cost convention and in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) Accounting and Reporting by Charities (effective January 2019) the Companies Act 2011.

Income

Grants, including grants for the purchase of fixed assets, are included in income in the year to which the grant Where a grant is received but cannot be spent until later years(s) it is carried forward as prepaid income.

Collections, donations and legacies are included when receivable by the charity.

No income is shown net of expenditure.

Expenditures

Resources expended are included in the Statement of Financial Activities on an accruals basis.

Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

All capital expenditure, including that which is funded by grants, is treated as an addition to fixed assets.

Depreciation is provided on all tangible fixed assts at rates calculated to write off the costs less estimated residual va of each asset over its expected useful life as follows:

Property 2% p.a. straight line Fixtures and equipmment 20% p.a. straight line Computer equipment 33% p.a. straight line

Where the capital expenditure is funded by specific grants, the associated grant is transferred to the fixed asset fun In the case of capital expenditure financed out of the unrestricted fund, a similar transfer is made to the fixed asset In both cases, depreciation is charged to the fixed assets fund based on the expected useful life of the relevant ass

Taxation

The company is a registered charity and as such is entitled to the exemption from tax to the extent that the income received falls within section 505 C.G.T.A. 1992 and is applied to charitable purposes only.

Fund accounting

Unrestricted fund - this is the fund which can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.

Fixed asset fund - this is the fund which represents fixed assets purchased from both unrestricted and unspecific res grants and fund the future depreciation of those assets.

Restricted funds - these are funds that can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objectives of th charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted [urposes.

11

The Marsh Community Centre Charitable Company

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS Year ended 31 March 2022

1
Grants and donations received during year
Tudor Trust
Lancaster Police Fund
Postcode Neighbourhood Trust
The National Lottery Covid-19 Response Fund
The National Lottery Community Fund
National Lottery Awards for All
Marsh Community Centre Fire Appeal
NHS
Dulverston NEET
CVS Lancaster Covid-19 Relief
Arnold Clark
Curious Minds
Coop Local Community Fund
Grantscape
Dr D M Elliott
Community Foundation
Lancaster Priory Church
Albert Hunt Trust
John Laing
Joseph A Jones
Sir Ian McKellan
Hope Church
Lancashire County Council
Lawrence Hunt
Neighbourly
Other grants and donations
2
Other income
Covid-19 salary furlough income
Food club
Gift aid and other income
3
Expenditure on charitable activities
Wages and salaries
Cleaning, printing, stationary and sundries
Repairs and renewals
Heat, light and water
Telephone, internet and computing
Insurance and legal costs
Activity expenses
Grants
Membership, training and travel
Audit, accountancy and payroll
Bank charges
Income generation expenses
Lancaster City Council
Unrestricted
funds
2022
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,420
-
1,000
-
-
-
971
840
-
500
-
1,383
6,114
Unrestricted
funds
2022
£
-
5,613
592
6,206
Unrestricted
funds
2022
£
-
171
220
-
9
100
5,874
-
6
-
-
4,356
10,737
12
Restricted
funds
2022
£
30,000
29,635
-
20,365
-
9,990
-
-
3,200
2,600
-
2,500
2,200
-
-
-
-
-
1,000
1,000
1,000
-
-
500
-
400
461
104,851
Restricted
funds
2022
£
-
-
-
-
Restricted
funds
2022
£
68,460
1,621
4,239
5,941
1,378
2,502
11,168
400
1,503
986
69
100
98,367
Total
funds
2022
£
30,000
29,635
-
20,365
-
9,990
-
-
3,200
2,600
-
2,500
2,200
-
-
1,420
-
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
971
840
500
500
400
1,844
110,964
Total
funds
2022
£
-
5,613
592
6,206
Total
funds
2022
£
68,460
1,793
4,459
5,941
1,387
2,602
17,041
400
1,509
986
69
4,456
109,104
Total
funds
2021
£
27,000
24,803
11,000
-
22,419
-
9,916
4,456
5,000
-
2,550
-
-
2,145
1,951
-
1,083
2,717
1,050
-
-
-
-
-
-
400
3,021
119,511
Total
funds
2021
£
4,966
2,127
3,864
10,957
Total
funds
2021
£
57,151
1,158
8,889
3,939
1,642
2,228
5,201
4,986
914
648
134
-
86,890

The Marsh Community Centre Charitable Company

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS Year ended 31 March 2022

4
Management and administration of the charity
Accountancy fees
Unrestricted
funds
2022
5
Staff Costs
£
Wages costs
-
Redundancy costs
-
-
Net income is stated after charging
Depreciation of tangible fixed asset
Restricted
funds
2022
£
68,460
-
68,460
2022
£
10,534
986
Total
funds
2022
£
68,460
-
68,460
2021
£
6140
648
Total
funds
2021
£
57,151
-
57,151

The average number of employees during the year was as follows: Chief Executive, Centre Manager, 3 Community and Youth Workers, and 1 Cleaner.

No employee earned more tha £50,000 in the year.

Leasehold Computer Fixtures &
property equipment fittings Total
6 Tangible fixed assets £ £ £ £
Cost
At 1 April 2021 341,539 4,682 27,200 373,421
Additions - 209 7,210 7,419
Disposals - - - 0
At 31 March 2022 341,539 4,891 34,410 380,840
Depreciation
At 1 April 2021 111,313 2,582 24,046 137,941
Charge for the year 6,831 1,630 2,073 10,534
Disposals - - - 0
At 31 March 2022 118,144 4,212 26,119 148,475
Net Book value
At 31 March 2022 223,395 679 8,291 232,365
at 31 March 2021 230,226 2,100 3,154 235,480

13

The Marsh Community Centre Charitable Company

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS Year ended 31 March 2022

7
Movements in funds
Restricted funds
Albert Hunt Trust
Areti Charitable Trust
Arnold Clark
Community Foundation
Coop Local Community fund
Curious Minds
Dulverston NEET
Garfield Western Foundation
Grantscape
Francis C Scott Trust
Joseph A Jones
John Laing
Lancashire County Council
Lancaster Police Fund
LDCVS Covid-19 relief
National Lottery Awards for All
National Lottery Community Fund
NHS
Neighbourly
Postcode Neighbourhood Trust
Tudor Trust
Other
General funds
Unrestricted Funds
Fixed assets fund
Lancaster City Council
Balance
01.04.21
£
-
1,139
-
678
2,145
-
-
7,437
1,951
30
-
-
150
14,937
3,480
2,117
3,531
-
4,483
-
-
907
-
42,985
47,663
235,479
326,127
Incoming
resources
£
1,000
-
2,500
-
-
2,200
2,600
-
-
-
1,000
1,000
500
29,635
-
-
-
9,990
3,200
400
20,365
30,000
461
104,851
12,319
7,419
124,589
Outgoings
£
400
1,067
2,180
678
819
1,208
1,926
7,476
1,907
-
100
973
214
41,389
3,500
2,292
3,501
1,859
3,854
-
308
26,184
449
102,286
14,237
10,534
127,057
Transfers
£
(72)
39
(44)
(30)
(27)
20
175
(30)
(12)
20
(20)
-
-
Balance
31.03.22
£
600
-
320
-
1,327
992
674
-
-
-
900
-
436
3,183
-
-
-
8,131
3,829
400
20,057
4,723
-
45,570
45,725
232,364
323,659

Purposes of the restricted funds

The restricted funds are provided by the grant providers and donors and can only be used for the purposes out in the grants and donators made by each provider.

8 Related party transactions

There were no transactions with related parties during the year.

9 Untimate control

The company is controlled by its members in general meeting in accordance with the Memorandum and Articles of Association. No member is entitled to more than one vote.

14