LUTON COUNCIL OF FAITHS
Annual Report
2022-2023
*11

## **Luton Council of Faiths** 

Luton Council of Faiths (LCoF) began with a group of people from different faiths during 1994-1995, as part of the Grassroots Programme. 

On 10[th] July 1997, the Luton Interfaith Forum was launched and then in 2000 the name ‘Luton Council of Faiths’ was adopted. 


Charity no: 1089850 

LCoF then achieved independent charitable status in 2001. 

Since then LCoF has continued to work as a partner with the Grassroots Programme and Luton Borough Council, whilst also networking with many other organisations within and beyond Luton’s borders. 

## **Visit Our Website:** 

www.lutonfaiths.org 

## **Email Us:** 

info@lutonfaiths.org 

## **Call Us:** 

01582 416946 

## **Write To Us:** 

Luton Council of Faiths C/O Grassroots Programme 47 High Town Road Luton Bedfordshire LU2 0BW 

## **Like / Follow Us Online:** 



www.facebook.com/groups/LutonFaith 

www.twitter.com/LutonFaiths 

_LCOF meeting with the Queen’s Tree of Trees Award Pot_ 

_**Front Cover Image:**_ 



**Funders, Partners and Volunteers** 

## **Core Funder** 

- Bedfordshire & Luton Community Fund (BLCF) as part of Luton Rising – Community Investment Fund 

## **Projects Funder** 

- Near Neighbours Fund 

## **Key Partners** 

- Grassroots Programme 

- Luton Council 

- Bedfordshire Police 

- Near Neighbours Programme 

## **Key Supporters – Faith & Voluntary Organisations** 

- Churches Together in Luton 

- Sunni Council of Mosques 

- Luton Council of Mosques 

- Guru Nanak Gurdwara 

- Shri Guru Ravi Dass Sangat 

- Shree Sanatan Seva Samaj Hindu Temple 

- BAPS Swami Narayan Hindu Temple 

- Bedfordshire Progressive Synagogue 

- Luton United Synagogue 

- Luton Bahai Community 

- Luton Quakers 

- Luton Sathya Sai Service Organisation 

- LanTern Luton 

- OM Group 

- Our Minds Matter (OMM) 

- Centre for Youth and Community Development  (CYCD) 

- St Mary’s Centre for Peace and Reconciliation 

- Faiths Against Child Sexual Exploitation (FACES) 

- Luton Polish School 

- Luton Polonia 

- Luton Irish Forum 

- University of Bedfordshire & Treehouse Chaplaincy 

- Ghar se Ghar 

- The Luton News and Herald & Post 

- Khayaal Theatre Company 

- Luton SACRE 

**Along with the names above, we would also like to thank all the individuals who volunteer with** 

**Luton Council of Faiths (LCoF), offering their time, experience and expertise for the work we do!** 



**1** 

|**CONTENTS**||
|---|---|
|**Message from the Chair**– Professor Zafar Khan|…..…………………………………………………………….….. Page 2|
|**Tribute to Her Majesty The Queen**|………………………………………………………………….…. Page 3|
|**Environment, Ecology and Human Connectedness**|………………………………………………………………….…. Page 4|
|**Fairtrade Fortnight**|……………………………………………………………… …..Page 12|
|**Health and Wellness**|**..**………………………………………………………………….Page 13|
|**Standing Against Racism**|……………………………………………………….……….…..Page 14|
|**Catalyst Youth Leadership Programme**|……………………………………………………………………**.**.Page 15|
|**Mental Health**<br>|….…………………………………………………………………….Page 16|
|**Faith Leaders School Assemblies**<br>|……………….…………………………………………………..…..Page 17|
|**Faiths, Cultural and Civic events**|……………………..…………………………………………………Page 18|
|**Peace Walk**|……………….….…………………………………………………….Page 20|
|**Inter-faith week**<br>|……………….….…………………………………………………….Page 23|
|**Community Harmony and Service**<br>|……………….….…………………………………………………….Page 25|
|**Awards & Recognition**<br>|………...…….….…………………  ……………………………….Page 28|
|**Accounts**|…………………………………………………………………………Page 29|






**2** 


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MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


2022 saw the end of an era with the death of the longest-reigning Monarch in the UK. We would like to honour Her Majesty the late Queen Elizabeth in this annual report while welcoming King Charles III whom many Luton residents have had the privilege to meet during his visit to Luton on 6th December 2022. 

With all the challenges we face as a small organisation with a big network, our work continues to thrive and is still much needed as racism rises with the national social and political climate. 

The Peace Garden initiative continues to develop with connecting hearts and inspiring minds. We continue to support this important community-led project which has also been Awarded the Queen’s Green Canopy Tree of Trees. 

The depth and breadth of LCOF's work is reflected in this annual report, while we would also like to acknowledge a variety of work happening across faith communities in Luton. 


The latest census data shows that Luton is still highly religious with 78% of the Lutonians adhering to a faith. What is even more important is to see how Faith communities are playing their central role in addressing poverty, and destitution. 

What is even more important is to see how Faith communities are playing their central role in addressing poverty and meeting the needs of the most destitute. In the early days, we had Noah Soup Kitchen and then came a multifaith Foodbank, then, the Discover Islam Curry Kitchen, and we saw GoDharmic with the latest addition of the Sikh Soup Kitchen. We have also seen the emergence of new organisations like Raise Up and Courtney Foundation tackling not just food poverty but also digital poverty and meeting other basic needs and aspirations of young people. 

Luton Faith communities have been the safety net in our society. Despite all its deprivation, Luton is remarkably in the top 3 most generous towns in the UK. This says a lot about our communities’ values and virtues. Having said that, we also need to hold policymakers to account as it feels faith communities and volunteers have become fair game for them rather than them doing their part which we expect as taxpayers. 

We also continue the ever-demanding work with young people from leadership to mental health, while equally engaging with our now on-demand Faith Leaders’ Assembly in primary schools that involves answering challenging questions from the young minds who are the future of our town and the country. 

Once again, we feel humbled to have received another award this time from the Bedfordshire Police. We attribute LCOF's success to all our dedicated volunteers and support network. 

As I always say, Luton is a community of 230, 000 plus people, which in many ways is reflected in our work. Despite funding limitations, and being a small voluntary organisation, we have been able to do so much during the lockdown. 

Locally, let’s continue working together for the common good and strive to fulfil the aspirations of all in our town for a better life. Globally, we condemn wherever there is ongoing oppression and there is a lack of political will to resolve it. We pray for peace in many conflicts and war-torn parts of the world. We hope for the sanctity of human life and that of our beautiful creation to be always preserved. 

**Professor Zafar Khan** 



**3** 

## **Tribute to Her Majesty** 

## **Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II** 

People across Luton expressed their deep sadness at the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II with services held especially at Luton Town Hall and St Mary’s Church. 

At her 21st birthday the future queen made a solemn vow: 

I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great Imperial family to which we all belong, but I shall not have the strength to carry out this resolution alone unless you join in with me, as I now invite you to do. I know that your support will be unfailingly given. God help me to make good my vow and God bless all of you who are willing to share in it. 

The Queen was no stranger to Luton. She and the prince stayed at the house of their friends the Wernhers at Luton Hoo during their honeymoon in 1947, and returned to the Hoo many times around the time  of their wedding anniversary.   When they did they would regularly worship at St Mary’s Church in the town centre.  A plaque in the church (right) marks the seat where the queen sat on her visit soon after her accession to the throne in 1952. 

The queen and prince took the opportunity of time in Luton to visit more widely, and for example in 1952 the Duke paid a surprise visit to Electrolux.  We know that so many in the town were proud of the Queens association with Luton. 

Everyone in the nation grieved the loss of a leader who we knew cared deeply for all people and who held her own faith very dear to her. Her support of charity and the whole voluntary sector was important to us all and Luton Council of Faiths was one of the last few charities to recieve the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2021. 




Service at St Mary’s Church joined by LCOF with many dignitaries including the Mayor 



**4** 


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Environment, Ecology and Human Connectedness<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>



## **Peace Garden Initiative (Year 2) A Tree for Every Life** 

With about 800 lives lost during the lockdown, the Peace Garden Initiative continued from strength to strength capturing people’s imagination and winning hearts. 

We also know that during COVID-19, areas that are less densely populated areas in the country like Luton and have more greenery had fewer COVID-19 cases as compared to densely populated areas like Luton in the country. Comorbidities like metabolic disorders were related to the high incidence of COVID-19 and death. Data shows that the prominence of Type 2 diabetes is higher in South-Asian and Afro-Caribbean communities though diabetes cuts across ethnicities due to various lifestyle issues and environmental pollution. A 2022 multi-ethnic study shows that there is a strong correlation between the reduction of Type 2 diabetes and green spaces. 

Over the last 16 months around 629 trees have been planted with 252 trees planted only in this last quarter between January and March. The tree planting season will start again next autumn while crucial maintenance work will happen during spring and summer time like last year. Many trees did withstand the extreme cold weather and scorching summer last year thanks to the effort of our volunteers and the mechanism put in place like renting tanks for watering and mulching. 

Maintenance has been a key part of this project and many volunteers joined forces. Sadly, we had a tragic incidence at Stopsley Common where the trees were vandalised. 

Below is an update about the total number of trees planted so far as: 

|Area|No|Varieties|
|---|---|---|
|Wigmore Park Orchard|71|Apples,Pears and Plums|
|Wigmore Park Woodland|150|Hawthorn,Oak,Beech,Rowan,Holly|
|Wardown Park|13|Field Maple and Beech|
|Pope’s Meadow|20|Beech and Scots Pine|
|People’s Park Orchard extension|7|Apples|
|Mayne Avenue|90|Beech|
|StopsleyCommon|26|Limes and Elm|
|Chaul End CommunityCentre|151|27 in the orchard,Elm,lime,Birch and Oak|
|LewseyPark|50|Beech|
|Riddy Lane|51|Walnut, Pear, Quince,  Medlar, Mulberry, Wild service tree,<br>Rowan,Crab Apple,Hazel,Fig|



Total planted: 629 

However, the project lost the 90 beech at Mayne Avenue and 26 trees at Stopsley bringing the total down to 513. 

Over the last 3 months, we have had nearly 200 people volunteering in the project where we planted in Challney, Lewsey and Barnfield areas. For many people, it was the first time they planted a tree. We also launched the Peace Garden Guardians at Downside Primary School with an assembly of about 300 children following up with an afternoon of action mulching the trees supported by the High Sheriff of Bedfordshire with the aim to nurture the next generation of tree planters and carers as the project was rightly awarded the Tree of Trees for the Queen’s Green Canopy. 




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5<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


**Environment, Ecology and Human Connectedness** 

**Maintenance over the summer Environmental Ecology and Human Connectedness** 





**6** 


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Environmental Ecology and Human Connectedness<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


## **Maintenance over the summer** 





Environmental Ecology and Humansonnectedness
Tree planting date:
Saturday 17th December
Stopsley Common
Ashcroft Park
Tfee planting date:
Saturday 28th January
Chaul End Lane Park

Environmental Ecology and Human Connectedness
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Tree planting date:
Saturday 25th February
Lewsey Park
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**9** 

**Environmental Ecology and Human Connectedness** 

## **The Peace Garden Guardians Launch:** 


Those little legs got half a ton of mulching done in 25 minutes. The hardest part was to get them organised 



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Environmental Ecology and Human Connectedness
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Tree planting date:
Saturday 18th March
Riddy Lane Open Space
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**11** 

## **Environmental Ecology and Human Connectedness** 


**Queen’s Green Canopy Tree of Trees** 





**12** 

## 

## **Fairtrade Baking Competition at St Anne’s Church** 

The 4th Annual Fairtrade Cake Baking Competition held at St Anne’s Church is another way of engaging with and involving people from different faiths and cultures in strengthening the Luton Fairtrade campaign which has been strong for the last 18 years. 

The bakers were invited to present their cakes with recipes and the packaging as evidence of the three fair-trade ingredients.  Nearly 50 guests, friends, and neighbours were then asked to taste the cakes and choose the three best cakes – the best-looking cake, the best-tasting fruit cake, and the best-tasting sponge cake. 

The top three winners were given Fairtrade prizes. 







**13** 

## **Health and Wellness** 

## **Wellness Guided Walk** 

Our Wellness walks started in January working in partnership with and organised by Community Interest Luton & Luton Lions alongside Inspire FM and Total Well-being Luton 

To date 125, people whose paths may never have crossed shared an epic experience. We laughed, we shared stories, and we had a fabulous 3 hours, 6 miles and 20K steps in the slippery, muddy Warden Hills taking in the most beautiful scenery and epic views over Barton Hills. The second one started at Foxdell going all the way towards Dunstable. 






**14** 


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Standing Against Racism<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


## **Patriotic Alternative** 

In the current political climate, it is important we challenge the same old same old far-right rhetoric, which seeks to build again a dangerous narrative that we have experienced in the past. What’s even more concerning is that people involved in this group are very young and their stance is against all people of colour. 

We've heard it all now...blaming traffic on minority ethnic people! This is despite the last census showing a different picture that most people in the UK speak English. Only 161,000 out of 67.33 million people – 0.002% of the UK’s population – cannot speak English, but the data shows they have someone English-speaking to help them. 

It has been great to see many key leaders taking a stance on social media to raise concerns regarding far right dangerous and unfounded views. We cannot be complacent. However, more work is needed, especially in schools and working with families. 

In an incident a local key community leader was threatened by members of the PA group during their door to door leafleting. After this, an urgent meeting was called at Luton’s Discover Islam Centre, involving Police and Council representation, to assess and review the risks and minimising its impact. 





**15** 

## **Catalyst Youth Leadership Programme** 

## **Working with young people** 

Catalyst Youth Leadership returned to Luton again this year. 

Over 50 young leaders have been trained in Luton so far. 12 more young people from Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist and no faith backgrounds completed this amazing 4-day training. The course included topics of Faith, Identity & Belonging, Leadership Styles, Qualities & Challenges, Media & Effective Communication, Social Action and Positive Change. 

The course illustrated how our identities are complex because we are shaped by many different factors such as our upbringing in life, where we live, our racial, ethnic, religious backgrounds etc. And all these factors influence our understanding of issues such as immigration, integration, gender & racial justice, violence & extremism, citizenship, equal economic opportunity and freedom of speech. Young people therefore learnt about how prejudice and stereotypes are formed and how to identify and tackle the challenges of discrimination. They learnt how we all can take away something positive that another race, religion or belief, other than our own, brings to British society. 


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race, religion or belief, other than our own, brings to British society.<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>





**16** 

## **Mental Health** 

## **Transforming Exams Stress for Teens** 

Over the years, we have been running HeartMath especially in Luton Schools to help young people to manage their emotions. 

We were invited to hold a mini workshop at Al Hikmah School on dealing with exams stress as they have started their GCSE exams. 

We explored stress and our inner weather looking at emotions and our automatic negative thoughts (ANTs), then moved into the HeartMath technique. 

When asked them how they felt about the Heart-focused breathing technique, they said, Peace, Calm, really nice... 

Then we got a wow in the room after the Quick Coherence breathing technique 'this is amazing' one of the girls said!. 

We know how deceptively simple HeartMath is but has over 30 years of science behind it. 

Although I love and I am passionate about the science and mechanism behind HeartMath... just immersing in the technique is something one needs to experience. 

As it’s a Faith-based school we explored how HeartMath can be adapted to their faith. 





**17** 


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Faith Leaders  School Assemblies<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


## **What will make our Town more Respectful with KS2 pupils** 

Seeing a local group of religiously and culturally diverse faith & community leaders coming together, creates a positive and lasting visual impact on young impressionable minds. Despite our religious differences, we demonstrated how we work together for the common good. This project is an annual on-demand 45 minutes school assembly highly appreciated in schools. It is more interesting to hear leaders talk about peace and harmony from a local perspective so that children can connect it to their town. Nearly 1000 children have had the opportunity to listen to what our leaders have to say according to their traditions and ask questions. 





**18** 


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Faiths, Cultural & Civic events<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


With our rich faith and cultural diversity, we have annual iconic events like the Holocaust Memorial, Big Iftar, Eid in the Park, Diwali, Nawruz. Vaisakhi, and Christmas to name a few. These events form part of the public cultural landscape of Luton celebrating the diversity of the town and bringing communities across all walks of life together. 


## Holocaust Memorial (National) **events** 

Baha’i Nawruz 


Big Iftar- Ramadan 

Colours of Eid 


Diwali – Shree Sanatan Seva Samaj 

Annakut- BAPS Sawmi Narayan 



**19** 

**Faiths, Cultural & Civic events** 



Vaisakhi- Guru Nanak Gurdwara 



Shree Guru Ravidass Sangat 40[th] Anniversary **….** 



Christmas at Luton Mall **….** 

Peace Light Service All Saints Church **….** 



**20** 

## **Peace Walk 2022** 

In Sep last year, communal tensions started in Leicester and were fuelled across many areas in the country via the social media. It is a matter of pride that Luton stayed calm and mature. Luton’s faith communities remained focused on working together for peace and human flourishing, locally as well as globally. The evidence of this was seen at Luton’s 26th Annual Peace Walk. People from different faiths and those with no particular faith affiliation came together in one of the most popular events led by Luton Council of Faiths (LCoF). It was an opportunity to be together in solidarity and walk and talk with one another, while visiting different places of worship too. 

It was inspiring to hear the amazing refugees & asylum seekers support work carried out by Madinah Mosque and All Saints Church, together in partnership, in the Bury Park Beech Hill area of Luton. A few teachers and pupils from Chantry, Southfield and Whitefield Primary Schools gave some of their weekend to join in this initiative. Children recited poetry on the theme of Peace. A teacher said events like these help nurture young minds positively. We must leave a legacy for our young people to latch on to this belief that peace and harmony are not abstract theories; instead, they are practical and life fulfilling possibilities, provided we work to turn these possibilities into living realities. 

Peace Walk started at High Town Methodist Church, where people’s donations for Luton Food Bank were collected. People were then led to visit areas where trees have been planted in memory of those who passed away due to Covid. At the Ukrainian Chapel, people expressed solidarity with Ukrainians and all those who are suffering because of wars and conflicts in different parts of the world. Peace Walk concluded at the newly built Guru Nanak Gurdwara on Dallow Road, where the Sikh hospitality known as ‘Langar Seva’ (serving free communal meal) was, as always, outstanding, and admirable. 

Faith and community leaders in our town have worked very hard over the years to create a culture of dialogue and cooperation resulting in respect, tolerance, and harmony across Luton’s diverse Faith and community leaders in our town have worked very hard over the years to create a culture of dialogue and cooperation resulting in respect, tolerance, and harmony across Luton’s diverse communities. We felt so proud that one of our young volunteers Nitin Verma, a Hindu, studying in Cambridge, came with a Muslim friend to join the Peace Walk, to give out a clear message that as young people we want to create an environment where people from all diverse backgrounds can flourish, so that together we can make our world a better place for everyone. He strongly condemned Hindu-Muslim hostility being shown at that time in the media across the country. 





**21** 

## **Peace Walk 2022** 

## Highlights of the Peace Walk Journey 



High Town Methodist Church 





People of all ages and from different walks of life joined the Annual Peace Walk. 



**22** 

## **Peace Walk 2022** 



At the Ukrainian Chapel 



At the Guru Nanak Gurdwara 



Langar at the Gurdwara 



**23** 

## **Interfaith Week** 

Inter Faith Week is a time when the spotlight is on all the organisations like ours who work tirelessly for inter-faith understanding and cooperation in Luton and across the UK.  Our work to build connections between people of different faiths and beliefs is enormously important, and in the aftermath of COVID-19, finding new ways to make connections and renewing our friendships is vital. 

In commemorating Inter Faith Week 2022, over 50 faith and community leaders, from diverse religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, attended a special meeting with Luton North MP Sarah Owen. 

Luton North MP Sarah Owen is also the Shadow Minister for Faith and she is spearheading, with Stephen Timms MP, the Labour Party's new work on Faith Champions. 

At this special meeting, MP Sarah Owen said, “Other parts of the UK do not have an active inter faith engagement as in Luton, so one of my tasks is to shout about good things happening in Luton.” 

She stated, “Tackling deprivation levels in one of the richest nations is unimaginable as faith communities are expected to give and do more and more.” 

In the aftermath of Covid-19, it is often heard we are finally going back to normal, but she said, “Going back to normal isn’t good enough because normal wasn’t good for many people.” 

. 

## **Peace Walk** 







**24** 

## **Interfaith week** 



## **Bishop Richard Interfaith Week visits** 


Luton Central Mosque 


Luton United Synagogue 


Shree Sanatan Seva Samaj Hindu Temple 



**25** 

## **Community Harmony and Service** 


Big Iftar –breaking the Fast 


Big Iftar Award Ceremony 



Imams and the Muslim Community greeting the Sikh community in Bury Park during their procession 



Baha’i World Religion Day 



**26** 

## **Community Harmony and Service** 



Inspire FM 25 years of Service 

Diwali Fund Raise for Pakistan Flood appeal 



Sikh Soup Kitchen 



Flamstead Church visit by Medina Mosque 



**27** 

## **Community Harmony and Service** 


Medina Mosque Open Day 


Shree Guru Ravidass Sangat Cookery Classes with Europeans in Luton 

## **L& D Hospital Chaplaincy training day** 


Guru Nanak Gurdwara 



Shree Sanatan Seva Samaj Hindu Temple 

Madina Mosque 



**28** 

**Awards & Recognition** 


Bedfordshire Police Cohesion Award 


Saida Chakkor received the Phiatus Award from The Worshipful Company of Actuaries for her volunteering with LCoF 


Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace 

UNA Luton gave an Award of Recognition to Johny for his service. 



**29** 

## **The King’s Visit** 

## **Highlights with Faith Leaders** 


My work is in community relations and peacebuilding based at the church where your late mother the queen worshipped when she and Prince Philip regularly when they stayed at Luton Hoo. 


What was your secret conversation with the king? 



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The Peace Garden was about<br>planting a tree for loved ones<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>






**30** 

## **Accounts** 

## **Luton Council of Faiths** 

## **Statement of Financial Activities For the Period Ended 31[st] March 2023** 

|||Unrestricted<br>funds 2023|Unrestricted<br>funds 2023|Unrestricted<br>funds 2023|Restricted income<br>funds 2023|Endowment<br>Funds 2023|Total funds<br>2023|Total funds<br>2022|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Incoming resources**||||||||
||**Income and endowments from:**||||||||
||- Donations and legacies||5,000||-|-|**5,000**|2,000|
||- Investments||-||-|<br>-|**-**|-|
||- Charitable activities||49,700||22,400||**72,100**|51,838|
||- Other Income||-||3,360||**3,360**|2,550|
||**_Total incoming resources_**||**54,700**||**25,760**|**-**|**80,460**|56,388|
||||||||||
||**Resources expended**||||||||
||**Expenditure on:**||||||||
||Raising funds||-||-|-|-|-|
||Costs of generating voluntary income||-||-|-|-|-|
||Fundraising trading costs||-||-|-|-|-|
||Investment management costs||-||-|-|**-**|-|
||Charitable activities||4,499||0|-|**4,499**|3,604|
||Governance and support costs||49,738||17,500|-|**67,238**|51,633|
||Other expenditure||230||3,360|-|**3,590**|2,675|
||||||||||
||**Total expenditure**||**54,467**||**20,860**|-|**75,327**|57,942|
||||||||||
||||||||||
||**Net Movement in Funds**|||**233**|**4,900**|**-**|**5,133**|(1,554)|
||||||||||
||**Reconciliation of Funds**||||||||
||Total funds brought forward||**44,459**||**(18,289)**|**-**|**26,170**|27,724|
||||||||||
||**Total funds carried forward**||**44,692**||**(13,389)**|**-**|**31,303**|26,170|
||||||||||





## **Luton Council of Faiths Balance Sheet As at 31[ST] March 2023** 

|||Unrestricted<br>funds 2023|Unrestricted<br>funds 2023|Restricted income<br>funds 2023|Restricted income<br>funds 2023|Endowment<br>Funds 2023|Total this year<br>2023|Total this year<br>2023|Total this year<br>2023|Total this<br>year<br>2022|Total this<br>year<br>2022|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Fixed Assets**|||||||||||
||Tangible Assets||-||-|-||-|||-|
|||||||||||||
||**Total Fixed Assets**||-||-|-||-|||-|
|||||||||||||
||**Current Assets**|||||||||||
||Debtors|||-||-||-|||-|
||Cash at bank and in hand||33,297|||-||33,297|||26,770|
|||||||||||||
||**Total current assets**||33,297|||-||33,297|||26,770|
|||||||||||||
||Creditors: amounts falling due within one<br>year||(1,994)||-|-||(1,994)|||(600)|
|||||||||||||
||**Net current assets**||31,303||-|-|||**31,303**||**26,170**|
|||||||||||||
|||||||||||||
|||||||||||||
||**Funds of the Charity**|||||||||||
||Unrestricted funds||44,692|||||44,692|||44,459|
||Restricted Income funds||||(13,389)|||(13,389)|||(18,289)|
||Endowment funds|||||-||**-**|||**-**|
|||||||||||||
||**Total funds**||44,692||(13,389)|||**31,303**|||**26,170**|





LUTON COUNCIL OF FAITHS

Registered charity number: 1089850 

**LUTON COUNCIL OF FAITHS FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 31[ST] MARCH 2023** 



**Luton Council of Faiths Period Ended 31[st] March 2023 Contents** 

   1. Charity Information 2-7         Trustees’ Report 

   8.           Statement of Financial Activities 

   9.           Balance Sheet 

   - 10-13.    Notes to the Financial Statements 

14.         Independent Examiner’s Report 



**Luton Council of Faiths Charity Information as at 31[st] March 2023** 

**Charity name** Luton Council of Faiths 

**Charity number** 1089850 

## **Principal address** 

47 High Town Road Luton Bedfordshire LU2 OBW 

## **Trustees** 

Mr Zafar Khan – Chairperson Mrs Gulie Butcher – Vice Chair Mr Kishore Kaler – Treasurer Mr Dhansukh Panchal Mr Yogesh Mistry 

## **Bankers** 

The Co-operative Bank Alma Street Luton Bedfordshire LU1 2PL 

Lloyds TBS Bank Plc 60 George Street Luton Bedfordshire LU1 2BB 

## **Independent examiner** 

I. Hussain & Co Limited Chartered Accountants and Business advisors 11 George Street West Luton Bedfordshire LU1 2BJ 

**1** 



**Luton Council of Faiths Trustees Annual Report** 

## History, objectives and activities of the Charity 

On constitution it was believed the multicultural cohesion of the religious and cultural communities in Luton required addressing. The charity began with an initial grant. Both the initial grant and subsequent grants since have been under the terms which allow the trustees to either retain the amounts as capital or to spend them. 

The objectives of the charity include; 

- a) To bring together members of the different faith communities in Luton for deeper dialogue and co-operation 

- b) To increase understanding and trust between different faiths, building on common ground between them yet respecting the unique contribution which each brings 

- c) To work towards greater social cohesion and community integration in Luton 

- d) To see inter faith co-operation as linking into global co-operation between faiths and cultures for the creation of a better world 

## Management and Governance arrangements 

The constitution provides for a minimum of five trustees. Where there is a requirement for new trustees, these would be identified and appointed by the remaining trustees, subject to the approval by AGM. The chair of the trustees is responsible for the induction of any new trustee which involves awareness of a trustee’s responsibility, the governing document, administrative procedures, the history and philosophical approach of the charity. The trustees have taken steps to identify major risks to which the charity is exposed and systems have been established to mitigate those risks. 

## Achievements and Performance of the Charity 

## **Annual Report April 2022 – March 2023 for LCoF Accounts** 

During the last year in our country, we sadly saw the end of an era with the death of the longest reigning Monarch in the UK. We would like to honour Her Majesty the late Queen Elizabeth in this annual report while welcoming King Charles III whom many Luton residents have had the privilege to meet during his Luton visit on 6[th] December 2023. 

Last year, another sad BBC news headline reported _“Three PMs in two months, is political chaos the UK's new normal?”_ 

In addition, we have had the unavoidable and unstoppable cost of living crisis and the country still feeling the effects of the pandemic.  Moreover, the disproportionately high numbers of refugees and asylum seekers placed in our town and in unsuitable accommodation further strained local communities’ compassion and generosities. 

On the other hand, right-wing extremists are using refugees, asylum seekers (and immigrants too) as scapegoats. Their ideas are now increasingly becoming mainstream fuelling political fundamentalism, majoritarianism, xenophobia, and general intolerance and contributing significantly to the rise in identity politics. Amidst such political and economic challenges and uncertainties, as a small organisation, with limited resources, we have tried our best to do what we can. Some of the key highlights are summarised below; 

**2** 



**Key Highlights** 

## **UK’s Chief Rabbi hosted Iftar** 

During the month of Ramadan 2022, friends from Luton Council of Faiths felt honoured to be invited by the UK’s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis for an Iftar gathering at his London office. 

## **High Sheriff of Bedfordshire 2022-23 visit to Luton** 

We facilitated the High Sheriff of Bedfordshire 2022-23 first ever visit to Luton’s different faith communities. She was humbled and moved by the warmth and hospitality she had received. She said, "My visit has proven to be an excellent chance for networking and building relationships. The number of groups and individuals making a difference in Luton is inspiring. Religious leaders, faith-based organisations, and faith groups provide vital support, comfort, and guidance to the communities they serve." 

## **HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire Thanksgiving Service** 

We helped HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire Helen Nellis in hosting a very special and historic event and Thanksgiving Service at St Mary's Church, Luton, to commemorate HM The Queen's Platinum Jubilee and the services of voluntary organisations across Bedfordshire. People from different faith communities attended in good numbers and our LCoF Director played a part in the service. 

## **Royal Garden Party** 

In May’23, the Chair, Vice Chair and a staff of the Luton Council of Faiths were invited to attend the Royal Garden Party. The Chair said, “As we face many challenges, may the life of the Queen inspire us all to continue striving to make Britain even greater, where equality, peace, justice & equity helps all to live their lives in all its abundance.” 

## **Peace Walk for Ukraine** 

We supported and joined Luton’s Ukrainians Peace Walk in Wardown Park as a sign of solidarity for the safety, well-being and prosperity of Ukraine. LCoF Chair said, “Let’s imagine a world where healing replaces harm, and a desire to care for those in need, is kindled as part of our shared humanity.” 

## **European Christians visit Luton** 

With GRASSROOTS, we hosted an immersion visit of several Church leaders from across Europe, to learn from Luton’s multi faith context. A participant said, “Watching different faith communities working together in Luton have provided us hope – hope in action.” 

## **BBC Songs of Praise covered Hospital Chaplains Inter Faith Training** 

We facilitated a group of Luton & Dunstable Hospital Chaplains from different ethnic and national backgrounds, to visit Luton’s different places of worship. LCoF continues to create opportunities to bring people together so that we can understand why people are the way they are; and discover them as our ‘allies’, and not our enemies because they share the same aspirations as we do. It Out became even more special as the BBC Songs of Praise Team followed and covered it all. It was broadcasted on the first Sunday in September 2022. 

## **Roman Catholic Bishop’s first visit to Luton** 

We hosted The Right Reverend David James Oakley, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Northampton, when he made his first visit to Luton. After visiting the Central Mosque, Discover Islam Center, and Guru Nanak Gurudwara, Bishop David remarked, "This has been one of the best and the happiest days since I took over as the Bishop." He extended Eid Greetings to all the Muslim friends and communities in Luton, to which the President of Luton’s Central Mosque Mohammad Shafait reciprocated saying, “We Muslims and Christians are called to open ourselves to others, so we can tear down walls raised out of fear and ignorance and seek together to build bridges of friendship that are fundamental for the good of all humanity.” 

**3** 



## **Luton’s Annual Peace Walk** 

In Sep’22 there were communal (Hindu-Muslim) tensions across the country, mainly in Leicester and Birmingham. In Luton, however, faith communities stayed mature and held the calm. At the 26th Annual Peace Walk, we visited different places of worship, including High Town Methodist Church, Ukrainian Chapel & Guru Nanak Gurudwara. School children from Chantry, Southfield, and Whitefield Primary Schools recited poetry on Peace. We felt so proud of our volunteer Nitin Verma, a Hindu, who brought a Muslim friend to give out a clear message at the Peace Walk that as young people we want to create an environment where people from all diverse backgrounds can flourish so that together we can make our world a better place for everyone. He strongly condemned the Hindu-Muslim hostility shown in the media across the country. 

We collected donations for Luton Food Bank. People also visited High Town Peace Garden and People’s Park & Pope’s Meadow where trees have been planted in memory of those who passed away due to Covid. Concluding the event, Vice Chair Gulie Butcher said “May there be peace in the world and let it begin with me.” 

## **Black History Month** 

During Black History Month in Luton several events were held but we helped to promote the Black Culture Market offering a range of creative and interesting African-Caribbean products and materials. Secondly, we helped & promoted the launch of an interesting exhibition, commemorating the African experience of the Second World War. It was a photographic illustration of the contributions and sacrifices made by the African soldiers in World War II. Lastly, we supported a special event celebrating the Windrush generation that was held at All Saints Church Luton, during Black History Month. 

## **Diwali in Luton 2022** 

Diwali in Luton 2022 was special this year because it helped to diffuse communal tensions that were being fuelled by social media across many areas in the country in Sep’22. Hindu-Muslim- Sikh and friends from other religious and ethnic backgrounds came together to co-organise this event, which was attended by thousands and all joined in proclaiming the message – we are one human race. This was significant in defying the Hindu-Muslim communal tensions incited by a few miscreants in a few parts of the UK. Luton's Hindus raised £1,100 for the Pakistan flood appeal. Luton’s amazing community cohesion continues to transcend borders and barriers, globally and locally, and long may it continue. 

## **Hindu New Year** 

At Hindu New Year (Annakut festival) celebrations members from different faith communities joined. Mr Yogesh Mistry of Lewsey Farm Hindu Temple said, “The most rewarding part is the sharing food together with one another regardless of religion, colour, age, gender or social status. May the New Year bring health, wealth and happiness to all. May the dignity of every human being and that of the creation be preserved in the coming year.” 

At Sikh Guru Nanak Dev Ji's 553rd Birth Anniversary Celebrations in Luton we helped bring together a Scouts group and Sikh youth group from different religious/cultural backgrounds, to share the spirit and messages of universal brotherhood and sisterhood. 

## **Inter Faith Week** 

In commemorating this year’s Inter Faith Week (IFW) Nov’22, three activities were held; 

Firstly, C of E St Albans Diocesan Inter Faith Week Event was very well attended by people from all faiths and none. People were struck by the connections in the language used by the different faith representatives on the topical themes e.g. Climate Change, Racial Justice, Refugees & Asylum Seekers, Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation. It was particularly good to see lots of women too. A Jewish Rabbi said, “There was an excitement and spiritual uplift in the room before, during and after the event. It was a privilege to participate and to meet so many new faces and reconnect with friends. May the good work of all our communities, be blessed and bring blessings to those around us.” 

**4** 



Secondly, faith and community leaders attended a special meeting with Luton North MP Sarah Owen (Shadow Faith Minister). She said, “Other parts of the UK do not have as active interfaith engagement as in Luton, so I’d shout about such good things happening in Luton.” 

Thirdly, we facilitated Bishop & Lord Lieutenant’s visits to different places of worship in Luton, which helped with forging connections and establishing bonds. Sharing one another's concerns and aspirations during such visits helps to maintain strong community ties in Luton. 

## **HM King Charles visited Luton** 

On 6[th] Dec’22, HM King Charles visited Luton Town Hall, Luton DART and he officially opened the newly built Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Luton, We helped with the inter-faith representation on the day. At the Gurudwara, HM King Charles spent considerable time meeting and conversing, listening to the Kirtan (Sikh religious devotional singing) and encouraging Luton Sikh Soup Kitchen volunteers who serve free meals in the Town. 

## **World Religion Day** 

At an event by Luton Bahai’s commemorating the World Religion Day in Luton, we propagated the ideas of oneness of religion and humanity, and that no one should be treated differently because of their race, age, gender, color, sexuality, or whether they believe in religion or not. We invited people from Luton’s different faith communities to bring and share prayers, readings, meditations and thoughts on the themes of unity and peace. 

## **Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD)** 

To commemorate HM) 2023 we invited people from Luton’s diverse communities, to watch the UK online Ceremony and to light candles in windows in remembrance of those murdered, as a sign of our commitment to stand against prejudice and hatred. 

## **Fairtrade Fortnight 2023** 

During the annual Fairtrade Fortnight 27th Feb – 12th Mar 2023, we held the Fairtrade Cake Baking Competition. Nearly 50 guests, friends, and neighbours were asked to taste the cakes and choose the three best cakes. Later we also issued a statement encouraging people to celebrate Mothering Sunday with Fairtrade Flowers. 

## **Luton Peace Garden Initiative** 

The Luton Peace Garden Initiative has been honoured with a special Royal tree that was planted at the Wardown Park Arboretum on 10th Jan’23. The Royal Tree was part of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Green Canopy UK-wide tree planting initiative. It was one of the 350 ceremonial trees from outside Buckingham Palace during the Queen’s Jubilee. Those 350 trees were gifted to selected community groups and organisations across the country to recognise their work and inspire the next generation of tree planters. To date, over 600 trees have been planted in memory of those lost to Covid-19 in Luton. This has helped and supported families across Luton in the bereavement process and the project continues to bring communities together. 

## **CATALYST Youth Leadership** 

In partnership with Near Neighbours Programme, we delivered CATALYST Youth Leadership Training programme, to help young people aged 16-26 from different backgrounds develop into positive role models. It was considered by the young people as an amazing opportunity to discuss and critically think about some of the most pressing issues of our time. 

**5** 



## **International Women's Day (IWD)** 

Marked annually on March 8th, IWD is one of the most important days of the year to celebrate women's achievements, to educate and raise awareness for women's equality, and to call for positive change advancing women. Several IWD events were held across the town, but we helped organise a celebratory event in partnership with a local women’s group called ‘Ghar se Ghar’ Friends (Hindi/Urdu words meaning Home to Home). We also supported an online event by United Nations Association (UNA) Luton branch on this year’s UN theme “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”. 

## **Luton’s Annual Peace Walk won the Bedfordshire Police Community Cohesion Award** 

It is great that LCoF won this award in the category of Promoting Diversity. The award citation read – Peace Walk includes visits to religious locations across the town, and provides the opportunity for residents from all backgrounds to come together, learn from one another and discover shared bonds. The Peace Walk is always well-attended with a great mix of young and old taking part. Each year a number of schools also get involved, ensuring that the young people of Luton understand one another and barriers are broken down. 

## **Other LCoF Supported Work, Events & Activities** 

## **Clouds of Blessings** 

At St George's Square Eid festive celebrations, we invited people from different faiths for an inclusive Eid Parade. They were asked to hold the cloud props, made up of white balloons named as “The Clouds of Blessings”. Thanking LCoF, the project lead said, “The work you do is so significant. I strongly feel Luton won't be the same without your presence and contributions.” 

## **Outdoor Storytelling Event** 

We helped Edible High Town co-deliver an outdoor storytelling event at High Town's Peace Garden, which was originally launched as the Peace Garden by Luton Council Faiths. 

## **UNA-Luton presented a prestigious Outstanding Peace Champion Award** 

At a special event, UNA-Luton presented a prestigious Outstanding Peace Champion Award to David Jonathan Director of Luton Council of Faiths and Grassroots Programme. 

## **Week of Prayer for Christian Unity** 

In marking the annual observance of Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Christians from diverse backgrounds reflected together on the theme – What is Interfaith and why should Christians be involved with this? Guest Speaker Revd Dr Richard Sudworth, Secretary for Inter Religious Affairs to the Archbishop of Canterbury and National Inter Religious Affairs Adviser for the Church of England shared a wealth of reflections from his experiences of inter faith work. 

## **International Mother Language Day** 

In partnership with United Nations Association (UNA) Luton Branch and Purbachal-the eastern sky, a Bangladeshi voluntary cultural organisation, we invited people and communities to celebrate International Mother Language Day. It encouraged respect for diverse heritages, histories, cultures, identities and highlighted how it can contribute to community cohesion. 

## **Turkey and Syria Earthquake** 

We mobilised Luton's faith communities to stand in solidarity with Turkey and Syria following a recordbreaking earthquake in early Feb’23. 

## **Guru Ravidass Sangat Luton in celebrate 40th Anniversary** 

We supported Shri Guru Ravidass Sangat Luton in celebrating its 40th anniversary and invited people from Luton’s diverse communities to join in applauding Sangat’s work across communities and supporting interfaith work. 

**6** 



## **Nawruz (New Year) Celebrations** 

We supported Luton Baha’i Community’ Nawruz (New Year) celebrations. A member of the Baha'i community, closed the programme singing these inspirational words - “One People, One Planet; there is no reason why we cannot live together peacefully.” 

## **Networking with the Public Sector Stakeholders** 

During the year, various issues and matters of practical concern were brought forward by Luton’s different faith communities and also by several public sector organisations. To the best of our abilities, we helped in signposting and connecting public & faith sector representatives. 

## **Conclusion** 

At the 6th Bedfordshire Police Community Cohesion Awards Ceremony held on 17th March 2023, not only Luton Peace Walk won the Cohesion Award in the category of Promoting Diversity (as reported above), but Luton Council of Faiths was also nominated in the Interfaith Champion category. The nomination read; 

Luton Council of Faiths (LCoF) is committed to encouraging and promoting tolerance, respect, and mutual understanding among people of all faiths and cultures, both in Luton and beyond. Over the years, LCoF has gained significant trust, confidence, and credibility in Luton, and works alongside a diverse array of agencies, organisations, and community groups in matters relating to community cohesion. LCoF delivers a number of community events and initiatives, including, but not exclusive to, the Annual Luton Peace Walk, musical concerts, public discussions, recreational sports projects, conservation work, and public vigils. 

This summarises the LCoF work very well. Long may continue such positive work of LCoF. 

## Financial review and reserves 

The net incoming resources for the year was a surplus of £5,133 (2022 – deficit of £1,554). At the end of the financial year the reserves were £44,692 (2022 - £44,459) of unrestricted funds and a deficit of £13,389 (2022 – deficit of £18,289) of restricted funds. The adequacy of the reserves policy is reviewed annually. The trustees are satisfied that reserves are presently more than adequate to meet future expenditure. The reserves policy is to have reserves available in order to ensure the day to day operation continue into the foreseeable future. 

## Future plans 

The trustees intend to continue provide relief in a similar manner as before. 

7 



Statement of trustees’ responsibilities 

Charity law requires the trustees to prepare the financial statements for each financial year which show a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and its financial activities for that year. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to: 

- Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; 

- Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; 

- State whether applicable accounting standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and 

- Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operational existence. 

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act. 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. 

## Independent examiner 

The trustees intend to ask the existing accountants to undertake the independent examination of the trust in the following year. 

Signed on behalf of the trustees 

.…………………………….. Mr Zafar Khan – Chairperson 

..……………………………. Mr Kishore Kaler – Treasurer 

Date: 

8 



## **Luton Council of Faiths** 

## **Statement of Financial Activities For the Period Ended 31[st] March 2023** 

|||Notes|Unrestricted<br>funds 2023|Unrestricted<br>funds 2023|Unrestricted<br>funds 2023|Restricted income<br>funds 2023|Endowment<br>Funds 2023|Total funds<br>2023|Total funds<br>2022|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Incoming resources**|||||||||
||**Income and endowments from:**|||||||||
||- Donations and legacies|||5,000||-|-|**5,000**|2,000|
||- Investments|||-||-|<br>-|**-**|-|
||- Charitable activities|6||49,700||22,400||**72,100**|51,838|
||- Other Income|||-||3,360||**3,360**|2,550|
||**_Total incoming resources_**|||**54,700**||**25,760**|**-**|**80,460**|56,388|
|||||||||||
||**Resources expended**|||||||||
||**Expenditure on:**|4-10||||||||
||Raising funds|||-||-|-|-|-|
||Costs of generating voluntary income|||-||-|-|-|-|
||Fundraising trading costs|||-||-|-|-|-|
||Investment management costs|||-||-|-|**-**|-|
||Charitable activities|||4,499||0|-|**4,499**|3,604|
||Governance and support costs|||49,738||17,500|-|**67,238**|51,633|
||Other expenditure|||230||3,360|-|**3,590**|2,675|
|||||||||||
||**Total expenditure**|||**54,467**||**20,860**|-|**75,327**|57,942|
|||||||||||
|||||||||||
||**Net Movement in Funds**||||**233**|**4,900**|**-**|**5,133**|(1,554)|
|||||||||||
||**Reconciliation of Funds**|||||||||
||Total funds brought forward|||**44,459**||**(18,289)**|**-**|**26,170**|27,724|
|||||||||||
||**Total funds carried forward**|||**44,692**||**(13,389)**|**-**|**31,303**|26,170|
|||||||||||



The notes on pages 10 to 13 form part of these accounts. 

9 



## **Luton Council of Faiths Balance Sheet As at 31[ST] March 2023** 

|||Notes|Unrestricted<br>funds 2023|Unrestricted<br>funds 2023|Restricted income<br>funds 2023|Restricted income<br>funds 2023|Endowment<br>Funds 2023|Total this year<br>2023|Total this year<br>2023|Total this year<br>2023|Total this<br>year<br>2022|Total this<br>year<br>2022|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Fixed Assets**||||||||||||
||Tangible Assets|||-||-|-||-|||-|
||||||||||||||
||**Total Fixed Assets**|||-||-|-||-|||-|
||||||||||||||
||**Current Assets**||||||||||||
||Debtors|11|||-||-||-|||-|
||Cash at bank and in hand|||33,297|||-||33,297|||26,770|
||||||||||||||
||**Total current assets**|||33,297|||-||33,297|||26,770|
||||||||||||||
||Creditors: amounts falling due within one<br>year|12||(1,994)||-|-||(1,994)|||(600)|
||||||||||||||
||**Net current assets**|||31,303||-|-|||**31,303**||**26,170**|
||||||||||||||
||||||||||||||
||||||||||||||
||**Funds of the Charity**||||||||||||
||Unrestricted funds|||44,692|||||44,692|||44,459|
||Restricted Income funds|||||(13,389)|||(13,389)|||(18,289)|
||Endowment funds||||||-||**-**|||**-**|
||||||||||||||
||**Total funds**|||44,692||(13,389)|||**31,303**|||**26,170**|



Approved by the Board of Trustees and signed on its behalf by: 

……………………………………. Mr Zafar Khan - Chairperson Date: ……………………………………. Mr Kishore Kaler - Treasurer Date: 

10 



**Luton Council of Faiths Year Ended 31[st] March 2023** 

## 1. Accounting policies 

- a) The accounts 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) issued on 16 July 2014 and with the Charities Act 2011. 

- b) Recognition of Income – there are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) when the charity becomes entitled to the resources and monetary value can be measured with sufficient reliability. 

- c) Investment income is recorded when receivable 

- d) All expenditure is included in the accounts on an accrual basis. Irrecoverable VAT is charged to the SOFA as incurred. 

- e) The restricted funds of the charity are expendable funds which is regularly increased or retained as capital at the trustees’ discretion. 

- f) All capital related expenditure costing more than £750 is capitalised. Depreciation on fixtures and fittings is charged on a straight line basis over 5 years. 

## 2. Taxation 

Luton Council of Faiths is a registered charity and accordingly is exempt from taxation on its income and gains where they apply to charitable purposes. 

## 3. Restricted 

The restricted donations in the current year and the previous year represent income mainly from Grants but also from donations to the Luton Council of Faiths restricted funds only. 

## 4. Analysis of employees costs 

||||2023||2022|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||£||£|
|Salaries and PAYE|||29,761||29,762|
|Employers Pension|||2,340||2,340|
|||||||
|Total|||32,101||32,102|



members of staff. 

## 5.  Related Party transactions 

£nil) 

11 



## 6. Analysis of Income from Charitable activities 

||2023<br>Unrestricted|2023<br>Unrestricted|2023<br>Restricted|2023<br>Restricted|Total 2023|Total 2023|Total 2022|Total 2022|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||£||£||£|£||
|Bedfordshire &<br>Luton Community<br>Foundation and the<br>Luton Rising-<br>Community<br>Investment Fund||49,700||-||49,700|51,838||
|Other donations||5,000||-||5,000||2,000|
|Haysac Foundation||-||4,900||4,900||-|
|National Lotteryfund||-||10,000||10,000||-|
|The Steel Charitable<br>Trust||-||7,500||7,500||-|
||||||||||
|Total||54,700||22,400||77,100||53,838|



## 7. Analysis of Other income 

||2023<br>Unrestricted|2023<br>Restricted|2023<br>Restricted|<br>Total 2023|<br>Total 2023|Total 2022|Total 2022|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||£||£||£||£|
|Church Urban Fund<br>– Near Neighbours|-||3,360||3,360||2,550|
|||||||||
|Total|-||3,360||3,360||2,550|



## 8. Analysis of Charitable expenditure 

The charity has undertaken direct activity to meet its charitable purposes. The following is the analysis of the charity’s direct expenditure: 

||2023<br>Unrestricted|2023<br>Restricted|2023<br>Total|2022<br>Total|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||£|£|£|£|
|Fair Trade Project|-|-|-|541|
|Queens’ Award for<br>Voluntaryservices|-|-|-|1,360|
|Books Resources|117|-|117|64|
|Other Events,<br>Programmes and items|4,382|-|4,382|1,639|
|Total|4,499|-|4,499|3,604|



12 



## 9. The resources expended by the charity include: 

|||2023||2022|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|Independent examiner’s fee||600||600|
||||||
|Total||600||600|



## 10. Other resources expended by the charity include: 

|||2023<br>Unrestricted|2023<br>Unrestricted|2023<br>Restricted|2023<br>Restricted||2023<br>Total||2022<br>Total|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||£||£||£||£|
||Near Neighbours||-||3,360||3,360||2,384|
||Charitable giving and<br>donations||230||-||230||291|
||Total||230||3,360||3,590||2,675|



## 11. Governance and Support costs 

Support costs, consisting of the rent and rates and staff salaries are split between charitable activity and governance on an actual or equal estimated basis. This is because it is difficult to estimate the expense attributable to each activity. Support costs apportioned to the different aims of the charity are shown in the note below. 

||Basis of|2023|2023||2023|2023|2023|2022|2022|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||Apportionment|£|||£|£||£||
|||Unrestricted|||Restricted|Total||Total||
||.|||||||||
|Office costs|Actual||1,125||-||1,125||2,519|
|Subscriptions|Actual||50||-||50||115|
|Travelling and general<br>expenditure|Actual||374||-||374||937|
|Equipment|Actual||599||-||599||989|
|Salaries and staff costs|Actual||30,103||-||30,103||29,762|
|Pensions|Actual||2,340||||2,340||2,340|
|Grass roots|Actual||12,000||-||12,000||12,000|
|Insurance|Actual||646||-||646||870|
|Telephone|Actual||980||-||980||408|
|Professional|Actual||772||-||772||772|
|Advertising and<br>publicity|Actual||216||-||216||298|
|Volunteering|Actual||533||-||533||653|
|Grassroots (Oaks<br>Consultancy)|Actual||-||17,500||17,500|||
|Total|||49,738||17,500||67,238||51,663|



13 



## Tangible Fixed Assets 

There were no movements or any tangible fixed assets currently held by the Charity during the year. 

## 12. Analysis of Debtors. 

||2023||2022|
|---|---|---|---|
|Restricted funds|-||-|
|Total|-||-|



## 13. Analysis of Creditors 

||2023|2023||2022|2022|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||||
|Independent examiner’s fee||600|||600|
|PAYE||1,394|||-|
|Total||1,994|||600|



14 



## **Independent examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Luton Council of Faiths** 

I report on the accounts of the Charity for the year ended 31[st] March 2023 which are set out on pages 8 to 15. 

## 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 in not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and that an independent examination is needed. 

It is my responsibility to: 

- Examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act, 

- To follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Act and 

- To state whether particular matters have come to my attention. 

## Basis of the 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 evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true or fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. 

## Independent examiner’s statement 

In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention: 

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

   - to keep proper accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; and 

   - to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act have not been met or 

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

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 

I Hussain and Co Limited Chartered Accountants and Business advisors 11 George Street West Luton Bedfordshire LU1 2BJ 15 



Registered charity number: 1089850 

**LUTON COUNCIL OF FAITHS FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 31[ST] MARCH 2023** 



**Luton Council of Faiths Period Ended 31[st] March 2023 Contents** 

   1. Charity Information 2-7         Trustees’ Report 

   8.           Statement of Financial Activities 

   9.           Balance Sheet 

   - 10-13.    Notes to the Financial Statements 

14.         Independent Examiner’s Report 



**Luton Council of Faiths Charity Information as at 31[st] March 2023** 

**Charity name** Luton Council of Faiths 

**Charity number** 1089850 

## **Principal address** 

47 High Town Road Luton Bedfordshire LU2 OBW 

## **Trustees** 

Mr Zafar Khan – Chairperson Mrs Gulie Butcher – Vice Chair Mr Kishore Kaler – Treasurer Mr Dhansukh Panchal Mr Yogesh Mistry 

## **Bankers** 

The Co-operative Bank Alma Street Luton Bedfordshire LU1 2PL 

Lloyds TBS Bank Plc 60 George Street Luton Bedfordshire LU1 2BB 

## **Independent examiner** 

I. Hussain & Co Limited Chartered Accountants and Business advisors 11 George Street West Luton Bedfordshire LU1 2BJ 

**1** 



**Luton Council of Faiths Trustees Annual Report** 

## History, objectives and activities of the Charity 

On constitution it was believed the multicultural cohesion of the religious and cultural communities in Luton required addressing. The charity began with an initial grant. Both the initial grant and subsequent grants since have been under the terms which allow the trustees to either retain the amounts as capital or to spend them. 

The objectives of the charity include; 

- a) To bring together members of the different faith communities in Luton for deeper dialogue and co-operation 

- b) To increase understanding and trust between different faiths, building on common ground between them yet respecting the unique contribution which each brings 

- c) To work towards greater social cohesion and community integration in Luton 

- d) To see inter faith co-operation as linking into global co-operation between faiths and cultures for the creation of a better world 

## Management and Governance arrangements 

The constitution provides for a minimum of five trustees. Where there is a requirement for new trustees, these would be identified and appointed by the remaining trustees, subject to the approval by AGM. The chair of the trustees is responsible for the induction of any new trustee which involves awareness of a trustee’s responsibility, the governing document, administrative procedures, the history and philosophical approach of the charity. The trustees have taken steps to identify major risks to which the charity is exposed and systems have been established to mitigate those risks. 

## Achievements and Performance of the Charity 

## **Annual Report April 2022 – March 2023 for LCoF Accounts** 

During the last year in our country, we sadly saw the end of an era with the death of the longest reigning Monarch in the UK. We would like to honour Her Majesty the late Queen Elizabeth in this annual report while welcoming King Charles III whom many Luton residents have had the privilege to meet during his Luton visit on 6[th] December 2023. 

Last year, another sad BBC news headline reported _“Three PMs in two months, is political chaos the UK's new normal?”_ 

In addition, we have had the unavoidable and unstoppable cost of living crisis and the country still feeling the effects of the pandemic.  Moreover, the disproportionately high numbers of refugees and asylum seekers placed in our town and in unsuitable accommodation further strained local communities’ compassion and generosities. 

On the other hand, right-wing extremists are using refugees, asylum seekers (and immigrants too) as scapegoats. Their ideas are now increasingly becoming mainstream fuelling political fundamentalism, majoritarianism, xenophobia, and general intolerance and contributing significantly to the rise in identity politics. Amidst such political and economic challenges and uncertainties, as a small organisation, with limited resources, we have tried our best to do what we can. Some of the key highlights are summarised below; 

**2** 



**Key Highlights** 

## **UK’s Chief Rabbi hosted Iftar** 

During the month of Ramadan 2022, friends from Luton Council of Faiths felt honoured to be invited by the UK’s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis for an Iftar gathering at his London office. 

## **High Sheriff of Bedfordshire 2022-23 visit to Luton** 

We facilitated the High Sheriff of Bedfordshire 2022-23 first ever visit to Luton’s different faith communities. She was humbled and moved by the warmth and hospitality she had received. She said, "My visit has proven to be an excellent chance for networking and building relationships. The number of groups and individuals making a difference in Luton is inspiring. Religious leaders, faith-based organisations, and faith groups provide vital support, comfort, and guidance to the communities they serve." 

## **HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire Thanksgiving Service** 

We helped HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire Helen Nellis in hosting a very special and historic event and Thanksgiving Service at St Mary's Church, Luton, to commemorate HM The Queen's Platinum Jubilee and the services of voluntary organisations across Bedfordshire. People from different faith communities attended in good numbers and our LCoF Director played a part in the service. 

## **Royal Garden Party** 

In May’23, the Chair, Vice Chair and a staff of the Luton Council of Faiths were invited to attend the Royal Garden Party. The Chair said, “As we face many challenges, may the life of the Queen inspire us all to continue striving to make Britain even greater, where equality, peace, justice & equity helps all to live their lives in all its abundance.” 

## **Peace Walk for Ukraine** 

We supported and joined Luton’s Ukrainians Peace Walk in Wardown Park as a sign of solidarity for the safety, well-being and prosperity of Ukraine. LCoF Chair said, “Let’s imagine a world where healing replaces harm, and a desire to care for those in need, is kindled as part of our shared humanity.” 

## **European Christians visit Luton** 

With GRASSROOTS, we hosted an immersion visit of several Church leaders from across Europe, to learn from Luton’s multi faith context. A participant said, “Watching different faith communities working together in Luton have provided us hope – hope in action.” 

## **BBC Songs of Praise covered Hospital Chaplains Inter Faith Training** 

We facilitated a group of Luton & Dunstable Hospital Chaplains from different ethnic and national backgrounds, to visit Luton’s different places of worship. LCoF continues to create opportunities to bring people together so that we can understand why people are the way they are; and discover them as our ‘allies’, and not our enemies because they share the same aspirations as we do. It Out became even more special as the BBC Songs of Praise Team followed and covered it all. It was broadcasted on the first Sunday in September 2022. 

## **Roman Catholic Bishop’s first visit to Luton** 

We hosted The Right Reverend David James Oakley, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Northampton, when he made his first visit to Luton. After visiting the Central Mosque, Discover Islam Center, and Guru Nanak Gurudwara, Bishop David remarked, "This has been one of the best and the happiest days since I took over as the Bishop." He extended Eid Greetings to all the Muslim friends and communities in Luton, to which the President of Luton’s Central Mosque Mohammad Shafait reciprocated saying, “We Muslims and Christians are called to open ourselves to others, so we can tear down walls raised out of fear and ignorance and seek together to build bridges of friendship that are fundamental for the good of all humanity.” 

**3** 



## **Luton’s Annual Peace Walk** 

In Sep’22 there were communal (Hindu-Muslim) tensions across the country, mainly in Leicester and Birmingham. In Luton, however, faith communities stayed mature and held the calm. At the 26th Annual Peace Walk, we visited different places of worship, including High Town Methodist Church, Ukrainian Chapel & Guru Nanak Gurudwara. School children from Chantry, Southfield, and Whitefield Primary Schools recited poetry on Peace. We felt so proud of our volunteer Nitin Verma, a Hindu, who brought a Muslim friend to give out a clear message at the Peace Walk that as young people we want to create an environment where people from all diverse backgrounds can flourish so that together we can make our world a better place for everyone. He strongly condemned the Hindu-Muslim hostility shown in the media across the country. 

We collected donations for Luton Food Bank. People also visited High Town Peace Garden and People’s Park & Pope’s Meadow where trees have been planted in memory of those who passed away due to Covid. Concluding the event, Vice Chair Gulie Butcher said “May there be peace in the world and let it begin with me.” 

## **Black History Month** 

During Black History Month in Luton several events were held but we helped to promote the Black Culture Market offering a range of creative and interesting African-Caribbean products and materials. Secondly, we helped & promoted the launch of an interesting exhibition, commemorating the African experience of the Second World War. It was a photographic illustration of the contributions and sacrifices made by the African soldiers in World War II. Lastly, we supported a special event celebrating the Windrush generation that was held at All Saints Church Luton, during Black History Month. 

## **Diwali in Luton 2022** 

Diwali in Luton 2022 was special this year because it helped to diffuse communal tensions that were being fuelled by social media across many areas in the country in Sep’22. Hindu-Muslim- Sikh and friends from other religious and ethnic backgrounds came together to co-organise this event, which was attended by thousands and all joined in proclaiming the message – we are one human race. This was significant in defying the Hindu-Muslim communal tensions incited by a few miscreants in a few parts of the UK. Luton's Hindus raised £1,100 for the Pakistan flood appeal. Luton’s amazing community cohesion continues to transcend borders and barriers, globally and locally, and long may it continue. 

## **Hindu New Year** 

At Hindu New Year (Annakut festival) celebrations members from different faith communities joined. Mr Yogesh Mistry of Lewsey Farm Hindu Temple said, “The most rewarding part is the sharing food together with one another regardless of religion, colour, age, gender or social status. May the New Year bring health, wealth and happiness to all. May the dignity of every human being and that of the creation be preserved in the coming year.” 

At Sikh Guru Nanak Dev Ji's 553rd Birth Anniversary Celebrations in Luton we helped bring together a Scouts group and Sikh youth group from different religious/cultural backgrounds, to share the spirit and messages of universal brotherhood and sisterhood. 

## **Inter Faith Week** 

In commemorating this year’s Inter Faith Week (IFW) Nov’22, three activities were held; 

Firstly, C of E St Albans Diocesan Inter Faith Week Event was very well attended by people from all faiths and none. People were struck by the connections in the language used by the different faith representatives on the topical themes e.g. Climate Change, Racial Justice, Refugees & Asylum Seekers, Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation. It was particularly good to see lots of women too. A Jewish Rabbi said, “There was an excitement and spiritual uplift in the room before, during and after the event. It was a privilege to participate and to meet so many new faces and reconnect with friends. May the good work of all our communities, be blessed and bring blessings to those around us.” 

**4** 



Secondly, faith and community leaders attended a special meeting with Luton North MP Sarah Owen (Shadow Faith Minister). She said, “Other parts of the UK do not have as active interfaith engagement as in Luton, so I’d shout about such good things happening in Luton.” 

Thirdly, we facilitated Bishop & Lord Lieutenant’s visits to different places of worship in Luton, which helped with forging connections and establishing bonds. Sharing one another's concerns and aspirations during such visits helps to maintain strong community ties in Luton. 

## **HM King Charles visited Luton** 

On 6[th] Dec’22, HM King Charles visited Luton Town Hall, Luton DART and he officially opened the newly built Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Luton, We helped with the inter-faith representation on the day. At the Gurudwara, HM King Charles spent considerable time meeting and conversing, listening to the Kirtan (Sikh religious devotional singing) and encouraging Luton Sikh Soup Kitchen volunteers who serve free meals in the Town. 

## **World Religion Day** 

At an event by Luton Bahai’s commemorating the World Religion Day in Luton, we propagated the ideas of oneness of religion and humanity, and that no one should be treated differently because of their race, age, gender, color, sexuality, or whether they believe in religion or not. We invited people from Luton’s different faith communities to bring and share prayers, readings, meditations and thoughts on the themes of unity and peace. 

## **Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD)** 

To commemorate HM) 2023 we invited people from Luton’s diverse communities, to watch the UK online Ceremony and to light candles in windows in remembrance of those murdered, as a sign of our commitment to stand against prejudice and hatred. 

## **Fairtrade Fortnight 2023** 

During the annual Fairtrade Fortnight 27th Feb – 12th Mar 2023, we held the Fairtrade Cake Baking Competition. Nearly 50 guests, friends, and neighbours were asked to taste the cakes and choose the three best cakes. Later we also issued a statement encouraging people to celebrate Mothering Sunday with Fairtrade Flowers. 

## **Luton Peace Garden Initiative** 

The Luton Peace Garden Initiative has been honoured with a special Royal tree that was planted at the Wardown Park Arboretum on 10th Jan’23. The Royal Tree was part of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Green Canopy UK-wide tree planting initiative. It was one of the 350 ceremonial trees from outside Buckingham Palace during the Queen’s Jubilee. Those 350 trees were gifted to selected community groups and organisations across the country to recognise their work and inspire the next generation of tree planters. To date, over 600 trees have been planted in memory of those lost to Covid-19 in Luton. This has helped and supported families across Luton in the bereavement process and the project continues to bring communities together. 

## **CATALYST Youth Leadership** 

In partnership with Near Neighbours Programme, we delivered CATALYST Youth Leadership Training programme, to help young people aged 16-26 from different backgrounds develop into positive role models. It was considered by the young people as an amazing opportunity to discuss and critically think about some of the most pressing issues of our time. 

**5** 



## **International Women's Day (IWD)** 

Marked annually on March 8th, IWD is one of the most important days of the year to celebrate women's achievements, to educate and raise awareness for women's equality, and to call for positive change advancing women. Several IWD events were held across the town, but we helped organise a celebratory event in partnership with a local women’s group called ‘Ghar se Ghar’ Friends (Hindi/Urdu words meaning Home to Home). We also supported an online event by United Nations Association (UNA) Luton branch on this year’s UN theme “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”. 

## **Luton’s Annual Peace Walk won the Bedfordshire Police Community Cohesion Award** 

It is great that LCoF won this award in the category of Promoting Diversity. The award citation read – Peace Walk includes visits to religious locations across the town, and provides the opportunity for residents from all backgrounds to come together, learn from one another and discover shared bonds. The Peace Walk is always well-attended with a great mix of young and old taking part. Each year a number of schools also get involved, ensuring that the young people of Luton understand one another and barriers are broken down. 

## **Other LCoF Supported Work, Events & Activities** 

## **Clouds of Blessings** 

At St George's Square Eid festive celebrations, we invited people from different faiths for an inclusive Eid Parade. They were asked to hold the cloud props, made up of white balloons named as “The Clouds of Blessings”. Thanking LCoF, the project lead said, “The work you do is so significant. I strongly feel Luton won't be the same without your presence and contributions.” 

## **Outdoor Storytelling Event** 

We helped Edible High Town co-deliver an outdoor storytelling event at High Town's Peace Garden, which was originally launched as the Peace Garden by Luton Council Faiths. 

## **UNA-Luton presented a prestigious Outstanding Peace Champion Award** 

At a special event, UNA-Luton presented a prestigious Outstanding Peace Champion Award to David Jonathan Director of Luton Council of Faiths and Grassroots Programme. 

## **Week of Prayer for Christian Unity** 

In marking the annual observance of Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Christians from diverse backgrounds reflected together on the theme – What is Interfaith and why should Christians be involved with this? Guest Speaker Revd Dr Richard Sudworth, Secretary for Inter Religious Affairs to the Archbishop of Canterbury and National Inter Religious Affairs Adviser for the Church of England shared a wealth of reflections from his experiences of inter faith work. 

## **International Mother Language Day** 

In partnership with United Nations Association (UNA) Luton Branch and Purbachal-the eastern sky, a Bangladeshi voluntary cultural organisation, we invited people and communities to celebrate International Mother Language Day. It encouraged respect for diverse heritages, histories, cultures, identities and highlighted how it can contribute to community cohesion. 

## **Turkey and Syria Earthquake** 

We mobilised Luton's faith communities to stand in solidarity with Turkey and Syria following a recordbreaking earthquake in early Feb’23. 

## **Guru Ravidass Sangat Luton in celebrate 40th Anniversary** 

We supported Shri Guru Ravidass Sangat Luton in celebrating its 40th anniversary and invited people from Luton’s diverse communities to join in applauding Sangat’s work across communities and supporting interfaith work. 

**6** 



## **Nawruz (New Year) Celebrations** 

We supported Luton Baha’i Community’ Nawruz (New Year) celebrations. A member of the Baha'i community, closed the programme singing these inspirational words - “One People, One Planet; there is no reason why we cannot live together peacefully.” 

## **Networking with the Public Sector Stakeholders** 

During the year, various issues and matters of practical concern were brought forward by Luton’s different faith communities and also by several public sector organisations. To the best of our abilities, we helped in signposting and connecting public & faith sector representatives. 

## **Conclusion** 

At the 6th Bedfordshire Police Community Cohesion Awards Ceremony held on 17th March 2023, not only Luton Peace Walk won the Cohesion Award in the category of Promoting Diversity (as reported above), but Luton Council of Faiths was also nominated in the Interfaith Champion category. The nomination read; 

Luton Council of Faiths (LCoF) is committed to encouraging and promoting tolerance, respect, and mutual understanding among people of all faiths and cultures, both in Luton and beyond. Over the years, LCoF has gained significant trust, confidence, and credibility in Luton, and works alongside a diverse array of agencies, organisations, and community groups in matters relating to community cohesion. LCoF delivers a number of community events and initiatives, including, but not exclusive to, the Annual Luton Peace Walk, musical concerts, public discussions, recreational sports projects, conservation work, and public vigils. 

This summarises the LCoF work very well. Long may continue such positive work of LCoF. 

## Financial review and reserves 

The net incoming resources for the year was a surplus of £5,133 (2022 – deficit of £1,554). At the end of the financial year the reserves were £44,692 (2022 - £44,459) of unrestricted funds and a deficit of £13,389 (2022 – deficit of £18,289) of restricted funds. The adequacy of the reserves policy is reviewed annually. The trustees are satisfied that reserves are presently more than adequate to meet future expenditure. The reserves policy is to have reserves available in order to ensure the day to day operation continue into the foreseeable future. 

## Future plans 

The trustees intend to continue provide relief in a similar manner as before. 

7 



Statement of trustees’ responsibilities 

Charity law requires the trustees to prepare the financial statements for each financial year which show a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and its financial activities for that year. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to: 

- Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; 

- Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; 

- State whether applicable accounting standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and 

- Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operational existence. 

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act. 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. 

## Independent examiner 

The trustees intend to ask the existing accountants to undertake the independent examination of the trust in the following year. 

Signed on behalf of the trustees 

.…………………………….. Mr Zafar Khan – Chairperson 

..……………………………. Mr Kishore Kaler – Treasurer 

Date: 

8 



## **Luton Council of Faiths** 

## **Statement of Financial Activities For the Period Ended 31[st] March 2023** 

|||Notes|Unrestricted<br>funds 2023|Unrestricted<br>funds 2023|Unrestricted<br>funds 2023|Restricted income<br>funds 2023|Endowment<br>Funds 2023|Total funds<br>2023|Total funds<br>2022|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Incoming resources**|||||||||
||**Income and endowments from:**|||||||||
||- Donations and legacies|||5,000||-|-|**5,000**|2,000|
||- Investments|||-||-|<br>-|**-**|-|
||- Charitable activities|6||49,700||22,400||**72,100**|51,838|
||- Other Income|||-||3,360||**3,360**|2,550|
||**_Total incoming resources_**|||**54,700**||**25,760**|**-**|**80,460**|56,388|
|||||||||||
||**Resources expended**|||||||||
||**Expenditure on:**|4-10||||||||
||Raising funds|||-||-|-|-|-|
||Costs of generating voluntary income|||-||-|-|-|-|
||Fundraising trading costs|||-||-|-|-|-|
||Investment management costs|||-||-|-|**-**|-|
||Charitable activities|||4,499||0|-|**4,499**|3,604|
||Governance and support costs|||49,738||17,500|-|**67,238**|51,633|
||Other expenditure|||230||3,360|-|**3,590**|2,675|
|||||||||||
||**Total expenditure**|||**54,467**||**20,860**|-|**75,327**|57,942|
|||||||||||
|||||||||||
||**Net Movement in Funds**||||**233**|**4,900**|**-**|**5,133**|(1,554)|
|||||||||||
||**Reconciliation of Funds**|||||||||
||Total funds brought forward|||**44,459**||**(18,289)**|**-**|**26,170**|27,724|
|||||||||||
||**Total funds carried forward**|||**44,692**||**(13,389)**|**-**|**31,303**|26,170|
|||||||||||



The notes on pages 10 to 13 form part of these accounts. 

9 



## **Luton Council of Faiths Balance Sheet As at 31[ST] March 2023** 

|||Notes|Unrestricted<br>funds 2023|Unrestricted<br>funds 2023|Restricted income<br>funds 2023|Restricted income<br>funds 2023|Endowment<br>Funds 2023|Total this year<br>2023|Total this year<br>2023|Total this year<br>2023|Total this<br>year<br>2022|Total this<br>year<br>2022|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Fixed Assets**||||||||||||
||Tangible Assets|||-||-|-||-|||-|
||||||||||||||
||**Total Fixed Assets**|||-||-|-||-|||-|
||||||||||||||
||**Current Assets**||||||||||||
||Debtors|11|||-||-||-|||-|
||Cash at bank and in hand|||33,297|||-||33,297|||26,770|
||||||||||||||
||**Total current assets**|||33,297|||-||33,297|||26,770|
||||||||||||||
||Creditors: amounts falling due within one<br>year|12||(1,994)||-|-||(1,994)|||(600)|
||||||||||||||
||**Net current assets**|||31,303||-|-|||**31,303**||**26,170**|
||||||||||||||
||||||||||||||
||||||||||||||
||**Funds of the Charity**||||||||||||
||Unrestricted funds|||44,692|||||44,692|||44,459|
||Restricted Income funds|||||(13,389)|||(13,389)|||(18,289)|
||Endowment funds||||||-||**-**|||**-**|
||||||||||||||
||**Total funds**|||44,692||(13,389)|||**31,303**|||**26,170**|



Approved by the Board of Trustees and signed on its behalf by: 

……………………………………. Mr Zafar Khan - Chairperson Date: ……………………………………. Mr Kishore Kaler - Treasurer Date: 

10 



**Luton Council of Faiths Year Ended 31[st] March 2023** 

## 1. Accounting policies 

- a) The accounts 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) issued on 16 July 2014 and with the Charities Act 2011. 

- b) Recognition of Income – there are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) when the charity becomes entitled to the resources and monetary value can be measured with sufficient reliability. 

- c) Investment income is recorded when receivable 

- d) All expenditure is included in the accounts on an accrual basis. Irrecoverable VAT is charged to the SOFA as incurred. 

- e) The restricted funds of the charity are expendable funds which is regularly increased or retained as capital at the trustees’ discretion. 

- f) All capital related expenditure costing more than £750 is capitalised. Depreciation on fixtures and fittings is charged on a straight line basis over 5 years. 

## 2. Taxation 

Luton Council of Faiths is a registered charity and accordingly is exempt from taxation on its income and gains where they apply to charitable purposes. 

## 3. Restricted 

The restricted donations in the current year and the previous year represent income mainly from Grants but also from donations to the Luton Council of Faiths restricted funds only. 

## 4. Analysis of employees costs 

||||2023||2022|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||£||£|
|Salaries and PAYE|||29,761||29,762|
|Employers Pension|||2,340||2,340|
|||||||
|Total|||32,101||32,102|



members of staff. 

## 5.  Related Party transactions 

£nil) 

11 



## 6. Analysis of Income from Charitable activities 

||2023<br>Unrestricted|2023<br>Unrestricted|2023<br>Restricted|2023<br>Restricted|Total 2023|Total 2023|Total 2022|Total 2022|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||£||£||£|£||
|Bedfordshire &<br>Luton Community<br>Foundation and the<br>Luton Rising-<br>Community<br>Investment Fund||49,700||-||49,700|51,838||
|Other donations||5,000||-||5,000||2,000|
|Haysac Foundation||-||4,900||4,900||-|
|National Lotteryfund||-||10,000||10,000||-|
|The Steel Charitable<br>Trust||-||7,500||7,500||-|
||||||||||
|Total||54,700||22,400||77,100||53,838|



## 7. Analysis of Other income 

||2023<br>Unrestricted|2023<br>Restricted|2023<br>Restricted|<br>Total 2023|<br>Total 2023|Total 2022|Total 2022|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||£||£||£||£|
|Church Urban Fund<br>– Near Neighbours|-||3,360||3,360||2,550|
|||||||||
|Total|-||3,360||3,360||2,550|



## 8. Analysis of Charitable expenditure 

The charity has undertaken direct activity to meet its charitable purposes. The following is the analysis of the charity’s direct expenditure: 

||2023<br>Unrestricted|2023<br>Restricted|2023<br>Total|2022<br>Total|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||£|£|£|£|
|Fair Trade Project|-|-|-|541|
|Queens’ Award for<br>Voluntaryservices|-|-|-|1,360|
|Books Resources|117|-|117|64|
|Other Events,<br>Programmes and items|4,382|-|4,382|1,639|
|Total|4,499|-|4,499|3,604|



12 



## 9. The resources expended by the charity include: 

|||2023||2022|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|Independent examiner’s fee||600||600|
||||||
|Total||600||600|



## 10. Other resources expended by the charity include: 

|||2023<br>Unrestricted|2023<br>Unrestricted|2023<br>Restricted|2023<br>Restricted||2023<br>Total||2022<br>Total|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||£||£||£||£|
||Near Neighbours||-||3,360||3,360||2,384|
||Charitable giving and<br>donations||230||-||230||291|
||Total||230||3,360||3,590||2,675|



## 11. Governance and Support costs 

Support costs, consisting of the rent and rates and staff salaries are split between charitable activity and governance on an actual or equal estimated basis. This is because it is difficult to estimate the expense attributable to each activity. Support costs apportioned to the different aims of the charity are shown in the note below. 

||Basis of|2023|2023||2023|2023|2023|2022|2022|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||Apportionment|£|||£|£||£||
|||Unrestricted|||Restricted|Total||Total||
||.|||||||||
|Office costs|Actual||1,125||-||1,125||2,519|
|Subscriptions|Actual||50||-||50||115|
|Travelling and general<br>expenditure|Actual||374||-||374||937|
|Equipment|Actual||599||-||599||989|
|Salaries and staff costs|Actual||30,103||-||30,103||29,762|
|Pensions|Actual||2,340||||2,340||2,340|
|Grass roots|Actual||12,000||-||12,000||12,000|
|Insurance|Actual||646||-||646||870|
|Telephone|Actual||980||-||980||408|
|Professional|Actual||772||-||772||772|
|Advertising and<br>publicity|Actual||216||-||216||298|
|Volunteering|Actual||533||-||533||653|
|Grassroots (Oaks<br>Consultancy)|Actual||-||17,500||17,500|||
|Total|||49,738||17,500||67,238||51,663|



13 



## Tangible Fixed Assets 

There were no movements or any tangible fixed assets currently held by the Charity during the year. 

## 12. Analysis of Debtors. 

||2023||2022|
|---|---|---|---|
|Restricted funds|-||-|
|Total|-||-|



## 13. Analysis of Creditors 

||2023|2023||2022|2022|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||||
|Independent examiner’s fee||600|||600|
|PAYE||1,394|||-|
|Total||1,994|||600|



14 



## **Independent examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Luton Council of Faiths** 

I report on the accounts of the Charity for the year ended 31[st] March 2023 which are set out on pages 8 to 15. 

## 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 in not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and that an independent examination is needed. 

It is my responsibility to: 

- Examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act, 

- To follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Act and 

- To state whether particular matters have come to my attention. 

## Basis of the 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 evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true or fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. 

## Independent examiner’s statement 

In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention: 

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

   - to keep proper accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; and 

   - to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act have not been met or 

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

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 

I Hussain and Co Limited Chartered Accountants and Business advisors 11 George Street West Luton Bedfordshire LU1 2BJ 15