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2023-08-31-accounts

Company registration number: 05385880 Charity registration number: 1110956

ABLAZE A Business Learning Action Zone for Education

(A company limited by guarantee)

Annual Report and Financial Statements

for the Year Ended 31 August 2023

Doc ID: 69a2ae2adf108ce3a72b43795bf613041397cb41

ABLAZE A Business Learning Action Zone for Education

Contents

Reference and Administrative Details 1
Trustees' Report 2 to 9
Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities 10
Independent Examiner's Report 11
Statement of Financial Activities 12
Balance Sheet 13
Notes to the Financial Statements 14 to 27

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ABLAZE A Business Learning Action Zone for Education

Reference and Administrative Details

Trustees at year end Bethan Evans Ashley Daniells Shawnett Morgan Richard Stokes Julia Thomas Simon Wilks Secretary Victoria Gibbs Principal Office TLT One Redcliff Street Bristol BS1 6TP Registered Office C/o Milsted Langdon LLP Freshford House Redcliffe Way Bristol BS1 6NL Company Registration Number 05385880 Charity Registration Number 1110956 Independent Examiner Anthony Robin Dicker FCA

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ABLAZE A Business Learning Action Zone for Education

Trustees' Report

The trustees, who are directors for the purposes of company law, present the annual report together with the financial statements of the charitable company for the year ended 31 August 2023.

Objectives and activities

Objects and aims

The aim of our charity is to continue to develop partnerships between business and young people in education and starting out on their careers (originally pioneered by the Bristol Education Action Zone) for the benefit of young people in our region.

The objectives of the charity, as laid down in its Memorandum and Articles of Association, are to tackle inequality of opportunity by raising the aspiration, achievement and attainment of young people in the West of England. We aim to enrich educational opportunities, improve access to education, create and develop sustained learning partnerships between the education, business and public sectors. We also work to advance the learning of professionals involved in these sectors to support the creation of communities where learning comes first, and opportunity is equal for all.

How the activities deliver public benefit

The overall aim of the Charity is to provide children and young people the opportunity to develop their skills, raise their attainment and widen aspirations through the assistance and interaction with volunteers from business.

Ablaze’s work therefore provides children and young people with the chance they may not otherwise have.

The trustees confirm that they have complied with the requirements of section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

Achievements and performance

We have had a more productive year this year than last. Our programme delivery increased significantly against the levels of the previous year and this has meant increased service income from our business and school partners. Our reserves remain lower than pre-Covid levels but with increased income from programmes and contracts and some success with our grant funding we are ending the year in a more secure position financially. We will need to continue to monitor income and cash flow throughout the coming year and also work to secure more grant funding to ensure that our reserves remain steady and if possible are brought back up to a level where they match our reserves policy figures.

Demand for our services continues to increase as young people are still presenting with developmental and attainment issues due to the effects of the pandemic across all age ranges.

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Trustees' Report

• Across this financial year and into the Autumn of 2023 we have worked with 762 young people, trained 505 volunteers, partnered with 31 businesses, delivered programmes in 53 schools and 2 community settings

• Seventeen Career Mentoring programmes were successfully delivered with sixteen partnerships, impacting 261 young people

• We successfully ran a full Airbus Foundation Youth Programme at the Airbus site in Filton with twenty year 9 students from a local school.

• Our recruited Reading and Number Partner Project Manager did a fantastic job of rebooting the programme and from September 2022 to December 2023 we delivered 27 school-business partnerships, supporting 449 pupils through the recruitment and training of 310 volunteers.

• Our Project Manager has settled in really well and is proving a real asset to the team. Our Project Coordinator has also done a great job and will be promoted to Project Manager in January 2024.

• We delivered a pilot of our Early Career Mentoring programme in Autumn 2023 and are now looking at delivering it in six schools in the coming financial year

• Our one day Career Mentoring programme has proved popular with schools and businesses alike and was successfully delivered with five partnerships this year

• Our first NatWest funding Career Sense programme was a resounding success and we were re-contracted to run it again in the Autumn of 2023

• We held a pop-up book shop in the Galleries shopping centre in Bristol in the Spring where we were able to promote our work, interact with the public and engage parents in the benefits of reading with their children and raise almost a £1,000 from donations for books. Books were kindly donated to our shop by parent and volunteer groups. We welcomed over 200 children and their families to the shop while it was open

• We have successfully increased our social media profile and gained a significant number of followers on our channels which has led to new business contacts and partnerships

We are very pleased that our delivery levels have increased significantly this year and we appear to have come through the interruptions and challenges of Covid, although our finances remain tight and our continuing focus will need to be making sure we can match our income to our expenditure in the coming year.

Three years on young people are still being adversely affected by the pandemic and the disruption to their lives caused by COVID. The need for our services to support our young people with skill development, career information and guidance and mentoring is greater than ever. Additionally, still, school budgets are being squeezed by rising costs and this is making it harder for schools to budget for our programmes. Our partner businesses whilst also recognising the need to continue supporting young people, are facing the dual challenge of rising costs and hybrid working practices which make engaging on our programmes more complex. It has been very satisfying to see, despite these challenges, the loyalty of our existing business partners who recognise the investment of time and money is vital for their future workforce and for keeping social mobility alive through these difficult times. In addition, we have seen an appetite to engage with supporting young people from a range of new business partners which has enabled us to increase our activity and reach more young people in our region. We are very grateful for the new and continued support and commitment we receive.

Evaluation shows that our programmes do make a difference and our impact remains strong across the age ranges we support.

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Trustees' Report

Career Mentoring

“It’s helped me realise how important school is and how it’s not to be taken for granted” - Student, Bedminster Down

“It gave me a better understanding of my options and what’s ahead of me” -Student, Oasis Academy Brislington

“I’m really pleased to have been given an opportunity to volunteer as a mentor for the Ablaze programme. As someone who is passionate about social mobility, I’m really proud to be a part of a scheme that helps to empower young people and to raise their aspirations and confidence” - Mentor TLT

Early Career Mentoring

8 volunteers supported a class of 28 year 5 pupils. After participating in the programme:

“10/10!! It was a fantastic opportunity for pupils to engage with people from a local business. The day was a very interesting and inspiring. There was wide range of activities, and the volunteers were attentive and supportive!” -Teacher, Henbury Court Primary Academy

Reading and Number Partners

Of the pupils on the Reading Partners programme:

Of the pupils on the Number Partners programme:

Of all pupils supported:

“We value the reading partners and can see the positive impact the programme has. The volunteers have promoted a higher level of interest and engagement in reading and improved the pupil’s social and communication skills.” - Teacher Badocks Wood

Airbus Foundation Youth Programme

“This programme is unique. It’s enjoyable and feels like you’re doing sophisticated work. It’s fun, creative and interactive. It is an amazing opportunity and I’m glad I could be a part of it.” - Student

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Trustees' Report

Employability Support with NatWest

“I’ve learned how to better communicate with people, how to articulate myself and get my point across.”

TLT continue to be incredibly supportive and provide us with ongoing pro-bono office space, IT and Health and Safety support for which we thank the firm. During this financial year we were able to renew our agreement with the Senior Partner and secure another three years of office space, for which we are very grateful.

Financial review

The charity reported net income of £184,853. This was more than forecasted in our budget by £40,858, yet our funds reduced by £17,834 by the end of the year.

Our charging income was still lower than pre-Covid levels in 2022/23 although up from the year before. Our income from grants, contracts and fundraising was also less than in previous years.

Once again, as predicted, our expenditure has been greater than our income in 2022/23. We continue to invest in fundraising and new ways to deliver our programmes in order to bring our income and expenditure back in line. The launch of our Early Career Mentoring and the predicted success of our one-day Career Mentoring programme should help to boost our income. We are hopeful we come closer to balancing the books in 2023/24.

Fundraising activities

We designated £4,420 during 2022/23 to spend on fundraising to try and recoup our current and expected losses. We spent £2,210 of these designated funds, with £2,210 carried forwards to 2023/24. Despite increasing our output in terms of applications to Trust and Foundations we still battled against increased demand on funding pots.

All our programmes were back in operation this year and project managers worked hard to increase outputs across the board. We were able to deliver the Airbus programme, we secured a second contract from Nat West to deliver the Career Sense programme in the Autumn this year. We received grants from Garfield Weston, Wiltshire Community Fund, Quartet Community Foundation, Herman Miller Foundation, the Nisbet Trust, Bristol Airport Community Fund, Skipton Building Society Charitable Foundation, The Hedley Foundation, J&M Britton Charitable Trust, Denman Foundation, Fund Their Future, Siobhan Dowd Trust and Burges Salmon Charitable Trust. We ran a funding appeal to our business partners which brought in £10,000 in donations. These funds meant we were able to extend the Project Coordinator’s contract and uplift the role to Project Manager.

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Trustees' Report

Policy on reserves

Unrestricted reserves at 31st August 2023 were £80,249.

The charity’s aims require activities to be sustained for the foreseeable future and as such the charity aims to carry forward sufficient reserves to facilitate this. The Trustees have set Ablaze’s reserves policy at a level sufficient to fund working capital and any unexpected expenditure or shortfalls in income. £103,574 in unrestricted reserves, being equivalent to 6 months operating expenditure, including overheads, as well as redundancy and wind-up costs is ringfenced to satisfy this policy. These funds would enable Ablaze to continue in operations for six months should its funding cease or decrease to the point that Ablaze can no longer continue as a going concern.

In addition to these reserves, and in accordance with our Business Plan, the Trustees have also designated the following funds from our unrestricted reserves for the year 2023/24.

Fundraising

We carried forward £4,420 from 2021/22, to continue to recoup the anticipated shortfall between our expenditure and income. We spent £2,210 during the 2022/23 financial year. We will continue to use our contracted fundraiser to make applications to Trusts and Foundations and our CEO will focus her time on securing financial support from business and winning new contract work.

IT

We carried forward £1,000 of designated funds for IT, which could be used to upgrade our IT equipment as needed or for developing our online programmes. We were fortunate to receive a grant from Fund Their Future for purchasing iPads to use in our programmes. We have therefore not spent these designated funds and will carry them forward to use in 2023/24.

The total unrestricted reserves less designated funds leaves us with a shortfall of £20,115 at the end of the 2022/23 financial year. The Trustees are looking to raise funds to cover this shortfall through our fundraising in 2023/24.

Office accommodation

TLT Solicitors provide Ablaze with office accommodation. This contribution is valued at £20,000 per annum.

Pay policy for senior staff

The directors consider that the board of directors, who are the Trustees, comprise the key management personnel of the charity in charge of directing and controlling, running and operating the charity on a day-to-day basis. All directors give their time freely and no director received remuneration in the year. Details of directors’ expenses and related party transactions are disclosed in note 9 to the accounts.

Investment policy and objectives

The trustees have wide powers of investment. Surplus short-term funds are held in an interest-bearing deposit account.

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Trustees' Report

Plans for future periods

Aims and key objectives for future periods

We successfully hit most of our key goals from our 2021/22 business plan. We fell short of our target for Career Mentoring programmes but we exceeded our Reading and Number partners target. We raised more than our target of £40,000 through fundraising and business development activity. We secured our repeat contracts but didn’t manage to raise an income of £10,000 through Employability Support.

Our 2023/24 business plan has the following key goals for Ablaze:

  1. Retain and develop our current staff team

  2. Focus on progressing the strategic development and promotion of our one-day and shorter-term programme offers to maximise our income and facilitate growth

  3. Ensure that we achieve a balance between adapting programmes to ensure income generation and keeping true to our mission to achieve our charitable aims

  4. Continue to develop our social media presence and our messaging to increase our profile, promote our work and realise increased partnerships and income

  5. Focus on business development and fundraising, utilising the skills and expertise of the team. Retain and strengthen our current partnerships across all our programmes and contracts to ensure retention and progression with businesses and schools

  6. Achieve the programme targets set out in Project Plan for Career Mentoring

  7. Retain 13 current Core CM partnerships and secure 2 new ones

  8. Secure 6 one-day CM partnerships

  9. Achieve the targets set out in the Project Plan for RP/NP

  10. 35% increase on 2022-23 year, grow from 13 partnerships to at least 17

  11. Deliver 6 Early Career Mentoring programmes in 2023/4

  12. Secure repeat contracts for the Nat West and Airbus Foundation programmes and win one new contract

  13. Raise £40,000 through fundraising and business development activity

Trustees and officers

The trustees and officers serving during the year and since the year end were as follows:

Trustees: Bethan Evans Ashley Daniells Shawnett Morgan Richard Stokes Julia Thomas Simon Wilks (appointed 19 July 2023)

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Trustees' Report

Secretary: Victoria Gibbs

Structure, governance and management

Nature of governing document

The charity is constituted as a private company, limited by guarantee and therefore has no share capital. It is governed by a memorandum and Articles of Association, dated 8 March 2005, and amended by Written Resolution, dated 1 August 2005. It is a registered charity with the Charity Commission.

Recruitment and appointment of trustees

The Board undertook a fundamental review of the governance of the charity in 2020/21 to ensure that arrangements were robust and represented best practice. New Articles of Association were adopted on 26th February 2021. In addition, a New Governance Handbook was prepared.

The Directors constantly review the skill set and experiences required by the Board of Trustees to ensure that Board membership reflects the correct balance and skills required to maximise effectiveness. The Directors who served during the year and up to the date of this report are set out on page1.

During this year we have appointed 3 new Trustees. One has experience of working in the IT sector and comes with knowledge of business relationship building and a wealth of new business contacts. The other two are Junior Trustees. Both of these were graduates from our Nat West Career Sense programme so come with firsthand experience of our work and great knowledge of the issues and barriers currently facing young people in our region. The board felt it was important to have the voice of young people (the charity’s core focus) on the board.

Induction and training of trustees

Trustees receive training and are regularly updated on changes in legislation and best practice guidance issued from time to time by the Charity Commission.

Arrangements for setting key management personnel remuneration

The directors consider that the board of directors, who are the Trustees, comprise the key management personnel of the charity in charge of directing and controlling, running and operating the charity on a day-to-day basis. All directors give their time freely and no director received remuneration in the year. Details of directors’ expenses and related party transactions are disclosed in note 9 to the accounts.

Risk management

The Directors have carried out a thorough review of the risks facing the charity; the next review is scheduled for December 2023. The top risks are reviewed at every Board meeting. The risks are prioritised, and the CEO and Directors are tasked to formulate and implement plans to minimise risks.

Ablaze’s current main risks are continuing uncertainty post-Covid and facing the current ‘cost of living’ crisis - inability to future proof or plan ahead; expenditure continuing to outstrip income means reserves continue to be spent on core expenses; challenges with successful applications for funding presents potential inability to raise required funds to meet our shortfall. Clearly articulated mitigations are in place for these main risks.

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Trustees' Report

Conclusion

This year has seen Ablaze and its services start to emerge from the very difficult last few years, and our operations are nearly back to pre-Covid levels. But the impact of the pandemic, on both our business partners’ ways of working and on the needs of young people, means that we are still facing very challenging times. Our focus remains on raising funds, which itself requires resource and time. But we need to recoup our reserves to get to a sustainable financial position.

Our flexible programme design is working very well and we are attracting new business partners across our region. Early Career Mentoring and One-day Career Mentoring sessions are proving very popular. We see our shorter programmes as valuable in their own right but also an entry point to the creation of longer terms relationships with businesses and partners.

Our work is still vital - probably more now than ever - given the impact of recent years on young peoples’ confidence and opportutnities.

Our thanks as always to Sally and the whole Ablaze team. The staff are amazing and go above and beyond every day!

This will be my last contribution to an Ablaze Annual Report as Chair of the board as I am standing down at the completion of my term as a Trustee. It has been an absolute privilege to help steer the organisation through the last few years and to work with such inspiring people.

Small companies provision statement

This report has been prepared in accordance with the small companies regime under the Companies Act 2006.

The annual report was approved by the trustees of the charity on 14 May 2024 .................... and signed on its behalf by:

...................................... Bethan Evans Trustee

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Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities

The trustees (who are also the directors of ABLAZE A Business Learning Action Zone for Education for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the trustees' report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice), including FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland".

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under company law the trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that can disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company's website. Legislation governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

14 May 2024 Approved by the trustees of the charity on .................... and signed on its behalf by:

...................................... Bethan Evans Trustee

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Independent Examiner's Report to the trustees of ABLAZE A Business Learning Action Zone for Education ('the Company')

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 August 2023.

Responsibilities and basis of report

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

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

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:

  1. accounting records were not kept in respect of ABLAZE A Business Learning Action Zone for Education as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or

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

  3. the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view' which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or

  4. the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for 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).

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.

Anthony Robin Dicker FCA

22 / 05 / 2024

Date:.............................

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Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 August 2023 (Including Income and Expenditure Account and Statement of Total Recognised Gains and Losses)

Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
funds funds 2023 2022
Note £ £ £ £
Income and Endowments from:
Donations and legacies 3 69,218 49,871 119,089 90,365
Charitable activities 4 64,302 - 64,302 47,262
Investment income 5 634 - 634 50
Other income 828 - 828 261
Total income 134,982 49,871 184,853 137,938
Expenditure on:
Charitable activities 6 (157,319) (45,368) (202,687) (176,194)
Total expenditure (157,319) (45,368) (202,687) (176,194)
Net (expenditure)/income (22,337) 4,503 (17,834) (38,256)
Net movement in funds (22,337) 4,503 (17,834) (38,256)
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward 102,586 11,675 114,261 152,517
Total funds carried forward 18 80,249 16,178 96,427 114,261

All of the charity's activities derive from continuing operations during the above two periods. The funds breakdown for 2023 is shown in note 17.

The notes on pages 14 to 27 form an integral part of these financial statements. Page 12

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(Registration number: 05385880) Balance Sheet as at 31 August 2023

2023 2022
Note £ £
Fixed assets
Tangible assets 12 1,570 1,093
Current assets
Debtors 13 20,496 17,320
Cash at bank and in hand 14 77,391 101,414
97,887 118,734
Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year 15 (3,030) (5,566)
Net current assets 94,857 113,168
Net assets 96,427 114,261
Funds of the charity:
Restricted income funds
Restricted funds 18 16,178 11,675
Unrestricted income funds
Unrestricted funds 80,249 102,586
Total funds 18 96,427 114,261

For the financial year ending 31 August 2023 the charity was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Directors' responsibilities:

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

The financial statements on pages 12 to 27 were approved by the trustees, and authorised for issue on .................... 14 May 2024 and signed on their behalf by:

...................................... Bethan Evans Trustee

The notes on pages 14 to 27 form an integral part of these financial statements. Page 13

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Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 August 2023

1 Charity status

The charity is a private company limited by guarantee, incorporated in England and Wales, and consequently does not have share capital. Each of the trustees is liable to contribute an amount not exceeding £10 towards the assets of the charity in the event of liquidation.

The address of its registered office is: C/o Milsted Langdon LLP Freshford House Redcliffe Way Bristol BS1 6NL

The principal place of business is: TLT One Redcliff Street Bristol BS1 6TP

These financial statements were authorised for issue by the trustees on ...............

2 Accounting policies

Summary of significant accounting policies and key accounting estimates

The principal accounting policies applied in the preparation of these financial statements are set out below. These policies have been consistently applied to all the years presented, unless otherwise stated.

Statement of compliance

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

Basis of preparation

Ablaze meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy notes.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the company, and rounded to the nearest £.

Going concern

The worldwide Covid-19 pandemic continued to impact upon the charity's trading activity during the year. The trustees consider the impact on the charity to not be material and are confident that the charity, through bank reserves, has adequate resources and accordingly the charity has continued to prepare its financial statements on a going concern basis.

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Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 August 2023

Income and endowments

All income is recognised once the charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount of the income receivable can be measured reliably.

Donations and legacies

Donations are recognised when the charity has been notified in writing of both the amount and settlement date. In the event that a donation is subject to conditions that require a level of performance by the charity before the charity is entitled to the funds, the income is deferred and not recognised until either those conditions are fully met, or the fulfilment of those conditions is wholly within the control of the charity and it is probable that these conditions will be fulfilled in the reporting period.

Grants receivable

Grants are recognised when the charity has an entitlement to the funds and any conditions linked to the grants have been met. Where performance conditions are attached to the grant and are yet to be met, the income is recognised as a liability and included on the balance sheet as deferred income to be released.

Donated services and facilities

Where services are provided to the charity as a donation that would normally be purchased from our suppliers, this contribution is included in the financial statements at an estimate based on the value of the contributions to the charity whenever the value exceeds £1,000. A corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of receipt.

Investment income

Interest on funds held on deposits is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the bank.

Expenditure

All expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to that expenditure, when it is probable settlement is required and the amount can be measured reliably. All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis. All costs are allocated to the applicable expenditure heading that aggregate similar costs to that category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated on a basis consistent with the use of resources, with central staff costs allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges allocated on the portion of the asset’s use. Other support costs are allocated based on the spread of staff costs.

Charitable activities

Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them.

Support costs

Support costs include central functions and have been allocated to activity cost categories on a basis consistent with the use of resources, for example, allocating property costs by floor areas, or per capita, staff costs by the time spent and other costs by their usage.

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Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 August 2023

Governance costs

These include the costs attributable to the charity's compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements, including audit, strategic management and trustee's meetings and reimbursed expenses.

Taxation

The charity is considered to pass the tests set out in Paragraph 1 Schedule 6 of the Finance Act 2010 and therefore it meets the definition of a charitable company for UK corporation tax purposes. Accordingly, the charity is potentially exempt from taxation in respect of income or capital gains received within categories covered by Chapter 3 Part 11 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 or Section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992, to the extent that such income or gains are applied exclusively to charitable purposes.

Tangible fixed assets

Individual fixed assets costing £200 or more are initially recorded at cost, less any subsequent accumulated depreciation and subsequent accumulated impairment losses.

Depreciation and amortisation

Depreciation is provided on tangible fixed assets so as to write off the cost or valuation, less any estimated residual value, over their expected useful economic life as follows:

Asset class Depreciation method and rate Fixtures, fittings and equipment 33% straight line basis

Trade debtors

Trade debtors are amounts due from customers for merchandise sold or services performed in the ordinary course of business.

Trade debtors are recognised initially at the transaction price. They are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method, less provision for impairment. A provision for the impairment of trade debtors is established when there is objective evidence that the charity will not be able to collect all amounts due according to the original terms of the receivables.

Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash on hand and call deposits, and other short-term highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to a known amount of cash and are subject to an insignificant risk of change in value.

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Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 August 2023

Trade creditors

Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of business from suppliers. Accounts payable are classified as current liabilities if the charity does not have an unconditional right, at the end of the reporting period, to defer settlement of the creditor for at least twelve months after the reporting date. If there is an unconditional right to defer settlement for at least twelve months after the reporting date, they are presented as non-current liabilities.

Trade creditors are recognised initially at the transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

Fund structure

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

Designated funds are unrestricted funds set aside for specific purposes at the discretion of the trustees.

Restricted income funds are those donated for use in a particular area or for specific purposes, the use of which is restricted to that area or purpose.

Pensions and other post retirement obligations

A defined contribution plan is a pension plan under which fixed contributions are paid into a pension fund and the charity has no legal or constructive obligation to pay further contributions even if the fund does not hold sufficient assets to pay all employees the benefits relating to employee service in the current and prior periods.

Contributions to defined contribution plans are recognised as employee benefit expense when they are due. If contribution payments exceed the contribution due for service, the excess is recognised as a prepayment.

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ABLAZE A Business Learning Action Zone for Education

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 August 2023

3 Income from donations and legacies

Unrestricted
funds Restricted Total Total
General funds 2023 2022
£ £ £ £
Donations and legacies;
Donations from individuals 15,665 31,671 47,336 13,618
Grants, including capital grants;
Government grants - - - 1,154
Grants from companies 33,553 18,200 51,753 55,593
Donated services and facilities 20,000 - 20,000 20,000
69,218 49,871 119,089 90,365

For the year ended 31 August 2022 £57,222 of the income above was attributable to unrestricted funds and £33,143 to restricted funds.

4 Income from charitable activities

Unrestricted
funds Total Total
General 2023 2022
£ £ £
Primary purpose trading 64,302 64,302 47,262

For the year ended 31 August 2022 £47,262 of the income above was attributable to unrestricted funds and £nil to restricted funds.

5 Investment income

Unrestricted
funds Total Total
General 2023 2022
£ £ £
Interest receivable and similar income;
Interest receivable on bank deposits 634 634 50

For the year ended 31 August 2022 £50 of the income above was attributable to unrestricted funds and £nil to restricted funds.

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ABLAZE A Business Learning Action Zone for Education

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 August 2023

6 Expenditure on charitable activities

Activity Activity
undertaken support
directly costs 2023 2022
£ £ £ £
Travel and subsistence 894 - 894 1,187
Direct costs 15,114 - 15,114 7,900
Subcontract costs 2,311 - 2,311 20,986
Employment costs 148,651 - 148,651 107,952
Website development and
improvements to IT
infrastructure - 2,027 2,027 809
Rent - 20,000 20,000 20,000
Core activities - - - 184
Sundry and other costs - 385 385 198
Printing, postage and stationery - 423 423 498
Accountancy fees 3,020 - 3,020 1,980
Independent examiner's fee 470 - 470 360
Legal and professional fees 1,612 - 1,612 1,513
Depreciation of tangible fixed
assets - 1,230 1,230 744
Contract expenses 6,550 - 6,550 11,841
Loss on disposal of fixed assets - - - 42
178,622 24,065 202,687 176,194

£157,319 (2022 - £127,440) of the expenditure above was attributable to unrestricted funds and £45,368 (2022 - £48,754) attributable to restricted funds.

Included in the expenditure analysed above, are also governance costs of £5,102 (2022 - £3,853) which relate directly to charitable activities. See note 7 for further details.

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ABLAZE A Business Learning Action Zone for Education

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 August 2023

7 Analysis of governance and support costs

Support costs allocated to charitable activities

Other
Information Premises support Total Total
Basis of technology costs costs 2023 2022
allocation £ £ £ £ £
Primary purpose
trading A 2,027 20,000 2,038 24,065 22,475

Basis of allocation

Reference

Method of allocation

Support costs are apportioned across the main activities of the charity on the basis A of total staff time spent on each of these during the year.

Governance costs

Governance costs
Unrestricted Total Total
funds 2023 2022
£ £ £
Accountancy fees 3,020 3,020 1,980
Independent examiner's fees 470 470 360
Legal and professional fees 1,612 1,612 1,513
5,102 5,102 3,853

For the year ended 31 August 2022 £3,853 of the above expenditure was attributable to unrestricted funds and £nil to restricted funds.

8 Net incoming/outgoing resources

Net outgoing resources for the year include:

2023 2022
£ £
Loss on disposal of fixed assets held for the charity's own use - 42
Depreciation of fixed assets 1,230 744
Independent Examiner's remuneration 470 360

9 Trustees remuneration and expenses

No trustees, nor any persons connected with them, have received any remuneration from the charity during the year.

No trustees have received any reimbursed expenses or any other benefits from the charity during the year.

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ABLAZE A Business Learning Action Zone for Education

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 August 2023

10 Staff costs

The aggregate payroll costs were as follows:

The aggregate payroll costs were as follows:
2023 2022
£ £
Staff costs during the year were:
Wages and salaries 138,505 100,491
Social security costs 6,955 5,161
Pension costs 3,191 2,300
148,651 107,952

The monthly average number of persons (including senior management / leadership team) employed by the charity during the year was as follows:

2023 2022
No No
Charitable activities 4 3

No employee received emoluments of more than £60,000 during the year.

11 Taxation

The charity is a registered charity and is therefore potentially exempt from taxation. No tax liabilities have arisen during the year.

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ABLAZE A Business Learning Action Zone for Education

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 August 2023

12 Tangible fixed assets

12 Tangible fixed assets
Fixtures,
fittings and
equipment Total
£ £
Cost
At 1 September 2022 2,666 2,666
Additions 1,707 1,707
At 31 August 2023 4,373 4,373
Depreciation
At 1 September 2022 1,573 1,573
Charge for the year 1,230 1,230
At 31 August 2023 2,803 2,803
Net book value
At 31 August 2023 1,570 1,570
At 31 August 2022 1,093 1,093
13 Debtors
2023 2022
£ £
Trade debtors 18,795 3,573
Prepayments 1,701 1,612
Accrued income - 12,135
20,496 17,320
14 Cash and cash equivalents
2023 2022
£ £
Cash at bank 77,391 101,414

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ABLAZE A Business Learning Action Zone for Education

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 August 2023

15 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

15 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
2023 2022
£ £
Trade creditors 252 2,903
Other creditors 49 860
Accruals 2,729 1,803
3,030 5,566

16 Pension and other schemes

Defined contribution pension scheme

The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme. The pension cost charge for the year represents contributions payable by the charity to the scheme and amounted to £Nil (2022 - £Nil).

17 Contingent liabilities

The charity has previously received a donation with the condition that it could become repayable at some point in the future although this is considered unlikely. If any part of this donation becomes repayable to the donor, the maximum amount the charity would have to repay is £10,330.

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ABLAZE A Business Learning Action Zone for Education

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 August 2023

18 Funds
Balance at 1
September Incoming Resources Balance at 31
2022 resources expended August 2023
£ £ £ £
Unrestricted funds
General
Unrestricted income fund 97,166 134,982 (155,109) 77,039
Designated
Fundraising 4,420 - (2,210) 2,210
IT 1,000 - - 1,000
5,420 - (2,210) 3,210
Total unrestricted funds 102,586 134,982 (157,319) 80,249
Restricted funds
Airbus fund - 18,200 (18,200) -
Fundraising campaign 5,000 - (1,500) 3,500
Future Quest 1,425 - (1,425) -
Poetry competition donations 1,750 - (1,750) -
Early career mentoring 2,500 400 (2,900) -
Primary programmes 1,000 8,448 (4,900) 4,548
The Herman Miller Cares - 6,496 (2,566) 3,930
Bristol Airport Community
Fund - 3,000 - 3,000
Fund Their Future donation - 1,827 (1,827) -
Quartet donation - 5,000 (5,000) -
The Siobhan Dowd Trust - 1,500 (300) 1,200
Wiltshire Community
Foundation - 5,000 (5,000) -
Total restricted funds 11,675 49,871 (45,368) 16,178
Total funds 114,261 184,853 (202,687) 96,427

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ABLAZE A Business Learning Action Zone for Education

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 August 2023

Balance at
1 Balance at
September Incoming Resources 31 August
2021 resources expended Transfers 2022
£ £ £ £ £
Unrestricted funds
General
Unrestricted income fund 111,661 104,795 (123,290) 4,000 97,166
Designated
Fundraising 8,570 - (4,150) - 4,420
IT 5,000 - - (4,000) 1,000
13,570 - (4,150) (4,000) 5,420
Total unrestricted funds 125,231 104,795 (127,440) - 102,586
Restricted
Airbus fund 141 14,737 (14,878) - -
Fundraising campaign 5,000 - - - 5,000
Future Quest 11,019 10,406 (20,000) - 1,425
Poetry competition
donations 1,500 1,500 (1,250) - 1,750
Early career mentoring - 5,000 (2,500) - 2,500
Primary programmes 3,500 1,500 (4,000) - 1,000
The Herman Miller Cares 3,626 - (3,626) - -
West of England
Mentoring (WEM) 2,500 - (2,500) - -
Total restricted funds 27,286 33,143 (48,754) - 11,675
Total funds 152,517 137,938 (176,194) - 114,261

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ABLAZE A Business Learning Action Zone for Education

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 August 2023

The specific purposes for which the funds are to be applied are as follows:

Unrestricted funds are expendable at the discretion of the trustees in the furtherance of the objectives of the charity. Such funds are held in order to finance both working capital and capital investment.

Restricted funds are expendable in accordance with the agreement with donors as follows:

Airbus funds are for the management of the programme logistics and to pay for the cost of the coaches used to transport the students to and from Airbus.

Fundraising campaign funds was money donated to Ablaze from National Friendly to assist with the costs of running a fundraising campaign.

Future Quest funds are for the management of the programme, supporting delivery of Year 11 Mentoring in the 27 cohort schools on the Future Quest Secondary School programme.

Poetry Competition funds are for running poetry workshops in selected local Primary schools, as well as for the costs involved in running the poetry competition.

Early career mentoring funds are to develop and implement an Early Career Mentoring programme designed to introduce Year 6 pupils to the skills needed to work, raise their aspirations and prepare them for the transition to secondary school.

Primary programmes funds are for the management of the programme logistics for the Reading Buddies and Number Partners Primary School programmes.

The Herman Miller Cares funds are to support the West of England Mentoring programme with The John Bentley School, Calne.

Bristol Airport Community Fund provided a donation from Bristol Airport's Environmental Improvement Fund to support programmes taking place in the fund's core are of support.

Fund Their Future provided a grant for purchasing new technology for running our programmes.

Quartet provided a grant to support programmes in the Quartet area of work (Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Bath and North East Somerset).

The Siobhan Dowd Trust donated money to purchase books for children taking part in the ABLAZE Reading Partners programme.

The Wiltshire Community Foundation provided a grant to support Career Mentoring programmes in Wiltshire.

West of England Mentoring funds are for the management of the programme logistics for the West of England Mentoring Secondary School programmes.

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ABLAZE A Business Learning Action Zone for Education

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 August 2023

19 Analysis of net assets between funds

19 Analysis of net assets between funds
Unrestricted
funds Restricted Total funds
at 31 August funds at 31 at 31 August
2023 August 2023 2023
£ £ £
Tangible fixed assets 1,570 - 1,570
Current assets 81,709 16,178 97,887
Current liabilities (3,030) - (3,030)
Total net assets 80,249 16,178 96,427
Unrestricted
funds Restricted Total funds
at 31 August funds at 31 at 31 August
2022 August 2022 2022
£ £ £
Tangible fixed assets 1,093 - 1,093
Current assets 107,059 11,675 118,734
Current liabilities (5,566) - (5,566)
Total net assets 102,586 11,675 114,261

20 Related party transactions

There were no related party transactions in the year.

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Doc ID: 69a2ae2adf108ce3a72b43795bf613041397cb41

Audit trail Audit trail

9 Dropbox Sign Sign

Ablaze Final accounts for signing Title Title File name File name 2022-23_ABLAZE_accounts_for_signing.pdf Document ID Document ID 69a2ae2adf108ce3a72b43795bf613041397cb41 Audit trail date format Audit trail date format DD / MM / YYYY Status Status ° Signed

20 / 05 / 2024 Sent for signature to Bethan Evans (bethanevans22@me.com) 11:46:23 UTC and Anthony Robin Dicker FCA (ard@tonydicker.co.uk) from victoria.gibbs@ablazebristol.org IP: 5.68.186.39 20 / 05 / 2024 Viewed by Anthony Robin Dicker FCA (ard@tonydicker.co.uk) 12:21:17 UTC IP: 87.237.67.133 20 / 05 / 2024 Viewed by Bethan Evans (bethanevans22@me.com) 22:16:00 UTC IP: 159.253.162.73 20 / 05 / 2024 Signed by Bethan Evans (bethanevans22@me.com) 22:17:03 UTC IP: 159.253.162.73 22 / 05 / 2024 Signed by Anthony Robin Dicker FCA (ard@tonydicker.co.uk) 10:38:57 UTC IP: 87.237.67.133 22 / 05 / 2024 The document has been completed. 10:38:57 UTC

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