Charity Registration Number: 1113628
THINKING AUTISM
A Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For The Year Ended 31 March 2024
THINKING AUTISM CIO
Contents
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Members of the Board and Professional Advisers | 2 |
| Trustees Annual Report | 3-4 |
| Independent Examiners Report | 5 |
| Receipts and Payments Accounts | 6 |
| Statement of Assets and Liabilities | 7 |
| Notes to the financial statements | 8 |
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THINKING AUTISM CIO
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND PROFESSIONAL ADVISORS
Registered Charity Name Thinking Autism CIO Charity Number 1113628 Registered Office International House 24 Holburn Viaduct London EC1A 2BN Trustees K. Charman A. Kugelstadt J. Allman S. Partridge Independent Examiners Community Accounting Lancashire C.I.C. Foxfields 9 Norley Close Chadderton Oldham Lancashire OL1 2RA Bankers Unity Trust Bank 9 Brindley Place Birmingham B1 2HB
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THINKING AUTISM CIO TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT 1 APRIL 2023 to 31 MARCH 2024
Thinking Autism CIO, a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (registered charity number: 1113628).
Thinking Autism, International House, 109-111 Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8JA Website: www.thinkingautism.org.uk Email: mail@thinkingautism.org.uk
EVENTS
October 6-8, 2023: Differential Diagnosis: Actionable Pathways to Improved Well-Being . The event which demanded the most effort and financial investment was our International Conference. The conference featured 15 talks given by international and local speakers over three days, including MD’s, PhD’s, parents and practitioners, and was held at Queen’s Gate House, London. The presentations were attended by 186 people, including parents of autistic children, people with autism, and professionals. Members could attend for £80 which included refreshments and lunches on both days, a price lower than most one-day online conferences. We engaged autism-related exhibitors to provide information to delegates during breaks. We also organised two social events for delegates and speakers. Feedback from the conference was overwhelmingly positive; we received dozens of messages from attendees, speakers and exhibitors, thanking us for the excellent information, supportive atmosphere, opportunities to interact with other autism families, and first-rate organisation.
April 6, May 4, July 6 and November 2, 2023: We held online informal chats for any members wishing to attend on these dates. We select a topic to start but encourage all discussion on any topic. These events, along with our social media, help support families who are often struggling with isolation.
November 23, 2023; January 15, 2024; March 6, 2024: We continued to offer our Face2Face webinars , live events at which attendees can ask questions of the speakers. We record these live events to continue to build our library of webinars for members, as live attendance is difficult for most of the families we support. This library of webinars now houses 57 recorded events that busy parents and new members can access any time. Many of our webinars have hundreds of views. The webinars held during this reporting period were The Benefits of Resistant Starch, Autonomic Nervous System Dysfunction and The NeuroNeeds Approach: Treating the Mechanisms of Disease.
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PUBLICATIONS
In October of 2023, we published Brain Glucose and Glycogen in Autism: Speech, Seizures, Sleep and Beyond .
FOUNDATIONAL ACTIVITIES
We continued to maintain our very active Facebook accounts, Twitter account, and website. The website receives about 4500 distinct engagements each month. We signpost our followers to research, publications, events, and other charities and organisations. In total, our social media platforms receive approximately 10,000 engagements each month, many of those parents providing support to other parents.
We remain highly responsive to the emails and direct messages we receive on a daily basis, providing personalised support and information to anyone who contacts us. We provide commentary to journalists who contact us, and our words have been featured in about six periodical articles this reporting year. Although we maintain a very low membership fee of only £15 each year, we continue to offer free membership to any who cannot afford the cost. This year, we gained 38 new member families.
We have continued to maintain and build our relationship with businesses and organisations which offer discounts to our members, saving our members thousands of pounds each year. We continued our fundraising activities. This year we received £8,371 in donations from member families and friends, and fundraising events.
Signed on behalf of the board of Thinking Autism by
Joanne Allman, Trustee and Treasurer
15 May 2024
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THINKING AUTISM CIO
REPORT TO THE MEMBERS ON THE UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THINKING AUTISM CIO
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024
I report on the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 as set out on pages 6 to 8.
Respective Responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner
As the charity’s trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
The charity’s trustees consider an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the 2011 Act, and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility as independent examiner to:
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~ examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act
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~ follow the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commissioners under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act, and
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~ to state whether particular matters have come to my attention
Basis of Independent Examiners Report
My examination was carried out in accordance with the 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 of disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters.
The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts.
Independent Examiners Statement
I have completed my examination for the year ended 31 March 2024.
I can confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
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~ accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act or
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~ the accounts do not accord with the accounting records to comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
17[th ] of May 2024
Miss Jacqueline Bird F.M.A.A.T.
Community Accounting Lancashire C.I.C. Foxfields 9 Norley Close Chadderton Oldham OL1 2RA
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THINKING AUTISM CIO
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024
| Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds 2024 2024 Notes £ £ RECEIPTS Grants 2 - - Membership Fees 4,815 - Donations 8,372 - London Conference 16,650 - Roadshows - - Merchandise Sales 625 - Refunds - - Interest Received 675 - Sundry Income - - TOTAL RECEIPTS 31,137 - PAYMENTS London Conference 14,843 5,752 Roadshows - - Salaries Costs 19,873 - Training 96 - Consultancy & Advice 2,400 - Marketing - - Research 17 - Gifts 100 - Donations - - Just Giving Fees - - Membership Packs - - Membership Fee Refunds 380 - Merchandise 261 - IT Equipment (Laptop) 449 - Website & Software Costs 271 - Mail Forwarding 90 - Printing & Stationery - - Postage & Courier Costs - - Travel Costs - - Storage 626 - Insurance 552 - Accountancy Fees 615 - Payroll Costs 214 - Bank & Paypal Charges 501 - Sundries - - TOTAL PAYMENTS 41,288 5,752 Net of receipts/(payments) (10,151) (5,752) Cash funds as at 31 March 2023 5 81,186 5,752 Cash funds as at 31 March 2024 5 71,035 - |
Total Funds 2024 £ - 4,815 8,372 16,650 - 625 - 675 - 31,137 20,595 - 19,873 96 2,400 - 17 100 - - - 380 261 449 271 90 - - - 626 552 615 214 501 - 47,040 (15,903) 86,938 71,035 |
Total Funds 2023 £ - 4,800 10,310 - - - - 1,606 - 16,716 - - 21,392 - - 870 1,001 - - - - - - - 1,072 - - 8 - 490 499 720 240 227 - 26,519 (9,803) 96,741 86,938 |
|---|---|---|
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THINKING AUTISM CIO
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITES
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funds | Funds | Funds | Funds | |
| As at | As at | As at | As at | |
| 31/03/24 | 31/03/24 | 31/03/24 | 31/03/23 | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| CASH FUNDS | ||||
| Bank | 29,377 | - | 29,377 | 84,737 |
| Cash on Deposit | 40,675 | - | 40,675 | - |
| Paypal | 928 | - | 928 | 2,146 |
| Petty Cash | 55 | - | 55 | 55 |
| 71,035 | - | 71,035 | 86,938 | |
| LIABILITIES | £ | £ | ||
| Fee for Independent Examination | 495 | 365 | ||
| Other Accounts Costs | - | 250 | ||
| 495 | 615 |
The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees on the 8[th] of May 2024 and signed on their behalf by:
J Allman
Trustee
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THINKING AUTISM CIO
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024
1. Receipts and Payments Accounts
Receipts and Payments accounts are statements that summarise the movement of cash into and out of the organisation during the financial year. In this context “cash” includes cash equivalents, for example, bank accounts where cash can be readily withdrawn to pay for debts as they become due.
2. Grants
Grants are credited to revenue on a receivable basis, and all income is allocated to appropriate funds based on the income, and the amount of income receivable can be measured reliably.
Restricted funds are to be used for specified purposes as laid down by the donor.
Expenditure which meets these criteria’s is identified to the fund, together with a fair allocation of overheads and support costs.
Unrestricted funds are donations and other incoming resources received or generated for charitable purposes.
3. Grants Received
| Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds 2024 2024 £ £ Big Lottery Fund - - - -* |
Total Funds 2024 £ - - |
Total Funds 2023 £ - - |
|---|---|---|
4. Trustees & Staff Costs
During the financial year there were no remunerations paid to trustees.
No employee received emoluments of £60,000 or above (2023: none).
5. Funds Analysis
| unds Analysis | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balance as | Incoming | Resources | Balance as | |
| at 1 April | Resources | Expended | at 31 March | |
| 2023 | 2024 | |||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Unrestricted Funds | 81,186 | 31,137 | (41,288) | 71,035 |
| Restricted Funds: | ||||
| Big Lottery Fund* | 5,752 | - | (5,752) | - |
| Total Funds | 86,938 | 31,137 | (47,040) | 71,035 |
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The balance of £5,752 from the Big Lottery Fund was carried forward from previous years, as the charity had been unable to hold their annual London Conference due to the impact of the covid-19 pandemic. The conference was held this year and the remaining Big Lottery Fund was fully utilised at the event.
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