2023-12-31-accounts - The Conroy-Rendon Charitable Trust

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The Conroy - Rendon Charitable Trust

Trustees Annual Report and Accounts for the year to 31[st] December 2023

1. Introduction

Full Name of Charity: The Conroy-Rendon Charitable Trust

Registered Address: 6 Walnut Way, Brightlingsea Essex, CO7 0LJ Website www.conroyrendoncharity.co.uk

Registered with the U.K. Charity Commission under charity No: 1114903

Governing Document: The Charity was established by a Trust Deed dated 30[th] March 2006

Trustees: Joanna Conroy (Chair of Trustees) Andrew Conroy (Secretary) Christine Debenham

The trustees are responsible for the day-to-day running of the charity and implementing activities in pursuit of its aims and objectives.

Staff The Charity has no paid employees but has one member of staff engaged as a local representative in the Philippines on a voluntary basis.

2. Aims

The aims of the charity are set out in the trust deed and are summarised as follows:

To relieve poverty among the young, the aged, the homeless and the needy in the Philippines and elsewhere in the world.

To promote and provide for the education of children in the Philippines and elsewhere in the world.

To advance the Christian Faith.

3 Benefit Assessment

In planning the charity’s activities, the trustees have regard to the Charity Commission’s general guidelines on public benefit and in particular with reference to advancing education, relieving poverty and promoting religion for the public benefit. The trustees ensure that all activities are undertaken in line with our charitable objectives and aims.

By enabling people to access education and training we help them to increase their capacity to find better paid employment and break the cycle of poverty. Our philosophy is to empower people to take control of their own future rather than being dependent on ongoing aid. Education improves employment prospects for both children and adults so that they can become self-reliant citizens who are able to make a positive contribution to society.

Providing a home for orphaned, neglected, abused and abandoned children gives them a place of safety and security, away from the abject poverty, and gang culture that prevails amongst street children and gives them the opportunity to obtain a proper education.

The Conroy - Rendon Charitable Trust

However, the Trustees firmly believe that there is a lot more to life than just financial security. A society based solely on material values will be morally and spiritually bankrupt. We are all both physical and spiritual beings and need to understand our purpose in creation. We believe that the teachings of the Christian Faith have much to offer in helping men, women, and children to understand who they are and how they are called to relate to God, the universe and their fellow human beings. The benefit of this is hard to demonstrate in quantifiable terms but it is widely acknowledged that the moral foundations of Christian teaching frequently result in higher levels of generosity and service to mankind as an expression and out-working of faith, which consequently benefits public life. This is particularly relevant for the House of Joshua children, many of whom have either experienced life in dysfunctional families or have grown up with little rule or regulation, living rough on city streets where crime, violence, and substance abuse are commonplace, and who are now beginning to learn how to function effectively as members of society, including engaging in aid and service projects within the wider local community.

4 Area of Operation and Partnership Arrangements

At the present time the Charity's main sphere of operation is in Cagayan De Oro City and the surrounding area of Misamis Oriental in Northern Mindanao, Philippines.

Under the terms of a Memorandum of Agreement signed in September 2009 we are committed to supporting the work of Lifenet Children’s Foundation with orphaned and abandoned children and impoverished communities, and in particular to help fund the operational costs of the House of Joshua Children’s Home.

From time to time we also partner with other local community groups, welfare organisations, and faith groups to support initiatives in poorer communities, providing tools, training, equipment, teaching and resources according to their needs.

5 Principle Activities and Achievements

The activities carried out by the charity for the public benefit broadly fall into three categories as detailed below:

a) Relieving Poverty

The House of Joshua home for orphaned, neglected, and abandoned children opened in January 2013, operated by our mission partner, Lifenet Children’s Foundation, a Philippines registered not-for-profit Non-Governmental Organisation. We have continued to contribute towards the costs of running the home by facilitating a child sponsorship scheme in conjunction with Lifenet and funding from general donations. This is our primary mission project. Without the House of Joshua these children would probably be living rough on the city streets, begging for a living, vulnerable to abuse, assault and people trafficking. In the last few years, the overall number of children housed has reduced as some children have been reunited with families who are now in a position to care for them and some older ones have now moved on to independent living but remain in contact for pastoral care and support.

b) Advancing Education

All the children who live at the House of Joshua Children’s home are either enrolled in the state school system or an “Alternative Learning Scheme” (ALS) for those who, for whatever reason, cannot be accommodated within the regular school system.

We are particularly pleased to have seen 3 young adults complete vocational training courses this year and move into employment. In addition, one of our university students has now graduated with very good results and found employment as a civil servant with the Philippines Government as an environmental engineer.

The Conroy - Rendon Charitable Trust

c) Promoting the Christian Faith

Regular devotional times are held at the House of Joshua with some of the older children helping to take the lead in organising and running these activities. Children and on-duty staff gather every week for an all-inclusive, low-key, Sunday worship service. This year saw 5 children from the House of Joshua, and the daughter of a staff member being baptised. It was a huge delight for two of our trustees to be present for the occasion.

We were also able to provide a small resource of bible study materials for a local group of churches.

6 Risk Assessment

1) Financial

2023 has been the most challenging year that we have faced since our inception in 2006; with our income declining dramatically as families and organisations in the U.K. have found their budgets coming under increasing pressure.

Consequently, we have seen a sharp reduction in donations from all sources and, although it would appear that this decline has probably now flattened out, it is a serious cause for concern given that our outgoings currently exceed our income by some way. We still have some £36000 of reserves built up over several years and we are now endeavouring to develop a more sustainable working model with our Mission Partners to enable us to continue in the longer term. This will take time to get established and, in the meantime, children still need to be fed and cared for. We do, therefore, expect some further depletion of reserves over the next year or two and some tough decisions may need to be taken before much longer.

Funds for child sponsorship and the operating costs of the House of Joshua are held in separate bank accounts for clarity and because they will need to be paid over to our partner organisation in due course. The charity has no significant operational costs or other obligations and, with the exception of the child sponsorship schemes, grants made and other payments are entirely at the discretion of the trustees. Other small projects are undertaken only as funds and opportunities allow so these do not present any additional financial risk. It is therefore considered unnecessary to maintain a general financial reserve.

2) Reputational

We continue to provide advice and support to the House of Joshua on Child Protection arrangements, Health and Safety, and procedural policies as needed. We are satisfied that their policies are robust and go well beyond the requirements of Philippine law. The home is subject to regulation by the Philippines Department for Welfare and Social Development, who have endorsed their operating protocols.

3) Operational

We are a small charity and rely heavily on a small number of key people. At the present time we only have three trustees and, ideally, need to recruit at least one more, to provide a greater spread of experience and allow for succession planning.

We also rely on maintaining good communications with our partner organisations in the Philippines to ensure the effectiveness of our support. We are grateful to our local agent for facilitating this.

We are also very grateful to our small network of “ambassadors” who continue to represent us in a number of churches across the U.K. and keep their local congregations informed about our work and plans.

Our accounting records and important documents are fully backed up using secure ‘cloud’ storage.

7 Finances

Examined copies of the financial accounts for the year ended 31[st] December 2023 are attached. In view of the small size of the charity these are prepared as a simple income and expenditure statement under the historic cost convention, having due regard to the

The Conroy - Rendon Charitable Trust recommendations of Charities SORP 2005 and the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008.

Overall income for the year at £29659 is down some 18% on the 2022 figure of £36138, due principally to several supporters having withdrawn from the scheme either due to their own financial situation or because the children they were sponsoring have moved on from the House of Joshua. This has also adversely impacted the amount of gift aid tax rebates that we will be able to claim. We have also seen a reduction in the amounts being donated by churches and other organisations but other donations have held up reasonably well and we remain extremely grateful to our very dedicated band of long term supporters who continue to help us with this vital work.

Grants made to cover the running costs at the House of Joshua rose by just under 2% due to increased wages costs however we are hopeful that this may be mitigated somewhat by an improving exchange rate as we move into 2024.

The Charity continues to benefit from the free use of office and Internet facilities courtesy of its supporters and has no other liabilities.

8 Future Plans:

Rising inflation and the current cost of living crisis continues to have a detrimental financial impact, both here in the U.K. and in the Philippines where food prices have risen considerably in the last 12-18 months. Although U.K. inflation has now fallen back to around 4% we expect that fundraising will continue to be difficult for some time yet and we expect another significant, funding shortfall for 2024 which may mean we have to make some cutbacks.

Our Mission Partners continue to try and establish a more financially sustainable working model, engaging with other NGO’s, Philippines local governmental units, education providers, and commercial organizations with funded social development programs to raise more local support for the House of Joshua.

As economic pressures begin to ease in the U.K. we are considering what we can do in terms of fund raising events in 2024 and also trying to recruit new long term sponsors

The Conroy - Rendon Charitable Trust

Income & Expenditure Account

*Period ending 31st December* *Income* note House of Joshua receipts Friends of Lifenet 4 Other Donations Gift Aid Rebates 1 Fund Raising Schemes Bank Interest received Other Income Total Income *Expenditure - Grants Made* House of Joshua 3 Training Other Grants *sub total* *Other Expenditure* Bank transaction charges Postages & Stationery Fund raising costs 2 Other expenditure *sub total* *Total Expenditure* *Shortfall of income against expenditure* Balance Sheet *as at 31 December* *Assets* Bank General account Bank House of Joshua Fund Bank Friends of HOJ/ Lifenet 4 Paypal Account Debtors, cash & cheques in hand *total assets* *Liabilities* *Total liabilities* *Net Assets* Balance brought forward Current year deficit *Balance Carried Forward*	2023 2022 £ £ 10385.18 10041.83 13751.54 18438.26 2360.00 2767.84 3057.80 4813.93 21.04 62.76 83.60 12.59 0.00 0.95
	£29,659.16 £36,138.16 38400.00 37700.00 0.00 0.00 600.00 0.00
	£39,000.00 £37,700.00 0.00 35.00 0.00 0.00 2.88 16.79 0.00 0.00
	£2.88 £51.79 £39,002.88 £37,751.79
	-£9,343.72 -£1,613.63
	2023 2022 394.05 1627.18 19805.89 22472.79 5604.55 11081.36 1210.67 1177.55 0.00 0.00
	£27,015.16 £36,358.88 0.00 0.00
	£0.00 £0.00
	£27,015.16 £36,358.88
	36358.88 37972.51 -9343.72 -1613.63
	£27,015.16 £36,358.88

The Conroy - Rendon Charitable Trust Notes to the Accounts

Note

These accounts are prepared under the historic cost convention. As the gross income of the charity is below £100,000 the trustees are of the opinion that the charity meets the Charity Commission requirements for exemption from audit.
1 Gift Aid tax rebates received during the year relate to donations received in the previous accounting year. A further £2857 is due on donations received in the period covered by these accounts, which will be claimed after the end of the next tax year.
2 Fundraising costs include account charges deducted from donations received via Paypal and other donation handling agencies
3 The House of Joshua is a joint project with the Lifenet Children's Foundation Inc, a Philippines registered charity. Mary Conroy-Rendon (daughter of TCRCT Trustees Andrew & Joanna Conroy) is a trustee of Lifenet Foundation and a voluntary member of staff of TCRCT. He husband, Ramil Rendon, is also a trustee of Lifenet Foundation. The Rendons receive no remuneration from either charity.
4 Friends of The House of Joshua is a separate fund established to receive regular donations and subscriptions to help with the running costs of the House of Joshua Children's home and sponsorship of children living in the house and "Growing Hope", a community outreach and child education initiative operated by the House of Joshua. These funds are held on behalf of Lifenet Children's Foundation and are paid over to them periodically as part of our ongoing support of that project.

Signed AP Conroy JL Conroy C Debenham

28 May 2024

The Conroy - Rendon Charitable Trust

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

	*Section A*	*Independent Examiner’s Report* ~~8~~
Report to the trustees/ members of On accounts for the year ended Set out on pages		9 The Conroy Rendon Charitable Trust 31stDecember 2023 Charity no 1114903 5 and 6

Respective responsibilities The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of of trustees and examiner the accounts.

The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Charities Act”) 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 Charities Act, and
to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of independent My examination was carried out in accordance with general examiner’s statement 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 the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

The Conroy - Rendon Charitable Trust

Independent In connection with my examination, no matter has come to examiner's my attention (other than that disclosed below *) 1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any statement material respect, the requirements:

to keep 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
to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.

Signed: PN Hockett Date: Name: Philip Neil Hockett Relevant professional Chartered Management Accountant qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: 3 Turnberry Drive, Fornham St Martin Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP28 6TP

Section B Disclosure

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material problems.(E.g. accounting records have not been kept in accordance with s132 of the Charities’ Act 2011 and those accounts do not comply with the requirements of the 2008 Regulations setting out the form and content of charity accounts; any material expenditure or action which appears not to be in accordance with the trusts of the charity; any failure to be provided with information and explanations by any past or present trustee, officer or employee; and any material consistency between the accounts and the trustees’ annual report.)

Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .