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← Belvedere Community Forum

2024-03-31-accounts

BELVEDERE COMMUNITY FORUM LIMITED

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

of the TRUSTEES

for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Charity registration number 1116584

Company registration: 09058625

Independent Examiner : Sadler Davies Trading as: Finsbury Robinson Ltd Top Floor, West Hill House, Dartford, Kent DA1 2EU

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Belvedere Community Forum Ltd

Trustees' Annual Report for the period from 1st April 2023 to 31st March 2024

Company Limited by Guarantee number: 09058625

Charity number: 1116584

Registered Office: Belvedere Community Centre, Mitchell Close, Belvedere, Kent DA17 6AA Bankers: NatWest Bank, Broadway Bexleyheath DA6 8DT

Accountants: Sadler Davies, Trading as: Finsbury Robinson Ltd, Top Floor, West Hill House, Dartford, Kent DA1 2EU

Directors and trustees:

The directors of the charitable company (the charity) are its trustees for the purpose of charity law, includes post Balance Sheet changes.

David Johnson Chair – Resigned from post 2[nd] April 2024 Steve Maplesden Chair – Appointed 2[nd] April 2024 Councillor Daniel Francis Treasurer – Resigned from post 19[th] September 2023 Councillor Daniel Francis Company Secretary – Appointed 2[nd] April 2024 Councillor Sally Hinkley Treasurer – Appointed 2[nd] April 2024 Rahij Anwar Resigned 2[nd] April 2024 Lorraine Pajak Resigned 31[st] May 2023

The councillors are from the London Borough of Bexley and have declared their interest in any contracts concerning the London Borough of Bexley with Belvedere Community Forum Ltd and refrain from voting on such contracts. Trustees are selected for their experience and skills relevant to the tasks required of the Board at each stage. Each new Trustee is briefed about the project and periodic appraisals are undertaken of the Trustees’ skills and experience.

The Trustees meet periodically to affect the management of the charity’s affairs.

Governing Document

The Belvedere Community Forum was registered as a charity on 1[st] November 2006. It was incorporated on 27[th] October 2014, becoming a charitable company limited by guarantee. The company was established under a Memorandum of Association which determines the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its Articles of Association. In the event of the charity being wound up the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per director.

Objectives and activities and public benefit.

The Belvedere Community Forum gives the community a voice to access decision-making processes that affect them. In addition, the charity campaigns to support the regeneration of the Belvedere area and organises a number of community activities in order to promote community cohesion in the area. The charity manages the Belvedere Community Centre, having signed a 25 year operating lease with Bexley Council in 2014. As part of this lease the Charity is responsible for capital works to the centre, whilst the roof and boiler remain the responsibility of the Council.

We have adapted the constitutional arrangements with regard to running the Belvedere Community Centre. We have also continued to establish our responsibility for liaison with Riverside Resource Recovery Ltd (RRRL) which was run by Riverside Community Forum and we have received a grant in the form of a lump sum from RRRL for undertaking this work for the period of 2019-2023. Andy Pike (Director) has now moved to a new post but the new Cory representative will be Chris Girdham who hopes to attend public meetings in the future in order to provide the Forum with an update of any RRRL developments. We have also established a good relationship with Fiona Cummins, Learning and Development and Community

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Manager at Cory. Given her work with London South East Colleges we are hopeful in engaging with their students as a location for their practical projects, a potentially mutually rewarding partnership.

Achievements and performance: Report of the Chair of Trustees Steve Maplesden

Our Board:

During 2023/2024 sadly bade farewell to our longstanding Trustee, Mr Rahij Anwar. Rahij was a longstanding Trustee and a real asset to the Forum, especially through covid. We wish him well in the future.

We also had a change in the Chair of the Board. The hardworking Dave Johnson was replaced by Steve Maplesden. Dave has done an outstanding job supporting the Forum and supporting the running of the Community Centre, especially while the role of Governance Manager was vacant. The Board are extremely grateful for all of Dave’s hard work and are very pleased that he will continue in his role as a member of the Board as a Trustee.

Many thanks as well to Cllr Daniel Francis and Cllr Sally Hinkley, who have continued supporting the Forum as trustees. A special thank you to Cllr Sally Hinkley who took on the role of Treasurer. I would also like to thank the board members for all of their amazing support, commitment and hard work during yet another challenging year.

Belvedere Community Centre:

2023/24 was a difficult year for the Centre. We lost several longstanding members of the team including our Governance Manager. The Governance Manager role proved difficult to fill, and during this time we had reduced staffing. Our Chair, Dave Johnson, was a real asset during this time, supporting the day to day running of the Centre. The reduced staffing put pressure on our ability to attract new business and so we saw a decline in revenue for the Community Centre through the year.

Happily, we appointed Jade Buttigieg as our new Governance Manager on 7/07/2023. Jade has proven herself to be a talented and capable leader and manager of the Centre. Under her leadership we have begun a slow, but steady recovery.

We welcomed a number of new groups to the Centre this year:

We also said goodbye to some users too, including the Over50s Fitness class, Bharatha Dance and Shikhar Exercise class.

This year we also saw some changes to the inside of the Community Centre. Under the expert guidance of our Governance Manager, Jade, we have redecorated the reception area and the sports hall, as well as renaming our café the “Busy Bee”. These changes have really brightened up the space, making it more welcoming to users and visitors.

We also made a significant investment in the long-term future of the Centre and installed a new heating system for all of our rooms, including our large sports hall. The installation of this heating cost £18,060.

The Centre also continued to provide an incredibly important space for local people and businesses throughout 2023/24. We provided spaces for:

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We were very pleased to see our Community Fridge continue to operate, we are now operating twice a week, providing much needed food to people who need it and as well as being an effective way to reduce local food waste. We are particularly indebted to our local Asda Community Champion for supporting our fridge by donating food and by volunteering. We have been able to support approximately 1050 families.

Amazon Logistics are also continuing to support us through their workplace giving program called Benevity. They have made a number of donations to the centre, most often as goods that we have been able to fundraise with.

We would like to make a special thanks to all of our employees and volunteers. During the year we appointed three new members to the team, Jennie Thomas and Jean Willis for assistant role and sara Gurung for a domestic cleaning position.

Subjects of Public Interest:

During the year we have not been able to hold any public meetings except for our last Annual General Meeting. However, we have held many virtual meetings and meet face to face in order to ensure that we have financial stability and good governance.

Events:

In the last year we’ve held a long list of community events and activities aimed at young people, families and older people of Belvedere. Highlights included:

Our Community:

I would like to thank all the members of the Board and staff who have worked extremely hard as well as our Treasurer (Cllr Hinkley), Secretary (Cllr Francis) and our outgoing Chair (Dave Johnson). Special thanks should also go to Gina Williamson who has continued to keep our financial affairs in order and offer us wise financial advice. This help has proved invaluable in ensuring that the centre minimised expenditure. We are also pleased with the excellent support that we continue to receive from Cory Environmental who have provided the necessary funding for the Forum to operate and pay for our minute taker. Our aim during the next financial year is to build on our achievements and further increase occupancy so that the Centre is able to support a wide range of local activities for the Belvedere community.

Financial Review

The expenditure of the charity exceeded income resulting in a deficit of £43,465.56 (2023 deficit £25,266.58). This deficit was incurred due to the installation of the new heating system at the centre and improving health and safety measures for service users.

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Funds held at the end of the financial year include £51,417.56 (2023, £94,883.12) of unrestricted reserves, with a restricted reserve of £2,000. These restricted funds are the unspent balance of a grant from William Kendall for marketing materials.

Staffing: The staffing levels for the Community Centre in the year were 2 Full Time Equivalent paid staff.

Investment Policy: The Trustees retain a prudent amount in reserves to ensure all commitments can be met in the current economic environment, and to develop the charity in the future.

Risk Review

The Trustees have carried out an assessment of the risks facing the charity and have established the procedures for minimising risks associated with running the community activities and the Community Centre.

Trustees' responsibilities

The trustees are required under the Charities Act 2011 to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the charity's financial activities during the year and of its financial position at the end of the year. In preparing financial statements giving a true and fair view, the trustees should follow best practice and:

The trustees are responsible for keeping accounting records, which enable them to disclose with reasonable accuracy the financial position of the charity, and for ensuring that they comply with applicable law and regulations. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:

Steve Maplesden (Jan 17, 2025 08:45 GMT)

Steve Maplesden Chair of Trustees Date: 17/01/25

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BELVEDERE COMMUNITY FORUM LTD STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AS AT 31ST MARCH 2024

Note
2
3
6
Tangible Fixed Assets
Current Assets
Monetary Assets
Cash
Bank accounts
Debtors
Total current assets
Liabilities: amounts falling due within 1 year
Current Assets less Current Liabilities
Total Assets less Current Liabilities
FUNDS
Unrestricted - General
Restricted		 Unrestricted
Restricted
Total
2023/24
2023/24
2023/24
£
£
£
£2,503.21
-
£2,503.21
-
-
-
26,181.73
2,000.00
28,181.73
25,041.60
25,041.60
51,223.33
2,000.00
53,223.33
2,308.98
-
2,308.98
£48,914.35
2,000.00
£50,914.35
£51,417.56
2,000.00
£53,417.56
51,417.56
-
51,417.56
-
2,000.00
2,000.00
£51,417.56
£2,000.00
£53,417.56		 Total
2022/23
£
3,125.17
-
82,420.43
13,570.50
95,990.93
2,232.98
£93,757.95
£96,883.12
94,883.12
2,000.00
£96,883.12

Signed by

Steve Maplesden (Jan 17, 2025 08:45 GMT) Steve Maplesden Date:

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BELVEDERE COMMUNITY FORUM LTD STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES AS AT 31ST MARCH 2024

INCOMING RESOURCES
Voluntary Income & Grants
Charitable Activities
Income from investments
TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES
RESOURCES EXPENDED
Charitable Activities
Other Expenditure
TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED
NET INCOMING / ( OUTGOING ) RESOURCES
BEFORE TRANSFERS
ADDITIONS TO & RELEASES FROM FUNDS
NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS
TOTAL FUNDS BROUGHT FORWARD
FUND BALANCES CARRIED FORWARD
AT END OF YEAR		 Note Note Unrestricted
Funds
General
£
5,025.64
72,949.41
447.49
78,422.54
121,156.60
731.50
121,888.10
(43,465.56)
-
(43,465.56)
94,883.12
£51,417.56		 Restricted
Funds
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2,000.00
£2,000.00
4a
4b
4c
5a
5b

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BELVEDERE COMMUNITY FORUM LTD NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AS AT 31ST MARCH 2024

1 Accounting Policies

1a Accounting Convention

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP FRS102) 2015 and the Charities Act 2011. An independent examination is required under the Charities Act 2011.

Abridged financial statements have been filed with Companies House in accordance with the special provisions of the Companies Act 2006 relating to smaller companies. No audit is required under exemption S 477 of the Companies Act 2006. Exemption has been taken from preparing a cashflow on the grounds that the company qualifies as a small company.

1b

Tangible Fixed Assets

Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life. Centre equipment - 20% reducing balance.

1c Pension Costs

Belvedere Community Forum Ltd has offered the NEST pension plan for all eligible employees. The staging date for autoenrolment was August 2017.

1d Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity. Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure imposed by the donor.

2
TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS
Office Equipment
Cost
Addition
Accumulated Depreciation 1st April 2023
Charge for year
NET BOOK VALUE 31st March 2024
3
LIABILITIES FALLING DUE WITHIN 1 YEAR
Net wages
Pension
Accrued expenses
Creditors
4
INCOMING RESOURCES
Unrestricted
General
4a
Voluntary Income
£
Donations and legacies
5,025.64
Peabody Trust - Three Rivers Project
5,025.64
4b
Charitable Activities
Rent of office space
17,984.50
Rent of rooms and hall
47,761.84
Café Income
6,644.57
General fundraising
Other Income
558.50
72,949.41
4c
Income from investment
Bank interest
447.49
447.49
TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES
£78,422.54		 Restricted
Funds
£
-
-
-
£0.00		 2023/24
2022/23
£
£
9,139.93
9,139.93
-
-
9,139.93
9,139.93
6,014.76
5,237.80
621.96
776.96
6,636.72
6,014.76
2,503.21
3,125.17
197.20
-
215.78
159.98
1,896.00
2,073.00
-
-
£2,308.98
2,232.98
TOTAL FUNDS
2023/24
2022/23
£
£
5,025.64
182.03
-
11,926.35
5,025.64
12,108.38
17,984.50
11,440.00
47,761.84
35,785.38
6,644.57
2,280.22
-
2,791.50
558.50
-
72,949.41
52,297.10
447.49
203.83
447.49
203.83
£78,422.54
£64,609.31		 2022/23
£
9,139.93
-
9,139.93
5,237.80
776.96
6,014.76
3,125.17
-
159.98
2,073.00
-
2,232.98
12,108.38
11,440.00
35,785.38
2,280.22
2,791.50
-
52,297.10
203.83
203.83
£64,609.31

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BELVEDERE COMMUNITY FORUM LTD NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AS AT 31ST MARCH 2024

5
RESOURCES EXPENDED
5a
Expenditure on charitable activities
Peabody Trust - Three Rivers Project
Wages
Pensions
Café Expenses
Volunteer expenses
Business and Water Rates
Light and Heat
Security & Fire Alarm
Cleaning and waste
Repairs and Maintenance
Insurance
Postage/Stationery/ Consumables
Telephone/internet
Computer & IT
Accountancy
Companies Houses Filing Fee
Payroll fees
Meeting expenses inc refreshments
Staff Training
Sundry expenses
Legal and Professional Fees
5b
Other expenditure
Depreciation
Bank charges
TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED
6
Funds
Restricted Funds
William Kendall Grant - Marketing
General
General Reserve
TOTAL FUNDS		 BFWD
2,000.00
2,000.00
94,883.12
96,883.12		 Unrestricted Unrestricted Restricted
Funds
£		 Restricted
Funds
£
General
£
1,318.70
60,577.14
890.99
914.10
3,644.82
10,665.59
1,230.54
8,915.68
22,531.51
3,116.30
1,154.42
717.57
2,061.72
1,660.00
13.00
496.50
99.00
726.02
375.00
48.00		 Funds
£
121,156.60 -
621.96
109.54
731.50 -
£121,888.10 £0.00
Income Expenditure
- -
- -
78,422.54 121,888.10
78,422.54 121,888.10

William Kendall grant (Marketing) will fund marketing materials.

BELVEDERE COMMUNITY FORUM LTD

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF BELVEDERE COMMUNITY FORUM LTD

This report on the financial statements of the BELVEDERE COMMUNITY FORUM LTD for the year ended 31 March 2024, which are set on pages 5 to 8 is in respect of an examination carried out in accordance with s145 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Act).

Respective responsibilities of the trustees and the examiner

The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) or under Regulation 10(1)(d) of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (the 2006 Accounts Regulations) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

Basis of independent examiner's report

Our examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. The examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently we do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.

Independent examiner's statement

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

Gemma L Fogarty FCA

Sadler Davies Trading as: Finsbury Robinson Ltd Top Floor, West Hill House, Dartford, Kent DA1 2EU

Date: 19[th] December 2024