Charity Registration No. 1117122
Company Registration No. 5904736 (England and Wales)
BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
PM+M Solutions for Business LLP Chartered Accountants New Century House Greenbank Technology Park Blackburn Lancashire BB1 5QB
BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
| Trustees | G R Root |
|---|---|
| M A Cheston | |
| L Talbot | |
| P Watson | |
| M Bateson | |
| S Waggott | |
| U Patel | |
| F Cooper ( Appointed 1 March 2023) | |
| Charity number | 1117122 |
| Company number | 5904736 |
| Registered office | Blackburn Rovers Football & Athletic Ltd |
| Ewood Park | |
| Blackburn | |
| Lancashire | |
| BB2 4JF | |
| Auditor | PM+M Solutions for Business LLP |
| New Century House | |
| Greenbank Technology Park | |
| Challenge Way | |
| Blackburn | |
| Lancashire | |
| BB1 5QB | |
| Bankers | Barclays Bank Plc |
| 8/14 Darwen Street | |
| Blackburn | |
| Lancashire | |
| BB2 2BZ | |
| Solicitors | Hill Dickinson LLP |
| 50 Fountain Street | |
| Manchester | |
| M2 2AS |
BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
CONTENTS
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Trustees' report | 1 - 16 |
| Independent auditor's report | 17 - 20 |
| Statement of financial activities | 21 |
| Balance sheet | 22 |
| Statement of cash flows | 23 |
| Notes to the financial statements | 24 - 33 |
BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
The Trustees (who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act) present their annual report together with the audited financial statements of Blackburn Rovers Community Trust (the company) for the year ended 31 December 2022. The Trustees confirm that the Annual report and financial statements of the company comply with the current statutory requirements, the requirements of the company's governing document and the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP), 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 2015).
Since the company qualifies as small under section 383, the strategic report required of medium and large companies under The Companies Act 2006 (Strategic Report and Director's Report) Regulations 2013 is not required.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the Charity's Act, the Companies Act 2006 and "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).
Objectives and activities
a. Policies and objectives
Blackburn Rovers Community Trust has continued to develop its policies from a governance, financial, safeguarding and strategy viewpoint, which are in place to support the Community Trust’s aims of meeting its pre-set objectives. These policies are intended to increase public and potential funding provider confidence in the Trust and its aims, missions, values and objectives. Polices have been reviewed and adapted to provide the Trust the ability to adjust to the pressures caused by operating in a pandemic and to progress from a position of being reactive in to one of being proactive.
Our primary objectives remain the same. These objectives are:
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Raise the aspirations of local people through football, sport and education
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To tackle inequality and discrimination and help to create a fairer, more integrated society
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Provide meaningful sports opportunities for people to enhance their communities
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Improve the health and well-being of Blackburn with Darwen and Lancashire through football and multisport activities
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Expand and enhance its community programmes
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To have high quality procedures running through all fibres of the charity
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To provide facilities, purpose built for sport, community and educational use
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To reinvest funds to help those targeted for being most in need, for a variety of reasons, at the heart of the local community
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Increase opportunities for young people and families to be involved with Blackburn Rovers – from playing and coaching to watching and supporting
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Be a constantly evolving, sustainable, community leading, forward-thinking charity, at the heart of the community of Blackburn with Darwen and Lancashire
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BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
b. Strategies for achieving objectives
Using football and sport as the driving force, Blackburn Rovers Community Trust has a clear strategic document, which includes aims and outcomes developed in consultation with stakeholders, staff, volunteers, service users and key partners. It provides realistic targets and means to measure impact and a review to help manage the future developments and plans of the Trust. The plan further provides a narrative which discusses the previous year’s aims and outcomes with an update on progression. The strategies implemented have been agreed by the board of trustees and the chief executive officer along with staff, participants and volunteers. We aspire to work with like-minded organisations in achieving the following key objectives:
Provide opportunities in employment, skills and training
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Access to skills and training for all ages, particularly 16 to 24-year-olds
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Traineeships
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Opportunities
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Inspire children and young people
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Provide life skills
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Incorporate entrepreneurship, skill development into schools and the curriculum
Improve the health and wellbeing of local people
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Empower people to make better choices relating to their health
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Assist in the reduction of medical prescriptions
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Raise aspirations
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Raise awareness of key health issues effecting Blackburn with Darwen and Lancashire
Encourage equality, diversity, inclusion, social integration and community safety
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Meaningful opportunities to mix
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A better understanding of different communities
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Intervention activities to reduce crime
Promote the benefits of sports participation
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Utilise the power of sport to achieve the objectives of the aforementioned
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Sustained participation activities
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Success through sport.
c. Activities undertaken for achieving objectives and for public benefit
2022 was a very successful year for the charity as we reflect on our achievements and how we have had a positive influence on our local community.
Success is primarily built upon two key factors, the first having a passionate and committed team driven towards achieving the same objectives. The second is having the foundations in place to build on the successes of previous years, and the Board of Trustees and the Executive Team are pleased to acknowledge that we have both of those in abundance which enabled us to transition smoothly from 2021 to 2022 in what has been challenging times, not just in our community but across the world.
We play a very important role within our local community and this is done by running a variety of different projects which align to our themes.
All our key themes have the same objective, to change lives for the better. This can be achieved in multiple ways to suit the needs of each individual as we continue to create new and exciting opportunities for our community.
We have several long-standing programmes which are growing from strength to strength, such as our Neighbourhood Youth Offer, Premier League Primary Stars, Blackburn Rovers Sports and Community Colleges and Men in Sheds, to name just a few. Alongside this, we continue to adapt to the needs of our community and look for new methods of support by introducing new projects.
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BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
In 2022, we welcomed a Rehabilitation Walking Football programme to the Blackburn Rovers Community Trust family. This is a new strand to our already successful Walking Football delivery, and the aim is to help participants with Parkinson’s and other neurological conditions using the power of football.
We also introduced our What About Us? initiative, a female only group for ages 12-19 to raise awareness for women’s safety and exploring the experiences and challenges presented with living in the Blackburn with Darwen area.
Both projects gained significant regional and national media coverage. The What About Us? initiative received special commendation from Chief Constable of Lancashire Constabulary, Chris Rowley, whilst our Rehabilitation Walking Football programme has been supported tremendously by local companies.
With Blackburn with Darwen having the worst oral health in England amongst five-year-olds, we have worked in partnership with Blackburn with Darwen Council to introduce an oral health initiative and awareness campaign at primary schools across the borough, which has proven to be a huge success already by bringing this serious health issue to the forefront of parent/guardian’s priorities as well as the children themselves.
We’re proud to also acknowledge that our efforts within our community have been recognised by external organisations. This is a huge testament to the hard work from all the staff at Blackburn Rovers Community Trust.
The Men in Sheds programme, ran in partnership with Blackburn with Darwen Council, won the Health and Wellbeing Award – Group at the Community Volunteer Awards. Also collecting an award on the same night was Kelcey Firth, a volunteer on our Neighbourhood Youth Offer. Kelcey was awarded with the Young People’s Award – Individual.
It is important for me to recognise that we couldn’t have achieved any of our 2022 results without the support of Blackburn Rovers Football Club and our other key partners. We are in a fortunate position to say we work closely with several important organisations within our region including Blackburn with Darwen Council and Blackburn College to name just a couple.
We represent the Blackburn Rovers badge with pride. Together, we work towards the same goal to ensure we are a football club embedded within our local community, integrating communities and trying to make positive change on many people’s lives.
During the 2021/22 football season, the EFL measured the impact of their clubs and charities within the local community and this included Blackburn Rovers. Collectively, all 72 charities that fall under the EFL umbrella had a social value of £865 million of which we are proud to state that Blackburn Rovers have contributed an impressive £19.4m to that figure, with the average per charity/club being £12m. This is a huge testament to our strategy and the positive impact it and the brand of Blackburn Rovers is having on our local community.
A huge thank you to all of those who have contributed towards that, from volunteers, staff, the board of trustees,
key partners and stakeholders.
2022 also saw a significant change at trustee level and after more than 10 years of fantastic service to the community trust, George Root has stepped down as the Chair of Trustees.
George played a significant role in founding the Community Trust and helping us get to the position we find ourselves in today. We are pleased George has opted to stay involved as a trustee. We are also delighted to welcome Blackburn Rovers CEO Steve Waggott as our new Chair of Trustees.
We will continue to work hard daily to ensure we are creating the best opportunities and providing the best support for our local community.
2022 has been a difficult year for charities as the ‘Cost of Living’ crisis affecting the economy and all areas of society. Our fundraising model based on generating income from grants and paid services therefore we have been successful in raising £1,875,859. Expenditure for the year was £2,071,953. Wages to turnover was a healthy 70%. Pleasingly, there has been small growth in the number of staff from 75 to 89.
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BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
Key notable statistics:
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2,461 children and young people engaged in positive neighbourhood-based activities via 33 unique weekly sessions
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Delivered 1,606 neighbourhood-based sessions for children and young people
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NYO volunteer hours 756 including young leaders and aged 18+ volunteers
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3,700 engaged with during curriculum time through our partner schools
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2,127 pupils engaged with for extra-curricular provision
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GULP (Give Up Loving Pop) was delivered to 43 classes benefitting 1,290 pupils
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480 children on Free School Meals received 1,920 meals plus fun activities over the holiday period
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127 teachers supported in their PE lessons throughout a minimum of one half-term
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101 unique teachers Supported during PE lessons (teacher CPD) throughout 2022
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128 young people enrolled into full-time education via our Sports College
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12 of young people enrolled on to a higher education programme
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650 unique children attended a football, sports or activity camp
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10 people with Parkinson’s Disease attended a weekly rehabilitation sports session
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122 young people completed a residential activity via NCS which helped to develop vital life skills and undertook 3,000 hours of social action.
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20 veterans regularly attend socialisation opportunities
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15 adults aged 18-25-years-old engaged in a mentoring programme to reduce reoffending.
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18 8-17-year-olds were mentored in reducing reoffending by participating in positive activities.
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22 adults lost a combined 51.3kg of weight via our Fit Fans In Training programme
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3-months-old is the youngest participant with the oldest being 91
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Supported over 400 refugees and asylum seekers
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33 people supported through mental health and reducing re-offending programmes.
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20 men with moderate to severe mental health concerns gained additional support via Men In Sheds programme and connected with over 100 individuals at events and local locations to promote our mental health and wellbeing programme
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650 children participated in anti-racism and citizenship workshops
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300 people participated in inclusion and integration specific content across multi-week projects
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42 NEETs (Not in Education Employment or Training) graduated from our Community College Traineeship programme, with 30 progressing to positive destinations. 29 of the 42 have a recognised mental health concern
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12 young women created a group to raise awareness of women’s personal safety and distributed 500 personal panic alarms to women in the wider community
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BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
The programmes we have delivered over the past year allow us to achieve the aims of our objectives and primarily comprise of:
Education, Skills and Training
BTEC in Sport:
A full-time programme of sports and education for local young people of all academic and sporting abilities. Our Sports College has continued to establish itself as one of the premier providers of sports education in the county. Our Head of Community Programmes has personally continued to support the Sports College and they have 128 young people studying with the Community Trust during this academic year.
We are pleased that people with disabilities are accessing our education offer. One student has an educational healthcare plan and is in a wheelchair. It is testament to the work done by the team that a young person with such complex needs would choose to study with us.
Being the benefactor of subcontracting has become an issue due to an unannounced change in government policy related to subcontracting of education over distance therefore talks with more local colleges have commenced to ensure that we can continue to support local young people’s education.
English and Maths Functional Skills and GCSE:
Provided 61 young people the opportunity to improve their English and Maths grades via additional sessions and mentoring. There have been improvements with attendance and attainment for English and Maths so far, with attendance being over 80%.
Foundation Degree In Community Football Coaching and Development:
Delivered in partnership with the EFL Trust and University of South Wales, we have 12 students on the degree programme over two different year groups. Students are provided with the opportunity to upgrade the two-year foundation qualification into a full honours degree if the student attains sufficient grades to study for a third year. 100% of students who have completed the course have gone on to gain employment in an industry of their choosing.
Blackburn Rovers Community College:
Blackburn Rovers Community College delivers non-sport-centric skills, education and training which includes traineeships and other employability programmes. The aim for the Community College is to continue to grow and establish itself as a leading post-16 education provider in the borough.
Traineeship:
As a part of our core strategy of providing education opportunities to help local people to improve their personal circumstances by increasing their knowledge and skill base with the aim of bring them closer to the employability market, we deliver a Level 1 Traineeship programme in partnership with the EFL Trust. 42 16-24-year-old local young people not in education or training (NEET) enrolled and completed the employability programme with 30 going on to gain employment or into further education, with 29 of the 42 students having a recognised mental health concern.
Premier League Primary Stars / School Sports Partnership:
We continue to be one of only two professional football club official charities in the country to have been designated as the local council’s School Sports Partnership (SSP) deliverer and as such, Premier League Primary Stars plays a huge role within that concept. The programme provides primary schools with support in improving the provision of physical activity and sport, both during curriculum and extra-curriculum time, with high quality experiences for pupils, enabling positive teaching and learning particularly numeracy and literacy and PHSE, alongside increased participation opportunities and playing pathways.
This year, 31 primary schools have enrolled onto one of our Premier League Primary Stars programmes benefitting approximately 7,117 unique children who participate in the scheme.
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BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
Notable 2022 statistics include:
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3,700 engaged with during curriculum time through our partner schools
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2,127 pupils engaged with for extra-curricular provision
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GULP (Give Up Loving Pop) was delivered to 43 classes benefitting 1,290 pupils
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127 teachers supported in their PE lessons throughout a minimum of one half-term
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101 unique teachers Supported during PE lessons (teacher CPD) throughout 2022
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44 Targeted intervention sessions resulting in 738 children received targeted interventions in PSHE, Maths or English
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28 Anti-Discrimination education workshops
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6 classes of 180 pupils completed a social action project to raise awareness on a topic they were passionate about and inspire change (environmental, societal and inclusion related)
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32 teachers engaged in CPD workshops
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31 year-round partner primary schools
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20 competitions (including inclusive festivals) of which 2 were Football with a total of 120 pupils enjoying representing their school
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31 partner schools
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EFL Kid’s Cup Heats ( 20 schools, 160 pupils) took part
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Delivered 2 Gifted and Talented football tournaments to KS1 and KS2 ( 40 schools, 126 pupils) and 1 Netball tournament to Year 5 and 6 ( 10 schools, 30 pupils).
Premier League Inspires:
We are one of 28 organisations of the 92 professional football club official charities (CCOs) to have been awarded funding to deliver a high-quality support and mentoring programme. The project’s target audience is Year 7 children deemed as ‘marginalised’ who have transitioned into the identified partner secondary schools. Two of the target secondary schools are situated in the top 1% of the most deprived wards in the country, therefore presenting the opportunity for the project to have greater, longer-lasting impact on pupils who face additional challenges related to education, health, crime and employment in their neighbourhood.
Premier League Inspires has provided to be a real asset to the participating schools and pupils, with several young people showing improvement in the following areas:
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•Mental wellbeing
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•Physical wellbeing
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•Confidence and self-esteem
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•Feeling inspired and motivated
As a direct result of the coronavirus and under similar circumstances to what our Premier League Primary Stars/SSP has faced, our Premier League Inspires has still been able to deliver and support identified pupils both in person and virtually.
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•62 young people were supported through a combination of our core one-to-one wellbeing sessions
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•Whole-class mental wellbeing teaching for a further 246 pupils was delivered
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•More than 1,200 hours of pupil engagement across 492 sessions
Inclusion & Integration
Blackburn Rovers Citizenship programme:
Working in partnership with other like-minded charities over the last five years to combat prejudice and hate in local primary schools, including guest appearances from players to reinforce the message.
Blackburn has been identified by the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government as one of the most racially segregated towns in England. Sadly, the Covid-19 pandemic intensified myths and stereotypes of certain minority communities and our work in this subject area was vital in supporting other like-minded organisation’s objectives of Blackburn with Darwen being a harmonious and tolerant place to live.
2022 marks the sixth year of delivering our Anti-racism and Citizenship project. Sessions were delivered to 400 local pupils at several schools who share the same set values and concerns regarding equality, diversity, inclusion and tackling racism in all shapes and forms.
We will continue to invest funds in to tackling racism and to provide equality opportunities for all.
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BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
Apple Trees Short Breaks:
BRCT and Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council have increased their longstanding partnership, with the Community Trust now offering support at Apple Trees. Apple Trees provides short breaks for up to five children at a time, aged up to the age of 18, with complex needs. To aid the fantastic support Apple Trees provides for families in need, BRCT’s qualified coaching staff deliver engaging multi-sports sessions focused on the specific needs of the children. Since the partnership began, 12 unique young people of both primary and secondary school age have taken part in tailored sessions, catered to their needs.
Asylum Seekers and Refugees:
2022 has seen us continue our fantastic relationship with Darwen Asylum and Refugee Enterprise (DARE). DARE is a registered charity established to support refugees and asylum seekers in Darwen. Throughout the year we have worked with DARE officials to provide 400 refugees with clothes such as pre-used BRCT staff kit and uniforms and/or match tickets which has been well received by the beneficiaries and the wider community.
Cultural Events:
With Covid social distancing requirements still in place, albeit easing somewhat, we were able to deliver several high impacting social cultural event. These events included an Eid celebration dinner, which saw hundreds of people break their fast together in the Legend’s Lounge at Ewood Park. In additional to the Eid initiative, we supported Eid in the Park (our 6th year of supporting this event), an important Islamic event which celebrates Eid al-Fitr (breaking of the fast).
What About Us’ Project:
“What About Us” is a female-led project and has 12 16-21-year-old young women participating each week.
The main aim of this project is to empower women and girls to stay safe, spot signs of exploitation, danger, warning signs and feel safer in their communities.
This project educates women in the wider community to be aware of what is happening around them, so that they are better positioned to recognise individuals and situations that could pose a threat. The project has also distributed 500 personal panic alarms to girls and women across the borough to help increase their personal safety and confidence.
Health & Wellbeing
Women’s Walking Football & Football Rehabilitation:
Walking football for women in the Blackburn with Darwen area. Through funding from Blackburn with Darwen Council, this project is aimed at improving the physical and mental health of its participants. Rehabilitation Walking Football has been set up to give a playing opportunity to individuals who are dealing with Parkinson’s Disease or other Neurological condition.
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65 women who have attended the sessions.
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1 participant has been selected to represent England in para-disability football.
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20% of attendees are from a minority community.
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87.5% of participants agreed that their physical health had improved due to participating in WWF and/or FR.
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76.9% said that their mental health had improved.
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100% agreed that they would recommend WWF and/or FR to others.
Rovers Veterans Hub Programme:
Provides local ex-service personnel and their families with the opportunity to socialise and meet new like-minded people to share their experiences with to aid improving mental wellbeing.
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BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
During the latter part of the year we were delighted to be able to offer a Rovers Remembers Day for our home fixture versus Huddersfield Town, in partnership with our friends at Veterans Living History Museum, establish a regular breakfast club and a multitude of excursions to war museums and tourist hotspots across the region.
We have continued to see a very good attendance to our weekly Veterans Breakfast Club with 90 veterans registered. The Breakfast club which offers the space for veterans to come and have a chat, eat breakfast and a have conversation.
Jack’s Walkers:
Returned in November 2022 after a near three-year absence. The programme takes place every Thursday morning 10.45am-12.30pm at Ewood Park. The morning consists of an hour’s walk around the pitch followed by brews and biscuits in the Strikers’ Lounge.
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•There have been 9 sessions delivered before the end of 2022.
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•14 unique participants have attended the project since it restarted.
Line Dancing:
Returned to Ewood Park for the first time since the Covid-19 outbreak. It has now been running weekly since the beginning of November and has seen the return of most regular attendees. We have also seen an increase in new attendees with eight new participants joining. We have been attracting up to 20 participants per week and every week at least one attendee comments on how much it is ‘good to be back’ – after all, we are part of some of these elderly ladies’ routine and that has been sorely missed.
Community Welfare Support:
We continued to work with Creative Football Mental Health League – the only one of its kind in the North West. The League was established over 10 years ago with the aims of providing opportunity for local residents (16+) - and those further afield as part of the social inclusion football community - who are socially isolated to participate in competitive football – particularly those with a long-term condition. Football has been proven to be an effective tool in engaging people who would normally be reluctant to access services for support.
The League, which has over 100 registered participants, helps to promote recovery, wellbeing and independence. It seeks to address the isolation, stigma and discrimination surrounding mental health and emotional well-being. It supports and addresses issues around substance misuse, homelessness and social isolation. The Community Trust provide supports the League in any way that we can. During 2022 we have provided kit, match tickets, equipment, coaching/staffing/mentoring and marketing support.
Holiday Hunger - Get Stuck In:
Funded via the Department For Education, the project was designed to ensure families of children accessing free school meals (many of which were at risk of going hungry as school meals are their only main source of food) would continue to receive support during the Easter, summer and Autumn school holidays. The project had other targeted outcomes including tackling physical inactivity and stimulating educational opportunities.
We commissioned a team of 15 staff to deliver warm nutritional food and weekly activities.
•480 children aged between four and 16 years, across all communities of Blackburn with Darwen, signed up to the offer
•1,920 meals were provided at our Easter, Summer and Autumn Holiday Hunger camps
The project returned to on-site meetings which are held in the Legends’ Lounge every Wednesday morning 10.30am to 12 noon. The sessions are well attended with a core of 30 participants and two care homes who participate via Zoom, swelling participant numbers to over 80.
Guest speakers have included Bryan Douglas, Derek Fazackerely, Mick Rathbone, Gerald Jackson, David Lowe, Gordon Taylor OBE, Vince O’Keefe, Malcolm Darling, Kevin Hird, Paul Caddis and Mike Jackson.
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BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
Men in Sheds:
Is a project delivered on a weekly basis that sees 20 men with similar health concerns come together to grow their own fruit and vegetables whilst making new friends and participating in low level physical activity. Funded Blackburn with Darwen by Public Health, Men In Sheds positively impacts on mental health and wellbeing and is owned by the attendees and volunteers of the ‘Shed’. It also supports and develops the volunteers within the project and makes relevant links with partner agencies who can also help to support the participants’ health and wellbeing.
Men in Sheds project supports the local council’s Joint Health & Wellbeing Strategy, Suicide and Self Harm Prevention Strategy and Eat Well Move More Shape Up Strategy and the Local Authority Declaration on Healthy Weight. The project also supports the wider Pennine Lancashire aims of ‘Living Happy Healthy and Well’ using a place based approach to prevention described in the Pennine Plan.
Men In Sheds has been able to support 14 local men - with the youngest being 21 and the most senior being 91years-old - as well as the strategic borough-wide plans to tackle mental and physical inefficiencies of men of a particular age group.
Notable achievements during this reporting period:
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Pre-start ‘How is your mental health?’ the participant average score 3.1 out of 10 (the lowest score being 1 and the highest 8. After 10 weeks on programme the scores improved significantly, with the participant average score now 7.3, with the lowest scoring 5 and the highest now 9.
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Men In Sheds won Blackburn Community Volunteer Service’s Health and Wellbeing Award.
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Supporting Apple Trees Short Break facility by tendering to their gardens.
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One participant’s mental health has improved to where they are now able to cope with the prospect of being in employment and as such, has gained paid work with Blackburn Rovers FC as a matchday steward.
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Participants and staff ‘marched’ from Ewood Park to Blackburn Town Hall in support of World Suicide Prevention Day
Engagement and Participation
National Citizen Service (NCS):
NCS programme is an educational youth programme for young people aged 15 to 17-years-old. It aims to encourage physical activity/challenges, participation in social action; community awareness and cohesion and fundamental life-skills.
We were able to deliver a full-year of face-to-face NCS programme to 122 young people – the first since 2019. These young people went on to complete a full programme which included taking part in team building and outbound activities at a nearby adventure centre, workshops with such themes as first aid, employability masterclasses, drug and alcohol awareness.
For the young people’s social action projects which saw the young people complete 3,000 hours of volunteering, they planned achievable and realistic projects for good causes or charities they are passionate about. Examples included young people pledged to prevent littering throughout Blackburn with Darwen, work with homeless charities by donating food and goods packages and put together care packages for refugees and asylum seekers.
Premier League Kicks/Neighbourhood Youth Offer:
Neighbourhood based youth work that offers a unique opportunity for children and young people to access leisure activities and informal education support, advice and guidance from practitioners skilled in developing relationships with the borough’s youth population. Across the borough there are a number of providers of youth work in all its various forms and this programme accesses resources across all sectors to ensure that provision is targeted according to evidenced need and delivered in wards at times that best support available leisure time of children and young people.
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BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
This project invites children and young adults to play football and multi-sports accompanied by the opportunity to participate in traditional youth club activities in order to reduce instances of anti-social behaviour, break down social barriers, encourage sustained participation in sport, to stimulate the benefits of volunteering and to help participants work towards gainful employment and education opportunities.
Notable stats from our Premier League Kicks/Neighbourhood Youth Offer (NYO) includes:
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2655 unique children and/or young people attended at least one session with 293 new participants.
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20,365 total aggregate attendance across NYO
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3,389 hours of provision
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1606 sessions
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556 volunteer hours
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319 informal education sessions
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32 young people achieved an accreditation.
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33 unique weekly sessions
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48 weeks of the year
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Delivered 1606 neighbourhood-based sessions for children and young people
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NYO volunteer hours 756 including young leaders and aged 18+ volunteers
Achievements and performance
a. Key financial performance indicators
The board of trustees are pleased with the financial position of the Community Trust. We continue to operate as a sustainable and viable charitable operation for public benefit, complimented by managed growth.
b. Review of activities
Blackburn Rovers Community Trust has established a reputation, locally, nationally and internationally, for delivering quality programmes and we are proud of the strong partnerships that have been built and sustained during a pandemic.
2022 saw us build on the successes of 2021 where we were named EFL Your Move Community Club of the Year Northwest Region. We have continued to deliver a high-quality, local needs-assessed projects, initiatives and campaigns. In addition to delivering BTEC in Sport, traineeships, Premier League Primary Stars, NCS, Premier League Kicks and our other general charitable work, we were delighted to be able to create new communitybenefitting programmes which includes the What About Us?, GLUP, Women’s Walking Football and Rehabilitation Walking Football programmes.
We have continued to support the club in achieving their strategies relating to four key areas within which they (and we) want to see particular growth – minority communities, charity, community and junior supporters.
Once again, we have achieved all of our pre-agreed key performance indicators (KPIs) and have attained
increased participation.
We have been able to invest in our staff. In doing so, this has further improved the quality of delivery and the number of beneficiaries. Building on the standards that we have set in previous reports, we have continued our proud record of attaining the EFL and Premier League’s Capability Code of Practice benchmark every year since its inception – proving our level of quality around governance, finance and business risk, safeguarding, law and constitution requirements and values that underpin strategy every year. 2022 saw the Community Trust achieve one of the highest scores for Capability Code of Practice in the country – a testament to the governance in place at our charity.
We would like to thank The Blackburn Rovers Football and Athletic Limited for their continued support.
- 10 -
BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
Impact of Activities
With the pandemic still causing disruption to life in early 2022, it has been a very successful year for engagement and the number of people enjoying the benefits of our work. Thousands of people from all sections of society can bear testament to the impact of our work and our ability to improve lives for the better, using the power of football and the brand of Blackburn Rovers.
Our range of projects covers concepts as diverse as sport and health sessions for children and adults, education courses for young adults, minority communities health and sports sessions, disability football/dance/social activities for the elderly, drug misuses awareness sessions, mental health recovery programmes, business engagement and estate-based projects to reduce anti-social behaviour.
The Community Trust delivered over 40 different community projects and initiatives, working with a large number of primary schools within the BB1 to BB7 and PR post code areas and many of the secondary schools in Blackburn with Darwen and Lancashire.
Our 2022 in Numbers:
-
The Blackburn Rovers Football and Athletic Limited (see below)
-
Premier League Charitable Fund
-
EFL Trust
-
The PFA
-
Blackburn with Darwen Council
-
Blackburn College
-
NTA
-
Spring North
-
West Lancashire College
-
University of South Wales
-
Lancashire Constabulary
-
Big Lottery
-
Multiple local educational establishments and grassroots sports clubs
Financial review
a. Financial review
Income for the year has decreased by 6.51% from £2,006,536 (2021) to £1,875,859. This is due to the loss of several contracts including NCS and Skills Booster.
Expenditure increased in the year, from £1,811,355 (2021) to £2,070,680. A loss of £196,094 (2021 – a surplus of £205,730) occurred in the year.
The trustees are satisfied that the charity has sufficient reserves to support this and future expansion of the operations. The company's financial position at the year-end is satisfactory.
Total funds are £901,530 (2021 - £1,186,624) which comprises unrestricted funds.
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BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
b. Going concern
At the trustees meeting in October 2022, it was agreed that we would once again aim to control expenditure and prepare for the future through carefully considered investment plans that would provide Blackburn Rovers Community Trust with sustainability and growth. This was reviewed in light of the ‘Cost of Living Crisis’ and adjusted accordingly. Each investment over the course of this reporting period has been successful, with an investment in staff (CPD, growth in staff numbers, salaries, benefits etc.), the retaining of all key staff and substantial investment in facilities and equipment. We have been able to invest in all of these areas with minimal financial risk to the Community Trust and all of these infrastructure improvements have proven to be successful, generating notable positive results.
It is the policy of the Charity that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level equivalent of at least three month’s expenditure. The Trustees considers that reserves at this level will ensure that, in the event of a significant drop in funding, they will be able to continue the Charity’s current activities while consideration is given to ways in which additional funds may be raised. This level of reserves has been maintained throughout the year.
c. Principal funding
Our principal funding providers come from a range of restricted and unrestricted funding sources. They include:
-
The Blackburn Rovers Football and Athletic Limited (see below)
-
Premier League Charitable Fund
-
EFL Trust
-
The PFA
-
Blackburn with Darwen Council
-
Blackburn College
-
NTA
-
Spring North
-
West Lancashire College
-
University of South Wales
-
Lancashire Constabulary
-
Big Lottery
-
Multiple local educational establishments and grassroots sports clubs
The Blackburn Rovers Football and Athletic Limited have subsidised rent charged to the charity amounting to £0 (2021- £63,871).
- 12 -
BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
d. Material investments policy
We have a number of financial procedures in place to ensure that the correct processes are followed before investing in any material goods. These policies and procedures are:
-
Contract Management Policy and Procedure
-
Financial Control Policy
-
Financial Procedures
-
Fraud Control Policy
-
Fundraising Policy
-
Investment Policy
-
Partnerships and Supply Chain Policy
These documents are adhered to by all staff and have proved to be a sound platform for protecting our capital and ensure that we only invest in cost-effective and relevant materials that maintain or enhance the quality of our project delivery or facility provision. There are also appropriate sign-off levels within these policies to manage any investment on a sensible basis but not overly restrictive to staff looking to make sound investments for their projects.
The Trustees has assessed the major risks to which the Charity is exposed and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks.
Structure, governance and management
a. Constitution
The company is registered as a charitable company limited by guarantee and was set up by a Memorandum of Association on 14 August 2006. The company is constituted under a Memorandum of Association dated 14 August 2006 and is a registered charity number 1117122. The principal object of the company is to provide, where possible, all members of the local community access to high quality services and facilities that can potentially better their personal circumstances and create opportunities for positive change, under the provision of our Mission Statement, which is:
“Blackburn Rovers Community Trust is fully committed to offering all members of the local community access to the highest quality programme of grassroots sports, education, inclusion and awareness projects to encourage off-field participation, success and enjoyment. At all times we are keen to use the profile and brand of Blackburn Rovers Football Club to greatest effect, committed to developing a comprehensive and diverse range of community initiatives and partnership working practices to open up new avenues of life chances and make a positive difference to the lives of the people of Blackburn with Darwen and Lancashire.”
b. Method of appointment or election of Trustees
The management of the company is the responsibility of the Trustees who are elected and co-opted under the terms of the Articles of Association.
c. Policies adopted for the induction and training of Trustees
When the board of trustees appoint a new trustee, this person will undertake an induction and receive a Trustee Induction Pack which is provided as a guide, highlighting their role and responsibilities to conduct their duties in the best interests of the company.
d. Pay policy for senior staff
The board of trustees make senior staff pay a discussion point at one or more trustee meetings per year. Levels of pay vary based on the duties required within each job description. We do not operate a fixed pay scale and staff are fairly remunerated on merit, based on their levels of responsibility and performance.
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BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
e. Organisational structure and decision making
The organisational structure is a five-tier system. It comprises of:
-
Board of trustees
-
Executive level
-
Senior Leadership team
-
Senior Management team
-
Project delivery staff (including part-time)
-
Project support staff (including part-time and volunteers)
Ultimate accountability lies with the board of trustees. At the date of preparation of this report, the executive level and senior leadership team consisted of the following members:
-
Gary Robinson – Chief Executive
-
David Dunwell – Deputy Chief Executive
-
Samantha Weldon – Head of Finance and Operations
-
David Hayhurst – Head of Community Programmes
-
Amy Taylor – Head of Primary School Education
-
Martin Winters – Senior Business Administration Manager
f. Risk management
Blackburn Rovers Community Trust has implemented a comprehensive risk management document, which has identified the following nine key areas as being potential risks to be mitigated:
-
Safeguarding & Prevent
-
Health & Safety
-
Governance
-
Finance
-
HR
-
Communications & PR
-
Security
-
Environmental
-
Transport and Travel
The trustees and chief executive officer have carried out an assessment and recognised the major risks within those nine areas to which the company could be exposed. Procedures have been put in place to the satisfaction of the board of trustees and the chief executive officer to minimise the potential for disruption or damage which could be caused by any of these factors.
Plans for future periods
Continuing into the next reporting period, the Trust is fully committed to further the development in this important area and we have planned to introduce additional impact tools to enhance our ability to demonstrate causality and individual movement/progression across the lifespan of a programme. We have created a growth plan which includes a selection of short, medium and long-term goals that we hope to achieve over time. These are all contained within the following areas:
- 14 -
BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
-
New projects – particularly youth-focused
-
Greater awareness for local social issues
-
Facilities
-
Staff
-
Media/PR/events/Campaigns
-
Improvement in equipment and resources for education and sport purposes
Future development is supported by the growth plan, a business risk register and both strategic business development and implementation plans. These strategies have all been approved at board level.
- 15 -
BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
Statement of Trustees' responsibilities
The Trustees, who are also the directors of Blackburn Rovers Community Trust for the purpose 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).
Company Law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year.
In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:
-
select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
-
observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
-
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
-
state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
-
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Charity will continue in operation.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity 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 Charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Auditor
In accordance with the company's articles, a resolution proposing that PM+M Solutions for Business LLP be reappointed as auditor of the company will be put at a General Meeting.
The Trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
Steve Waggott .............................. S Waggott Trustee
Dated: ......................... 16/08/2023
- 16 -
BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT
TO THE TRUSTEES OF BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of Blackburn Rovers Community Trust (the ‘Charity’) for the year ended 31 December 2022 which comprise the statement of financial activities, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
In our opinion, the financial statements:
-
give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company's affairs as at 31 December 2022 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, for the year then ended;
-
have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
-
have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the Charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
Conclusions relating to going concern
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the Trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the Charity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the Trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
Other information
The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The Trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
Matters on which we are required to report by exception
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 require us to report to you if, in our opinion:
-
the information given in the financial statements is inconsistent in any material respect with the Trustees' report; or
-
sufficient accounting records have not been kept; or
-
the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records; or
-
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.
-
17 -
BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT (CONTINUED) TO THE TRUSTEES OF BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
Responsibilities of Trustees
As explained more fully in the statement of Trustees' responsibilities, the Trustees, who are also the directors of the Charity for the purpose of company law, are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the Trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the Trustees are responsible for assessing the Charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements
We have been appointed as auditor under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with the Act and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder.
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
Extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.
We identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, and then design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, including obtaining audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
- 18 -
BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT (CONTINUED) TO THE TRUSTEES OF BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
Identifying and assessing potential risks related to irregularities
In identifying and assessing risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and noncompliance with laws and regulations, we have considered the following:
-
the nature of the industry and sector, control environment and business performance including the design of the Charity's remuneration policies, key drivers for directors’ remuneration, bonus levels and performance targets;
-
results of our enquiries of management about their own identification and assessment of the risks of irregularities;
-
any matters we identified having obtained and reviewed the Charity's documentation of their policies and procedures relating to:
-
identifying, evaluating and complying with laws and regulations and whether they were aware of any instances of non-compliance;
-
detecting and responding to the risks of fraud and whether they have knowledge of any actual, suspected or alleged fraud;
-
the internal controls established to mitigate risks of fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations;
-
the matters discussed among the audit engagement team regarding how and where fraud might occur in the financial statements and any potential indicators of fraud.
As a result of these procedures, we considered the opportunities and incentives that may exist within the organisation for fraud and identified the greatest potential for fraud in the following areas: timing of recognition of commercial income, posting of unusual journals and complex transactions; and manipulating the Charity's performance profit measures and other key performance indicators to meet remuneration targets and externally communicated targets. In common with all audits under ISAs (UK), we are also required to perform specific procedures to respond to the risk of management override.
We also obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks that the Charity operates in, focusing on provisions of those laws and regulations that had a direct effect on the determination of material amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The key laws and regulations we considered in this context included UK Companies Act, Charities Act, employment law, health and safety, pensions legislation and tax legislation.
Audit response to risks identified
Our procedures to respond to risks identified included the following:
-
reviewing the financial statement disclosures and testing to supporting documentation to assess compliance with provisions of relevant laws and regulations described as having a direct effect on the financial statements;
-
enquiring of management concerning actual and potential litigation and claims;
-
performing analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships that may indicate risks of material misstatement due to fraud;
-
reading minutes of meetings of those charged with governance and reviewing correspondence with HMRC; and
-
in addressing the identified risks of fraud through management override of controls, testing the appropriateness of journal entries and other adjustments; assessing whether the judgements made in making accounting estimates are indicative of a potential bias; and evaluating the business rationale of any significant transactions that are unusual or outside the normal course of business.
Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that we may not have detected some material misstatements in the financial statements, even though we have properly planned and performed our audit in accordance with auditing standards. For example, the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations (irregularities) is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely the inherently limited procedures required by auditing standards would identify it. In addition, as with any audit, there remained a higher risk of non-detection of irregularities, as these may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal controls. We are not responsible for preventing non-compliance and cannot be expected to detect non-compliance with all laws and regulations.
- 19 -
BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT (CONTINUED) TO THE TRUSTEES OF BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https:// www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the charity’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity's trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity’s trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
Ceri Dixon BSc ACA (Senior Statutory Auditor) for and on behalf of PM+M Solutions for Business LLP
......................... 21/08/2023
Chartered Accountants Statutory Auditor
New Century House Greenbank Technology Park Challenge Way Blackburn Lancashire BB1 5QB
PM+M Solutions for Business LLP is eligible for appointment as auditor of the Charity by virtue of its eligibility for appointment as auditor of a company under section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006.
- 20 -
BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
| Unrestricted Restricted funds funds 2022 2022 Notes £ £ Income and endowments from: Charitable activities 3 138,516 1,095,364 Trading activities 4 641,979 - Other income 5 - - Total income 780,495 1,095,364 Expenditure on: Trading activities 6 968,589 - Charitable activities 7 8,000 1,095,364 Total resources expended 976,589 1,095,364 Gross transfers between funds - - Net (expenditure)/income for the year/ Net movement in funds (196,094) - Fund balances at 1 January 2022 1,186,624 - Fund balances at 31 December 2022 990,530 - |
Total Unrestricted funds 2022 2021 £ £ 1,233,880 177,765 641,979 463,196 - - 1,875,859 640,961 968,589 420,109 1,103,364 7,600 2,071,953 427,709 - (1,515) (196,094) 211,737 1,186,624 974,887 990,530 1,186,624 |
Restricted funds 2021 £ 1,343,186 - 28,841 1,372,027 - 1,373,542 1,373,542 1,515 - - - |
Total 2021 £ 1,520,951 463,196 28,841 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,012,988 | |||
| 420,109 | |||
| 1,381,142 | |||
| 1,801,251 | |||
| - 211,737 974,887 |
|||
| 1,186,624 |
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
The statement of financial activities also complies with the requirements for an income and expenditure account under the Companies Act 2006.
- 21 -
BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
BALANCE SHEET
AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2022
| Notes Fixed assets Tangible assets 10 Current assets Debtors 11 Cash at bank and in hand Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 12 Net current assets Total assets less current liabilities Income funds Unrestricted funds |
2022 £ £ 17,648 402,061 902,027 1,304,088 (331,206) 972,882 990,530 990,530 990,530 |
2021 £ £ 4,291 588,792 846,536 1,435,328 (252,995) 1,182,333 1,186,624 1,186,624 1,186,624 |
2021 £ £ 4,291 588,792 846,536 1,435,328 (252,995) 1,182,333 1,186,624 1,186,624 1,186,624 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,186,624 | |||
| 1,186,624 | |||
| 1,186,624 |
The company is entitled to the exemption from the audit requirement contained in section 477 of the Companies Act 2006, for the year ended 31 December 2022, although an audit has been carried out under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011.
The Trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of section 386 the Act with respect to accounting records and preparation of accounts which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company as at the end of the financial year and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the financial year in accordance with the requirements of sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to financial statements, so far as applicable to the company.
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.
The financial statements were approved by the Trustees on ......................... 16/08/2023
Steve Waggott
.............................. S Waggott Trustee
Company registration number 5904736
- 22 -
BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
| Notes Cash flows from operating activities Cash generated from/(absorbed by) operations 18 Investing activities Purchase of tangible fixed assets Proceeds from disposal of tangible fixed assets Net cash used in investing activities Net cash used in financing activities Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year Cash and cash equivalents at end of year |
2022 £ £ 77,662 (15,642) (6,529) (22,171) - 55,491 846,536 902,027 |
2021 £ £ (305,721) - - - - (305,721) 1,152,257 846,536 |
|---|---|---|
- 23 -
BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
1 Accounting policies
Charity information
Blackburn Rovers Community Trust is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Blackburn Rovers Football & Athletic, Ewood Park, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 4JF. The members of the company are the Trustees previously named. In the event of the company being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the company.
1.1 Accounting convention
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006 and “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)” (as amended for accounting periods commencing from 1 January 2016). The Charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the Charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
1.2 Going concern
At the time of approving the financial statements, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the Charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the Trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
1.3 Charitable funds
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
1.4 Incoming resources
Income is recognised when the Charity is legally entitled to it after any performance conditions have been met, the amounts can be measured reliably, and it is probable that income will be received.
Donated services or facilities are recognised when the company has control over the item, any conditions associated with the donated item have been met, the receipt of economic benefit from the use of the company of the item is probable and that economic benefit can be measured reliably. In accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102), the general volunteer time of the Friends is not recognised and refer to the Trustees' report for more information about their contribution.
On receipt, donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the company which is the amount the company would have been willing to pay to obtain services or facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open market; a corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of receipt.
Turnover is measured at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable and represents amounts receivable for goods and services provided in the normal course of business, net of discounts, VAT and other sales related taxes.
- 24 -
BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
1 Accounting policies
(Continued)
1.5 Resources expended
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges allocated on the portion of the asset's use.
Fundraising costs are those incurred in seeking voluntary contributions and do not include the costs of disseminating information in support of the charitable activities. Governance costs are those incurred in connection with administration of the company and compliances with constitutional and statutory requirements.
Cost of generating funds are costs incurred in attracting voluntary income, and those incurred in trading activities that raise funds.
Charitable activities and governance costs are costs incurred on the company's educational operations, including support costs and costs relating to the governance of the company apportioned to charitable activities.
1.6 Tangible fixed assets
Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
Leasehold land and buildings 10% Straight line Fixtures and fittings 15% Straight line Computers 33% Straight line Motor vehicles 25% Reducing balance
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the statement of financial activities.
1.7 Impairment of fixed assets
At each reporting end date, the Charity reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).
1.8 Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
- 25 -
BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
1 Accounting policies
(Continued)
1.9 Financial instruments
The Charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the Charity's balance sheet when the Charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Basic financial assets
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are measured at transaction.
Basic financial liabilities
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors are recognised at transaction price.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less.
1.10 Employee benefits
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the Charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
1.11 Retirement benefits
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
1.12 Leases
Rentals payable under operating leases, including any lease incentives received, are charged as an expense on a straight line basis over the term of the relevant lease.
1.13 Deferred incoming resources
Grant income is deferred on the basis of activities being undertaken in the following period as stipulated by the grant provider.
2 Critical accounting estimates and judgements
In the application of the Charity’s accounting policies, the Trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
The trustees do not believe there to be any significant estimates or assumptions.
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BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
3 Charitable activities - Income
| Fundraising activities Grants Analysis by fund Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Grant providers The Premier League Charitable Trust The Football League (Community) Limited The Football League (Trust) Limited New Era Foundation Big Lottery Fund Blackburn with Darwen Council Armed forces BBC Charities aid foundation 4 Trading activities - Income Coaching and other football related income Business Centre |
2022 £ 75,182 1,158,698 1,233,880 138,516 1,095,364 1,233,880 305,334 383,531 166,746 73,500 9,328 209,759 - 10,500 - 1,158,698 2022 £ 524,696 117,283 641,979 |
2021 £ 16,265 1,504,686 |
|---|---|---|
| 1,520,951 | ||
| 177,765 1,343,186 |
||
| 1,520,951 | ||
| 302,500 569,431 250,346 29,705 - 261,037 9,867 20,000 61,800 |
||
| 1,504,686 | ||
| 2021 £ 362,456 100,740 |
||
| 463,196 |
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BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
5 Other income
| Furlough income 6 Trading activities - Expenditure Business Centre Coaching and other football related expense Staff costs Support costs 7 Charitable activities - expenditure Staff costs Other costs Share of governance costs (see note 8) Analysis by fund Unrestricted funds Restricted funds |
|
|---|---|
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BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
| 8 Support costs Repairs Rent and rates Telephone and fax Computer costs Printing and stationery Legal and consultancy Sundry expenses Bad debts Bank charges Audit fees Accountancy Tax Services Analysed between Trading Charitable activities |
Support costs Governance costs £ £ 25,825 - - - 7,563 - 24,420 - 8,880 - 7,768 - 10,862 - 936 - 2,183 - - 6,400 - 1,350 - 250 88,437 8,000 88,437 - - 8,000 88,437 8,000 |
2022 £ 25,825 - 7,563 24,420 8,880 7,768 10,862 936 2,183 6,400 1,350 250 96,437 88,437 8,000 96,437 |
2021 Basis of allocation £ 52,640 Apportioned 5,454 Apportioned 5,329 Apportioned 15,676 Apportioned 9,002 Apportioned 750 Apportioned 10,233 Apportioned 253 Apportioned 1,388 Apportioned 5,850 Governance 1,500 Governance 250 Governance 108,325 100,725 7,600 108,325 |
|---|---|---|---|
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BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
9 Employees
Number of employees
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
| Total Employment costs Wages and salaries Social security costs Other pension costs |
2022 Number 89 2022 £ 1,187,778 102,496 23,356 1,313,630 |
2021 Number 75 |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 £ 1,130,693 96,451 22,158 |
||
| 1,249,302 |
Remuneration and benefits received by key management personnel amounted to £483,908 (2021 - £444,316).
The number of employees whose annual remuneration was £60,000 or more
were:
| were: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | ||
| Number | Number | ||
| £60,000 | - £70,000 | - | 1 |
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BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
| 10 Tangible fixed assets Leasehold land and buildings Fixtures and fittings £ £ Cost At 1 January 2022 1,031,139 138,004 Additions - - Disposals - (23,617) At 31 December 2022 1,031,139 114,387 Depreciation and impairment At 1 January 2022 1,029,747 138,679 Depreciation charged in the year 348 35 Eliminated in respect of disposals - (24,558) At 31 December 2022 1,030,095 114,156 Carrying amount At 31 December 2022 1,044 231 At 31 December 2021 1,392 (675) 11 Debtors Amounts falling due within one year: Trade debtors Other debtors Prepayments and accrued income 12 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year Other taxation and social security Trade creditors Other creditors Accruals and deferred income |
Computers Motor vehicles £ £ 219,288 40,400 15,642 - (23,337) - 211,593 40,400 221,569 34,545 6,967 1,464 (28,925) - 199,611 36,009 11,982 4,391 (2,281) 5,855 2022 £ 200,328 - 201,733 402,061 2022 £ 32,218 23,851 1,191 273,946 331,206 |
Total £ 1,428,831 15,642 (46,954) 1,397,519 1,424,540 8,814 (53,483) 1,379,871 17,648 4,291 2021 £ 294,042 545 294,205 588,792 2021 £ 30,585 18,153 - 204,257 252,995 |
|---|---|---|
Deferred income included above amounts to £213,597 (2021 - £161,940). The 2021 balance was released during the year.
The deferred income represents grant income received in respect of activities to be undertaken in the following period as stipulated by the grant provider.
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BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
13 Retirement benefit schemes
Defined contribution schemes
The Charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the Charity in an independently administered fund.
The charge to profit or loss in respect of defined contribution schemes was £23,356 (2021 - £22,158).
There were no contributions outstanding at the year end.
14 Analysis of net assets between funds
| Analysis of net assets between funds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted Restricted 2022 2022 £ £ Fund balances at 31 December 2022 are represented by: Tangible assets 17,648 - Current assets/(liabilities) 972,882 - 990,530 - |
Total 2022 £ 17,648 972,882 990,530 |
Total 2021 £ 4,291 1,182,333 |
| 1,186,624 |
15 Operating lease commitments
At the reporting end date the Charity had outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases, which fall due as follows:
| Within one year Between two and five years |
2022 £ 3,996 999 4,995 |
2021 £ 1,721 - |
|---|---|---|
| 1,721 |
16 Related party transactions
During the year, the charitable company was charged for goods and services from The Blackburn Rovers Football and Athletic Limited amounting to £393,447 (2021 - £202,360 within the Covid period), and received income amounting to £71,750 (2021 - £68,222). At the balance sheet date, an amount of £6,427 (2021 - £5,579) was owed in respect of these goods and services.
The Blackburn Rovers Football and Athletic Limited have also donated match tickets and subsidised rent charged (in prior year only) to the charity amounting to £14,850 (2021 - £65,173).
17 Controlling party
The Trust is controlled by The Blackburn Rovers Football and Athletic Limited.
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BLACKBURN ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
| 18 | Cash generated from operations | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | ||
| (Deficit)/surpus for the year | (196,094) | 211,737 | |
| Adjustments for: | |||
| Depreciation and impairment of tangible fixed assets | 8,814 | 11,188 | |
| Movements in working capital: | |||
| Decrease/(increase) in debtors | 186,731 | (345,574) | |
| Increase/(decrease) in creditors | 78,211 | (183,072) | |
| Cash generated from/(absorbed by) operations | 77,662 | (305,721) | |
| 19 | Analysis of changes in net funds | ||
| The Charity had no debt during the year. |
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