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2023-03-31-accounts

Charity Commission England & Wales Registration No: 1123902

Company Registration No: 6521183 (England and Wales)

ALFORD HOUSE

GOVERNORS’ REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

ALFORD HOUSE

LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Governors/Trustees/Directors: N Priestnall (Chair)
N Baker
P S Bickerdike
T de Vere Green (Honorary Treasurer)
J Sanchez
J R Wells
P M Woodroffe
M Shaw
C Lloyd
W Maunder-Taylor
B Carter-White
B Bond
T Binns (to 11/7/22)
B Chandaria (from 14/7/22)
T Shittu (from 12/9/22)
R Walsh (from 24/1/23)
Club Manager: Tim Saunders
Secretary/ Clerk to the Governors: James Orloff
Charity Number: 1123902
Company Number: 6521183
Principal Address: Alford House
Aveline Street
London
SE11 5DQ
Auditors: Azets Audit Services
Suites B & D
Burnham Yard
Beaconsfield
Buckinghamshire
HP9 2JH
Bankers: Lloyds Bank Plc
113-117 Oxford Street
London
WC1B 5HR
COIF Charity Funds
St Alphage House
2 Fore Street
London
EC2Y 5AQ

ALFORD HOUSE

LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION (CONTINUED)

Solicitors:

Spector Constant & Williams 4th Floor 75 Wells Street London W1T 3QH

ALFORD HOUSE

CONTENTS

Page
Governors’ Report (Including Directors’ Report) 1 - 11
Independent Auditor’s Report 12 - 15
Statement of Financial Activities 16
Balance Sheet 17
Statement of Cash Flows 18
Notes to the financial statements 19 -28

ALFORD HOUSE

GOVERNORS’ REPORT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

The Governors (trustees), who are also directors of the charitable company for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their annual report and the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in notes to the accounts and comply with the charity’s governing document, the Companies Act 2006 and the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP), “Accounting and Reporting by Charities” (FRS102).

Structure, governance and management

Alford House is a charitable company limited by guarantee and was incorporated on 3 March 2008. It is governed by a Memorandum and Articles of Association. This modernised and replaced a Charitable Trust previously constituted under a Trust Deed of 28 August 1936, for the purpose of carrying on Alford House, Aveline Street, Lambeth, in order to promote the mental, moral, physical and spiritual wellbeing of young people under 22.

The Governors who served during the year were:

N Priestnall (Chair) N Baker P S Bickerdike T de Vere Green (Honorary Treasurer) J Sanchez J R Wells P M Woodroffe M Shaw C Lloyd W Maunder-Taylor B Carter-White B Bond T Binns (to 11/7/22) B Chandaria (from 14/7/22) T Shittu (from 12/9/22) R Walsh (from 24/1/23)

The Governors of Alford House are appointed by various interested parties according to the Articles of Association. The Governors as a body can appoint anyone to fill a casual vacancy.

None of the Governors has any beneficial interest in the charitable company. All the Governors are members of the charitable company and guarantee to contribute £10 in the event of a winding up.

Most of the Governors are familiar with the practical work of the club and all new governors are encouraged to attend some of the weekly programmes and will have spent time on a sub-committee, so they will understand how the club operates on a day-to-day basis etc.

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ALFORD HOUSE

GOVERNORS’ REPORT (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

The Governors will meet three times a year in March, June and October with an additional annual AGM. In accordance with these powers, the Governors have approved the rules of management set out below, to be administered by four Subcommittees appointed by the Governors annually on the last quarter of the year to hold office for one year from the succeeding 1 January. The Subcommittees to hold meetings as required and report to every Governors Meeting.

2

ALFORD HOUSE

GOVERNORS’ REPORT (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

Objectives, activities and how we deliver public benefit

In accordance with the objects of the Trust the aims of the club are expressed as the development of young people in their mental, moral, physical and spiritual capacities through leisure time activities in a way which will assist them to grow into mature and responsible members of society.

In planning our activities for the year, we considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit at our Governor meetings. The club is available for all young people aged 8 - 22 years regardless of personal background, faith, gender or personal circumstances, and we believe this philosophy of openness to all enriches everyone through the sharing of skills, aptitudes and life experiences for our young people. It provides a range of physical, mental, social, cultural and artistic activities, off-site events and informal and more formal educational programmes for young people’s personal and social development. These are designed to meet a curriculum that is:

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ALFORD HOUSE

GOVERNORS’ REPORT (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

Achievements and Performance

The achievements of the club this year is spread across many aspects of club life.

After the withdrawal of a previous planning application, the club took on board the comments of neighbours and the local council and took a more sympathetic approach to the local listing of the north wing and the building’s historical interest. This approach has proved to be successful and the redevelopment and refurbishment of the club’s premises took a major leap forward.

After gaining planning permission for nine units of living accommodation on the site of the club’s car park, the scheme was put to market and achieved slightly more than the asking price.

To reach this stage has cost near £200,000. We are extremely grateful to those who have given so generously to get us this far.

With the car park sold, we now move to RIBA stage 4 of the of the plan and the scope of work to be done during first phase within the club. This is nearly complete and we aim to start work on the club’s premises at the end of October 2023.

Membership increased slightly on the previous year, and we registered a very respectable 350 young people over the course of the year. This is well above our targets. It is disappointing that our core membership, those that have attended ten times or more over the year dropped slightly. Having said that, those that did attend more often did so at an increased rate. One young person attended 146 times over the year, with over 50 attending 20 to 100 or more times.

Female membership increased 4% to 38% of total membership and this was reflected in female attendance being up 5% at 39%. 1% registered as transgender or other.

Monitoring demonstrated of those engaged with, 49% were Black, 17% White, 50% Mixed, 7% Other, 3% Asian and 9% did not provide information. With regards to the ages of our members, 66% were aged 11 to 15, 17% 16 to 17 years, 15% 8 to 10 years, 3% 18 to 19 and 3% 20 to 25 years.

Using official the measure of relative deprivation for small areas in England and applying where members live, the following chart gives an indication to the deprivation of our members.

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ALFORD HOUSE

GOVERNORS’ REPORT (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

Achievements and Performance (continued)

Moving to activity, health and fitness activity features strongly on the weekly programme. We have been providing at least 14 hours per week spread over four sessions for over ten years and it has engaged hundreds of young people.

Two sessions take pace in the afternoon/early evening and these prove popular with young people after school.

Over the course of the year, we delivered 700 hours of health and fitness training during the afternoon and over 80 young people took part in these sessions. In addition, we are finding that these sessions widen the reach of the Club beyond the local area. While young people, (perhaps on advice from their parents), may not be willing to travel a mile or more in the evening to attend the youth club, they are happy to attend after school and then travel home.

After only a short period of time members are confident enough to access the facility and work on their personal programmes with minimal intervention from the fitness instructors. Through this activity young people:

They also engage in nutritional workshops with the fitness instructors.

Come the end of the year, the fitness studio had to move to a new home within the club due to the sale of the car park. Whilst the machines were moved by professionals, young people got stuck in to helping move sundry equipment from one end of the club to the other. The studio also benefitted from several new items of equipment made possible through s106 funding.

Two afternoons and one early evening a week, Music production and Health and Fitness run concurrently. Our Music Studio is based around a digital audio workstation (Logic Pro) which is an industry standard multi track recording, production and mastering setup.

The studio is open to young people as solo artists or small groups of up to 5. During these sessions we work on backing tracks using digital instruments e.g., drum programming and string sections. We then layer over these with live instruments, including percussion, piano and vocals which are recorded in our vocal booth.

Some users have shown a keen interest in recording other artists under guidance with regards to mic technique, sound engineering techniques, track balancing, mixing and equalisation and the application of the many effects on available.

We have had the pleasure of producing a diverse group of genres from rap to soul to classical with some young artists whose first language is other than English. The service users are encouraged to collaborate on each other’s projects and give feedback. As well as music, the studio has been used to record podcasts around such subjects as Black Lives Matter and gang violence.

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ALFORD HOUSE

GOVERNORS’ REPORT (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

Achievements and Performance (continued)

Recently there has been some young attendees who have been interested in simply learning to play the piano or 6 string/ bass guitar and percussion.

Throughout all of the above there are other repertoires which are developed and expanded on; conversation and debate at peer level, self-confidence, being receptive to criticism, vocabulary and self-expression.

A feature of both these activities running concurrently, is the number of young people who use this opportunity to talk to youth workers about their lives. It may be difficulties they are facing, school life, anxiety about exams or just the changes in their lives as they move to adulthood and how to face them. It could be support with a CV or an application to college. This is a particular area of our work we want to expand by providing more suitable facilities for this work in phase two of the redevelopment.

Our Monday evening workshops continued to offer health and fitness training, music production and until the end of 2022 dance. We replaced dance session with a table tennis club in January 2023 and experienced very good attendance. We have found that the structure of the workshop night helps young people to pursue an activity with more purpose and with less distraction than they would otherwise find on multi activity youth club evenings. This has its own benefits in that it enables young people to develop their skills quicker and to a higher level.

Roller skating remained on the programme for Tuesday evenings. It remains a very popular evening.

Our girl’s night, which has been a factor in increasing female participation, has had a solid attendance over the year. It is very much a self-determining evening whereby members and staff co-produce the coming terms activity. This can range from a treasure hunt for the younger members, (but the older ones join in), to film nights and health and fitness sessions.

A number of activities are available on Friday evenings, including the addition of music production. It has always been our busiest session of the week and there is a strong social element to the evening. It is the end of the week and young people are keen to socialise, listen to music and take things far more informally.

During the course of the year, we put some effort into providing support for young people transitioning from primary to secondary school, but only with young people that attend the youth club. Despite a fair response from parents over the summer, we only managed to work with a very small cohort of young people. We will reassess this to see how we can expand the number of young people receiving support in the youth club in the coming year. The early signs for the coming year are encouraging and we expect a real increase in the number of young people benefitting from these sessions.

We have been limited in the amount of offsite activity we do at present due to the lack of a minibus, but indoor skiing with SnowCamp made a welcome return to the programme this year and several young people enjoyed two days at the Snow Centre in Hemel Hampstead and gaining their first certificates for skiing.

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ALFORD HOUSE

GOVERNORS’ REPORT (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

Achievements and Performance (continued)

Alford House does not have a reputation for summer activity, concentrating its activity during the academic year. But there is an increasing need to provide activity to teenagers during the summer. To this end, the club provided activity in both the Music and Health and Fitness studios 4 afternoons a week for 5 weeks. Attendance to these sessions got off to a great start but dissipated towards the end of the summer.

After some inactivity due to pandemic closures, The Members Fund became active again during the year. The Members Fund is a group of approximately 10 members that control a part of the club budget. Whilst they can decide how to spend the money under their control, other members can join in the process by making applications for funding. Staff sit in on the meetings but are only there to advise if called upon by the young people. It is a new group of young people and we hope that their impact on club life will be as great as it has been in the past. We are delighted that, with additional funding, we have been able to increase our targeted provision in both schools and the youth club.

Titled ‘Building Young Aspirations’ the project aims to reduce exclusion from school. The work in schools incorporates sessions designed to explore several themes including, mental health, consent, critical thinking and masculinity. The sessions are delivered in groups and with individual young people. A number of volunteers join the groups from time to time to give an insight to their journeys from the localities in which they lived (the same as the young people) through to their education and their successful careers. These sessions are always inspiring and are thoroughly enjoyed by the young people. In addition, schools often comment on how these session impact positively on their students.

Our first year external evaluation of this targeted support work made for interesting reading. We used three main tools to gather evidence.

A Youth Engagement Survey, designed to capture, as recommended by the Centre for Youth Impact, areas of environment and relationships, nature and delivery of activity and empowerment and community. The questions were finalised by young people at Alford House after researching a mix of questionnaires including a previous Quality Assurance/ Satisfaction Questionnaire co-produced by young people at Alford House many years ago, the Centre for Youth Impact's Youth Engagement Survey and feedback questions based on learning from the Youth Investment Fund.

The feedback points to the project’s significant success, in particular in creating an environment where young people:

We continued to use the Life Effectiveness Questionnaire (LEQ). A simple to use, psychometrically valid tool developed by James Neill, to gather self-report data from young people on the life skills that they have developed.

Resulting scores point to very strong effect sizes across 3 areas – emotional control, task leadership and selfconfidence – with strong effect sizes in all the other areas. Looked at young person by young person, 29 young people reported positive overall change. Scores given by 7 young people suggested no change. Scores from the remaining 3 suggested some deterioration.

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ALFORD HOUSE

GOVERNORS’ REPORT (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

Achievements and Performance (continued)

As opportunities allow, the team have gathered ‘stories of change’ from young people. The approach used asks young people to describe in their own words the most significant change resulting from their involvement with Alford House and to elaborate on why this is significant for them. Young story tellers are also invited to give their story a title or headline, and to say which headings (or domains of change) their story falls into. A number of headings are suggested, linked to outcomes in Alford House’s theory of change, namely:

However, storytellers also have the option of adding a different heading of their own. An example of this is, “From Zero to Hero”.

For several, the most significant change resulting from Alford House support was to help bring about a positive change in mindset. Asked to describe the most significant change resulting from involvement with Alford House, the young man suggested that: ‘The project has given me a better perspective of my situation and [I’ve] found that I am able to move forward mentally. I am now able to focus on schoolwork more efficiently. I would have been in a downward spiral without my mentor. I think my mentor has helped me a lot. Also, I am in the financial market(dabbling) and my mentor set me up with a possible work experience with a stockbroker.’ This young person did not give his story a title, but felt that it related to two headings, or outcomes: Fresh hopes & plans for the future and Making better decisions.

We look forward to continuing our evaluation and strengthening the evidence base in the coming year.

We continued to be the lead organisation for the north Lambeth consortium of youth providers to the end of the Lambeth contract in March 2023. Leading up to this point, Alford House was instrumental in expanding the consortium from 5 to 8 organisations for the next round of commissioning from Lambeth Council from April 2023. The outcome was a new contract for the next three years.

In addition, after 5 years, it is a good time for Alford House to step down as the lead organisation as it moves forward with the exciting plans for the major refurbishment of its own premises. An element of these plans aims to provide expanded services for young people, particularly with targeted youth support workers, for which some additional financial resources have already been secured to expand staff hours.

The new consortium comprises of Active Communities Network as the lead, Triangle Adventure Playground, Oasis Youth Hub, Young People Matter, Fight 4 Change, Oasis Adventure Pay and Alford House. The consortium has already started to map the provision it provides to schools, and it will shortly be discussing each other’s provision, learning and future plans and co-ordination. This move means we will relinquish the lead of the consortium and immediate financial resources will be spread more thinly, but we believe an expanded consortium will be better placed to secure additional financial resources in the future.

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ALFORD HOUSE

GOVERNORS’ REPORT (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

Achievements and Performance (continued)

In other partnerships, we remain part of Brook’s condom distribution scheme and we also continue to provide accommodation to Lambeth’s Justice Service to meet young people fearful of travelling across the borough to their offices. Alford House moves forward into the coming year with excitement about the new consortium, the relationships built with schools and the plans for refurbishment. It will need to ensure its resources are carefully managed and staff and volunteers supported to continue the work and success achieved this year.

Financial Review

This year the unrestricted fund had a surplus of £566,032 (2022: surplus of £9,777) which led to an increase in reserves generated from unrestricted activities to £1,978,994 (2022: £349,353) excluding the value of the Club’s freehold premises. The budget for the year was for a deficit of £8,697. The reason for such a large surplus in the year was due to the sale of the car park which resulted in profit on disposal of £556,179 in the current year (See note 6). Excluding this one off item the underlying unrestricted fund surplus for the year was £9,853.

Reserves Policy

The Governors believe the Club requires a reserve because, in order to meet its objectives, it is entirely dependent for income upon donations, grants, fund raising and rents and lettings from year to year, all of which are uncertain.

As a general principle, the Governors consider the amount of reserves should be equivalent to not less than 3 months of outgoings, based upon the average outgoings of the past two financial years. Where reserves fall below this level, or where they exceed 6 months of average outgoings, the Governors will evaluate income and expenditures (both capital and operational) with a view to ensuring the financial resources of the Club are effectively deployed to meet the Club’s objectives.

Having noted the extremely uncertain economic environment, which is affecting many of the Club’s income sources and its expenditure, the Governors believe an additional level of reserves beyond normal levels is appropriate. Under these circumstances the Governors are satisfied that the Club’s current level of reserves is appropriate in the context of the Club’s policy, and the Club’s anticipated future income and expenditure. As stated above the excess reserve is a one off and is to be applied in full to the refurbishment of the premises in the coming 24 months.

Investment Policy

The Governors are satisfied that the majority of funds that are surplus to immediate requirements are utilised to earn interest with CCLA Investment Management Ltd at their current interest rates. Sufficient monies are left with Lloyds Bank plc so that no day to day transaction charges are levied. There are no other investments owned by or benefiting the Charity.

Most of the charity’s funds are to be spent in the short term so there are few funds for long term investment. The Governors are empowered under the Articles of Association to expend the funds of the Charity in such manner as they shall consider most beneficial for the achievement of the objects, and to invest in the name of the Charity such part of the funds as they may see fit, and to direct the sale or transposition of any such investments.

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ALFORD HOUSE

GOVERNORS’ REPORT (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

Fundraising Standards Information

A fundraising strategy has been prepared and approved by the Governors which identifies our income streams and the approach taken for each activity. This strategy takes into account best practice and current standards. With the introduction of GDPR from 25 May 2018 we have reviewed and, where appropriate, revised our policies and procedures including data capture, complaints procedure, transferring of data and the implementation of the data subjects’ preferences. All fundraising is done in house and not outsourced to any professional fundraisers or commercial participators. The Charity has not received any complaints regarding its fundraising efforts in the year ended 31 March 2021 or to the date of this report.

In all our policies and practices, we have not actively sought additional data that is not already in the public domain. We only record data that people opt to provide to us. Our communication programme focuses on less intrusive types of communication, for example email. Our direct mail campaigns are minimal and targeted. All fundraising requests are passive as we do not run face to face or telephone campaigns.

Plans for the Future

We could be entering some uncertainty during the year due to possible building works, leaving us needing to adopt a flexible approach to budgets and operations. The Trustees have reviewed the Club’s financial budget for the coming year. The budget forecast is better than in the previous two years and predicts a balanced budget over the coming financial year, but uncertainty about grants and theatrical letting income remain a concern. Ensuring a good level of letting income is preserved in the face of refurbishment will be critical. This will be a challenging task.

The Estates & Development Committee is continuing to lead the work on a revised strategy that has been approved by the Governors to refurbish the existing Club building and secure a sustainable future income. As a result of the concern about the budget over the coming year, the Estates and Development Committee together with the Finance Committee have decided not to expend large amounts of reserves to progress the redevelopment of the club and will only authorise expenditure based on the amount of funds raised for this specific purpose. We are pleased to say that funds have already been raised to enable us to continue at a steady pace for this purpose.

Risk Management

The Trustees recognise their responsibilities with regards to risk management and to this end have endeavored to ensure that the Club has adequate procedures and strategies that can monitor, eliminate or mitigate the risks faced. The Trustees have assessed the significance and likelihood of the risks to which the Club might be exposed, in particular those related to the operation and financial management of the Club, and they are satisfied that the Club has appropriate systems of control which mitigate exposure to the key risks that it faces.

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ALFORD HOUSE

GOVERNORS’ REPORT (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

Responsibilities of the Trustee Board

The Trustees, who are also Directors of Alford House (the “Charitable Company”) under company law, are responsible for preparing the Governors’ Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Financial Reporting Standards.

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 Charitable Company and of the incoming resources and application of resources including the income and expenditure of the Charitable Company for that period. In preparing these financial statements the Trustees are required:

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

The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the Charitable Company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Statement as to the disclosure of information to Auditors

So far as the Trustees are aware, there is no relevant information of which the charitable company’s auditors are unaware and each Trustee has taken all the steps that they ought to have taken as a Trustee in order to make them aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the charitable company’s auditors are aware of that information.

Approval

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities SORP (FRS102).

This report was approved by the Board of Governors on 3 August 2023.

N. Priestnall

………………………………………….

N Priestnall

Chair of Governors

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ALFORD HOUSE

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT

TO THE MEMBERS OF ALFORD HOUSE

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Alford House (the ‘charitable company’) for the year ended 31 March 2023 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, Cash Flow Statement and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of 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:

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 company 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 enough 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 company'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, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, 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

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ALFORD HOUSE

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT (CONTINUED)

TO THE MEMBERS OF ALFORD HOUSE

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.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken during the audit:

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained during the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the report of the management committee or the Trustees’ report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

Responsibilities of Trustees

As explained more fully in the Statement of the responsibilities of the Board of Trustees, the Trustees 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 charitable company’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.

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ALFORD HOUSE

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT (CONTINUED)

TO THE MEMBERS OF ALFORD HOUSE

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

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.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

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 and on the Financial Reporting Council’s website, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud.

We obtain and update our understanding of the entity, its activities, its control environment, and likely future developments, including in relation to the legal and regulatory framework applicable and how the entity is complying with that framework. Based on this understanding, we identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. This includes consideration of the risk of acts by the entity that were contrary to applicable laws and regulations, including fraud.

In response to the risk of irregularities and non-compliance with laws and regulations, including fraud, we designed procedures which included:

Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.

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ALFORD HOUSE

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT (CONTINUED)

TO THE MEMBERS OF ALFORD HOUSE

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company's members 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 charitable company and the charitable company's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

David Green

David Green, MA (Cantab) ACA For and on behalf of Azets Audit Services Chartered Accountants, Statutory Auditor Suites B & D, Burnham Yard Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire HP9 2JH

3 August 2023

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ALFORD HOUSE

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

Notes
INCOME
Donations and legacies
2
Charitable activities
3
Investment income
4
Grant income
5
Other income
6
TOTAL INCOME
EXPENDITURE
Charitable Activities
8
TOTAL EXPENDITURE
Net income/(expenditure) before
transfers
Transfers between funds
Net movement in funds
Total Funds brought forward at
1 April 2022
Total Funds carried forward at
31 March 2023		 Unrestricted
Funds
£
4,242
212
121,316
3,000
556,179
684,949
118,917
118,917
566,032
-
566,032
2,338,024
2,904,056		 Designated
Funds

£
-
212
-
-
-
212
95
95
117
-
117
23,847
23,964		 Restricted
Funds
£
83,297
40,400
-
123,842
-
247,539
174,051
174,051
73,488
-
73,488
100,513
174,001		 Total
2023
£
87,539
40,824
121,316
126,842
556,179
932,700
293,063
293,063
639,637
-
639,637
2,462,384
3,102,021		 Total
2022
£
130,244
41,176
132,301
79,724
-
383,445
287,235
287,235
96,210
-
96,210
2,366,174
2,462,384

The statement of financial activities also complies with the requirements for an income and expenditure account under the Companies Act 2006.

All of the above results are derived from continuing activities. All gains and losses recognised in the year are included .

The notes on pages 19 to 28 form part of these financial statements

16

ALFORD HOUSE

BALANCE SHEET (Company No: 6521183)

AS AT 31 MARCH 2023

Notes
Fixed Assets
Tangible assets
11
Current Assets
Debtors
12
Cash at bank and in hand
Creditors: amounts falling due
within one year
13
Net current assets
Total assets
Funds
Restricted funds
Unexpended Grants for specific
purposes
15
Unrestricted funds:
Designated funds
Members’ Fund
Redevelopment reserve
16
16
General Funds
Balance on income account
17		 2023
£
14,838
2,500,378
2,515,216
(338,257)		 £
925,062
2,176,959
3,102,021
174,001
11,512
12,452
2,904,056
3,102,021		 2022
£
21,482
469,251
490,733
(17,020)		 £
1,988,671
473,713
2,462,384
100,513
11,395
12,452
2,338,024
2,462,384

The Trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for:

(a) ensuring that the charitable company keep accounting records which comply with Sections 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006 and

(b) preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company as at the end of each financial year and of the charitable company’s incoming resources and application of resources, including income and expenditure, for each 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 charitable company.

These financial statements were approved by the Trustees on 3 August 2023 and are signed on their behalf by:

N. Priestnall T. de Vere Green ……………………………………. ……………………………………… N Priestnall T de Vere Green Chair of Governors (Honorary Treasurer)

The notes on pages 19 to 28 form part of these financial statements

17

ALFORD HOUSE

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

AS AT 31 MARCH 2023

2023
Notes
£
Cash flows from operating activities
Cash generated from operating activities
1
425,855
Net cash from operating activities
425,855
Cash flows from investing activities
Proceeds from sale of tangible fixed assets
1,605,272
Net cash from investing activities
1,605,272
Increase in cash and cash equivalents
2,031,127
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of
Year
2
469,251
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year
2
2,500,378
1. RECONCILIATION OF NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS TO CASH GENERATED FROM OPERATING
2023
£
Net movement in funds
Depreciation of tangible fixed assets
Profit on disposal of tangible fixed assets
639,637
14,516
(556,179)
Decrease in trade and other debtors
6,644
Increase in trade and other creditors
321,237
Cash generated from operations
425,855
2. CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
Year ended 31 March 2023
31.03.23
£
Cash and cash equivalents
2,500,378
Year ended 31 March 2022
31.03.22
£
Cash and cash equivalents
469,251
The notes on pages 19 to 28 form part of these financial statements		 2022
£
148,932
148,932
148,932
148,932
148,932
320,319
469,251
ACTIVITIES
2022
£
96,210
14,516
-
36,539
1,667
148,932
01.04.22
£
469,251
01.04.21
£
320,319

18

ALFORD HOUSE

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

1. Accounting Policies

1.1 General information and basis of preparation

The charity is a company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The members of the charitable company are the Governors named on the legal and administration information page.

The charity constitutes a public benefit as defined by FRS 102. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities”: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable to the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102), the Companies Act 2006 and UK Generally Accepted Practice. A summary of the significant accounting policies applied in the preparation of these accounts are set out below.

1.2 Fund accounting

General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the Governors in furtherance of the general objectives of the charitable company and which have not been designated for other purposes. Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the Governors for particular purposes. The aim and of use of the designated fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the charitable company for particular purpose.

1.3 Incoming resources

All incoming resources are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) when the charity is legally entitled to the income after any performance conditions have been met, the amount can be measured reliably and it is probable that the income will be received.

No amount is included in the financial statements for volunteer time in line with SORP (FRS102). Further detail is given in the Governors’ Report.

Grants are recognised at the fair value of the asset received or receivable when there is reasonable assurance that the grant conditions will be met and the grants will be received. A detailed analysis of restricted fund grants are set out in the notes.

1.4 Resources expended

All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with use of the resources.

Support costs are those that assist the work of the charity but do not directly represent charitable activities and include office costs, governance costs, and administrative payroll costs. They are incurred directly in support of expenditure on the objects of the charity and have been allocated to cost of raising funds and expenditure on charitable activities.

Expenditure is recognised where there is a legal or constructive obligation to make payments to third parties, it is probable that the settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.

19

ALFORD HOUSE

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

Accounting policies (continued)

1.5 Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

The Club premises at Aveline Street, Kennington, London SE11 5DQ were vested in the custodian Governors. This property was transferred to Alford House in 2009. The property was acquired by gift in 1950 and restored by War Damage Claims and grants from the Ministry of Education and other parties. The value for insurance purposes at the date of the transfer was £2,177,378 and this has been taken as the transfer value.

Depreciation is provided on all tangible fixed assets at rates calculated to write off the costs less estimated residual value of each asset on the following basis:

Land No depreciation Buildings 50 years straight line

1.6 Pension costs

The Charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for the benefit of its employees. The costs of contributions are written off against profits in the year they are payable.

1.7 Going Concern

The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis as the Governors believe that no material uncertainties exist. The Governors have considered the level of funds held and the expected level of income and expenditure for 12 months from authorising these financial statements. The budgeted income and expenditure is sufficient with the level of reserves for the charity to be able to continue as a going concern.

1.8 Tax

The charity is an exempt charity within the meaning of schedule 3 of the Charities Act 2011 and is considered to pass the tests set out in Paragraph 1 Schedule 6 Finance Act 2010 and therefore it meets the definition of a charitable company for UK corporation tax purposes.

2. Voluntary Income - donations and legacies

Donations and gifts
Gift Aid
Net activities for charitable activities
3. Charitable activities
Commissioned work
Fundraising trading
Net activities for charitable activities		 Unrestricted
Designated
Restricted
Total
2023
£
3,536
-
83,297
86,833
706
-
-
706
4,242
-
83,297
87,539
Unrestricted
Designated
Restricted
Total
2023
£
-
-
40,400
40,400
212
212
-
424
212
212
40,400
40,824		 Total
2022
£
119,882
10,362
130,244
Total
2022
£
40,400
776
41,176

3. Charitable activities

20

ALFORD HOUSE

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

4. Investment income
Rents and lettings
Interest receivable
5. Grant income
Grants
Included within income relating to grants are
Jack Petchey Foundation
Jack Petchey Awards
London Youth
National Lottery Community Fund
Woodroffe Benton Foundation
Julia & Hanns Rausing Foundation
Walcot Ed Foundation
Lambeth S106
Roger Raymond Charitable Trust
Other unrestricted grants
JRS claims (unrestricted)
6. Other income
Profit on disposal of tangible fixed asset
7. Net incoming resources for the year
This is stated after charging:
Auditors remuneration for audit services
Independent Examination fee
Operating lease rental		 Unrestricted
Restricted
Funds
Funds
£
£
114,493
-
6,823
-
121,316
-
the following grants		 Total
2023
£
114,493
6,823
121,316
2023
£
126,842
900
(272)
1,000
31,384
30,000
-
17,553
20,777
22,500
3,000
-
126,842
2023
£
556,179
2023
£
10,000
-
288		 Total
2022
£
132,180
121
132,301
2022
£
79,724
4,000
850
-
15,580
20,000
10,000
17,208
-
-
-
12,086
79,724
2022
£
-
2022
£
-
3,500
288

21

ALFORD HOUSE

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

8. Charitable activities

Costs relating to club activities comprise:
Direct youth workers/ salaries (inc Employers NI and
pension contributions paid in year)
Repairs, renewals & maintenance (inc salary)
Heat, light and power
Cleaning (inc wages)
Insurance
Club activities – equipment and expenses
Re-development
Secretarial costs (inc salary)
Telephone and internet charges
Printing, postage and stationery
Motor and travelling expenses
Subscriptions, affiliations and membership
Payroll Bureau
Accountancy and bookkeeping
Audit fees
Rent & lettings – direct costs
Depreciation		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total
2023
Total
2022
£
(inc Designated
exps)
£
£
£
35,600
108,312
143,912
138,662
12,535
-
12,535
7,549
1,936
9,920
11,856
13,325
17,882
-
17,882
16,917
6,892
800
7,692
4,570
4,786
29,449
34,235
10,441
-
24,770
24,770
67,977
1,451
-
1,451
1,430
2,100
800
2,900
1,874
2,243
-
2,243
-
720
-
720
872
690
-
690
844
424
2,965
10,000
4,272
14,516
-
-
-
-
-
424
2,965
10,000
4,2727
14,516
800
5,457
-
2,000
14,516
119,012
174,051
293,063
287,235

9. Related party transactions

None of the Governors (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration during the current or preceding year, and none of them claimed expenses in the year (2022: one trustee claimed £18).

Included in donations received are donations totalling £1,140 (2022: £44,190) received from the Governors.

There was a restricted grant for £30,000 (2022: £20,000) received from Woodroffe Benton Foundation, a charity with a common trustee.

The total key management personnel remuneration for the year was £67,552 (2022: £67,240).

22

ALFORD HOUSE

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

10. Employees

The average monthly number of employees during the year was:

Youth Workers
Administration
Caretaker and Cleaners
Employment Costs
Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Other pension costs		 2023
No.
9
1
2
12
2023
£
149,620
6,319
4,207
160,146		 2022
No.
9
1
2
12
2022
£
143,402
6,727
4,115
154,244

The average number of full-time equivalent employees during the year was 4 (2022: 4).

There were no employees whose annual emoluments were £60,000 or more in the current or prior years.

11. Tangible fixed assets

Cost
At 1 April 2022
Disposals
At 31 March 2023
Depreciation
At 1 April 2022
Charge for the year
At 31 March 2023
Net book value
As at 31 March 2023
As at 31 March 2022		 Land and
buildings
£
2,177,378
(1,049,093)
1,128,285
188,707
14,516
203,223
925,062
1,988,671		 Total
2023
£
2,177,378
(1,049,093)
1,128,285
188,707
14,516
203,223
925,062
1,988,671

23

ALFORD HOUSE

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

12. Debtors

Debtors
Trade debtors
Prepayments and accrued income
Other debtors
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Taxation and social security costs
Accruals and deferred income
Other creditors		 2023
£
10,726
4,112
-
14,838
2023
£
325,145
12,696
416
338,257		 2022
£
9,310
10,799
1,373
21,482
2022
£
4,226
12,443
351
17,020

13. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

14. Pension and other post-retirement benefit commitments

The charity operates a defined contribution pension plan for its employees. During the year there were pension contributions of £4,207 (2022: £4,115). At the year end there was £416 (2022: £351) outstanding within creditors.

24

ALFORD HOUSE

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

15. Restricted funds

The income funds of the charity include restricted funds comprising the following unexpended balances of donations, commissioned work and grants held on trust for specific purposes:

Jack Petchey Awards
Jack Petchey Foundation
Woodroffe Benton Foundation
London Youth
National Lottery Community Fund
Walcot Ed Foundation
Lambeth Council
Lambeth S106
Roger Raymond Charitable Trust
Redevelopment Fund
Total
Jack Petchey Awards
Jack Petchey Foundation
Woodroffe Benton Foundation
Julia & Hanns Rausing Foundation
National Lottery Community Fund
Walcot Ed Foundation
Lambeth Council
Redevelopment Fund
Total		 Balance at
1 April
2022
£
1,176
4,000
15,625
-
8,490
13,262
-
-
-
57,960
100,513
Balance at
1 April
2021
£
1,343
-
13,125
-
-
-
-
-
14,468		 Movement in funds
Incoming
Resources
Resources
Expended
£
£
900
(1,156)
(272)
(3,728)
30,000
(23,125)
1,000
(1,000)
31,384
(31,972)
17,553
(15,513)
40,400
(40,400)
20,777
(20,777)
22,500
(11,250)
83,297
(25,130)
247,539
(174,051)
Movement in funds
Incoming
Resources
Resources
Expended
£
£
850
(1,017)
4,000
-
20,000
(17,500)
10,000
(10,000)
15,580
(7,090)
17,208
(3,946)
40,400
(40,400)
125,937
(67,977)
233,975
(147,930)		 Balance at
31 March
2023
£
920
-
22,500
-
7,902
15,302
-
-
11,250
116,127
174,001
Balance at
31 March
2022
£
1,176
4,000
15,625
-
8,490
13,262
-
57,960
100,513

The Jack Petchey Awards are awards to young people of £300 that the young person decides how to spend on the youth club. They are mainly spent on equipment of activities.

Jack Petchey Foundation is a grant towards providing dance workshops once a week during in partnership with the Boury Academy from January 2022 to December 2022.

The Julia and Hanns Ruasing Foundation provided grants towards general running costs and was applied to staff and insurance costs.

The National Lottery Community Fund was used to pay salaries and session workers primarily involved in preventing young peoples’ exclusion from school and who are at risk of becoming involved in youth violence. The grant is also used to pay some of the associated evaluation costs.

Lambeth Council was used to pay salaries and some core costs associated with the running of the Club.

25

ALFORD HOUSE

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

London Youth provided funding to set up a Table Tennis Club once a week for six months.

The Woodroffe Benton Foundation is used to pay salaries, particularly of those providing additional support to young people to prevent their exclusion from school and who are at risk of becoming involved in youth violence.

The Walcot Foundation grant is used to pay salaries of staff working closely with the targeted youth support staff, providing health and fitness activity and music activity.

The Roger Raymond Charitable Trust was used to pay youth workers and their associated costs.

The Lambeth S106 was used to purchase sports equipment.

The redevelopment fund is for the redevelopment of the Alford House site.

16. Designated funds

i) Members’ Fund

The income funds of the charity include the Members’ Fund, which is a designated fund.

The basic funding each year comes from the allocation of 50% of the members’ subscriptions and canteen profit. In addition, the proceeds of any fund-raising efforts by the members are taken to the fund, together with any donations received.

The responsibility for decisions regarding expenditure is in the hands of a committee of members. This committee has complete autonomy, with the Senior Youth Worker attending in an advisory capacity.

Members’ Fund
Balance of Fund on 1 April 2022
Add: Income
Less: Outgoings for the year
Balance as at 31 March 2023
ii) Redevelopment Fund
This fund is for the redevelopment of the site.
Balance of Fund as at 1 April 2022

Add: Income

Less: Outgoings for the year

Balance as at 31 March 2023		 £
11,395
212
(95)
11,512
£
12,452
-
-
12,452

26

ALFORD HOUSE

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

17. Analysis of net assets between funds
Fund balances at 31 March 2023 are
represented by:
Tangible fixed assets
Debtors
Cash at bank and in hand
Creditors: amounts falling due within
one year
Less: Tangible fixed assets
Net Current Assets
Fund balances at 31 March 2022 are
represented by:
Tangible fixed assets
Debtors
Cash at bank and in hand
Creditors: amounts falling due within
one year
Less: Tangible fixed assets
Net Current Assets		 Unrestricted
Funds
£
925,062
14,838
2,302,413
(338,257)

2,904,056
(925,062)
1,978,994
Unrestricted
Funds
£
1,988,671
11,705
354,668
(17,020)
2,338,024
(1,988,671)
349,353		 Designated
Funds
£
-
-
23,964
-
23,964
-
23,964
Designated
Funds
£
-
-
23,847
-
23,847
-
23,847		 Restricted
Funds
£
-
-
174,001
-
174,001
-
174,001
Restricted
Funds
£
-
9,777
90,736
-
100,513
-
100,513		 Total
£
925,062
14,838
2,500,378
(338,257)
3,102,021
(925,062)
2,176,959
Total
£
1,988,671
21,482
469,251
(17,020)
2,462,384
(1,988,671)
473,713

18. Operating leases

There were operating lease commitments at the end of the current year of £72 (2022: £72).

19. Share capital

The charitable company is limited by guarantee and has no share capital. In accordance with the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the charitable company, the liability of the members (which are the Governors) is limited to £10 each in the event of the winding up of the charitable company. At 31 March 2023 there were 15 members (2022: 13).

20. Controlling party

The charitable company does not have an overall controlling party.

27

ALFORD HOUSE

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

21. Prior Year Statement of Financial Activities

Notes
INCOME
Donations and legacies
2
Charitable activities
3
Investment income
4
Grant income
5
Other income
6
TOTAL INCOME
EXPENDITURE
Charitable Activities
8
TOTAL EXPENDITURE
Net income/(expenditure) before
transfers
Transfers between funds
Net movement in funds
Total Funds brought forward at
1 April 2021
Total Funds carried forward at
31 March 2022		 Unrestricted
Funds
£
4,307
388
132,301
12,086
-
149,082
139,305
139,305
9,777
-
9,777
2,328,247
2,338,024		 Designated
Funds

£
-
388
-
-
-
388
-
-
388
-
388
23,459
23,847		 Restricted
Funds
£
125,937
40,400
-
67,638
-
233,975
147,930
147,930
86,045
-
86,045
14,468
100,513		 Total
2022
£
130,244
41,176
132,301
79,724
-
383,445
287,235
287,235
96,210
-
96,210
2,366,174
2,462,384		 Total
2021
£
10,236
40,625
42,662
124,044
25,000
242,567
249,213
249,213
(13,848)
-
(6,646)
2,372,820
2,366,174

28