ANNUAL REPORTS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024
SOUTH LONDON SPECIAL LEAGUE
(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)
COMPANY REGISTRATION No: 06393659
CHARITY REGISTRATION No: 1124629
Castle View Accounting Ltd Ground Floor Offices
53 High Street Arundel West Sussex BN18 9AJ
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SOUTH LONDON SPECIAL LEAGUE (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)
CONTENTS
| Page 3 | Legal & Administrative Information |
|---|---|
| Pages 4 to 7 | Report of the Directors' |
| Page 8 | Statement of Financial Activities |
| Page 9 | Balance Sheet |
| Pages 10 to 18 | Notes to the Financial Statements |
| Page 19 | Independent Examiner's Report |
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SOUTH LONDON SPECIAL LEAGUE
(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)
LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
CHARITY NUMBER
CHARITY NUMBER 1124629 COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER 06393659 DATE OF INCORPORATION 9th October 2007 START OF FINANCIAL YEAR 1st September 2023 END OF FINANCIAL YEAR 31st August 2024 DIRECTORS AT 31ST AUGUST 2024 Steven James Alan Hill Mick Northwood Paul Russell Kieron Gibbons Len Duval Raff Gallo Santha Patel
GOVERNING DOCUMENT Memorandum and Articles of Association incorporated 9th October 2007.
OBJECTS
To enable disabled people to participate in playing and watching of the game of Football by providing access to such facilities in the interest of social welfare and with the object of improving their condition of life.
REGISTERED ADDRESS Long Lane Junior Football Club Dursley Road London SE3 8PB PRIMARY BANKERS Barclays Bank Plc 1 Churchill Place London E14 5HP INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS Castle View Accounting Ltd Ground Floor Offices 53 High Street Arundel West Sussex BN18 9AJ
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SOUTH LONDON SPECIAL LEAGUE
(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)
REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS' FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024
Chair's Report
It is with sadness that I am stepping down as Chair of the South London Special League. I want to make it clear that there is no disagreement between myself and the other trustees regarding the future of the League. Rather, I am resigning because I believe that this is the right moment for me to step aside, both personally and for the benefit of the Special League.
In these challenging times, we have found a way forward that will ensure the continued success of the League, while also making it more sustainable. By working more closely with Long Lane JFC, we are securing a more solid foundation for the League's activities. This partnership will allow us to protect and grow our work, ensuring that the South London Special League remains a separate legal entity and retains its charity status. This will be crucial in maintaining and expanding the football league, while also supporting the development of other initiatives and ensuring that we can continue to offer vital services to special needs young people and adults.
I want to extend my thanks to Sharon, Steve, Rhea, and all our volunteers and paid referees. Their commitment has been invaluable in helping us deliver high-quality activities that have made a real difference to the lives of those we support. I am confident that the Special League will continue to thrive and grow in the coming months and years as decisions are made about the next steps for our work.
Thank you all for your support, and I look forward to seeing the League continue to flourish in the future.
Len Duvall Chair – South London Special League
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SOUTH LONDON SPECIAL LEAGUE (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)
REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS' (Continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024
Project Manager's Report
At the start of the season, we had a larger entry from Schools and Adult groups affiliated to the Special League with over 120 teams, an overall increase of 40 teams on last year. The schools under 16s age group being the largest entry with 27 teams and 25 teams in the MLD U14s league. The MLD Girls was consistent to last year with 6 teams in the league. The combination of holding the MLD Girls and SLD leagues on the same day has continued to work well. The new Adult League format of two separate leagues (Premiership and A League of their Own) taking place on different days has been successful and this provides the capacity to allow more teams to enter and for longer games to be played.
The ‘Just Play’ weekly football session for adults on Friday afternoons at Long Lane is going well. This year we had an increased total of 24 players registered and an average of 17 players attending each week. This session is supported by the Oxleas NHS Trust and takes place all year round and definitely contributes to increasing the players overall mental health and physical wellbeing. This all contributes to their increased confidence and especially those who are now living independently and/or are now in employment. The session also provides a safe environment to play sport, keep fit and for the players to have fun and meet new friends.
The Powerchair Football Club based at the Waterfront Leisure Centre were fortunate to welcome back to the club Kyle Alexander who was one of the founding members and went on to play for England. Kyle was keen to return and work as an assistant coach and player mentor. This season we had 2 players make their debut in the team, Julius who has been a member for many years and Jerry who only started playing for the club since August 2023 and was his first time in a Powerchair. Well done to both players who scored goals in the first two events! This year Millwall Community Trust (CACT) have committed to support the club by providing £4,800 in grant funding for an assistant coach. In addition, they supplied the members with new training / match tops and tracksuits as part of their sponsorship for the players. We would also like to thank Faithorn Farrell Timms for their kind donation of £10,000 which has supported the club’s running costs this season.
The Tennis and Multi sports sessions held at the Waterfront Leisure Centre each week has grown from strength to strength with a number of new players joining the club. We have been working in Partnership over the past year with two local Adult Day Care providers; Brighter Futures and Greenwich Mencap who bring along their clients who have joined together with our existing regular members. This has increased our weekly attendance figures to 15 participants per session. This year the project received funding from Sport England to continue the tennis sessions with other indoor sports which will run for 12 months from January – December 2024. We have recently invited Kyle Alexander to join the club as an assistant coach to support me with the additional number of players attending. I am looking forward to continue to work with Kyle this year and into next season.
On a final note, to my surprise, I was nominated for the ‘Coach of the Year’ Award (London FA Disability Pathway) at the 2023 Grassroots Heroes Awards held at the Guildhall in London on Wednesday 31st January for my work this year with the Powerchair Football Club. The London awards celebrate those individuals who make a positive contribution to football across the capital. The awards night was a chance for the London FA to recognise those volunteers who make such an impact on our community. It was an honour for me to receive this award which was presented by the former professional football Jermain Defoe.
As always, a special thank you to Long Lane Junior Football Club and GLL (Better) who provide their facilities for our Football leagues, Greenwich Powerchair Football Club and the Multi-sports project. We look forward next season to join together with Long Lane to form a much closer relationship in order to secure the long-term sustainability of the South London Special League.
Rhea Daly
Project Manager - South London Special league
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SOUTH LONDON SPECIAL LEAGUE
(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)
REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS' (Continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024
Treasurers Report
This year we began with a healthy bank balance of £58,341 and again with the assistance of our fundraising Manager Dave McLaren, we continued to search and apply for new grant funding to support the Schools and Adult Football Leagues and the ‘Just Play’ Football sessions. A new Multi-sport lunchtime coaching project was established for disabled adults held at Long Lane Football Club. This was funded this year by ‘Greenwich Get Active’ who provided a grant for the coaching fees.
The Greenwich Powerchair Football Club was fortunate to have received financial support last year from the ‘Effinity Charitable Foundation’ (Faithorn Farrell Timms) for a generous donation of £10,000 towards the running costs of the club. In addition, the Millwall Community Trust have provided a £4,800 sponsorship deal for assistant coaching fees. This grant is ongoing and to continue next season.
It has become difficult each year to attract new grant funding as many organisations have changed their funding priorities to support other worthy causes. As a result, grants to provide sports activities for disabled people have decreased and funds are often oversubscribed. However, this year’s total income had an increase from last year with a total of £50,336. Our expenditure was also slightly reduced to £66,833 leaving the total of £26,331 as funds carried forward. The total Cash at Bank on 31st August was £36,657. The Special League Reserve account balance was £25,603. This reserve provides a firm foundation and stability for the charity’s annual budget and can ensure the charity will be able to fulfil its charitable objectives even if there is a temporary shortfall in income or an unexpected expenditure for the financial year.
Last year we took on the task to look at other ways we can reduce our overall expenditure costs without losing focus on the quality of our delivery. In September 2023 the Charity relocated to Long Lane JFC saving the cost of our office rental and telephone at the London Marathon Sports ground. Other savings on staffing have also been implemented this year and these savings will be reflected in the future budget forecast for next season 2024/25.
In December 2023, we were successful with an application to Sport England for a grant of £8,740 to continue our Multisport Programme at the Waterfront Leisure Centre for Disabled Adults. This started in January 2024 and will continue until December 2024. This project is also supported by Greenwich Leisure Ltd. Sports Development, who provide their Sports Hall charges at a 50% discount. Our sponsors Oxleas NHS Trust have continued to support SLSL by providing an annual grant of £6000 for the next 3 years. This helps to fund the Adult League and weekly ‘Just Play’ Football sessions. The Adult League and the weekly ‘Just Play’ session support a lot of the Oxleas NHS registered adults to improve their overall mental and physical wellbeing.
As usual we do not want to forget our other partners in the community who support us including: The London FA & WFA, The Jack Petchey Foundation, Royal Borough of Greenwich, GLL (Better) and many individuals that have raised money for SLSL through fund raising initiatives and donations.
I would also like to thank my colleagues and our board of Trustees and valuable staff for their commitment and hard work again this year.
Santha Patel Treasurer / Trustee
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SOUTH LONDON SPECIAL LEAGUE REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS (ContlrnK) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024 b) JKIL
SOUTH LONDON SPECIAL LEAGUE (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024
(Incorporating Income and Expenditure Account)
| Notes INCOMING RESOURCES Incoming Resources from Generated Funds Donations, Grants & Legacies 3a Investment Income 3b Activities for Generating Funds 3c Other Incoming Resources 3d TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES RESOURCES EXPENDED Cost of Generating Funds Charitable Activities 4a Governance Costs 4b TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED NET INCOMING/ (OUTGOING) RESOURCES Balance Brought Forward Transfer Between Funds 5 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD |
Unrestricted Restricted TOTAL TOTAL Funds Funds 2023/24 2022/23 £ £ £ £ 3,452 29,658 33,110 22,073 346 - 346 91 716 14,934 15,650 17,214 - 1,230 1,230 1,020 4,514 45,822 50,336 40,398 5,038 59,754 64,792 68,419 990 1,051 2,041 2,417 6,028 60,804 66,833 70,835 (1,514) (14,982) (16,496) (30,437) 42,558 269 42,827 73,264 (17,709) 17,709 - - 23,335 2,996 26,331 42,827 |
|---|---|
Movements on all reserves and all recognised gains and losses are shown above. All of the organisation's operations are classed as continuing.
The notes on pages 10 to 18 form part of these financial statements.
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soLrrH LONDON SPECIAL LEAGUE BALANCE SfrEET AS AT 31ST AUGUST 21r24 Fw F1& 31-Ay24 31.Au23 Tar¥JitrAe Fwj A88&B 31th1 .657 58,341 4261 SB.591 19.526 19,$26 28.664 14.735 17.731 29,Y27 26.331 41827 23335 26.331 42.827 Furn1• ofth•Clwlty Gonwal FwK18 24335 42.558 Total FWMIB 23J35 331 42.827 thg UK )d RgWtAK oftrdgTh1 IFRS104 aff•vB of ts eury)any A6 at ts e1 Lrf th? fwwxial yew a1 of its wofit wxl l(w the fi11 in &)xrthnce *ilh
SOUTH LONDON SPECIAL LEAGUE
(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024
1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Preparation & Assessment of Going Concern
Basis of Preparation
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant note(s) to these accounts. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities (SORP 2015) (Second Edition, effective 1st January 2019), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102) and the Charities Act 2011.
The Charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy notes.
Assessment of Going Concern
Preparation of the accounts is on a going concern basis. The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the Charity’s ability to continue as a going concern.
Incoming Resources
Recognition of Incoming Resources
These are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) when:
▪ the charity becomes entitled to the resources;
▪ the Directors are virtually certain they will receive the resources; and
▪ the monetary value can be measured with sufficient reliability
Incoming Resources with Related Expenditure
Where incoming resources have related expenditure (as with fundraising or contract income) the incoming resource and related expenditure are reported gross in the SOFA.
Grants and Donations
Grants and Donations are only included in the SOFA when the charity has unconditional entitlement to the resources.
Tax Reclaims on Donations and Gifts
Incoming resources from tax reclaims are included in the SOFA in the same financial period as the gift to which they relate.
Contractual Income and Performance Related Grants
This is only included in the SOFA once the related goods or services has been delivered.
Gifts in Kind
Gifts in kind are accounted for at a reasonable estimate of their value to the charity or the amount actually realised. Gifts in kind for sale or distribution are included in the accounts as gifts only when sold or distributed by the charity. Gifts in kind for use by the charity are included in the SOFA as incoming resources when receivable.
Donated Services and Facilities
These are only included in incoming resources (with an equivalent amount in resources expended) where the benefit to the charity is reasonably quantifiable, measurable and material. The value placed on these resources is the estimated value to the charity of the service or facility received.
Volunteer Help
The value of any voluntary help received is not included in the accounts but is described in the Directors' annual report.
Investment Income
This is included in the accounts when receivable.
Investment Gains and Losses
This included any gain or loss on the sale of investments and any gain or loss resulting from revaluing investments to market value at the end of the year.
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SOUTH LONDON SPECIAL LEAGUE
(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024
1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)
Expenditure and Liabilities
Liability Recognition
Liabilities are recognised as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to pay out
Governance Costs
Include costs of the preparation and examination of statutory accounts, the costs of the Directors' meetings and cost of any legal advice to Directors on governance or constitutional matters.
Changes in Accounting Policies and Previous Accounts
There has been no change to the accounting policies (variation rules and methods of accounting) since last year, and no changes to the previous accounts.
Grants Payable without Performance Conditions
These are only recognised in the accounts when a commitment has been made and there are no conditions to be met relating to a grant which remain in control of the charity.
Unrestricted funds
These funds can be used for the general objectives of the charity as set out in the trustees report. The movements of the unrestricted funds are given in the Statement of Financial Activities.
Designated funds
These funds are funds set aside by the trustees out of unrestricted general funds for particular purposes or projects.
Restricted funds
These funds are where the donor has specified a purpose for the donation made. These restrictions often arise as a result of appeals for special offerings for specific purposes.
Taxation
The charity is exempt from tax on its charitable activities.
Legal Status of the Charity
The charity is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. In the event of the charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the charity.
Fixed Assets
These are capitalised if they can be used for more than one year, and cost at least £1,500. They are valued at cost or, if gifted, at the value to the charity on receipt.
Investments
Investments quoted on a recognised stock exchange are valued at market value at the year end. Other investment assets are included at Directors' best estimate of market value.
Depreciation Expense
Depreciation is calculated at a rate to write off the cost of tangible fixed assets over their estimated useful lives. The rates applied per annum are as follows:
Equipment Cost 20% - Straight Line Balance Basis
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SOUTH LONDON SPECIAL LEAGUE
(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024
2. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS
| Cost 01-Sep-23 Additions Cost at 31-Aug-24 Depreciation 01-Sep-23 Charge Depreciation at 31-Aug-24 Net Book Value 31-Aug-24 Net Book Value 31-Aug-23 |
Power Chair General Total Cost Equipment 2023/24 £ £ £ 21,500 - 21,500 - - - 21,500 - 21,500 8,600 - 8,600 4,300 - 4,300 12,900 - 12,900 8,600 - 8,600 12,900 - 12,900 |
|---|---|
The annual commitments under non-cancelling operating leases and capital commitments are as follows: 31st August 2024 : None 31st August 2023 : None
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SOUTH LONDON SPECIAL LEAGUE
(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024
3. INCOMING RESOURCES
| a) Donations, Grants & Legacies Gifts & Donations Grants Received b) Investment Income Interest c) Activities for Generating Funds Fundraising Income Membership Fees d) Other Incoming Resources Minibus Income Sundry Income |
Unrestricted Restricted TOTAL TOTAL Funds Funds 2023/24 2022/23 £ £ £ £ 253 2,244 2,497 988 3,200 27,414 30,614 21,086 3,452 29,658 33,110 22,073 346 - 346 91 346 - 346 91 716 2,494 3,210 9,429 - 12,440 12,440 7,785 716 14,934 15,650 17,214 - 980 980 1,020 - 250 250 - - 1,230 1,230 1,020 |
|---|---|
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SOUTH LONDON SPECIAL LEAGUE
(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024
4. RESOURCES EXPENDED
| a) Charitable Activities Advertising & Publicity Consultancy Fees Depreciation Expenses Equipment Costs Insurance Costs License & Subscriptions Motor Vehicle Expenses Officials & Coaching Costs Printing, Postage & Stationery Rent & Rates Repairs & Maintenance Staff Costs Telephone Costs Travel & Subsistence b) Governance Costs Independent Examiners Fee Legal & Professional Fees |
Unrestricted Restricted TOTAL TOTAL Funds Funds 2023/24 2022/23 £ £ £ £ - 3,335 3,335 520 - 19,010 19,010 25,488 4,300 - 4,300 4,300 988 587 1,575 5,418 - 1,519 1,519 2,298 - 1,229 1,229 1,082 - - - 1,165 - 8,512 8,512 6,720 - 8 8 - 250 - 4,603 4,353 4,035 - 324 324 840 - 17,906 17,906 15,101 - - - 442 - 2,720 2,720 1,010 5,038 59,754 64,792 68,419 990 - 990 900 - 1,051 1,051 1,517 990 1,051 2,041 2,417 |
|---|---|
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SOUTH LONDON SPECIAL LEAGUE
(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024
5. RESTRICTED FUNDS
CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR
| Greenwich PFC Fund Health & Wellbeing Fund Jack Petchey Fund Multi Sports Fund Oxleas NHS Trust South London Terriers Westcombe Ward Tennis Project |
Balance Balance 01-Sep-23 Income Expenditure Transfers 31-Aug-24 £ £ £ £ £ - 11,106 11,106 - - - 24,760 42,469 17,709 - 65 - - - 65 - 8,291 5,564 - 2,727 174 - - - 174 30 - - - 30 - 1,665 1,665 - - 269 45,822 60,804 17,709 2,996 |
|---|---|
PREVIOUS FINANCIAL YEAR
| Greenwich PFC Fund Health & Wellbeing Fund Jack Petchey Fund Multi Sports Fund Oxleas NHS Trust South London Terriers |
Balance Balance 01-Sep-22 Income Expenditure Transfers 31-Aug-23 £ £ £ £ £ - 11,023 11,023 - - - 18,106 48,248 30,142 - 65 - - - 65 - 3,983 3,983 - - 174 - - - 174 30 - - - 30 269 33,112 63,254 30,142 269 |
|---|---|
The Restricted Funds held are wholly represented by the Charity's Cash Reserves and are to be expended as specified above.
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SOUTH LONDON SPECIAL LEAGUE
(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024
6. CASH AT BANK AND IN HAND
| Cash at Bank and in Hand 7. DEBTORS AND PREPAYMENTS Sundry Debtors |
Unrestricted Restricted TOTAL TOTAL Fund Fund 31-Aug-24 31-Aug-23 £ £ £ £ 33,661 2,996 36,657 58,341 33,661 2,996 36,657 58,341 Unrestricted Restricted TOTAL TOTAL Fund Fund 31-Aug-24 31-Aug-23 £ £ £ £ 600 - 600 250 600 - 600 250 |
|---|---|
8. CREDITORS AND ACCRUALS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR
| Deferred Income Independent Examiners Fee PAYE & NI Sundry Creditors |
Unrestricted Restricted TOTAL TOTAL Fund Fund 31-Aug-24 31-Aug-23 £ £ £ £ 16,203 - 16,203 24,398 990 - 990 900 262 - 262 380 2,071 - 2,071 2,986 19,526 - 19,526 28,664 |
|---|---|
9. CREDITORS AND ACCRUALS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE IN MORE THAN ONE YEAR
The Charity held no long term liabilities during this or the previous financial year.
10. NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS
| Fixed Asset Investments Net Current Assets Long Term Liabilities |
Unrestricted Restricted TOTAL TOTAL Funds Funds 31-Aug-24 31-Aug-23 £ £ £ £ 8,600 - 8,600 12,900 14,735 2,996 17,731 29,927 - - - - 23,335 2,996 26,331 42,827 |
|---|---|
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SOUTH LONDON SPECIAL LEAGUE
(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024
11. RECONCILIATION OF MOVEMENT ON CAPITAL AND RESERVES
The Company is Limited by Guarantee (06393659) and is a Charity registered with the Charity Commission (1124629) and does not have a Share capital and has no income subject to Corporation Tax.
| TOTAL 2023/24 £ Profit / Deficit for the financial year (16,496) Other Recognised Gains - (16,496) Balance Brought Forward 42,827 Closing Funds at 31st August 2024 26,331 12. STAFF COSTS AND NUMBERS TOTAL 2023/24 £ Gross Wages, Salaries & Fees 16,567 Employer's National Insurance Costs 1,031 Pension Contributions 309 17,906 Employees who were engaged in each of the following activities: TOTAL 2023/24 Charitable Activities 2 |
TOTAL 2022/23 £ (30,437) - (30,437) 73,264 42,827 TOTAL 2022/23 £ 13,725 1,131 245 15,101 TOTAL 2022/23 2 |
|---|---|
The Charity operate a PAYE Scheme to pay all employed members of staff and no members of staff received emoluments of over £60,000. (2022/23:None)
13. DIRECTORS AND OTHER RELATED PARTIES
No payments were made to Directors or any persons connected with them during this financial period. No material transaction took place between the organisation and a Director or any person connected with them.
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SOUTH LONDON SPECIAL LEAGUE
(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024
14. RISK ASSESSMENT
The Directors actively review the major risks which the charity faces on a regular basis and believe that maintaining the free reserves stated, combined with the annual review of the controls over key financial systems carried out on an annual basis will provide sufficient resources in the event of adverse conditions. The Directors have also examined other operational and business risks which they face and confirm that they have established systems to mitigate the significant risks.
15. RESERVES POLICY
The Directors have considered the level of reserves they wish to retain, appropriate to the charity's needs. This is based on the charity's size and the level of financial commitments held. The Directors aim to ensure the charity will be able to continue to fulfil its charitable objectives even if there is a temporary shortfall in income or unexpected expenditure. The directors will endeavour not to set aside funds unnecessarily.
16. PUBLIC BENEFIT
The Charity acknowledges its requirement to demonstrate clearly that it must have charitable purposes or ‘aims’ that are for the public benefit. Details of how the charity has achieved this are provided in the Trustees report. The Trustees confirm that they have paid due regard to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit before deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT ON THE ACCOUNTS
Report to the trustees/ members of South London Special League on the accounts for the year ended 31st August 2024 set out on pages 8 to 18.
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner
The Charity's trustees (who are also the directors of the company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements. The trustees are satisfied that the audit requirement of Section 144(1) of the Charities Act 2011 (the Act) does not apply, and that there is no requirement in the governing document or constitution of the Charity for the conducting of an audit. As a consequence, the trustees have elected that the financial statements be subject to independent examination.
Having satisfied myself that the charity is not subject to audit, and is eligible for independent examination, it is my responsibility to:-
a) examine the accounts under section 145 of the Act;
b) to follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act; and;
c) to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of independent examiner's statement
I conducted my examination in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners for England & Wales in relation to the conducting of an independent examination, referred to above. An independent examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the Charity and of the accounting systems employed by the Charity and a comparison of the financial statements presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning such matters. The purpose of the examination is to establish as far as possible that there have been no breaches of the Charities legislation and that the financial statements comply with the SORP, on a test basis, of evidence relevant to the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements.
The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and information supplied by the trustees in the course of the examination is not subjected to audit tests or enquiries, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the financial statements, and in particular, I express no opinion as to whether the financial statements give a true and fair view of the affairs of the charity, and my report is limited to the matters set out in the statement below.
I planned and performed my examination so as to satisfy myself that the objectives of the independent examination are achieved and before finalising the report I obtain written assurances from the trustees of all material matters.
Independent examiner's statement
In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
- which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the trustees requirements:
· to keep accounting records in accordance with section 386 of the Companies Act 2006; and
· to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records, comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 and with the methods and principles of the Statement of recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities.
have not been met; or
- to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
K. Collaku MAAT Castle View Accounting Ltd Ground Floor Offices 53 High Street Arundel West Sussex BN18 9AJ
Date: 28th November 2024
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