**Charity Registration Number: 1128653**
**Company Registration Number: 06134522**
**THE DUCHENNE FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)**
**REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021**
**THE DUCHENNE FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)**
## **CONTENTS**
|Report of the Trustees
Report of the independent examiner
Statement of financial activities
Balance sheet
Notes to the financial statements|**Page**|
|---|---|
||1-3
4
5
6
7-10|
**THE DUCHENNE FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)**
## **REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021**
The Trustees present their report together with the financial statements of the Charity for the year ended 31st March 2021. They are also prepared to meet the requirements for a directors’ report and accounts for Companies Act purposes.
The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the accounts and comply with the Charity's governing document, applicable law and the requirements of 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).
## **Reference and Administrative Details**
Charity Number 1128653 Company Number 06134522 Registered Office 78 York Street, London, W1 1DP
## Directors and Trustees
The directors of the charitable company are its Trustees for the purpose of charity law and throughout this report are collectively referred to as Trustees.
Our currently registered Trustees are Sue Berry, Stephen Meech, Michelle Lyall, Jayne Doe, Kate Thomas and Laura Elliott. Joanna Rowlands is a management committee member. Christina Biggs and Ann Patterson are no longer Trustees or on committee but continue to offer support where needed.
A third of the Trustees, the longest serving third, are required to retire by rotation each year at the Annual General Meeting but may seek re-election. The Trustees required to retire at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting are Stephen Meech, Jayne Doe and Jo Rowlands. They will offer themselves for re-election.
Company Secretary: MC Secretaries Limited Acting or Interim Treasurer: Mrs Christina Biggs Independent examiner: Marcus Cridland BA(Hons) FCA, Scott Vevers Ltd 65 East Street, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 3LB. Bankers: Barclays Bank plc 90 Osborne Road, Southsea, Hants, PO5 3LW
## **Objectives, Activities, Achievements and Performance**
The objectives of the charitable company are:
- To provide a positive national support network of families affected by Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
- To enable families to come together to share ideas and experiences and to enjoy social events.
Raising funds is always high on our priority list. Due to Covid-19, many events and fund-raising activities had to be cancelled this year. Additional financial support has again come from grants from charities. We also receive significant support from our member families.
_Page 1_
**THE DUCHENNE FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)**
## **REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021**
Services were maintained in the following areas:
|Helpline:|We operate a helpline to receive calls from families and professionals. Our part time|
|---|---|
||Development Officer deals with the queries herself or passes them on to an|
||appropriate person or organisation.|
|News and|The charity publishes a regular newsletter containing articles, many from our family|
|information:|members, sharing experiences and ideas. Feedback is also provided on research|
||progress and other matters impacting on families of disabled children and adults. We|
||also have a website, a Facebook page and a Twitter account – all of which we use in|
||addition to our newsletter to keep families up to date with news and events.|
|Events:|The charity endeavours to provide social events where families can enjoy a relaxed|
||atmosphere whilst sharing their experiences and ideas. Events during this year were|
||cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.|
## **Review of Public Benefit**
In setting out our objectives and planning our activities, the Trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit.
## **Future Plans**
We continually strive to expand our services to meet the growing demand but we do so in a planned and financially prudent way, thus ensuring all projects stand on a sound financial footing individually and thus the charity moves forward and grows but does so responsibly.
The restrictions necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic and the vulnerability of the boys in many of our member families caused us to cancel all our social contact activities (days out, holidays etc.), normally at the core of our work, but, in turn, this has reduced our expenditure. We continue to hold committee meetings by video. Our development officer has increased her hours in response to demand and we have been able to fund this through grants received for the purpose.
The postponement and uncertainty around of the London Marathon, normally our principal source of income, significantly reduced our income. We have made successful applications to charitable Trusts. We look forward to resuming face to face activities once the situation has eased.
## **Financial Review**
Each service we offer is carefully budgeted for and only runs after being sanctioned by the Trustees as viable. The excess of income over expenditure in the year amounted to £10,293 (2020 £6,646 excess expenditure). Reserves at 31[st] March 2021 were £31,716.
## Investment powers and policy
Under the Memorandum and Articles of Association, the charitable company has the power to make any investment which the Trustees see fit.
## Reserves policy
The state of the economy and resulting downturn in donations received also means sufficient reserves must be held to ensure services could continue in a financial downturn. The Trustees carefully monitor this area to ensure sufficient reserves are in place. Our policy is to have a minimum of 3 months’ running costs as a reserve figure. At present the free reserves, which amount to £31,716 are within this target level.
_Page 2_
**THE DUCHENNE FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP**
**(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)**
## **REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021**
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
## Governing Document
The Duchenne Family Support Group is a registered charity (charity number 1128653) and a company limited by guarantee (company number 06134522). The company was formed on 2 March 2007 and achieved registered charity status on 18 March 2009.
The charitable company is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association.
## Appointment of Trustees
Trustees are appointed by the Members at the Annual General Meeting in accordance with the charitable company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association. No external bodies have the right to appoint Trustees.
## Trustee induction and training
New Trustee directors are introduced to the operations of the organisation and are given information on the responsibilities of being a Trustee and director as well as copies of the charitable company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association. Training is provided to Trustee directors when required.
## Organisation
The board of Trustees, or the Executive Committee, of between 3 and 15 members who meet regularly, administer the charitable company. The charity also employs an administrator to assist with the day-to-day operation of the charitable company. The committee includes both Trustee-members and non-Trustee-members. The Trusteemembers are responsible for all decisions but seek guidance and opinions from non-Trustee-members and, indeed, on occasion, the charity membership as a whole.
## **Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the Financial Statements**
Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements that give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company at the end of the financial year and of its surplus or deficit for the financial year. In doing so 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 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 charitable company will continue in business.
The Trustees are responsible for maintaining property accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enables them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 1985. The Trustees 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.
This report has been prepared in accordance with the small company regime (section 419(2)) of the Companies Act 2006.
## **Signed on behalf of the board of Trustees by:**
**Dr S Meech – Chair …………………………………………………..**
**Date: 14[th] October 2021**
_Page 3_
## **THE DUCHENNE FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)**
## **Independent Examiner’s report to the Trustees of The Duchenne Family Support Group**
I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31[st] March 2021, which are set out on pages 5 to 10.
## **Responsibilities and basis of report**
As the charity’s Trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (‘the 2006 Act’). Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act.
## **Independent examiner’s statement**
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:
- accounting records have not been kept in accordance with section 386 of the Companies Act 2006;
- the accounts do not accord with such records:
- the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
- the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Marcus Cridland BA(Hons) FCA Scott Vevers Ltd 65 East Street Bridport Dorset DT6 3LB.
Date:
_Page 4_
## **THE DUCHENNE FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)**
## **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2021**
|**Notes**
**Income**
**Income and endowments from:**
Donations
Grants
**Charitable activities:**
Contributions from families towards events
**Other trading activities**
Fundraising
**Total Income**
**Expenditure on:**
Raising funds
3
Charitable activities
4
**Total expenditure**
**Net income (expenditure) for the year**
**Transfers between funds**
**Net movement in funds**
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds at 1st April 2020
**Total funds at 31st March 2021**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**
3,387
7,280
-
16,629
27,296
2,449
17,027
19,476
7,820
(422)
7,398
21,423
28,821|**Restricted**
**funds**
**£**
-
9,000
-
-
9,000
-
6,527
6,527
2,473
422
2,895
-
2,895|**2021**
**£**
3,387
16,280
-
16,629
36,296
2,449
23,554
26,003
10,293
-
10,293
21,423
31,716|**2020**
**£**
3,479
-
10,528
24,889|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||38,896|
|||||2,290
43,252|
|||||45,542|
|||||(6,646)
-|
|||||(6,646)
28,069|
|||||21,423|
All amounts derive from continuing activities.
All gains and losses recognised in the period are included in the statement of financial activities.
The notes on pages 7 to 10 form part of these financial statements
_Page 5_
Company No: 06134522
## **THE DUCHENNE FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)**
## **BALANCE SHEET AT 31ST MARCH 2021**
|**Notes**
**Current assets**
Debtors
10
Cash at bank and in hand
**Creditors:**Amounts falling due within one year
11
**Net current assets**
**Total assets less current liabilities**
**The funds of the charity:**
Restricted income funds
12
Unrestricted income funds:
12
**Total charity funds**|**£**
**£**
5,641
27,745
33,386
(1,670)
31,716
31,716
2,895
28,821
31,716
**2021**|**£**
**£**
5,641
27,745
33,386
(1,670)
31,716
31,716
2,895
28,821
31,716
**2021**|**£**
**£**
5,641
17,222
22,863
(1,440)
21,423
21,423
-
21,423
21,423
**2020**|**£**
**£**
5,641
17,222
22,863
(1,440)
21,423
21,423
-
21,423
21,423
**2020**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||||22,863
(1,440)||
||||||
|||31,716||21,423|
|||2,895
28,821||-
21,423|
|||31,716||21,423|
The company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31st March 2021.
The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31st March 2021 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.
The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts:
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 board of Trustees and signed on its behalf by:
Dr S Meech - Trustee
Date: 14th October 2021
The notes on pages 7 to 10 form part of these financial statements
_Page 6_
**THE DUCHENNE FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE) NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2021**
## 1 **Accounting policies**
## 1.1 **Basis of preparation**
The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. The financial statements are prepared under the historical cost convention and 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 in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006. The accounts include the results of the charity's operations which are described in the Trustees' Report, all of which are continuing.
## 1.2 **Income**
Voluntary income including donations, gifts and legacies and grants that provide core funding or are of a general nature are recognised where there is entitlement, certainty of receipt and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. Such income is only deferred when:
- The donor specifies that the grant or donation must only be used in future accounting periods; or
- The donor has imposed conditions which must be met before the charity has unconditional entitlement.
Investment income is recognised on a receivable basis.
## 1.3 **Volunteers and donated services and facilities**
The value of services provided by volunteers is not incorporated into these financial statements. Further details of the contribution made by volunteers can be found in the trustees’ annual report.
## 1.4 **Expenditure**
Expenditure is recognised when a liability is incurred.
Costs of raising funds are those costs incurred in attracting voluntary income, and those incurred in trading activities that raise funds.
Charitable activities include expenditure associated with the production of the newsletter and other information, provision of a helpline and volunteer network services and provision of events and holidays, together with support costs relating to these activities.
Governance costs include those incurred in the governance of the charity and its assets and are primarily associated with constitutional and statutory requirements.
Support costs include central functions and have been allocated to activity cost categories on a basis consistent with the use of resources.
## 1.5 **Funds structure**
The charity has a number of restricted income funds to account for situations where a donor requires that a donation must be spent on a particular purpose or where funds have been raised for a specific purpose.
All other funds are unrestricted income funds.
## 2 **Income**
|**Income**|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Unrestricted**||**Restricted**||**Total**||
||**2021**|**2020**|**2021**|**2020**|**2021**|**2020**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|Grants and donations|10,667|2,269|9,000|1,210|19,667|3,479|
|Event contributions|-|-|-|10,528|-|10,528|
_Page 7_
**THE DUCHENNE FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE) NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2021**
|Fundraising
16,629
27,296
3
**Cost of raising funds**
Fundraising costs
Support costs (see note 5)
4
**Analysis of charitable expenditure**|24,889|-
9,000|-|16,629|24,889|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||27,158||11,738|36,296|38,896|
|||||**2021**
**£**
2,336
113|**2020**
**£**
2,142
148|
|||||2,449|2,290|
|||||||
|**Restricted**
Family event costs
Pears costs
Remembrance event costs and bereavement support
**Unrestricted**
Travel
Conferences etc
Printing including newsletter production
Website
Support and governance costs (see note 5)|**Total**
**2021**
**£**
161
6,105
261|**Total**
**2020**
**£**
22,035
-
3,029|
|---|---|---|
||6,527|25,064|
||52
152
5,411
149
11,263|378
1,332
7,956
149
8,373|
||17,027|18,188|
||23,554|43,252|
## 5 **Support costs**
|Administrator’s salary
Committee meeting costs
Telephone and internet
Postage and stationery and office costs
Insurance
Office rent
Legal and professional fees
Independent examiner’s fees
_2020_
_Administrator’s salary_
_Committee meeting costs_
_Telephone and internet_
_Postage and stationery and office costs_
_Insurance_
_Office rent_|**Generating**
**Funds**
£
-
-
-
-
113
-
-|**Direct**
**Charitable**
**£**
7,480
-
184
374
293
-
882
-
9,357
**_£_**
_4,801_
_89_
_292_
_570_
_293_
_80_|**Governance**
**£**
831
-
21
41
45
-
98
870|**Total**
**2021**
**£**
8,311
-
205
415
451
-
980
870|**Total**
**2020**
**£**
5,334
138
325
633
451
80
942
618|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||113||1,906|11,376|8,521|
||_£_
_-_
_35_
_-_
_-_
_113_
_-_||**_£_**
_533_
_14_
_33_
_63_
_45_
_-_|**_£_**
_5,334_
_138_
_325_
_633_
_451_
_80_||
_Page 8_
**THE DUCHENNE FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE) NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2021**
|_Legal and professional fees_
_Independent examiner’s fees_|_-_|_848_
_-_
_6,973_|_94_
_618_|_942_
_618_|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||_148_||_1,400_|_8,521_|
## 6 **Trustees’ remuneration and expenses**
Trustees received no emoluments in the year.
During the year no trustees were reimbursed out of pocket expenses for travelling which totalled £0 (2020 : two trustees totalling £95).
## 7 **Analysis of staff costs**
|**Analysis of staff costs**|||
|---|---|---|
|Salaries and wages
Social security costs|**Total**
**2021**
**£**
8,311
-|**Total**
**2020**
**£**
5,334
-|
||8,311|5,334|
## 8 **Staff numbers**
The average number of full-time employees (including casual and part-time staff) during the year was as follows:
|Charitable activities
Governance
Average number of staff (headcount)|**Total**
**2021**
0.44
0.02|**Total**
**2020**
0.24
0.02|
|---|---|---|
||0.46|0.26|
||1|1|
## 9 **Taxation**
The company is a registered charity and no provision is considered necessary for taxation.
## 10 **Debtors**
|**Debtors**|||
|---|---|---|
|Prepaid fundraising costs
Prepaid event costs|**2021**
**£**
1,980
3,661|**2020**
**£**
1,980
3,661|
||5,641|5,641|
## 11 **Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**
|Event contributions received in advance
Social security and other taxes
Other creditors and accruals|**2021**
**£**
800
-
870|**2020**
**£**
800
22
618|
|---|---|---|
||1,670|1,440|
_Page 9_
**THE DUCHENNE FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE) NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2021**
## 12 **Analysis of charitable funds**
|**Restricted funds**
Pears fund
Remembrance events fund
Events fund
**Unrestricted funds**
General fund|**Brought**
**Forward**
**£**
-
-
-|**Incoming**
**resources**
**£**
9,000
-
-
9,000
27,296
36,296|**Resources**
**expended**
**£**
(6,105)
(261)
(161)|**Transfers**
**£**
-
261
161|**Carried**
**Forward**
**£**
2,895
-
-|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||-||(6,527)|422|2,895|
||21,423||(19,476)|(422)|28,821|
||21,423||(26,003)|-|31,716|
## **Description of restricted funds**
_Events fund:_ - Funding raised by individuals for the provision of holidays and events
_Remembrance event fund_ – Donations received with instructions to use towards the costs of providing a remembrance event as part of bereavement support.
## 13 **Analysis of net assets between funds**
|Cash at bank and in hand
Other net current assets/liabilities
_2020_
_Cash at bank and in hand_
_Other net current assets/liabilities_|**General**
**fund**
**£**
24,850
3,971
28,821
**_£_**
_17,680_
_4,201_
_21,881_|**Restricted**
**funds**
**£**
2,895
-|**Total**
**2021**
**£**
27,745
3,971|**Total**
**2020**
**£**
17,222
4,201|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||2,895|31,716|21,423|
|||**_£_**
_(458)_
_-_|**_£_**
_17,222_
_4,201_|**_£_**
_26,808_
_1,261_|
|||_(458)_|_21,423_|_28,069_|
## 14 **Legal status of charity**
The charity is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. The liability of each member in the event of winding up is limited to £1.
## 15 **Related party transactions**
Donations totalling £0 were made to the charity by no trustees during the year.
_Page 10_