## Canvas Report and Accounts Year ended 30 June 2023 1 Lamb's Passage, London EC1Y 8AB www.stewardship.org.uk ## **CANVAS** ## **LEGAL & ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS** ## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2023** ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE 3A Teignmouth Road Birmingham B29 7BA GOVERNING DOCUMENT CIO - Foundation Conversion Dated 18 Jun 2019 CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1138522 TRUSTEES RESPONSIBLE FOR Christine Barber (resigned April 2023) MANAGING THE CHARITY Ashley Dukart Thomas Gallant Peter Horrox (resigned January 2023) Vanessa Vogt Emma Woods (appointed April 2023) Miles Costello (appointed April 2023) Aimee Gatting (appointed April 2023) INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Sarah Crispin ACA Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB **INDEX** Page 1 Legal & Administrative Details Pages 2-4 Trustees' Report Page 5 Independent Examiner's Report Page 6 Receipts and Payments Account Page 7 Statement of Assets & Liabilities Page 8 Notes to the Accounts Page 1 ## **CANVAS** ## **REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES** ## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2023** The Trustees have pleasure in submitting the Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 June 2023. ## **Objects of the charity** The charity is a charitable incorporated organisation and is governed by its Constitution. The objects of the charity, as set out in the governing document are: The advancement of the Christian faith in accordance with the statement of beliefs appearing in the schedule hereto in Birmingham and in such other parts of the United Kingdom or the world as the trustees may from time to time think fit and to fulfil such other purposes which are exclusively charitable according to the law of England and Wales and are connected with the charitable work of the charity. ## **Summary of the charity's main activities and achievements** In planning the activities the Trustees have applied the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charity Commission. To further the above objectives and vision, the charity's main activities and achievements were as follows: Throughout the 2022-23 academic year, Canvas continued to work towards its mission in both Birmingham and Nottingham. The principal aim of the charity is to advance the Christian faith by bringing New Testament concepts of the church into the 21st century in a university student environment. The charity provides space for students to experience real community, figure out life & faith together, and bring a bit more love to their local area. Both locations have a building, which is a home-away-from-home where students can drop by for free tea and coffee, play games, or complete university work throughout the week. We are a diverse community where anyone is welcome and can belong, regardless of religion, ethnicity, background, sexuality, and be a part of something bigger than themselves. Around 160 students were a part of the overall Canvas community, fostered by nine staff members. In Nottingham, we were able to bring back forty students from the previous academic year. Our main goal for the 22-23 school year was to keep Jesus the number one priority. It is so easy to get distracted in the mission and chase other things that are not Jesus (control, numbers, practice). However, as we see in the Bible, when we keep our eyes on Jesus everything else falls into place. For our team, this meant devoting more of our time as a team to prayer. We began each week in contemplative prayer and see where God would lead us. In the autumn this looked like having two events. The first event was a free dinner event for new students to find welcome and belonging in the Canvas community. The second was a faith-based event where one team member would give a talk on the Christian faith. In January we merged both events into one on Tuesday evenings, and it was a major success. More people engaged in the faith components of Canvas while attendance was still large. Our second goal was for our team to participate in the larger Christian community. We did this by intentionally discipling the Christian students who were a part of our community. Some of these students encouraged and invited their friends to Canvas. A second way was by partnering with local churches in the area. We were able to host our end-of-the-year celebration at a local church for free. It was a major blessing that saved us some money. The last goal for the year was for our local community to know more about Jesus. We, as Christians, believe that Jesus is the best news and has the power to transform lives. We desired to see the entire community transformed (students, businesses, families). We did this by sharing Jesus-centred conversations we had. A second way we did this was to pray before each hangout. Page 2 ## **CANVAS** ## **REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES** ## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2023** In Birmingham, our themes for the year were team balance and student growth. We had 12 students volunteer as ‘Student Leaders’ where they had the opportunity to help shape the culture of Canvas, serve the community and explore faith on their own terms. The student leaders were mentored by Canvas staff members by meeting with them weekly, having intentional conversation and checking in with them about life and faith, family, uni, relationships, mental health and more. Around Easter time, 2 of our staff members took 6 students to Eastern Poland to work with ministry partners to serve refugees coming in from Ukraine. It was an incredible experience for everyone that helped students grow in serving other people in need, and also meant that they got to witness what faith in action looked like as we were working in tandem with churches. We had our regular events at Canvas which were: ● Tuesday lunch - free hotdog for students to come into the Canvas house and get to know others in th community ●Thursday dinner - sit down dinner and a talk on life and faith from the Canvas staff, followed by desse and board games until late The house was also open Monday - Thursday for students to come by and study, chat, play a boardgame; whatever they needed the most. We also had two small groups on the go which included: - Alpha - faith based video and discussion group to discover more about Jesus - Rock climbing - join others in bouldering at ‘the depot’ as a way to bond and have fun together as - community Our big events of the year were a weekend away in February and Week of Fun in the summer. At the weekend away, we took 25 students to Wales for the opportunity to bond as a community, get out of Birmingham and have some fun and share discussions on life and faith. Week of Fun was a great way to finish the year with fun events for students to make memories and reflect on their time at Canvas and university. ## **Financial review** During the year income decreased by £6,502, to £122,975, and expenditure increased by £7,041, to £133,799. As a result the cash held by the charity decreased by £10,824, to £31,795 of which £31,513 is unrestricted and can be used for any charitable purpose. ## **Reserves policy** The Board of Directors have established a policy whereby free reserves held by the charity should be maintained at a sufficient level to maintain the charity’s operations which does not need to be substantial due to the level of commitment from its supporter network. At year end the charity has approximately three months equivalent expenditure in free cash reserves £31,513 (2022: £42,337) ## **Governance** Responsibility for setting policy, for determining the parameters within which the charity should operate and for making operating decisions rests with the trustees who meet regularly to monitor the activities of the charity. Responsibility for the day to day operation of the charity has been delegated to a senior management team led by the team leaders/managers of both the Birmingham and Nottingham locations. New trustees are recruited and appointed by the existing trustees, by a majority vote. Page 3 ## **CANVAS** ## **REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES** ## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2023** ## **Risk statement** The charity is exposed to various risks - be they operational, financial or reputational. The trustees review the charity's activities regularly to identify significant risks and, where possible, they take appropriate measures to mitigate those risks. ## **Responsibilities of trustees** Charity law requires us as Trustees to prepare financial statements for each accounting year which record the receipts and payments of the charity for the year. We are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable us to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011. We also have a responsibility to safeguard the assets of the charity and to take reasonable steps to prevent fraud or any other irregularities. ## **Approval** This report was approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by: ## TGallant > TGallant (Apr 15, 2024 16:16 GMT+1) ___________________________ Thomas Gallant Date:_______________________ Apr 15, 2024 Page 4 ## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT** ## **TO THE TRUSTEES OF** ## **CANVAS** I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Canvas ('the charity') for the year ended 30 June 2023 on pages 6 to 8 following. ## **Responsibilities and basis of report** As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’). I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable 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 material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: 1. accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with the accounting records. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. ## Sarah Crispin Sarah Crispin (Apr 23, 2024 11:40 GMT+1) Sarah Crispin ACA Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB > Date: Apr 23, 2024 Page 5 ## **CANVAS** ## **RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT** ## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2023** |Notes
**_Income receipts_**
Donations
Income from courses and events
**_Total receipts_**
**_Payments_**
2
**_Total payments_**
Transfers between funds
4
**Net movement in funds**
Cash funds as at last year end
**Cash funds at this year end**
A
Net of receipts / (payments) before
Payments
in
relation
to
charitable
activities undertaken directly|General
Funds
£
122,670
305
122,975
133,799
133,799
(10,824)
-
(10,824)
42,337
31,513|Restricted
Funds
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
282
282|2023
£
122,670
305
122,975
133,799
133,799
(10,824)
-
(10,824)
42,619
31,795|2022
£| |---|---|---|---|---| |||||128,536
941| |||||129,477| |||||126,758| |||||126,758| |||||2,719
-| |||||2,719
39,900| |||||42,619| The notes on page 8 form part of these accounts. Page 6 ## **CANVAS** ## **STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES** ## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2023** |Notes
**A Cash funds**
Cash at bank with immediate access
Petty cash
**B Other monetary assets**
Gift aid due to charity
Rent Deposits
**C Liabilities**
**Falling due within one year**
Fee for Independent Examination
Accrued expenses
**Total**|General
funds
£
30,592
921
31,513
326
3,725
4,051
1,260
-
1,260|Restricted
funds
£
282
-
282
-
-
-
-
-
-|2023
£
30,874
921
31,795
326
3,725
4,051
1,260
-
1,260|2022
£| |---|---|---|---|---| |||||42,230
389| |||||42,619| |||||302
3,725| |||||4,027| |||||1,170
1,210| |||||2,380| ## **D Guarantees and secured debts** The charity has not given any guarantees and has not provided its assets as security for any liabilities. The accounts were approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by: ## TGallant TGallant (Apr 15, 2024 16:16 GMT+1) ___________________________________ Thomas Gallant Date:_______________________ Apr 15, 2024 The notes on page 8 form part of these accounts. Page 7 ## **CANVAS** ## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS** ## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2023** ## **1 Accounting policies** The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis and comprise a statement that shows the charity's receipts and payments, a statement that summarises the charity's assets and liabilities and related notes. The accountancy profession have determined that only accounts prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards present a 'true and fair' view and, as these receipts and payments accounts have not (and cannot) be prepared in accordance with accounting standards, these accounts do not present (and are not intended to present) a 'true and fair' view of the charity's financial activities and state of affairs. General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity. Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the trustees for particular purposes. Restricted funds are donations which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors; they include donations received from appeals for specific activities or projects. |**2**
**Payments in relation to charitable activities undertaken directly**
Outreach Activities
Staff costs
Team retreat, meetings and expenses
Rent
Equipment and refurbishment
Travel
Exchange Student costs
Independent examiner's fees
Office running costs & professional fees
Governance costs incl legal fees|General
funds
£
16,712
62,943
7,660
20,840
656
2,481
1,129
585
20,633
161
133,799|Restricted
Funds
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-|Total
2023
£
16,712
62,943
7,660
20,840
656
2,481
1,129
585
20,633
161
133,799|Total
2022
£| |---|---|---|---|---| |||||17,990
55,872
9,933
21,269
2,251
1,603
579
2,689
14,404
169| |||||126,758| ## **3 Transactions with related parties** T Gallant served as Birmingham Team Leader and was paid £20,846 (2022: £13,042) for serving in that capacity, not for serving as a trustee; these payments are permitted by the charity's governing document. J Gallant is the spouse of T Gallant and was paid £20,846 (2022: £13,042) during the year. ## **4 Movement of funds** |**vement of funds**|||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |General funds
Restricted funds
Weekend scholarships
Total funds|Opening
balance
£
42,337
282
42,619|Receipts
£
122,975
-
122,975|Payments
£
(133,799)
-
(133,799)|Transfers
£
-
-
-|Closing
balance
£
31,513
282| ||||||31,795| The restricted fund balance is to be used towards scholarships for students to be able to go on our bi-annual weekend retreat in March. Page 8