## **MARS Trust** ## **(Modelling Active Relationship Skills)** ## **Annual Report and Financial Statement** For the year to 31st December 2022 Chairperson: Mr John Rolleston Bank: HSBC, 165-167 High St POOLE Dorset BH15 1AU ## Independent Examiner Sue Wintle, FMAAT 27 Bascott Road, Wallisdown, Bournemouth, Dorset BH11 8RJ Charity Number 1141794 _Page 1 of 7_ _MARS Trust Annual Report 2022 - 2023-08-30 FINAL.docx_ ## **Trustees Report** The trustees present their report and accounts for the year ended 31[st] December 2022. Approved by the Trustees on 13[th] July 2022 and signed on their behalf by: Mr John Rolleston – Treasurer ## **Reference and Administrative Information** Charity name: MARS Trust Charity Registration Number: 1141794 Registered Office: c/o 32 Springdale Road BROADSTONE Dorset BH18 9BU ## **Trustees** The Trustees who served the Charity were as follows: Dr Karen Mounce** Chair (Until July 2022) Victoria (Vicki) Richmond * Secretary (maternity leave part year) John Rolleston** Treasurer – Chair (after July 2022) Nigel Martin* resigned July 2022 Barbara Fletcher* Secretary (during maternity leave) Ian Shears** * Appointed to September 2024 ** Appointed for two years to September 2023 ## **Structure, Governance and Management** ## Governing Document MARS Trust is a charity incorporated by a Declaration of Trust on 30[th] May 2007. Due to its limited income, initially the Trust was not permitted to register with the Charity Commission. ## Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees Trustees are appointed by the existing trustees as and when a need arises and are chosen due to their: - Support of the aims and objectives of the charity - Management, personal or professional skills. Trustees are appointed for periods of two years at a time. _Page 2 of 7_ _MARS Trust Annual Report 2022 - 2023-08-30 FINAL.docx_ ## Organisational Structure and Governance MARS currently has 4 trustees who met four times during the year in addition to the Annual General meeting and who are responsible for the strategic direction and policy of the charity. The Trustees come from a variety of professional backgrounds with experience in management, business, teaching and other social service. The Board undertook a governance review in accordance with the Charity Commission’s seven principles of the Charity Governance Code in 2019. The Trust’s policies have been updated and risks are reviewed frequently in line with government policy. DBS are in place for all MARS Trust staff and volunteers. All staff and trustees completed online safeguard training in 2022. MARS Trust has three part-time members of staff. A Chief Executive Officer, Nicholas Ellis, was appointed in May 2021. Rebecca Bridger, who started at MARS in March 2022 as Training and Development Officer, has worked to update content and volunteer training materials. ## Objectives and Activities. The ‘Objects’ of the charity are the advancement in the United Kingdom of public education in matters concerning interpersonal relationship skills and strengthening and enriching family life, marriage and relationships in accordance with Christian principles and the doing of such things being charitable in law as are incidental or conducive to the attainment of these Objects. ## **Risk Factors** ## Covid-19 Pandemic Pre-pandemic, MARS Trust delivered workshops in secondary schools with trained local volunteers working as facilitators. In 2020 workshops were changed to an on-line format. MARS continued in 2021 to work with schools on-line, with 2 schools taking active part, in the spring and summer terms. In the autumn term 2021, MARS Trust was invited back into 7 schools, with 6 schools engaging in booking workshops. Workshop size was limited to classroom delivery, requiring a change in MARS operations. More volunteer presenters were recruited and trained. The reduction in volunteer facilitator numbers has meant that school teaching staff are now required as facilitators – still supported by experienced and trained MARS volunteers. This new model is developing and being well received by the schools. ## Funding Other main risks for the Trust remain that of achieving regular income from grants, donations from churches, local business, and individual donations. The financial position is reviewed monthly by the Trustees, and the risk tolerance is set at a reserve fund to carry out the next three months activities and salaries. Fundraising is being caried out by Trustees and staff. Fund information services have been joined and accessed. The cyclical rhythm of regular funders means we start the year with healthy cash balance on hand and this depletes _Page 3 of 7_ _MARS Trust Annual Report 2022 - 2023-08-30 FINAL.docx_ through the year until fresh support is received in the autumn. This can present cashflow issues in late summer, we are looking for more funders to make grants mid-year. ## Recruitment The third main risk is recruitment of volunteers. The pandemic has led to a significant reduction in volunteer facilitators. We have overcome this limitation by using schools’ teaching staff to supplement the volunteer facilitators. We continue to present about MARS in local churches, these are the source of most of the MARS volunteers. ## **Achievements** There were four Trustee meetings and the AGM during the year. The activities throughout the year were: 1. Invitations from six schools to deliver MARS workshops in 2022 calendar year. 2. All six workshops were updated to include the “MARS” bespoke video scenarios and to reflect societal changes accelerated by the pandemic. 3. 101 workshops sessions were delivered in 6 schools to 4,529 students. Many more students than 2021 with high number of workshops to accommodate some delivery in classroom groups. 4. Students completed a “before and after” questionnaire at every session and these are used as part of the school feedback reports provided at the end of the school year. The reports show a movement towards a deeper understanding of relationship attributes and skills. 5. New student workbooks and feedback forms developed and used to enhance the learning retention based on the new workshop style and to allow for fewer volunteer facilitators in each session. 6. We returned to meeting face-to-face for Coffee, Cake and Prayer meetings. We continue to be extremely grateful to so many volunteers fulfilling most roles in the Trust. Teaching, training, giving and fundraising are the most visible areas, but without the background effort of many others, the work of the Trust would struggle to be effective. ## **Next Generation MARS Development** NGM relationship scenarios were developed by young people, for young people, and filmed in 2020 for use in MARS School Workshops. These videos are now in use in all workshop sessions to great effect, the pupils relate well to the use of their peer group for this content. ## **Financial Review** Income has recovered well in 2022 with more time and attention available for grant applications. The excess of income over expenses is partly due to the timing of larger grants received in the last 3 months of 2022 which provide the funding for delivery in schools _Page 4 of 7_ _MARS Trust Annual Report 2022 - 2023-08-30 FINAL.docx_ through the rest of the school year. We are delighted with this uplift to enable us to deliver the school sessions in the quantity requested by our partner schools. ## **Presentation of accounts – 1[st] January to 31[st] December 2022** The accounts are prepared on the Receipts & Payments basis and consist of a Balance Sheet, a summary of the ledger for the general fund, a Statement of Assets & Liabilities, and these notes. ## _**General Fund Ledger**_ ## **Income** - This years’ income from grants and smaller gifts totalled just under £33,000. The larger grants were: |rger grants were:|| |---|---| |Alice Cooper Dean|£12,000| |The Valentine Trust|£10,000| |Souter Charitable Trust|£3,000| |St James’ Place|£2,500| |St Marys Longfleet Poole|£2,000| |Magdalen Hospital Trust|£1,800| |Wimborne Minster|£650| |Canford Parish Church|£500| |St Michaels & St Gabriel’s Churches|£150| - There were private donations of about £7,400 and Gift Aid of £1,045. - There were no grants claimed from the Government – local or national. - The fee income paid in the year by schools was £1,320. ## **Expenditure** - This years’ expenditure totalled just over £33,200. The categories were: |General Salaries & Staff Expenses|£30,400| |---|---| |Fundraising Costs|£325| |Development Costs for Next Generation MARS|£0| |Insurance|£377| |Accounting|£163| |Office Eqpt & IT|£609| |Printing & Stationery|£1,353| _Page 5 of 7_ _MARS Trust Annual Report 2022 - 2023-08-30 FINAL.docx_ ## **Summary** Over this year the retained funds have increased to £26,891, giving a healthy balance on hand moving into 2023. It is the general intention of the trustees to maximise the work within the funds available. Fundraising is a constant challenge due to the reliance of the trust on income to cover its’ staffing expenses and remains a high priority. We would like to find funding partners where a longer term commitment (3 to 5 years) could be available: however, we remain very grateful for all the support we receive. We are thankful for the strong position, financially and with our schools’ work, given the challenges we have faced post Covid. _Page 6 of 7_ _MARS Trust Annual Report 2022 - 2023-08-30 FINAL.docx_ ## **Statement of Financial Activities for the calendar year of 2022 Including Income and Expenditure Account** ## _**Notes**_ _1. See above for major grant making bodies._ _2. There are no payments to any related bodies within this total._ _3. The Restricted Fund value is for completion of the Connect2Thrive 6[th] Form materials._ _Page 7 of 7_ _MARS Trust Annual Report 2022 - 2023-08-30 FINAL.docx_ 19[th] October 2023 The Trustees MARS Trust 32 Springdale Road BROADSTONE Dorset BH18 9BU ## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT ON THE ACCOUNTS** ## **Report to the trustees of MARS Trust** ## **On accounts for the year ended 31[st] December 2022 Charity number: 1141794** ## **Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner** The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year (under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the Act)) and that an independent examination is needed. ## It is my responsibility to: - Examine the accounts (under section 145 of the Act); - To follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Act), and - To state whether particular matters have come to my attention. ## **Basis of independent examiner’s statement** My examination was carried out in accordance with General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts. ## **Independent examiner’s statement** In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention: 1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that, in any material respect, the trustees have not met the requirements to ensure that: - a. proper accounting records are kept (in accordance with section 41 of the Act); and - b. accounts are prepared which agree with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Act; or 2. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed: …SueW………………………. Date: ……19-10-2023…………. ## Sue Wintle FMAAT Accounting Technician 27 Bascott Road Wallisdown Bournemouth Dorset BH11 8RJ