Registered number: 07525232 Charity number: 1142173
THE ABUBILLA MUSIC FOUNDATION (A company limited by guarantee)
UNAUDITED
TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED FEBRUARY 29th 2024
THE ABUBILLA MUSIC FOUNDATION (A company limited by guarantee)
CONTENTS
| REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATE DETAILS OF THE COMPANY, ITS TRUSTEES AND ADVISORS | 2 |
|---|---|
| TRUSTEES’ REPORT | 3 |
| STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES INCORPORATING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT | 7 |
| BALANCE SHEET | 8 |
| NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS | 10 |
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THE ABUBILLA MUSIC FOUNDATION (A company limited by guarantee)
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATE DETAILS OF THE COMPANY, ITS TRUSTEES AND ADVISORS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 29 FEBRUARY 2024
Trustees
Mr J G Allen Mrs K Allen Ms. Kayleigh McKnight
Company registered number
07525232
Charity registered number
1142173
Registered office
29F Charles Street, Barnes, England, SW13 0NZ
Bankers
Santander Business Banking, Bridle Road, Bootle, L30 4GB
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THE ABUBILLA MUSIC FOUNDATION (A company limited by guarantee)
TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 29 FEBRUARY 2024
The Trustees, who are also the directors of the company, present their annual report together with the financial statements for the period 1 March 2023 to 29 February 2024. The Trustees confirm that the Annual Report and financial statements of the company comply with the current statutory requirements, the requirements of the company's governing document and the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP), applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015) as amended by Update Bulletin 1 (effective 1 January 2015).
The Trustees, who are also the directors for the purposes of company law, have pleasure in presenting their report and the unaudited financial statements of the charity for the period 1 March 2023 to 29 February 2024.
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT
The Abubilla Music Foundation is controlled by its Memorandum & Articles of Association and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee as defined by the Companies Act 2006. There are three directors of the company who are also the trustees of the charity. The trustees who served the charity during the period were:
- Mr James Allen, Mrs Katharine Allen and Ms Kayleigh McKnight
The charity also employed the services of part-time, freelance personnel during the period when required:
-
Iona Gaskell: Has been working closely with us to exhibit Singing Wells at two major artistic festivals in the Middle East and Nordics.
-
Helena Wheatley: Has been working closely with us to refresh Singing Wells brand and market position.
-
Elliot Wenman: Charity administration
Volunteers
Hunter Allen, Daisy Bard, Kathy Allen and James Allen once again joined the Singing Wells field recording team as volunteers to Rwanda. Tabu Osusa, Steve Kivutia and Patrick Ondiek from Ketebul Music also joined field recording trips on an ‘expenses only’ basis.
The charity is also grateful for the voluntary support of advisors to the Singing Wells project including James Isabirye: an expert on the music and culture of Uganda, secretary of cultural organisation National Council of Folklorists of Uganda (NACOFU) and organiser of a Ugandan tribal music festival.
AIMS & OBJECTIVES
The charitable objects of the Abubilla Music Foundation as set out in its Memorandum and Articles of Association remain unchanged:
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THE ABUBILLA MUSIC FOUNDATION (A company limited by guarantee)
The advancement of the arts, culture and heritage by the performance of high standard traditional and contemporary world music and dance and the recording and sharing via accessible formats of music and dance in particular but not limited to the music and dance of East Africa and South America.
In fulfilling our objective the trustees will:
-
Identify and support partner organisations that are dedicated to leveraging music for the social good and to preserving the musical cultural heritage of their region, in keeping with our own objectives.
-
Work with organisations that have demonstrated a track record in their field, preferably over a minimum of three years, and have also demonstrated successful collaboration with other 3rd party NGOs.
-
Seek to work with organisations with an inspirational leader and strong management who show a long- term commitment to their project goals.
-
Choose partners who fully recognize the support that the Abubilla Music Foundation is able to offer and who will commit to the joint project at all levels to ensure its success from start to finish.
-
Work with partner organisations towards a tangible project outcome that reflects our objectives and is beneficial to the widest possible audience.
The trustees will choose to support projects based on certain criteria:
-
It is recognized that the project is best conducted as not-for-profit rather than as a commercial enterprise.
-
The outcome of the project will be critical to the mission of the partner organisation.
-
The project will benefit from the particular skills, services and knowledge sharing that the Abubilla Music Foundation is able to provide.
-
Projects will not be restricted to certain countries. Our interest lies in the cultural music heritage of indigenous populations around the world
Aims of the Singing Wells Project
East Africa is a region with a diverse cultural heritage. Its borders encompass a multitude of different ethnic groups, each with their own unique traditions and histories, languages and dialects, religions and beliefs, ways of dressing, music and dance. Over time, many of these traditional practices have been lost and there is little doubt that the pace of social, political and economic change today is in danger of obscuring the region’s cultural heritage. The importance of preserving music traditions cannot be underestimated. It provides a link from the past to the present and into the future and promotes a sense of national pride. With Singing Wells we aim to:
-
Preserve the rich music heritage of East Africa
-
Introduce East African tribal music to a new generation of musicians and music fans
-
Offer tangible and lasting benefits to the musicians and village communities we visit
ACHIEVEMENTS & PERFORMANCE 2023/24
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THE ABUBILLA MUSIC FOUNDATION (A company limited by guarantee)
Our activities in the last year have been centred on the continuation of the Singing Wells project to document, record, preserve, promote and share the cultural music heritage of East Africa. We have achieved this by working alongside our project partners from Ketebul Music in Nairobi, a non-profit organisation whose mission statement is to 'identify, preserve, conserve and to promote the diverse music traditions of East Africa'. The AMF is committed to providing the resources that allow Ketebul Music to continue the Singing Wells project and extend its reach to cover the majority of the traditional music genres of the region.
In supporting the musical heritage of East Africa, we consider that 2023 has been a critical moment to launch the ‘next phase’ of Singing Wells:
-
Phase One: Field Work. The bulk of what we’ve done with Singing Wells has been Field Work and its follow up, recording music in the field and then publishing our field notes and videos online. In 2023, we continued this with a trip to Rwanda.
-
Phase Two: Improve Archive and Build Awareness: While we have worked at the margin on good archiving and awareness building, we have not made this a major priority. Funds are always limited and we felt the highest return for the charity was field visits. But now, we are discovering that we have built an amazing foundation of music, but we can and should do more to make the archive more ‘user friendly’, more ‘story and theme based’ and we can do far more to build awareness for the music and artists we feature. We have focused a lot of time in this reporting period to these efforts including hiring part time professionals to help us with our Sales and Marketing Efforts in London.
-
Audio & Video Training: We continue to support the training of Ketebul Music personnel in field and studio recording techniques by sharing knowledge and expertise. To this end, in 2023 we granted Ketebul new computer equipment to help with our archiving project.
-
Story/Theme Development: We invested a lot of time in developing new materials to support our Ketebul team in the telling of the Singing Wells story
-
Partnership Outreach: We have developed partnerships with several festivals who are including the Singing Wells story including Natasha Ginwala, Curator, Sharjah Biennial 16
Public Benefit
The aim of the Abubilla Music Foundation and the cornerstone of our activities, is the performance, recording and promotion of traditional cultural music from around the world. We are particularly passionate about the music of East Africa and, to date, our work with the Singing Wells project has largely been focused in this region. In producing audio and video recordings of this music and giving free access to those recordings, we believe that there is real public benefit in what we are doing to preserve, protect and celebrate the cultural music heritage of the communities we visit.
A Final Word
Our goal as we head into 2024 remains our commitment to sustain and celebrate the extraordinary cultural music heritage of East Africa and to help make this legacy relevant and fresh to today’s audiences. We have always recognised however that the region is facing ‘bigger’ problems and more
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THE ABUBILLA MUSIC FOUNDATION (A company limited by guarantee)
urgent needs. Sometimes we find it hard to argue that music is more important than, say, helping a hungry family or providing basic medicine to a child. This led us to look more closely at the importance of music within a community and consider how music can actually be a sign of a healthy, happy and successful village.
In our travels with Singing Wells, we have witnessed wonderfully strong and vibrant music groups which invariably means a strong and vibrant village community behind them. This does not necessarily equate to affluence but in our view great music is a proxy for strong social cohesion. It remains the primary cultural carrier, a vehicle for stories, the soundtrack to rites of passage and celebration. Music is at the roots of culture and we called our project Singing Wells because we wanted to evoke the notion of music as a source, the well, from which all else is nurtured. Songs and dance can keep communities together. We witnessed this in northern Uganda where we heard stories of how music saved the lives of people caught up in the civil war there. And in our trip to Rwanda in 2023, we again witnessed the ability of music and dance to restore, this time a nation torn apart 30 years ago by genocide.
So we conclude that our mission to identify, preserve, promote and celebrate fantastic music traditions will help identify healthy and vibrant villages and communities which, with the help of other aid agencies if needed, can be sustained in the long term.
The Trustees, who are also the directors for the purposes of company law, have pleasure in presenting their report and the unaudited financial statements of the charity for the period ended 29th February 2024.
……………………..
J Allen Trustee
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THE ABUBILLA MUSIC FOUNDATION (A company limited by guarantee)
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES INCORPORATING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 29 FEBRUARY 2024
| Note INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS Donations and legacies 2 Charitable Activities 3 Other income 4 TOTAL INCOME EXPENDITURE ON: Raising funds Charitable activities: Governance 5 Other charitable activities TOTAL EXPENDITURE 6 NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) 7 NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Total funds brought forward TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD |
Unrestricted Funds 2024 £ Total Funds 2024 £ Total Funds 2023 £ 29,270 29,270 2,502 651 651 51 0 0 0 |
|---|---|
| 29,921 29,921 2,553 |
|
| 0 0 0 1,140 1,140 898 28,841 28,841 2,078 |
|
| 29,981 29,981 2,976 |
|
| (60) (60) (423) (60) (60) (423) |
|
| 32 32 455 |
|
| (28) (28) 32 |
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THE ABUBILLA MUSIC FOUNDATION
(A company limited by guarantee)
BALANCE SHEET AS AT 29 FEBRUARY 2024
| 2024 | 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Note | £ | £ | |
| FIXED ASSETS | |||
| Tangible assets | 8 | 112 | 0 |
| CURRENT ASSETS | |||
| Debtors: amounts falling due within one year | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Cash at bank and in hand | 685 | 59 | |
| TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS | 685 | 59 | |
| LIABILITIES | |||
| Creditors: amounts falling due within one year | 10 | 825 | 28 |
| NET CURRENT ASSETS | (140) | 32 | |
| TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT | |||
| LIABILITIES | (252) | 32 | |
| CHARITY FUNDS | |||
| Unrestricted funds | 11 | (28) | 32 |
| TOTAL FUNDS | (28) | 32 |
The company’s financial statements have been prepared in accordance with provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.
The Trustees consider that the company is entitled to exemption from the requirement to have an audit under the provisions of section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 (“the Act”) and members have not required the company to obtain an audit for the year in question in accordance with section 476 of the Act.
The Trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 with respect to accounting records and the preparation of financial statements.
The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Trustees on 20th November 2024 and signed on their behalf by:
……………………….
J Allen
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THE ABUBILLA MUSIC FOUNDATION (A company limited by guarantee)
The notes on pages 10 to 17 form part of these financial statements.
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THE ABUBILLA MUSIC FOUNDATION (A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 29 FEBRUARY 2024
1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES
1.1. Basis of preparation of financial statements
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 in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.
The financial statements have been prepared to give a ‘true and fair’ view and have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a ‘true and fair’ view. This departure has involved following the Charities SORP (FRS 102) published on 16 July 2014 rather than the Accounting and Reporting by Charities” Statement of Recommended Practice effective from 1 April 2005 which has since been withdrawn.
The Abubilla Music Foundation meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy.
1.2. Reconciliation with previous Generally Accepted Accounting Practice
In preparing these accounts, the Trustees have considered whether in applying the accounting policies required by FRS 102 and the Charities SORP FRS 102 the restatement of comparative items was required.
No restatements were required.
1.3. Company status
The company is a company limited by guarantee. The members of the company are the Trustees named on page 1. In the event of the company being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the company.
1.4. Income
All income is recognised once the company has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount of income receivable can be measured reliably.
For legacies, entitlement is taken as the earlier of the date on which either: the company is aware the probate has been granted, the estate has been finalised and notification has been made by the executor(s) to the Trust that a distribution will be made, or when a distribution is received from the estate. Receipt of a legacy, in whole or in part, is only considered probably when the amount can be measured reliably and the company has been notified of the executor’s intention to make a distribution. Where legacies have been notified to the company, or the company is aware of the granting of probate, and the
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THE ABUBILLA MUSIC FOUNDATION (A company limited by guarantee)
criteria for income recognition have not been met, then the legacy is treated as a contingent asset and disclosed if material.
1.5. Expenditure
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charged allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
Fundraising costs are those incurred in seeing voluntary contributions and do not include the costs of disseminating information in support of the charitable activities. Governance costs are those incurred in connection with administration of the company and compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements.
Costs of generating funds are costs incurred in attracting voluntary income, and those incurred in trading activities that raise funds.
Charitable activities and Governance costs are costs incurred on the company’s educational operations, including support costs and costs relating to the governance of the company apportioned to charitable activities.
Grants payable are charged in the year when the offer is made except in those cases where the offer is conditional, such grants being recognised as expenditure when the conditions attaching are fulfilled. Grants offered subject to conditions which have not been met at the year end are noted as a commitment, but not accrued as expenditure.
1.6. Tangible fixed assets and depreciation
All fixed assets are initially recorded at cost.
A review for impairment of a fixed asset is carried out if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of any fixed asset may not be recoverable. Shortfalls between the carrying value of fixed assets and their recoverable amounts are recognised as impairments. Impairment losses are recognised in the Statement of financial activities incorporating income and expenditure account.
Tangible fixed assets are carried at cost, net of depreciation and any provision for impairment. Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost of fixed asset, less their estimated residual value, over their expected useful lives on the following bases:
Plant and machinery - 25% Straight Line
1.7. Interest receivable
Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be
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THE ABUBILLA MUSIC FOUNDATION (A company limited by guarantee)
measured reliably by the company; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the Bank.
1.8. Cash at Bank and in hand
Cash at bank and in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.
1.9. Liabilities and provision
Liabilities are recognised when there is an obligation at the Balance sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefit will be required in settlement, and the amount of the settlement can be estimated reliably. Liabilities are recognised at the amount that the company anticipates it will pay to settle the debt or the amount it has received as advance payments for the goods or services it must provide Provisions are measured at the best estimate of the amounts required to settle obligation. Where the effect of the time value of money is material, the provision is based on the present value of those amounts, discounted at the pre-tax discount rate that reflects the risks specific to the liability. The unwinding of the discount is recognised within interest payable and similar charges.
1.10. Foreign currencies
Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into sterling at rates of exchange ruling at the balance sheet date.
Transactions in foreign currencies are translated into sterling at the rate ruling on the date of the transaction.
Exchange gains and losses are recognised in the Statement of financial activities incorporating income and expenditure account.
1.11. Fund accounting
General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the company and which have not been designated for other purposes.
Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the company for particular purposes. The costs of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fun. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.
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THE ABUBILLA MUSIC FOUNDATION (A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 29 FEBRUARY 2024
2. INCOME FROM DONATIONS AND LEGACIES
| Donations Total 2023 |
Unrestricted Funds 2024 £ Total Funds 2024 £ Total Funds 2023 £ 29,270 29,270 2,502 |
|---|---|
| 2,502 2,502 |
3. INCOME FROM CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
| IP royalties connected to Promotion of Arts Sale of Singing Wells compilation CDs |
Unrestricted Funds 2024 £ Total Funds 2024 £ Total Funds 2023 £ 0 0 0 651 651 51 |
|---|---|
| 651 651 51 |
4. OTHER INCOME
| Unrestricted Funds 2024 | Total | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| £ | Funds | Funds | |
| 2024 | 2023 | ||
| £ | £ | ||
| Historic income found in PayPal | |||
| account | |||
| (Untraceable due to PayPal's | |||
| limited records) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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THE ABUBILLA MUSIC FOUNDATION (A company limited by guarantee)
5. GOVERNANCE COSTS
| Accountancy fees Bank charges Administration expenses Design and website development Depreciation |
Unrestricted Funds 2024 £ Total Funds 2024 £ Total Funds 2023 £ 0 0 0 50 50 25 828 828 356 225 225 75 37 37 443 |
|---|---|
| 1,140 1,140 898 |
6. ANALYSIS OF EXPENDITURE BY EXPENDITURE TYPE
| Expenditure on fundraising trading Cost of raising funds Expenditure/ donation for Singing Wells/ musical grants Promotion of arts Charitable activities Expenditure on governance Total Total 2023 |
Depreciation 2024 £ Other Costs 2024 £ Total 2024 £ Total 2023 £ 0 0 0 0 |
|---|---|
| 0 0 0 0 |
|
| 0 27,024 27,024 2,078 0 1,817 1,817 0 |
|
| 0 28,841 28,841 2,078 |
|
| 37 1,103 1,140 898 |
|
| 37 29,944 29,981 2,976 |
|
| 443 2,533 2,976 |
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THE ABUBILLA MUSIC FOUNDATION
(A company limited by guarantee)
7. NET INCOME / (EXPENDITURE)
This is stated after charging:
| This is stated after charging: | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Depreciation of fixed assets owned by the | ||
| charity | 37 | 443 |
| During the year, no Trustees received any | ||
| remuneration (2023 - £NIL). |
8. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS
| Cost At 1 March 2023 Additions At 29 February 2024 Depreciation At 1 March 2023 Charge for the year At 29 February 2024 Net book value At 29 February 2024 At 1 March 2023 |
Plant and machinery 28,730 149 |
|---|---|
| 28,879 | |
| 28,730 37 |
|
| 28,767 | |
| 112 | |
| 0 |
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THE ABUBILLA MUSIC FOUNDATION (A company limited by guarantee)
9. DEBTORS: Amounts falling due within one year
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |||||
| Prepayments and accrued income | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 10. | CREDITORS: Amounts falling due within one year | |||||
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||
| £ | £ | |||||
| Accruals and deferred income | 825 | 0 | ||||
| 11. | STATEMENT OF FUNDS - CURRENT YEAR | |||||
| Balance at | Balance at | |||||
| 1 | March | 29 February | ||||
| 2023 | Income | Expenditure | 2024 | |||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |||
| Unrestricted funds | ||||||
| General funds - all funds | (615) | 29,921 | (29,981) | (675) | ||
| Other general funds | 647 | 0 | 0 | 647 | ||
| 32 | 29,921 | (29,981) | (28) | |||
| STATEMENT OF FUNDS - PRIOR YEAR | ||||||
| Balance at | Balance at | |||||
| 1 | March | 29 February | ||||
| 2022 | Income | Expenditure | 2023 | |||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |||
| Unrestricted funds | ||||||
| General funds - all funds | (192) | 2,553 | (2,976) | -615 | ||
| Other general funds | 647 | 0 | 0 | 647 | ||
| 455 | 2,553 | (2,976) | 32 |
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THE ABUBILLA MUSIC FOUNDATION (A company limited by guarantee)
12. ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS
ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS - CURRENT YEAR
| Tangible fixed assets Current assets Creditors due within one year |
Unrestricted Funds 2024 £ Total Funds 2024 £ 112 112 685 685 825 825 |
|---|---|
| 1,621 1,621 |
ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS - PRIOR YEAR
| Tangible fixed assets Current assets Creditors due within one year |
Unrestricted Funds 2023 £ Total Funds 2023 £ 0 0 59 59 28 28 |
|---|---|
| 88 88 |
13. CONTROLLING PARTY
The charity is under the control of the trustees.
14. INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REMUNERATIONS
No independent examination was required this year, and a voluntary examination was not undertaken.
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