THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE
ANNUAL REPORT & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
YEAR ENDING 31 AUGUST 2023
Company Limited by Guarantee
Company Registration Number 07892774
Registered Charity Number 1147287
THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDING 31 AUGUST 2023
| CONTENTS | PAGES |
|---|---|
| Reference and administrative details | 2 |
| Report of the Trustees | 3 - 13 |
| Independent Auditor’s report to the members | 14 - 17 |
| Statement of financial activities | 18 |
| Balance sheet | 19 |
| Statement of cash flows | 20 |
| Notes to the financial statements | 21 - 34 |
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THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
The Board of Trustees
G. J. Haynes (Chairman) A. C. Leakey R. D. White J. A. Wainwright – Resigned 30 March 2023 A. L. Orr-Ewing Dr L. Neilson – Appointed 14 December 2023
Company Secretary
I. Rowbottom
Chief Executive
A. Hawthorne OBE
Business Centre Manager
S. Hawthorne
Registered Office
6 Harper Road Sharston Manchester Lancashire M22 4RG
External Auditors
Beever and Struthers One Express 1 George Leigh Street Ancoats Manchester M4 5DL
Bankers
National Westminster Bank PLC 699 Wilmslow Road Didsbury Manchester M20 6NW
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THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES YEAR ENDING 31 AUGUST 2023
The Trustees have pleasure in presenting their report (including the directors’ report as required by company law) and the financial statements of the charity for the year ending 31 August 2023.
The Message Enterprise Centre is a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity governed by its memorandum and articles of association. Charity number 1147287. Company number 07892774. The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements, the memorandum and articles of association and the Statement of Recommended Practice – Accounting and Reporting by Charities.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
The Message Enterprise Centre was incorporated on 28 December 2011, as a company limited by guarantee, and became a registered charity on 17 May 2012.
The Message Enterprise Centre changed its objects by special resolution on 5 February 2019. Our objective is now:
- To advance the Christian faith and relieve unemployment for the benefit of the public with a specific focus on young people and vulnerable adults who are at risk of re-offending or who have poor employment potential, through education, enterprise, befriending, mentoring, faithbased activities and outreach.
These objects are being worked out in three main areas :
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Building on relationships established by The Message Trust’s Prisons team, providing longterm, one-to-one mentoring and support to ex-offenders upon their release from prison.
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Following a period of probation, offering training and employment to prison leavers in one of our businesses (currently on-site café and catering services, property and events management, and building services) as ‘apprentices’. In addition, we seek to offer the same training and development opportunities in our businesses to those who have poor employment potential, including those previously homeless or suffering from addictions.
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In partnership with local churches, providing resettlement help and supportive community in local areas across Greater Manchester, especially in areas where the Eden Network has a presence.
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
The directors of the charitable company (“the charity”) are its Trustees for the purpose of charity law and throughout this report are collectively referred to as the Trustees.
The Trustees’ recruitment is by personal contact of existing Trustees and the Executive Team. Potential Trustees typically attend board meetings prior to their appointment in order to meet other members of the Board and Executive team to ensure they are a sound match and share the vision and values of the charity. They are then elected by the Board of Trustees in consultation with the Chief Executive, on the basis of their expertise, professional experience and qualifications, wisdom and advice that they can bring to the Management and Administration of the Trust. Training and induction are provided to new Trustees as appropriate.
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THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES YEAR ENDING 31 AUGUST 2023
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT (continued)
The Board of Trustees has a variety of experience including both Christian ministry and commercial business skills. They meet quarterly to oversee the vision and strategies of the charity. Executive Directors and the Business Centre Manager have been appointed by the Trustees to oversee the day-to-day operations of the charity. The Board is accountable to the Charity Commission for the careful use of charitable and other public funds provided in a variety of forms, and for the achievement of appropriate performance standards in service delivery. The Board also undertakes at least one additional annual away-day for the purposes of further developing The Message Enterprise Centre Mission and Vision, and to concentrate on continuous improvement in performance.
With the growth of activities of the Trust an increasing level of expertise is required on a day-to-day basis and an established senior management team is in place that is capable of running the affairs of the Trust. The Trust's senior management team is the Executive Board, headed by the Chief Executive, Mr A Hawthorne. The Executive Board meets monthly, and its members are both jointly and individually accountable via the Chief Executive to the Board of Trustees.
Day-to-day management matters are further scrutinised by a cross-functional team of internal departmental managers who meet regularly, and monthly management accounts are utilised by the Senior Management team to ensure financial budgets and fundraising targets are being met. This group’s work is referred back to the Trustee’s whenever a more significant matter of policy or other key decision-making arises.
The Message recognises the importance of our staff and aims to help them to develop their potential, improve their skills and gain greater job satisfaction.
Summary of priorities:
The Trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aims and objectives and in planning our future activities.
Our mission is to advance the Christian faith, relieve unemployment and help break the pattern of re-offending through one-to-one mentoring, training and employment, and supportive community.
The Message Enterprise Centre’s Executive leadership team seek to achieve this by motivating staff and volunteers with a compelling vision and supporting them within a robust management framework.
Volunteers are crucial to the smooth running of the Centre. Our team of regular volunteers provides support to our businesses, particularly The Mess Café when catering for large functions. We ensure they have comprehensive support in their roles through appropriate policies and procedures, clarifying the extent of their remit and providing checks and balances in relation to the key areas of the Management & HR Strategy.
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THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES YEAR ENDING 31 AUGUST 2023
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
The Message Enterprise Centre: 2022-23 in review
MEC - OUR BUSINESSES
This year, the Message Enterprise Centre continued with its model for training – a model that has skills and discipleship at its heart whilst also aiming to maximise skills development and financial sustainability for our team members. Team member opportunities were offered to individuals in our different social enterprise businesses as well in store, warehouse and logistics roles at the Community Grocery in Sharston.
2022/23 marked the tenth anniversary of the Message Enterprise Centre which first opened its doors and began offering team member opportunities in 2013. In those 10 years:
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89 team members have received employment, training, housing and discipleship.
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100% of our graduates have achieved qualifications and entered employment.
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The programme has helped reduce reoffending rates – the Message Enterprise Centre’s 10year reoffending rate is just 13% compared to a national nine-year average of 75%. For many of those we work with who have reoffended, we also know through our continued contact with them that prison is not the end of their story.
This landmark anniversary was celebrated with a Message Business Network dinner event in February 2023. This was an event which supporters who have stood with us to help make enterprise work happen were invited to celebrate all that’s been achieved. Attendees got to hear first-hand from team members, who have been part of our enterprise in the Message Enterprise Centre about the transformational impact programme has had on their lives. The guest speaker at the dinner was Sir John Timpson CBE, chairman of Timpson’s, who shared a masterclass in upside down management and his experiences in business. The Message Business Network dinner also saw the opening of the larger Sharston Community Grocery store within the enterprise centre.
Demand for the Community Grocery in Sharston continues to increase, as more people find it difficult to put food on the tables amidst the soaring food costs and cost-of-living crisis in the UK. The scale of demand means that the grocery located within the Message Enterprise Centre now serves over 4,000 member families and helps keep them fed, whilst also being the location where wrap-around support courses run from. As member numbers grew, space within the initial store became limited, and a larger store space was required to meet surging demand. Around this time, the organisation renting the adjoining larger unit within the enterprise centre made the decision to vacate the premises and this provided the ideal opportunity to relocate the Community Grocery into the space. The new store was opened in February 2023, and the previous space repurposed into a dedicated courses space which now sees community events and support courses, each designed to help members and their families, running every day of the working week.
Growing food poverty has led to demand for further Community Grocery stores across the UK to continue to grow, so in response to this we have continued to open further stores during 2022/23. There are now 22 stores operating across the UK each launched since September 2020 by The
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THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES YEAR ENDING 31 AUGUST 2023
MEC - OUR BUSINESSES (continued)
Message Trust in partnership with local churches, and there are plans to launch more stores in 2023/24. By the end of August 2023, more than 50,000 member families were relying on Community Grocery stores to keep their families fed.
The location of the Community Grocery next to The Mess Café , coupled with growing food offer, media coverage and increasingly positive Trip Advisor reviews saw the café’s popularity continue to grow, and footfall continue to build. In early 2023, the positivity of reviews led to The Mess Café being rated the no.1 café in Manchester. Throughout the year further opportunities to ensure the café’s efficiency were continually identified and implemented to help reduce costs.
Following the easing of all Covid restrictions, the MEC Events business was able to fully operate and host large-scale events such as live acoustic music nights, weddings and conferences again this year. As awareness of the MEC Events offering has grown we have received an increased number of enquiries and bookings for events, helping to increase the profitability of this area of our work. Tenants within the office space this year included the charity Early Essentials, Our Boards and Pure Innovations, with more tenants due to move into the space during 2023/24.
As in 2021/22, the work of the MEC Building Services has focused primarily on refurbishment and development projects this year, with the team undertaking projects both for The Message, the shop fitting of Community Grocery stores and the refurbishment of the MEC’s rental properties. The team were again involved in the fit out of all the Community Grocery stores that opened this year, as well as continued work on the Sheffield Enterprise Centre in Woodseats and the renovation of the properties to be used by Message School of Evangelism students in 2023/24 due to the course taking on its largest ever intake.
Message School of Evangelism students were housed in MEC properties, with properties also being rented to Message School of Evangelism graduates, team members, some employees of The Message Trust as well as commercial rents.
Following conversations with our Community Grocery church partner in Telford, Wedding Angels was transitioned across to All Nations Church. This decision came at a time when demand for the services of the social enterprises had declined slightly locally and gave the church the opportunity to reach out into their community. The space occupied by Wedding Angels in the MEC was repurposed to be used by the Community Grocery.
As partnerships across the UK grow, our vision to expand our enterprise work into other areas of the UK, offering training and discipleship opportunities to team members remains and continued to grow. Neal Street Espresso , our speciality coffee shop in Covent Garden, continues to go from strength to strength. The quality of its coffee offer has made it popular with visitors, residents and workers in Covent Garden. A pipeline for team members continues to be developed and in 2022/23 new team members joined the team, we also celebrated the graduation of a team member from the Neal Street Espresso enterprise programme and the transformation that had taken place in his life. The function space within Neal Street Espresso continues to be popular with external clients and has been rented out for meetings and events throughout the year, including to clients who are committing to regular bookings. This provides an extra income stream and gives the opportunity to introduce our enterprise work to a wider audience.
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THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES YEAR ENDING 31 AUGUST 2023
MEC - OUR BUSINESSES (continued)
As the financial stability of the activities associated with the Message Enterprise Centre has increased and the risk reduced, discussions began about transferring the activity to sit within The Message Trust, the charity that the Message Enterprise Centre is a subsidiary of. This transfer of the business activities took place in September 2023, however there are no current plans to close the Message Enterprise Centre charity.
MEC - SUPPORTER EVENTS AND FUNDRAISING
Many individuals, businesses and organisations have chosen to support the Message Enterprise Centre during the past year, and we are very grateful to them all.
The majority of our work is funded by sales income from our various social enterprises and support from our parent charity, The Message Trust, which carries out its own fundraising campaigns and events through a centrally employed team as well as using the services of Chell Perkins Ltd for grant funding applications. Both The Message Trust and Chell Perkins Ltd are registered with the Fundraising Regulator and subscribe to The Code of Fundraising Practice.
In February 2023, we celebrated 10 years of the Message Enterprise Centre with a Message Business Network (MBN) dinner which successfully shared the impact of our work and vision with supporters. To build on this, another MBN event is planned for 2023/24.
MEC Businesses: Outcomes against our 2022 – 2023 goals
MEC Businesses
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To open the Mess Café 6 days a week, including Saturdays, and so increase gross profits Achieved – the Mess Café was opening six days a week for a period of time during 2022/23 however team member availability and the income being received against expenditure meant that the café reverted to opening five days a week.
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To employ another team member for Neal Street Espresso, and increase gross profits Achieved – a new team member joined the team and the profitability of the Neal Street Espresso continued to grow during 2022/23.
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For the events business to host 100 training bookings and 15 external events (e.g. weddings, conferences, parties) Achieved – following the easing of Covid restrictions our events bookings have grown again with the Message Enterprise Centre hosting events of all sizes from training conferences and team aways days to weddings and leaving parties.
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To provide accredited training to 4 team members Ongoing – where team members have required accredited training this has been sourced externally, however the training requirements for a number of team members this year centred around skills that can be addressed through internal training.
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THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES
YEAR ENDING 31 AUGUST 2023
MEC Businesses: Outcomes against our 2022 – 2023 goals (Continued)
MEC The Oaks
- For each room to be occupied throughout the year by our Message School of Evangelism students
Ongoing – the Oaks was used to accommodate a number of students as required by the course numbers. The anticipated course growth for 2023/24 means we anticipate the property being at full capacity next year.
MEC Recruitment Pipeline
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To recruit another 5 team members Ongoing – new team members have continued to join the programme and we are still offering support to ex-offenders looking to turn their lives around, as well as increasingly to those who experience significant barriers to employment.
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To train a further 50 new volunteers Achieved – throughout 2022/23 new volunteers have continued to give their time to not only serve in the Mess Café and our social enterprises but at the Community Grocery in Sharston too.
MEC Supporter events and fundraising
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To host 2 business networking / fundraising events
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Achieved – a Message Business Network event was held in February 2023 celebrating 10 years of the Message Enterprise Centre as well as a London vision night that informed supporters about our enterprise work.
CHARITABLE GIVING
Our charitable giving this year totalled £39 (2022: £364) which was mainly gifts to staff of The Message Enterprise Centre.
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THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES YEAR ENDING 31 AUGUST 2023
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The 2023 accounts have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (Statement of Recommended Practice) (second edition – October 2019) 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 (FRS102), as published January 2022.
The Trustees have taken the opportunity to review all The Message Enterprise Centre’s key accounting policies to ensure that they are in accordance with the requirements of the Charities SORP (FRS 102) and best accounting practice.
Review of the year
The total income for the year was £1,431k (2022: £1,243k), with total expenditure of £1,168k (2022: £1,326k). Leaving Unrestricted total funds carried forward of £3,651k (2022: £3,388k) available for future periods, of which £3,601k (2022: £3,344k) is designated for future projects, and £50k (2022: £40k) is general funds freely available to spend on any of the charity’s purposes. There are £nil (2022: £2k) restricted funds carried forward at year-end.
Income and Expenditure
The Message Enterprise Centre' relies on donations as its principal source of funding, whilst the business enterprises are still working towards breaking even. Total donations, including Gift Aid amounted to £122k (2022: £163k).
In addition, The Message Trust gave a separate material item of income to The Message Enterprise Centre totalling £458k (2022: £450k).
Gifts from Foundations and Trusts was £27k (2022: £7k) which is 22.4% (2022: 4%) of all donations. Gifts from individuals (including Gift Aid & Legacies) of £68k (2022: £92k) provided an additional 56.2% (2022: 62%) of all donations, while income from Churches, Ministries and Businesses provided £19k – 15.4% (2022: £12k – 7%). The charity did not receive any government grants in the year £Nil – 0% (2022: £27k – 17%), last year due to COVID the charity received government grants under the furlough scheme. Grants from other sources totalled £1k – 0.8% (2022: £16k – 10%).
Other funds were generated through Charitable Activities, namely the five business enterprises (2022: five), namely The Mess Café, Neal Street Espresso, Property Rental, Building Maintenance, Events & Conferences. Sales, Rental and Event income from the Business Enterprises in the year was £589k (2022: £467k), the increase from prior year is predominantly due to the businesses being able to trade for the full financial year this year, whereas the government-imposed lockdowns during the pandemic restricted trading for parts of the previous year.
Direct costs of the Charitable Activities were £1.1m down £0.2m from prior year (2022: £1.3m), due to the closure of The Oaks project in April 2022, and the transfer of our Wedding Angels business to our Community Grocery church partner in Telford in 2023. 100% was spent on the social enterprises including the salaries of the Apprentices which are partly funded through restricted funds. Support costs were £92k (2022: £70k), and the cost of Raising Funds amounted to £310 in 2023 (2022: £24).
Governance
The £8.7k governance (2022: £7k) includes the expenses associated with Trustee Board meetings, Trustee elections, maintaining our constitution, audit fees and core executive management.
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THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES YEAR ENDING 31 AUGUST 2023
FINANCIAL REVIEW (continued)
Net Expenditure / Income
Net Income before investment gains in the year is £263k (2022: net expenditure £83k) of which £316k net income (2022: net expenditure £2k) is within unrestricted funds and £53k net expenditure (2022: £81k net expenditure) is within restricted funds. During the year the Trustees designated £257k (2022: £184k) to establish sufficient funds for future Message Enterprise projects. In 2023 £51k was transferred from General funds to finance the deficit on Apprentice Funding in the year, while £nil (2022: £145k) funds were released from designated funds.
Balance Sheet
The Balance Sheet as at 31st August 2023 ensures that the charity has the assets required to deliver its commitments to the community. Cash at bank is £95k (2022: £29k), Net Current Assets are £50k (2022: Net liability £100k), and Total net assets are £3.65m (2022: £3.39m) demonstrating that the charity is in a strong position and is comfortably able to meet all its liabilities.
Investment Powers and Policies
The Trustees have the power to invest surplus funds of the charity in investments, securities and property as they think fit. The current policy of the Trustees is to invest funds not immediately required by the charity into a range of Deposit accounts which bear competitive rates of interest. This policy is reviewed periodically by the Trustees.
Reserves policy
The Trustees have adopted a reserves policy which they consider appropriate, to ensure the continuing ability of The Message Enterprise Centre to meet its objectives and obligations.
The total funds held by MEC at 31 August 2023 are £3,651k (2022: £3,388k), of which £Nil (2022: £2k) are restricted and not available for the general purposes of the charity.
In order to be prudent, The Message Enterprise Centre aims to accumulate, in general reserves, an amount at least equal to one month’s staff costs, approx. £22k (2022: £37k). This has been achieved in the current year. The amount of General Funds, excluding restricted and designated funds, freely available to spend on any of the charity’s purposes as at 31 August 2023 was £50k (2022: £40k). Over the coming year the Trustees’ have set financial budgets, which aim to increase the amounts held in general reserves, in order to maintain this policy as the charity grows.
In addition, the Trustees have designated funds to Future Projects arising over the next 5 years £3,601k at 31 August 2023 (2022: £3,344k). These designated funds are held in the form of buildings and other fixed assets, which are an ongoing resource for future mission projects across the charity. The designated fund for Future Mission Projects can only be realised by disposing of £3,600,877 (2022: £3,488,642) the amount of tangible fixed assets and investment properties held by The Message Enterprise Centre.
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THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES YEAR ENDING 31 AUGUST 2023
FINANCIAL POLICIES
Remuneration Policy
The remuneration policy seeks to balance our Christian values and the need to attract and retain staff with appropriate qualifications and skills.
The UK Leadership Team review the organisations pay scales by benchmarking against similar jobs in the North-west and a London weighting is applied where appropriate. We review the retail price and consumer price indices for inflation on an annual basis, before deciding upon any annual increments for inflation. Individual staff salaries are reviewed annually, with mid-term reviews every 6 months. The Executive pay is set within the same pay grade structure.
The Trustees set and approve the salary for the Chief Executive on an annual basis, by benchmarking against similar sized Charities with reference to the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO) annual Pay and Equalities Survey.
The key management personnel for the Message Enterprise Centre are common to the parent charity The Message Trust. They include the Trustees, Chief Executive Officer and other members of the Executive. The Trustees do not receive any remuneration for their services, whilst the Executive Officers are reimbursed by The Message Trust and their time recharged to The Message Enterprise Centre at cost, as appropriate.
Social Investment Policy
In order to provide appropriate affordable housing for The Message School of Evangelism Students during their one-year course, as well as providing refurbishment and building maintenance opportunities for our Message Enterprise Building Team Members the charity has adopted a policy of investing in local Wythenshawe properties, rather than renting properties from local landlords. This policy started in 2016 and has continued since then.
Principal Risks and Uncertainties
The Trustees have identified four principal risk areas for both The Message Trust and its subsidiary The Message Enterprise Centre. These cover potential risks to the reputation of both charities, financial sustainability, safeguarding of young people & vulnerable adults, and cyber security, arising from both internal and external factors. The principal financial sustainability risks present at the year-end are related to the sustained price rises and high levels of inflation across the UK which are increasing operational costs for the charity, limiting the disposable income of our donors, which has potential impacts on fundraising for The Message Enterprise Centre. The Trustees have adopted a number of measures to counter each of these risks, to reduce the likelihood that they will adversely affect the charity. These strategies are reviewed periodically to ensure they remain effective and are considered sufficient measures to protect the charitable group, its staff, and beneficiaries from significant harm.
The Trustees assessment of these financial risks is discussed in more detail in the ‘Going concern’ note on page 21.
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THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES YEAR ENDING 31 AUGUST 2023
PLANS FOR FUTURE PERIODS
Goals for 2023-24
Our teams set the following objectives, for the next financial year. Since the operations of the MEC transferred to the parent charity, The Message Trust, in September 2023, the goals below will remain but will be outworked by The Message Trust and reported on in their 2023-24 Annual report and Financial Statements.
MEC Businesses and fundraising
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To employ another team member for Mess Café , and increase gross profits
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To employ another team member for Neal Street Espresso , and increase gross profits
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For the events business to host 100 training bookings and 15 external events (e.g. weddings, conferences, parties)
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To continue providing accredited training to 4 team members
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To host 2 business networking / fundraising events
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THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES YEAR ENDING 31 AUGUST 2023 DIREcfoRS AND TRUSTEES The directors of the charity I'the charity") are its Trustees for the purpose of charity law and throughout this report are collectively referred to as the Trustees. The Trustees serving during the year and since the year-end were as follows= G.1. Haynes A. L. Orr-Ewing R.D. White A.C. Leakey J.A. Wainwright (resigned 20 March 20231 Dr L. Neilson (appointed 14 December 20231 RELATED PARTIES A summary of transactions with related partie5 15 set out in note 19 of the financial statements. TRUSTEES, RESPONSIBILITIES The Trustees Iwho are also directors of The Message Enterprise Centre for the purposes of company lawl are responsible for preparing the Report of the Trustees and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practicel. Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity at the end of the period and of the income and expenditure for the year then ended. In preparing those financial statements, the Trustees are required to select suitable accounting policies, as described on pages 2 1 to 26, and then apply them on a consistent basis. making judgements and estimates that are prudent and reasonable. The Trustees must also prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operations. The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracv at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial stètements comply with Companies Act 2006. The Trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. In so far as the Trustees are aware: there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company's auditor is unaware.. and the Trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditor is aware of that information. The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions. This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. The annual report was approved by the Trustees of the charity on 29 May 2024 and signed on its behalf by.. Gord n Haynes, Chairman of Trustees Date.. 29 May 2024 Page 13
THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE
Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of The Message Enterprise Centre ‘the charitable company’ for the year ended 31 August 2023 which comprise Statement of Financial Activities including the Income and Expenditure Account, the Balance Sheet, the Cash Flow Statement and the related notes including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 ‘The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland’ (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
In our opinion, the financial statements:
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give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 August 2023 and of its incoming resources and application of resources loss for the year then ended;
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have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
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have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and the provisions available for small entities, in the circumstances set out in the Trustees’ Responsibilities on page 13, we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
Conclusions relating to going concern
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the Trustee’s use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the Trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
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THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE (Continued)
Other information
The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, including the Trustees’ report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The Trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.
Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
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the information given in the Trustees’ report, which includes the directors’ report prepared for the purposes of company law, for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
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the directors’ report within the Report of the Trustees has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
Matters on which we are required to report by exception
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors’ report included within the Trustees’ report.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
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adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
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the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
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certain disclosures of Trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
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we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.
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THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF
THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE (Continued)
Responsibilities of Trustees
As explained more fully in the Trustees’ Responsibilities Statement set out on page 13, the Trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the Trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the Trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements. Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:
We identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, and then design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, including obtaining audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
In identifying and addressing risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, our procedures included the following:
-
We obtained an understanding of laws, regulations and guidance that affect the charitable company, focusing on those that had a direct effect on the financial statements or that had a fundamental effect on its operations. Key laws, regulations and guidance that we identified included the Companies Act 2006, tax legislation, health and safety legislation, Charities Act England & Wales and employment legislation.
-
We enquired of the Trustees and reviewed correspondence and Trustee meeting minutes for evidence of non-compliance with relevant laws and regulations. We also reviewed controls the Trustees have in place, where necessary, to ensure compliance.
-
We gained an understanding of the controls that the Trustees have in place to prevent and detect fraud. We enquired of the Trustees about any incidences of fraud that had taken place during the accounting period.
-
The risk of fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations was discussed within the audit team and tests were planned and performed to address these risks.
Page 16
THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE (Continued)
-
We reviewed financial statements disclosures and supporting documentation to assess compliance with relevant laws and regulations discussed above.
-
We enquired of the Trustees about actual and potential litigation and claims.
-
We performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships that might indicate risks of material misstatement due to fraud.
-
In addressing the risk of fraud due to management override of internal controls we tested the appropriateness of journal entries and assessed whether the judgements made in making accounting estimates were indicative of a potential bias.
Due to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that we may not have detected some material misstatements in the financial statements, even though we have properly planned and performed our audit in accordance with auditing standards. For example, as with any audit, there remained a higher risk of non-detection of irregularities, as these may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal controls. We are not responsible for preventing fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations and cannot be expected to detect all fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s web-site at www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
Sue Hutchinson FCCA (Senior Statutory Auditor) For and on behalf of BEEVER AND STRUTHERS Statutory Auditor One Express 1 George Leigh Street Manchester M4 5DL
Date: 30 May 2024
Page 17
THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES
(INCLUDING AN INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT) YEAR ENDING 31 August 2023
| Unrestricted Funds Note £ INCOME Donations and Legacies 3a 86,511 Income from Charitable activities 3b 845,974 Income from Other trading activities 3c 2,852 Investment Income 3d 768 Separate material item of income 3e 457,612 TOTAL INCOME 1,393,717 EXPENDITURE Raising Funds 4a 310 Charitable Activities 4b 1,077,902 TOTAL EXPENDITURE 1,078,212 Net (Expenditure) / Income before Investment gains 315,505 Net gains on investments - NET INCOME / (EXPENDITURE) 315,505 NET INCOME / (EXPENDITURE) BEFORE TRANSFERS 315,505 Transfers between funds (50,701) NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS 264,804 Total Funds Brought Forward 3,386,473 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 3,651,277 |
Restricted Funds £ 35,003 - 2,135 - - 37,138 - 89,839 89,839 (52,701) - (52,701) (52,701) 50,701 (2,000) 2,000 - |
Total Total 2023 2022 £ £ 121,514 162,925 845,974 627,695 4,987 2,166 768 59 457,612 450,437 1,430,855 1,243,282 310 24.00 1,167,741 1,326,135 1,168,051 1,326,159 262,804 (82,877) - 346,155 262,804 263,278 262,804 263,278 - - 262,804 263,278 3,388,473 3,125,195 3,651,277 3,388,473 |
|---|---|---|
The charity has no recognised gains or losses other than the results for the year as set out above.
All of the activities of the charity, as shown above, are classed as continuing operations.
The notes on pages 21 to 34 form an integral part of these financial statements .
Page 18
THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 AUGUST 2023 The Message Enterprfse Centre 2023 The Message Enterprise Centre 2022 Note FIXED ASSETS Tangible fixed assets Investments Total Fixed assets $4,496 3,546,381 3,6LKI,877 93,642 3,395,(m 3,488,642 io CURRENT ASSETS Stock5 li IL113 71599 6,756 65,050 Debtors Investments Cash at bank and in hand Total current assets 13 581 178.293 28,989 lQ),795 CREOITORS: Arnounts fallin8 due within one year 14 1127,893} 12CQ,9641 NEf CURRENT IUABIUTIESI IASSErs I,169 TOTALASSEfs LESS CURRENT UABIUTIES 3.65L277 3,388,473 TOTAL NET ASSETS 3,651,277 3,388,473 FUNDS OF ThE CHARITY Restricted Income Funds Unrestricted Funds 15b 3,651,277 3,386,473 TOTALFUNDS 3.651.277 3.388,473 These financial 5tatement5 have been prepared in accordan with the special provi5ion5 of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to sm311 companies. The note5 on pages 21 to 34 form an integral part of these financial statements, which were approved and authorised for issue by the Trustee5 on 29 May 2024 and signetl on their behalf by= - Andrew Leakey, Trustee . Gordon Haynes. Trustee Pè8e 19
THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE
Company Registration Number 07892774
STATEMENT of CASH FLOWS YEAR ENDING 31 August 2023
| Note | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash flows from operating activities | £ | £ | |
| Net movement in funds | 262,804 | 263,278 | |
| Adjustments to cash flows from non-cash items | |||
| Depreciation | 39,146 | 41,048 | |
| Investment income | 3d | (768) | (59) |
| Revaluation of investments | 10 | - | (346,155) |
| 301,182 | (41,888) | ||
| Working capital adjustments | |||
| Decrease / (Increase) in stocks | 11 | (4,357) | 7,886 |
| Decrease / (Increase) in debtors | 12 | (7,549) | 64,431 |
| Decrease / (Increase) in creditors | (75,921) | 92,568 | |
| Decrease / (Increase) in deferred income | 14 | 2,850 | (1,292) |
| Net cash flows from operating activities | 216,205 | 121,705 | |
| Cash flows from investing activities | |||
| Interest receivable and similar income | 3d | 768 | 59 |
| Purchase of tangible fixed assets | 9 | - | (1,375) |
| Purchase of investments | 10 | (151,381) | (368,845) |
| Net cash flows from investing activities | (150,613) | (370,161) | |
| Cash flows from financing activities | |||
| Net cash flows from financing activities | - | - | |
| Net (Decrease) / increase in cash and cash equivalents | 65,592 | (248,456) | |
| Cash and cash equivalents at 1 September | 28,989 | 277,445 | |
| Cash and cash equivalents at 31 August | 13 | 94,581 | 28,989 |
The notes on pages 21 to 34 form an integral part of these financial statements.
Page 20
THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDING 31 August 2023
1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of preparation
These accounts 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 of the charity are made up to 31 August 2023.
The accounts (financial statements) have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (Statement of Recommended Practice) (second edition – October 2019) 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) as published January 2022, with the Charities Act 2022, the Companies Act 2006 and with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
The charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS102. The Charity exists for the benefit of the public through the promotion of Christian values and spiritual development, providing education, mentoring and enterprise services, in particular to those who have poor employment potential.
Financial statements
The financial statements are presented in GBP and rounded to the nearest £. The accounts include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the charity is responsible in law.
Going concern
The Trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties related to events or conditions that cast significant doubt on the charity’s ability to continue to operate as a going concern, particularly as it continues to have the full support of its parent charity – The Message Trust, having all its Trustees in common with the parent charity.
As the financial stability of the activities associated with the Message Enterprise Centre has increased over the years and the risk reduced, discussions began about transferring the activity to sit within The Message Trust, the charity that the Message Enterprise Centre is a subsidiary of. This transfer of the significant business activities, including The Mess Café and Neal Street Espresso, took place post yearend in September 2023, however there are no current plans to close the Message Enterprise Centre charity. This transfer required the parent charity to assume the principal operating costs, and consequently the financial risks, associated with the business activities of The Message Enterprise Centre.
The Trustees have considered this, as well as the current levels of reserves and cash including general funds available to the Charity, in their assessment and believe the charity is well-placed to manage its risks and continue to operate as a going concern.
Key Judgements and sources of estimation uncertainty
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies the Trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and underlying assumptions are based on historical experience and other relevant factors, including reasonable expectations of future events. However, because balances cannot be determined with certainty, actual results may differ from these estimates and assumptions. The main areas which involve such estimates and judgements include the useful lives of fixed assets and the valuation of the Group’s investment properties.
Page 21
THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDING 31 August 2023
Key Judgements and sources of estimation uncertainty (continued)
The carrying value and annual depreciation charges for tangible assets are sensitive to changes in the estimated useful economic lives and residual values of the assets, which are reviewed annually for their current condition and economic utilisation and amended when necessary to reflect current estimates. Impairment on tangible fixed assets is evaluated when an asset is held for sale. See note 11 for the carrying amount of the tangible fixed assets.
The Trustees have based the charity’s investment property valuations on observable market prices, adjusted if necessary for any difference in the nature, location or condition of the specific asset, combined with comparison to movements in Housing Price Indices since their last independent professional valuation – see note 10 for details.
INCOME
Recognition of income
These are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) when:
-
the charity becomes entitled to the resources;
-
it is more likely than not that the Trustees will receive the resources; and
-
the monetary value can be measured with sufficient reliability.
Donations and Grants
Donations and grants are only included in the SoFA when the general income recognition criteria are met (5.10 to 5.12 Charities SORP (FRS102)).
In the case of performance related grants, income is only recognised to the extent that the charity has provided the specified goods or services as entitlement to the grant only occurs when the performance related conditions are met (5.16 Charities SORP (FRS 102)).
Income is deferred only when there are conditions to fulfil before becoming entitled to it and where the donor has specified that the income is to be expended in a future period.
Offsetting
There has been no offsetting of assets and liabilities, or income and expenses, unless required or permitted by the Charities SORP (FRS 102) or FRS 102.
Legacies
Legacies are included in the SOFA when receipt is probable, that is, when there has been grant of probate, the executors have established that there are sufficient assets in the estate and any conditions attached to the legacy are either within the control of the charity or have been met.
Tax reclaims on donations and gifts
Gift Aid receivable is included in income when there is a valid declaration from the donor. Any Gift Aid amount recovered on a donation is considered to be part of that gift and is treated as an addition to the same fund as the initial donation unless the donor or the terms of the appeal have specified otherwise.
Contractual income
This is only included in the SoFA once the charity has provided the related goods or services.
Donated services and facilities
Donated services and facilities are included in the SOFA when received at the value of the gift to the charity provided the value of the gift can be measured reliably.
Donated services and facilities that are consumed immediately are recognised as income with an equivalent amount recognised as an expense under the appropriate heading in the SOFA.
Page 22
THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDING 31 August 2023
Donated goods
Donated goods are measured at fair value (the amount for which the asset could be exchanged) unless impractical to do so.
The cost of any stock of goods donated for distribution to beneficiaries is deemed to be the fair value of those gifts at the time of their receipt and they are recognised on receipt. In the reporting period in which the stocks are distributed, they are recognised as an expense at the carrying amount of the stocks at distribution.
Donated goods for resale are measured at fair value on initial recognition, which is the expected proceeds from sale less the expected costs of sale and recognised in 'Income from other trading activities' with the corresponding stock recognised in the balance sheet. On its sale the value of stock is charged against 'Income from other trading activities' and the proceeds from sale are also recognised as 'Income from other trading activities'
Goods donated for on-going use by the charity are recognised as tangible fixed assets and included in the SoFA as incoming resources when receivable.
Gifts in kind for use by the charity are included in the SoFA as income from donations when receivable.
Volunteer help
The value of any voluntary help received is not included in the accounts but is described in the Trustees’ annual report.
Many volunteers give freely of their time in the service of our Lord for the Trust, the value of which is unquantifiable.
Income from interest and royalties
This is included in the accounts when receipt is probable, and the amount receivable can be measured reliably.
Page 23
THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDING 31 August 2023
EXPENDITURE and LIABILITIES
Liability recognition
Liabilities are recognised where it is more likely than not that there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to pay out resources and the amount of the obligation can be measured with reasonable certainty.
Governance and support costs
Support costs have been allocated between governance costs and other support. Governance costs comprise all costs involving public accountability of the charity and its compliance with regulation and good practice.
Support costs include central functions and have been allocated to activity cost categories on a basis consistent with the use of resources, e.g. allocating staff costs by the time spent and other costs by their usage.
Grants with performance conditions
Where the charity gives a grant with conditions for its payment being a specific level of service or output to be provided, such grants are only recognised in the SoFA once the recipient of the grant has provided the specified service or output.
Grants payable without performance conditions
Where there are no conditions attaching to the grant that enables the donor charity to realistically avoid the commitment, a liability for the full funding obligation is recognised.
Creditors
The charity has creditors which are measured at settlement amounts less any trade discounts.
Basic financial instruments
The charity accounts for basic financial instruments on initial recognition at cost, as per paragraph 11.7 SORP (FRS102). Subsequent measurement is at fair value (their market value), as per paragraphs 11.17 to 11.19, SORP (FRS102).
Page 24
THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDING 31 August 2023
ASSETS
Tangible fixed assets for use by charity
These are capitalised if they can be used for more than one year and cost at least £1,000 (Prior to 1 September 2021, if they cost at least £500). They are valued at cost.
Depreciation is provided in equal annual instalments over the estimated useful lives of the assets and is calculated on the cost or valuation of the assets.
The following annual rates are used:
| calculated on the cost or valuation ollowing annual rates are used: |
of the assets. |
|---|---|
| Leasehold Property | 20% |
| Oaks Fixtures and Fittings | 25% |
| Business Equipment | 25% |
| Motor Vehicles | 25% |
Depreciation is first charged in the quarter following acquisition and up to the month of disposal. No provision is made for the increased cost of tangible fixed assets.
Investments
Fixed asset investments are valued initially at cost and subsequently at fair value (their market value) at the year-end unless fair value cannot be measured reliably in which case it is measured at cost less impairment.
Investments held for resale (or pending their sale) and cash and cash equivalents with a maturity date of less than 1 year are treated as current asset investments.
Investment properties
Investment properties are carried at fair value, derived from the current market prices for comparable real estate determined by external valuers, with properties being valued on a rolling basis every five years. The valuers use observable market prices, adjusted if necessary for any difference in the nature, location or condition of the specific asset. Changes in fair values are recognised in profit or loss.
Stocks and work in progress
Stocks held for sale as part of non-charitable trade are measured at the lower of cost or net realisable value. Cost is determined using the First-in, First-out (FIFO) methodology.
Goods or services provided as part of a charitable activity are measured at net realisable value based on the service potential provided by items of stock.
Work in progress is valued at cost less any foreseeable loss that is likely to occur on the contract.
Debtors
Debtors (including trade debtors and loans receivable) are measured on initial recognition at settlement amount after any trade discounts or amount advanced by the charity. Subsequently, they are measured at the cash or other consideration expected to be received.
Page 25
THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDING 31 August 2023
Current asset investments
The charity has investments which it holds for resale (or pending their sale) and cash and cash equivalents with a maturity date less than one year. These include cash on deposit and cash equivalents with a maturity date of less than one year held for investment purposes rather than to meet short term cash commitments as they fall due.
They are valued at fair value except where they qualify as basic financial instruments.
Funds
Funds held by the charity are either:
Unrestricted general funds
These are funds that can be used in accordance with the charitable objects at the discretion of the Trustees.
Designated funds
These are unrestricted funds that have been earmarked for a particular project. This designation is for administrative purposes only and does not restrict the Trustees’ discretion to apply the fund within the objects of the charity.
Restricted funds
These are funds that can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.
Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.
Operating leases
Rentals payable under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in equal annual instalments over the term of the lease.
Pension costs and other benefits
The pension costs charged in the financial statements represent the contributions payable by the company during the period in accordance with FRS 102. The charity provides a defined contribution scheme for staff.
2. LEGAL STATUS OF THE CHARITY
The charity is a private company limited by guarantee, incorporated in England and Wales, and has no share capital. The registered office is 6 Harper Road, Manchester, M22 4RG. The liability of each member in the event of winding-up is limited to £1.
Page 26
THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
YEAR ENDING 31 August 2023
3. INCOME
| Unrestricted Funds Total £ 3a Donations and Legacies Gifts Individuals 54,084 Gifts via Stewardship / CAF 5,239 Gifts Churches, Ministries & Business 11,040 Gifts Trusts & Foundations 3,750 Government Grants - Gift Aid 12,398 Grants - Sponsored Events - 86,511 3b Income from Charitable Activities Business Enterprises 491,650 Rental Income 87,844 Event Income 9,379 Sundry Income 257,101 845,974 3c Income from Other trading activities Fundraising Events 80.00 Sundry Income 2,772 2,852 3d Investment Income Bank Interest Received 768 768 3e Separate Material Item of Income Donation from The Message Trust 457,612 457,612 TOTAL INCOME 1,393,717 |
Restricted Funds Total £ 1,491 962 7,691 23,500 - 353 1,000 6 35,003 - - - - - 2,135 - 2,135 - - - - 37,138 |
Total 2023 £ 55,575 6,201 18,731 27,250 - 12,751 1,000 6 121,514 491,650 87,844 9,379 257,101 845,974 2,215 2,772 4,987 768 768 457,612 457,612 1,430,855 |
Unrestricted Funds Total £ 64,565 5,605 3,120 - 12,135 14,845 6,500 - 106,770 327,339 133,009 6,918 160,429 627,695 - 1,126 1,126 59 59 450,437 450,437 1,186,087 |
Restricted Funds Total Total 2022 £ £ 11,388 75,953 3,560 9,165 9,229 12,349 7,000 7,000 15,112 27,247 866 15,711 9,000 15,500 - - 56,155 162,925 - 327,339 - 133,009 - 6,918 - 160,429 - 627,695 1,040 1,040 - 1,126 1,040 2,166 - 59 - 59 - 450,437 - 450,437 57,195 1,243,282 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Many volunteers give freely of their time in the service of our Lord for the Charity, the value of which is unquantifiable.
Page 27
THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
YEAR ENDING 31 August 2023
4. EXPENDITURE
| Unrestricted Funds 4a Raising Funds Fundraising - Events 4b Charitable Activities Business Enterprises Governance Total Expenditure Unrestricted Restricted Funds 4b Charitable Activities Business Enterprises Neal Street Espresso Apprentice Funding The Oaks Wythenshawe Properties Total Expenditure Restricted TOTAL EXPENDITURE |
Staff Deprecia tion Project Costs Direct Costs Staff Deprecia tion Other Support Costs Total Support Costs Total 2023 £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ - - 310 310 - - - - 310 |
Total 2022 £ 24 |
|---|---|---|
| - - 310 310 - - - - 310 |
24 | |
| 225,165 1,901 758,859 985,925 46,017 37,244 - 83,261 1,069,186 - - - - - - 8,716 8,716 8,716 |
1,181,253 6,958 |
|
| 225,165 1,901 758,859 985,925 46,017 37,244 8,716 91,977 1,077,902 |
1,188,211 | |
| 225,165 1,901 759,169 986,235 46,017 37,244 8,716 91,977 1,078,212 |
1,188,235 | |
| 3,414 - - 3,414 - - - - 3,414 5,841 - - 5,841 - - - - 5,841 80,584 - - 80,584 - - - - 80,584 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
8,061 10,547 98,410 13,243 7,663 |
|
| 89,839 - - 89,839 - - - - 89,839 |
137,924 | |
| 89,839 - - 89,839 - - - - 89,839 |
137,924 | |
| 315,004 1,901 759,169 1,076,074 46,017 37,244 8,716 91,977 1,168,051 |
1,326,159 |
5. NET INCOME
This is stated after charging / (crediting):
| Auditors’ remuneration Depreciation of owned assets Annual charges from operating leases: Building Lease Rental of Property Hire of equipment |
2023 2022 £ £ 8,452 5,780 39,146 41,048 28,488 31,258 75,000 31,250 1,266 2,012 |
|---|---|
Page 28
THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDING 31 August 2023
6. ANALYSIS OF SUPPORT COSTS
All Support costs have been allocated directly to each project on a basis consistent with the use of resources.
| Business Enterprises | Admin, HR & Other Support Staff 83,261 83,261 |
2023 2022 Total Total 83,261 62,723 83,261 62,723 |
|---|---|---|
7. INFORMATION REGARDING TRUSTEES AND EMPLOYEES
| Employee costs during the year: Wages and salaries Social security costs Pension costs |
2023 2022 £ £ 334,990 423,664 17,155 31,648 8,876 11,256 361,021 466,568 |
|---|---|
The monthly average number of persons (including the senior management team) employed by the charity during the year was 13 (2022: 16). This includes both full-time and part-time staff. When expressed as full-time equivalents this was as follows:
| Charitable Activities Cost of Generating Funds Governance / Management Others - Support Average number of full-time equivalent staff employed: |
2023 2022 No. No. 12 14 0 0 0 0 1 2 13 16 |
|---|---|
No employee received emoluments of more than £60,000 in the year.
Amounts paid or reimbursed to Trustees £Nil (2022: £Nil)
The key management personnel are defined as the Trustees, CEO and other Executive Directors of the group in office during the year. They do not receive any remuneration from The Message Enterprise Centre, but the services of the Executive Officers for The Message Enterprise Centre are recharged at cost by the parent charity, The Message Trust. Their total remuneration for the year from the parent charity was £380k (2022: £365k) and the total recharges to MEC in the year for the services of the Executive officers, which is not included in the remuneration of employees above is £85k (2022: £85k).
Page 29
THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDING 31 August 2023
8. TAX ON SURPLUS ON ORDINARY ACTIVITES
2023 2022 £ £ Corporation tax based on the trading results - - for the year at Nil% (2022: Nil%) - -
The company is a registered charity and is therefore exempt from taxation on its charitable activities.
9. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS
| Leasehold Property £ Cost At 1 September 2022 140,628 Additions - At 31 August 2023 140,628 Depreciation At 1 September 2022 70,315 Charge for year 28,125 At 31 August 2023 98,440 Net Book Value At 31 August 2023 42,188 At 31 August 2022 70,313 |
£ 27,935 - 27,935 27,602 333 27,935 - 333 Property Fixtures & Fittings |
Business Equipment £ 89,999 - 89,999 68,003 10,688 78,691 11,308 21,996 |
Motor Total Vehicles £ £ 7,708 266,270 - - 7,708 266,270 6,708 172,628 - 39,146 6,708 211,774 1,000 54,496 1,000 93,642 |
|---|---|---|---|
10. INVESTMENTS
| Investment Properties The Oaks Other Wythenshawe Properties |
2023 2022 £ £ 650,000 650,000 2,896,381 2,745,000 3,546,381 3,395,000 |
|---|---|
The Oaks opened in 2016, as a fully refurbished home in Wythenshawe, offering a residential support programme for up to 8 residents, today it houses students on the Message School of Evangelism programme. As at 31 August 2023 the MEC owns 15 Investment Properties in total, including The Oaks (2022: 14 properties). Thirteen of these Investment Properties were revalued by Longden & Cook, members of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) as at 6th January 2023 and 1 other by Spendlove Surveyors, also members of the RICS, as at 25th January 2023, following inspections on those dates. The final property, purchased in March 2023, is held at its cost price of £151k.
Page 30
THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDING 31 August 2023
10. INVESTMENTS (continued)
The charity performed analysis of the average property sale prices in the region around the investment properties, as well as the movement in the general house price index, which indicated that the carrying value of the properties in the financial statements may differ by as little 0.57% overall from the independent valuations carried out in the prior year. Therefore, the Trustees consider the investment properties are carried in the Balance Sheet at their fair value as at 31 August 2023, given the independent valuations were carried out within 8 months of the year end and the lack of evidence to suggest a materially different valuation. The Trustees have a policy of using professional independent valuers to revalue investment properties on a rolling basis at least every 5 years.
On an annual basis, the Trustees review these valuations for any significant changes in the local property market and any impairment in the properties and will make adjustments as necessary.
| Valuation At 1 September 2022 Revaluation Additions At 31 August 2023 |
2023 2022 £ £ 3,395,000 2,680,000 - 346,155 151,381 368,845 3,546,381 3,395,000 |
|---|---|
11. STOCKS
| ORS Trade debtors Amounts due from Group undertakings Other debtors Prepayments and accrued income Stocks of finished goods and goods for resale |
2023 2022 £ £ 40,132 26,298 2,184 - - 4,315 30,283 34,437 72,599 65,050 2023 2022 £ £ 11,113 6,756 11,113 6,756 |
|---|---|
12. DEBTORS
13. CASH AT BANK & IN HAND
| Reserve Accounts Current Accounts Cash in Hand |
2023 2022 £ £ 45,797 6,723 48,123 21,747 661 519 94,580 28,989 |
|---|---|
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THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDING 31 August 2023
14. CREDITORS: Amounts falling due within one year
| Trade Creditors Amounts owed to Group undertakings Accruals & Deferred Income Taxation and Social Security Other Creditors |
2023 2022 £ £ 27,707 44,679 - 58,924 73,213 65,113 25,951 30,723 1,022 1,525 127,893 200,964 |
|---|---|
Included in accruals and deferred income of £73,213 (2022: £65,113) is deferred income of:
| Deferred income brought forward Income released in the year Amounts added in the year Deferred income carried forward |
2023 2022 £ £ 4,260 5,552 (80,334) (18,037) 83,184 16,745 7,110 4,260 |
|---|---|
15. RECONCILIATION OF MOVEMENTS IN FUNDS
| 15a. Restricted Funds Business Enterprises Neal Street Espresso Apprentice Funding 15b. Unrestricted Funds General Fund Designated Funds - Revalution Reserve - Future Projects |
Balance at 01/09/2022 £ 2,000 - - 2,000 42,831 1,123,019 2,220,623 3,386,473 3,388,473 |
Incoming £ 1,415 5,841 29,882 37,138 1,393,717 - - 1,393,717 1,430,855 Movement |
Outgoing £ (3,415) (5,841) (80,583) (89,839) (1,078,212) - - (1,078,212) (1,168,051) in Resources |
Transfers Between Funds £ - - 50,701 50,701 (307,936) - 257,235 (50,701) 0 |
Gains on Revaluation Balance at Fixed Assets 31/08/2023 £ £ - - - - - - - - - 50,400 - 1,123,019 - 2,477,858 0 3,651,277 0 3,651,277 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
This year the Trustees have set aside a further £257,235 (2022: £184,172). The aim is to ensure Future Projects are the equivalent of the Net Book Value of Tangible Fixed assets and Investment Properties, to be used for future projects, arising over the next five years
During the year £19,243 (2022: £27,613) was received by way of personal support for employees who work in Unrestricted areas of ministry. The gifts received have been fully utilised by way of a contribution to the salaries and associated costs of the individual employees specifically supported.
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THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDING 31 August 2023
16. ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BY FUND
| Restricted Funds Business Enterprises Unrestricted Funds |
Tangible Fixed Assets £ - - 54,496 54,496 |
Intangible Assets / Investments £ - |
Net Current Assets £ - - 50,401 50,401 |
2023 2022 Total Total £ £ - 2,000 - 2,000 3,651,277 3,386,473 3,651,277 3,388,473 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| - 3,546,381 |
||||
| 3,546,381 |
17. PENSIONS
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme on behalf of its employees. All contributions due have been fully paid.
18. CONTINGENCIES
The Trustees have confirmed that there were no contingent liabilities which should be disclosed at 31 August 2023 (2022: £Nil).
19. RELATED PARTIES
The Message Trust (Parent Charity – registered charity number 1081467 and company limited by guarantee, registered in the UK with company number 03961183) sold goods and services to the value of £13,308 (2022: £16,921) at cost to The Message Enterprise Centre during the year. The Message Enterprise Centre sold goods and services to the value of £207,545 (2022: £157,523) at cost to The Message Trust (Parent Charity) during the year. Appropriate expenses totalling £85,847 in 2023 (2022: £85,264) (wages, premises costs, etc) were recharged from The Message Trust (Parent Charity) to The Message Enterprise Centre at cost. The Message Enterprise Centre paid £30,000 (2022: £30,000) in rent to The Message Trust, whilst The Message Trust paid £87,924 (2022: £48,720) in rent to The Message Enterprise Centre for the School of Evangelism students’ accommodation and the Community Grocery Distribution Hub in property which is owned by The Message Enterprise Centre for rental purposes. The Message Trust donated £312,612 (2022: £450,437) to The Message Enterprise Centre for general funds and future Message Enterprise projects, to enable the charity to continue to meet the needs of its existing apprentices and new trainees. As at 31 August 2023, The Message Trust owed The Message Enterprise Centre £2,184. (2022: £58,924).
The Message Trust and The Message Enterprise Centre share the same Trustees and Executive directors. Consolidated accounts for the group are available from the Charity Commission or Companies House website.
Collectively the Trustees and their related party companies including gift aid gave £2,168 to The Message Enterprise (2022: £8,031).
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THE MESSAGE ENTERPRISE CENTRE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDING 31 August 2023
20. OPERATING LEASE COMMITMENTS
At the year end the total of future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases are as follows:
| Not later than one year Later than one year and not later than five years |
2023 2022 £ £ 66,077 31,318 75,000 75,000 Land and Buildings |
2023 2022 £ £ - - 1,822 - Other |
|---|---|---|
21. CAPITAL COMMITMENTS
The Trustees have confirmed that there were no capital commitments at 31 August 2023 £Nil.
22. ANALYSIS OF CHANGES IN NET DEBT
| Cash | At 01/09/2022 £ 28,989 28,989 |
£ 65,592 65,592 Cashflows |
At 31/08/2023 £ 94,581 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 94,581 | |||
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