Registered Charity Number: 1147971
The Catcuddles Sanctuary
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2022
The Catcuddles Sanctuary
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Trustees
The trustees during the year ended 31 December 2022 were as follows:
Miss Nafsika Korniliou Ms A Georgopoulou Mr G Piskopos Mrs G Dexter
Mr G Dexter (appointed 12 March 2022)
Principal Address
36 Sidney Avenue, Palmers Green, London, N13 4UY
Independent Examiner
Bells Accountants, 10a High Street, Chislehurst, Kent, BR7 5AN
Charity Number 1147971
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The Catcuddles Sanctuary
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
Governing document
The charity is controlled by its governing document, a constitution and constitutes an unincorporated charity.
Risk management
The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error. The trustees are aided in their decision making by the Charity Director who in turn is assisted on one hand by the veterinary staff and on the other by the charity administrator and key volunteer team who have been carrying out the front-line work of the charity, engaging with the public and assisting in covering the needs of cats in Greater London. A new trustee joined the board this year, and the intention is to continue recruiting further locally active trustees with first hand knowledge of the cat work the charity does and in order to replace more remotely based trustees.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
Objectives and aims
Another year of challenges was completed, with continuing cost increases and the challenge in sourcing veterinary staff still the major issue; this was overcome within the year but cost in terms of Clinic maintenance and overheads while there was no permanent staff and revenue production due to vet shortage. Charity donation and legacy income were however supportive of maintenance of rehoming, adoption and rehabilitation activities at full capacity.
The main aim for the cat clinic continued to be the provision of affordable diagnostic and curative care to cats belonging to members of the public, as well as in the custody of Catcuddles while there was availability of veterinary staff. In addition to the operations at the Clinic, the charity volunteer team continued with its traditional focus in rescue, rehabilitation and adoption work through its fostering network which recovered after a mild dip during the years of pandemic restrictions. This was enabled by extraordinary teamwork of the volunteer team and with continued very low turnover of key volunteer roles achieved.
The ultimate aim of the Cat Clinic remains to provide an affordable not-for-profit alternative for private veterinary care covering first-opinion veterinary needs not just to our members, volunteers and supporters, but most importantly to the general public. The severe challenges of nationwide veterinary shortage have been well documented, but have caused our veterinary service provision to close this year well below expected yearly capacity, due to lack of suitable, charity minded, permanent veterinary staff. The phenomenon of locuming has also widened its grasp of the veterinary staffing sector, assisted by the post-brexit, post-covid shortage mentioned above, also well documented.
Our objective firmly remains benefiting the public through helping relieve the suffering of cats in need of temporary hosting (fostering), care, veterinary treatment, rehabilitation and eventual adoption to permanent, responsible homes. We have been operating at full capacity for yet another year, despite longer fostering periods per cat, which inevitably led to longer waiting lists to bring cats in need to safe custody of the Charity. The post-covid mentality of adoptive homes and wide availability of online cats and kittens also compromised the quality of adoption enquiries, contributing to longer stays given that the principles of feline care are constant. Dropping the standards or adoption criteria was not deemed a viable option for the charity.
In terms of our advocacy work, the key objective of educating the public on responsible feline custodianship and strengthening of the human feline bond has continued, mainly led by our volunteer email admin team. In line with its traditional role, the charity through its website and social media as well as direct email advice, has continued to allocate significant human resource offered by our trained online volunteers to providing practical help, and educating the public in providing prompt and better care to cats, post-adoption advice by our dedicated team, but also practical assistance and tips of managing strays, abandoned cats, community cats and feral colonies with a view to seeing fewer cats visibly suffering. In addition to the existing capacity of hosting (fostering), rehabilitating and rehoming activities in and around Greenwich, the volunteer fostering network across Greater London has also continued to help maintain fostering numbers up.
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Strategic Expansion in Hither Green, South London through Legacy Income
Over the past year, after extensive search across four boroughs, we identified the premises and started the process of securing a long term business lease to house the Tony Welsh Cat Clinic in the well-connected South London suburb of Hither Green. The ambitious project will also consolidate our expansive feline veterinary service provision of affordable veterinary care to all cat custodians while allowing us to provide ever increasing help to strays and charity cats coming to the charity for adoption while needing veterinary care, such as special needs cats, older cats, cats that had accidents or acute conditions that were too expensive to treat by ill-prepared custodians. The Tony Welsh Cat Clinic, named after our late benefactor, will be open to all by 2023 and the legacy that made this project possible has over this critical year been supporting the ongoing veterinary service provision in North London as well.
Volunteers
Catcuddles continues to be a volunteer-driven charity. Volunteers continue to be the driving force, backbone and key resource of the Charity. We continuously encourage all cat lovers with the will and ability to contribute their respective skills and time regularly to engage in some form of volunteering, including remote volunteering. The continuously expanding community-based volunteer team of the Charity is the key reason for growth and quality of our cat work. The year, 2022, may not have been a record year in the number of cats helped, neutered, treated, rehabilitated and adopted, but despite exogenous factors that restricted adoption rates such as changes in post-covid adoption behaviour, the team has been hard at work and steadfast in their commitment to the charity. All tasks and roles in the charity continue to be volunteer-based, with the exception of the veterinary staff (vets and vet nurses). The project management and strategic orientation functions continue to be carried out by the founder Evina Koroni, who is also Head of Feline Welfare and Charity Director, aside from the long standing roles still held of fostering volunteer and experiential behaviourist.
Approved by order of the Board of trustees on 30 October 2023 and signed on its behalf by:
Mrs G I Dexter – Trustee
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The Catcuddles Sanctuary
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES
Financial review
To the Charity, 2022 was the year of veterinary revenue restriction exclusively due to veterinary staffing shortage experienced for more than half of the year. Still, we managed to secure veterinary care for all charity cat needs without resorting to external veterinary service providers, thus containing our veterinary care costs to the maximum possible. We are grateful to have also found veterinary professionals who offered pro-bono work to the charity cats, always hosted in our veterinary clinic. Unfortunately, we had to restrict services to private veterinary patients due to lack of permanent veterinary surgeon, costing us loss of some of the client base who moved to nearby commercial vet practices. Having said that, we weathered the storm by remaining open; other practices ended up closing while some chain practices only survived by sharing vets part-time. The continued presence of the Clinic in North London also enabled us to bring in for rehoming and rehabilitation to dozens of cats that were brought to our attention by the public and charities using the clinic.
In line with our ethos of utilising revenues and veterinary capacity to treat charity funded cats and aside of the not-for-profit pricing benefitting all clients we could service over the year, additional discounted services in veterinary care amounting to c.£30,000 down from c.£79,000 offered last year, purely due to restricted vet availability. The income figures reported for the year are net of this amount.
Reserves Policy
The Charity has set reserves to 3-6 months operating costs for its veterinary Clinic as a minimum. These reserves are to be spent in the direct care of the cats in our custody, key veterinary staff salaries, and the maintenance of the Clinic(s). Over the past year, reserves have been challenged by staff shortages while operating costs were running where they were not downscalable. Still, we ended the year with a healthy balance exceeding the reserve requirement and continue to operate without any need for external funding (borrowing).
The Reserves policy will be reviewed once the Tony Welsh Cat Clinic opens in South London, and no sooner than 2024.
Governing document
The charity is an unincorporated entity, a volunteer organisation governed by its approved Constitution dated July 1st, 2012. The charity has five trustees and one appointed director. Eligibility for membership of the board of trustees is governed by the constitutive document. There are no restrictions in the governing document on the operation of the charity or on its investment powers other than those imposed by general charity law.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
Mrs G I Dexter Trustee 30/10/2023
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The Catcuddles Sanctuary
Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of The Catcuddles Sanctuary
I report on the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2022, which are set out on pages 6 to 10.
Respective responsibilities of the trustees and examiner
As the charity’s trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of your charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (“the 2011 Act”). In carrying out my examination, I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
Independent examiner’s statement
The company’s gross income exceeded £250,000 and I am qualified to undertake the examination by being a qualified member of AAT
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention which gives me cause to believe that:
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accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act; or
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the accounts do not accord with such records; or
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the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Bells Accountants 10a High Street Chislehurst Kent BR7 6LH
31 October 2023
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The Catcuddles Sanctuary
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
| Unrestricted Restricted Funds Funds £ £ Incoming resources Incoming resources from generated funds Voluntary income2 138,200 250,500 Rebate schemes 480 Gift aid 38,538 Total incoming resources177,218 250,500 Resources expended Charitable activities Veterinary and medical supplies 35,685 - Patient treatment 17,272 - Food/fostering supplies 3,947 - Staff costs4 80,196 - Rent and rates 41,770 - Depreciation5 8,948 - Governance costs 37,583 - Other resources expended30,270 - Total resources expended 255,671 - Net (outgoing)/incoming resources(78,453) 250,500 Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward |
Total Funds 2022 £ 388,700 480 38,538 427,718 35,685 17,272 3,947 80,196 41,770 8,948 37,583 30,270 255,671 172,047 76,876 248,923 |
Total Funds 2021 £ 278,537 4,450 47,334 330,321 68,184 20,361 4,665 93,412 36,310 6,863 14,040 27,888 271,722 58,599 18,277 76,876 |
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The Catcuddles Sanctuary
BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2022
| Unrestricted Restricted Funds Funds £ £ Fixed assets Tangible assets5 36,295 - Current assets Debtors6 68,025 - Cash at bank and in hand 186,399 - 254,424 - Creditors Amounts falling due within one year (41,796) - 7 Net current assets/(liabilities) 212,628 - Total assets less current liabilities 248,923 - Net assets 248,923 - Funds Unrestricted funds Total funds |
Total Funds 2022 £ 36,295 68,025 186,399 254,424 (41,796) 212,628 248,923 248,923 248,923 248,923 |
Total Funds 2021 £ 21,949 47,334 30,590 77,924 (22,997) 54,927 76,876 76,876 76,876 76,876 |
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These financial statements were approved by the Board of trustees on 30 October 2023 and were signed on its behalf by:
Mrs G I Dexter – Trustee
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The Catcuddles Sanctuary NOTES TO THE RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
1 Accounting policies
Accounting convention
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, and in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (effective April 2008), the Charities Act 2011 and the requirements of the Statement of Recommended Practice, Accounting and Reporting by Charities.
Incoming resources
All incoming resources are included on the Statement of Financial Activities when the charity is legally entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy.
Resources expended
Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings, they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.
Tangible fixed assets
Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life:
Plant and machinery – 25% reducing balance Fixtures and fittings – 25% reducing balance
Taxation
The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.
Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.
Restricted funds can only be used for particular 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 of the financial statements.
Hire purchase and leasing commitments
Rentals paid under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straightline basis over the period of the lease.
Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits
The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the charitable company’s pension scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate.
2 Voluntary income
Income received during the year was made up from a mixture of adoption, rehoming, and other donation generating activities as well as clinic income.
| 2022 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Clinic income | 46,890 | 107,643 |
| Donations | 341,810 |
170,894 |
| 388,700 |
278,537 |
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The Catcuddles Sanctuary NOTES TO THE RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
3 Trustee’s remuneration and benefits
There were no Trustee’s fees and expenses paid for the year ended 31 December 2022 (31 December 2021 £nil)
| 4 Staff costs Salary and wages Outstanding salary due |
2022 £ 80,196 - 80,196 |
2021 £ 85,912 7,500 93,412 |
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From April 2020 to 31 December 2021, and with the agreement of the Charity Trustees, part of staff income was voluntarily deferred until December 2022 to facilitate cashflow, so that working capital borrowing was not necessary for the year. This income was paid in January 2023 and so is still outstanding in these accounts.
The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows:
All staff 2 3
No employees received emoluments in excess of £60,000
| 5 Tangible Fixed Assets Plant and Fixtures Machinery and fittings £ £ Cost At 1 January 2021 32,549 35,647 Additions 22,888 406 At 31 December 2022 55,437 36,053 Depreciation At 1 January 2021 22,196 24,051 Charge for year 6,028 2,920 At 31 December 2022 28,224 26,971 Net book value At 31 December 2022 27,213 9,082 At 31 December 2021 10,353 11,596 |
Totals £ 68,196 23,294 91,490 46,247 8,948 55,195 |
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36,295 21,949 |
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The Catcuddles Sanctuary
NOTES TO THE RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
6 Debtors: Amounts falling due within one-year Other debtors 7 Creditors: Amounts falling due within one-year Trade creditors Other creditors |
2022 £ 68,025 68,025 2022 £ 18,092 23,704 41,796 |
2021 £ 47,334 47,334 2021 £ 1,997 21,000 22,997 |
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Other creditors represent unpaid staff income voluntarily deferred until 2022 to facilitate cashflows. This was paid in January 2023.
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