COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 08179180 CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 1149215
Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee Unaudited Financial Statements
31 March 2023
SAMARA & CO
Chartered accountant 511 Kenton Lane Harrow Middlesex HA3 JW
Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee
Financial Statements
Year ended 31 March 2023
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Trustees' annual report (incorporating the director's report) | 1 |
| Independent examiner's report to the trustees | 11 |
| Statement of financial activities (including income and expenditure account) | 13 |
| Statement of financial position | 14 |
| Statement of cash flows | 15 |
| Notes to the financial statements | 16 |
Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee
Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report)
Year ended 31 March 2023
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purposes of company law, present their report and the unaudited financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2023.
Reference and administrative details
Registered charity name Faiths Forum For London Charity registration number 1149215 Company registration number 08179180 Principal office and registered 77-79 Charlotte Street office London W1T 4PW
The trustees
Rev Woyin K Dorgu (Passed away 08/09/2023) Dr D Chadha Mr Y Bhadha Mr J Singh
Independent examiner Samara & Co 511 Kenton Lane Harrow Middlesex HA3 JW
Structure, governance and management
The charity is a company limited by guarantee and was formed on 14th August 2012. It is governed by a memorandum and articles of association adopted on 28th September 2012. The liability of the members in the event of the company being wound up is limited to a sum not exceeding £1. The trustees of the charity are also the directors for the purposes of company law and are appointed by the members at the AGM. The Director has responsibility for the daily management of the charity, as delegated by the trustees.
The trustees are appointed and are accountable to Faiths Forum's Council which is made up of 33 Council Members, representing the 9 main faith traditions in London and co-opted members from other faith based organisations.
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Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee
Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2023
Objectives and activities
The Objects of the Charity are the promotion of religious harmony for the public benefit by:
(a) to advance understanding of religious faith and, in particular, of the nine world faiths: Bahá'í faith; Buddhism; Christianity; Hinduism; Islam; Jainism; Judaism; Sikhism and Zoroastrianism;
(b) to promote awareness of the contribution of religious faith and faiths, in particular to promote understanding of the contribution of religious faiths to community life within Greater London and outside of London; and
(c) to promote mutual understanding, collaboration and good relations between faith communities and wider society, to provide a platform for faith communities to engage with public bodies and businesses; and.
(d) to be a centre for research, information, debate, discussion and cross-sector engagement on issues relating to regional policy and the concerns of London's faith groups as well as faith groups outside of London; and
(e) to facilitate faith community organisations in developing expertise in social policy areas, forming networks and partnerships and being able to initiate civic engagement on issues of concern to them.
(f) to advance leadership, capacity and resilience in faith communities,
Strategic report
The following sections for achievements and performance and financial review form the strategic report of the charity.
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Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee
Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2023
Achievements and performance
Founded in 2012, the Faiths Forum for London has been dedicated to fostering mutual understanding, collaboration, and harmonious relationships among diverse faith communities and the broader society. We serve as a vital bridge, facilitating communication and cooperation between faith communities, regional authorities, businesses, and educational institutions. Our organisation is guided by a Council composed of 29 faith representatives from nine distinct faith traditions. Regularly convening, these leaders engage in meaningful discussions on the challenges facing London and its various religious groups. Our meetings are forums, at times welcoming leaders from public authorities, nongovernmental organisations, and media outlets to join us in exploring innovative solutions to these issues. We are proactive in our pursuit of opportunities to collaborate with these diverse groups to advance our common objectives.
To further our mission, we host conferences and seminars that delve into specific issues of shared interest and concern, equipping faith communities with the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive. Our initiatives and endeavours undertaken during the financial year spanning April 2022 to March 2023 have been dedicated to showcasing the invaluable contributions of different faiths in promoting community cohesion.
Faiths Forum for London continued to set up meetings for our council that allowed members to meet with both policymakers and cultural influencers in the city of London, ensuring the voices of their communities were represented in these spheres. On relevant strategic issues our council meetings also work to facilitate the representation of a united voice of faith in London such as hosting Adrian McDowell, Senior Policy and Projects Officer for Financial Hardship at the Greater London Authority (GLA) and engaged on the issue of the mayor’s response to the Cost-of-Living Crisis.
The FFL Council held its first meetings in-person since the beginning of the pandemic and had sought to strengthen links between arts and cultural institutions including a visit to the Museum of London with specification engagement on their Faith Gallery Participation project. In addition, the Forum hosted Hassan Vawda from the GLA who presented on the Untold Stories funding programme looking to better represent the history of London’s diverse communities in public spaces. Untold Stories is a grants program run by the GLA Commission for Diversity in Public Realm to champion diversity and improve representation in the capital’s public spaces. This is to ensure London’s landmarks and monuments reflect the achievements of all who have contributed to the success of our city. Its role is to enrich and enhance the capital’s public spaces and advise on better ways to increase public understanding of the human stories behind existing statues, street names, building names and memorials.
Additionally, it was a reflective year in which we held an Away Day to ensure the Forum remains focused. The away day was held at the Salvation Army HQ where the Council Members reflected on FFL’s achievements and workshopped the organisations collective strategic goals moving forward.
Strengthening Faith Institutions (SFI)
The Forum is a consortium member of the Strengthening Faith Institutions (SFI) programme, funded by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). Faith institutions have a unique role in building community cohesion; they provide moral leadership, influence sizable congregations, handle large budgets, educate children, and operate large premises. The forum supports SFI by providing the tools and training to help faith organisations face the challenges of today’s society which include engaging with women and young people, sharing best practice, and using social media effectively. The principal aim of SFI is to support faith institutions in creating
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Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee
Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2023
stronger, healthier, integrated, and accessible places of worship in London primarily but also across England.
The Forum supported SFI focusing on faith institutions in London with organisational health-checks and bespoke action plans. We also promoted faith institution excellence by providing various workshops including but not limited to:
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Governance training.
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Hate crime - safety and security seminars; this includes ensuring faith institutions improve reporting but also enhance internal process to reduce vulnerability of institutions being exploited.
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Safeguarding in Faith Supplementary School course.
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Designated Safeguarding Lead for Women in Places of Worship training.
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Promoting social action programmes to improve healthy living, and tackle health inequalities, further support faith institutions to engage in interfaith activities, welcoming refugees, and civic engagement.
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Places of Worship Security Scheme Awareness.
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Grant-Support workshops.
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First Aid training for Women in Places of Worship.
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Working with the charity commission to register new charities.
As a national programme, the SFI programme met and exceeded all its targets. The Coventry University’s Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations carried out a comprehensive evaluation of the SFI programme and concluded that “Strengthening Faith Institutions is a well-run programme that has made positive differences to the aims, attitudes, and abilities of those faith institutions that it works with and the communities which they serve. The programme meets, or exceeds, nearly all the delivery, engagement, and recruitment targets which it has…The data presented in this report provides conclusive evidence that the programme is effective in working towards a safer, more prosperous, and cohesive society.”
SFI engagement with Places of Worship from April 2022 to March 2023 has increased across all relationship stages. SFI Membership grew by 130 new faith centres, 133 faith centres completed an organisational health-check, and 119 registered as a compliant safer centre. By March 2023 SFI had a membership of 1,658 Places of Worship across England.
SFI has balanced regional reach across England, and in all major urban areas with large BAME communities.
A key success of the SFI programme is its capacity to deliver certified compliance level training courses to trustees, clergy, and senior management at a time (usually weekends or evenings) and location (usually the faith centre venue) that suits them. From April 2022 to March 2023, SFI delivered 204 certified compliance courses, for 672 faith centres, and 2681 participants, of which 50% (1340) were women.
One of the key measures of SFI’s impact is the Safer Centre launched in October 2021. Faith Centres register on the public directory, indicating whether they have 10 foundational compliance indicators, such as a Safeguarding Lead, DBS checks, Fire Marshal, Covid Compliance Officer, etc. Where these compliance indicators are not yet in place, SFI consultants engage with each centre towards full completion. The Safer Centre records the date of each training, to ensure that skills are updated as appropriate. In 2022-2023, SFI registered 119 safer centres
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Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee
Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2023
A key component of the SFI programme is women’s empowerment through a gender nudge initiative that provides free training for women in core organisational roles such as Designated Safeguarding Lead and Health and Safety Officer. When these women take the lead in these key roles at places of worship they become integral decision makers within organisations and are increasingly taking on trustee and senior management roles over time. In 22-23, SFI achieved: 284 certified female Safeguarding leads, health and safety officers, first-aid officers, fire-marshals, and Covid-19 officers trained at 89 faith centres, broken down as follows:
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Designated Safeguarding Leads: 97 women
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Health and Safety Officers: 54 women
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Fire safety/marshal: 69 women
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First aid: 66 women
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GDPR officer: 48 women
SFI - FFL Newham Pilot with MHFA
The ‘Newham Community Champions Project’ provided capacity building workshops for up to 15 young people in Newham from hard-to-reach minority ethnic communities to strengthen their delivery of wellbeing and cohesion projects that are designed to boost mental health, reduce loneliness, and provide a positive response to the COVID crisis. This was done through the provision of Mental Health First Aid certified training workshops for those recruited while additionally providing them with Loneliness reduction training, communication skills training through enhancing digital support and campaign creation. The training provided the Community Champions with developed skills which would be of use in combating COVID, spreading best practices and encouraging vaccination. Additionally, it created capacity within the community setting and a pool of professionally trained volunteers who can assist with further grassroot issues in the future. Such a project empowers those in the community to promote social good.
Kings and Queens Give Blood
In partnership with the NHS Blood and Transplant team in London, Oldham, Bradford, and Birmingham, Faiths Forum organised a hybrid project of social media engagement and face-to-face visits to encourage blood donations from African and Caribbean lineage communities, specifically to push up the stock of the Ro subtype blood group, vital to the survival of people suffering Sickle Cell Anaemia. The outcomes of this multi-stranded project were:
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A video with Black church leaders encouraging blood donation specifically during summer 2022 when stocks in London were severely depleted.
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Engagement at four black-led churches in Manchester and London, spearheaded by a medical expert and a patient with Sickle-cell and followed by a Q and A session which encouraged blood donor registration from these communities.
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Flyers delivered to over 100 Seventh Day Adventist Churches and Community Centres through their own health team across England.
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Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee
Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2023
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Creating a local Blood Drive in Oldham at a Mosque in collaboration with a neighbouring, black-led church community, which will become a regular blood drive centre in early 2023.
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Engagement session on dispelling myths about blood donations at the Manchester BlackChurch leaders Summit for over 30 ministers.
Cities Faith and Community Forum
The Cities Faith and Community Forum (CFCF) was launched in February 2019 as a Pan-European interfaith network linking organisations in major cities throughout the continent. The network combined the strengths of key leaders in Europe and the UK and was in a strong position to act as a bridge between governments and citizens. Our vision was to promote strategic faith and community collaboration across and between major cities in the UK and Europe. Our focus was strategic intervention, particularly focusing on issues and challenges that affect faith communities in cities, such as poverty, mental health, literacy, education, security, homelessness, and the environment.
Between April 2022 and March 2023 CFCF pursued its aims through two major streams: (1) A Youth Leadership Programme; aimed at introducing promising young people to the interfaith and civil society sphere; (2) A Professional Practitioner Seminar programme aimed at bringing practitioners from the interfaith and civil sphere together to discuss challenges and share best practice.
On stream (1) CFCF ran a Youth Delegation to Brussels during 12-14th September 2022, which brought together a group of 17 young people from across Europe (representing 11 different nationalities and six different faiths. The cohort was able to meet with a selection of organisations in Brussels working in the European civic and interfaith space such as: A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe (CEJI); Conference of European Churches (CEC); European Network Against Racism (ENAR); Hindu Forum of Europe; Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS); Quaker Council of European Affairs (QCEA)
On stream (2) CFCF ran a series of three online seminars:
06 October 2022 - Best Practice to Resolve Communal Tensions: Response to Incidents in Leicester
03 November 2022 - Responding to Online Misinformation & Polarisation
01 February 2023 - Overcoming Tensions & Building Harmony: Response to the Burning of Sacred Books in Sweden & Denmark
Civic and Democracy Leadership Programme
FFL values civic engagement promotion within ethnic minority communities greatly. During 22-23 it provided 30 young Muslims (aged 16-25) in Brent with professional training in Citizen Journalism. This training ran for 10 sessions, totalling 20 hours and empowered the participants to run social media campaigns, create appealing podcasts/vlogs, interview politicians, media influencers and other community leaders, and host discussions to explore ideas linked to tolerance, masculinity, and freedom of religion and belief. common religious heritage among Jews, Christians, and Muslims and other subjects of interest to participants. Participants were also required to deliver three ‘stories’ per group, with a focus on promoting citizenship and how to overcome challenges. We provided technical equipment, connected them to people they can interview.
The programmes made a difference and gave young people a chance to learn vital media and leadership skills, get expert insights from high level dignitaries and experts in their field. It was based around the idea of how to better integrate communities which are often isolated from media, society, and politics and how to get them involved and help their community.
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Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee
Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2023
Safety and Security
The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), the Community Security Trust (CST), and FFL conducted several events in person and online. A webinar titled ‘Women Safety Awareness Training’ introduced tried and tested measures for keeping women safe in environments where they may feel unsafe or mitigations to reduce exposure. Two additional in person events took place regarding the same topic at Shepherds Bush Gurdwara and Gravesend Gurdwara.
Other online events were held such as focussing on ‘Good Practices for Online Security’. This covered new emerging online technologies for those who are not so digitally fluent. The event aimed to protect participants and their community from online threats. It covered how to minimise exposure to potentially harmful attacks, virus protection, how to spot fake emails and providing hints and tips on how to stay safe online.
Furthermore, a Webinar titled ‘Basic Security’ was held ensuring that organisations are ready for the proposed Protect Duty. The UK Government is currently proposing Protect Duty legislation that will make it a duty for places of worship and public buildings to have security measures in place to protect their communities from terrorist and hate-crime attacks. Whilst risks for some communities may remain low, public bodies are advising places of worship to be vigilant and to take-on some key security measures ahead of this proposed legislation. The event was designed to raise attendees' awareness of security. It covers a range of issues from personal safety and emergency procedures to CCTV and IT security. This is a detailed introduction to security for places of worship and vulnerable communities.
Kickstarters and Internships
Faiths Forum for London provided internship opportunities (both voluntary and paid) for young people in 22-23. The scheme was composed of two parts. First, the government’s Kickstart Scheme. This scheme provided funding to create new jobs for 16- to 24-year-olds on Universal Credit who were at risk of long-term unemployment. The aim of the Work Programme was to prepare young people for finding and staying in a job for a 6-month period. We supported 4 young people to secure work to gain experience and work skills that will support them when applying for future employment. The Forum provided a 1-to-1 mentoring programme for every Kickstarter in partnership with Innocent Drinks. Senior managers, graphic designers, web-designers, and content creators from Innocent were assigned a respective Kickstarter mentee to help them develop key skills in specific fields of interest. Over 90% of the Forum Kickstarters are now currently employed in jobs that either meet or exceed their expected earning level.
Second, the voluntary internship scheme. This two-month project supported 6 young people (ages 1826) with work experience in research, data-analysis, stake-holder engagement, grant-writing and programme evaluation.
Both the Kickstarter scheme and the internship programme has created a network of over 50 alumni who take part in Faiths Forum’s other programmes and amplify our messaging to a wider audience.
Environmentalism, Climate Action, and Awareness
Our interfaith tree planting and community walks project is one that has been ongoing for a number of years. Renewed funding for this programme by the Mayor of London in January 2023 has allowed it to continue. This project is at the project implementation planning stage, but it aims to combine a longterm sustainable plan to address climate change with a short-term solution to enabling greater access to green spaces amongst vulnerable Londoners. Firstly, through a community-wide tree planting initiative targeted within Greater London areas that lack green space and contain large percentages of BAME residents, the project intends to make physical improvements in areas of deprivation. Designed as interfaith community events, 75 tree planting activities will be planned to inspire engagement from
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Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee
Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2023
young people and faith groups to forge healthier communities that can benefit from publicly accessible gardens. Secondly, utilising trusted contacts within faith communities across London, the project includes a city-wide campaign to encourage the maximisation of already existing green spaces, highlighting physical and mental health benefits of experiencing nature within the Royal Parks. The project will target faith communities from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds living in areas of concern.
Coalition for Religious Equality and Inclusive Development (CREID)
The Director of the Forum was invited to participate in the Coalition for Religious Equality and Inclusive Development (CREID). CREID is convened by the Institute of Development Studies and was launched in 2018. Current strategic partners include: the Al-Khoei Foundation, Minority Rights Group and Refcemi. CREID also works with partners around the world, particularly in the program's countries of focus (Egypt, India, Iraq, Nigeria, and Pakistan).
The Forum’s Director participated in a project that developed an innovative and accessible e-learning course for Iraqi primary schools with a Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) element, responding to post- conflict needs, as well as addressing challenges to education amid COVID19. It was based on the first phase of the RE reform in Iraq project, where a pro-pluralism Islamic Education curriculum was developed to be implemented in Iraqi primary schools.
Youth Projects
The Museum of London - Young Faith Historians (Faith Gallery Project) ran as the Museum of London moved to a new location at Smithfield Market and is preparing a new display all about faith in London. Faiths Forum for London helped organise consultations with faith communities for this display. It also supported in setting up and recruiting for the Young Faith Historians programme which offers young people living and working in London the opportunity to contribute to a film about practising faith, which will form part of the display. Through a series of workshops, the young participants of this scheme gain the opportunity research and share their family and communities' stories of faith in the city and gain experience working in the museum and heritage sector. FFL successfully recruited 12 young participants for the workshops which were held on 01 August 2023 and 19 September 2023. A third workshop is to be held on 14 November 2023.
Big Iftar
The Big Iftar is an initiative that has run for over 10 years, where mosques and local community centres in the UK open their doors and welcome people from all backgrounds, creating an environment that enables diverse communities to get to know one another and to celebrate their respective faiths together. FFL’s involvement has been reduced significantly due to faith institutions now having integrated interfaith iftar as part of their regular Ramadan schedule.
Faith in the Metropolitan Police
The Faith in the Metropolitan Police initiative increased representation of Black, Asian, and minority representation in the Metropolitan Police through organising face-to-face engagement between BAME Metropolitan Police Officers and young people seeking employment. The project had two strands: 1) BAME Metropolitan Police Officers were invited to speak from the pulpit at 10 black-led churches in London Followed by a post-service meal with Q&A between young parishioners and the Police Officers at each venue. These church events were then followed with 1-2-1 follow-up engagement between the Met’s Outreach teams and young parishioners interested in a career in policing. 2) A Day in the Life of the Met: Faiths Forum recruited 20 BAME, majority female, participants (ages 18-30) to shadow a police officer for a day.
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Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee
Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2023
Home Office Safer Streets
Each year over 3 million women and girls suffer rape, sexual abuse, stalking or other forms of violence. Women from BAME communities suffer higher rates of VAWG than the general female population in Britain. For the past 4 years, Faiths Forum for London has assisted the Home Office in gathering and recording faith and race-based hate-crime statistics and case-studies to bolster the evidence for Places of Worship applying to the Protective Security Funding Scheme. Though our research focused on Places of Worship buildings, it also revealed an alarming increase in violent attacks against women on the streets near their homes and faith centres. In urban public areas with diverse ethnic populations and multiple deprivation indicators, over 56% of women from BAME faith communities had experienced violent abuse by a stranger within the last 5 years.
Therefore, Faiths Forum with the support of the Home Office Safer Streets programme aimed to tackle VAWG in target areas that are within the top third of the multiple deprivation index (2019), that have an ethnically diverse population, in urban conurbations, in neighbourhoods where women feel vulnerable to attack yet are reluctant to report, with a sizable black community, and where our charity already has existing networks of community and statutory body engagement. In London, we will target our interventions within the boroughs that fall within the top 10 highest rates of sexual violent offences, namely: Lambeth, Croydon, Lewisham, Brent, and Greenwich.
As part of this project, we ran self-defence courses in 32 cluster areas in London, Birmingham, and Bradford. This programme built strong engagement between the women and girls attending the course (ages 16+) and their local police to increase confidence levels in policing. In 23 out of the 32 selfdefence courses, a local police officer either led or attended the training session. Evaluation from the programme indicated a clear impact in increasing trust between participants and police, greater willingness to report hate-crimes and domestic abuse, and increased feelings of self-empowerment. Post-workshop participant evaluations indicate that the programme is highly successful in achieving its primary objectives to 1) recognise inappropriate behaviour by others, 2) feel safer in public spaces, 3) enhance self-esteem for women and girls, and 4) create higher levels of trust in local policing. 597 female participants (ages 12 to 86) took part in the Safer Streets self-defence courses for women and girls, with over 90% from BAME backgrounds.
Queen's Jubilee Faith Walk
On Friday 3rd June 2022 during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee bank holiday, FFL supported in organising the Walk of Faith that led hundreds of people of different faiths on a series of walks through central London. These Walks of Faith all culminated at Westminster Abbey, where they were welcomed by the Cannon, Lord Mayor, and Deputy Lieutenant, before enjoying a Big Jubilee Lunch. All nine major religions (and many denominations within them) took part in the Walk of Faith, bringing them together in a unique setting to communities are the beating hearts of their local areas; they truly know what it means to serve. This is what made the Walk of Faith, with so many coming together to thank Her Majesty for her own service, so special. We were honoured to have received such enthusiastic support from interfaith groups across London.
Women’s Lived-Experience
FFL in partnership with the Faith Network for Manchester (FN4M) hosted a series of 5 intergenerational drama workshops relating to women’s lived experience in Britain and the role of female leadership both in British and global society in honour of HM the Queen. The workshops were for a target audience of young women aimed at developing the skills of spoken-word poetry, storytelling, and drama. The workshops looked to encourage participants to creatively explore their personal experiences of life in Britain and the history of women leadership in British society. Participants were guided in how to use their reflections to produce artistic cultural contributions to the Jubilee celebrations presented in a public showcase around the Queen’s Jubilee weekend. The young people told their stories as a series of monographs - speaking in the first person about what motivated them to step out of the ordinary to do and be extraordinary. The stories came from the refugee and migrant families and communities living in Manchester. From these activities we found an authentic
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Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee
Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2023
voice to explore current leadership challenges that face emerging leaders in our communities and what they can learn from role models that are meaningful to them.
Faith Literacy
FFL were engaged by the UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to undertake a Faith Literacy Awareness training event for their staff. The comprehensive training covered: essential beliefs and ethical principles of 6 major world faiths; Faith and Culture and in day-to-day practice; and areas where religious belief is of relevance within the CPS International working environment.
Financial review
The Forum has continued to plan and develop its services, widening its publicity through social media and events. With the aid of sound financial management and the support of our Trustees, Council Members and Patron, the Forum has achieved a satisfactory outcome for the year, with sufficient resources to continue to expand activities in the forthcoming year.
Reserves Policy
Following consultation with experts and the board of Trustees it has been decided that the Charity's policy on reserves is to maintain adequate unrestricted/restricted funds to cover up to 6 months of operating costs (which includes admin HR and payroll) in the instance of incoming funds fall short.
The amount that is considered adequate to cover the unrestricted/restricted expenditure for the reserve target is £151,100. The Charity considers the levels of reserves to be sufficient.
The trustees' annual report and the strategic report were approved on 14 November 2023 and signed on behalf of the board of trustees by:
Mr J Singh Trustee
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Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee
Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Faiths Forum For London
Year ended 31 March 2023
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Faiths Forum For London ('the charity') for the year ended 31 March 2023.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the trustees of the company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 ('the 2006 Act’).
Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the 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
Since the charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, which is one of the listed bodies.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or
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the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
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the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair' view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
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the financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for 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).
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.
Independent Examiner
511 Kenton Lane Harrow Middlesex HA3 JW 14 November 2023
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Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee
Statement of Financial Activities (including income and expenditure account)
Year ended 31 March 2023
----- Start of picture text -----
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|2023|2022|
|Unrestricted|Restricted|
|funds|funds|Total funds Total funds|
|Note|£|£|£|£|
|Income and donations|
|Income and Donations|5|351,151|48,110|399,261|489,556|
|-------------------------- -------------------------- -------------------------- --------------------------|
|Total income|351,151|48,110|399,261|489,556|
|================= ================= ================= =================|
|Expenditure|
|Expenditure on charitable activities|6,7|285,697|112,204|397,901|458,995|
|-------------------------- -------------------------- -------------------------- --------------------------|
|Total expenditure|285,697|112,204|397,901|458,995|
|================= ================= ================= =================|
|Net income and net movement in funds|64,454|(64,094)|1,360|30,561|
|================= ================= ================= =================|
|Reconciliation of funds|
|Total funds brought forward|106,799|109,033|215,832|185,271|
|--------------------------- -------------------------- -------------------------- --------------------------|
|Total funds carried forward|172,253|44,939|217,192|215,832|
|================== ================= ================= =================|
----- End of picture text -----
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
The notes on pages 15 to 25 form part of these financial statements.
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Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee
Statement of Financial Position
31 March 2023
| 2023 Note £ £ Fixed assets Tangible fixed assets 14 328 Current assets Debtors 15 110,539 Cash at bank and in hand 214,340 324,879 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 17 108,015 ----------------------- Net current assets 216,864 -------------------------- Total assets less current liabilities 217,192 ------------------------------- Net assets 217,192 Funds of the charity Restricted funds 44,939 Unrestricted funds 172,253 -------------------------- ------ Total charity funds 18 217,192 |
2022 £ 2,045 74,449 285,512 |
|
|---|---|---|
| 359,961 146,174 ------------------- 213,787 ------------------- 215,832 |
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| 215,832 109,033 106,799 -------------------- 215,832 |
For the year ending 31 March 2023 the charity was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.
Directors' responsibilities:
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The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year in question in accordance with section 476;
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The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of financial statements.
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies' regime.
These financial statements were approved by the board of trustees and authorised for issue on 14 November 2023, and are signed on behalf of the board by:
Dr D Chadha Trustee
The notes on pages 15 to 25 form part of these financial statements.
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Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee
Statement of Cash Flows
Year ended 31 March 2023
| Note | 2023 |
2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | ||
| Cash flows from operating activities | |||
| Net income | 1,360 | 30,561 | |
| Adjustments for: | |||
| Depreciation of tangible fixed assets | 2,067 | 2,563 | |
| Accrued income | (18,775) | (1,190) |
|
| Changes in: | |||
| Trade and other debtors | (36,090) | 12,236 |
|
| Trade and other creditors | (19,381) | (33,237) |
|
| -------------------------- | -------------------------- | ||
| Cash generated from operations | (70,819) | 10,933 |
|
| -------------------------- | -------------------------- | ||
| Net cash from operating activities | (70,819) | 10,933 |
|
| ================= | ================= | ||
| Cash flows from investing activities | |||
| Purchase of Tangible assets | (350) | - |
|
| -------------------------- | -------------------------- | ||
| Net cash from operating activities | (350) | - |
|
| ================= | ================= | ||
| ================= | ================= | ||
| =========== | =========== | ||
| Net increase in cash and cash equivalents | (71,169) | 10,933 |
|
| Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year | 285,509 | 274,576 | |
| -------------------------- | -------------------------- | ||
| Cash and cash equivalents at end of year | 16 | 214,340 |
285,509 |
| ================= | ================= |
The notes on pages 15 to 24 form part of these financial statements.
- 14 -
Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee
Notes to the Financial Statements
Year ended 31 March 2023
1. General information
The charity is a public benefit entity and a private company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales and a registered charity in England and Wales. The address of the registered office is 62 Grosvenor Street, London, W1K 3JF..
2. Statement of compliance
These financial statements have been prepared in compliance with FRS 102, 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and the Republic of Ireland', the Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (Charities SORP (FRS 102)) and the Companies Act 2006.
3. Accounting policies
Basis of preparation
The financial statements have been prepared on the historical cost basis, as modified by the revaluation of certain financial assets and liabilities and investment properties measured at fair value through income or expenditure.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the entity.
Going concern
There are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue.
Judgements and key 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 amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees to further any of the charity's purposes.
Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the trustees for particular future project or commitment.
Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure declared by the donor or through the terms of an appeal and fall into one of two sub-classes: restricted income funds or endowment funds.
- 15 -
Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2023
3. Accounting policies (continued)
Incoming resources
All incoming resources are included in the statement of financial activities when entitlement has passed to the charity; it is probable that the economic benefits associated with the transaction will flow to the charity and the amount can be reliably measured. The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income:
-
income from donations or grants is recognised when there is evidence of entitlement to the gift, receipt is probable, and its amount can be measured reliably.
-
legacy income is recognised when receipt is probable, and entitlement is established.
-
income from donated goods is measured at the fair value of the goods unless this is impractical to measure reliably, in which case the value is derived from the cost to the donor or the estimated resale value. Donated facilities and services are recognised in the accounts when received if the value can be reliably measured. No amounts are included for the contribution of general volunteers.
-
income from contracts for the supply of services is recognised with the delivery of the contracted service. This is classified as unrestricted funds unless there is a contractual requirement for it to be spent on a particular purpose and returned if unspent, in which case it may be regarded as restricted.
Resources expended.
Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be fully recovered, and is classified under headings of the statement of financial activities to which it relates:
-
expenditure on raising funds includes the costs of all fundraising activities, events, noncharitable trading activities, and the sale of donated goods.
-
expenditure on charitable activities includes all costs incurred by a charity in undertaking activities that further its charitable aims for the benefit of its beneficiaries, including those support costs and costs relating to the governance of the charity apportioned to charitable activities.
-
other expenditure includes all expenditure that is neither related to raising funds for the charity nor part of its expenditure on charitable activities.
All costs are allocated to expenditure categories reflecting the use of the resource. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs are apportioned between the activities they contribute to on a reasonable, justifiable and consistent basis.
Tangible assets
Tangible assets are initially recorded at cost, and subsequently stated at cost less any accumulated depreciation and impairment losses. Any tangible assets carried at revalued amounts are recorded at the fair value at the date of revaluation less any subsequent accumulated depreciation and subsequent accumulated impairment losses.
- 16 -
Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2023
3. Accounting policies (continued)
Tangible assets (continued)
An increase in the carrying amount of an asset as a result of a revaluation, is recognised in other recognised gains and losses, unless it reverses a charge for impairment that has previously been recognised as expenditure within the statement of financial activities. A decrease in the carrying amount of an asset as a result of revaluation, is recognised in other recognised gains and losses, except to which it offsets any previous revaluation gain, in which case the loss is shown within other recognised gains and losses on the statement of financial activities.
Depreciation
Depreciation is calculated so as to write off the cost or valuation of an asset, less its residual value, over the useful economic life of that asset as follows:
Equipments - 25% straight line
Impairment of fixed assets
A review for indicators of impairment is carried out at each reporting date, with the recoverable amount being estimated where such indicators exist. Where the carrying value exceeds the recoverable amount, the asset is impaired accordingly. Prior impairments are also reviewed for possible reversal at each reporting date.
For the purposes of impairment testing, when it is not possible to estimate the recoverable amount of an individual asset, an estimate is made of the recoverable amount of the cashgenerating unit to which the asset belongs. The cash-generating unit is the smallest identifiable group of assets that includes the asset and generates cash inflows that largely independent of the cash inflows from other assets or groups of assets.
For impairment testing of goodwill, the goodwill acquired in a business combination is, from the acquisition date, allocated to each of the cash-generating units that are expected to benefit from the synergies of the combination, irrespective of whether other assets or liabilities of the charity are assigned to those units.
4. Limited by guarantee
The liability of Members is limited. Every Member promise, if the Charity is dissolved while he/she remains a Member or within one year after he/she ceases to be a member, to pay up to £1 towards: ·payment of those debts and liabilities of the Charity incurred before he/she ceased to be a member;payment of the costs, charges and expenses of winding up; and the adjustment of rights of contributors among themselves.
- 17 -
Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2023
5. Donations
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total Funds | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Funds | Funds | 2023 | |
| £ | £ | £ | |
| Donations | |||
| Charitable Donations | 2,632 | – | 2,632 |
| Membership Fees | 5,400 | – | 5,400 |
| Service Provision (Generated Income) | 7,718 | – | 7,718 |
| Grand Trunk Project | – | – | – |
| Organ Donation | 7,350 | 19,000 | 26,350 |
| Domestic Violence | – | – | – |
| Interfaith Tree Planting | 20,000 | _ | 20,000 |
| Peer Network Programme | – | – | – |
| Community Champion | – | – | – |
| SFI | 249,348 | – | 249,348 |
| Kickstarter Income | 4,341 | 18,110 | 22,451 |
| CREID | – | – | – |
| Civic and Leadership Democracy | – | – | – |
| Other | (3,780) | – |
(3,780) |
| Youth Engagement | – | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| Capital Cities Interfaith Network | 902 | – | 902 |
| My Voice | – | – | – |
| Covid 19 | – | – | – |
| Women Lived-Experience | 8,000 | – | 8,000 |
| Newham Project | – | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| Faith In the Metropolitan Police | 22,000 | – | 22,000 |
| Home Office Safer Streets | 27,240 | – | 27,240 |
| -------------------------- | -------------------------- | -------------------------- | |
| 351,151 | 48,110 | 399,261 | |
| ================== ================== | ================== |
- 18 -
Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2023
----- Start of picture text -----
|||||
|---|---|---|---|
|Unrestricted|Restricted|Total Funds|
|Funds|Funds|2022|
|£|£|£|
|Donations|
|Charitable Donations|6,605|–|6,605|
|Membership Fees|6,840|–|6,840|
|Service Provision (Generated Income)|8,871|–|8.871|
|Grand Trunk Project|101|–|101|
|Domestic Violence|3,000|–|3,000|
|Peer Network Programme|12,000|–|12,000|
|Community Champion|6,831|–|6,831|
|SFI|253,728|–|253,728|
|Kickstarter Income|–|164,237|164,237|
|CREID|1,200|–|1,200|
|Civic and Leadership Democracy|–|–|–|
|Other|–|–|–|
|Youth Engagement|10,066|–|10,066|
|Capital Cities Interfaith Network|–|7,104|7,104|
|My Voice|8,824|–|8,824|
|Covid 19|150|–|150|
|-------------------------- -------------------------- --------------------------|
|318,215|171,341|489,556|
|================= ================== ==================|
----- End of picture text -----
6. Expenditure on charitable activities by fund type
----- Start of picture text -----
|||||
|---|---|---|---|
|Unrestricted|Restricted|Total Funds|
|Funds|Funds|2023|
|£|£|£|
|Charitable Activity|155,246|109,571|264,817|
|Support costs|130,451|2,633|133,084|
|------------------------- -------------------------- --------------------------|
|285,697|112,204|397,901|
|================= ================= =================|
|Unrestricted|Restricted|Total Funds|
|Funds|Funds|2022|
|£|£|£|
|Charitable Activity|43,250|162,352|205,601|
|Support costs|253,393|–|253,394|
|-------------------------- -------------------------- --------------------------|
|296,643|162,352|458,995|
|================= ================= =================|
----- End of picture text -----
- 19 -
Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2023
7. Expenditure on charitable activities by activity type
| Activities | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| undertaken | Support |
Total funds |
Total fund |
|
| directly | costs |
2023 |
2022 |
|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Charitable Activity | 264,817 | 112,885 |
377,702 |
421,791 |
| Governance costs | – | 20,199 |
20,199 |
37,204 |
| -------------------------- | -------------------------- | -------------------------- | -------------------------- | |
| 264,817 | 133,084 |
397,901 |
458,995 |
================= ================= ================= ================
8. Analysis of governance costs
| Analysis of | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| governance | Total Funds | Total fund | |
| costs | 2023 | 2022 | |
| £ | £ | £ | |
| Governance Cost | 4,770 | 4,770 | 867 |
| ============== | ============== | ============== |
9. Expenditure on charitable activities by fund type - analysis
| Total | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricte | Restricted | Funds | Funds | |
| d Funds | Funds | 2023 | 2022 | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Staff costs | – | 100,254 |
100,254 |
44,426 |
| Charitable | 6,427 | – |
6,427 |
5,206 |
| Events - Big Iftar | 300 | – |
300 |
– |
| Women's Lived- | ||||
| Experience Expenses | – | 5,525 |
5,525 |
– |
| Events - SFI | 106,307 | 130 |
106,437 |
11,144 |
| Social Media | 245 | – |
245 |
7,792 |
| Faith in the Metropolitan | ||||
| Police Expenses | 4,253 | 1,000 |
5,253 |
– |
| Kickstarter Expenses | – | – |
– |
127,184 |
| Interfaith Tree Planting | 6,959 | – |
6,959 |
– |
| Community Champion | 8,389 | – |
8,389 |
2,110 |
| Civic and Leadership | 150 | – |
150 |
– |
| Covid 19 | – | – |
– |
8.85 |
| Organ Donation | 5,250 | 2,700 |
7,950 |
– |
| Newham Project | ||||
| Expenses | 2,657 | – |
2,657 |
– |
| Youth Engagement | ||||
| Expenses | 1,905 | – |
1,905 |
248 |
| Peer Network | ||||
| Programme | – | (908) |
908 |
7483 |
| Home Office Safer | ||||
| Streets Expenses | 11,222 | 870 |
12,092 |
– |
| Brent Project Expenses | 1,182 | – |
1,182 |
– |
| ----------------------- | -------------------------- | -------------------------- | -------------------------- | |
| 155,246 | 109,571 |
264,817 |
205,602 |
|
| ================= | ================= | ================= | ================= |
- 20 -
Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2023
10. Support costs
| Restricted | Total | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Funds | Funds | Funds | |
| Funds | £ | 2023 | 2022 | |
| £ | £ | £ | ||
| Wages & Salaries | 112,885 | – | 112,885 | 216,190 |
| Accountancy fees | 5,288 | – | 5,288 | 1,302 |
| Travel & Subsistence | 463 | – | 463 | 3,629 |
| FFL Office Costs | 5 | 40 | 45 | 3,581 |
| Governance | 4,770 | – | 4,770 | 6,760 |
| Computer expenses & maintenance | 4,863 | 571 | 5,434 | 6,752 |
| Telephone & Internet | 1,315 | – | 1,315 | 2,096 |
| Insurance | 817 | – | 817 | 745 |
| Rent | – | – | – | 9,000 |
| Cleaning | – | – | – | 774 |
| Depreciation | 45 | 2,022 | 2,067 | 2,564 |
| ---------------------------- | ---------------------------- | ---------------------------- | ---------------------------- | |
| 130,451 | 2,633 | 133,084 | 253,393 | |
| ============================ | ============================ | ============================ | ======================= |
- 21 -
Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2023
11. Net income
Net income is stated after charging/(crediting):
----- Start of picture text -----
||||
|---|---|---|
|2023|2022|
|£|£|
|Depreciation of tangible fixed assets|2,067|2,563|
|================= =================|
----- End of picture text -----
12. Staff costs
The total staff costs and employee benefits for the reporting period are analysed as follows:
----- Start of picture text -----
||||
|---|---|---|
|2023|2022|
|£|£|
|Wages and salaries|213,139|360,616|
|================= =================|
----- End of picture text -----
The average head count of employees during the year was 10 (2022: 18). The average number of fulltime equivalent employees during the year is analysed as follows:
2023 2022 No. No. Number of staff 10 18 ============== ==============
No employee received employee benefits of more than £60,000 during the year (2023: Nil).
13. Trustee remuneration and expenses
During the year, no Trustees received any remuneration. During the year, no Trustees received any benefits in kind. During the year, no Trustees received any reimbursement of expenses.
14. Tangible fixed assets
----- Start of picture text -----
||||
|---|---|---|
|Equipment|Total|
|£|£|
|Cost|
|At 1 April 2022|10,254|10,254|
|Additions|350|350|
|-------------------------- --------------------------|
|At 31 March 2023|10,604|10,604|
|================= =================|
|Depreciation|
|At 1 April 2022|8,209|8,209|
|Charge for the year|2,067|2,067|
|-------------------------- --------------------------|
|At 31 March 2023|10,276|10,276|
|================= =================|
|Carrying amount|
|At 31 March 2023|328|328|
|================= =================|
|At 31 March 2022|2,045|2,045|
|================= =================|
----- End of picture text -----
- 22 -
Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2023
15. Debtors
Trade debtors
----- Start of picture text -----
|||
|---|---|
|2023|2022|
|£|£|
|110,539|74,449|
|================= =================|
----- End of picture text -----
16. Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents comprise the following:
----- Start of picture text -----
||||
|---|---|---|
|2023|2022|
|£|£|
|Cash at bank and in hand|214,340|285,512|
|Bank overdrafts|–|(3)|
|-------------------------- --------------------------|
|214,340|285,509|
|================= =================|
|Creditors:|amounts falling due within one year|
|2023|2022|
|£|£|
|Bank loans and overdrafts|–|3|
|Trade creditors|65,542|111,536|
|Accruals and deferred income|2,175|20,950|
|Social security and other taxes|38,985|13,383|
|Other creditors|1,313|302|
|-------------------------- --------------------------|
|108,015|146,174|
|================= =================|
----- End of picture text -----
17. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
- 23 -
Faiths Forum For London
Company Limited by Guarantee
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2023
18. Analysis of charitable funds
Unrestricted funds
At 1 April 2022 Income Expenditure At 31 March 2023 £ £ £ £ General funds 106,799 351,151 (285,697) 172,253 ============================ ============================ ============================ ============================ At 1 April At 31 March 2021 Income Expenditure 2022 £ £ £ £ General funds 85,227 318,215 (296,643) 106,799 ============================ ============================ ============================ ============================ Restricted funds At 1 April 2022 Income Expenditure At 31 March 2023 £ £ £ £ Restricted Fund 109,033 48,110 (112,204) 44,939 ============================ ================================ ================================ ================================ At 1 April At 31 March 2021 Income Expenditure 2022 £ £ £ £ Restricted Fund 100,044 171,341 (162,352) 109,033 ============================ ================================ ================================ ================================
- 24 -