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2024-12-31-accounts

COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 07952733 CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 1149720

SOLACE UK LTD

Company Limited by Guarantee Unaudited Financial Statements

31 December 2024

BEGG, WILLIAMSON & CO

Chartered Certified Accountants

24 Church Road Crystal Palace London UK SE19 2ET

SOLACE UK LTD

Company Limited by Guarantee

Financial Statements

Year ended 31 December 2024

Page
Trustees' annual report (incorporating the director's report) 1
Independent examiner's report to the trustees 7
Statement of financial activities (including income and
expenditure account) 8
Statement of financial position 9
Notes to the financial statements 10

SOLACE UK LTD

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report)

Year ended 31 December 2024

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 December 2024.

Reference and administrative details

Registered charity name SOLACE UK LTD Charity registration number 1149720 Company registration number 07952733 Principal office and registered Solace UK office Lock Studios 7 Corsican Square London E3 3YD England The trustees MS. A. HURNI MS. B. QUADRI MS. J L DJELLOUL MS. S. CLEMENTS MS. W O BABALOLA MS. S E AROUCHE MS. T. RAHMAN Independent examiner Z F BEGG- FCCA Begg Williamson & Co Chartered Certified Accountants 24 Church Road Crystal Palace London UK SE19 2ET

Structure, governance and management

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SOLACE UK LTD

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

Objectives and activities

Summary of Objects set out in our governing document:

TO ADVANCE THE FAITH OF ISLAM IN PARTICULAR BY SUPPORTING, AIDING AND EMPOWERING WOMEN WHO ARE OR HAVE REVERTED OR RETURNED TO THE ISLAMIC FAITH (AS REVERT SISTERS) AND WHO ARE IN NEED SO THEY CAN FULLY ADVANCE THEIR RELIGION.

Public Benefit:

The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in Section 4 of the Charities Act 2006 to have due regard to the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit Charities and Public Benefit.

Solace UK is a charity which aims to advance the faith of Islam in particular by supporting, aiding and empowering women who are or who have reverted or returned to the Islamic faith (as revert sisters) and who are in need so they can fully advance their religion.

In setting and reviewing Solace's strategic objectives, the charity has had due regard for the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit. The guidance sets out the requirement that all organisations wishing to be recognised as charities must demonstrate, explicitly, that their aims are for the public benefit.

In delivering its objectives, Solace UK provides the following identifiable public benefits through the advancement of faith in particular supporting, aiding and empowering women who are or have reverted or returned to the Islamic faith:

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SOLACE UK LTD

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

Achievements and performance

In 2021, Solace UK developed a 10-year strategy. In 2024 - the third year of implementing that strategy, Solace UK can report the following information about its team, activities, projects and services:

Team

In 2024, the Solace team was made up of 29 members of staff and 53 volunteers.

The accounts will show a large percentage of expenses which have been allocated to wages and salaries. It is important to note the following:

In 2024, 17 members of staff out of the 29 members of staff held roles within Solace where direct support was provided for our beneficiaries. This means that they directly provided emotional, practical, Islamic, financial, social and marital support for our beneficiaries either on a 1-1 basis or via direct project delivery. As a result, the vast majority of wages were not admin related but rather classified as project delivery.

A further 5 members of staff held roles that were part project delivery and part administrative, leaving 7 members of staff that were only administrative based.

In this way, as a board of trustees, we believe our expenses towards wages is justified as without these roles, our beneficiaries would not receive the direct support for their needs.

In 2024, Solace received 1034 requests for support from revert women from 28 countries worldwide, averaging at 3 requests per day. Solace directly impacted 1458 revert women and their children through our services and events. Of these services and events:

Services

1-1 Support Service

Solace UK's core service continued into its 13th year. The 1-1 Support Service is a person-centred provision where a beneficiary is allocated a trained support worker. An initial assessment of her circumstances and needs is carried out. This is followed by an action plan where the support worker helps and empowers the beneficiary to overcome challenges, set and achieve goals. These goals can be anything from faith-based goals to marital resolution to practical support, and more.

478 revert women were supported through the 1-1 Support Service ranging from different ethnicities, age groups and worldwide geographical locations.

Through Solace's flagship service, reverted women have been emotionally and practically supported. They have been empowered to make a difference in their lives and others. They have begun work to process trauma through our Psychotherapy support programme which supported 14 revert women in 2024 who needed further intervention.

In addition to being assigned a trained support worker for 1-1 support, beneficiaries and their dependants in 2024 were:

  1. Fed and clothed, and their basic needs were covered.

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SOLACE UK LTD

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

  1. In receipt of care packages through gifts, days out together, toys, Eid gatherings and Eid gifts. 3. Protected and kept safe by helping them stay in their own homes.

  2. Provided with emotional and spiritual support.

  3. In receipt of investment in their learning and education.

  4. Helped as they battled domestic violence and mental health struggles linked to trauma and abuse.

Financial Aid

Many revert women were also struggling financially with rent costs, food and clothing costs and debt. 243 revert women applied for financial support in 2024. Due to our robust and thorough financial application process, 162 service users were awarded financial support and 81 received debt relief support. This lessened their financial and emotional burdens. There were also a number of women who found themselves in homeless circumstances, Solace was able to assist them with emergency housing.

Sponsor a Revert

Our Sponsor a Revert campaign sponsored 180 revert women in difficulty who received the following support:

Emotional support sessions Counselling Islamic courses Attendance to retreats Online Islamic courses Marriage webinars Islamic clothing Food vouchers Travel assistance Retreats

Single Mum

Our Single Mother Relief project saw 40 single mothers and their 120 children supported with:

Food vouchers Eid gifts for their children School uniform assistance Retreats Trips Counselling

We also continued for the third year to provide our services in our second branch of Solace in the North of England - extending our services to revert women in Manchester, Bradford and Leeds.

Solace in Marriage Service

The Solace in Marriage service continued into 2024 where 166 participants signed up to our flagship Pre-Marriage Course. 6 service users accessed our pre-marriage wali support - a service that acts as

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SOLACE UK LTD

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

a surrogate family/father figure in vetting potential husbands for revert women and the facilitation of marriage meetings. One service user married through our service. 17 couples were provided with inmarriage support.

Wills

84 revert women applied to complete their will in 2024 - a fundamental step for revert women who largely do not have Muslim family - ensuring their affairs are taken care of in accordance with Islamic guidelines after their death.

Ask A Sheikh Service

Solace launched the much needed Ask a Sheikh service which provides revert women with a person of knowledge who is qualified to answer Islamic questions of a personal nature or those related to Islamic jurisprudence. In 2024, 332 questions were received from revert women, providing them with guidance in how to live their lives according to Islamic law.

What's On Service

Crafted exclusively for revert women, the What's On service was created to enhance accessibility to activities, events, and services in their vicinity - thus addressing feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Events

In 2024 we held 7 support events - benefitting 226 women and 154 children. These events included two iftar events in London and the North of the UK, two Eid parties in London and the North, an Eid ul-adha party collaboration with IAP, two trips to Wray Castle in the Lake District and Willowbrook Farm in Oxford.

We held 3 fundraising challenges with 92 fundraisers. These initiatives included a Sponsored Walk, participation in the annual Al-Noor Boat race and our Ramadan Revert Support Challenge.

Awareness

2024 was another year of building awareness surrounding the plight faced by our beneficiaries. Solace created awareness in a number of ways. This was namely done online via a number of social media campaigns, that were particularly held during the month of Ramadan, namely the Revert Support Challenge. Through these campaigns, we were able to highlight the array of various difficulties encountered by revert women were launched. Speeches in mosques around the country took place. The Solace blog also continued, providing our beneficiaries with heartfelt articles - there to support them during their time of need. All were successful in highlighting the difficulties faced by our beneficiaries as well as raising much needed funds to continue Solace's services.

Other

For the 13th year running, Eid gifts were sent out at Eid time which is always so well received by Solace's beneficiaries. During very difficult circumstances with many unable to share Ramadan and Eid with family due to their different faith, Eid gifts really do provide solace.

We believe our objectives provide a public interest, in that we are aiding individuals in a holistic manner and encouraging them to become better members of society which in turn has a positive effect upon their own families and communities.

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SOLACE UK LTD

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

Financial review

All income of the charity was received by way of donations from public individuals or companies. At the end of the financial year, Solace UK had: Income £267,807 Spending £387,319

Reserve Policy

The trustees aim to maintain free reserves in unrestricted funds at a level which equates to 6 months of unrestricted charitable expenditure which we believe is sufficient.

Small company provisions

This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies entitled to the small companies exemption.

The trustees' annual report was approved on …………………….. and signed on behalf of the board of trustees by:

MS. B. QUADRI Trustee

MS. S. CLEMENTS Trustee

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SOLACE UK LTD

Company Limited by Guarantee

Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of SOLACE UK LTD (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of SOLACE UK LTD ('the charity') for the year ended 31 December 2024.

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 your charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a listed body. I can confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a registered member of 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:

  1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or

  2. the financial statements do not accord with those records; or

  3. 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

  4. 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.

Z F BEGG-FCCA Independent Examiner

Begg Williamson & Co 24 Church Road Crystal Palace London UK SE19 2ET

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SOLACE UK LTD

Company Limited by Guarantee

Statement of Financial Activities (including income and expenditure account)

Year ended 31 December 2024

2024 2023
Unrestricted Restricted
funds funds Total funds Total funds
Note £ £ £ £
Income and endowments
Donations and legacies 5 140,168 127,639 267,807 318,184
-------------------------------- -------------------------------- -------------------------------- --------------------------------
Total income 140,168 127,639 267,807 318,184
================================ ================================ ================================ ================================
Expenditure
Expenditure on raising funds:
Costs of raising donations and
legacies 6 89,892 9,365 99,257 153,266
Expenditure on charitable activities 7,8 98,296 189,766 288,062 229,948
-------------------------------- -------------------------------- -------------------------------- --------------------------------
Total expenditure 188,188 199,131 387,319 383,214
================================ ================================ ================================ ================================
-------------------------------- -------------------------------- -------------------------------- --------------------------------
Net expenditure and net movement in
funds (48,020) (71,492) (119,512) (65,030)
================================ ================================ ================================ ================================
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward 504,084 221,267 725,351 790,381
-------------------------------- -------------------------------- -------------------------------- --------------------------------
Total funds carried forward 456,064 149,775 605,839 725,351
================================ ================================ ================================ ================================

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 10 to 16 form part of these financial statements.

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SOLACE UK LTD

Company Limited by Guarantee

Statement of Financial Position

31 December 2024

2024 2023
Note £ £
Current assets
Debtors 13 19,671 16,828
Cash at bank and in hand 605,794 718,040
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
625,465 734,868
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 14 19,626 9,517
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
Net current assets 605,839 725,351
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
Total assets less current liabilities 605,839 725,351
================================ ================================
Funds of the charity
Restricted funds 149,775 221,267
Unrestricted funds 456,064 504,084
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
Total charity funds 15 605,839
================================		 725,351
================================

For the year ending 31 December 2024 the charity was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Directors' responsibilities:

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 11 September 2025, and are signed on behalf of the board by:

MS. B. QUADRI Trustee

MS. S. CLEMENTS Trustee

The notes on pages 10 to 16 form part of these financial statements.

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SOLACE UK LTD

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements

Year ended 31 December 2024

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 Solace UK, Lock Studios, 7 Corsican Square, London, E3 3YD, England.

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.

Disclosure exemptions

The entity satisfies the criteria of being a qualifying entity as defined in FRS 102. As such, advantage has been taken of the following disclosure exemptions available under paragraph 1.12 of FRS 102:

(a) No cash flow statement has been presented for the company.

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.

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SOLACE UK LTD

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

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:

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:

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.

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:

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SOLACE UK LTD

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

3. Accounting policies (continued)

Financial instruments

A financial asset or a financial liability is recognised only when the charity becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at the amount receivable or payable including any related transaction costs.

Current assets and current liabilities are subsequently measured at the cash or other consideration expected to be paid or received and not discounted.

Debt instruments are subsequently measured at amortised cost.

Where investments in shares are publicly traded or their fair value can otherwise be measured reliably, the investment is subsequently measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognised in income and expenditure. All other such investments are subsequently measured at cost less impairment.

Other financial instruments, including derivatives, are initially recognised at fair value, unless payment for an asset is deferred beyond normal business terms or financed at a rate of interest that is not a market rate, in which case the asset is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest for a similar debt instrument.

Other financial instruments are subsequently measured at fair value, with any changes recognised in the statement of financial activities, with the exception of hedging instruments in a designated hedging relationship.

Financial assets that are measured at cost or amortised cost are reviewed for objective evidence of impairment at the end of each reporting date. If there is objective evidence of impairment, an impairment loss is recognised under the appropriate heading in the statement of financial activities in which the initial gain was recognised.

For all equity instruments regardless of significance, and other financial assets that are individually significant, these are assessed individually for impairment. Other financial assets are either assessed individually or grouped on the basis of similar credit risk characteristics.

Any reversals of impairment are recognised immediately, to the extent that the reversal does not result in a carrying amount of the financial asset that exceeds what the carrying amount would have been had the impairment not previously been recognised.

4. Limited by guarantee

Solace (UK) ltd is a private company limited by guarantee without share capital. The members guarantee in case of winding up, or within one year after ceasing being a member they will contribute to the assets of the company as required to settle any debts or liabilities and any payment of costs in winding up the company.

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SOLACE UK LTD

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

5. Donations and legacies

Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds
Funds Funds 2024
£ £ £
Donations
Donations 122,218 127,639 249,857
Gifts
Gift Aid 17,950 – 17,950
-------------------------------- -------------------------------- --------------------------------
140,168 127,639 267,807
================================ ================================ ================================
Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds
Funds Funds 2023
£ £ £
Donations
Donations 122,636 180,081 302,717
Gifts
Gift Aid 15,467 – 15,467
-------------------------------- -------------------------------- --------------------------------
138,103 180,081 318,184
================================ ================================ ================================
6. Costs of raising donations
Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds
Funds Funds 2024
£ £ £
Costs of raising donations 87,518 9,365 96,883
Costs of raising donations Other 2,374 – 2,374
---------------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------------
89,892 9,365 99,257
============================ ======================= ============================
Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds
Funds Funds 2023
£ £ £
Costs of raising donations 109,508 43,007 152,514
Costs of raising donations Other 752 – 752
-------------------------------- ---------------------------- --------------------------------
110,260 43,007 153,266
================================ ============================ ================================

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SOLACE UK LTD

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

7. Expenditure on charitable activities by fund type

Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds
Funds Funds 2024
£ £ £
Direct Charitable Activity 98,296 189,766 288,062
============================ ================================ ================================
Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds
Funds Funds 2023
£ £ £
Direct Charitable Activity 13,205 216,742 229,948
============================ ================================ ================================
8. Expenditure on charitable activities
Activities
undertaken Total funds Total fund
directly 2024 2023
£ £ £
Direct Charitable Activity 288,062 288,062 229,948
================================ ================================ ================================
9. Net expenditure
Net expenditure is stated after charging/(crediting):
2024 2023
£ £
Depreciation of tangible fixed assets – 55
============== ==============
10. Independent examination fees
2024 2023
£ £
Fees payable to the independent examiner for:
Independent examination of the financial statements 1,700 1,700
======================= ==============
11. Staff costs
The total staff costs and employee benefits for the reporting period are analysed as follows:
2024 2023
£ £
Wages and salaries 156,087 117,173
Social security costs 12,440 3,338
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
168,527 120,511
================================ ================================

The average head count of employees during the year was 29 (2023: Nil).

No employee received employee benefits of more than £60,000 during the year (2023: Nil).

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SOLACE UK LTD

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

12. Trustee remuneration and expenses

One or more trustees has been paid remuneration or received other benefits from employment with the charity or a related entity. Payments to trustees as remuneration was approved by the trustees and charities commission.

The trustee B Quadri was paid £14,043 (2023 £10,350) for the year as salary.

The trustee J Djelloul was paid £5,447 (2023 £10,854) for the year as salary.

The trustee W Babalola was paid £21,759 (2023 £17,464) for the year as salary.

13. Debtors

2024 2023
£ £
VAT recoverable 702 468
Other debtors 18,969 16,360
---------------------------- ----------------------------
19,671 16,828
============================ ============================
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
2024 2023
£ £
Other creditors 19,626 9,517
============================ =======================

14. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

15. Analysis of charitable funds

Unrestricted funds

At At
1 January 20 31 Decembe
24 Income Expenditure r 2024
£ £ £ £
Unrestricted fund - General funds 504,084 140,168 (188,188) 456,064
================================ ================================ ================================ ================================
At At
1 January 20 31 December
23 Income Expenditure 2023
£ £ £ £
Unrestricted fund - General funds 489,446 138,103 (123,465) 504,084
================================ ================================ ================================ ================================

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SOLACE UK LTD

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the Detailed Statement of Financial Activities

Year ended 31 December 2024

Restricted funds
At At
1 January 20 31 Decembe
24 Income Expenditure r 2024
£ £ £ £
Restricted Funds 221,267 127,639 (199,131) 149,775
================================ ================================ ================================ ================================
At At
1 January 20 31 December
23 Income Expenditure 2023
£ £ £ £
Restricted Funds 300,935 180,081 (259,749) 221,267
================================ ================================ ================================ ================================

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