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2022-08-31-accounts

THE MARRIAGE FOUNDATION

Annual Report and Financial Statements

31 AUGUST 2022

Company Limited by Guarantee Registration Number 08002851 (England and Wales)

Charity Registration Number 1150453

CONTENTS PAGE
Members of the Board and professional advisers 1
Summary of Vision, Aims and Activities 2
Chairman’s Statement 3
Trustees’ Annual Report 5
Independent examiner's report to the members 10
Statement of financial activities (incorporating the
income and expenditure account) 11
Balance sheet 12
Notes to the financial statements 13

Page 1

THE MARRIAGE FOUNDATION COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND PROFESSIONAL ADVISERS

Registered charity name The Marriage Foundation
Charity number 1150453
Company registration number 08002851
Registered office Queen Elizabeth Building
Temple
London
EC4Y 9BS
Business Address PO Box 3014
Romford
RM7 1TX
Tel: 07916 697531
Email: info@marriagefoundation.org.uk
Web: www.marriagefoundation.org.uk
Trustees Sir Paul Coleridge
Sir Mark Hedley
William Coleridge
Pamela Collis
Alice Coleridge (appointed December 2021)
Dr Andrea Taylor-Cummings (appointed December 2021)
Jonathan Taylor-Cummings (appointed December 2021)
Executive Director Michaela Hyde
Independent examiner Siobhan Temple CA(SA), ACMA
277 Sheen Lane
London
SW14 8RN
Bankers National Westminster Bank Plc
56 St. Andrews Street
Cambridge
CB2 3DA
Patrons Baroness Butler-Sloss
Baroness Deech
Baroness Shackleton
Lady Toulson

Page 2

The Marriage Foundation

Summary of Vision, Aims and Activities

Our Vision

We want to see fewer relationships breaking down and more people forming healthy stable relationships. This would mean:

We believe that marriage is the key constituent to more stable relationships, and that marriages can be strengthened and supported to survive difficult times. That’s why our mission is to be the national champion for marriage.

Our core aims and objectives

Our charitable objects and activities are set out in full in the Trustees’ annual report. In summary our core aims, objectives and activities are

To be a powerful independent voice restoring confidence in marriage. Using the best and latest research, we:

Our aims

  1. To see the aspiration of a life-long, fulfilling marriage as an attainable goal for all, especially our young people

  2. To see a society that thrives because stable marriage (or formal commitment) becomes the first choice for all couples

  3. To halt the current declining marriage rate because marriage is the single most effective key to reducing family breakdown

What do we do?

  1. Marriage Foundation confronts and challenges the status quo. By undertaking, publishing and broadcasting ground-breaking research we heighten public, media and government awareness and understanding of the scale of the national tragedy of family breakdown and its causes.

  2. Through collaboration and partnering with a wide range of like-minded organisations we advocate effective remedies and signpost people to them.

  3. We coordinate national projects such as UK Marriage Week.

Page 3

The Marriage Foundation

Chairman’s Statement

Chairman’s Statement for the Year 2021/2022

Our 10th Anniversary, 2[nd] May 2022, and beyond…………

What an anniversary year 2021-2022 turned out to be…

For those of our supporters who attended the 10th birthday party at Middle Temple on 4th May, Shaun Bailey AM’s keynote address was outstanding – not only for its passionate and unswerving support for our work, but for the extraordinary, nerve-wracking circumstances in which he delivered it.

The day before the reception, Shaun had been rushed to hospital with suspected appendicitis and we were all convinced he would have to cancel his attendance. Not so! Despite all our pleas for him to be careful and to put his health first, he was absolutely insistent that he would get there if he was physically able to do so. And he did. His appendix was removed late the night before and, true to his word, he arrived a little battered and bruised (with his hand still bandaged at the site where the operation IV had been removed), just before the scheduled start. And despite his warning that he might not be up to delivering the whole of his intended talk, Shaun spoke for the whole of the allotted time and then answered questions until, in his own interests, they had to be stopped.

It was a tour de force, not be missed, and you can watch it via our website: www.marriagefoundation.org.uk. To describe him as the standout hero of the anniversary year is no exaggeration. He, like us, is driven by an unswerving belief, born both of his personal and professional experience, that stable family life engendered by marriage is, and must be, the primary campaign to tackle the social problems of our time, exemplified by the shameful “marriage gap” which has opened up between rich and poor. This social justice issue is now the main focus of all our work, and to have Shaun on board will be, we are sure, a game changer. He is truly a champion for the cause.

Following on from the reception we have been plotting out a series of TV documentaries with an experienced BBC producer (who attended the anniversary and heard Shaun) to drive this campaign forward with Shaun as a key participant. We are hoping for the assistance of a renowned documentary producing company.

In parallel with this TV project, we are renewing our determination to penetrate more effectively the political space. Given the upheavals of summer 2022, this presents, as they say, challenges! So, we are planning a special, one off “Marriage Summit” in the House of Commons, inviting supportive politicians of all parties with the simple aim of forcing this subject much further up the current national agenda. “ But we have been here before ”, I hear you say. Indeed we have, but we cannot let up. To significantly move the hands on this particular dial, we have to keep the lawmakers’ feet to the fire much as we might prefer to ignore them and go it alone.

So overall, ten years on, our strategic objective has not changed since the launch in 2012 (to champion marriage for the good of society, especially our children). And as well as these big events our day-today work goes on via our regular research and media work and with other organisations in the field. All this is driven by Harry Benson, our non-stop research director, now in year 2 of his PHD at the University of Bristol. The main trust accounts include a media summary Report for the past and coming year. As you see, life for Marriage Foundation remains at maximum stretch!

Page 4

The Marriage Foundation

Chairman’s Statement

As you know, our work is labour and time intensive but often constrained by our finances. Everyone involved gives their time selflessly, either for nothing or for too little financial reward. However, we badly need more boots on the ground. We are actively looking for assistants or interns to help us in specific areas. Be assured that every pound we raise is fully employed in our campaigns and projects.

I am truly and unceasingly grateful for all the support we get from so many loyal and committed friends.

THANK YOU ALL. With your help, we can win.

Sir Paul Coleridge

Founder and Chairman of the trustees

Page 5

The Marriage Foundation

Trustees’ Annual Report Year ended 31 August 2022

The Trustees, who are also directors for the purposes of company law, present their report and the unaudited financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 August 2022.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Reference and administrative details are shown in the schedule of members of the board and professional advisers on page 1 of the financial statements.

THE TRUSTEES

The Trustees who served the charity during the period were as follows:

Sir Paul Coleridge Sir Mark Hedley William Coleridge Pamela Collis Alice Coleridge (appointed December 2021) Dr Andrea Taylor-Cummings (appointed December 2021) Jonathan Taylor-Cummings (appointed December 2021)

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing Document and Constitution

The Marriage Foundation was incorporated under and is regulated by its Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 22 March 2012 and amended by special resolution registered at Companies House on 11 January 2013. The company limited by guarantee was registered as a charity by the Charity Commission on 11 January 2013.

Governance , Structure and Management

The charity is governed, on a day-to-day basis, by the Executive Director, who meets frequently with the chair of Trustees to discuss the issues affecting the charity. In establishing governance policies and procedures for the charity the Trustees have been guided by the Charity Commission’s published advice and guidance. In June 2022, the previous Marriage Foundation Advisory Board were officially replaced with a smaller collection of Honorary Advisors, a highly skilled, dedicated, and experienced group of individuals who act in a personal capacity to support the work of the charity. The following advisors make themselves available to the charity when their support or advise is sought. These small group of individuals are as follows:

Alex Le Vey is the Director of Philanthropy and Veteran’s Health at King Edward VII’s hospital.

Dr Eli Gardner is a Clinical Child Psychologist, and the Co-founder & Executive Director of the charity Kids Matter.

Frank Young is Editorial Director at the Civitas think tank.

Nola Leach was the Chief Executive of UK Charity CARE for 17 years. She stepped down from this role in 2021 and now concentrates her time serving on several boards and mentoring women leaders across Europe.

Philippa Taylor is Director of the Institute of Faith and Culture, a graduate leadership training scheme at CARE.

Page 6

The Marriage Foundation

Trustees’ Annual Report Year ended 31 August 2022

Reserves Policy

It is the policy of the Trustees to hold an amount in free reserves equivalent to 3 month’s costs. The free reserves as at 31 August 2022 were £20,580.

Recruitment, Appointment and Induction of Trustees

Invitations will be extended from time to time by the existing body of Trustees to suitable qualified and experienced men and women to become new trustees. Newly appointed Trustees are provided with induction materials, including a copy of the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the company and the Trust Deed.

Internal Controls and Risk Management

The systems of internal control are designed to provide reasonable, but not absolute assurance against misstatement and loss. They include:

An annual review of the risks facing the Foundation will be conducted and considered by Trustees. They agree the strategic risks facing the organisation and measures to be adopted to mitigate those risks.

Associated Bodies

Marriage Foundation was publicly launched in May 2012 and operated as a project of The Relationships Foundation (Registered charity number 1106460) until independent charity registration was achieved on 11 January 2013. The role of the Relationships Foundation in the management of the affairs of The Marriage Foundation ceased with effect from September 2018.

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT

Objectives

The objects of Marriage Foundation, as stated in the Memorandum and Articles of Association, are:

  1. To safeguard and protect the physical and mental health of adults and children, and to prevent hardship poverty and distress, by raising awareness of the means by which successful relationships (including but not limited to married relationships) can be developed and strengthened and the breakdown of relationships avoided.

  2. To promote research into all aspects of the establishment, maintenance and development of successful relationships (including but not limited to married relationships) and to publish the useful results thereof.

  3. To promote the effectiveness and efficiency of charities concerned with the creation and maintenance of successful relationships (including but not limited to married relationships), for the benefit of the public, in particular, but not exclusively, by organising conferences and disseminating the results of relevant research.

Having had regard to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit, the Trustees believe that the activities of Marriage Foundation deliver public benefit through:

Page 7

The Marriage Foundation

Trustees’ Annual Report Year ended 31 August 2022

relationships and address the myths and misperceptions that hinder the formation of more stable relationships.

We believe that increasing the number of healthy marriages (as opposed to less stable cohabitation) and reducing the rate of breakdown is key to this. We seek to promote better understanding of marriage in public debate, tackling the myths that discourage marriage; improve access to relationships support and education, particularly in the early stages of relationships; and tackle the marriage gap, especially for disadvantaged young people who are more likely to opt for less stable cohabitation.

Our work is intended to assist partner organisations and their effectiveness. We are not a direct provider of services but work closely with both local and national relationships educators, seeking to change the cultural environment within which they operate to enable far greater impact.

Activities

During the year, we continued our programme of research, media engagement and development of practical initiatives. Full details of all of these, papers and press releases, are on our constantly updated website (www.marriagefoundation.org.uk) . These are the headlines:

Research and media engagement

As well as commenting widely on the latest family statistics, we continued to produce a stream of lowcost and clearly defined pieces of research making the case for marriage. For our 10th anniversary in May, we invited former London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey to deliver a keynote speech on marriage. His barnstorming effort, in spite of illness, was covered by the Times and Express.

Several of our research papers during the year drew on the survey of 2,000 ever married adults that we commissioned through Savanta ComRes. Our findings that couples who meet online have higher divorce risk drew our biggest media success with 16 media pieces ranging from a feature in the Mail on Sunday to interviews with GB News and ITV News to an article in the New York Post. Our findings on couples who said they wouldn’t be together had they not married achieved 5 pieces of media coverage, including Sunday Express, GB News again, and the Church Times. Our findings on the surprising widespread prevalence of ‘prenups’ were covered in the Daily Mail. Our findings on the real cost of weddings, far lower than is commonly thought, was covered in the Mail on Sunday, Sunday Times, and Guardian.

We also produced a special analysis of data from Understanding Society showing that poor married parents were as likely to stay together as the richest cohabitees, covered by the Sunday Times. We wrote a brief note on soaring marriage rates in Hungary that was covered by ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Mail on Sunday, Sunday Telegraph and the Sun. And finally our research director Harry Benson’s videoed submission to parliamentary committee on rights for cohabiting couples received over 20,000 views on twitter.

Overall, during the course of the year, we achieved some 65 pieces of national level media coverage and numerous local news articles and interviews on top (i.e., more than five a month). This included 7 prime-time interviews with GB News, Good Morning Britain and ITV news, 35 quotes or mentions in most of the UK national Sunday and daily papers as mentioned above, 12 radio interviews with LBC, Premier, UCB, Newstalk Ireland, Voice of Islam, and BBC radio Bristol, and 10 articles mostly penned

Page 8

The Marriage Foundation

Trustees’ Annual Report Year ended 31 August 2022

by us in online blogs or magazines such as the Institute for Family Studies and Huffington Post.

Social media

We have continued to maintain a social media presence for Marriage Foundation.

Plans for future periods

The next year promises the last of six research papers drawing on our especially commissioned Savanta ComRes survey, as well as an update on our series on celebrity divorce, more on the ‘marriage gap’ between rich and poor, and an exploration of links between family background and GCSE results using the latest national data in the Millennium Cohort Study.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

The financial outturn for the year was a deficit of £6,193 (2021: profit of £6,536). Free reserves at 31 August 2022 were £20,580 (2021: £26,773).

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE TRUSTEES

The Trustees (who are also the directors of Marriage Foundation for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. The Trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER

Siobhan Temple CA(SA), ACMA has been appointed as independent examiner for the ensuing year.

SMALL COMPANY PROVISIONS

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

Page 9

The Marriage Foundation

Trustees’ Annual Report Year ended 31 August 2022

Registered office: Queen Elizabeth Building Temple London EC4Y 9BS

Signed on behalf of the Trustees

Paul Coleridge Trustee

Page 10

The Marriage Foundation

Independent Examiner’s Report

Year Ended 31 August 2022

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 August 2022.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND BASIS OF REPORT

As the charity's trustees of the company (who are also the directors of The Marriage Foundation for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts 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 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

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 Company as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

  3. the accounts 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 accounts 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.

Siobhan Temple CA(SA) Independent Examiner 277 Sheen Lane London SW14 8RN

Page 11

The Marriage Foundation

Statement of Financial Activities (Incorporating the Income and Expenditure Account) Year Ended 31 August 2022

Note
INCOME
Donations & Legacies
1
TOTAL INCOME
EXPENDITURE
Charitable activity
2
TOTAL EXPENDITURE
NET EXPENDITURE/INCOME FOR
THE YEAR
ACCUMULATED FUNDS B/F
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED
FORWARD
4		 Unrestricted
Funds
£
Restricted
Funds
£
Total
Funds
2022
£
Total Funds
2021
£
94,789
-
94,789
100,936
94,789
-
94,789
100,936
100,982
-
100,982
94,399
100,982
-
100,982
94,399
(6,193)
-
(6,193)
6,536
26,773
-
26,773
20,237
20,580
-
20,580
26,773

The Statement of Financial Activities includes all gains and losses in the year and therefore a statement of total recognised gains and losses has not been prepared.

All of the above amounts relate to continuing activities.

The notes on pages 13 to 17 form part of these financial statements.

Page 12

The Marriage Foundation

Balance Sheet

Year Ended 31 August 2021

BALANCE SHEET 31 AUGUST 2021

CURRENT ASSETS
Note
Cash at Bank
CREDITORS amounts falling due within one year
3
NET CURRENT ASSETS
TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES
NET TOTAL ASSETS
FUNDS
Unrestricted Income Funds
4
TOTAL FUNDS		 2022
£
20,580
20,580
-
20,580
20,580
20,580
20,580
20,580		 2021
£
31,773
31,773
5,000
26,773
26,773
26,773
26,773
26,773

For the financial year ended 31 August 2022 the charity was entitled to the exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Companies act 2006 with respect to accounting records and the preparation of financial statements.

The members have not required the charity to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year in question in accordance with section 476.

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 on the 27 May 2023 and are signed on their behalf by:

SIR PAUL COLERIDGE PAMELA COLLIS

Company Registration Number: 08002851

The notes on pages 13 to 16 form part of these financial statements.

Page 13

The Marriage Foundation

Notes to the Financial Activities Statements Year Ended 31 August 2021

ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of accounting

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015) – (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102) and the Companies Act 2006.

The financial statements for the year ended 31 August 2022 are prepared in accordance with FRS 102, The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Going Concern

The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis as, after making appropriate enquiries, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future at the time of approving the financial statements.

Income

Fund accounting

Unrestricted general funds

The charity maintains a general unrestricted fund, which represents funds which are expendable at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the objects of the charity. Such funds may be held to finance both working capital and capital investment.

Restricted funds

Restricted funds have been provided to the charity for particular purposes and it is the policy of the board of Trustees to carefully monitor the application of those funds in accordance with the restrictions placed upon them.

Expenditure

Page 15

The Marriage Foundation

Notes to the Financial Activities Statements Year Ended 31 August 2022

1. DONATIONS & LEGACIES

1. DONATIONS & LEGACIES
Donations
Tax Reclaimed		 Unrestricted
Funds
£
Restricted
Funds
£
Total Funds
2022
£
Total
Unrestricted
Funds
2021
£
91,577
-
91,577
96,135
3,212
-
3,212
4,801
94,789
-
94,789
100,936

2. COSTS OF CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES

Office costs
Consultancy costs
Research		 Unrestricted
Funds
£
Restricted
Funds
£
Total Funds
2022
£
Total
Unrestricted
Funds
2021
£
3,723
-
3,723
4,543
90,591
-
90,591
80,856
6,668
-
6,668
9,000
100,982
-
100,982
94,399

All expenses directly incurred by The Marriage Foundation are paid by The Marriage Foundation. Consultancy costs cover The Marriage Foundation’s research and media work.

Particulars of employees

There were no employees during the period.

3. CREDITORS: Amounts falling due within one year

Accruals 2022
£
2021
£
-
5,000
5,000

4. UNRESTRICTED INCOME FUNDS

General Funds
Total unrestricted income
funds		 Balance at
01-09-21
£
Incoming
resources
£
Outgoing
resources
£
Balance at
31-08-22
£
26,773
94,789
100,982
20,580
26,773
94,789
100,982
20,580

Page 16

The Marriage Foundation

Notes to the Financial Activities Statements

Year Ended 31 August 2022

5. TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION

None of the members of the Board of Trustees received any remuneration during this year.

During the year, no Trustees received reimbursements of personal travel and subsistence expenditure.

6. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

During the year donations totalling £12,600 (2021 - £4,800) were received from Sir Paul Coleridge a Trustee of the charity.

Donations of £2,400 were received from Pamela Collis also a Trustee of the charity.

7. COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE

In the event of a winding-up of the company, the liability of the members is restricted to £1.