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2023-03-31-accounts

Reports and Financial Statements

For the year ended 31 March 2023

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

Contents

Page
Charity information 1
Trustees’ report
2-17
Independent auditor’s report 18-20
Statement of financial activities 21
Balance sheet 22
Statement of cash flows 23
Notes to the financial statements 24-33

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity Charity information

Charity registration number 1156305
Registered address 6 St Martin’s Place
London WC2N 4HJ
Trustees Jonathan Burdett (resigned 25 May 2023)
Michelle Cornes (appointed 25 July 2023)
Mark Devlin
Myles Edward (appointed 25 July 2023)
Victoria Fox
Debbie Giwa
Victoria Hill
Carol Hilsum (appointed 25 July 2023)
Keith Leslie (appointed 25 July 2023)
Helen Simpson (resigned 25 July 2023)
Frances Stratton
Revd Dr Sam Wells
Caroline Wiertz (resigned 16 February 2023)
Julian Worricker
Director Tim Bissett
Bankers Coutts & Co
440 Strand
London WC2R 0QS
Independent auditor Mazars LLP
6 Sutton Plaza
Sutton Court Road
Sutton
Surrey SM1 4FS

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St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

Trustees’ report

The trustees present their report and the audited financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2023. The trustees have adopted the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) “Accounting and Reporting by Charities” (FRS102).

About the St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity (SMC) is closely associated with St Martin-in-the-Fields Church, an iconic landmark located in Trafalgar Square, London, UK. The history of St Martin-in-the-Fields Church dates to the medieval period, with records of a church on the site as early as the 13th century. The foundations of St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity are built on the work done by the Church for hundreds or years.

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity exists to try and prevent homelessness. If it does occur, we support the delivery of the best possible solutions that enable people experiencing, or about to experience homelessness to secure and keep a safe place to live.

We offer emergency funding, via frontline workers, to help people experiencing or at risk of homelessness to access new accommodation or keep the accommodation they are in. Our Vicar’s Relief Fund (VRF) grants help people to secure accommodation by covering costs such as a rental deposit or rent arrears.

We listen to and learn from people and organisations working on the frontline of homelessness when deciding what initiatives to support. Through our Frontline Fund, we support six projects across the four nations of the UK. The projects focus on supporting people to secure, and keep, a safe place to call home. This includes providing access to healthcare, legal advice, and mental health support to help people move on from homelessness.

Funding is also provided to the Connection at St Martins. They connect people who are sleeping rough in Westminster with specialist support workers to help them move away from, and stay off, the streets of London.

We collaborate with frontline workers across the UK to ensure that people experiencing homelessness can access the best available support. We provide grants to frontline workers in the homelessness sector, so they can participate in training to develop their skills and knowledge. We bring frontline workers together, regionally and at national level, creating opportunities for them to share their insights and expertise about what works best to support people experiencing homelessness.

We listen to lived and frontline experience. Every year the Frontline Network conducts an Annual Frontline Network Survey of staff across the UK, to gather views and experiences. This provides us crucial insight on what we could do to address homelessness.

We share what we know and learn from our work, to encourage greater support for solutions to homelessness. We work with funders, sharing what we know so that they can support effective solutions to homelessness. We work with decision makers, local and national, to inform the policies and services that address homelessness in the UK. We engage the public to improve understanding of what homelessness is, how it happens and what we can do to address it.

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St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

Trustees’ report

Charitable objects and public benefit

Our Vision:

Everyone has a safe place to call home and the support they need to keep it.

Our Goal:

Homelessness is prevented. When it does occur, people receive the best possible support that enables them to secure and keep a safe place to live.

Our Values

We put... people first

We value those we work with, seeking out and listening to all voices to understand how we can work together to make sure anyone experiencing homelessness is moved into a safe home with the necessary support in place.

For example, each year we hear from hundreds of frontline workers through our annual frontline worker survey, ensuring our work is guided by their experiences and those of the people they support.

We encourage all staff to question and learn through their work, building opportunities for personal development and reflective learning.

We are... a learning organisation

We reflect on what we learn, act on the evidence, and share learning with others.

By establishing the Impact team, we’ve strengthened our ability to gain insight from the work we support, which will enable us to better make evidence-based decisions on supporting projects and initiatives that are known to work or where there are innovations to be tested.

We work... collaboratively for change

We build relationships based on trust and shared vision.

For example, we work with partners to support frontline workers at a local and national level.

We work collaboratively across our teams to share the stories of those we support, ensuring we generate further support for our goal going forward.

St Martin-In-The-Fields Charity vision is that everyone has a safe place to call home and the support they need.

The Context In Which We Work

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity exists so that everyone has a place to call home. With the help of our supporters, we support frontline workers and organisations across the UK. And together, we ensure that everyone experiencing homelessness can secure - and keep - a safe place to live.

We help people in vulnerable situations to find and keep a home. Wherever it’s needed, we seek to provide emergency financial help that allows someone to secure safe accommodation. These small grants alleviate worry and stress and can transform a person’s circumstances within a matter of days.

We help people to recover from homelessness. The our Frontline Fund and support of The

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St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

Trustees’ report

Connection at St Martin's we vulnerable people from across the UK with experts who understand the complexity of their situation and who listen, then help. Step by step, this provides the long-term, tailored support that allows people to regain their health, a home and their independence.

We work to ensure that the best quality support is always on offer. The Frontline Network works with our partner organisations and networks across the UK, to ensure that people experiencing homelessness are aided in the most effective ways possible - linking professionals on a national level and funding important, related services in areas such as mental health care, legal advice, and the support of marginalised young people.

Through our generous supporters we have developed programmes that are enabling us to support frontline services delivery in all four nations of the UK.

Our Impact

At St Martin’s Charity, our work, and the impact of that work, covers the whole of the UK. Frontline workers across the country make use of our VRF grants for their clients, helping over 8,000 people this year. We have 10 Frontline Network Local partners from all four nations who share knowledge, best practice and support for each other, and we additionally provide funding towards the All in For Change Programme in Scotland with the Scottish Government. We also have six organisations that we fund through the Frontline Fund across the UK.

Frontline Network partners:

  1. Scottish Frontline Network

Cyrenians

  1. Frontline Network Wales

  2. Cymorth Cymru

  3. Northern Ireland Frontline Network

  4. Homeless Connect

  5. Pan-London Migrant Frontline Network

  6. Praxis

  7. Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde Frontline Network

  8. Streetlife Trust

  9. Coventry Frontline Network

  10. Coventry Citizens Advice

  11. Leeds Women’s Homelessness and Housing Frontline Network

  12. Basis Yorkshire in partnership with

  13. Together Women and Leeds Women’s Aid

  14. South Yorkshire Frontline Network

  15. Depaul UK

9. Brighton and Hove Frontline Network

10. All in for Change

Cyrenians, Homeless Network Scotland

and Scottish Community Development Centre

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Trustees’ report

Evidence-Led Funding

Vicar’s Relief Fund

The Vicar’s Relief Fund (VRF) helps people experiencing homelessness through small, quick grants that help prevent eviction or gain access to accommodation.

We award grants to people across the UK of up to £500, through frontline workers who apply to us on their behalf. Our grants are issued quickly and efficiently via experienced grant coordinators, with decisions usually only taking 3-5 days. This quick turnaround is invaluable and can help people clear a debt that could have them evicted or pay for a deposit to start renting a place of their own. The inability to pay a small debt or rental deposit shouldn’t prevent someone from having a safe place to live.

How it works….

They approach an The application is VRF A person who is organisation to support Team and the frontline experiencing them, and a frontline worker receives a homelessness/ insecure worker registers and response within 5 housing requires support applies to VRF working days

In 2022/23

Improving effectiveness

St Martin’s Frontline Network

The Frontline Network supports workers across the UK from the public, statutory and voluntary sectors working on the frontline with people experiencing homelessness.

Over the last six years, we’ve created a network that offers funding, community and resources to frontline staff and encourages collaboration across sectors and organisations. Our community of partner organisations cover the whole of the UK, providing regular opportunities for people to connect with staff in their local area, enabling them to share experiences and expertise. The Frontline Network amplifies the voices of frontline workers to decision makers, advocating for changes that will improve support for those experiencing homelessness.

“The network is great at bringing people together working in a similar role, with similar passion to end homelessness and provide quality support.” - Frontline Worker

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Trustees’ report

In 2022/23 we:

Annual Conference 2022

The fifth Frontline Network Annual Conference brought 652 people together across 10 sessions with 23 speakers . The theme this year was ‘Working Together’, and we heard from a range of people who are working together across the UK to ensure that people facing homelessness have the best possible and most effective support. This fully online event was free to attend and was brilliantly supported by frontline workers.

”…in my role I often feel isolated and alone and knowing there is a group that is listening to our concerns helps“ - Frontline Worker

Annual Frontline Worker Survey

Listening to lived and frontline experience is crucial to addressing homelessness. Every year the Frontline Network conducts a survey of staff across the UK, to gather views and experiences.

Our latest survey took place in November and December last year, and we heard from 1,182 frontline staff across the UK. We asked them a range of questions, from areas including access: to accommodation, wider support such as health find benefits, as well as frontline worker wellbeing.

We released a series of reports covering the results of the surveys, and these will help inform our decision making going forward. These were the key takeaways from this year's survey:

We publish our Frontline Worker Survey findings and present them to decision makers. This includes responding to government consultations and calls for evidence related to homelessness. In the last year, we also use the findings to inform our own Frontline Network activities, including our training offer and the theme and design of our annual conference.

  1. The majority of frontline workers are seeing an increase in need of their homelessness services. 78% reported an increase in demand in the last 12 months

  2. Staff reported significant issues when it came to accessing accommodation for people facing homelessness. 91% found it ‘very difficult’ or ‘difficult’ to access specialist accommodation

  3. Frontline workers are also working under extremely challenging conditions. 58% felt that their role had a negative impact on their wellbeing

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St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

Trustees’ report

Tim’s Story

When a friend had nowhere to go, Tim* offered to take him in. Unfortunately, his friend’s behaviour and substance misuse led to Tim’s mental health issues to worsen, and he ended up turning to drugs and alcohol himself.

“You don’t know what you’re doing. It was like a zombie life. When I was on that, I was sitting in the chair just waiting for my next fix, in the flat, for the next person to come, and that’s how bad I got”.

Before he could realise what was happening, Tim found himself being cuckooed. Cuckooing is the practice of taking over the home of a person who is vulnerable, in order to establish a base for illegal drug dealing. The home that Tim once had was not a safe place for him anymore.

“Before I know it, the flat weren’t my own anymore and there were other people there. So I was living outside more, doing things outside, and not really living in my own flat. And that’s because there were people in the flat, strangers, all the time”.

“At first, she said I was a bit of a struggle. I weren’t comprehending and didn’t want to know this; I didn’t want to do that. She says, “you are very stubborn, you know?” My mum is like that, so that’s where I get from. But I opened up to her and that was it. I realised the important things in life”.

The situation came to a head when the police got involved, and Tim had to move into a care home for a year. Luckily, this gave him the stability to manage his mental health diagnosis and get clean, which he now has been for over five years.

Tim moved on from the care home, and began living in supported housing. Here, he began working with support workers Heather, Samanta and Damien. With their support, Tim was able to continue rebuilding his confidence and his life, and recover both physically and mentally. He also had the support of his mum, who lives down the road.

“I’ve got no real next of kin, I’ve only got my mother, you know, closest to me. She’s not just like a mother, she’s a dear friend”.

When the time came that Tim felt he could take the next step in his recovery, Samanta helped him find a flat to rent, where he would live independently. However, there was one last hurdle for Tim to overcome – he needed £200 for rent in advance before he could move in. Samanta knew about the Vicar’s Relief Fund, and put an application through, which was granted in a matter of days. This meant Tim could move into the flat that has been his home now for over a year and continue rebuilding his life.

“It got so bad that my mother told me personally.: “I’d wash my hands off with you”. I never let that happen. To this day, I’ve done so well for myself. I sit here and talk to you now about it, and I’m not a sentimental sort of person, but I do feel like crying sometimes when I think about how well I’ve done for myself”.

Please note, whilst all the stories in this statement are true, individuals’ names have been changed to protect their privacy

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St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

Trustees’ report

Frontline Fund

Launched in 2022 the Frontline Fund supports six projects across the four nations of the UK. The projects each focus on supporting people to secure, and keep, a safe place to live. This includes providing access to healthcare, legal advice and mental health support to help people move on from homelessness.

We support organisations that provide direct service delivery work across various areas, including health and homelessness, immigration and homelessness, and leaving secure settings such as prisons, for example. The six organisations are:

Spotlight on: Caring in Bristol

As a result of of this funding, in 2022/23, we have seen the project have the following impact:

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St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

Trustees’ report

Focus on: Extern

Extern in Northern Ireland works alongside children, young people, and families facing challenges to empower positive change and support family unity. They support people who are homeless or facing homelessness, those dealing with mental health issues and the impact of suicide, people experiencing drug and alcohol misuse and people living with gambling issues. They also support refugees, the Traveller Community and people living with an offending past, to change their lives.

We are proud to fund Extern’s innovative new mental health program, Frontline Councelling, designed specifically for medium to high risk ex-offenders who are working with Extern’s Criminal Justice Floating Support service. The counselling service provides a flexible, safe space for their clients where their voices can be heard and they can work through issues that they may be dealing with. Many of the people that they work with have multiple and complex needs, have experienced a lot of trauma and are very marginalised in society.

The counselling service is part of a tailored, holistic approach that Extern are providing, where they work directly with their client’s social workers, making sure that anything that is of concern is dealt with, whilst at all times maintaining client confidentiality. In this way, the clients receive practical support alongside the emotional and mental support of counselling.

This year Extern have seen:

Through our Annual Frontline Worker Surveys staff have consistently highlighted the issue of lack of mental health support for people experiencing homelessness. In our 2022 survey, 75% of frontline workers described accessing mental health support for people they worked with as ‘difficult’ or ‘very difficult.

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St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

Trustees’ report

Mental Health and Homelessness

Funding promising practice

Through our Annual Frontline Worker Surveys staff have consistently highlighted the issue of lack of mental health support for people experiencing homelessness. In our 2022 survey, 75% of frontline work described accessing mental health support for people they worked w as 'difficult' or 'very difficult.

In direct response to this, we have set up a new Mental Health Fund to support organisations that provide targeted mental health support outside of healthcare settings for people who are struggling with their mental health and addiction or the effects of trauma and are at critical transition points in their housing journey.

These organisations are:

Rowan Alba (Scotland)

Embed a clinical psychologist in to supported accommodation to deliver targeted mental health support to people with long-term experience of homelessness and trauma.

It is anticipated that 45 people will benefit over three years.

MAC-UK/Look Ahead (London and the Southeast)

Provide an integrated team of psychologists, practitioners, youth workers, and academics in two of Look Ahead’s 24-hour intensive support accommodation services for homeless young people aged 16-25.

The teams will directly support 100 young people experiencing homelessness over 2 years and gain a better understanding of the barriers they face in accessing mental health services.

Platfform (Wales)

Provides one-to-one coaching support, (including advocacy and connection to relevant services and community resources) for people transitioning from two 24 hour staffed mental health crisis houses, back into the community.

This is delivered by:

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St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

Trustees’ report

The Connection at St Martin's

We continue to fund The Connection at St Martin’s in London. They connect people who are sleeping rough in Westminster with specialist support workers to help them move away from, and stay off, the streets of London.

In 2022/23, our funding has helped them support:

Christmas Appeal 2022

For 96 years, the BBC and St Martin’s have partnered to help people affected by homelessness. The 2022 BBC Radio 4 Christmas Appeal was the latest in one of the longest-running radio fundraising broadcasts in BBC history. The theme for the Christmas Appeal was ‘Everything Starts with Home.’ Stability, warmth, safety – everything starts with a home. It’s the place of cosy nights in, of comforting mugs of tea and dinners with family. It’s the place where hope for the future begins.

We cannot thank everyone who donated enough for their incredible generosity especially during these difficult economic times. It is amazing, therefore that this Appeal raised the highest figure in its 96-year history, an unbelievable total of £5.12m.

It is thanks to all our donors that we can do the work and have the impact that we do. Below an update from Aaron, who featured on Making A Difference, during this year’s Appeal.

Aaron’s Story

Last December, we heard Aaron's story as part of the BBC Radio 4 Christmas Appeal. His life had been turned upside down when he lost his mum and his relationship ended, which meant he had to leave the home he shared with his girlfriend.

Aaron struggled with his mental health and turned to alcohol and drugs to cope. The good news was that he found support, and a flat he could move into. With our supporters' kind generosity, Aaron was able to get a VRF grant, so he could secure the flat and move in.

Aaron has been able to do more regular work and has a steady income. "I'm doing 14 hours a week, work-wise, in general labouring and renovating cast iron fireplaces, putting down flooring... those kinds of things," Aaron told us. It's not all plain sailing though. Aaron still feels the impact of seven years sleeping rough. "I've got pain literally everywhere," he explained, "but I persevere because there's not much else I can do really. Sleeping rough does take its toll on your body."

With so many stresses and strains in his past, Aaron's two dogs Rex and Moz were a huge part in keeping him safe whilst living in his tent, and have been part of the motivation to get a flat. "They've been with me through the thick of it, and they've been my lifeline.

Without them there wasn't much holding me on this planet." He said, "I do want to get a house with a garden eventually, somewhere, I do want to get a garden for the boys."

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St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

Trustees’ report

Influencing stakeholders

Greater support for solutions to homelessness.

The influencing work carried out in 2022/23 mainly related to the results of the 2021 Annual Frontline Worker Survey, which offers a key insight into the issues that those on the frontline of homelessness support are facing. We use the results to inform our work in various ways, including designing our Annual Frontline Network Conference and responding to various government and sector consultations.

826 frontline workers took part in the survey over a four-week period in November-December 2021, with the results published in early 2022. These results were used to disseminate information to decision makers by submitting responses to the following:

Monitoring and Evaluation

The charity has established an impact team to gain an improved understanding of our outcomes and provide the evidence needed to support our future funding decisions.

The team’s focus will be to:

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St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

Trustees’ report

Looking Ahead

In 2023 we completed our strategic planning process to guide our next five years of activity.

It provides a roadmap. It identifies what we will do to help prevent homelessness – both from occurring in the first place and from re-occurring when it does. It lays out our strategic priorities, including how we will target our funding, and guides us in measuring our plan’s success.

It draws on our learning and expertise. The strategy is our vision of how we continue to implement our Theory of Change to ensure decisions are evidence led, we invest in established and emerging work that has proven impact and use our data and insight to influence decisions makers, funders and the general public.

It provides a guide for decision-making and resource allocation. We will use the strategy to develop our team strategies and implementation plans, as well as our individual objectives. We will use it to guide decisions about our programme development and fundraising and communications ambitions.

Our priorities are:

To deliver our programmes effectively

To grow and diversify our income

To achieve greater support for solutions to homelessness

To position ourselves as a catalyst for change

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Trustees’ report

We will build our capability by investing in our people, culture and systems

Charity Information

Structure, governance and management

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) no. 1156305 which was registered on 21st March 2014.

The board is made up of Chair and nine Trustees, including the Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields, who hold individual roles with the board and bring specialist expertise to the group.

Trustee induction and training

On appointment, Trustees undergo an induction programme that includes briefings from staff and key supporters. Trustees have the opportunity to visit projects and The Connection. We seek to maintain Trustee awareness of grass-roots issues and developments. Trustees receive regular briefings on developments in Charity’s operating environment to keep them up to date. We extend this offer to our observers.

Partnerships

Partnerships are at the heart of the Christmas Appeal and all our charitable activities. The existing close partners of the Charity – St Martin-in-the-Fields, Radio 4 and The Connection at St Martin-inthe-Fields – are all highly regarded in their respective fields.

Financial review

The financial statements reflect the results for the 12 months to 31 March 2023. Total income for 2022/23 was £5,678,092 (2022: £5,208,870). The Charity has made grants totalling £3,216,795 (2022: £3,604,858).

Fundraising donations and legacies

The St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity relies on the generosity of our supporters to provide resources which encourage, inspire and challenge people who are homeless to transform their lives. Many of our supporters come to us through the BBC Radio 4 Christmas Appeal with St Martin-in-the-Fields which is in its 95[th] year. We are grateful to the team at BBC Radio 4 who support the Appeal enthusiastically and provide support and resource to enable us to deliver a national campaign.

Our supporters are at the heart of so much of what we do and this year more than ever we are grateful to the many individuals, trusts and foundations, churches, schools, and community groups whose donations make our work possible.

The cost of raising donations and legacies was £628k (2022: £608k). We have continued to invest in new staff posts, our supporter database and other marketing resources as part of a phased approach to building a professional team of fundraising and communication specialists to ensure that St Martinin-the-Fields Charity remains a sustainable organisation.

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St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

Trustees’ report

Expenditure

Most of our expenditure is allocated to our grant making programmes and the support we give to frontline workers through the Frontline Network.

Details of our restricted and unrestricted expenditure are given in Note 6.

Designated funds and reserves

The Board is aware of the need to maintain adequate reserves to ensure that the charity’s work can be continued. Designated funds are set aside to enable the Trustees to develop specific areas of charitable work and to meet potential future obligations. In addition, the Board has to ensure that adequate resources are available to avoid disruption to the services for people who are homeless, which could happen as a result of the unpredictable nature of our income.

We are fortunate that our voluntary income continues to grow and we have a regular consistent donor base, with approximately 50% pledged voluntary income at the start of the financial year.

Key Management Personnel Remuneration

The Board of Trustees delegate responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the charity o the Charity Director and Senior Management Team. The pay of senior staff is reviewed annually, and any increases are applied in line with the cost of living applied by similar organisations. The Directors benchmark against pay levels in other similar charities.

Trustees and Committee members give their time freely and none have received remuneration or reimbursement of expenses in the past year.

Risk

The risk management policy sets out the aim of the Trustees to adopt best practice in this area and the roles and responsibilities of Trustees and staff in identifying, assessing and mitigating risk. The policy notes that some level of risk will always exist and that any residual risk should be consciously accepted and wherever possible dealt with.

The Trustees and management have reviewed the risks facing the Charity on a regular basis during the year. The most significant risk continues to be that of maintaining and growing fundraising income and the trend of increasing voluntary income over recent years is the result of previous risk mitigation plans.

The Trustees recognise that our relationship with the BBC is of significance to the Charity. In November 2014, we entered into a four-year rolling partnership agreement with the BBC which sets out the nature of our relationship for the future, this was renewed in November 2018 for another four years.

We have considered the potential impact of the global Covid-19 (Coronavirus) virus worldwide, Ukraine war and the cost-of-living crisis on the charity. Increasing energy prices, rising pressure on inflation rates, unease in the stock market and interest rate rises are likely to affect the Charity’s performance. The funds of the Charity are unlikely to be materially affected. We will closely monitor the Charity’s performance going forward.

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Reserves policy

The Trustees are aware of the need to maintain adequate reserves to ensure that the charity’s work can be continued. Designated funds are set aside to enable the Trustees to develop specific areas of charitable work and to meet potential future obligations.

The review recognised that the charity requires sufficient working capital available at 31 March to fund expenditure between then and the next appeal, i.e. nine months. Also, it is prudent to have some additional reserves in the event of a disappointing appeal and to provide continuity of funding for beneficiaries.

As a result, working capital reserves should be between 9-12 months unrestricted expenditure for the following (budget) year - restricted expenditure can be ignored because it is covered by restricted income and will only be made once the income has been received.

In practice, as the Charity receives some income each month, the working capital reserve requirement of 9-12 months can be reduced somewhat depending on how certain this income stream is. Hence, the trustees have adopted and maintained a reserves target of 9 months expenditure for the budget year ahead, less the grant to The Connection (since this is accrued) and any restricted expenditure, and therefore target reserves are £3,845k (2022: £2,842k). At the year-end free reserves (including designated funds) amounted to £4,982k (2022: £4,572k) and will continue to appear large at year end.

Given that the year-end occurs shortly after the appeal has been held and before the majority of funds have been spent, the necessity to have sizeable working capital reserves means the reserves will continue to appear large.

Fundraising Practices

The charity’s fundraising is compliant with the recognised standards of fundraising set out in the Code of Fundraising Practice. The charity participates in the Fundraising Regulator’s voluntary regulatory regime. No complaints about the charity’s fundraising activities were received during the financial year.

All requests for donations are compliant with GDPR Regulations and those responsible for fundraising are carefully monitored.

We manage all of our mailings and correspondence with supporters in line with their communication preferences. All correspondence provides the recipient with information about how they can be removed from our mailing lists. We do not buy in data or share our data with others, do not undertake telephone fundraising, and ensure that our fundraising requests are sensitive and without pressure.

Fundraising Regulator

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity is registered with the Fundraising Regulator. We follow the Code of Fundraising Practice guidelines on best practice and are compliant with current data protection legislation. The safety and appropriate use of supporters' data is important to us and we will never share or sell personal details to another organisation for their own use. We have not received any formal fundraising complaints in the past financial year and there have been no fundraising compliance issues.

Related Parties

Revd Dr Sam Well is a trustee of The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields which received a grant from the Charity of £800,000 (2022: £800,000).

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St Martin-in-the-Flelds ¢harlty Trustses. report Statement of Trustees, responsibiliti Law applicable to charities in England and Wales requi￿S th¢ Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year whTch give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity as at the balance sheet date and of its inwme and expenditure for the financial year. In preparing those financi&l slatements, the Trnstees are required to: select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consi5tently' make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; comply with applicable accounting standards subject to any mAteri&l deparmres disclos¢d and explained in the financial statements. and prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation. The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disc105e with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Chariti¢s Act 201 l. Th¢y are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of th¢ Charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. Statement AS to dl8clo$ur¢ of informallon to the ayditoTs So far as the Trustees are V4ware at the time thi5 report is approved, There is no relevant audit infomiation of which the St Martin-in-the-Fi¢lds Charity's auditors are unaware. and The Truste¢s have taken all steps they ought to have taken to make Éhemselvcs awar¢ of any relevant audit infomi&tion and to establish that the auditors are aware of that infonnation. Publlc benefit In accordAnce with the requirement in Section 710 of the Charitics Act 2011. the Trustees confim that they have r¢ferred lo the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public ben¢fAt when reviewing the charity's aims and objective5 and in planning future activi¢ie5 and setting the grant-making policy for the y¢ar. The Charity seeks to work with 811 faith5 8nd d¢nominations and non¢. Ben¢ficiaries are not restricted by faith, gender. ethnic origin, disability, age or sexual orientation. The Trustees have reviewed the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charity Commission and consider that Charity's aims and activities. set out above, fulfil the criteria. The Trustees do not anttcipaie any change in the futur¢ to this operational approach. The Trust¢¢s Consider the guidance on publi¢ ben¢fi¢ each year. Approved by th¢ Trustees on 9 January 2024 and signed on th¢ir b¢half by Mark Devlin- Chair of the Trnstees 17

Independent auditor’s report to the Trustees of St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity (‘the charity’) for the year ended 31 March 2023 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Statement of Cash Flows and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion, the financial statements:

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the Trustees’ Report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

18

Independent auditor’s report to the Trustees of St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In light of the knowledge and understanding of the charity and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Report of the Trustees.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

Responsibilities of Trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out on page 11, the trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

We have been appointed as auditor under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with the Act and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of the financial statements.

The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud.

Based on our understanding of the charity and its industry, we considered that non-compliance with the following laws and regulations might have a material effect on the financial statements: employment regulation, health and safety regulation, anti-money laundering regulation, non-compliance with implementation of government support schemes relating to COVID-19.

To help us identify instances of non-compliance with these laws and regulations, and in identifying and assessing the risks of material misstatement in respect to non-compliance, our procedures included, but were not limited to:

19

Independent auditor’s report to the Trustees of St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

We also considered those laws and regulations that have a direct effect on the preparation of the financial statements, such as the Charities Act 2011 and Charities Statement of Recommended Practice.

In addition, we evaluated the trustees’ and management’s incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements, including the risk of management override of controls, and determined that the principal risks related to income recognition and significant one-off or unusual transactions.

Our audit procedures in relation to fraud included but were not limited to:

There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above and the primary responsibility for the prevention and detection of irregularities including fraud rests with management. As with any audit, there remained a risk of non-detection of irregularities, as these may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations or the override of internal controls.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Use of the audit report

This report is made solely to the charity’s trustees as a body in accordance with Part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Report) Regulation 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity’s trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity’s trustees as a body for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Signed:

Mazars LLP (Jan 31, 2024 10:18 GMT)

Mazars LLP

Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditor

6 Sutton Plaza, Sutton Court Road, Sutton, Surrey, SM1 4FS

Dated: 31-Jan-2024

Mazars LLP is eligible for appointment as auditor of the charity by virtue of its eligibility for appointment as auditor of a company under section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006.

20

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

Statement of financial activities (including the Income and Expenditure Account) for the year ended 31 March 2023

Unrestricted Restricted
Notes
funds
funds
£
£
Income from:
Donations and legacies
3
4,827,409
594,501
Charitable activities
4
-
232,100
Investments
Bank interest received
24,082
-

Total Income
4,851,491
826,601

Expenditure on:
Raising Funds
5
629,378
-
Charitable activities
6
3,811,905
538,175

Total Expenditure
4,441,283
538,175

Net movement in funds for the year
410,208
288,426
Reconciliation of Funds
Total funds brought forward
4,572,003
422,125

Total funds carried forward
4,982,211
710,551		 Total
2023
£
5,421,910
232,100
24,082
5,678,092
629,378
4,350,080
4,979,458
698,634
4,994,128
5,692,762		 Total
2022
£
4,932,293
275,960
617
5,208,870

607,698
4,387,108
4,994,806
214,064
4,780,064
4,994,128

There are no recognised gains or losses in either the current or previous year other than those included in the Statement of Financial Activities. All activities relate to continuing operations.

The notes on pages 24 to 33 form part of these financial statements.

21

st Martin-in-the-Fields Charity Balance sheet at 31 March 2023 2023 2022 Notes Flxed assets Inl8ngible assets Current Debtors Cash at bank and in hand 312,905 6.010.862 766,254 5,062.121 6.543.767 5.828.375 Creditors.. Amounts falling du¢ within one year io (851,005) (834,247) Net eurrent assets 5,692,762 4,994.128 Net A88ets 5,692,762 4.994.128 Represented by: Unrestri￿cd funds Restricted funds 4.982.211 710,551 4.572,003 422,125 12 5,692,762 4,994,128 The notes on pages 24 to 33 forn] part of these financial statements. Approved by the Tll￿tees on 9 January 2024 and Sign￿ on their behalfby: Mark Dcvlin- Chair of Trustegs 22

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

Statement of Cash Flows for the Year Ended 31 March 2023

Cash flows from operating activities
Net income for the financial year
Adjustments for:
Interest received
Decrease in trade and other debtors
Increase in trade and other creditors
Cash inflow from operations
Cash flows from investing activities
Interest received
Net cash inflow from investing activities
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at start of year

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year		 2023
£
698,634
(24,082)
253,349
16,758

944,659

24,082

24,082

968,741
5,062,121

6,030,862		 2022
£
214,064
(617)
297,485
20,551
531,483
617
617
532,100
4,530,021
5,062,121

“Cash and cash equivalents” consist entirely of “Cash at bank and in hand”.

23

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023

1 Charity information

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) no. 1156305. The registered office is 6 St Martin’s Place, London WC2N 4JJ.

1.1 Basis of preparation of financial statements

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 (FRS102) (effective January 2019) – (Charities SORP (FRS102)).

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note.

The Trustees have agreed detailed budgets for the year ended 31 March 2024 and reviewed cashflow forecasts to 30 November 2024. There are plans to build on the charity’s fundraising and develop its programmes in the foreseeable future and hence these accounts have been prepared on a Going Concern basis.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling (£), and rounded to the nearest pound.

1.2 Income

All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities when the Charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be reliably measured.

The income from fundraising ventures is shown gross, with the associated costs being included in costs of raising funds.

Legacy entitlement is the earlier of the Charity being notified of an impending distribution or the legacy being received.

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the Charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable.

1.3 Value added tax

Value added tax is not recoverable by the Charity, and as such is included in the relevant costs in the Statement of Financial Activities.

24

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023

1.4 Grants made

All grants made are included in the financial statements when the expenditure has been approved by the Trustees and communicated to the recipients.

1.5 Cost of raising funds

Costs of raising funds are those incurred in seeking voluntary contributions.

1.6 Support costs

Support costs comprise expenditure incurred in the administration of the Charity including salaries, office space and other overheads.

Included within this category are costs associated with the strategic as opposed to day-to-day management of the Charity’s activities.

1.7 Unrestricted funds

Unrestricted funds comprise accumulated surpluses and deficits on general funds. They are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general charitable objects.

1.8 Designated funds

Designated funds are amounts that have been set aside by the Trustees for particular purposes.

1.9 Non-derivative financial instruments

Non-derivative financial instruments comprise trade and other debtors, cash and cash equivalents and trade and other creditors.

1.10 Debtors and creditors receivable / payable within one year

Debtors and creditors with no stated interest rate and receivable or payable within one year are recorded at transaction price. Any losses arising from impairment are recognised in the statement of financial activities.

1.11 Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents in the balance sheet comprise cash at bank and in hand. For the purpose of cash flows, cash and cash equivalents are net of bank overdrafts which are payable on demand.

25

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023

1.12 Intangible assets

Intangible assets are measured at cost less accumulated amortisation and any accumulated impairment losses.

Software development costs are recognised as an intangible asset when all of the following criteria are demonstrated:

Amortisation is charged so as to allocate the cost of intangibles less their residual values over their estimated useful lives, using the straight-line method.

The intangible assets are amortised over the following useful economic lives:

If there is an indication that there has been a significant change in amortisation rate or residual value of an asset, the amortisation of that asset is revised prospectively to reflect the new expectations.

If the net fair value of the identifiable assets and liabilities acquired exceeds the cost of a business combination, the excess up to the fair value of non-monetary assets acquired is recognised in the statement of financial activities in the periods in which the non-monetary assets are recovered. Any excess exceeding the fair value of non-monetary assets acquired is recognised in the statement of financial activities in the periods expected to be benefitted.

2 Net income

Net income
2023 2022
£ £
The net income for year is stated after
charging:
Audit Fee 13,000 7,580
Staff Pension Costs 38,860 31,666

26

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023

3 Donations and Legacies

Unrestricted
funds
£
Christmas Appeal donations
3,984,215
Legacies
843,194
4,827,409
4
Income from Charitable Activities
Grants received
5
Raising funds
Staff costs
Advertising, stationery,
postage and bank charges		 Restricted
Total
Total
funds
2023
2022
£
£
£
594,501
4,578,716
4,326,652
-
843,194
605,641


594,501
5,421,910
4,932,293


Restricted
Restricted
Total
Total
2023
2022
£
£
232,100
275,960

232,100
275,960

Unrestricted
Unrestricted
Total
Total
2023
2022
£
£
177,697
163,525
451,681
444,173

629,378
607,698		 Total
2022
£
4,326,652
605,641

4,932,293

Restricted
Total
2022
£
275,960

275,960

607,698

27

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023

6 Charitable activities

Unrestricted
funds
£
Grants made to:
The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields
800,000
Vicar’s Relief Fund
1,930,670
2,730,670
Support costs
1,081,235
3,811,905		 Restricted
funds
£
-
486,125

486,125
52,050

538,175		 Total
2023
£
800,000
2,416,795

3,216,795
1,133,285

4,350,080		 Total
2022
£
800,000
2,804,858

3,604,858
782,250

4,387,108

The unrestricted fund grant to The Connection which was approved in 2022/23 and included in creditors, is to be paid in four equal instalments during 2023/24.

Included in Support Costs were Governance costs of £38,292 (2022: £12,790) made up of audit fee £13,000 (2022: £7,580) and legal fees £25,292 (2022: £5,210).

7 Staff costs

The staff costs are analysed as follows:

Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Pension costs

£70,001 - £80,000
£80,001 - £90,000		 Total
2023
£
721,962
79,986
38,860
840,808

2023
Number
-
1		 Total
2022
£
643,684
57,283
31,666
732,633

2022
Number
-
1

28

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023

7 Staff costs (continued)

The average number of employees during the year, based on full time equivalents, was nineteen (2022: eighteen). The average number of staff employed during the year was twenty-nine (2022: eighteen).

No remuneration was paid to Trustees in the current year, nor were any Trustees’ expenses requested or reimbursed (2022: £nil).

The total employment benefits, including employer pension contributions, of the key management personnel of the Charity were £87,980 (2022: £91,987).

8 Intangible assets

Cost
At 1 April 2022
Additions
At 31 March 2023

Depreciation
At 1 April 2022
Charge for the year
At 31 March 2023

Net Book Value
At 31 March 2023

At 31 March 2022		 Computer
Software
£
67,119
-
67,119

67,119
-
67,119

-

-		 Total
Assets
£
67,119
-

67,119

67,119
-

67,119

-

-

29

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023

9
Debtors
Accrued gift aid income
Due from St Martin-in-the-Fields Limited
Other debtors
10
Creditors
Accruals and deferred income
Due to St Martin-in-the-Fields Limited
Grant to The Connection
11
Unrestricted funds
Balance at 1 April 2022
Net income
Fund balance at 31 March 2023		 Total
2023
£
85,493
-
427,412
512,905


Total
2023
£
40,991
10,014
800,000
851,005


General
Designated
fund
fund
£
£
356,071
4,215,932
10,000
400,208

366,071
4,616,140		 Total
2022
£
228,495
2,910
534,849
766,254

Total
2022
£
34,247
-
800,000
834,247

Total
£
4,572,003
410,208
4,982,211

All unrestricted funds held by the Charity, save for an amount retained to comply with the reserves policy, will be distributed by the end of the next financial year.

The designated fund is the Vicar’s Relief Fund which makes small crisis grants to support people who are at risk of being made homeless, are homeless or vulnerable, or have experience of being homeless and are trying to establish or maintain a tenancy.

30

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023

12 Restricted funds

The Oak Foundation
Vicar’s Relief Fund		 Balance
B/Fwd
£
136,000
286,125
422,125		 Income Expenditure Transfers
£
£
£
232,100
(252,050)
-
594,501
(286,125)
-

826,601
(538,175)
-		 Balance
C/Fwd
£
116,050
594,501
710,551

The Oak Foundation grant is to support the development of the new St Martin’s Frontline Network and to provide additional resources to the Vicar’s Relief Fund. This is a three year grant that has enabled the charity to build the Frontline Network covering essential salary costs and grants to partner organisations.

Vicar’s Relief Fund makes small crisis grants to support people who are at risk of being made homeless, are homeless or vulnerable, or have experience of being homeless and are trying to establish or maintain a tenancy.

13 Analysis of net assets between funds

Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
funds
funds
2023		 2022
£ £ £ £
Cash at bank and in hand 5,320,311 710,551 6,030,862 5,062,121
Other net current (liabilities)/assets (338,100) - (338,100) (67,993)

4,982,211		 710,551 5,692,762 4,994,128

31

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

14 Connected charity

The Charity has one Trustee in common with The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields. This is a charity that receives a substantial grant from St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity. The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields can be contacted at 12 Adelaide Street, London WC2N 4HW.

The Charity has one Trustee / Director in common with St Martin-in-the-Fields Limited. St Martin-inthe-Fields Limited provides payroll service to the Charity through which staff costs totalling £840,808 (2022: £714,722) were paid. The amount due to St Martin-in-the-Fields Limited at the year end was £10,014 (2021: £2,910 due from St Martin-in-the-Fields S).

15 Taxation

As a charity, the company is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects. No tax charges have arisen in the Charity.

32

St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023

16 Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ending 31[st] March 2022

Unrestricted Restricted
funds
funds
£
£
Income from:
Donations and legacies
4,646,168
286,125
Charitable activities
-
275,960
Investments
Bank interest received
617
-

Total Income
4,646,785
562,085

Expenditure on:
Raising Funds

607,698
-
Charitable activities
3,938,105
449,003

Total Expenditure
4,545,803
449,003

Net movement in funds for the year
100,982
113,082
Reconciliation of Funds
Total funds brought forward
4,471,021
309,043

Total funds carried forward
4,572,003
422,125		 Total
2022
£
4,932,293
275,960
617
5,208,870
607,698
4,387,108
4,994,806
214,064
4,780,064
4,994,128

33