Registered charity number 1156722
The Carbon Literacy Trust
Annual Report and Financial Statements
for the year ended 30 September 2024
Doc ID: 55e3bc2bad4d3d5c47c55a3f64f6e7965cbeb8ef
Report of the Trustees for the year ended 30 September 2024
The Carbon Literacy Trust
The Trustees present their annual report and audited financial statements for the year ended 30 September 2024.
The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements, the charity's constitution and the Statement of Recommended Practice - Accounting and Reporting by Charities: SORP applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with FRS 102.
Reference and Administrative Information
Charity Name The Carbon Literacy Trust Charity Registration Number 1156722 Registered Office Green Fish Resource Centre 46-50 Oldham Street Manchester M4 1LE
Trustees
Ali Abbas (retired 13 July 2024) Neil Bradley (retired 13 July 2024) Malin Cunningham (appointed 9 July 2024) Simon Foy (appointed 9 July 2024) Alexander Ganotis Diane Johnson (appointed 18 September 2024) Robin Lawler (resigned 9 July 2024) Jennifer Wilson-Brown (chair)
Key Management Personnel
Dave Coleman – Managing Director
Auditors
Third Sector Accountancy Limited Holyoake House Hannover Street Manchester M60 0AS
Bankers
The Co-operative Bank 1 Balloon Street Manchester M60 4EP
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The Carbon Literacy Trust
Report of the Trustees for the year ended 30 September 2024
Structure, governance and management
Charity status
The charity is a Charitable incorporated organisation (CIO), number 1156722. The charity is incorporated in England and Wales.
Governing document
Constitution based on the Charity Commission's model constitution for a CIO, whose only voting members are its charity trustees.
Recruitment and appointment of Trustees
Trustees are identified according to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO, and are appointed by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees.
Induction and training of Trustees
There is an induction process for new trustees covering information about the charity (including copies of the constitution and the latest accounts and annual report) as well as the Charity Commission’s guidance on the role and responsibilities of trustees. An annual skills assessment of trustees is also undertaken to identify any potential training needs.
Organisational structure
The Board of Trustees sets the strategic direction of The Carbon Literacy Project and the project team delivers the project in line with the strategy.
Pay and remuneration of key management personnel
The Trust directly engaged freelance workers for the first time in the period, and is in the process of developing a remuneration policy for its key management personnel.
Public benefit statement
The trustees have had regard to Charity Commission guidance on public benefit in deciding which activities to undertake.
Objectives and Activities
Objects and aims
The object of the charity as set out in our constitution is to advance the education of the public in the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment.
We’re in a climate crisis and there’s an urgent need to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit the rise in global temperatures and prevent the worst impacts on frontline communities and future generations. The first step towards climate action is to understand what’s happening, why it matters and what you can do about it. That’s why our aim is to offer people access to a day's worth of learning on climate change. This is designed to provide learners with an awareness of the carbon costs and impacts of everyday activities and the ability and motivation to reduce their environmental impact on an individual, community and organisational basis.
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The Carbon Literacy Trust
Report of the Trustees for the year ended 30 September 2024
Strategy for achieving aims
The Carbon Literacy Project delivers this objective by supporting organisations to develop training courses in line with the Carbon Literacy Standard. This Standard defines a set of criteria both for course content and how the course is delivered.
Once the courses are reviewed and approved by the project team, the Carbon Literacy training is delivered by the organisations themselves or by certified Carbon Literacy trainers. Any participant who completes an approved training course can submit evidence of their learning and of the actions they’ve committed to. If they meet the required criteria, they will be certified as Carbon Literate.
Resources
The Carbon Literacy Project team comprised 64 freelance staff (2023: 52), 12 interns and 10 part-time volunteers (2023: 8) at the end of September 2024. The volunteers assist in the process of assessing the evidence of learners who have applied to be certified as Carbon Literate, and in supporting the staff team with other tasks such as comms and public engagement.
Details of significant activities
We have continued to work with a wide range of public, private and community & voluntary sector organisations to extend the reach of the Carbon Literacy Project.
Highlights for the year include:
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The Project team has continued to develop relationships with new and existing sectors. This was enhanced by the provision of new shareable materials including toolkits for the healthcare sector, an Australian variant of the sports toolkit, and the development of a Digital and Tech sector toolkit, which was launched in January 2025.
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The third International Carbon Literacy Action Day (CLAD) – the largest mass climate action training event of its kind – took place on 4th December 2023. CLAD saw learners from all walks of life, sectors, and nations, and of all ages and genders, complete their day’s worth of Carbon Literacy training to become certified as Carbon Literate on the same day. The event saw 2,303 learners certified as Carbon Literate – five times the number certified on CLAD 2022. These learners came from 225 organisations, in 12 nations across the globe, and we estimate that the initial two actions each learner pledged within the training could save more than 6,000 tonnes of CO2e. In total 75 training providers took part, delivered 102 courses, representing 28 sectors of society.
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In June 2024, we passed the milestone of over 100,000 individuals having been certified as Carbon Literate. These individuals span all seven continents, 33 nations and over 7,500 organisations, united by their commitment to deliver climate action where they are. The Project has witnessed extraordinary growth in recent years: over 80% of the 100,000 learners were certified in the past three years. This unprecedented acceleration has been generated by the growing wave of businesses, universities, schools and communities all recognising the value of embedding Carbon Literacy as a core competency among staff, students and their communities.
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The Carbon Literacy Trust
Report of the Trustees for the year ended 30 September 2024
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With the growth in uptake of Carbon Literacy, we have increased our levels of external trainer engagement, to reach and support the growing number of organisational and community trainers. Both the frequency and capacity of free “Delivering Successful Carbon Literacy” workshops were increased substantially to accommodate new trainers; this will help to ensure they are meeting the mandatory Carbon Literacy standard and communicating the issue of climate change effectively. Engagement and support events including regular in-person and hybrid meetings of the CL Pioneers support and resourcesharing trainer network were held. And in September 2024, the first CL Trainer Awards ceremony was held to recognise trainers from all walks of life who had achieved Carbon Literate Facilitator, Trainer and Consultant accreditation.
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In January 2024 the new ‘Carbon Literate Educator’ (CLE) accreditation was launched. This accreditation is similar to the Carbon Literate Organisation (CLO) accreditation but is tailored towards the specific needs of educational institutions (schools, colleges, universities) in order for them to showcase their carbon reduction and low carbon culture engagement in the most impactful and effective way. This has in turn led to increased levels of Carbon Literacy uptake in places of education.
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Our Community Pot is funded by the additional certification contributions made by larger corporate organisations. In August 2024, we launched our first public Community Pot funding round. This provided the equivalent of £25,000 in funded services to 13 lowincome and under-represented groups from countries in the Global South, spanning Africa and Central and South America. The funded services include course accreditation, certificate applications, access to sectoral materials and assistance with advertising and amplifying the impact of their work. Recipient groups designed their own unique Carbon Literacy initiatives that they are now implementing to empower local communities in taking meaningful climate action.
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In December 2023, we attended the UN COP 28 negotiations in Dubai as a recognised UNFCCC Observer organisation, specifically focussing on education. Our Head of Education Sector was invited to attend after consulting on the design and development of the ‘EcoChamps’ course, a climate education course for schools aligned to the UAE Ministry of Education Greening Education Framework, as part of a partnership between The Carbon Literacy Project, Alef Education and Cambridge University Press.
Longer-term aims and objectives
We have set a target of 1 million certified learners by 2030. To achieve this ambitious target would require a 50% annual increase in certifications. We’ve therefore set a short-term objective to reach 160,000 certified learners by the end of 2025.
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The Carbon Literacy Trust
Report of the Trustees for the year ended 30 September 2024
Achievements and Performance
Growth in the number of individuals and organisations engaged with Carbon Literacy continued to accelerate throughout the year, in part driven by the strong take-up of sectoral Carbon Literacy toolkits in sectors including Automotive, Education, Healthcare, Local Authorities, Social Housing, Civil Service and Culture.
This in turn has led to an acceleration in the roll-out of Carbon Literacy training. We set a target to increase the number of learners certified as Carbon Literate by 50% in the year to 30 September 2024. We were very close to hitting this target, with a 49% increase from 72,452 to 107,802.
These new learners pledged to take more than 70,000 separate actions in their homes and workplaces to reduce carbon emissions. This means that our project has now inspired over 200,000 actions and saved an estimated 390,000 tonnes of carbon emissions.
We have also increased the geographical spread of Carbon Literacy, becoming the first climate learning initiative to reach all seven continents following the delivery of Carbon Literacy training by the British Antarctic Survey on the RRS Sir David Attenborough in Antarctica.
By September 2024, over 7,800 organisations had engaged with Carbon Literacy (2023: 5,400), delivering training in 35 nations (2023: 25). Of these, 255 have been certified as Carbon Literate Organisations (2023: 197), and there were 625 certified training professionals (2023: 236) and 6 certified Carbon Literacy Training Organisations (2023: 6).
We set a target to raise £230,000 in grants and donations in the financial year. We exceeded this target, securing just under £240,000 during the period. The bulk of this came from regular 1% For The Planet donations from Beechfield Brands, which make a valuable contribution to core costs, and from sponsorship of key events, such as the Carbon Literate Organisation awards.
Impact reporting
More details of the impact of The Carbon Literacy Project can be found in our latest Impact Report, which can be downloaded from: https://carbonliteracy.com/about-us/
Financial Review and Reserves Policy
Review of the charity’s financial position
The charity is in a strong financial position.
Most of our income of £1.250 million arose from four main sources:
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Individual certification (£506,886)
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Other certification, e.g. courses, trainers and organisations (£291,655)
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Grants, donations and sponsorship (£239,600)
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Toolkit sales (£155,258)
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The Carbon Literacy Trust
Report of the Trustees for the year ended 30 September 2024
Our expenditure for the year was £1.290 million, most of which comprised staff costs (£1.117 million). This resulted in a deficit for the year of £39,505.
Policy on reserves
Free reserves, which are calculated as unrestricted funds less intangible assets, were £107,220 at 30 September 2024. In addition, we held approximately £300,000 of deferred income from advance purchase of individual certificate applications, which are sold on a non-refundable basis. Our reserves were therefore in line with our policy to hold 3 months of operating costs (which equated to £350,000 in September 2024) to ensure that the Project can continue to be funded in the event that income is significantly lower than expected.
Principal risks
The trustees review and assess the risks to the Project on a regular basis, and identify mitigation measures where appropriate. The principal risks facing the charity are:
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Economic headwinds: Increased employment costs in the UK and wider geopolitical uncertainty may impact the appetite of organisations to invest in staff training. We will monitor demand, review pricing, and continue to manage costs and diversify our offer.
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Cyber security: To counter the growing risk of cyber attacks, we will provide further training to the project team, maintain cyber insurance and seek to apply for Cyber Essentials certification.
Plans for Future Periods
The charity’s plans for future periods involve further scaling up the capacity of the Project to engage more people and organisations, so we can enable them to deliver more carbon savings.
Given the current economic uncertainty, our short-term goals are to consolidate our financial position and focus on two key growth opportunities:
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expanding our offering in the Education sector with the launch of a new Schools toolkit, as well as continuing to work with partners to enhance our existing toolkits;
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building on the launch of our first Carbon Literate Locality project by helping to build momentum in Manchester and establishing a number of new Locality projects in other parts of the country.
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Report of the Trustees for the year ended 30 September 2024
The Carbon Literacy Trust
Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities
Law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the charity's financial activities during the period and of its financial position at the end of the period. In preparing financial statements giving a true and fair view, the trustees should follow best practice and:
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Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
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Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
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State whether applicable UK Accounting Standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
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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 that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
In so far as the trustees are aware:
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There is no relevant audit information of which the charity’s auditors are unaware;
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The trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditors are aware of that information.
The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the charity and financial information included on the charity’s website in accordance with legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements.
Auditors
Third Sector Accountancy Limited were appointed as the charity's auditors during the year and have expressed their willingness to continue in that capacity.
Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by:
…………………………… Jennifer Wilson-Brown
30 / 06 / 2025 …………………………… Date
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Independent auditor’s report to the trustees of The Carbon Literacy Trust
Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of The Carbon Literacy Trust (the ‘charity’) for the year ended 30 September 2024 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 Financial Reporting Standard 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:
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give a true and fair view of the state of the charity’s affairs as at 30 September 2024 and of its incoming resources and application of resources for the year then ended;
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have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
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have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011.
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 matters
The corresponding figures were not audited.
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Independent auditor’s report to the trustees of The Carbon Literacy Trust
Other information
The other information comprises the information included in the trustees annual 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 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.
Matters on which we are required to report by exception
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:
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the information given in the financial statements is inconsistent in any material respect with the trustees’ report; or
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the charity has not kept adequate accounting records; or
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the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
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we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.
Responsibilities of trustees
As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out on page 7, 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.
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Independent auditor’s report to the trustees of The Carbon Literacy Trust
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 regulations made under Section 154 of that Act.
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 these financial statements.
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. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below.
Capability of the audit in detecting irregularities, including fraud
Based on our understanding of the charity and environment in which it operates, we identified the principal risks of non-compliance with laws and regulations related to pension legislation, tax legislation, employment legislation, health and safety legislation, and other legislation specific to the industry in which the charity operates, and we considered the extent to which non-compliance might have a material effect on the financial statements. We also considered those laws and regulations that have a direct impact on the preparation of the financial statements such as the reporting requirements under the Charities SORP and FRS102, and the Charities Act 2011.
We evaluated management’s incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements (including the risk of override of controls), and determined that the principal risks were related to the pressure on management to achieve particular results. Audit procedures performed by the engagement team included:
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Review of policies;
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Discussions with management and trustees including consideration of known or suspected instances of non-compliance;
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Evaluating management’s controls designed to prevent and detect irregularities;
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Identifying and testing journal entries; and
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Challenging assumptions and judgments made by management.
There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above and the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely we would become aware of it. Also, the risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, as fraud may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery or intentional misrepresentations, or through collusion.
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Independent auditor’s report to the trustees of The Carbon Literacy Trust
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 Reports) Regulations 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.
Third Sector Accountancy Limited, Statutory Auditor Holyoake House Hanover Street Manchester M60 0AS
Third Sector Accountancy Limited is eligible to act as an auditor in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006.
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The Carbon Literacy Trust
Statement of Financial Activities
for the year ended 30 September 2024
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total funds | Unrestricted | Restricted | Total funds | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| funds | funds | 2024 | funds as | funds | 2023 as | ||
| restated | restated | ||||||
| Note | £ | £ | £ | £ | |||
| Income | |||||||
| Donations and legacies | 3 | 130,961 | 35,774 | 166,735 | 98,588 | 72,000 | 170,588 |
| Charitable activities | 4 | 1,001,604 | - | 1,001,604 | 696,715 | - | 696,715 |
| Other trading activities | |||||||
| 5 | 72,865 | - | 72,865 | 51,730 | - | 51,730 | |
| Investments | 6 | 9,583 | - | 9,583 | 502 | - | 502 |
| Total income | 1,215,013 | 35,774 | 1,250,787 | 847,535 | 72,000 | 919,535 | |
| Expenditure | |||||||
| Raising funds | 7 | 47,685 | - | 47,685 | 11,058 | - | 11,058 |
| Charitable activities | 8 | 1,231,833 | 10,774 | 1,242,607 | 817,482 | 69,000 | 886,482 |
| Total expenditure | 1,279,518 | 10,774 | 1,290,292 | 828,540 | 69,000 | 897,540 | |
| Net income/ | |||||||
| (expenditure) for the | |||||||
| year | 10 | (64,505) | 25,000 | (39,505) | 18,995 | 3,000 | 21,995 |
| Transfer between funds | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Net movement in funds | |||||||
| for the year | (64,505) | 25,000 | (39,505) | 18,995 | 3,000 | 21,995 | |
| Reconciliation of funds | |||||||
| Total funds brought forward | 222,999 | 3,000 | 225,999 | 204,004 | - | 204,004 | |
| Total funds carried | |||||||
| forward | 158,494 | 28,000 | 186,494 | 222,999 | 3,000 | 225,999 |
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
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The Carbon Literacy Trust
Balance sheet as at 30 September 2024
----- Start of picture text -----
Note 2024 2023 as restated
£ £ £ £
Fixed assets
Intangible assets 15 51,274 51,829
Total fixed assets 51,274 51,829
Current assets
Stock 16 21,900 -
Debtors 17 140,750 199,900
Cash at bank and in hand 476,353 398,055
Total current assets 639,003 597,955
Liabilities
Creditors: amounts falling
due in less than one year 18 (503,783) (423,785)
Net current assets/(liabilities) 135,220 174,170
Total assets less current liabilities 186,494 225,999
Net assets 186,494 225,999
Funds of the charity
Restricted income funds 20 28,000 3,000
Unrestricted income funds 21 158,494 222,999
Total charity funds 186,494 225,999
----- End of picture text -----
The notes on pages 15 to 26 form part of these accounts.
Approved by the trustees on …................. and signed on their behalf by:20.06.2025 Jennifer Wilson-Brown Name Signed
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The Carbon Literacy Trust
Statement of Cash Flows for the year ending 30 September 2024
| Cash flows from investing activities: Bank interest Proceeds from sale of tangible fixed assets Purchase of intangible fixed assets Cash provided by/(used in) investing activities Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year Increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents in the year Cash provided by/(used in) operating activities |
2024 2023 £ £ 86,222 175,157 |
|---|---|
| 9,583 502 - - (17,507) - |
|
| (7,924) 502 |
|
| 78,298 175,659 398,055 222,396 |
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| 476,353 398,055 |
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The Carbon Literacy Trust
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 30 September 2024
1 Accounting policies
The principal accounting policies adopted, judgments and key sources of estimation uncertainty in the preparation of the financial statements are as follows:
a Basis of preparation
The accounts (financial statements) have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) issued in October 2019 and the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011 and UK Generally Accepted Practice as it applies from 1 January 2019.
The accounts (financial statements) have been prepared to give a ‘true and fair’ view and have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a ‘true and fair view’. This departure has involved following 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) issued in October 2019 rather than the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice effective from 1 April 2005 which has since been withdrawn.
The Carbon Literacy Trust 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.
b Preparation of the accounts on a going concern basis
The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern.
c Judgments and estimates
There are no key judgments which the trustees have made which have a significant effect on the accounts.
The trustees do not consider that there are any sources of estimation uncertainty at the reporting date that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amount of assets and liabilities within the next reporting period.
d Prior year adjustments
Changes in accounting policies regarding income recognition and capitalisation of expenses have resulted in the following prior year adjustments:
| Original total net movement in funds for the year ended 30 September 2023 Sponsorship income received in 24/25 that related to 23/24 Bulk individual certification income that was invoiced by 30 September 2023 but not redeemed at that date The cost of intangible assets which had been capitalised where there was insufficient audit evidence to support the capitalisation Amortisation which had been charged to 30 September 2023 on the assets in the previous amendment Restated total net movement in funds for the year ended 30 September 2023 Bulk individual certification income that was invoiced by 30 September 2022 but not redeemed at that date |
230,390 41,000 (238,907) 157,251 (269,806) 102,067 |
|---|---|
| 21,995 |
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The Carbon Literacy Trust
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 30 September 2024 (continued)
e Income
Income is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the item(s) of income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.
Income from government and other grants, whether ‘capital’ grants or ‘revenue’ grants, is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred.
Income received in advance of a provision of a specified service is deferred until the criteria for income recognition are met.
f Accounting estimates
Individual certificate applications are often bulk-purchased by organisations to cover certification of a large number of learners. At the year end, some of these certificate applications have not been utilised, and this portion of income is deferred. To calculate this, a significant sample of customers is reviewed in depth, and this proportion is applied to the whole population.
g Donated services and facilities
Donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised as income when the charity has control over the item, any conditions associated with the donated item have been met, the receipt of economic benefit from the use by the charity of the item is probable and that economic benefit can be measured reliably. In accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102), general volunteer time is not recognised; refer to the trustees’ annual report for more information about their contribution.
On receipt, donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the charity which is the amount the charity would have been willing to pay to obtain services or facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open market; a corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of receipt.
h Interest receivable
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 by the Bank.
i Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds are available to spend on activities that further any of the purposes of charity.
Designated funds are unrestricted funds of the charity which the trustees have decided at their discretion to set aside to use for a specific purpose.
Restricted funds are donations which the donor has specified are to be solely used for particular areas of the charity’s work or for specific projects being undertaken by the charity.
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The Carbon Literacy Trust
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 30 September 2024 (continued)
j Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.
k Intangible fixed assets
Brands and intellectual property are capitalised at cost and are depreciated as follows over their estimated useful economic lives on a straight line basis as follows:
Brands 5 years Intellectual property 5 to 10 years
l Stock
Work in progress is valued as the cost of any raw materials, labour and overheads used in the creation of work in progress.
m Debtors
Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.
n Cash at bank and in hand
Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.
o Creditors and provisions
Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.
p Financial instruments
The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
q Pensions
The charity does not currently operate a pension scheme.
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The Carbon Literacy Trust
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 30 September 2024 (continued)
2 Legal status of the charity
The charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), registration number 1156722.
3 Income from donations and legacies
| Donations Grants Auto Trader Total Patagonia - the Tides Foundation Compass Group Manchester Museum NHS England |
Unrestricted Restricted Total 2024 Unrestricted Restricted Total 2023 £ £ £ £ £ £ 130,961 - 130,961 83,588 - 83,588 - - - 15,000 - 15,000 - 7,774 7,774 - - - - 28,000 28,000 - - - - - - - 6,000 6,000 - - - - 66,000 66,000 |
|---|---|
| 130,961 35,774 166,735 98,588 72,000 170,588 |
4 Income from charitable activities
| Project income E-learning licences Consultancy Toolkits Other earned income Total Individual certification Shareable courses Course certification Trainer certification Organisation certification |
Unrestricted Restricted Total 2024 Unrestricted Restricted Total 2023 As restated £ £ £ £ £ £ 506,886 - 506,886 399,006 - 399,006 10,901 - 10,901 2,491 - 2,491 150,102 - 150,102 135,048 - 135,048 22,023 - 22,023 6,711 - 6,711 10,000 - 10,000 5,610 - 5,610 130,652 - 130,652 105,316 - 105,316 15,100 - 15,100 - - - 155,258 - 155,258 42,533 - 42,533 682 - 682 - - - |
|---|---|
| 1,001,604 - 1,001,604 696,715 - 696,715 |
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The Carbon Literacy Trust
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 30 September 2024 (continued)
5 Other trading activities
| Sponsorship 6 Investment income Income from bank deposits |
Unrestricted Restricted Total 2024 Unrestricted Restricted Total 2023 As restated £ £ £ £ £ £ 72,865 - 72,865 51,730 - 51,730 |
|---|---|
| 72,865 - 72,865 51,730 - 51,730 |
|
| Unrestricted Restricted 2024 Unrestricted Restricted 2023 £ £ £ £ £ £ 9,583 - 9,583 502 - 502 |
|
| 9,583 - 9,583 502 - 502 |
| 7 Analysis of expenditure on raising funds Fees to online platforms Marketing Freelance fundraisers Support costs Governance costs 8 Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities Carbon Literacy (charitable activity) Freelance consultants Project administration CLO Awards Amortisation of intangible assets Bad debts Travel Volunteer support grants Other running costs Support costs Other governance costs Audit Independent examination & accountancy |
2024 2023 £ £ 684 192 16,636 - 29,056 10,840 1,124 14 185 12 |
|---|---|
| 47,685 11,058 |
|
| 2024 2023 £ £ 1,117,034 - - 904,375 20,330 16,826 18,062 (37,217) 7,491 - 29,742 - 15,120 - 724 445 29,289 1,090 - 963 4,815 - |
|
| 1,242,607 886,482 |
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The Carbon Literacy Trust
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 30 September 2024 (continued)
8 Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities (continued)
| Restricted expenditure Unrestricted expenditure |
2024 2023 £ £ 10,774 69,000 1,231,833 817,482 |
|---|---|
| 1,242,607 886,482 |
9 Analysis of governance and support costs
| Basis of apportionment Insurance in proportion of overall costs Office costs in proportion of overall costs Audit in proportion of overall costs Legal and professional in proportion of overall costs Raising funds Charitable activities Previous accounting period Basis of apportionment Insurance in proportion of overall costs Independent examination in proportion of overall costs Legal and professional in proportion of overall costs Raising funds Charitable activities |
Support Governance Total 2024 £ £ £ 2,724 - 2,724 24,656 - 24,656 - 5,000 5,000 3,033 - 3,033 |
|---|---|
| 30,413 5,000 35,413 |
|
| 1,124 185 1,309 29,289 4,815 34,104 |
|
| 30,413 5,000 35,413 |
|
| Support Governance Total 2023 £ £ £ 924 - 924 - 975 975 180 - 180 |
|
| 1,104 975 2,079 |
|
| 14 12 26 1,090 963 2,053 |
|
| 1,104 975 2,079 |
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The Carbon Literacy Trust
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 30 September 2024 (continued)
10 Net income/(expenditure) for the year
| 2023 | as | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| This is stated after charging/(crediting): | 2024 | restated | |
| £ | £ | ||
| Amortisation of intangible assets | 18,062 | (37,217) | |
| Independent examiner's remuneration | |||
| - accountancy | - | 500 | |
| - independent examination | - | 400 | |
| - corporation tax return preparation and filing | - | 75 | |
| Auditor's remuneration | |||
| - audit | 5,000 | - |
11 Staff costs
The charity had no employees or staff costs during the year. Management was provided by the trustees who received no remuneration.
12 Trustee remuneration and expenses, and related party transactions
Neither the trustees nor any persons connected with them received any remuneration or reimbursed expenses during the year (2023: Nil).
Aggregate donations from related parties were £nil (2023: £nil).
A trustee of the charity, Diane Margaret Johnson, is also a member of the senior management team of Beechfield Brands Ltd who donated £110,000 to The Carbon Literacy Trust during the year. There are no other donations from related parties which are outside the normal course of business and no restricted donations from related parties.
Malin Cunningham is a trustee of The Carbon Literacy Trust and a Director of We are Hattrick Limited. Income of £4,130 was received in the year from We are Hattrick Limited.
Dave Coleman is a key management personnel of The Carbon Literacy Trust, and a Director for Cooler Projects CIC. During the year, the Trust paid £27,568 (2023: £710,159) to Cooler Projects CIC for project administration. The reduction from the previous year is due to the Trust directly engaging freelance staff that were previously engaged by Cooler.
No trustee or other person related to the charity had any personal interest in any contract or transaction entered into by the charity, including guarantees, during the year (2023: nil).
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The Carbon Literacy Trust
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 30 September 2024 (continued)
13 Government grants
The government grants recognised in the accounts were as follows:
| NHS England | 2024 2023 £ £ - 66,000 |
|---|---|
| - 66,000 |
There were no unfulfilled conditions and contingencies attaching to this grant.
14 Corporation tax
The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within Chapter 3 of Part 11 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 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.
15 Fixed assets: intangible assets
| Cost Additions At 30 September 2024 Depreciation Charge for the year At 30 September 2024 Net book value At 30 September 2024 At 30 September 2023 At 1 October 2023 (as restated) At 1 October 2023 (as restated) |
Intellectual Brands property As restated £ £ Total 12,000 268,904 280,904 - 17,507 17,507 |
|---|---|
| 12,000 286,411 298,411 |
|
| 12,000 217,075 229,075 - 18,062 18,062 |
|
| 12,000 235,137 247,137 |
|
| - 51,274 51,274 |
|
| - 51,829 51,829 |
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The Carbon Literacy Trust
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 30 September 2024 (continued)
16 Stock
| Work in progress 17 Debtors Trade debtors Other debtors and accrued income 18 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year Note Trade creditors Accruals for grants payable Taxation and social security Accruals Deferred income 19 |
2024 2023 £ £ 21,900 - |
|---|---|
| 2024 2023 £ £ 137,567 158,398 3,183 41,502 |
|
| 140,750 199,900 |
|
| 2024 2023 As restated £ £ 134,224 6,206 - 155,159 57,127 22,613 11,812 900 300,620 238,907 |
|
| 503,783 423,785 |
19 Analysis of deferred income
Deferred income comprises Carbon Literacy certificate applications purchased in advance by organisations but not utilised by year end, and sponsorship income relating to the following year.
| Balance as at 1 October 2023 Amount released in the year Certificate applications purchased in advance Sponsorship relating to the following year |
2024 2023 £ £ 238,907 - (238,907) 284,120 238,907 16,500 - |
|---|---|
| 300,620 238,907 |
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The Carbon Literacy Trust
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 30 September 2024 (continued)
20 Analysis of movements in restricted funds
| Patagonia Manchester Museum NHS England Compass Group Foundation Previous reporting period Manchester Museum |
Balance at 1 Oct 2023 Income Expenditure Transfers Balance at 30 Sep 2024 £ £ £ £ £ 3,000 - (3,000) - - - 28,000 - - 28,000 - 7,774 (7,774) - - |
|---|---|
| - 35,774 (10,774) - 28,000 |
|
| Balance at 1 Oct 2022 Income Expenditure Transfers Balance at 30 Sep 2023 £ £ £ £ £ - 6,000 (3,000) - 3,000 - 66,000 (66,000) - - |
|
| - 72,000 (69,000) - 3,000 |
The balances on restricted funds are all unexpended grants for the charity's projects, which are all connected with Carbon Literacy.
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The Carbon Literacy Trust
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 30 September 2024 (continued)
21 Analysis of movement in unrestricted funds
| Balance at 1 Oct 2023 £ 222,999 222,999 Balance at 1 Oct 2022 £ 361,255 361,255 Analysis of net assets between funds Intangible fixed assets Net current assets/(liabilities) Total Intangible fixed assets Net current assets/(liabilities) Previous reporting period General fund Previous reporting period General fund |
Balance at 1 Oct 2023 £ 222,999 |
Income Expenditure Transfers Balance at 30 Sep 2024 £ £ £ £ 1,215,013 (1,279,518) - 158,494 |
|---|---|---|
| 222,999 | 1,215,013 (1,279,518) - 158,494 |
|
| Balance at 1 Oct 2022 £ 361,255 |
Income Expenditure Transfers Balance at 30 Sep 2023 As restated As restated As restated £ £ £ £ 690,284 (828,540) - 222,999 |
|
| 361,255 | 690,284 (828,540) - 222,999 |
|
| General Designated Restricted fund funds funds Total £ £ £ £ 51,274 - - 51,274 107,220 - 28,000 135,220 |
||
| 158,494 - 28,000 186,494 |
||
| General Designated Restricted fund funds funds Total £ £ £ £ 51,829 - - 51,829 171,170 - 3,000 174,170 |
||
| 222,999 - 3,000 225,999 |
22 Analysis of net assets between funds
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The Carbon Literacy Trust
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 30 September 2024 (continued)
23 Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net cash flow from operating activities
| Net income/(expenditure) for the year Adjustments for: Depreciation charge Impairment of intangible fixed assets Dividends, interest and rents from investments Decrease/(increase) in stock Decrease/(increase) in debtors Increase/(decrease) in creditors Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities |
2024 2023 as restated £ £ (39,505) 21,995 18,062 (37,217) - 186,584 (9,583) (502) (21,900) - 59,150 (140,553) 79,998 144,850 |
|---|---|
| 86,222 175,157 |
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