## **THE MICHAEL PROJECT UK** ## **REPORT & ACCOUNTS** **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023** ## **THE MICHAEL PROJECT UK LEGAL & ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023** **Registered Charity** 1156737 **Contact Address** Miss J A Edwards 67 Glendower Crescent Orpington BR6 0UP **Governing Document** Declaration of Trust dated 03/06/2013 **Trustees** Mr D R H Lodge Miss J A Edwards Mr R J Wilkinson **Bankers** Barclays Bank PLC Leicester LE87 2BB **Independent Examiner** Andrew Harker Collards Chartered Accountants 5-9 Eden Street Kingston upon Thames Surrey, KT1 1BQ ## **INDEX** **Page 1** Legal & Administrative Details **Page 2-3** Trustees' Report **Page 4** Independent Examiner's Report **Page 5** Receipts and Payments Account **Page 6** Statement of Assets and Liabilities **Page 7** Notes to the Accounts Page 1 ## **THE MICHAEL PROJECT UK REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES** ## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023** The trustees present the Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023. ## **CHARITABLE OBJECTS** The Michael Project UK is the UK organisation that supports The Michael Project Zimbabwe, (whose projects include Chikurubi, Wingate and Greystone Park pre-school centres), the River of Life Church, (whose projects include Shalom Children's Home), and The Cross Over Project. These Zimbabwean organisations seek to provide education, accommodation and Christian teaching for children, many of whom are considered to be at risk. These organisations are also actively engaged in the relief of poverty for those children and their families. Within the Objects of the Trust, the specific objectives of The Michael Project UK are to: promote the work of The Michael Project Zimbabwe, River of Life Church and The Crossover Project in Zimbabwe; raise funds in the UK in support of these organisations; make grants to these organisations as needed. The trustees seek to ensure that the vast majority of general donations given are forwarded to Zimbabwe with minimum UK expenditure incurred. UK expenditure is restricted to governance and administration costs consisting primarily of bank charges and the costs of preparing and independently examining the annual accounts. ## **ORGANISATION** The trustees currently meet on an occasional basis to set policy, review activities and monitor the financial situation. ## **REVIEW OF ACTIVITIES** To further it’s charitable objectives, the trustees sent £40,251 to Zimbabwe during the year. £17,206 was transferred to the River of Life Church for Shalom Children’s Home and £23,045 was transferred to the Michael Project Zimbabwe. One of the trustees visited Zimbabwe during the year which aided the oversight of the work for which grants were provided. In considering the activities of the charity the trustees have had regard to the guidance of the Charity Commission on public benefit. ## **FINANCIAL REVIEW** Receipts for the year of £42,480 (2022: £51,094) being £8,614 less than 2022. Total expenses for the year were £40,692 (2022 : £71,521) of which £40,251 was paid in grants as set out in note 2 to the accounts. At the end of the year, cash funds stood at £22,102 (2022 : £20,314), which the trustees intend to send to Zimbabwe during 2024. Page 2 ## **THE MICHAEL PROJECT UK REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES** ## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023** ## **RESERVES** With only limited UK operational expenditure, the trustees do not consider a formal reserves policy to be necessary. At the end of the year the charity had fund balances of £22,102 compared to £20,314 the previous year. The balance in the main account was regularly sent to Zimbabwe usually in tranches of around £5,000 - £20,000. ## **RISK STATEMENT** The trustees have examined the major risks that the charity faces. These are predominantly financial (shortfall of funds and fraud). Controls are in place to address the risk of financial misappropriation and the charity’s accounts cannot be overdrawn. ## **TRUSTEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES** Charity law requires us as Trustees to prepare financial statements for each accounting year which record the receipts and payments of the charity for the year. We are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable us to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011. We also have a responsibility to safeguard the assets of the charity and to take reasonable steps to prevent fraud or any other irregularities. The accounts were approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf on 23 October 2024. D Lodge Trustee Page 3 ## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINTERS REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE MICHAEL PROJECT UK** ## **Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Kingston United Reformed Church** I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of The Michael Project UK (the Trust) for the year ended 31 December 2023. ## **Responsibilities and basis of report** As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act'). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under Section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under Section 145(5)(b) of the Act. ## **Independent examiner's statement** I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: 1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by Section 130 of the Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or 3. the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Andrew Harker FCCA Collards Chartered Accountants 5-9 Eden Street Kingston-upon-Thames Surrey, KTl lBQ Date: 24 October 2024 Page 4 ## **THE MICHAEL PROJECT UK RECEIPTS & PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023** ||2023|2022| |---|---|---| |Notes|£|£| |**Receipts**
_Voluntary receipts_
Grants & gifts received
**Total Receipts**
**Payments**
Direct Charitable Costs
2
Net Receipts/(Payments)
Balances 1 January
**Balances 31 December**|42,480
42,480
40,692
**40,692**
**1,788**
**20,314**
**22,102**|| |||| |||| |||| |||51,094| |||| |||51,094| |||| |||| |||| |||71,521| |||| |||**71,521**| |||| |||**(20,427)**| |||| |||**40,741**| |||| |||| |||**20,314**| |||| |||| The notes on page 7 form part of these accounts. Page 5 ## **THE MICHAEL PROJECT UK STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2023** ||Notes|2023||2022| |---|---|---|---|---| |||£||£| ||**Bank & Cash Balances**|||| ||Held at Bank
4
**Funds**
Unrestricted funds|22,102||20,314| |||||| |||||| |||**22,102**||**20,314**| |||||| |||||| |||**22,102**||**20,314**| |||||| |||||| |||||| ||At the year end there were no other assets or liabilities.|||| At the year end there were no other assets or liabilities. The notes on page 7 form part of these accounts. The accounts were approved by the trustees on 23 October 2024 and signed on their behalf by: D Lodge Page 6 ## **THE MICHAEL PROJECT UK NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023** ## **1 Accounting Policies** The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis with a statement of assets and liabilities. |**2 Charitable Activities**
a
Direct Charitable Costs
Grants Paid
The Michael Project Zimbabwe
River of Life Church Zimbabwe
The Cross Over Project Zimbabwe
b
Support & Administration
Bank Charges
Website costs
Combined charitable activity cost|General
Funds|2023|2022| |---|---|---|---| ||£|£|£| ||23,045
17,206
0|23,045
17,206
0
**40,251**
409
32
441
**40,692**|47,253
20,400
3,000| ||||| ||||| ||**40,251**||**70,653**| ||409
32
441
**40,692**||820
48| ||||868| ||||| ||||**71,521**| ## **3 Staff & Trustees** The Trust had no employees during the year No amounts were paid or are due to be paid to any trustee or to any person connected to them apart from reimbursed expenses. |**4 Cash At Bank Balances**
Barclays Community Account
PayPal Account|2023|2022| |---|---|---| ||£|£| ||21,233
869
**22,102**|| |||17,373| |||2,941| |||| |||| |||**20,314**| Page 7