The Simon Trust (Autism) CIO Registered Charity Number: 1163069
Report of the Trustees
for the period ended 30 April 2021
Contents
| Chairman’s Report | 2 |
|---|---|
| Report of the Trustees | 4 |
| Notes to the Financial Statements | 6 |
The Simon Trust (Autism) CIO Chairman’s Report
Linden Farm has now been open for nearly two years and there are eight young people living there. Three in one house, two in another and three in individual flats. A ninth person moved into one of the remaining flats as an emergency placement but will soon be moving elsewhere.
Needless to say, with the COVID-19 pandemic the last year has had many challenges. Lockdowns remained in force for many months and the young people living at Linden Farm were unable to go out into the community or see their families, their only contact with the outside world being via Skype. This was not easy for the Linden Farm residents, all of whom have severe autism as their primary diagnosis and for whom routine is hugely important.
However, the equipment and facilities provided by The Simon Trust have made a huge difference to life at Linden Farm, and we are extremely grateful that we had the resources to be able to provide things as they were needed. Over the summer of 2020 we provided picnic tables and parasols so the residents could spend time outside. We bought more Djembe drums so they could have music sessions, and more arts and craft equipment to give them another activity to do onsite. The Sensory Room has been a wonderful place to go to for sensory stimulation during downtime or for a moment of calm when needing to destress. And the bikes and side-by-side trike which we provided have meant that they could have some exercise, albeit largely onsite, but nevertheless hugely important for their health and wellbeing.
We are now setting up an allotment nearby to Linden Farm. The owners of the land are being very supportive of this project. It will give the young people somewhere to go each week to tend the crops and harvest the produce. We have just bought and installed a potting shed there, and will soon be providing all the other equipment needed.
We finally received planning permission for the cycle track in December 2020, but we were then told by Surrey County Council (SCC) that they needed to sort out some drainage issues on the field before we could install the track. They
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have now completed this work and we have met with the new SCC Head of Estates and Property who is considering our proposed specification for the track. He is asking his legal team to prepare a document to say that after the contractor’s warranty of 6 years, SCC will take over responsibility for the maintenance of the track. We have provisionally booked the contractor to install the track in Feb/March 2022. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that we will at last be able to provide this much-needed facility at Linden Farm.
Once the track is installed, our next big project will be outdoor gym equipment, which we would like to install at various stages around the track. This will be massively beneficial to all the young people of Linden Farm, who need somewhere safe to exercise as part of their daily routine and to let off steam when they are having a particularly difficult moment.
I would like to thank all our supporters for their continued loyalty and I look forward to a hopefully more “normal” year ahead.
Sally Lawrence Chair The Simon Trust 8 February 2022
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The Simon Trust (Autism) CIO
Report of the Trustees for the period ended 30 April 2021
Registered Charity Number: 1163069
Principal Address
Gairholm Littleworth Road The Sands FARNHAM, Surrey. GU10 1JW
Trustees
Sally Lawrence (Chair) elected 10 Aug 2015 Peter Lawrence elected 10 Aug 2015 Gill Gillard elected 10 Aug 2015 Annette Lanaghan elected 10 Aug 2015 Simon Slater elected 10 Aug 2015 Anthony Lawrence elected 10 Aug 2015 Amanda Perrin elected 2 July 2021
Simon Slater is also a trustee of The Matrix Trust (1081852)
Bankers
Lloyds Bank plc Farnham Branch PO Box 1000 Andover. BX1 1LT
Structure, Governance and Management
Organisation and Governing Document
The Simon Trust (Autism) CIO is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered on 10 August 2015.
The Chair, reporting to the Board of Trustees, carries out day-to-day management. The Board keeps the skill requirements for the trustee body under review.
New trustees may be sought through a dialogue with candidates in relevant sectors. The ultimate decision on selection is a matter for the Board of Trustees.
When new trustees are appointed, they are given an introduction to the work of the charity and provided with the information that they need to fulfil their roles.
Risk management
The trustees have a duty to identify and review risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure that appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error. The trustees are of the opinion that the reserves and known subsequent income are sufficient for at least short to medium term financial requirements.
Public benefit
The charity had due regard to the guidance published by the Charity Commission on public benefit.
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The Simon Trust (Autism) CIO Report of the Trustees (continued) for the period ended 30 April 2021
Objectives and Activities
The objects of the Simon Trust (Autism) CIO are:
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1/ To relieve the needs of adults with autism and severe learning difficulties in Surrey and West Sussex particularly, but not exclusively, by:
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a) undertaking or assisting in the planning, establishment, construction, provision and running of appropriate living accommodation and long-term adult life care services for such persons, b) assisting in the support, care and treatment of such persons by providing or assisting in the provision of appropriate living accommodation, equipment, facilities, services, support, education and practical advice.
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2/ To advance the education of the general public in areas relating to autism.
Trustees Responsibility Statement. The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice: UKGAAP).
The law applicable to charities in England & Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period.
In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
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select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently,
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make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent,
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state whether applicable accounting standards 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,
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comply with the charity’s governing document,
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comply with the Financial Standard for Smaller Entities (FRSSE),
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comply with the Charities Act 2011.
The trustees are responsible for keeping 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, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the Trust deed. 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.
On behalf of the Board:
Sally Lawrence Chair
Date: 8 February 2022
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The Simon Trust (Autism) CIO
Notes to the financial statements for the period ended 30 April 2021
1/ Comparative figures.
Comparative figures relate to the previous period of twelve months.
2/ Accounting policies.
Accounting convention
The financial statements have been prepared under the “Receipts and Payments Accounts scheme (CC16c)”.
Income resources
All incoming resources are included on the Statement of Financial Activities when the charity is legally entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy.
Resources expended
Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.
Reserves
At the end of the period, the charity had no future commitments and, therefore, the reserves are uncommitted.
Taxation
The charity is exempt from tax on its charitable activities.
Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees. Restricted funds, should they become relevant, can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purpose. There were no restricted funds held at this period end.
Tangible fixed assets
Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life.
| Marketing Equipment | 2 years | |
|---|---|---|
| 3/ Voluntary Income | 2021 | 2020 |
| General donations | £4,315 | £33,730 |
The notes form part of these financial statements Page 6
4/ Balance Sheet & Expenses Analysis
Opening Balance 1/05/2020
made up as:
| Assets | Current account | £21,779 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deposit accounts | Cambs & Counties | £89,060 | |||
| Redwood Bank | £85,000 | £174,060 | |||
| Liabilities | Sensory Room | (final) | (£14,706) | ||
| £181,133 |
Transactions during the year
| Monies Received By Donation | £4,315 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| _less_Expenses paid out | (£33,387) | ||
| _less_Administration Costs | (£2,448) | ||
| _add_Deposit Interest Earned | £2,095 | ||
| Closing Balance as at 30/04/2021 | £166,415 | ||
| made up as: | |||
| Assets Current account |
£40,260 | ||
| Deposit accounts | Cambs & Counties | £90,157 | |
| Redwood Bank | £35,998 | ||
| Liabilities | nil | £166,415 |
5/ Investment income
Cambridge & Counties Bank (180 day) yielded £1,097 interest (2020: £1,521). Redwood Bank yielded £998 interest (2020: £nil)
| 6/ Costs of generating income | 2021 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Fund raising expenses | £nil | £nil |
| Depreciation | £nil | £nil |
| 7/ Governance costs | ||
| General expenses | £260 | £338 |
| Audit | nil | nil |
| Professional fees | nil | nil |
8/ Trustees Remuneration and benefits
There was no trustee remuneration or other benefit for the period (2020: nil).
Trustees Expenses
No trustee expenses were incurred in carrying out relevant duties during the year (2020: nil).
9/ Tangible Fixed Assets
There were no tangible fixed assets acquired or sold in the period.
10/ Debtors: Amounts falling due
There were no Debtor amounts due (2020: nil).
11/ Creditors: Amounts falling due
There were no Creditor amounts due (2020: nil).
12/ Related party transactions
There were no related party transactions in the period (2020: nil).
13/ Ultimate Controlling Party
Trustees have equal rights with no controlling party. Decisions are made on a majority basis.
The notes form part of these financial statements
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