## Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year 1/4/2023 - 31/3/2024 


## Growing Together Levenshulme 

## Contents 

1 



Contents.........................................................................................................................................................2 Legal and Administrative Details....................................................................................................................2 Trustees report for the year ended 31st March 2024....................................................................................3 Charity details.............................................................................................................................................3 April 2023 – March 2024: An overview of the past year.............................................................................4 Financial Review.............................................................................................................................................9 Profit & Loss 01/04/2023 - 31/03/2024....................................................................................................10 Statement of Assets and Liabilities at the Year End (31st March 2024)...................................................11 Appendix A: Independent examiner’s report on the accounts.....................................................................12 

## Legal and Administratve Details 

Charity Number: 1166420 

Trustees: 

Jacqueline Cotton, Chair 

Tom Spencer, Treasurer 

Shamim Afshan 

Alice Nicolay Nicola Scott Augusta Ward 

Registered Address :  98 Burnage Lane, Manchester, M19 2NG 

Bankers :  CAF Bank, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Mailing, Kent, ME19 4JQ. Independent Examiner: Owen Hewson 

2 



## Trustees report for the year ended 31st March 2024 

The Board of Trustees submit their annual report and the financial statements of Growing Together Levenshulme for the year ended 31[st] March 2024. 

## Charity details 

Growing Together Levenshulme, informally known as ‘the Garden’, is a large, resilient community of asylum seekers and refugees centred around our thriving allotment site in Levenshulme, Manchester. Therapeutic gardening, creative projects and a range of activities are complemented by a comprehensive range of support provided in and beyond the Garden. We promote vegan-organic, sustainable horticulture principles, and nurture a supportive, peer-led community. Project participants (also referred to as members) travel from across Greater Manchester to the Garden, to give and access support, and create a beautiful, relaxing space to enjoy together. 

## History, Structure and Governance 

Growing Together was set up in 2011 as a partnership between Revive (an organisation supporting refugees and asylum seekers) and Highfield Eco-Allotment Project. Initially a project within Revive, it matured into an organisation in its own right, with Growing Together Levenshulme (GTL) registered by the Charity Commission as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation on 7th April 2016. 

GTL was solely volunteer run for its first nine years.  In November 2020 we recruited a freelancer to support the work of the volunteer team. Since August 2021 this person has been employed by GTL, 3-days per week. In January 2024 we gained our second part-time post of project coordinator. Vision and strategy are led by the Steering Group which comprises volunteers, staff and participants. Volunteers and staff collaboratively manage the organisation, ensuring sessions runs smoothly, participants and team are well supported, and the vision of the Steering Group is progressed.  Trustees are appointed or reappointed annually at the AGM. 

Risk management: Trustees annually review risks which Growing Together Levenshulme is exposed to, and identify actions to monitor and minimise the potential impact of these risks. 

Public Beneft: When planning activities for the year, Trustees consider the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and are satisfied that our activities meet the principles outlined in that guidance. 

## Mission Statement: 

To improve the lives of asylum seekers, refugees and others impacted by immigration control through access to a therapeutic horticulture project and holistic support, building community and networks of solidarity whilst learning and sharing skills around vegan-organic growing and creating a beautiful and relaxing garden together. 

## GTL Aims: 

To improve the lives of people seeking asylum, refugees and others impacted by immigration control by: 

- developing a therapeutic horticulture project with and for our members 

- meeting members needs through signposting, referral and the provision of individualised support 

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- building community and networks of solidarity, mutual aid and peer support. 

## Values (as defned by partcipants): 

Respect.  Teamwork.  Love.  Friendships.  Learning.  Health. 

## The objects of GTL are: 

- i) To provide facilities for recreation or other leisure time occupation by providing an area for use as a community garden for: therapeutic horticulture; training and support for those persons who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, age, infirmity, disablement, financial hardship or social and economic circumstances; or for the public at large in the interests of social welfare and with the object of improving the condition of life of said inhabitants. 

- ii) To promote for the benefit of the public, the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment by promoting biodiversity, vegan-organic growing, healthy lifestyles, permaculture and conservation practices. 

Growing Together Levenshulme is committed to working with marginalised communities, offering access to a community allotment to groups usually unable to take advantage of such opportunities.  This year, our objectives have primarily been met through the provision of free therapeutic gardening and creative sessions alongside a range of comprehensive support to asylum seekers and refugees living in Greater Manchester. 

## April 2023 – March 2024: An overview of the past year 

Growing Together Levenshulme’s heart is our community and our Garden.  Our uniqueness stems from the combined impact of offering a range of activities alongside trusted support, all from the beautiful nurturing environment of a thriving allotment plot.  Throughout the year, the Garden has been a focal point of community, a space to share and develop skills in gardening, art, construction and leadership. Comprehensive provision of practical and emotional support has enhanced the therapeutic experience and positive outcomes.  This year our allotment has flourished and been valued as a beautiful, relaxing space to enjoy and support each other through traumas and celebrations. 

## Our Garden ‘I see the Garden, I can breathe’ 

Our Garden is now looking better than ever, having received much care and attention.  Members have enjoyed seeing their Garden flourish, nurtured their favourite crops, and planted flowers to uplift the space. People have commented on the feeling of being grounded through connecting to the soil, the respite of spending time in nature breathing fresh air, and that just being in the physical space of the Garden has helped ease pervasive stress and depression, helping people get through the week.  Over the year we ran 134 regular sessions, with a total of 145 individuals attending.  101 people came at least 20 times with 16 attending on over 40 occasions.  Average attendance was 15 people per session, with around 50 people attending the project each week in the Summer months. 

Our favourite crops this year have included rugari, onion leaves, strawberries and asparagus, with members harvesting crops and taking excess produce home to cook.  We enjoyed planting, tending crops and growing food people missed from home.  Our giant polytunnel enhanced the harvest and brought useful indoor 

4 



space.  In March we welcomed a trainer from Hulme Community Garden to work with participants to embed permaculture principles and support them to design and work on our forest garden.  Participants led on a significant landscaping project, turning our overgrown pond into a beautiful feature.   This involved digging out and extending our existing pond, battling the Manchester weather to wade through mud and floods, and finishing the area with rocks, sand and pond plants.  Our participants also lead on the design, site, and function for our new kitchen, with a shipping container craned over the fence to much excitement as snow fell!  Over the Spring, members worked to construct walls, ceiling and add insulation. 

Each week members cooked a meal using freshly harvested vegetables.  In a small way this has helped with food poverty, with people living in hotels particularly valuing the opportunity to eat fresh food.  Sitting down to share a meal together has brought much joy, appreciation of other cultures, and helped build community. 

‘I like cooking at the Garden, it is good for my mental health, my memory and mind is fresh. It’s good to talk, and I’m happy to be here, it is my responsibility.  At the garden they are my family, very special people. From my heart is the cooking.  Everyone is happy, very happy.  Of all the organisations in Manchester, the Garden is number One!’ 

A major change this year has been the inclusion of arts and craft options across all sessions as a core part of our offer.  This has in part been driven by one of our new volunteers, a previous project participant and refugee herself, who brings teaching and fine art skills and a sensitivity in nurturing people’s skills and confidence.  Other volunteers with art skills have joined the team and injected creativity, with our art classes now amongst our most popular activities. 

Many of our members are highly skilled, but due to their immigration status, have limited scope to utilise these skills.  This year the Garden has provided opportunities to develop skills and lead activities in gardening, construction, art, and cooking, bringing benefits to mental health, and fostering resilience and agency.  We regularly promoted project ownership, that this is our members’ Garden, and provided options to join volunteer-led sessions, lead activities or work independently.  Despite everything our members are going through, the Garden is a joyous place, full of laughter, inspiration and hope. 

‘Before I knew the Garden I was very stressed, sick so much.  Then I came to the Garden.  I learnt to plant salad, vegetables.  I take a little cup and plant in my home.  I feel better coming to the Garden. 

## Supportng our Members 

Alongside the activities we provided a holistic range of flexible support to our members both at the Garden and remotely, ranging from occasional check-ins to focused support at times of need, with some people requiring intense longer-term support.  Over the year we supported 158 people, two-thirds of whom were women.  Most but not all those we supported also came to sessions at the Garden.  Of those who disclosed their status, around 60% were seeking asylum or destitute, whilst 40% had refugee status.  We gained 55 new members, mainly self-referrals following recommendation from peers, and saw an increase in external referrals. 

We supported 33 people around legal issues, including help collating evidence to enable credible referrals to solicitors, and liaising with solicitors on their behalf.  We supported 6 people around family reunion processes, and sustained support to 12 who were moved out of the area, including signposting to local support.  25 people received support around physical health concerns, 9 were supported through family bereavements, and 25 around issues with their children.  Many members of our project experience mental 

5 



health challenges, with trauma stemming from countries of origin compounded by challenges and human rights abuses experienced in journeying to and surviving the hostile environment of the UK.  23 people received support specifically around their mental health, including referrals to counselling or specialist support.  Many members said that coming to the project helped ease their stress and depression.  Some said they didn’t think they would be alive today without the support of the Garden. 

We have seen most of our members, including those with refugee status, struggling to meet their basic needs due to the combined impacts of austerity, the hostile environment, and the cost of living crisis.  We supported 29 people with referrals to foodbanks, community grocers or similar, and referred 8 people to the Greater Manchester Migrant Destitution Fund.  We supported 26 people to travel to foodbanks.  A further 32 people accessed our Urgent Need Fund for support including travel to medical and legal appointments; bereavements; problems with ASPEN cards or Universal Credit payments; essentials whilst homeless; items needed for education or employment; home security following hate-crime; and getting evidence from countries of origin. 

During Spring we celebrated increased numbers of people being granted leave to remain, but also saw many of these newly recognised refugees face homelessness due to lack of social housing and prohibitive rents. We supported 20 of our members navigate the many challenges of getting bank accounts, British Residency Permits and Universal Credit and supported several through challenging periods of homelessness. Overall, the most common support request was around housing, with a third of our members accessing support around homelessness or inappropriate housing over the year. 

In May we facilitated a follow-up session with 26 graduates of our therapeutic ‘Tree of Life’ groups, an opportunity to reconnect with each other and reinforce the learnings from the sessions.  In June we ran a further Tree of Life Course, facilitated by a volunteer clinical psychologist.  The metaphor of a tree was used to speak about experiences in ways that weren’t retraumatising and instead reinforced skills, qualities, hopes and strengths.  All but one of those who completed the course showed improvement in mental wellbeing on the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale, while those who started with lower scores showed very significant improvement.  People valued the opportunity to connect with forgotten skills, try meditation, and reflect on how they had applied Tree of Life insights to their lives. 

Our approach is to stand in solidarity with our members and advocate in partnership with them.  Participants commented that whilst they might go to other organisations for specific needs, they come to the Garden every week, often for years.  We have built deep, trusting relationships and this trust spreads quickly to new participants.  We are therefore well-placed to assess need and signpost to support.  This year we were often the place people turned to first when in crisis.  We recognise we are often not the best organisation to resolve issues and have positive working relationships with and regularly refer to many excellent organisations in the refugee sector and beyond. 

‘When I was in detention – I was not stressed because I had so many GTL people behind me and with me.’ 

One member described receiving the letter granting him and his family right to remain: ‘When I received my letter from Home Office, first I told my family, then I told my Growing Together family...  For any help on your case, foodbank, mental health, wellbeing sessions, letters, whatever you need, call.  It gives confidence, helps so you don’t give up.  There’s a lot of organisations that after a few years stop activities.  Growing Together is always there, always doing their best. I never feel like I’m alone.’ 

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## Our Community 

‘Chatting, laughing and sharing. Having a good time together like family in the garden’. 

People often say they come to the Garden so they can meet people who are in the same situation and know they are understood, supported and feel safe – ‘It’s our family’.  We foster a culture of peer support so people can share their expertise and be there for each other.  Participants have observed how friendships established at the garden help sustain them longer-term.  We nurture a sense of community through promoting project ownership and activities including a welcoming circle and celebrating birthdays.  This year we continued to run monthly Zoom sessions so those who were moved further afield, or were struggling with poor health, could still see their Garden, advise on techniques to look after their favourite plants, chat to friends and still feel connected.  Our members span all ten Greater Manchester boroughs, with many travelling several hours to get to sessions, demonstrating the value GTL holds for them. 

‘When we come here, we have different cultures but we are a family - we eat together, we laugh together, we cry together’. 

It was great to reopen our site to the local community after restrictions on numbers due to Covid-19.  In April we opened our Garden to visitors as part of the nationwide ‘Good to Grow’ initiative.  Several of our participants volunteered on the day and it was moving to see the pride they showed in their Garden as they talked to members of the public about the impact the project has had for them.  We followed this up with an event in June, welcoming 60 visitors as part of Levenshulme Open Gardens and, as the nominated charity of the year, raised £2,500. 

Our members particularly enjoyed and looked forward to our parties and trips.  This year we held 5 such events, with an average of 55 participants attending.  These focal points for community and celebration were enhanced by members bringing their children, with positive memories made.  Our summer and winter parties involved singing, dancing, a free shop and a feast.  In June we visited RHS Bridgewater to introduce members to an accessible, inspiring and relaxing day out.  And in August we travelled to Chester to share an elaborate picnic, explore the city walls and river, and appreciate the history whilst connecting with friends in the sunshine. 

We resumed our ‘giving back’ projects, paused during Covid-19, to improve green space around places where our members have found support and welcome.  We began work with Manchester Refugee Support Network on a project to landscape their outdoor space, with our members leading on all aspects of design and landscaping. We also embarked on a new partnership with Friends of Highfield Country Park, encouraging engagement with the large green space on our doorstep.  We facilitated our members’ access to Friends of Highfield activities including nature walks, scything and coppicing.  In October we held a lovely evening singing together around a fire in the Country Park. We have plans to build on this partnership to extend our community and cement the sense for our members that local green spaces are theirs to enjoy. 

## Infuencing 

From July till December, Dr Jo Biglin, University of Salford, conducted ethnographic work at the Garden, exploring participants experiences of wellbeing and healing through embodied and sensory experiences. Emerging findings show the ways in which a sense of transnational belonging is realised and enacted within the allotment through sensory engagement with plants.  In November, members of the Garden were involved in co-creating a public engagement event at the University of Salford as part of the Festival of Social Science.  GTL members exchanged their knowledge of gardening through practical planting activities, 

7 



alongside children from the local community.  They shared their experiences of the asylum journey and the positive impact the allotment had on their mental health and sense of belonging in Manchester. 

In a political and media environment that was increasingly hostile to asylum seekers, many of our members were extremely fearful of the Rwanda threat, whilst others endured lengthy waits on decisions, highly unsuitable housing provision, threats of detention and deportation, and a raft of hostile policies impacting every aspect of their lives.  We ensured our members had access to trusted information about changes to the relevant laws and their implementation.  GTL had a presence at events to raise awareness of the hostile environment and the Conservative Government’s ‘anti-refugee’ laws.  We promoted opportunities to engage with these processes and speak out, including signing up to local and national statements to oppose these damaging proposals, highlight positive alternatives, and demonstrate solidarity. 

## The organisaton 

We continued to ensure inclusive, participant-led decision-making structures underpinned the project. Participants had a strong voice in project direction through engaging in well-attended Steering Group meetings, each held over three sessions supplemented by a Zoom meeting to maximise participation. Members refined the overall aims of GTL, planned trips, progressed plans for the kitchen, and identified new areas to focus on including skill sharing opportunities, training needs and activities to support mental health. It was moving to hear members discussing and collectively identifying the values they see as defining the Garden – respect, teamwork, love, friendships, learning and health. 

As a volunteer-ran project, our committed volunteer team carry significant responsibility.  Over the year, 22 volunteers delivered an extensive range of gardening, art and construction activities as well as providing support to our members and collectively managing the organisation.  In April our team benefited from therapeutic gardening training from Thrive.  This year we welcomed 16 new volunteers who brought a range of expertise including lived experience of the asylum system, refugee sector case work, academic research, teaching, group facilitation, evaluation and gardening skills, with each volunteer bringing extra dimensions and energy to our team.  We were sad to say goodbye to several volunteers, but glad to see many build on their experience at the Garden to gain paid employment. 

We are now a few years into having our first paid post of Support Manager, with this role proving indispensable and greatly enhancing the depth and quality of the support we provide to our members.  In January we employed a second post of Project Coordinator to lead on session logistics and volunteer support.  This new role is proving highly beneficial in ensuring our volunteers are better supported and freeing up volunteer time to focus on project development.  Both our employees have a refugee background.  They bring a wealth of expertise, passion and care, and have greatly enhanced our project. 

8 



## Financial Review 

Income in the 2023-24 year came in the form of grants and donations, with continued success through crowdfunding. 

During the financial year, income from grants and donations totalled £78,066 and spending totalled £71,633, resulting in a surplus for the year of £6,432.  On the 31[st] March 2024, we had £21,447 available in the bank, of which £3,439 were unrestricted reserves. 

We spent £13,140 on busfares to enable people to attend the project, £5,043 on ingredients for our communal meals and £1,633 on gardening materials.  We also distributed £7,827 to participants through Urgent Need Fund payments and travel costs to access foodbanks.  These costs were all comparable to spending in 2022-23.  We continued to employ our part-time Support Manager and also secured funding to recruit a second part-time employee (Project Co-ordinator) - in 2023-24 our total staff costs were £22,016. As the Project Co-ordinator only started in the last quarter of the year, our staff costs will be higher in future years. 

We improved the Garden by building a designated kitchen, which cost £10,222.  We focused on volunteer team health by organising team social events and supporting volunteers with childcare, travel and online meeting costs to improve accessibility (totalling £2,077).  Spending on the five special events for our participants including trips to RHS Bridgewater garden and Chester, totalled £4,317. 

Due to the combination of routine costs (running sessions, Urgent Need Fund and staff costs for our Support Manager) remaining higher than pre-pandemic levels, the new costs associated with hiring our second staff member and the additional cost of building our new kitchen, our spending was significantly more than in any previous year, reflecting the expanded scope, work and support to beneficiaries of the charity.  GTL successfully raised sufficient funding to cover these costs, including securing our largest ever grant: £119,639 (over three years) from The National Lottery Community Fund RC North West Region.  This will cover nearly half of our anticipated annual core costs for the next three years, providing a valuable level of security.  We made a slight surplus in 2023-24, as we received some grant funding at the end of the financial year which will be spent during 2024-25.  Despite this surplus, our level of unrestricted reserves decreased from £9,823 on 1/4/2023 to £3,439 on 31/3/2024 due to a period of spending when we didn’t have live grants covering core costs.  This is an area of concern, and the Trustees are aiming for unrestricted reserves to increase to £15,000 (3 months of minimum operating costs) to reflect the new, higher costs associated with running the project.  We are confident that grant funding will keep the project operating securely, with efforts made to raise additional unrestricted funds. 

We anticipate running at higher costs this year and into the future, as we now have two part-time staff. 

Accounts have been prepared on a cash basis, using the Charity Commission standard Receipt and Payments CC16a form (see attached).  GTL is not required to account on an accruals basis, or to be audited as it is a small organisation.  Additionally, GTL is not required to file a tax return as it is recognised as a charity by HMRC. 

Due to having exceeded the £25,000 income threshold, GTL’s accounts for 2023-24 have been independently examined by Owen Hewson, see report at the end of this document. 

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## Proft & Loss 01/04/2023 - 31/03/2024 

|INCOME AND SPENDING|INCOME AND SPENDING|INCOME AND SPENDING|INCOME AND SPENDING|INCOME AND SPENDING|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||
|INCOME|||||
|2023-24|||2022-23||
|Donatons (CAF donate,<br>unrestricted)|1374||Donatons|1860|
|Grant: CharityService|3000||Grant:  Allen Lane|7000|
|Grant: Garfeld Weston|10000||Grant: A.R.M.(unrestricted)|7466|
|Grant: Dowager Peel|7500||Grant: Awards for All|10000|
|Levenshulme Open Gardens<br>(unrestricted)|2505||Grant: Souter CT|5000|
|Grant: Manchester Guardian<br>Society (restricted)|2000||Grant: OCT Winter (unrestricted)|1500|
|Grant: Manchester Airport<br>CommunityFund(restricted)|1300||Grant: Society of the Holy<br>Innocent Jesus|10000|
|Grant: We Love Mcr(restricted)|4000||Grant: Ashworth CT|5005|
|Grant: Oglesby Charitable Trust<br>(Green Grants) (restricted)|6114||Grant (unrestricted): Volunteer<br>wellbeing|1500|
|Grant: Hilden CT(unrestricted)|7000||Grant: Volunteer Expenses|800|
|Grant: The Natonal Lotery<br>Community Fund RC North West<br>Region(restricted)|21273||||
|Grant: Unicorn(unrestricted)|2000||||
|Grant: Society of the Holy Child<br>Jesus(restricted)|10000||||
|Total|78066||Total|50131|
||||||
|SPENDING|||||
|2023-24|||2022-23||
|busfares|13140||busfares|12038|
|lunch|5043||lunch|4734|
|gardeningmaterials|1633||gardeningmaterials|4203|
|art materials|87||||
|rent/insurance|735||rent|553|
|volunteer expenses|2077||volunteer expenses|2844|
|statonery|2682||statonery|1932|
|infrastructure|10222||infrastructure|662|
|kitchen equipment|704||||
|Urgent Need Fund(UNF)essentals|3925||UNF essentals|5020|
|UNF FB travel|3902||UNF FB travel|2595|
|UNFphone credit|0||UNFphone credit|96|
|volunteer training|475||volunteer training|420|
|gifs forpartcipants|461||gifs forpartcipants|766|
|PPE|215||PPE|303|
|Trips/events|4317||Trips/events|1827|
|Paid staf|22016||Paid staf|18054|
|Total|71633||Total|56046|



|INCOME AND SPENDING|INCOME AND SPENDING|INCOME AND SPENDING|INCOME AND SPENDING|INCOME AND SPENDING|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||
|INCOME|||||
|2023-24|||2022-23||
|Donatons (CAF donate,<br>unrestricted)|1374||Donatons|1860|
|Grant: CharityService|3000||Grant:  Allen Lane|7000|
|Grant: Garfeld Weston|10000||Grant: A.R.M.(unrestricted)|7466|
|Grant: Dowager Peel|7500||Grant: Awards for All|10000|
|Levenshulme Open Gardens<br>(unrestricted)|2505||Grant: Souter CT|5000|
|Grant: Manchester Guardian<br>Society (restricted)|2000||Grant: OCT Winter (unrestricted)|1500|
|Grant: Manchester Airport<br>CommunityFund(restricted)|1300||Grant: Society of the Holy<br>Innocent Jesus|10000|
|Grant: We Love Mcr(restricted)|4000||Grant: Ashworth CT|5005|
|Grant: Oglesby Charitable Trust<br>(Green Grants) (restricted)|6114||Grant (unrestricted): Volunteer<br>wellbeing|1500|
|Grant: Hilden CT(unrestricted)|7000||Grant: Volunteer Expenses|800|
|Grant: The Natonal Lotery<br>Community Fund RC North West<br>Region(restricted)|21273||||
|Grant: Unicorn(unrestricted)|2000||||
|Grant: Society of the Holy Child<br>Jesus(restricted)|10000||||
|Total|78066||Total|50131|
||||||
|SPENDING|||||
|2023-24|||2022-23||
|busfares|13140||busfares|12038|
|lunch|5043||lunch|4734|
|gardeningmaterials|1633||gardeningmaterials|4203|
|art materials|87||||
|rent/insurance|735||rent|553|
|volunteer expenses|2077||volunteer expenses|2844|
|statonery|2682||statonery|1932|
|infrastructure|10222||infrastructure|662|
|kitchen equipment|704||||
|Urgent Need Fund(UNF)essentals|3925||UNF essentals|5020|
|UNF FB travel|3902||UNF FB travel|2595|
|UNFphone credit|0||UNFphone credit|96|
|volunteer training|475||volunteer training|420|
|gifs forpartcipants|461||gifs forpartcipants|766|
|PPE|215||PPE|303|
|Trips/events|4317||Trips/events|1827|
|Paid staf|22016||Paid staf|18054|
|Total|71633||Total|56046|



11 



Surplus for the Year 

6432 

-5915 

## Statement of Assets and Liabilites at the Year End (31st March 2024) 

|Cash Funds|Amount|
|---|---|
|Current account|21,447|
|||
|Assets retained for GTL’s own use|Current value (optonal)|
|Classroom space|6500|
|Polytunnels|4000|
|Kitchen|10000|
|||
|Liabilites|Amount due(optonal)|
|None|n/a|



## Notes to the fnancial statements: 

All figures are rounded to the nearest pound. 

A surplus was made in the year 2023-24 as grants were received near the end of the year and will be spent in the year 2024-25. 

The value of GTL’s classroom/workshop building (paid for during 2015-17), is retained within GTL’s assets as £6500; the value of GTL’s polytunnels (including a large one paid for during 2021-22) is retained within GTL’s assets as £4000.  The new kitchen (a converted shipping container, paid for during 2023024) is retained within GTL’s assets as £10000 

This is a true record of the income and expenditure of Growing Together Levenshulme for the period stated above. 

This report was approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf. 

Jaqui Cotton (Chair), 


Tom Spencer (Treasurer) 


12 



## Appendix A: Independent examiner’s report on the accounts 


## Independent examiner's report on the accounts 

Section A                        Independent Examiner’s Report 

Report to the trustees/ Growing Together Levenshulme members of On accounts for the year 31/03/2024 ended Set out on pages 1-2 

Charity no (if any) 1166420 

(remember  to include the page numbers of additional sheets) 

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/03/2024. 

As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the Responsibilites and preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the basis of report Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”). 

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. 

Independent examiner's I have completed my examination.  I confirm that no material matters statement have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: 

- accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or 

- the accounts do not accord with the accounting records 

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. 

Signed: Owen Hewson Name: Owen Hewson Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: 10 Vernon Street, Manchester M16 9JP Section B                           Disclosure 

Date: 04/01/2025 

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight 

13 



matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners). 

Give here brief details of any items that the No matters of concern to note. examiner wishes to disclose . 

14 




|CharityName|No (ifany)||
|---|---|---|
|Growing Together Levenshulme|1166420||
|Receipts andpayments accounts||CC16a|
|Period start date<br>For the period|Period end date||
|1/4/2023<br>from|To<br>31/3/2024||



## Section A Receipts and payments 

Unrestricted Endowment Restricted funds Total funds Last year funds funds to the nearest      £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ 

## A1 Receipts 

|A1 Receipts||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Grants|||2,000||||72,187||||-|||||74,187||||48,271||
|Donations|||3,879||||-||||-|||||3,879||||1,860||
||||-||||-||||-|||||-||||-||
||||-||||-||||-|||||-||||-||
||||-||||-||||-|||||-||||-||
||||-||||-||||-|||||-||||-||
||||-||||-||||-|||||-||||-||
||||-||||-||||-|||||-||||-||
|_Sub total(Gross income for AR)_|||5,879||||72,187||||-|||||78,066||||50,131||
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|A2 Asset and investment sales,||||||||||||||||||||||
|(see table).||||||||||||||||||||||
||||-||||-|||||-||||-||||||
||||-||||-|||||-||||-||||-||
||_Sub total_||-||||-|||||-||||-||||-||
|||||||||||||||||||||||
||_Total receipts_||5,879||||72,187|||||-||||78,066||||50,131||



|A3 Payments|4,607<br>565<br>-<br>1,933|15,511<br>1,512<br>735<br>749||20,118<br>2,077<br>735<br>2,682||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|<br>workshops sessions|4,607|15,511||20,118|22,044|
|Volunteer expenses|565|1,512||2,077|2,844|
|Insurance/Rent|-|735||735|553|
|Stationery|1,933|749||2,682|1,932|



01/07/2025 

1 



|Infrastructure|955||9,972||||10,927||662|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Marketing/fundraising/outreach|||||||-||-|
|Training|475||-||||475||420|
|Urgent Need Fund|-||7,827||||7,827||7,711|
|Staff costs|-||22,016||||22,016||18,054|
|Events|3,728||1,049||||4,777||1,827|
|_Sub total_|12,263||59,371||-||71,634||56,046|



|A4 Asset and investment|||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|purchases, (see table)|||||||||||||||||||||
||||||||||||||||-||||||
|||-||||-|||||-||||-||||||
|_Sub total_||-||||-|||||-||||-||||-||
||||||||||||||||||||||
|_Total payments_||12,263||||59,371|||||-||||71,634||||56,046||
||||||||||||||||||||||
|_Net of receipts/(payments)_||-             6,384.00||||12,816.00||||-|||||6,432||||-                5,915||
|A5 Transfers between funds||-||||-||||-|||||-||||-||
|A6 Cash funds last year end||9,823||||5,191||||-|||||15,015||||20,930||
|_Cash funds this year end_||3,439||||18,007||||-|||||21,447||||15,015||
||||||||||||||||||||||



## Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period 

|Categories<br>B1 Cash funds|Details<br>Current account<br>Reserves<br>_Total cash funds_<br>(agree balances with receipts and payments<br>account(s))|to nearest £<br>10,439<br>-<br>3,439<br>OK<br>Unrestricted<br>funds|Restricted funds<br>to nearest £<br>15,559<br>-<br>18,007<br>OK|to nearest £<br>Endowment<br>funds|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||-|
|||||-|
|||||-|
|||||-|
|||||OK|



01/07/2025 

2 



## B2 Other monetary assets 

B3 Investment assets 

B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use 

|Details|to nearest £<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>Unrestricted<br>funds|Restricted funds<br>to nearest £<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-|to nearest £<br>Endowment<br>funds|
|---|---|---|---|
||-|-|-|
||-|-|-|
||-|-|-|
||-|-|-|
||-|-|-|
||-|-|-|



|Details<br>Details<br>Classroom space<br>Polytunnels<br>Kitchen|Unrestricted<br>Unrestricted<br>Unrestricted<br>Fund to which asset<br>belongs<br>Fund to which asset<br>belongs|Cost (optional)<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>Cost (optional)<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-|Current value<br>(optional)|
|---|---|---|---|
||||-|
||||-|
||||-|
||||-|
||||-|
||||Current value<br>(optional)|
|Classroom space|Unrestricted|-|6,500|
|Polytunnels|Unrestricted|-|4,000|
|Kitchen|Unrestricted|-|10,000|
|||-|-|
|||-|-|
|||-|-|
|||-|-|
|||-|-|



01/07/2025 

3 



## B5 Liabilities 

Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees 

|||||-||-|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||Fund to which||Amount due||When due|
|Details||liability relates||(optional)||(optional)|
|||||-|||
|||||-|||
|||||-|||
|||||-|||
|||||-|||



|Signature|Print Name<br>Tom Spencer<br>Jaqui Cotton|Date of<br>approval|
|---|---|---|
||Tom Spencer|24/9/24|
||Jaqui Cotton|24/9/2024|



01/07/2025 

4 




## Independent examiner's report on the accounts 

## Section A                        Independent Examiner’s Report 

Report to the trustees/ Growing Together Levenshulme members of On accounts for the year 31/03/2024 Charity no 1166420 ended (if any) Set out on pages 1-2 (remember  to include the page numbers of additional sheets) 

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/03/2024. 

Responsibilities and basis As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of of report 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 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the 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 which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: 

- accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or 

- the accounts do not accord with the accounting records 

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. 

Signed: Owen Hewson Date: 04/01/2025 Name: Owen Hewson Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: 10 Vernon Street Manchester M169JP 

1 

October 2018 

IER 



Section B                           Disclosure 

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners). 

Give here brief details of No matters of concern to note. any items that the examiner wishes to disclose . 

2 

October 2018 

IER