**REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1168134**
**REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2021 FOR**
**ST CUTHBERT’S SOCIETY JUNIOR COMMON ROOM**
Ribchesters Chartered Accountants Finchale House, Belmont Business Park Durham City DH1 1TW
**ST CUTHBERT’S SOCIETY JUNIOR COMMON ROOM**
**CONTENTS OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2021**
||Page|
|---|---|
|Report of the Trustees|1 to 8|
|Independent Examiner's Report|9|
|Statement of Financial Activities|10|
|Balance Sheet|11|
|Notes to the Financial Statements|12 to 15|
|Detailed Statement of Financial Activities|16|
## **ST CUTHBERT’S SOCIETY JUNIOR COMMON ROOM**
## **REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2021**
The Trustees present their report with the financial statements of The Charity for the year ended to 31 July 2021. The Trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities, preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102) (effective 1 January 2019).
## **TERMINOLOGY**
For the avoidance of doubt, please note that hereafter:
- “The JCR”, “The Charity” and “The CIO” all refer to St. Cuthbert’s Society Junior Common Room, Registered Charity Number: 1168134
- “The Society” and “St. Cuthbert’s Society” both refer to St Cuthbert’s Society as an institution in its entirety, encompassing both the college of Durham University of the same name and The JCR working together in tandem
- “Student” refers to anyone who is a student at St. Cuthbert’s Society, a college of Durham University, whether or not they are formally an associate member of The JCR
- “The Trustees” and “The Board” both refer to The Board of Trustees of The Charity.
- “The University” refers to Durham University
- “The President of the Society” refers to the elected President of The JCR, a full time employee of The Charity
- “The FCO” refers to the elected Finance and Compliance Officer, a full time employee of The Charity
## **OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES**
## **Objectives and aims**
We provide social, cultural, sporting and recreational activities and forums for discussion and debate for the personal development of students. We are also committed to equality by pursuing equal opportunities and equal access policies to our student associate members in line with our democratic operation.
All JCR volunteers who conduct interviews for sub-committee positions are now Unconscious Bias trained, to mitigate potential bias decisions when selecting student associate members for opportunities within the organisation.
## **Significant activities**
As always, The Society was committed to organising a wide range of inclusive social events, furthering the social education of students during the academic year 2020-2021. However, frequent changes to the nature and severity of COVID restrictions on the movement and activities of students led to many events being cancelled or moved to an online format, particularly during the Michaelmas Term (October – December) and Epiphany Term (January – March).
We started the academic year with Fresher’s Week, for which plans were in constant flux until the eve of the first day due to constantly changing restrictions and information. Nevertheless, we were able to deliver a mixture of online and inperson events in line with guidance from the government and Durham University. For the first time, we organised two weeks of online freshers’ weeks before new students arrived in Durham, which had the additional benefit of allowing us to better engage with students coming to Durham from overseas before their arrival in the UK. Once students arrived, we were able to offer some in-person events with various safeguards in place, such as regular mandatory COVID-19 testing, increased outdoor space designated for social events, and improved ventilation to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. We were fortunate to receive some grants from Durham University to assist with these endeavours, such as money to erect a large marquee in the garden of 12 South Bailey, which provided much needed additional space with good ventilation.
In the interests of inclusivity and protecting those most at risk of contracting COVID-19, as well as handling space restrictions which meant not every student associate member could attend events every evening, we continued to offer alternative virtual events every day for students who may not have felt comfortable attending in person.
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Considering the circumstances, Freshers Week was broadly a success and received well by those who participated. Unfortunately, it was cut short due to some cases of COVID-19 being detected in the middle of the week, at which point we took all reasonable steps to contain transmission and ensure the safety of all students. One question The Charity had to grapple with was the extent to which it was reasonable to expect volunteer JCR officers, such as Freshers Week Representatives (“Freps”), to police government and University guidelines. The President of the Society engaged openly with The Trustees, as well as Durham University staff, on this question well in advance; she was therefore well prepared to communicate expectations to and answer questions from volunteers and students. We were thereby able to avert any concerning incidents, notwithstanding a relatively small number of COVID cases, in line with the prevalence of the virus nationally and in the local area at the time.
During Freshers’ Week, we were also successful in introducing anti-racism workshops as well as our usual consent workshops, which were well attended by student associate members.
The JCR runs over 40 different sports clubs and societies which allow student associate members to try new sports or interests, thereby enriching their educational and cultural experience during their time at Durham University. We are committed to ensuring these opportunities are accessible to all. Under normal circumstances, we operate on a 50:50 subsidy system, whereby half the cost of a student associate member taking part in a sport or society is covered by the individual, and half is covered by The JCR. This means that we can keep most sports and societies memberships below £15 for the year.
However, our usual heavy emphasis on the area of sport and recreation to further our student associate members’ experience was considerably hampered by COVID-19 restrictions.
There was a brief window just before national lockdown in the Michaelmas term, during which all outdoor sports were able to take place relatively unencumbered by restrictions, although it remained very challenging to organise any indoor gatherings. However, the reimposition of lockdowns in November 2020 and again in December 2020 put an end to all inperson activities for several months. Many societies adapted to an online environment, but this was of course more difficult for some, especially those whose sole purpose was playing sport. Nevertheless, despite these major challenges we saw the founding of several new student societies in 2020-2021, including Yoga Society, Anti-Racism Society, Working Class Society, Poetry Society, Golf Society, and Clash of Clans Society. Many student associate members reported that despite the continued restrictions, they felt able to continue to engage with The JCR and still enjoy core elements of the student experience, albeit in a very different format to usual.
One action we took early in the academic year to lower the bar for participation was the temporary abolition of subscriptions for all sports clubs and societies in 2020-2021, and the doubling of our participation funds, which financially support poorer students from disadvantaged backgrounds in participating in JCR activities. This accounts for the much lower than usual sports and societies income in the financial statement.
In the final term, sports clubs and societies were able to operate in person again and were a resounding success. We finished off the year with our “Sports & Socs Awards Night”, which was held in person outside, and enabled us to reward the volunteers who worked so hard to keep The Society operating throughout the year.
JCR Committees continued to operate throughout the year 2020-2021 and had some success in engaging new and existing student associate members, despite the prevailing circumstances.
During Michaelmas Term, prior to national lockdowns, the Social Committee arranged a few in-person and a few online events including a Christmas formal dinner, in partnership with a local restaurant. Thereafter, numerous online events took place such as quizzes, academic debates and other virtual social gatherings. In the Summer Term (April – June), the Social Committee really came into its own, pulling off a successful and COVID-safe Cuth’s Day, our annual music festival, showcasing the best talent from The JCR and across the wider University, in a marquee off-site.
Most unfortunately, we were forced to cancel our Summer Ball with less than 24 hours’ notice, after Durham University and the Local Authority deemed it too risky to proceed with it as planned. Naturally, it was impossible during such uncertain times to entirely rule out the possibility that such an event may be cancelled and have financial implications for The JCR. Nevertheless, it was the view of The President of the Society, The FCO and The Trustees that the benefits to students, who throughout the academic year had been deprived of opportunities to meet in person, and many of whom had struggled with stress and anxiety induced by long periods of isolation, well outweighed the risk of financial loss.
Furthermore, when booking this event, we reasonably believed that any cancellation would likely be the result of new government regulations restricting social gatherings, or an outbreak of COVID-19 infections among the staff of the venue, both of which would have been covered under a comprehensive force majeure clause in the contract. While there is no doubt that The University and Local Authority were jointly acting in the very best interests of students to avoid a spike
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in COVID-19 infections, this had the unintended consequence that it was in fact St. Cuthbert’s Society JCR which cancelled the event, acting on instructions from The University and Local Authority. As a result, the usual force majeure clause did not apply and this had considerable financial consequences within the financial year 2020-2021. We were fortunately able to secure compensation of £5,000 from Durham University very swiftly. We are also in the process of negotiating, with support from The University, a partial refund from the venue. While it is expected that this process may take a long time, initial indications are promising and we will recoup a significant portion of our costs in the next financial year.
Central to The JCR are its democratic processes, which enable all student associate members to enrich their education by taking an active role in making decisions about the day-to-day running of the CIO, as well as taking on additional responsibility by running for election to a JCR officer position. GovComm (The JCR’s dedicated committee of student associate members overseeing day-to-day compliance with our Standing Orders and Constitution) innovated a safe and secure method for holding JCR Meetings online, while still allowing husts and voting in meetings, which ensured we could continue to elect officers during periods of lockdown when in-person general meetings could not take place. We were delighted to see a number of first-year students elected to officer roles, such as Environment Rep, our very first Trans & Non-Binary Rep, Outreach Chair, and Publicity and Relations Officer.
During COVID lockdowns, our Welfare Committee was instrumental in supporting students by signposting them to sources of support for their mental and physical wellbeing. Our Welfare Campaigns Committee ran a “looking up in lockdown” campaign, including tips on “looking out for yourself and your friends”, and harm reduction advice. We also placed renewed emphasis on the “take time to sign” campaign which, as in previous years, encourages a culture shift in the housing rush in Durham to avoid first year students signing for a house too early in Michaelmas term. JCR Welfare Officers and The President of the Society continued offering weekly drop-ins virtually, and in-person where possible.
Towards the end of the year, a new standalone JCR position was created to assist with alumni relations. We are very excited for the role this can play in driving better communication with former students of St Cuthbert’s Society in future, with a view to improving our ability to collect donations and draw upon alumni experience for the benefit of current students.
The pandemic posed numerous challenges to the management of JCR facilities throughout the year. We were forced to regularly change our policies around who could access The Society Library, depending on prevailing COVID-19 restrictions. We devised numerous mechanisms for lending out books, sports equipment and activities such as board games in a COVID-safe manner. The JCR also created a “COVID Fund” in Michaelmas Term, which was used to procure equipment such as keyboards and tablets for students who were struggling to afford the equipment they needed to work while University IT facilities were closed. Our gyms were open for students in Society accommodation for most of the year and were staffed by bar staff who were paid out of the Durham University COVID-19 fund. When the bar was not allowed to open, it was repurposed as a social space in the evening which was helpful especially for first-year students living on our South Bailey site, many of whom had no communal space in their accommodation.
In the Summer term, our JCR Fashion Show also pulled off a successful event with assistance from Durham University, who showed a great deal of commitment to ensuring students received as much of their wider student experience as possible this year.
On a wider university level, following endorsement from The JCR through a vote in a general meeting, The President of the Society has pushed hard for greater cohesion and clarity in the movement to pressure Durham University into lowering accommodation fees for students, and was successful in creating a unified set of demands for this across the Durham Students’ Union, “Ripped Off “ campaign groups, who lobby for a reduction in accommodation fees, and other JCR Presidents. The President also organised first aid training for all Durham University JCR Presidents and was heavily involved in pushing The University to change its approach to student drug use, in line with the wishes of the broader JCR membership.
Despite the difficult situation the Covid-19 pandemic has caused, The JCR has been able to adapt and improvise to ensure that we are putting our student associate members first and continuing to provide services and opportunities to the very best of our ability. We maintained a good proportion of the services we typically offer, including peer welfare support for personal issues, sports teams and societies, gyms, library, IT provision and representation of student views to The University and beyond. The emphasis on these, as with all other activities of The JCR, is that of student leadership and ownership. Our student associate members are expected and encouraged to initiate, participate in, and lead our activities.
## **Public benefit**
We have adopted a strong democratic constitution that places its operation securely in its student associate members’ hands. This structure allows us to work for the public benefit. Our standpoints on equality and openness allow us to foster a culture of acceptance amongst student associate members, many of whom volunteer in some capacity for the benefit of
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others in The University or as part of The JCR, which allows us to be strong members of the local and academic community. We keep this public benefit in mind when organising large social events that are open to all members of the public, and support the welfare of our students so they can continue to work at their studies and remain part of the community in Durham.
When we fund sports and societies this allows student associate members to try new sports or activities in which they would otherwise not have had the opportunity to participate. We have many (over 200) volunteer positions that are elected or appointed, allowing anyone to apply irrespective of previous experience, and enrich the community as well as benefit them individually.
We take no political stance other than to represent our student associate members in order to maintain an inclusionary policy. We operate library and gym facilities that can be accessed by our student associate members to enhance their educational or recreational activities.
From 1 April 2008, section 4 of the Charities Act 2006 requires all charities to meet the legal requirement that its aims are for the public benefit. The Charity Commission states that there are two principles to be met in order to show that an organisation’s aims are for the public benefit: firstly, there must be an identifiable benefit or benefits and secondly that the benefit must be to the public or a section of the public. The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty to have due regard to The Charity Commissioner’s guidance on public benefit.
## **FINANCIAL REVIEW**
As the financial statements below indicate, despite the headwinds caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, The Charity has a sound financial base. One of the aims of The Trustees is to secure the long-term future of The Charity by careful and prudent management of its assets. As of 31 July 2021 The Charity has net assets of £188,762.
The first key difference to note in this year’s review compared to the previous financial year is that we went from a net operating surplus of around £45,000 at year-end in July 2020 to a net deficit of -£42,000 for the year to July 2021. This can be explained predominantly by a considerable decrease in income from events, JCR levies, and Sports and Societies, which are two of our primary funding sources.
Whereas we received income of nearly £126,000 from events in the year ending July 2020, which reflects the fact that over half the academic year took place before the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, in the year to July 2021 we received well under half that amount: £46,000. Furthermore, our social events expenditure in 2020-2021 was around £15,000 higher than the previous year, as we spent considerably more subsidising them than in a normal year, and there were numerous pandemic-related additional expenses incurred, such as additional security to enforce COVID measures and the adaptation of social spaces to make them compliant with COVID restrictions. On the events front, we were also stung badly by the very short notice cancellation of our Summer Ball. While Durham University kindly donated £5,000 to cover some of the cost, efforts to recover some of the costs from the venue are ongoing and are unlikely to conclude until well into the subsequent financial year. We also subsidised Cuth’s Day to the tune of £25,000 to ensure there was no barrier whatsoever to participation by our student associate members.
It was to be expected that levies would decrease by around £20,000 in 2020-2021, given many students did not expect to be able to participate in JCR activities in light of the pandemic. To have nevertheless received in excess of £40,000 was an extremely positive outcome. We expect to recover our levies position during the next year and recoup some of those which weren’t paid in 2020-2021 as restrictions continue to be lifted.
As discussed above, we received no income in 2020-2021 from Sports and Societies, as we agreed to wholly subsidise all such recreational activities in light of the pandemic in order to support the mental wellbeing of students during a time of exceptionally high stress and isolation. By comparison, in 2019-2021 this accounted for over £24,000 of income.
2019-2020 was the first year The Charity operated with a dedicated Finance & Compliance Officer, enabling us to manage our finances more professionally and systematically, and create direct and unequivocal lines of accountability for the state of our finances. In that first year, The FCO was a part-time position, only working four days per week. While we are confident that The FCO last year did a perfectly satisfactory job, it became clear throughout 2019-2020 that the role is more demanding than was initially envisaged. As a result, the role was made full-time from the start of the 2020-2021 academic year onwards. We also agreed as a Board that our employees should be paid the living wage and have adjusted our personnel payments accordingly. We continue to cover the cost of accommodation and term-time meals for our employees, in order to make the role accessible to anyone who wishes to apply, irrespective of their financial circumstances. These changes account for the increased expenditure on personnel in the year ending July 2021.
Our reserves remain invested into two different, low-risk savings accounts, so that we earn a small amount of interest and our cash does not depreciate sitting in a current account.
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Throughout the past year, we drew down on our reserves heavily in order to subsidise our sports clubs and societies, as well as several events, including Cuth’s Day. In July 2021, we transferred £52,000 from our reserve savings account to our operational accounts to fund these expenses. The transfer will only be realised on the subsequent year’s balance sheet as it takes 95 days for funds to transfer from these accounts. Once the transfer is complete, we will be left with just over £74,000 across both reserve savings accounts, which is in line with our reserves policy (see below).
The Board feels entirely confident that, despite the net deficit incurred in 2020-2021, we have sufficient reserves in place to weather the storm of the COVID-19 pandemic for some time to come. As efforts to vaccinate the population continue and we begin to progress back to a situation which bears more resemblance to pre-pandemic normality, we feel that The Charity will remain in strong financial shape and be fully prepared to face the challenges of a post-COVID world.
It is of course our intention to avoid running a deficit at all costs, and all current projections for the upcoming year show we should end up in a healthier position.
## **RESERVES POLICY**
We aim to hold reserves almost equal to that of the Levy and The University Grant ensuring that we could continue to meet our financial commitments to the Sports and Societies and contractual obligations to our employees if we received no funding from The University and none was donated by our student associate members. This currently equates to £75,000 (that is the £15,000 we expect as a university grant and the £60,000 we raise from student levies)
## **STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT Governing document**
Throughout the period the organisation was controlled by its governing document - the St Cuthbert’s Society JCR Constitution - adopted on 1 January 2016. The St Cuthbert’s Society JCR Constitution required there to be a minimum of three external Trustees, and up to 6 external Trustees and up to 3 student Trustees.
The external Trustees are appointed by interview, the student Trustees are appointed by election by The JCR student associate membership. The term of Trustees is a maximum of 4 years for external Trustees and 1 year for student Trustees. External Trustees may serve a maximum of 2 terms. Student Trustees may serve a maximum of 2 terms.
## **Induction and training of new Trustees**
Student Trustees are elected with a vote of student associate members following a general meeting. External Trustees are voted upon in general meetings of the Trustee Board, holding their position for up to four years. Trustees are given in house training on their responsibilities as well as the governing structure of Cuth's JCR. Training is delivered by the Chair of Trustees, in collaboration with The President of the Society and Student Trustees. The day-to-day management of The Charity is undertaken by The JCR Executive Committee, chaired by The President of the Society.
## **Organisational structure**
The JCR elects student associate members to serve on The JCR Executive Committee, which acts as a Management Committee. The JCR Executive meets at least bi-termly and there are various additional committees, including those responsible for overseeing or managing matters related to finance, music facilities, governance, outreach and welfare etc. All major financial decisions must be ratified by a JCR General Meeting, open to all student associate members, with the majority of policy, planning, and strategic decisions being reported on or ratified in JCR Meetings. Prior to this, such matters will have been discussed by The JCR Executive who may seek guidance from The Trustees where appropriate. Minutes of all these meetings are publicly available on The JCR’s website. Operational decisions on a day-to-day basis are made by the appropriate people who have responsibility for their areas of activity.
## **Related parties**
The JCR is a member of the Durham Students Union and consequently the National Union of Students, both of which provide wider representation for student associate members, and also offer guidance and support.
The JCR is partnered with St. Cuthbert’s Society, one of Durham University’s colleges, both of which provide space and facilities to student associate members. We partner with The University on the organisation of certain activities and events, such as post-offer open days, and academic and social events. We accept funding from Durham university, based on the number of students within St Cuthbert’s Society. We have strong links with St Cuthbert’s Society Senior Common Room, The Fellows of St Cuthbert’s Society and St. Cuthbert’s Association.
## **Risk management**
The Trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which The Charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error. During 2021 each sports club and society
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under The JCR submitted a risk assessment to The Board in relation to their activities and safeguards in place to prevent harm, injury or infection. We work with Durham University as a health and safety business partner, complying with relevant University regulations to collaboratively safeguard our student student associate members and manage reputational risk
## **REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Registered Charity number**
1168134
## **Principal address**
Durham University St. Cuthbert Society 12 South Bailey Durham Co. Durham DH1 3EE
## **Trustees 2020-2021**
(* indicates student Trustees) Jeremy Dodd August 2018 – December 2020 Sean Barnett (Chair) May 2019 – Present (Chair May 2019 - July 2021) Thomas Fletcher-Manuel (Chair) March 2020 – present (elected Chair July 2021) Serge Chapman April 2020 - present Saskia Wooton-Cane (President) July 2020 – July 2021 Chiedza Mhondoro September 2020 – present Glenn Holmwood September 2020 – present Stephanie Root April 2021 - present Sarah Panek* July 2020 – July 2021 Kirstin McCann* July 2020 – July 2021 Jack Pearce* July 2020 – July 2021
## **Independent examiner**
Robert Ribchester, FCA MA Ribchesters, Chartered Accountants Finchale House Belmont Business Park Durham DH1 1TW
## **FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS**
The priorities for the year 2021-2022 remain largely informed by the situation regarding Covid-19. Though government restrictions are being steadily lifted, the interests of both students and The University will no doubt be affected for years to come. Incoming first year students have had a unique “locked-down” end to their secondary education and may lack experience of certain activities that are typical of university life before arriving at The Society; we therefore anticipate unique challenges in supporting their welfare. Many expect The University will need to continue imposing restrictions on student social and academic activities, so it will be essential for JCRs like us to work with Durham University to ensure any restrictions are in students’ interests. Reengaging returning students, especially those who had a locked-down first year, with JCR activities will require creative and ambitious publicity and planning from JCR officers and societies. Continuing efforts to improve The JCR’s financial support for students (e.g. through the Participation Fund) will be invaluable given the financial difficulties the pandemic has created for many, alongside the continued assessment of student needs in what is still a highly Covid-affected situation, to ensure JCR opportunities remain accessible.
Continuing our engagement with University-wide issues, most notably reform of the Durham Students’ Union’s democratic structures, efforts to tackle exclusionary elements of Durham’s culture, and the push for better JCR representation within higher university bodies, all remain high priorities. We hope to continue offering the anti-racism workshops whilst, in response to the input of our minority reps, improving our work to tackle issues faced by Durham’s minority communities; cementing and perhaps standardising anti-racist training both within The Society and other JCRs will be a focus, given the turnover of students involved with the project. In the wake of some genuine reconciliation following issues regarding the Students Union in previous years, the possibility for collaboration between the Durham Student’s Union and JCRs to address the issue of JCR representation within The University is now more possible than ever.
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As the year 2020-2021 draws to a close, we also bid farewell to Prof. Elizabeth Archibald, who has been the Principal of St. Cuthbert’s Society for nearly 10 years. The departure of someone who has been so pivotal to the running of the institution to which The Charity is attached will no doubt bring some major challenges, although it also offers us some interesting opportunities to re-examine and reset our relationship with college staff and Durham University.
We continue our focus in this coming year on the spaces our student associate members have to use within The Society. The pandemic has thrown into even sharper focus the vital requirement for high quality indoor facilities and communal areas. A brand-new building within the Brooks House halls of residence, due to be completed by Winter 2021, presents an opportunity to both enhance the student experience of those living at our Parson’s Field site and to improve JCR operations, in particular with the expansion of our gym facilities, which are currently housed in two less than satisfactory sites.
Likewise, we remain optimistic about the prospect of converting space at our South Bailey site for use by The JCR, and pursuing that possibility is a large priority for this coming year.
Increasing JCR engagement with alumni to fundraise for expansion of our facilities has been strongly encouraged by college staff and, indeed, is an ongoing priority for The JCR regardless; changes of leadership within the Alumni Association have presented fresh opportunities for collaboration to be pursued this year. We are already delighted to receive an annual donation from a St Cuthbert’s Society alumnus to fund the ongoing maintenance and development of our Music Room facility, and we are keen to identify other similar sources of alumni income to help support the student experience.
The increasing number of JCRs “going independent” - registering as CIOs - provides a great opportunity for collaboration and sharing best practice. St Cuthbert’s Society JCR has very much led the way as one of the first JCRs to incorporate as a charity, and we look forward to supporting other JCRs as they embark on this transition.
An obvious area for improvement by The Board would be reduction of Trustee turnover. While it is unavoidable that our student Trustee cohort turns over each academic year, it will be essential to our ability to plan effectively and develop a long-term strategy for The Charity that we reduce turnover within the External Trustees, which of late has become far too high. The pandemic has certainly taken its toll on several of our Trustees and others have perhaps underestimated the commitment required. In the coming year we will focus on recruiting External Trustees more effectively, clearly advertising what is required and setting expectations transparently during the recruitment process.
Moreover, we are highly focussed on further enhancing the diversity of the Board of Trustees, ensuring that we have representation of a broader range of demographics to mirror those which make up the body of student associate members of the JCR. It has not gone unnoticed that membership of The Board has often tended to be dominated by individuals who are both white and male. We are committed to addressing such inbalances over the coming year and to exploring new sources of talent for our external trustees, while simultaneously doing all we can to encourage as diverse a cohort of student associate members as possible to run for election to student trustee positions.
We are excited to begin the development of a longer-term strategy for The Charity, to determine our direction of travel for the coming 5-10 years. One core part of this exercise will be a re-evaluation of our finances and investment strategy, to ensure we are maximising the available returns on any reserves we have in an effective way which improves our earnings potential in comparison to our current savings account, while simultaneously carefully balancing the risk profile of any investment strategy we may decide to pursue.
We continue to review The JCR’s operational policies on an ongoing basis, and The Board is highly engaged with this endeavour.
It is also important to acknowledge the issues that are most important to students, particularly those who are underrepresented within The University. We must redouble our efforts to combat all forms of discrimination and inequality of opportunity within our student associate membership and the wider community, and continue striving to create a truly inclusive environment in The Society. We are extremely aware that issues of racism, xenophobia, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and other forms of discrimination are an ever-present threat to the wellbeing of many students. Outreach to those students who did not engage with The JCR in 2020-2021 in the way they might have done in a year not blighted by the pandemic will be essential to our efforts to properly represent the entire student body of St Cuthbert’s Society in the next year and beyond.
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**ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD** :
Thomas Gareth Fletcher-Manuel Chair of the Board of Trustees St. Cuthbert’s Society JCR 19 May 2022
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## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF ST CUTHBERT’S SOCIETY JUNIOR COMMON ROOM**
## **Independent examiners report to the Trustees of St Cuthbert’s Society Junior Common Room**
I report to the charity Trustees on my examination of the accounts of St Cuthbert’s Society Junior Common Room for the year ended 31 July 2021.
## **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 can confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a registered member of the ICAEW which is one of the listed bodies.
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 maters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Robert Ribchester, FCA MA Ribchesters, Chartered Accountants Finchale House Belmont Business Park Durham DH1 1TW
20 May 2022
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## **ST CUTHBERT’S SOCIETY JUNIOR COMMON ROOM**
## **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2021**
|||Unrestricted|Restricted|2021|2020|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||funds|funds|Total funds|Total funds|
||Note|£|£|£|£|
|**INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM:**||||||
|Donations and legacies 2||22,750|-|22,750|17,556|
|Other trading activities 3||87,600|-|87,600|227,134|
|Investment income 4||1,607|-|1,607|171|
|**Total incoming resources**||139,216|-|111,957|244,861|
|**EXPENDITURE ON:**||||||
|Raising funds||-|-|-|-|
|**Charitable activities**||||||
|Costs of charitable activities 5A||153,868|-|153,868|200,069|
|**Total resources expended**||181,127|-|153,868|200,069|
|**NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)**||||||
|||(41,911)|-|(41,911)|44,792|
|**RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS**||||||
|**Total funds brought forward**||248,527|-|248,527|203,735|
|**TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD**||206,616|-|206,616|248,527|
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## **ST CUTHBERT’S SOCIETY JUNIOR COMMON ROOM**
## **BALANCE SHEET AT 31 JULY 2021**
|||Unrestricted|Restricted|2021|2020|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||funds|funds|Total funds|Total funds|
||Note|£|£|£|£|
|**FIXED ASSETS**||||||
|Tangible assets|
8|17,854|-|17,854|23,411|
|**CURRENT ASSETS**||||||
|Debtors||40,155|-|40,155|-|
|Prepayments and accrued income||1,972|-|1,972|1,959|
|Cash at bank and in hand||160,344|-|160,344|225,407|
|||202,471||202,471|227,366|
|**CREDITORS**||||||
|Amounts falling due within one year|9|(13,709)|-|(13,709)|(2,250)|
|**NET CURRENT ASSETS**||188,762|-|188,762|225,116|
|**TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT**||||||
|**LIABILITIES**||206,616|-|206,616|248,527|
|**NET ASSETS**||206,616|-|206,616|248,527|
|**FUNDS**|10|||||
|Unrestricted funds||||206,616|248,527|
|Restricted funds||||-|-|
|**TOTAL FUNDS**||||206,616|248,527|
The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees on 19 May 2022 and were signed on its behalf by:
Thomas Gareth Fletcher-Manuel Chair of the Board of Trustees St. Cuthbert’s Society JCR
11
**ST CUTHBERT’S SOCIETY JUNIOR COMMON ROOM**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2021**
## **1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES**
## **Basis of preparing the financial statements**
The financial statements of the charity, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) '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) (effective 1 January 2019)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Charity Act 2011. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.
## **Income**
All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.
## **Expenditure**
Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost 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.
## **Tangible fixed assets**
Depreciation on fixtures, fittings and equipment is provided at 20% on cost in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life.
## **Taxation**
The charity is exempt from tax on its charitable activities.
## **Fund accounting**
Unrestricted funds could be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the Trustees.
Restricted funds could 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 purposes.
Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.
## **2. DONATIONS AND LEGACIES**
2021 2020 £ £ Donations 2,615 1,252 Grants 20,135 16,304 22,750 17,556 Included in grants is £20,135 received from Durham University (2020: £16,304).
|**3.**
**OTHER TRADING ACTIVITIES**
Social events income
Levies
Facilities income
Sports and societies subscriptions income|2021
£
46,388
40,419
793
-
87,600|2020
£
125,989
61,473
15,305
24,367|
|---|---|---|
|||227,134|
12
**ST CUTHBERT’S SOCIETY JUNIOR COMMON ROOM**
**NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - CONTINUED FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2021**
|**4**||
**INVESTMENT INCOME**|||2021|2020|2020|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||£|£||
|||Bank interest received|||1,607||171|
|**5A.**||**CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES COSTS**||||||
||||Direct costs|Support costs||Totals||
|||||(See|note 5B)|||
||||£||£||£|
|||Costs of charitable activities|152,098||1,770|153,868||
||**5B.**|**SUPPORT COSTS**||||||
||||||Governance|||
||||||costs|||
||||||£|||
|||Costs of charitable activities|||1,770|||
|||||£||£||
|||Other debtors|||-|-||
|||Prepayments||1,149||1,149||
|||Taxation||8,666||8,666||
|||||9,815||9,815||
||**6.**|**TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS**||||||
|||There were no Trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31 July||2021 nor for the year||||
|||ended 31 July 2020.||||||
|||**Trustees' expenses**||||||
||||||2021|2020||
|||Number of Trustees who were paid expenses|||-||-|
||**7.**|**STAFF COSTS**||||||
|||The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows:||||||
||||||2021|2020||
|||Admin|||1|1||
|||Retail|||-|-||
||||||1|1||
||1|11||||||
|||No employees received emoluments in excess of £60,000.||||||
13
**ST CUTHBERT’S SOCIETY JUNIOR COMMON ROOM**
**NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – CONTINUED FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2021**
|**8.**
**9.**
**CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR**
2021
£
Trade creditors
11,699
Other creditors2,010
13,709
**TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS**
Fixtures, fittings
and equipment
£
**COST**
At 1 August 2020 27,786
Additions -
At 31 July 2021 27,786
**DEPRECIATION**
At 1 August 2020 4,375
Charge for year5,557
At 31 July 20219,932
**NET BOOK VALUE**
At 31 July 202117,854
At 31 July 202023,411|2020
£
-
2,250
2,250|
|---|---|
14
## **ST CUTHBERT’S SOCIETY JUNIOR COMMON ROOM**
**NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - CONTINUED FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2021**
## **10. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS**
|||Net movement||
|---|---|---|---|
||At 1.8.20|in funds|At 31.7.21|
||£|£|£|
|**Unrestricted funds**||||
|General fund|248,527|(41,911)|206,616|
|**TOTAL FUNDS**|248,527|(41,911)|206,616|
|Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:||||
||Incoming|Resources|Movement in|
||resources|expended|funds|
||£|£|£|
|**Unrestricted funds**||||
|Part 1|139,216|(181,127)|(41,911)|
|Part 2|-|-|-|
|**TOTAL FUNDS**|139,216|(181,127)|(41,911)|
## **11. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES**
There were no related party transactions for the year ended 31 July 2021.
15
## **ST CUTHBERT’S SOCIETY JUNIOR COMMON ROOM**
## **DETAILED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2021**
|**INCOMING RESOURCES**
**Donations and grants**
Donations
University grants
**Other trading activities**
Social events income
Levies
Facilities income
Sports, clubs and societies income
**Investment income**
Bank interest received
**Total incoming resources**
**RESOURCES EXPENDED**
**Charitable activities**
Sports, clubs and societies expenditure
Social events expenditure
Welfare
Administration expenditure including wages
Facilities expenditure
Committees and awards
Donations
Merchandise costs
Depreciation
**Governance costs**
Accountancy & Independent examination
**Total resources expended**
**Net incoming/(outgoing) resources**|||
|---|---|---|
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
16