## **FINAL DRAFT** 


## **TRUSTEES’ REPORT & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE PERIOD 1[st] JANUARY 2020 TO 31[st] DECEMBER 2020** 

## **LEGAL & ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION** 

**CHARITY NUMBER** 1169953 

**LEGAL FORM** 

Charitable Incorporated Organisation formed under the Charities Act 2011 

## **TRUSTEES AT 31/12/20** 

Roy Blunt (Treasurer), Jane Clark, Greg Titley (Secretary), Nick Pollock and Philip Wallace (Chairman); 

## **GOVERNING INSTRUMENT** 

Constitution as incorporated on 31/10/16 

**OBJECTS** 

To advance education in the science of astronomy and related subjects for the public benefit by furthering the knowledge of its members, promoting and conducting observations, and by providing facilities for active participation in astronomical observation 

## **CONVERSION TO CIO** 

The members of the Cardiff Astronomical Society agreed at an Extraordinary General Meeting on 21 July 2016 that the Society should become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). The Cardiff Astronomical Society (CIO) was formed and registered as a charity on 31 October 2016 when it took over all the activities of the former Cardiff Astronomical Society. 

## **INSPECTOR OF ACCOUNTS** 

## Philip Smith 

**SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP** 

The Society had 214 paid-up members as at 31 December 2020, comprising 146 adult and junior memberships and 34 family memberships 

. 



## **FINAL DRAFT THE SOCIETY'S ACTIVITIES DURING THE PERIOD 1 JANUARY 2020 TO  31 DECEMBER 2020** 

**Trustees/Committee -** The Trustees met twice and the Committee on 3 occasions during 2020. The Trustees have delegated most of their duties and powers to the Committee which, thus, takes care of the main operational issues. 

**COVID-19 Issues –** As with virtually all other societies and charities, 2020 presented numerous challenges and difficulties arising from the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. This has severely curtailed our usual activities although we have been able to continue operations in a reduced form. Starting from July all talks were conducted via the Zoom platform and this has met with considerable success which will be elaborated on below. The Trustees would particularly like to thank our former Webmaster, Peter Crabb, for his efforts in contacting speakers and making the alternative arrangements needed and also Edward Cooper for taking the role of Zoom administrator. 

**Fortnightly Talks –** The initial series of talks proceeded as usual up until the beginning of the first national lockdown. There was a several month break until mid-July when talks resumed via Zoom, continuing in that fashion until the end of the year. By using the Zoom platform rather than physical meetings we were able to hold several additional meetings during what would normally be the summer break, including several talks from speakers who had been scheduled for April/May/June that had originally been cancelled. We are grateful to all our speakers who have adapted to the Zoom platform and continued supporting us. 

**Public Events –** As with the fortnightly talks, public events have been severely curtailed. The planned annual Star Attractions event at the National Museum of Wales had to be cancelled at short notice and we do not know when it will resume, but we do intend to be involved as usual. We have been able to be involved in one public event via Zoom with plans for more in early 2021. Our Chairman participated in an online event run by Shelter Cymru, a homelessness charity, in September that collectively raised more than £14,000 for the charity. Plans are also in place for the 2021 Cardiff Science Festival and the Science of Vision event, both of which will feature CAS involvement and are scheduled for February and March 2021. 

**Observatory** - For regular stargazing events and occasional solar viewing the Society continues to run its own excellent Observatory, situated in the grounds of the Dyffryn Gardens, just outside Cardiff. Amongst other astronomical equipment, the Observatory houses a state-of-the-art 11” HD computer-driven telescope for use at star parties and observing sessions. Stargazing evenings and Star Parties have been restricted by COVID-19 and have not been run since February 2020, but both the Trustees and the Committee intend to resume these activities once it is practicable to do so. 

**Library -** The Society continued to maintain a comprehensive Library of astronomical books. Unfortunately this will not be available for use until we can return to physical meetings at the University. 

- **UKMON (UK Meteor Observation Network)** CAS continued to provide observational data to UKMON from two Cardiff-based cameras. 

**Website** - The Society’s website is at http://www.cardiff-astronomical-society.co.uk/ 



## **FINAL DRAFT** 

## **STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS FOR THE PERIOD 1 JANUARY 2020 TO 31 DECEMBER 2020 (in £)** 

|**Available Funds at 1 January 2020**|**Available Funds at 31 December 2020**|
|---|---|
|Current Account Opening         1,473.12|Current Account Closing           1,315.92|
|Reserve Bank Opening             5,596.83|Reserve Bank Closing               7,599.00|
|Petty Cash Opening                     392.26|Petty Cash Closing                         34.45|
|PayPal                                          270.66|PayPal                                           219.02|
|||
|**TOTAL                                      7,732.87**|**TOTAL                                       9,168.39**|
|||
|**Income exceeds Expenditure by**|**1,435.52**|



## **Income and Expenditure** 

|**Category**|**Income**|**Expenditure**|**Surplus**|
|---|---|---|---|
|Subscriptions|2,847.50|111.37|2.736.13|
|Raffle|139.50|112.43|27.07|
|Merchandise|3.15|69.28|-66.13|
|Donations|16.00|46.70|-30.70|
|Amazon/EasyFundRaising|25.87||25.87|
|Gift Aid|797.12||797.12|
|Miscellaneous Income|0.00||0.00|
|Interest|2.17||2.17|
|Special Events|0.00|0.00|0.00|
|Insurance||1,254.38|-1,254.38|
|Observatory||57.00|-57.00|
|Equipment/Maintenance||55.20|-55.20|
|Speaker expenses||87.40|-87.40|
|Hospitality||43.90|-43.90|
|Website||287.76|-287.76|
|Newsletter etc.||0.00|0.00|
|Travel||0.00|0.00|
|Library||16.50|-16.50|
|Telephone||10.00|-10.00|
|Printing/copying||0.00|0.00|
|Stationery||0.00|0.00|
|Postage||24.45|-24.45|
|Other Expenditure||219.42|-219.42|
|||||
|**TOTAL**|**3,831.31**|**2,395.79**|**1435.52**|



**These accounts were approved by the Trustees of the Society on ..15/03/2021.. and signed** 

**Signed ..** _**PHILIP WALLACE**_ **.. (Philip Wallace)    Signed ..** _**ROY BLUNT**_ **..  (Roy Blunt)** 

## **Notes to the Accounts:** 

Reserves Policy - The Trustees have kept under consideration the level of reserves they wish to retain appropriate to the Society’s needs. This is based on the Society's size and the level of financial 



## **FINAL DRAFT** 

commitments held. The Trustees aim to ensure the Society will be able to continue to fulfil its charitable objectives even if there is a temporary shortfall in income or unexpected expenditure arises. The Trustees will endeavour not to set aside funds unnecessarily. 

Public Benefit - The Society acknowledges its requirement to demonstrate clearly that it must have charitable purposes or 'objects' that are for the public benefit.  However in 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic has meant that the Society could only carry out a few charitable activities. The full programme of such activities will resume as soon as it is safe and legal to do so. 

## **REPORT OF THE INSPECTOR OF THE ACCOUNTS** 

Report to the Trustees/members of the Cardiff Astronomical Society on the accounts from 1 January to 31 December 2020 and to provide a basis for the Society’s return for 2020 to be made to the Charity Commission **.** 

## **Respective responsibilities of the Trustees and the inspector** 

The Society’s Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts and have noted that an audit of the Society’s accounts is not required under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and an independent examination is not required under section 145 of the Act. However, the Trustees consider that an informal inspection of the accounts by an independent person should, for the sake of good order, be carried out. 

It is the inspector’s responsibility to examine the accounts, state whether particular matters have come to their attention, and then report on their findings. The purpose of the inspection was to establish the credibility of the finances of the Cardiff Astronomical Society for the period 1 January to 31 December 2020. 

## **Statement by the inspector of the accounts** 

|Period of examination:|01/01/2020 to 31/12/2020|
|---|---|
|Examination Date:|01/03/2021|
|Inspector:|Philip Smith|
|Treasurer (01/01/20 to 31/12/20)|Roy Blunt|



## **Observations/Suggested Improvements/Comments from the inspection** 

My inspection included consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and the seeking of explanations from the Treasurer concerning any such matters. A small number of relatively low value items of expenditure were not supported by invoices or other supporting documentation. 

## **Findings** 

No matter has come to my attention (other than those mentioned above) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the accounting records maintained by the Society were deficient. I have also raised queries that I had with the Treasurer and am satisfied with the responses I received. The results of the inspection were satisfactory and in my opinion the accounts are a true and credible reflection of the Society’s financial results and position at 31 December 2020. 

## **Signed: ..** _**PHILIP SMITH**_ **..(Inspector – Philip Smith)        Date ..10/03/2021..**