TRUSTEES’ REPORT & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE PERIOD 1[st] JANUARY 2021 TO 31[st] DECEMBER 2021
LEGAL & ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
CHARITY NUMBER 1169953
LEGAL FORM
Charitable Incorporated Organisation formed under the Charities Act 2011
TRUSTEES AT 31/12/21
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 SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP
Philip Smith
The Society had 233 paid-up members as at 31 December 2021, comprising 155 adult and junior memberships and 39 family memberships
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THE SOCIETY'S ACTIVITIES DURING THE PERIOD 1 JANUARY 2021 TO 31 DECEMBER 2021
Trustees/Committee - The Trustees met twice and the Committee on 4 occasions during 2021. 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 – The on-going pandemic once again caused numerous issues, however the methods developed during 2020 continued to be successful in allowing the Society to operate our regular talks program. We do not yet have a firm date for when we may resume in-person lectures at Cardiff University but the Trustees are in communication with University staff on this issue. The present best estimate is that in-person talks should resume in September 2022.
Fortnightly Talks – The talks program for this period comprised 22 talks plus the 2021 AGM. All talks proceeded via Zoom and we are grateful to our speakers for their cooperation with this format. A beneficial feature of doing talks via Zoom is that we can have speakers from more distant locations as travel time Is not a consideration. An illustrative example of this is the talk held on 16[th] September 2021, which was delivered by Mr Steven Flanders of CalTech. The Trustees wish to thank our Zoom Administrator, Edward Cooper, for his excellent work in this role.
Public Events – Public Events remain severely curtailed due to the pandemic but the Society has contributed to several online events. The 2021 Cardiff Science Festival and the Science of Vision events were held in February and March with input and involvement from CAS. The Society also joined forces with the Bath and Bristol Astronomical Societies for a joint Zoom webinar in November on Extreme Stellar Environments, which was hosted by CAS Trustee Jane Clark. This event was successful and the principal organisers hope to repeat it in future. Plans are also underway for the 2022 NMW annual stargazing event, which will feature two CAs Trustees as speakers (Jane Clark and Philip Wallace)
Observatory – The Observatory has not been actively used for public events this year due to the pandemic but it has been visited by Committee members and Trustees on a regular basis. CAS Trustee Jane Clark has assumed the role of Observatory Manager and is developing plans for more active use, including training courses and solar system/deep sky astrophotography courses.
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. UKMON Co-Ordinator Edward Cooper has planned a substantial upgrade of the hardware and this is hoped to be in place and operational by early 2022.
Website - The Society’s website is at http://www.cardiff-astronomical-society.co.uk/
STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS FOR THE PERIOD 1 JANUARY 2021 TO 31 DECEMBER 2021 (in £)
| Available Funds at 1 January 2021 | Available Funds at 31 December 2021 |
|---|---|
| Current Account Opening 1,315.92 |
Current Account Closing 1,202.74 |
| Reserve Bank Opening 7,599.00 |
Reserve Bank Closing 9,099.80 |
| Petty Cash Opening 34.45 |
Petty Cash Closing 34.45 |
| PayPal 219.02 |
PayPal 172.31 |
| TOTAL 9,168.39 |
TOTAL 10,509.30 |
| Income exceeds Expenditure by | 1,340.91 |
Income and Expenditure
| Category | Income | Expenditure | Surplus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subscriptions | 2.772.50 | 116.70 | 2655.80 |
| Raffle | |||
| Merchandise | |||
| Donations | |||
| Amazon/EasyFundRaising | 63.10 | 63.10 | |
| GiftAid | 321.77 | 321.77 | |
| MiscellaneousIncome | |||
| Interest | 0.80 | 0.80 | |
| Special Events | |||
| Travel | |||
| Insurance | 1,143.86 | -1,143.86 | |
| Observatory | 8.35 | -8.35 | |
| Equipment/Maintenance | |||
| Speaker expenses | 164.20 | -164.20 | |
| Hospitality | |||
| Website | 304.32 | -304.32 | |
| Newsletteretc | |||
| Library | |||
| Telephone | 10.00 | -10.00 | |
| Printing/copying | |||
| Stationery | |||
| Postage | 15.84 | -15.84 | |
| Other Expenditure | 53.99 | -53.99 | |
| TOTAL | 3,158.17 | 1,817.26 | 1340.91 |
These accounts were approved by the Trustees of the Society on .. 6[th] April 2022. 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. In normal times this is based on the Society's size and the level of financial commitments held. However, as a result of the Covid pandemic the level of reserves has risen whilst our financial commitments have fallen. Once normal operations recommence we expect to increase our expenditure and restore the normal balance between reserves and financial commitments. 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. Details of how the charity has achieved these are provided in the Trustees’ report. The ongoing pandemic has severely curtailed our operations in this area but we aim to resume such activities as soon as we are able to.
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 2021 and to provide a basis for the Society’s return for 2021 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 2021.
Statement by the inspector of the accounts
| Period ofexamination: | 01/01/2021to 31/12/2021 |
|---|---|
| Examination Date: | 14/03/2022 |
| Inspector: | Philip Smith |
| Treasurer (01/01/21 to 31/12/21) |
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. All items of expenditure were 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 2021.
Signed: . . PHILIP SMITH ..( Inspector – Philip Smith) Date .. 16[th] March 2022 ..