LGBT+ Network for Change Trustees Annual Report 2024 – 2025 & Financial Statement
Charity Commission Registered charity number: 1171911
The document comprises two components, the Annual Report and the Financial Statement:
• Trustees Report (pages 1 – 8) which includes an Appendix ‘Notes from our Constitution on Structure, Governance & Management,’ and the main section on Charitable Activities in the 31st January 2024 to 30th January 2025 period
• Financial Statement (pages 9 – 12)
Trustees Annual Report
Information concerning trustees, staff, charity address, and bank account:
Trustees for the 31[st] January 2024 to 30[th ] January 2025 period :
Erin Greenslade Alan Mercel-Sanca (Chair) Connor Dybowski Daniel Clarke
Paid Staff : none by end of the period as former charity Lead Officer Alan Mercel-Sanca transferred his contribution to the charity in a shrinking of activity stage, to become a trustee and Chairperson of the Board to
Charity Address:
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Gipsy Cottage Bridge Canterbury Kent CT4 5HJ
Charity Bank Account:
HSBC (Canterbury branch) Account Name: LGB&T Dorset Equality Network Sort Code: 40 – 46 – 11 Account Number: 71654284
1. Name: The name of the Charitable Incorporated Organisation (“the CIO”) is LGBT+ Network for Change (formerly, the ‘LGB&T Dorset Equality Network’: a pan-Dorset area section continues under the revised, Charity Commission approved, Charity constitutional Objects, where the area is specifically referred to and many of its operational activities continue).
2 Office: The office of the CIO is in England, Bridge near Canterbury, Kent.
3. Objects: The Charitable Objects of the LGBT+ Network for Change CIO are:
(1) The promotion of equality and diversity for the public benefit in the UK (including rural areas such as but not restricted to Dorset and adjacent areas, conurbations, such as but not limited to Bournemouth-Christchurch-Poole, and metropolitan areas), and in the broader British Isles (UK and Ireland), by the elimination of discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity by;
(a) advancing education and raising awareness in the issues (such as prejudice, poor mental health due to prejudice, hate, discrimination, superficial acceptance, rejection) faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans & non-binary people (‘LGBT+’ and ‘LGBTQ’);
(b) promoting activities and services, orientated towards practical and policy solutions to the issues faced by LGBT+ & LGBTQ people, and in conjunction with the latter to foster understanding between LGBT+ & LGBTQ people and those from other backgrounds;
(c) conducting or commissioning research on LGBT+ & LGBTQ issues, particularly for more marginalised or disempowered sections of the LGBT+ & LGBTQ community, publishing the results to the public, and creation and provision of related information resources to assist in addressing LGBT+ & LGBTQ issues;
(d) cultivating a sentiment in favour of LGBT+ & LGBTQ inclusion, and equality and diversity.
Source: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charitydetails/5089151/governing-document
4. Network services beneficiaries:
Network principal beneficiaries include in particular members of sexual & gender minorities (LGBT+) and those who are coming Out or to self-realisation that they belong to a sexual orientation or gender minority (LGBTQ+). Network secondary beneficiaries include, but are not limited to the following:
• Those identifying, as individuals and/or organisations/agencies [statutory sector, business/private sector, and voluntary the community & voluntary sectors] as LGBTQ+ ‘Allies’
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• All public, private, voluntary & community sectors organisations/agencies/entities that are seeking to of their own volition, or required to demonstrate compliance with Equality Act 2010 legal obligations compliance on counteracting and eradication direct and indirect discrimination and prejudice against sexual & gender minorities
5. Structure, governance & management:
Particulars are detailed below.
Notes from our Constitution on Structure, Governance & Management:
4. Powers
The CIO has power to do anything which is calculated to further its objects or is conducive or incidental to doing so. In particular, the CIO has power to:
(1) borrow money and to charge the whole or any part of its property as security for the repayment of the money borrowed. The CIO must comply as appropriate with sections 124 and 125 of the Charities Act 2011, if it wishes to mortgage land,
(2) buy, take on lease or in exchange, hire or otherwise acquire any property and to maintain and equip it for use;
(3) sell, lease or otherwise dispose of all or any part of the property belonging to the CIO. In exercising this power, the CIO must comply as appropriate with sections 117 and 119-123 of the Charities Act 2011;
(4) employ and remunerate such staff as are necessary for carrying out the work of the CIO. The CIO may employ or remunerate a charity trustee only to the extent that it is permitted to do so by clause 6 (Benefits and payments to charity trustees and connected persons) and provided it complies with the conditions of that clause;
(5) deposit or invest funds, employ a professional fund-manager, and arrange for the investments or other property of the CIO to be held in the name of a nominee, in the same manner and subject to the same conditions as the trustees of a trust are permitted to do so by the Trustee Act 2000.
5. Application of income and property
(1) The income and property of the CIO must be applied solely towards the promotion of the objects. (a) A charity trustee is entitled to be in reimbursed from the property of the CIO or may pay out of such property reasonable expenses properly incurred by him or her when acting on behalf of the CIO. (b) A charity trustee may benefit from trustee indemnity insurance cover purchased at the CIO’s expense in accordance with, and subject to the conditions in, section 189 of the Charities Act 2011.
(2) None of the income or property of the CIO may be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend, bonus or otherwise by way of profit to any member of the CIO.
(3) Nothing in this clause shall prevent a charity trustee or connected person receiving any benefit or payment which is authorised by Clause 6.
- Benefits and payments to charity trustees and connected persons
(1) General provisions
No charity trustee or connected person may:
(e) buy or receive any goods or services from the CIO on terms preferential to those applicable to members of the public;
(f) sell goods, services, or any interest in land to the CIO;
(g) be employed by, or receive any remuneration from, the CIO;
- (h) receive any other financial benefit from the CIO;
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unless the payment or benefit is permitted by sub-clause (2) of this clause or authorised by the court or prior written consent of the Charity Commission (“the Commission”). In this clause, a “financial benefit” means a benefit, direct or indirect, which is either money or has a monetary value.
(2) Scope and powers permitting trustees’ or connected persons’ benefits
(a) A charity trustee or connected person may receive a benefit from the CIO as a beneficiary provided that it is available generally to the beneficiaries of the CIO
(b) A charity trustee or connected person may enter into a contract for the supply of services, or of goods that are supplied in connection with the provision of services, to the CIO where that is permitted in accordance with, and subject to the conditions in, sections 185 to 188 of the Charities Act 2011.
(c) Subject to sub-clause (3) of this clause a charity trustee or connected person may provide the CIO with goods that are not supplied in connection with services provided to the CIO by the charity trustee or connected person.
(d) A charity trustee or connected person may receive interest on money lent to the CIO at a reasonable and proper rate which must be not more than the Bank of England bank rate (also known as the base rate).
(e) A charity trustee or connected person may receive rent for premises let by the trustee or connected person to the CIO. The amount of the rent and other terms of the lease must be reasonable and proper. The charity trustee concerned must withdraw from any meeting at which such a proposal or the rent or other terms of the lease are under discussion.
(f) A charity trustee or connected person may take part in the normal trading and fundraising activities of the CIO on the same terms as members of the public.
(3) Payment for supply of goods only – control:
The CIO and its charity trustees may only rely upon the authority provided by sub-clause (2)(c) of this clause if each of the following conditions is satisfied:
(a) The amount or maximum amount of the payment for the goods is set out in a written agreement between the CIO and the charity trustee or connected person supplying the goods (“the supplier”). (b) The amount or maximum amount of the payment for the goods does not exceed what is reasonable in the circumstances for the supply of the goods in question.
(c) The other charity trustees are satisfied that it is in the best interests of the CIO to contract with the supplier rather than with someone who is not a charity trustee or connected person. In reaching that decision the charity trustees must balance the advantage of contracting with a charity trustee or connected person against the disadvantages of doing so.
(d) The supplier is absent from the part of any meeting at which there is discussion of the proposal to enter into a contract or arrangement with him or her or it with regard to the supply of goods to the CIO.
(e) The supplier does not vote on any such matter and is not to be counted when calculating whether a quorum of charity trustees is present at the meeting.
(f) The reason for their decision is recorded by the charity trustees in the minute book.
(g) A majority of the charity trustees then in office are not in receipt of remuneration or payments authorised by clause 6.
(4) In sub-clauses (2) and (3) of this clause:
(a) “the CIO” includes any company in which the CIO: i. holds more than 50% of the shares; or ii. controls more than 50% of the voting rights attached to the shares; or
iii. has the right to appoint one or more directors to the board of the company;
(b) “connected person” includes any person within the definition set out in clause 30 (Interpretation);
Conflicts of interest and conflicts of loyalty:
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A charity trustee must:
(1) declare the nature and extent of any interest, direct or indirect, which he or she has in a proposed transaction or arrangement with the CIO or in any transaction or arrangement entered into by the CIO which has not previously been declared; and
(2) absent himself or herself from any discussions of the charity trustees in which it is possible that a conflict of interest will arise between his or her duty to act solely in the interests of the CIO and any personal interest (including but not limited to any financial interest).
Any charity trustee absenting himself or herself from any discussions in accordance with this clause must not vote or be counted as part of the quorum in any decision of the charity trustees on the matter.
- Liability of members to contribute to the assets of the CIO if it is wound up:
If the CIO is wound up, the members of the CIO have no liability to contribute to its assets and no personal responsibility for settling its debts and liabilities.
9. Charity trustees:
(1) Functions and duties of charity trustees
The charity trustees shall manage the affairs of the CIO and may for that purpose exercise all the powers of the CIO. It is the duty of each charity trustee:
(a) to exercise his or her powers and to perform his or her functions in his or her capacity as a trustee of the CIO in the way he or she decides in good faith would be most likely to further the purposes of the CIO; and
(b) to exercise, in the performance of those functions, such care and skill as is reasonable in the circumstances having regard in particular to: i. any special knowledge or experience that he or she has or holds himself or herself out as having; and,
ii. if he or she acts as a charity trustee of the CIO in the course of a business or profession, to any special knowledge or experience that it is reasonable to expect of a person acting in the course of that kind of business or profession.
(2) Eligibility for trusteeship
(a) Every charity trustee must be a natural person.
(b) No individual may be appointed as a charity trustee of the CIO: • If he or she is under the age of 18 years; or
• If he or she would automatically cease to hold office under the provisions of clause 12(1)(e).
(c) No one is entitled to act as a charity trustee whether on appointment or on any re-appointment until he or she has expressly acknowledged, in whatever way the charity trustees decide, his or her acceptance of the office of charity trustee.
(3) Number of charity trustees
(a) There must be at least three charity trustees. If the number falls below this minimum, the remaining trustee or trustees may act only to call a meeting of the charity trustees, or appoint a new charity trustee
(b) There is no maximum number of charity trustees that may be appointed to the CIO. 12 Report of the Trustees - Financial Statement
The Board:
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The Board/Trustees of the Charity meets four times a year. The Convenor/Lead Officer is responsible for ensuring that the charity delivers its specified services (linked to/derived from the Charity’s ‘Objects’) to the satisfaction of the Board.
During the31[st] January 2024 to 30[th ] January 2025 period, a volunteer, Connor Dybowski progressed to trustee status/membership of the board and in an honorary capacity on the basis of skills he presented and had demonstrated, undertook deputy CEO and treasurer support roles. Later, Connor Dybowski’s partner – Daniel Clarke, a respected drag artiste with a developing national level profile and following – was invited to join the Board, to contribute profiling of the Network and its initiatives and work. In this period, the charity’s Convenor/Lead Officer, Alan Mercel-Sanca, stepped back from this role, as the charity continued to just concentrate on maintaining and supporting two longstanding initiatives (prisons and homeless community related) and two international (Ireland, and Africa) areas of supportive to LGBTQI+ communities activity {counteraction of conversion practices).
Volunteers:
Over the 31[st] January 2024 to 30[th ] January 2025 period we had one volunteer, who subsequently transitioned to become a trustee (Daniel Clarke).
Financial Year:
The Charity received nor applied for any grants in the 31[st] January 2024 to 30[th ] January 2025 period.
Reserves Policy:
The Network postponed developing its reserves policy during/across the period (as in the preceding 12 months) once organisation structure development work relating to the name change and Objects adjustments and related changes have been completed. In the 2024 – 2025 period we maintained a positive bank balance, and with because of the planned for eventual closing of the charity or its standing active work/initiatives activities being transferred to an appropriate registered charity, the Chairperson continuing to provide their time and experience and expertise voluntarily [no grants or donations being sought] on an unremunerated basis where standing/continuing LGBT+ Network for Change initiatives and activities were concerned.
Charitable Activities in the 31st January 2024 to 30th January 2025 period included, but were not limited to:
Prison Service initiative:
Our work with HMP & YOI Portland through the steering group initiative continued, with the initiative itself in this period firming up into a durable and replicable mechanism and model to maintain and organically develop all it had achieved. So successful was it that at the prison aspects of it formed the basis for creating an across the Protected Characteristics a multiple stakeholders group on a similar model.
Bournemouth-Christchurch-Poole LGBTQ+ Homeless & sofa surfing initiative:
In the period the Network continued to provide essential guidance and input to the towards the end of the latter the Network succeeded in the Bournemouth-Christchurch-Poole Council’s Homeless
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multiple stakeholders Group (referred to in our 2023 – 2024 Annual Report) that was in origin and key dynamics and purpose the result of the Network’s initiative, whose purpose was realised in this.
International:
Ireland:
In this period, there was a change of government in the UK. As a result of the Network lead Alan Mercel-Sanca support of the preceding year regarding ensuring that both governments/jurisdictions (Ireland and the UK) would ensure (through the relevant parliamentary joint committees oversight) that the issue of potential evasion of conversion practices banning legislation through use of the border, this was confirmed to be acted on/ensured, in a communication we received from the Office of the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. So, this major pan-British Isles campaign was seen to have completed its core purpose. The Network continued to be an active member of the Ban Conversion Therapies (BCT) Coalition, inputting on All Ireland and some other international areas.
Partnerships:
In the 2024 – 2025 period, as in the previous one we continued our participation in and contribution, as mentioned above, to the Ban Conversion Therapy (BCT) Coalition.
Advocacy cases & Policy Advocacy:
During the 2024 – 2025 period the charity Lead Officer took up and successfully concluded a Trans community member of the Bristol area case initially taken up by former charity volunteer and subsequently a trustee, Connor Dybowski. The case concerned the community member in question being homeless and encountering poor, reported to our charity, support from their NHS service providers and from homeless support services in the area.
The charity Lead Officer also across several months provided advocacy support of vital and effective kind to an asylum applicant from the Caribbean. They were in an extreme situation of threatened deportation to their land of origin where they would have faced strong likelihood of suicide through certain ‘conversion practices’ being inflicted on them by family and religious anti-LGBTQI+ values influenced/directed community due to their sexual orientation. They were twice placed on the of infamous name ‘Bibi Stockholm’ Home Office overseen, barge: the charity was engaged to, successfully, protect them from dangers faced.
Grants:
The charity applied for no grants in this period
Other: fundraising – donations:
No donations were sought or received in this period
Total of grant and donations for the period: £0
Our Plans for the January 2025 – January 2026 period:
- Our plans for the period include but aren’t limited to:
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Complete our contributions to the two core initiatives (prisons and homelessness) we have been responsible for enabling and subsequently contributing across the past 3 years to see successfully developed
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Maintain our input to the BCT Coalition
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Prepare for the probable closure within the 2025-2026 period of the charity, as having through its work record effectively fulfilled its Objects-based purposes. The main factor determining this direction being that the former lead officer/convenor and now chairperson is based in another country (Ireland), and as such with his work being central to the charity’s outputs delivery from its start a decade ago, and it having continued to prove very difficult for this to be taken up by another, we shall though explore if it can be taken in a new tenable and credible direction, without its essentials being lost in terms of the outputs referred to
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We shall also consider closure but transference of core initiatives connection and continuity, by exploring an existing appropriate charity to include these, so these achievements aren’t lost
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Statement of Responsibility of the Trustees:
Network Trustees are responsible for preparing the Financial Statement and report of the Trustees in accordance with relevant law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards.
Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to: 8
- Select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently
• Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent
• Prepare the financial statements on the ‘going concern’ basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation
• State whether applicable UK Accounting Standards and statements of recommended practice are followed, subject to any particular material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements
The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. Trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. The Trustees have endeavoured to practice and implement these requirements and expectations.
Signed on behalf of the Board of Trustees:
Alan Mercel-Sanca (Chairperson, and Trustee)
21[st] November 2025
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STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES 2024 - 2025
INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30th January 2025, COMMENCED FROM 31st January 2024, for the LGBT+ NETWORK for CHANGE,(Charity Commission Registration Number: 1151652)
Taxation:
As a charity, the LGBT+ Network for Change is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or s256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects. No tax charges have arisen in the Charity.
Income:
£0
Total income: £0
Bank account servicing charge (taken monthly and being £5) for the period: £55
Expenditure:
Two charity supportive costs, relating to purchase of a refurbished laptop by new charity Trustee (Connor Dybowski) exclusively for their honorary work, which focuses on exploring the charity’s development in relevant and credible and feasible directions commensurate with the charity’s core and constitutional Objects, and undertaking some existing initiatives support: £207 Monthly bank account servicing charges for the period: £55
Total for costs on time spent on charitable activities delivery comprised of Convenor/Lead Officer remunerated work and website hosting: £0
Governance costs : No dedicated governance costs, as covered under admin activity/officer time re communications & liaison calls and emails with the Board
Excess of income over expenditure:
£1,016 (figure rounded/corrected from preceding as closer to £1,016) carried over from the 31st January 2023 – 30th January 2024 period.
In the 31/01/2024 to 30/01/2025 period we sought no grants or donations (income) due to progressing winding the charity down emphasis.
In the period we spent £1,012
Balance (bank account) at 31[st] January 2024: £1,016 Balance (bank account) at 30th January 2025: £4
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Fixed assets: -- NONE (organisation banners which are depreciable in value, as is our gazebo for info stall provision at events) we estimate that in total these items would realistically have a depreciated value from the preceding year of in the region of (half of value of that for the items in the preceding year, which total: £0
Current assets – due to age and use: £0
Debtors: NONE
Cash at bank (exclusively at bank, and NONE ‘in hand’) at 31[st] January 2025: £0
Creditors (amounts falling due within one year): NONE
Net current assets -- pull up panels value: £0
Total assets less liabilities: £0 – at 30th January 2025 (see above ‘Net current assets’ for total) we had no liabilities
Funds/bank balance (on 30[th ] January 2025): £4
NOTES to income & expenditure:
Income (31/01/2024– 30/01/2025): £0
Balance in Bank on 31[st] January 2025: £4
Income items: £0
Total at 31[st] January 2025: £4 Calculated from: £1,016 LESS £957 [750 + 150 + 57] – EQUALS £59 (LESS £55 for Seven months monthly service charges at £4 = £4)
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£0
Total at 31[st] January 2025: £4 Calculated from: £1,016 LESS £957 [750 + 150 + 57] – EQUALS £59 (LESS £55 for Seven months monthly service charges at £4 = £4)
Expenditure (31/01/2024 – 30/01/2025): not including bank charges: £957
Expenditure including travel costs by Network Lead Officer/Convenor + website work and hosting + volunteers travel costs: £0
NOTES:
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a) in the period the charity Lead Officer/Convenor stepped down in those capacities, but continued to support continuation of the existing work of the charity on an unremunerated basis as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees.
This was in order to assist the charity in its important work, but doing so as transition of the charity had been envisaged, including a possible to probable closure or adoption into an appropriate existing charity due to the situation of the Lead Officer/Convenor, subsequently Chairperson having continued residency in Ireland, and as such while responsible directly for the substantial successful projects work of now some years standing the charity, not being in a position to provide [as a non-resident] key support work. And at the same time needing to see if one of the two most recent trustees could in practice capably undertake deputy CEO and treasurer roles, and especially honour promised capability for engaging with and sustaining the existing work, and to competently evidence successful PR for the charity from its reputation/work.
b) very generously the charity website host for the period provided their technical support and hosting at no charge
c) there were no proof of travel costs for clear demonstrable charity supportive work in this period from any of the trustees
Note regarding Lead Officer/Network services and project delivery lead activities : Please see ‘a)’ above
Expenditure items for the period:
£150 provided for Connor Dybowski on his request for a refurbished laptop for his use in regard to his work for the charity in the capacities/roles detailed above
£56.99 remaining balance for the CEX shop (Bristol area) sourced refurbished laptop reported as outstanding paid for by him from his own funds
£750 payment to the charity Lead Officer/Convenor [04/03/2024] for completion of HMP & YOI Portland and Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole LGBTQI+ homelessness project work
Total: £957
Total at 31[st] January 2025: £4 Calculated from: £1,016 LESS £957 [750 + 150 + 57] – EQUALS £59 (LESS £55 for Seven months monthly service charges at £4 = £4)
Total combined expenditure (items above + seven months £5 charity bank account monthly service charges [£55]) for the period: £1,012
APPENDIX – itemised details of Expenditure:
Lead Officer total remuneration received (includes travel expenses, which are detailed in the cheques schedule below): £750
This total expenditure figure excludes bank charges for the period -- £60: £8,799. With this amount included the total Outgoings (combined expenditure + bank interest charges) is: £8,859
Lead Officer cheque payments for the period for projects delivery work and other charity services and activity work:
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04/03/2024 cheque [cheque number: 100232] of £750 – projects delivery activities Total: £750
Other:
Cheque number 100233 (NOTE: date omitted in error) for £150 – Connor Dybowski refurbished laptop from CEX store (Bristol)
07/06/2024 £57 – Connor Dybowski outstanding balance payment for refurbished laptop
Combined Total: £957 – excludes Bank account charges for the period of £55
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