## **ASHFORD BME ASSOCIATION**
**Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements**
## **For**
**Year Ended 31 March 2024**
**Charity No: 1172705**
Rana & Co Accountants Ltd
97 Walbrook Road DERBY DE23 8SF
**Ashford BME Association**
## **Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statement Year ended 31 March 2024**
|**Contents**|**Page**|
|---|---|
|Reference and Administrative Information|1|
|Trustees Annual Report|2 – 3|
|Independent Examiner's Report|4|
|Statement of Financial Activities|5|
|Balance Sheet|6|
|Notes to the Accounts|7|
## **Reference and Administrative Information**
|**Charity Name:**|Ashford BME Association|
|---|---|
|**Charity Registration Number:**|1172705|
|**Registered Office:**|Suite 2035|
||Letraset Building|
||Wotton Road|
||Ashford|
||Kent|
||TN23 6LN|
|**The Board of Trustees:**|Guy Alain Kamssu (Chair)|
||Gabriet Makanda|
||Wasiu Olukoya|
||Loreen Chikara|
|**Independent Examiner:**|Rana & Co Accountants Ltd|
||97 Walbrook Road|
||DERBY|
||DE23 8SF|
|**Bankers:**|Barclays|
||9 St George's St|
||CANTERBURY|
||CT1 2JX|
Page 1
**Trustees’ Annual Report Year ended 31 March 2024**
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
Ashford BME Association is based in Ashford. The registered and the principal address of the Charity is Suite 2035, Letraset Building, Wotton Road, Ashford, Kent, TN23 6LN. Ashford BME Association has achieved full registration on 24 April 2017 and its Registered Charity Number is 1172705.
## **Organisational Structure**
Ashford BME Association Board of Trustees met three times during the year. Our board of Trustees are responsible for making decisions on all matters that generally concerns the overall strategic direction and policy of the Charity. The day-to-day responsibility for the provision of service and activities of the Charity are delegated to the Chief Executive Officer, who then report back to the Trustees.
## **Risk Management Policy**
The Trustees have a duty to identify and review risks to which Ashford BME Association is exposed to and ensure that appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against liability, fraud or anything else that could hinder Ashford BME Association services.
The Trustees have numerous control measures to minimise risks in relation to; banking, donations, income, expenditure and approving expenses.
All members that work with vulnerable and young people are DBS checked and are updated regularly trained and kept up to date with current legislation. Staff and volunteers are regularly trained in Safeguarding to ensure they are kept up to date and are competent in this area.
During Board Meetings, Trustees examine and review major risks facing Ashford BME Association. The risk management policy is reviewed on an annual basis. Ashford BME Association has developed systems to monitor and control these risks to mitigate any impact that they may have on the Charity in the future.
## **Objectives**
To preserve and protect health and wellbeing with a particular focus on, but not limited to, people from the Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, principally in, but not limited to, Ashford, Kent and the surrounding area through: responding to the broad public health needs of the BAME population, health education and training of all communities thereby empowering and enabling them to advance in life and improve their quality of life having positive health outcomes. The Charity provides advice, workshops, advocacy, counselling services on health matters, and by signposting individuals to access other support providers of health and welfare matters.
## **Activities**
Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF)
The Ashford BME Association Charity successfully delivered the HAF Programme during the school holidays. This initiative spanned one week in Easter, four weeks in Summer, and one week before Christmas, providing vital services to children and young people within Ashford.
Who is the programme for?
The HAF programme is designed for school-aged children from reception to year 11 who are recipients of benefits-related free school meals and have a verified claim through their schools.
Page 2
## **Trustees’ Annual Report Year ended 31 March 2024**
## Programme Objectives
The HAF programme aims to provide children attending with opportunities to:
- Eat healthily during school holidays.
- Stay active through a range of holiday activities.
- Engage in enriching and educational experiences to develop resilience, character, and overall wellbeing while supporting wider educational attainment.
- Remain safe and socially connected, reducing the risk of social isolation.
- Gain greater knowledge of health and nutrition.
For participating families, the programme also aims to:
- Enhance understanding of nutrition and food budgeting.
- Provide signposting to additional support and resources, such as health, employment, and educational services.
## Empower Gala 2023
In October 2023, the Ashford BME Association hosted the Empower Gala, an annual celebration marking Black History Month in Ashford. This event served as a platform to unite Kent communities and businesses, fostering a sense of appreciation for cultural diversity and celebrating the contributions of Black communities.
The Empower Gala featured:
- Music and dance performances that energized and delighted attendees.
- A showcase of cuisine celebrating the rich culinary heritage of Black cultures.
- Enriching performances highlighting the achievements and cultural contributions of Black people.
This celebration not only promoted cultural appreciation but also strengthened community connections, encouraging pride in the vibrant diversity of Kent County.
## **Achievement and Performance**
The Charity has successfully achieved its charity status and also its aims and objectives outlined in the charity constitution.
The Trustees consider the state of affairs to be satisfactory.
Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf.
## **Guy Kamssu**
## **Trustee (Chair)**
…………………………………………….
## **Date: 20/01/2025**
Page 3
## **Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of ASHFORD BME ASSOCIATION**
I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2024 which are set out on pages 5 to 7.
## **Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner**
The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charity Act 2011 (the Charity Act). It is my responsibility to:
- exmine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act;
- follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charity Act), and
- to state whether particular matters have come to my attention
## **Basis of independent examiner’s statement**
My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by the Charty Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the organisation and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeks explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a "true and fair view" and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
## **Independent examiner’s statement**
In the course of my examination, no material matters has come to my attention:
- 1 which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect, the requirements to keep accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act or
- to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirement of the Charities Act have not been met, or
- 2 to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached
Rana & Co Accountants Ltd 97 Walbrook Road DERBY DE23 8SF
Date: 20/01/2025
Page 4
## **ASHFORD BME ASSOCIATION Statement of Financial Activities Year ended 31 March 2024**
|**ASHFORD BME ASSOCIATION**
**Statement of Financial Activities**
**Year ended 31 March 2024**||||
|---|---|---|---|
|**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Income**
**Note**
**£**
Grants
2
0
Donations & Gift Aid
15402
Sundry Income
3627
**19029**
**Expenditure**
Admin costs
1547
Volunteer expenses
2500
Refreshments
3241
Stationery and postage
0
Training resources
0
Publicity & promotion
0
Insurance
96
Design & materials costs / Uniforms
628
Venue hire / Storage
1965
Professional costs
0
Facilitators/Project costs - Edseco
117
DBS/Legal costs
620
Resources
2206
Celebration costs
0
Travel and subsistence
641
Coaching fee
0
Miscellaneous costs
470
Equipment & Materials
0
IT Software & Consumables
0
Accountancy fee
500
**14531**
**Surplus/(Defecit) for year**
**4498**
**Transfers**
**0**
**Opening Balances**
**-4173**
**Closing Balances**
**325**|**Restricted**
**Funds**
**£**
108822
0
0
**108822**
1575
5000
175
0
0
0
0
0
3269
21730
64023
0
0
0
1500
0
0
0
0
0
**97272**
**11550**
**0**
**7936**
**19486**|**Total**
**2024**
**£**
108822
15402
3627
**127851**
3122
7500
3416
0
0
0
96
628
5234
21730
64140
620
2206
0
2141
0
470
0
0
500
**111802**
**16048**
**0**
**3764**
**19812**|**Total**
**2023**
**£**
57800
7912
486|
||||**66198**|
||||1459
6649
0
0
0
0
0
665
550
3983
48202
0
266
0
4194
0
814
0
0
500|
||||**67283**|
||||**-1084**
**0**
**4848**|
||||**3764**|
Page 5
## **ASHFORD BME ASSOCIATION Balance Sheet At 31 March 2024**
|**Note**
Balance at Bank
Creditors
3
Net Asset
**Represented by:**
Unrestricted Funds
Restricted Funds
4
**Chair:**
**Date:**20/01/2025|**Total**
**2024**
**£**
19812
**19812**
0
**19812**
325
19486
**19812**|**Total**
**2023**
**£**
3764|
|---|---|---|
|||**3764**|
|||0|
|||**3764**|
|||-4173
7936|
|||**3764**|
||||
Page 6
**ASHFORD BME ASSOCIATION Statement of Balances**
**Notes to the Accounts**
## **Note 1**
The accounts have been prepared using the concessions allowable under SORP 2005 for small charities, not subject to an audit (Appendix 5.3)
|**Note**
**2**
**Grants**
Edseco
National Lottery
Barnardos|**Urestricted**
**Funds**
**£**
0
0
0
**0**|**Restricted**
**Funds**
**£**
89022
19800
0
**108822**|**Total**
**2024**
**£**
89022
19800
0
**108822**|**Total**
**2023**
**£**
48000
9800
0|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||**57800**|
|**Note**
**3**||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Creditors**|||||0|
||||||**0**|
|**Note**
**4**|**Opening**||||**Closing**|
|**Restricted funds**|**Balance**|**Income**|**Expenditure**|**Transfer**|**Balance**|
|National Lottery|3750|19800|8070|0|15480|
|Edseco|0|89022|89022|0|0|
||**3750**|**108823**|**97092**|**0**|**15480**|
Page 7