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2021-06-30-accounts

COMMUNITY INTEREST LUTON

TRUSTEE'S REPORT AND ACCOUNTS

For the year ended 30 June 2021

Charity Number: 1173433

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COMMUNITY INTEREST LUTON

Contents

Page
Charity Information 3
Directors' and Trustees' Report 4 to 11
Report of the Independent Examiner 12
Statement of Financial Activities 13
Balance sheet 14
Notes to the Financial Statements 15 to 16

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COMMUNITY INTEREST LUTON

Charity Information

Management
Committee: Mostaque Koyes (Chair)
Aimee Clarke (Treasurer)
Donna Dwyer (Member)
Ian Douglass (Member)
Shanique Samuels (Member)
Mehvish Bismal (Member)
Charity number: 1173433
Principal Office: 12 Alexandra Avenue
Luton
LU3 1HG
Independent Examiner: Misbahul Karim FCCA
MMK Chartered Certified Accountants
960 Capability Green
Luton
LU1 3PE
Bank: Barclays
170 Dunstable Road
Luton
LU1 1EY

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COMMUNITY INTEREST LUTON

Directors' and Trustees' Report For the year ended 30 June 2021

The trustees are pleased to present available report together with the financial statements of the charity for the period ending. The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the accounts and comply with the Charity’s Constitution, applicable law and the requirements of the Statement of Recommended Practice, " Accounting and Reporting by Charities".

Structure, Governance and Management

Governing Documents

The organisation was registered as a charity with the Charity Commission in England and Wales on 15 June 2017. The charity is governed by its constitution. The governance of the charity is the responsibility of the Trustees.

Appointment of Trustees

Community Interest Luton has a robust strategy in place to find the best trustees for the charity; those with experience and knowledge who could help the charity grow.

When recruiting new Trustees, the charity will look at the specific skills, experience and knowledge needed and ensure they are reflected in the job description and personal specification. The position is then advertised locally for people to apply.

We then shortlist suitable candidates and carry out our vetting process to ensure that they can take up the position of Trustee and have no criminal convictions or been disqualified from other Boards.

Once vetting is finalised, the selected candidates are invited in writing to attend a short interview with the Chair and the Treasurer or another Board Member. The interview proceedings are shared with the other Trustees and a decision is made by the entire Board.

The chosen candidate(s) is then invited to a board meeting with existing trustees and are welcomed as a full Board member.

Trustee Induction or Training

The charity provides new trustees with an induction pack and peer to peer support from an existing trustee. All trustees are DBS checked before starting their role at Community Interest Luton. The trustees maintain a working knowledge of Community Interest Luton charity and are kept up to date with the operations of the charity through regular board meetings. (Minimum quarterly)

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Trustees

The following officers of the charity have held office for the whole of the year:

Mostaque Koyes (Chair)

Aimee Clarke (Treasurer)

Donna Dwyer (Member) Ian Douglass (Member)

Shanique Samuels (Member)

Mehvish Bismal (Member)

Risk Management

The Trustees have identified the major risks to which the charity is exposed and believe that the systems in place are adequate to mitigate those risks. There are many risks which the charity could face such as financial, operational, external or governance risks. This could include not having enough reserves or cash flow, trustee body lacking the relevant skills or commitment, changes to the local community or the beneficiary group and changes with government policies.

The Chair and Board of Trustees have a strategy which helps to mitigate and manage risks which may occur at any time.

All risks are recorded on the Community Interest Luton Risk Register.

The Board revisits the risk management plan and Risk Register every three months at board meetings to ensure they have the most up-to-date strategy to manage risks and potential risks. If something arises that may pose a significant threat to the charity in the interim, the Board arrange a separate meeting to discuss the associated risks i.e. at the start of the COVID Pandemic.

Related Party Transactions

Community Interest Luton started operating in 2009 as a community working group. In 2013, as the projects grew and the number of people benefiting from the projects increased, it became a Community Interest Company (CIC). Following ongoing growth and success in all the projects it was managing, Community Interest Luton was registered as a charity in 2017.

However not all the projects run by Community Interest Luton fall under the charity, some are still managed through the CIC.

The projects which are run and managed through the charity include:

  1. Luton Employment Training and Skills (LETS) Hub and the LETS Fairs

  2. Mens Community Well Being Gym

  3. Fresh Start Women’s Gym

  4. Curry Kitchen

  5. Young Steps

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The projects which are run and managed through the CIC include:

  1. Curry Club

  2. Luton and Bedfordshire Community Awards

  3. Community Magazine

Public Benefit Statement

The Trustees consider that they have complied with Section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 with regard to the guidance on public benefit as published by Charity Commission.

Community Interest Luton Charity in 2020-2021

Our Vision:

To bring the public, private and voluntary sectors together to make a positive contribution to the Luton population.

Our Objectives:

Community Interest Luton strives to provide support to individuals and families across the town who are most in need through its four main charity projects as listed on page 4, with the overall goal to decrease poverty in the town.

Project Overview

1. Luton Employment Training and Skills (LETS) Hub

The LETS Hub offers bespoke support, training and guidance to anyone who is unemployed (or economically inactive) and trying to get back into work.

This is achieved by enrolling individuals onto an intensive 12-week programme where they receive one-to-one support to develop their skills such as interview techniques, CV writing and coaching to improve their confidence as well as workshops to gain a better understanding of literacy, maths, basic business and goal setting.

The LETS Hub initially had to close at the start of the COVID pandemic but thanks to the flexibility and hard work of staff it reopened (in accordance with Government Guidelines) in mid-April. It immediately saw an increase in individuals reaching out for support because so many people had lost their job. It adapted the way it ran by offering telephone support and virtual support where possible, but a lot of people did not have access to Wi-Fi or a computer, so face-to-face sessions were also available at a significantly reduced capacity.

Certain elements of the new operating methods, such as providing administrative support over the telephone, proved extremely successful and will continue post COVID. However, demand for face-to-face contact grew as the pandemic continued and the unemployment rate in Luton soared.

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Employment is not just about people going to work and earning a wage, it is also about the positive impact a job can have on an individual’s mindset and sense of worth.

Round up of activity in the LETS Hub during 2020-2021

Young Steps Youth Project

In 2019, Community Interest Luton launched Youth Steps, an outreach programme based on the LETS Hub model, to help young people aged 11-19 to overcome barriers they face to further education and to provide them with the necessary skills and training to successfully apply and find a job. People from all backgrounds can access the project, free of charge.

There is mentoring support built into the programme to help individuals improve their confidence, raise their aspirations and learn transferable skills for any workplace. The Young Steps Youth project has been generously funded for three years thanks to a grant from Children in Need.

What people say about the Young Steps Youth Project

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“Young Steps allowed me to express myself, allowing me to bring out my creative side while gaining new skills. The staff are always so friendly.”

GL, project attendee

“Community Interest is a great place to work. As Project Officer for the Young Steps project, I have had the opportunity to engage with and support young people from all over Luton. I have been fully supported as an employee, and given excellent resources to use to fulfil my role. The best part of my job is knowing we make a difference to Luton's communities.”

Shana, Young Steps Project Officer

2. Curry Kitchen

The Curry Kitchen provides hot and nutritious meals to Luton’s homeless population and other people in need on a weekly basis.

In response to COVID, the project adapted and started to deliver meals to local shelters as well as continuing to run the drop-in sessions. Strict measures were put in place to keep everyone safe, but it was essential to continue to provide food as for some, this is the only hot meal they get each week. It also gives them a safe and comfortable place to speak to people and access additional information about other support that might be available to them.

Round up of activity in the Curry Kitchen during 2020-2021

3 Men’s Community Wellbeing Club

The Men’s Community Wellbeing Club encourages and enables men who are over 50 years old to improve their physical health through regular physical activity and to improve their mental wellbeing and reduce social isolation.

The project was immediately suspended in March 2020 owing to COVID. After ongoing risk assessments throughout the year, the project did not restart at any point in the year due to the ongoing restrictions in place and the high-risk population that the project serves.

Volunteers and staff members kept in contact with participants throughout the year to offer virtual support and reassurance.

CIL hopes that if the situation allows and the vaccination programme is successful across the town, that the Men’s Community Wellbeing Club will reopen in Spring 2022.

4. Women’s Fresh Start Gym

The Women’s Gym which provides females over the age of 16 access to women-only exercise sessions to improve their physical health and mental wellbeing. Twice weekly

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sessions are run to give women the opportunity to exercise in a safe environment, with trained instructors.

As well as improving physical health, the classes create a sense of community and enable people to make new friends and increase their confidence.

The project was also suspended in March 2020 due to COVID. Following regular risk assessments, it was not considered safe or appropriate to restart the project at any point in the year.

CIL hopes that if the situation allows and the vaccination programme is successful across the town, that the Women’s Me-Time Gym sessions will recommence in Spring 2022.

Impact of COVID

COVID has had a profound effect on individuals and families across Luton and Community Interest Luton has tried to respond to their changing needs while following Government Guidelines and restrictions.

At the very start of the pandemic, the Trustees held an emergency meeting and all projects were then suspended for the safety of staff, volunteers and participants. Once full risk assessments had been carried out and the recommended measures had been put in place to minimise risk, the LETS Hub re-opened, and the Curry Kitchen started again.

Adapting to the changing needs of the population due to COVID

In April 2020, it became evident that families were struggling to feed themselves with children at home and not receiving school dinners and because of reduced incomes. So CIL partnered with other local charities and organisations including Big Farley Local, Luton Foodbank, Chantry Primary School, Robinsons Family, Age Concern, Shri Guru Ravidass Sangat, IMPAKT, Keystage Housing, Mary Seacole Housing Association, Ghana Community Centre, CYCD, Active Support, Tokko Youth Centre and many others to fund and distribute food parcels to individuals and families in need.

In June 2020, we received funding from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) towards the food parcel project. The food parcels benefited individuals and families (of between 2 and 10 people) by providing them with healthy and nutritious ingredients to feed themselves three meals a day for seven days a week.

In January 2021, DEFRA provided pallets of food which were distributed to local organisations to support the local community.

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Achievements

Thank you to our volunteers

The Trustees would like to thank all the amazing volunteers than enable the CIL projects to run successfully and benefit those in need.

Thanks to their wealth of experience and local knowledge, the team of 150 volunteers play a vital part in the day to day running of all four projects. Roles include liaising, supporting, and signposting participants, raising awareness about projects to people that could potentially benefit from them in the future and administrative support.

Quote from volunteer, Mariam Hussain

My time volunteering for CIL has been tremendously rewarding for me. Volunteering has helped me connect with a lot of people from different walks of life. Volunteering at CIL has connected me to my local community and has helped me truly appreciate people in my community. Volunteering at CIL has helped me build a lot of new skills such as confidence which helps me every day. As Oscar Wilde says “The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention”.

Thank you to our supporters

The Trustees would like to publicly thank and acknowledge the generosity of the local community. All Community Interest Luton’s charity projects are run thanks to grants awarded by Grant Giving Trusts and voluntary donations received from individuals, businesses, and community groups including faith groups, schools, and colleges.

Future Planning and Strategy

The Trustees have agreed a two-year business plan to steer the charity out of the COVID pandemic and returning to Business as Usual. It includes ambitious developments to the projects including:

Extending the opening hours of the LETS Hub to enable more people to access services

Taking LETS Hub services out into specific groups within the community that struggle to access the HUB, such as the local IMPAKT (YMCA)

Increasing the number of volunteers to support the LETS Hub project

To continue with the Young Steps Youth Project for an additional two years

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Review of Transactions and Financial Position:

The statement of financial activities showed a net surplus for the year of £6,453 (£63,244 - 2020) and total reserves stand at £84,377 (£77,924 - 2020).

Principle Funding Sources

The principle funding sources of the charity are charitable grants.

Reserves policy

The Management Committee has examined the charity’s requirements for reserves in light of the main risks to the organisation. The present level of reserves available to the charity of £84,377.

Although the strategy is to continue to build reserves through planned operating surpluses, the Management Committee has also considered the extent to which existing activities and expenditure could be curtailed, in the unlikely event that reserves become inadequate to meet the necessary commitments.

Charitable and Political Donations

The charity made no political or charitable donations in the reporting year. All political or charitable donations will only be made following careful consideration by the Trustees to further the public benefit of the charity.

Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities:

Charity law requires the chairman and trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity as at the balance sheet date and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including income and expenditure, for the financial year. In preparing those financial statements, the management committee should follow best practice and:

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the trust and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

This report was approved by the current Trustees on.

Signed on behalf of board of trustees

..............................Mostaque Koyes (Chair)

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COMMUNITY INTEREST LUTON

For the year ended 30 June 2021

I report on the accounts of the company for the period ended 30 June 2021, which are set out on pages 15 to 16.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The trustees (who are also the directors of the company for the purpose of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011(the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

Having satisfied myself that the charity is not subject to audit under company law and is eligible for independent examination, it is my responsibility to:

• examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act;

• to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act; and

Basis of independent examiner’s report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking 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 connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

(1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:

to keep accounting records in accordance with section 386 of the Companies Act 2006; and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records, comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 and with the methods and principles of

the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities 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.

Misbahul Karim FCCA MMK Chartered Certified Accountants 15 George Street West Luton LU1 2BJ Date: 24 February 2022

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COMMUNITY INTEREST LUTON STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES For the year ended 30 June 2021

Notes
Incoming Resources
Grants & Donations
2
Total Incoming Resources
Resources Expended
Charitable activities
3
Governance cost
4
Total Resources Expended
Net incoming/(outgoing resources)
Reconciliation of Funds:
Total funds, brought forward
Total funds, carried forward		 Unrestricted
Funds
£
1,000
1,000
1,734
900
2,634
(1,634)
3,935
2,301		 Restricted
Funds
£
192,753
192,753
184,666
-
184,666
8,087
73,989
82,076		 2021
£
193,753
193,753
186,400
900
187,300
6,453
77,924
84,377		 2020
£
139,475
139,475
75,631
600
76,231
63,244
14,680
77,924

CONTINUING OPERATIONS

None of the Charity's activities were acquired or discontinued during the above two financial periods.

TOTAL RECOGNISED GAINS AND LOSSES

The Charity has no recognised gains or losses for the above two financial periods.

The statement of financial activities also complies with the requirements for an income and expenditure account

under the Companies Act 2006.

The notes on pages 15 to 16 form part of these accounts.

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COMMUNITY INTEREST LUTON

Balance Sheet as at 30 June 2021

Notes
Fixed Assets
Tangible Assets
Current Assets
Prepayments
Cash in hand and at Bank
Creditors
Amounts falling within one year
5
Net Current Liability
The Funds of the Charity
Unrestricted funds
Restricted funds		 24,016
61,456		 2021
£
-
84,377		 -
78,524		 2020
£
-
77,924
85,472
(1,095)		 78,524
(600)
84,377 77,924
2,301
82,076		 3,935
73,989
84,377 77,924

The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts. The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions in Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.

These accounts were approved by the Board of Directors and Trustees on 24 February 2022 and were signed on its behalf by:

…………………………………………………… ………… …………… …Chairman Mostaque Koyes

The notes on pages 15 to 16 form part of these accounts.

COMMUNITY INTEREST LUTON

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Notes to the Accounts For the year ended 30 June 2021

1. Accounting Policies

1.1 Basis of Accounting

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with the applicable Accounting Standards , the Statement of Recommended Practice “Accounting and Reporting by Charities” published in March 2005 and the Companies Act 2006. The principal accounting policies adopted in the preparation of the financial statements are set out below.

1.2 Incoming Resources

Voluntary income and donations are included in incoming resources when they are receivable, except when the donors specify that they must be used in future accounting periods or donors’ conditions have not been fulfilled, then the income is deferred. The income from fundraising ventures is shown gross, with the associated costs included in fundraising costs.

1.3 Resources Expended

Resources expended are included in the Statement of Financial Activities on accruals basis, inclusive of any VAT that cannot be recovered.

Expenditure that is directly attributable to specific activities has been included in these cost categories. Where costs are attributable to more than one activity, they have been apportioned across the cost categories on a basis consistent with the use of those resources.

1.4 Going Concern Basis

The financial statements have been prepared on the going concern basis, as in the opinion of the trustees, there are no issues arising which would suggest any other basis as being more appropriate.

2. Grants and Donations

Steel Charitable
Bedfordshire and Luton
DEFRA
Awards For All
London Luton Airport
The Amateurs Trust
COVIDSmall Busi Grant
Donations
SEMLEP
National Lottery Fund
Other Grants		 Unrestricted
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,000
1,000		 Restricted
£
25,000
20,000
29,190
-
-
20,000
16,000
8,135
5,710
45,000
23,718
192,753		 2021
£
25,000
20,000
29,190
-
-
20,000
16,000
8,135
5,710
45,000
24,718
193,753		 2020
£
35,000
18,620
29,190
18,330
8,000
-
-
-
12,270
-
18,065
139,475

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3. Cost of Charitable activities

Charitable Activities
Rent, Rates and Utilities
Staff Costs
Advertising and PR
IT costs
Insurance
4. Governance Cost
Accountancy Fees
5. Creditors: Amounts
Falling Due Within One
Year
Accruals
PAYE		 Unrestricted
-
-
-
-
-
1,734		 Restricted
£
91,698
25,878
58,939
3,826
4,325
-		 2021
£
91,698
25,878
58,939
3,826
4,325
1,734		 2020
£
37,864
10,979
24,623
1,152
-
1,013
75,631
2020
£
600
2020
£
600
-
1,734 184,666 186,400
Unrestricted
900		 Restricted
£
-		 2021
£
900
2021
£
900
195

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