CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 1177761
ecobirmingham Unaudited Financial Statements
31 March 2024
BSN ASSOCIATES LIMITED
Chartered accountants 3B Swallowfield Courtyard Wolverhampton Road Oldbury West Midlands B69 2JG
Doc ID: ce4e83f94e3b23d5e1b3f80ca5baa4fb6b430da3
ecobirmingham
Financial Statements
Year ended 31 March 2024
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Trustees' annual report | 1 |
| Independent examiner's report to the trustees | 10 |
| Statement of financial activities | 11 |
| Statement of financial position | 12 |
| Notes to the financial statements | 13 |
Doc ID: ce4e83f94e3b23d5e1b3f80ca5baa4fb6b430da3
Year ended 31 March 2024
ecobirmingham
Trustees' Annual Report
The trustees present their report and the unaudited financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2024.
Reference and administrative details
Registered charity name ecobirmingham Charity registration number 1177761 Principal office 53 Church Rd, Birmingham, B31 2LB The trustees J Butler (Resigned 29.02.2024) A Kaur (Appointed 14.09.2023) C Bagnall G Gannon (Vice-Chair) H Whiteman (Appointed 23.11.2023) K Hopkin (Chair) (Appointed Chair, 17.02.2024) M Smith R Adam (Appointed 23.11.2023) A Holloway-Neville (Appointed 23.11.2023) L Sutton (Chair) (Resigned 17.02.2024) Accountants BSN Associates Limited Chartered accountants 3B Swallowfield Courtyard Wolverhampton Road Oldbury West Midlands B69 2JG
- 1 -
Doc ID: ce4e83f94e3b23d5e1b3f80ca5baa4fb6b430da3
ecobirmingham
Trustees' Annual Report (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2024
Introduction
2023/24 was the second year of our 3-year strategy. We continued to increase our coverage of different parts of the city and began to gather more evidence of need with 'community conversations' hosted by local community development organisations. This approach helped us successfully develop and secure a future three-year programme of work to begin in April 2024. We continued our existing food, community gardening, outdoor holiday clubs, piloting of our sustainability advice service to individuals and organisations, and secured funding as part of a consortium to deliver community-based energy saving advice. Our active travel team launched the 69 wards walking and cycling routes, which was picked up and promoted nationally by Visit Britian. We also helped deliver electric scooter training on behalf of the new contractor for the city council.
We have had a range of changes in the year, with our Chair and several staff leaving, new trustees and staff joining, and new roles around fundraising, programme management, and energy. We have also had an expansion of our associates and volunteers as part of our extended team.
Our staff continued to receive recognition from those we work with for their outstanding work across the city and nationally. We continued our profile raising with numerous media interviews, and invitations to speak to organisations.
Through leadership and education, we continue to support the development of greener, fairer, and healthier communities in Birmingham, and we now are in our second year of having a framework with which to measure our impact around sustainability. This new way of working, alongside the dedication of our trustees, staff, and volunteers, means we are well positioned to achieve our goals for 2024/25; to better understand our city's needs, to continue building our capacity and to develop an organisation that is thriving and resilient.
Structure, governance and management
ecobirmingham was founded on 29 March 2018 as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and is registered with the Charities Commission. Our constitution is in the form of a Foundation model where the Trustees are also the Members. Our AGM was held on 23 November 2023.
Our board of trustees meet quarterly following the meeting of the finance committee which makes recommendations to the board. Our constitution states that we must be at least three and no more than eleven trustees.
We take the management of internal and external risks seriously. Risks are managed and reviewed by the director quarterly and by the trustees on a 3 monthly basis by means of a risk register. This measures the likelihood and impact of risk via a traffic light system. We have identified the major risks to the charity in the coming years as the ability to attract ongoing funds for projects because of the level of competition for funding from Trusts and Foundations and the unpredictability of engagement in our services as the city tackles the cost-of-living increases. We have devised a plan to diversify income sources over the period of the strategic plan 2022-25. We will also include provision in the Reserves Policy to cover challenges of fundraising and the need to cash-flow projects.
Day-to-day management of the CIO is delegated to the eight staff members led by the CEO of ecobirmingham.
- 2 -
Doc ID: ce4e83f94e3b23d5e1b3f80ca5baa4fb6b430da3
ecobirmingham
Trustees' Annual Report (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2024
Objectives and activities
The object(s) of the CIO are:
-
to promote sustainable development for the benefit of the public by:
-
a) the preservation, conservation and protection of the environment and the prudent use of resources of resources;
-
b) the relief of poverty and the improvement of conditions of life in socially and economically disadvantaged communities;
-
c) the promotion of sustainable means of achieving economic growth and regeneration;
-
to advance the education of the public in subjects relating to sustainable development and the protection, enhancement and rehabilitation of the environment and the promotion of study and research in such subjects provided that the useful results of such study are disseminated to the public at large;
-
to advance such other objects or purposes which are exclusively charitable according to the laws of England and Wales and in such manner as the charity trustees may in their absolute discretion think
For the purposes of this clause 3, "sustainable development" means development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
The charity has paid due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission and ensures that its activities benefit the public in line with its objects and purposes stated above.
- 3 -
Doc ID: ce4e83f94e3b23d5e1b3f80ca5baa4fb6b430da3
ecobirmingham
Trustees' Annual Report (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2024
Achievements and performance
Highlights
-
There were 3,517 attendances at our 274 events and courses to improve people's ability to live sustainably.
-
24 volunteers donated 848 hours of their time.
-
As a team, we contributed 107 hours to 28 different events promoting sustainable living to 767 people.
-
Our digital resources were downloaded 1,942 times and our content was viewed 421,592 times over the year.
-
We worked with over 74 organisations.
Overall, we directly helped 3,073 beneficiaries from across 39 wards in Birmingham. 13 wards are in the top 10% most deprived in the UK.
Our core survey shows that we are reaching diverse beneficiaries. 42% were of Asian heritage, 4% from African-Caribbean heritage, 28% from White British/Irish heritage, 11% from mixed heritage and the remaining 13% preferred not to say.
10% of participants had a disability, 72% did not and 18% preferred not to say.
Our impact for Birmingham
® We use the One Planet Living framework to measure the impact of our work across the city. These are simple principles which make it easier to live happily and more sustainably.
We ask a sample of all our participants the same impact questions across all our activities.
Health and Happiness
-
74% of participants felt their health and wellbeing was improved due to taking part in our events and activities.
-
Participants intended to increase their physical activity by 44 minutes on average per week (from 3.6 to 4.33 hrs).
-
81% of children were inspired to explore their local green spaces more.
-
96% felt spending time in nature made them feel happier.
-
100% of parents said it improved their children's mental and physical wellbeing.
Equity and Local Economy
- 80% of people found our activities helpful in finding work or a voluntary opportunity.
Culture and Community
-
1,168 people or 38% of participants were inspired to take positive environmental action.
-
1,936 people or 63% of participants were inspired to change their own lifestyle.
-
2,028 people or 66% of participants intended to share this knowledge with friends and family.
-
95% of children intended to share their learning with others.
Land and Nature
-
1,352 people or 44% of participants felt more engaged with nature.
-
830 people 27% improved their knowledge, skills, and confidence in nature.
-
90% of children learnt something about nature.
-
100% of parents felt their child had learnt something and improved their empathy towards the natural world.
- 4 -
Doc ID: ce4e83f94e3b23d5e1b3f80ca5baa4fb6b430da3
ecobirmingham
Trustees' Annual Report (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2024
Local and Sustainable Food
-
1,383 people or 45% of participants improved their knowledge of reducing food waste
-
707 people or 23% planned to reduce their meat and dairy consumption
-
707 people or 23% planned to eat seasonally
-
615 people or 20% planned to start growing their own food.
Travel and Transport
-
74% of participants were more likely to walk, scoot or cycle.
-
88% of Active Travel participants improved their ability to cycle.
-
Participants intended to reduce their car journeys (of less than 1 mile) by 35% on average from an average of 2.21 journeys under 1 mile per week to 1.43 journeys.
Materials and Products
-
1,875 people or 61% of participants improved their knowledge of reducing single use plastics, reducing, and reusing materials.
-
768 people or 25% of buying eco-friendly products.
Zero Waste
- 1,659 people or 54% of participants increased their confidence, knowledge, and/or skills to reduce waste.
Zero Carbon Energy
- 1,475 people or 48% of participants improved their knowledge of managing and reducing energy use.
Headline Data
In total, we calculate our activities have delivered the following headline benefits:
-
Environmental - over the year 2,146 Tonnes of Co2e saved (2022/23: 3,062 tonnes)
-
Social - 1,196 extra years of healthy life expectancy (2022/23: 512 years)
-
Financial - Over £26m benefit to society from the social value of how we operate as an organisation and our programmes to support communities, reduce carbon, and improve health (2022/23: £14m)
The main change from last year is that we have seen a bigger targeting of measures that improve health as well as the environment, such as walking, cycling, engaging with nature and healthy eating. This has resulted in large health and society benefits. Our energy saving programmes continue to produce carbon dioxide equivalent (Co2e) savings.
Highlights of our achievements
Food
We successfully recruited new freelancers to complete the work for Power to Eat (Kate) and Power to Grow (Felipe).
Working with The Local Pantry in Quinton and Yardley Wood we have delivered healthy eating & slow cooker courses which participants really enjoyed requesting further sessions. We have worked with Grassroots, Druids Heath to produce documents/policies to enable them to apply for funding to continue to improve the local greenspace.
Freelancer Felipe has helped Share Community at the Womens Enterprise Hub in Sparkbrook get their community growing space up and running, improving their green space, try to discourage fly tipping and enable members to connect with nature, learn new skills and improve their health and wellbeing.
- 5 -
Doc ID: ce4e83f94e3b23d5e1b3f80ca5baa4fb6b430da3
ecobirmingham
Trustees' Annual Report (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2024
Creative Learning
The team has been busy delivering adventures in nature, criss-crossing the city's hidden green spaces this year. Our all-outdoor holiday club, Wild Holiday Bunch, provided 20 x 6 hours of nature connections at 4 different sites. We continued with our Stories for Nature concept for pre-schoolers, introducing them to nature literacy (with the support of the National Literacy Trust for whom we worked as eco-champions) as well as giving them the opportunity to get close and create with nature. We delivered a programme of 24 sessions at the Springfield Project's Mini Springers' nursery which was well received by children (many of whom special needs particularly enjoyed the sensory elements of the sessions) and staff alike. We then continued with a programme of 12 autumn/winter sessions with a nursery in Bordesley, as part of the SOS Education project. We supported the team at SOS Education to improve their outdoor space and to use the local green space more for their activities.
On behalf of Street Games, we delivered 10 outdoor cooking workshops to groups of children across the four corners of the city, introducing our work to some new organisations, as well as delivering 2 x "train the trainers" outdoor cooking workshops.
We also started working alongside the Springfield Project on their Child Friendly Neighbourhood project. We helped to improve the local green space and the offer of outdoor activities. The volunteer led Stories for Nature sessions in the ecocentre garden have continued and are extremely popular with new attendees coming each week.
Active Travel
We successfully launched our 69wards walking and cycling routes map which has had a great response from communities and organisations across Birmingham as well as visit Britian who are actively promoting the routes. This year community engagement and building relationships with potential partners and organisations was a focus for us. Through this we were able to deliver led rides, route finding, Dr Bike and maintenance sessions in new wards, having more impact in enabling people to walk and cycle. This included working with Open Door Community Foundation in Bromford to deliver cycling activities to children from the local school and a led walk for the community. Working with Aston University to encourage staff to cycle to work and with students from the TEDx Society to put on a highly successful cycling event at the student union.
"I wanted to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation for the outstanding bike ride experience that we had last week. It was an extraordinary event that left us with unforgettable memories and a profound sense of joy, and the ride encouraged and inspired us to practice more such bike rides." - Team member at TEDx Aston University
- 6 -
Doc ID: ce4e83f94e3b23d5e1b3f80ca5baa4fb6b430da3
ecobirmingham
Trustees' Annual Report (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2024
We built relationships with several community hubs in Bournville, Edgbaston, Sparkbrook, Kings Heath and Balsall Heath, attended community events to promote 69wards routes and show people how to use the maps as well as securing funding from cycling UK to deliver a series of cycling programmes as well as providing training and support for their volunteer ride leaders to continue the activities.
Partnering with The Active Wellbeing Society (TAWS) for a 6-week programme of sustainability events in Digbeth enabled us to promote our 69wards routes in a key city centre location and provide bikes to borrow so we could engage with new and wider audiences having a greater impact on enabling people to choose cycling for travel.
Additionally, in response to community conversations, we built on our active travel services to deliver led walks, adult cycling tuition and scooter training by introducing paid for services as well as working with key partners such as Beryl, BCC, Birmingham Heritage Week, and the Coffee festival.
Energy Advice
Through our work with the Birmingham Council of Faiths Footsteps Programme, we delivered a range of energy audits and events to 10 Muslim and Christian places of worship and community centres across Birmingham. Discussions covered improving lighting and heating to reduce costs, supporting the delivery of foodbanks, education, and warm places during the cost-of-living crisis. This work has informed a larger multi-faith partnership which has secured funding and which we will be supporting in future years. As part of a city-wide consortium, BrumEnergy, we delivered energy saving advice sessions to 4 community groups in Moseley, Saltley, Sparkhill and Quinton.
"Thanks for a great event to help me implement your energy audit recommendations" - Project Participant
Sustainability Advice
We delivered 8 sustainability training sessions to 9 schools and businesses benefitting 140 people. A trial of Sustainability Advice sessions was delivered in a women-only community group in Sparkhill. 3 sessions were delivered to give participants an awareness of the ten principles and how they can use these to embed sustainable actions in their daily lives. It empowered them to focus on what they felt were their priorities and reducing waste/recycling were the ones that women in that community wanted to focus on. A volunteer group, facilitated by ecobirmingham, delivered a series of 4 sessions and a pre-loved event for Asian clothes. It started with women wanting to recycle their Asian wedding outfits and partywear, reduce waste, earn some extra cash and for some hoarding was a concern. They learnt an array of new skills and the event was attended by over 150 people from the local community.
- 7 -
Doc ID: ce4e83f94e3b23d5e1b3f80ca5baa4fb6b430da3
ecobirmingham
Trustees' Annual Report (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2024
Financial review
During the year, the charity planned to run a minor deficit to ensure funds were being spent on charitable activities and public benefit in line with good practice regarding reserves.
We ended the year with a planned operating deficit of £12,146.
The trustees consider the financial position of the charity to be adequate. Income and expenditure, forecasting and cash-flow are all regularly monitored and reviewed quarterly. These forecasts, alongside the risk management process, inform the level of reserves and designation of funds. The trustees have recognised the restrictions placed on funds by various funders.
Reserves - The charity has a reserves policy of £86,979 for 2024/25. This represents three months planned charitable expenditure for 2024/25 to protect against the volatility of the inflationary increases and the need to fund short-term deficits in cash-flow, a provision to cover the risk of unforeseen emergency, long-term sick absence, the risks related to securing funds for projects and to give Trustees time to act if income falls below expectations. The reserves that we have set aside provide financial stability and the means for the development of our principal activity and are in line with good practice.
At the year-end there were £66,255 of unrestricted funds, of which £55,005 had been designated by the trustees for key projects. This is £20,724 below our reserves policy. Trustees recognise this and have increased their monitoring and management of risks and finances accordingly.
Plans for future periods
We have a 3-year strategy for 2022-25 that reflects the new opportunities and challenges to our mission, and operational requirements.
The aims of our Annual Plan for 2024/25 are:
-
To continue to strengthen our governance with a new Chair and some additional trustees to address identified skills gaps around digital and communications
-
To move office, as our home for the last 15 years is being sold. This provides us an
-
To launch our 3-year building sustainable communities programme with Allens Cross and the Springfield Project, and to begin to build a delivery network of other sustainability organisations.
-
Re-focus our work on fewer wards and look to build the capacity of key community organisations to reach their communities.
-
Launch our sustainability advice service for individuals and organisations, via our website, together with a review and improvement of our website and digital outreach.
-
Grow our energy service with our role as part of the 'BrumEnergy' consortium.
-
To develop a resilient organisation by increasing our evidence of community needs, participant feedback, building our team of volunteers and associates, diversifying our income streams, and increasing our monitoring of financial risks of fundraising.
- 8 -
Doc ID: ce4e83f94e3b23d5e1b3f80ca5baa4fb6b430da3
ecobirmingham
Trustees' Annual Report (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2024
Trustees' responsibilities statement
The trustees are responsible for preparing the trustees' report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the charity trustees to prepare financial statements for each year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, of the charity for that period.
In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
-
select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
-
observe the methods and principles in the applicable Charities SORP;
-
make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
-
state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
-
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charity's transactions and 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 Charities Act 2011, the applicable Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations, and the provisions of the Trust Deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The trustees' annual report was approved on 8 August 2024 and signed on behalf of the board of trustees by:
K Hopkin (Chair) Trustee
- 9 -
Doc ID: ce4e83f94e3b23d5e1b3f80ca5baa4fb6b430da3
ecobirmingham
Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of ecobirmingham
Year ended 31 March 2024
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of ecobirmingham ('the charity') for the year ended 31 March 2024.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the charity's financial statements carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner's statement
Since the charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), which is one of the listed bodies.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
-
accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
-
the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
-
the financial statements do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair' view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Philippa Miller-Hawkes BA CA Independent Examiner
3B Swallowfield Courtyard Wolverhampton Road Oldbury West Midlands B69 2JG
8 August 2024
- 10 -
Doc ID: ce4e83f94e3b23d5e1b3f80ca5baa4fb6b430da3
ecobirmingham
Statement of Financial Activities
Year ended 31 March 2024
| 2024 | 2023 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Restricted | ||||
| funds | funds | Total funds | Total funds | ||
| Note | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Income and endowments | |||||
| Donations and legacies | 4 | 193,616 | 48,632 | 242,248 | 214,188 |
| Other trading activities | 5 | 6,374 | – | 6,374 | 5,687 |
| Investment income | 6 | 3,068 | – | 3,068 | 1,271 |
| -------------------------------- | ---------------------------- | -------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | ||
| Total income | 203,058 | 48,632 | 251,690 | 221,146 | |
| ================================ | ============================ | ================================ | ================================ | ||
| Expenditure | |||||
| Expenditure on raising funds: | |||||
| Costs of raising donations and | |||||
| legacies | 10,329 | 1,168 | 11,497 | 11,600 | |
| Expenditure on charitable activities | 7 | 169,339 | 45,495 | 214,834 | 191,819 |
| Other expenditure | 8 | 29,725 | 7,780 | 37,505 | 46,613 |
| -------------------------------- | ---------------------------- | -------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | ||
| Total expenditure | 209,393 | 54,443 | 263,836 | 250,032 | |
| ================================ | ============================ | ================================ | ================================ | ||
| -------------------------------- | ---------------------------- | -------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | ||
| Net expenditure | (6,335) | (5,811) | (12,146) | (28,886) | |
| ================================ | ============================ | ================================ | ================================ | ||
| Transfers between funds | (5,297) | 5,297 | – | – | |
| -------------------------------- | ---------------------------- | -------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | ||
| Net movement in funds | (11,632) | (514) | (12,146) | (28,886) | |
| Reconciliation of funds | |||||
| Total funds brought forward | 77,887 | 658 | 78,545 | 107,431 | |
| -------------------------------- | ---------------------------- | -------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | ||
| Total funds carried forward | 66,255 | 144 | 66,399 | 78,545 | |
| ================================ | ============================ | ================================ | ================================ |
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
The notes on pages 13 to 20 form part of these financial statements.
- 11 -
Doc ID: ce4e83f94e3b23d5e1b3f80ca5baa4fb6b430da3
ecobirmingham
Statement of Financial Position
31 March 2024
| 2024 | 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Note | £ | £ | |
| Current assets | |||
| Debtors | 13 | 2,832 | 991 |
| Cash at bank and in hand | 127,612 | 177,787 | |
| -------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | ||
| 130,444 | 178,778 | ||
| Creditors: amounts falling due within one year | 14 | 64,045 | 100,233 |
| -------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | ||
| Net current assets | 66,399 | 78,545 | |
| ---------------------------- | ---------------------------- | ||
| Total assets less current liabilities | 66,399 | 78,545 | |
| ---------------------------- | ---------------------------- | ||
| Net assets | 66,399 | 78,545 | |
| ============================ | ============================ | ||
| Funds of the charity | |||
| Restricted funds | 144 | 658 | |
| Unrestricted funds | 66,255 | 77,887 | |
| ---------------------------- | ---------------------------- | ||
| Total charity funds | 16 | 66,399 | 78,545 |
| ============================ | ============================ |
These financial statements were approved by the board of trustees and authorised for issue on 8 August 2024, and are signed on behalf of the board by:
K Hopkin (Chair) Trustee
The notes on pages 13 to 20 form part of these financial statements.
- 12 -
Doc ID: ce4e83f94e3b23d5e1b3f80ca5baa4fb6b430da3
ecobirmingham
Notes to the Financial Statements
Year ended 31 March 2024
1. General information
The charity is a public benefit entity and a charitable incorporated organisation registered in England and Wales. The address of the principal office is 53 Church Road, Birmingham, B31 2LB.
2. Statement of compliance
These financial statements have been prepared in compliance with FRS 102, 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and the Republic of Ireland', the Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (Charities SORP (FRS 102)) and the Charities Act 2011.
3. Accounting policies
Basis of preparation
The financial statements have been prepared on the historical cost basis, as modified by the revaluation of certain financial assets and liabilities and investment properties measured at fair value through income or expenditure.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the entity.
Going concern
There are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue.
Judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty
The preparation of the financial statements requires management to make judgements, estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported. These estimates and judgements are continually reviewed and are based on experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances.
Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees to further any of the charity's purposes.
Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the trustees for particular future project or commitment.
Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure declared by the donor or through the terms of an appeal, and fall into one of two sub-classes: restricted income funds or endowment funds.
- 13 -
Doc ID: ce4e83f94e3b23d5e1b3f80ca5baa4fb6b430da3
ecobirmingham
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2024
3. Accounting policies (continued)
Incoming resources
All incoming resources are included in the statement of financial activities when entitlement has passed to the charity; it is probable that the economic benefits associated with the transaction will flow to the charity and the amount can be reliably measured. The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income:
-
income from donations or grants is recognised when there is evidence of entitlement to the gift, receipt is probable and its amount can be measured reliably.
-
legacy income is recognised when receipt is probable and entitlement is established.
-
income from donated goods is measured at the fair value of the goods unless this is impractical to measure reliably, in which case the value is derived from the cost to the donor or the estimated resale value. Donated facilities and services are recognised in the accounts when received if the value can be reliably measured. No amounts are included for the contribution of general volunteers.
-
income from contracts for the supply of services is recognised with the delivery of the contracted service. This is classified as unrestricted funds unless there is a contractual requirement for it to be spent on a particular purpose and returned if unspent, in which case it may be regarded as restricted.
Resources expended
Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be fully recovered, and is classified under headings of the statement of financial activities to which it relates:
-
expenditure on raising funds includes the costs of all fundraising activities, events, non-charitable trading activities, and the sale of donated goods.
-
expenditure on charitable activities includes all costs incurred by a charity in undertaking activities that further its charitable aims for the benefit of its beneficiaries, including those support costs and costs relating to the governance of the charity apportioned to charitable activities.
-
other expenditure includes all expenditure that is neither related to raising funds for the charity nor part of its expenditure on charitable activities.
All costs are allocated to expenditure categories reflecting the use of the resource. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs are apportioned between the activities they contribute to on a reasonable, justifiable and consistent basis.
Tangible assets
Tangible assets are initially recorded at cost, and subsequently stated at cost less any accumulated depreciation and impairment losses. Any tangible assets carried at revalued amounts are recorded at the fair value at the date of revaluation less any subsequent accumulated depreciation and subsequent accumulated impairment losses.
- 14 -
Doc ID: ce4e83f94e3b23d5e1b3f80ca5baa4fb6b430da3
ecobirmingham
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2024
3. Accounting policies (continued)
Tangible assets (continued)
An increase in the carrying amount of an asset as a result of a revaluation, is recognised in other recognised gains and losses, unless it reverses a charge for impairment that has previously been recognised as expenditure within the statement of financial activities. A decrease in the carrying amount of an asset as a result of revaluation, is recognised in other recognised gains and losses, except to which it offsets any previous revaluation gain, in which case the loss is shown within other recognised gains and losses on the statement of financial activities.
Depreciation
Depreciation is calculated so as to write off the cost or valuation of an asset, less its residual value, over the useful economic life of that asset as follows:
Fixtures and fittings - 25% straight line
Impairment of fixed assets
A review for indicators of impairment is carried out at each reporting date, with the recoverable amount being estimated where such indicators exist. Where the carrying value exceeds the recoverable amount, the asset is impaired accordingly. Prior impairments are also reviewed for possible reversal at each reporting date.
For the purposes of impairment testing, when it is not possible to estimate the recoverable amount of an individual asset, an estimate is made of the recoverable amount of the cash-generating unit to which the asset belongs. The cash-generating unit is the smallest identifiable group of assets that includes the asset and generates cash inflows that largely independent of the cash inflows from other assets or groups of assets.
For impairment testing of goodwill, the goodwill acquired in a business combination is, from the acquisition date, allocated to each of the cash-generating units that are expected to benefit from the synergies of the combination, irrespective of whether other assets or liabilities of the charity are assigned to those units.
Financial instruments
A financial asset or a financial liability is recognised only when the entity becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at the amount receivable or payable including any related transaction costs, unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where it is recognised at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest for a similar debt instrument.
Current assets and current liabilities are subsequently measured at the cash or other consideration expected to be paid or received and not discounted.
Debt instruments are subsequently measured at amortised cost.
- 15 -
Doc ID: ce4e83f94e3b23d5e1b3f80ca5baa4fb6b430da3
ecobirmingham
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2024
4. Donations and legacies
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total Funds | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funds | Funds | 2024 | |||
| £ | £ | £ | |||
| Donations | |||||
| Donations | 193,616 | 48,632 | 242,248 | ||
| ================================ | ============================ | ================================ | |||
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total Funds | |||
| Funds | Funds | 2023 | |||
| £ | £ | £ | |||
| Donations | |||||
| Donations | 162,688 | 51,500 | 214,188 | ||
| ================================ | ============================ | ================================ | |||
| 5. | Other trading activities | ||||
| Unrestricted | Total Funds | Unrestricted | Total Funds | ||
| Funds | 2024 | Funds | 2023 | ||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Other income from trading activities | 6,374 | 6,374 | 5,687 | 5,687 | |
| ======================= | ======================= | ======================= | ======================= |
Other income from trading activities represents various fundraising events which took place during the financial year and income generated from “Ditch the Desk” corporate events run to promote environmental knowledge.
6. Investment income
| Unrestricted | Total Funds | Unrestricted | Total Funds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funds | 2024 | Funds | 2023 | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Bank interest receivable | 3,068 | 3,068 | 1,271 | 1,271 |
| ======================= | ======================= | ======================= | ======================= | |
| Expenditure on charitable activities | by fund type | |||
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total Funds | ||
| Funds | Funds | 2024 | ||
| £ | £ | £ | ||
| Wages and salaries | 110,956 | 32,024 | 142,980 | |
| Project costs and contract labour | 58,383 | 13,471 | 71,854 | |
| -------------------------------- | ---------------------------- | -------------------------------- | ||
| 169,339 | 45,495 | 214,834 | ||
| ================================ | ============================ | ================================ | ||
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total Funds | ||
| Funds | Funds | 2023 | ||
| £ | £ | £ | ||
| Wages and salaries | 101,987 | 28,969 | 130,956 | |
| Project costs and contract labour | 43,466 | 17,397 | 60,863 | |
| -------------------------------- | ---------------------------- | -------------------------------- | ||
| 145,453 | 46,366 | 191,819 | ||
| ================================ | ============================ | ================================ |
7. Expenditure on charitable activities by fund type
- 16 -
Doc ID: ce4e83f94e3b23d5e1b3f80ca5baa4fb6b430da3
ecobirmingham
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2024
8. Other expenditure
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total Funds | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Funds | Funds | 2024 | |
| £ | £ | £ | |
| Rent and Rates | 8,104 | 2,076 | 10,180 |
| Telecommunications | 4,411 | 1,205 | 5,616 |
| Accounting Services | 6,230 | 1,624 | 7,854 |
| Repairs and Maintenance | 1,985 | 490 | 2,475 |
| Other Expenditure | 8,995 | 2,385 | 11,380 |
| ---------------------------- | ----------------------- | ---------------------------- | |
| 29,725 | 7,780 | 37,505 | |
| ============================ | ======================= | ============================ | |
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total Funds | |
| Funds | Funds | 2023 | |
| £ | £ | £ | |
| Rent and Rates | 9,328 | 3,041 | 12,369 |
| Telecommunications | 4,942 | 1,561 | 6,503 |
| Accounting Services | 5,439 | 1,791 | 7,230 |
| Repairs and Maintenance | 5,359 | 1,750 | 7,109 |
| Other Expenditure | 10,048 | 3,354 | 13,402 |
| ---------------------------- | ---------------------------- | ---------------------------- | |
| 35,116 | 11,497 | 46,613 | |
| ============================ | ============================ | ============================ | |
| Independent examination fees | |||
| 2024 | 2023 | ||
| £ | £ | ||
| Fees payable to the independent examiner for: | |||
| Independent examination of the financial statements | 3,000 | 2,640 | |
| ======================= | ======================= |
9. Independent examination fees
10. Staff costs
The total staff costs and employee benefits for the reporting period are analysed as follows:
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Gross wages | 130,992 | 121,823 |
| Employers national insurance | 4,412 | 3,637 |
| Employers pension | 7,576 | 5,496 |
| ------------------------------- | ------------------------------ | |
| 142,980 | 130,956 | |
| ================================ | ================================ |
The average head count of employees during the year was 7 (2023: 8).
No employee received employee benefits of more than £60,000 during the year (2023: Nil).
11. Trustee remuneration and expenses
No remuneration or other benefits from employment with the charity or a related entity were received by the trustees.
- 17 -
Doc ID: ce4e83f94e3b23d5e1b3f80ca5baa4fb6b430da3
ecobirmingham
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2024
12. Tangible fixed assets
| Fixtures and | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| fittings | |||
| £ | |||
| Cost | |||
| At 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024 | 4,974 | ||
| ======================= | |||
| Depreciation | |||
| At 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024 | 4,974 | ||
| ======================= | |||
| Carrying amount | |||
| At 31 March 2024 | – | ||
| ======================= | |||
| At 31 March 2023 | – | ||
| ======================= | |||
| 13. | Debtors | ||
| 2024 | 2023 | ||
| £ | £ | ||
| Trade debtors | 2,331 | 376 |
|
| Prepayments and accrued income | 501 | 380 |
|
| Other debtors | – | 235 |
|
| ----------------------- | -------------- | ||
| 2,832 | 991 |
||
| ======================= | ============== | ||
| 14. | Creditors: amounts falling due within one year | ||
| 2024 | 2023 | ||
| £ | £ | ||
| Accruals and deferred income | 61,083 | 100,233 |
|
| Other creditors | 2,962 | – |
|
| ---------------------------- | -------------------------------- | ||
| 64,045 | 100,233 |
||
| ============================ | ================================ |
15. Deferred income
There is £55,833 (2023: £95,833) of deferred income included within creditors falling due within one year. Grant income relating to a specific time period is spread evenly in line with the accounting standard. Deferred income relates to grant income received during the year which has been awarded to ecobirmingham that spans a period of time exceeding this year end.
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Deferred Income brought forward | 95,833 | 78,845 |
| Amounts released to Statement of Financial Activity | (95,833) | (78,845) |
| Amounts deferred in year | 55,833 | 95,833 |
| Deferred income carried forward | 55,833 | 95,833 |
- 18 -
Doc ID: ce4e83f94e3b23d5e1b3f80ca5baa4fb6b430da3
ecobirmingham
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2024
16. Analysis of charitable funds
Unrestricted funds
| At | At | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 April 2023 | Income | Expenditure | Transfers | 31 March 2024 | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Unrestricted general | - | 11,250 | - | - | 11,250 |
| Designated funds | 77,887 | 191,808 | (209,393) | (5,297) | 55,005 |
| -------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | |
| Total unrestricted funds | 77,887 | 203,058 | (209,393) | (5,297) | 66,255 |
| ============================ | ================================ | ================================ | ======================= | ============================ | |
| At | At | ||||
| 1 April 2022 | Income | Expenditure | Transfers | 31 March 2023 | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Designated funds | 107,431 | 169,646 | (187,735) | (11,455) | 77,887 |
| ================================ | ================================ | ================================ | ============================ | ============================ |
In general, all income received by the charity is designated to a specific fund by the Trustees.
During this financial year the Trustees agreed that it would be useful to build up a reserve of unrestricted general funds, and therefore income received in respect of a new unrestricted grant provided by the Postcode Local Trust will be not be designated by the Trustees going forward.
Restricted funds
| Restricted funds | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At | At | ||||
| 1 April 2023 | Income | Expenditure | Transfers | 31 March 2024 |
|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Restricted Grant | |||||
| Funding | 658 | 48,632 | (54,443) | 5,297 | 144 |
| ============== | ============================ | ============================ | ======================= | ============== | |
| At | At | ||||
| 1 April 2022 | Income | Expenditure | Transfers | 31 March 2023 |
|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Restricted Grant | |||||
| Funding | – | 51,500 | (62,297) | 11,455 | 658 |
| ============== | ============================ | ============================ | ============================ | ============== | |
| Restricted funds are | summarised below: | ||||
| At 1 April | At 31 March | ||||
| 2023 | Income | Expenditure | Transfers | 2024 | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Core | – | 15,000 | (14,856) | – | 144 |
| Active travel | 658 | 10,000 | (10,935) | 277 | – |
| National grid | – | 9,997 | (10,495) | 498 | – |
| Creative learning | – | 7,000 | (9,404) | 2,404 | – |
| Food Legends | – | 6,635 | (8,753) | 2,118 | – |
| -------------- | ---------------------------- | ---------------------------- | ----------------------- | -------------- | |
| 658 | 48,632 | (54,443) | 5,297 | 144 | |
| ============== | ============================ | ============================ | ======================= | ============== | |
| At 1 April | At 31 March | ||||
| 2022 | Income | Expenditure | Transfers | 2023 | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Core | – | 40,000 | (49,747) | 9,747 | – |
| Active travel | – | 7,500 | (6,842) | – | 658 |
| Creative learning | – | 4,000 | (5,708) | 1,708 | – |
| -------------- | ---------------------------- | ---------------------------- | ---------------------------- | -------------- | |
| – | 51,500 | (62,297) | 11,455 | 658 | |
| ============== | ============================ | ============================ | ============================ | ============== |
- 19 -
Doc ID: ce4e83f94e3b23d5e1b3f80ca5baa4fb6b430da3
ecobirmingham
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)
Year ended 31 March 2024
17. Designated funds
Designated funds cover Core Activities, Active Travel, Creative Learning, Sustainability Advice, Food and Growing and Energy.
18. Analysis of net assets between funds
| Unrestricted | Designated | Restricted | Total Funds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | Funds | Funds | 2024 | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Current assets | 45,000 | 84,732 | 712 | 130,444 |
| Creditors less than 1 year | (33,750) | (29,727) | (568) | (64,045) |
| -------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | -------------- | -------------------------------- | |
| Net assets | 11,250 | 55,005 | 144 | 66,399 |
| ================================ | ================================ | ============== | ================================ | |
| Unrestricted | Designated | Restricted | Total Funds | |
| General | Funds | Funds | 2023 | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Current assets | - | 178,120 | 658 | 178,778 |
| Creditors less than 1 year | - | (100,233) | – | (100,233) |
| -------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | -------------- | -------------------------------- | |
| Net assets | - | 77,887 | 658 | 78,545 |
| ================================ | ================================ | ============== | ================================ |
19. Related parties
There is a separate property lease in place for the premises occupied by ecobirmingham which has a commercial market rent of £9,000 per annum payable to Central England Quakers.
Central England Quakers also made total donations of £20,000 to ecobirmingham CIO during the reporting period from their main grant fund.
- 20 -
Doc ID: ce4e83f94e3b23d5e1b3f80ca5baa4fb6b430da3