DARLINGTON LIONS CLUB
CHARITABLE INCORPORATED ORGANISATION
ANNUAL REPORT and ACCOUNTS For the year ended 30 June 2025
Charity Number 1179241
Darlington Lions Club CIO
Charity Number 1179241 Trustees Report for the year ended 30 June 2025
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Trustees
The trustees holding office during the year were:-
Name Position P De Martino President A. Duncan Secretary J De Martino Treasurer
Structure, Governance and Management
The Lions Club of Darlington is constituted as a CIO under the auspices of the International Association of Lions Clubs.
Trustees are elected annually by the members of Darlington Lions Club.
During the period under review there were no serious incidents that were required to be reported to the Charities Commission
The club collects money from the public by way of ‘bucket collections’ mainly at local supermarkets, by appeals, sales from the club’s second-hand bookshop and by promoting events such as concerts. The club does not employ professional fundraisers. The club does not receive any income from contracts. The club reviews its financial controls on an ongoing basis.
All members of the club are ‘DBS’ checked.
Principal Address
1 Broadmeadows, Darlington, DL3 8SP
Objects
-
Promoting the principles of good citizenship;
-
Encouraging members to take an active interest in the civic, cultural, social and moral welfare of the community;
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Providing a forum for the open discussion of all matters of public interest; provided that partisan politics and sectarian religion shall not be debated by members;
-
Encouraging service-minded people to serve their community without personal reward and encouraging the promotion of high ethical standards in commerce, industry, professions, public works and private endeavours;
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Supporting youth to develop their skills, capacities and capabilities to enable them to participate in society as mature and responsible individuals;
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Promoting the Voluntary Sector for the public benefit by associating with local authorities in a common effort to advance education and provide facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation or other leisure time occupation to improve the conditions of life of people in local, national and international communities;
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Promoting volunteering;
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The relief of poverty and the relief of those in need in particular by providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief;
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The advancement of health or the saving of lives by preventing avoidable blindness, assisting disabled people to lead independent lives or helping to prevent or manage health issues;
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Promoting for the benefit of the public the conservation protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment;
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Promoting community participation in healthy recreation.
Main Activities
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The provision of grants to individuals.
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The provision of activities for the underprivileged and disadvantaged including Christmas parcels, and trips to adventure play parks.
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Support by way of grants of other local charities to enable them to achieve their objectives. These charities include those working to support the homeless and those in need including a local food bank and charities working to support disabled children.
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Support of specific overseas and international charities, specifically for the provision of education, the provision of clean water, the cure of eye problems and general humanitarian relief through the Lions International Charitable Foundation. In addition, surplus children’s books are sent to Sri Lanka for use in schools there.
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The promotion of mental and physical health by way of donations to medical and mental health charities including The Listening Post, Age UK, Darlington Men’s Shed and the provision of PSA tests for prostate cancer.
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The promotion of physical activity by sponsoring various dance groups, a local bowls club, a youth basketball team and sport in general.
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The recycling of glasses and hearing aids.
Public Benefit
The trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charities Commission on public benefit.
Achievements and Performance
The main achievements of the charity are set out under the main activities above and in the Financial Statements. The club also holds regular recruitment events and has an active facebook page.
Financial Review
Details of the financial position of the charity are set out in the charity’s financial statements. In the period under review the financial position is considered to be satisfactory with a surplus carried forward of £5,769.
The club’s main fundraising activities are concerts and supermarket collections together with sales from the club’s second-hand bookshop.
During the year a Prostate cancer screening and an event was held in conjunction at the Masonic Hall in Darlington with assistance from the Graham Fulford Charitable Trust and PSA Stockport.
The reserve policy of the charity is to carry forward between £500 and £1,000 to cover expenditure in the early part of the year before fund raising activities have fully started. The increase in reserves over and above the charity’s normal policy is to cover anticipated costs early in the next financial year.
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The club does not receive any income from outside of England & Wales. Similarly, it does not operate outside of these countries. However, it does support UK based charities operating overseas. During the year £500 was donated for the provision of schooling for destitute children in India, £500 for Eye Camps in India, £500 for the provision of clean water and toilets in Tanzania, £500 to an appeal for wood burning stoves in the Ukraine and £500 for general disaster relief.
The club does not have any trading subsidiaries.
The trustees of the club did not receive any remuneration from the club other than the reimbursement of expenses incurred.
The club does not have any employees and all running costs of the club are met by the members of the club who numbered 23 at the end of the financial year.
The trustees consider the charity to be a going concern going forward as expenditure is matched to income and the club does not enter into long-term commitments.
Declarations
The trustees declare that they have approved the above report.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Name D Pinnegar Position President Date 15 October 2025
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Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Darlington Lions Club Charitable Incorporated Organisation (‘the CIO’)
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the CIO for the year ended 30 June 2025.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the CIO you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’). I report in respect of my examination of the CIO’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act. In carrying out my examination I have followed all applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
Independent examiner’s statement- matter of concern identified
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 as required by section 130 of the Act; or 2. The accounts do not accord with those records.
I confirm that there are no other matters to which your attention should be drawn to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Name: Frederick Bowes Thompson Address: 17, Bryan Close, Hurworth, Darlington, DL2 2JJ Date: 15 September 2025
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Darlington Lions Club Receipts & Payments Account - Year Ending 30 June 2025
| Year Ending 30 June 2025 | Year Ending 30 June 2025 | Year Ending 30 June 2025 | 30/06/24 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restricted | Unrestricted | Total | |||
| Admin | Charity | Charity | |||
| Receipts | £ | £ | £ | £ |
£ |
| Bookshop | 0.00 | 0.00 |
42,706.77 |
42,706.77 |
38,922 |
| Bucket Collections | 0.00 | 1,673.52 |
36.45 |
1,709.97 |
2,920 |
| Donations Received | 1,490.08 | 100.00 |
1,048.07 |
2,638.15 |
2,705 |
| Football Buster | 300.00 | 0.00 |
0.00 |
300.00 |
300 |
| Fund Raising Events | 0.00 | 2,998.90 |
0.00 |
2,998.90 |
1,530 |
| Interest Received | 0.00 | 0.00 |
122.73 |
122.73 |
102 |
| PSA Testing | 0.00 | 2,472.15 |
0.00 |
2,472.15 |
638 |
| Raffles | 105.30 | 0.00 |
0.00 |
105.30 |
637 |
| Social Events | 2,388.00 | 0.00 |
0.00 |
2,388.00 |
2,074 |
| Sundry Income | 77.00 | 0.00 |
34.20 |
111.20 |
0 |
| Swimathon | 0.00 | 0.00 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
413 |
| Total Receipts | 4,360.38 | 7,244.57 |
43,948.22 |
55,553.17 |
50,241 |
| Payments | |||||
| Bookshop Costs | 0.00 | 0.00 |
11,083.16 |
11,083.16 |
12,241 |
| Christmas Food Parcels | 0.00 | 558.98 |
1,577.88 |
2,136.85 |
2,214 |
| Club Dues | 1,678.41 | 0.00 |
0.00 | 1,678.41 |
1,943 |
| Donations | 0.00 | 3,185.69 |
25,746.81 |
28,932.50 |
27,831 |
| Finance Charges | 0.00 | 0.00 |
174.03 |
174.03 |
125 |
| Fund Raising Costs | 0.00 | 927.75 |
0.00 |
927.75 |
450 |
| Holidays, Outings, Parties & Teas | 0.00 | 0.00 |
2,388.10 | 2,388.10 |
1,368 |
| Insurance | 22.40 | 0.00 |
70.00 |
92.40 |
44 |
| President's Honorarium | 200.00 | 0.00 |
0.00 |
200.00 |
0 |
| PSA Testing | 0.00 | 2,472.15 |
2,434.18 |
4,906.33 |
1,172 |
| Social Events | 2,247.50 | 0.00 |
0.00 |
2,247.50 |
1,899 |
| Sundry Expenses | 190.73 | 100.00 |
715.94 |
1,006.67 |
586 |
| Total Payments | 4,339.04 | 7,244.57 |
44,190.09 |
55,773.70 |
49,872 |
| Surplus (deficit) for the year | 21.34 | 0.00 |
241.87 | 220.53 |
369 |
| Balance 30 Jun 24 | 675.91 | 0.00 |
5,313.43 |
5,989.34 |
5,620 |
| Balance 30 June 25 | 697.25 | 0.00 |
5,071.56 |
5,768.81 |
5,989 |
Darlington Lions Club Statement of Assets & Liabilities as at 30 June 2025
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| 30/06/2025 | 30/06/24 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | ||
| ASSETS | |||
| Bank Balances | 5,151.31 | 5,539 |
|
| Cash Balances | Cash in hand | 617.50 | 451 |
| Bookshop Float | 27.00 | 23 |
|
| Debtors | 714.51 | 172 |
|
| Total Assets | 6,510.32 | 6,184 |
|
| LIABILITIES | |||
| Creditors | 529.99 | 101 |
|
| Net Assets | 5,980.33 | 6,083 |
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