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2023-03-31-accounts

Annual report and accounts

1 April 2022 — 31 March 2023

Birmingham Community Matters (BCM) is a charity registered in England & Wales: 1179442.

Everyone has something to learn and everyone has something to teach

Birmingham Community Matters

Annual report and accounts 1 April 2022 — 31 March 2023

Birmingham Community Matters (BCM) is a charity registered in England and Wales: 1179442.

Registered office: Stirchley Baths, 2—4 Bournville Lane, Stirchley, Birmingham B30 2JT

Supported by

info@birminghamcommunitymatters.org.uk

www.birminghamcommunitymatters.org.uk

@brummatters

/birminghamcommunitymatters

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Contents

5 Welcome

Welcome

6 Our visions and mission 7 Our objects 8 What we do

9 How we help

10 Our values

12 Our core work

16 Neighbourhood Network Schemes 18 Celebrating Communities 20 Local Visions: Birmingham’s Neighbourhood Planning Toolkit 22 Case study: Arts All Over The Place

23 Case study: Kings Heath Action for Refugees

24 Structure, Governance & Management

Our people

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27 Our partners 28 Financial review 29 Accounts 31 Report of the Independent Examiner

In 2022, BCM - like many community organisations - was able to look up from the pandemic and begin to see what ‘normal’ looks like again.

We were glad to start bringing back our key face-to-face activities – where aspiring and more experienced community activists could meet again in person.

We had learned, from our pandemic experience, how to add online support to our services – while maintaining our ‘coffee and a chat’ ethos for helping communities achieve the change they want to see.

Throughout the pandemic we had seen increased demand for BCM’s services - and this has continued. It has been possible for us to meet that need because of the support we have received from The National Lottery Community Fund (TNLCF), Birmingham City Council and our other funders.

We are really pleased to be able to say that TNLCF granted us continued funding from January 2023. This has enabled us to increase the staff team so that we can continue to develop new services in more

neighbourhoods. We have also welcomed new trustees as we continue to seek to broaden and diversify our board.

Our original plan, back in the pre-pandemic days, was to concentrate on forming partnerships with existing community organisations, who could host BCM services in familiar venues for their communities.

This came to a quick end with the lockdowns but with the new funding we are looking forward to forging these partnerships for the benefit of our communities.

Looking ahead: through our relationships with small and micro groups, and our partners, we are continuing to develop the understanding of how the community sector in Birmingham works. And crucially, listening to what our communities want to achieve and what support they need to see change happen.

Emma Woolf MBE, Chair of Trustees

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Our organisation

Our vision

Voluntary and community action is encouraged and celebrated in our city, with people empowered to make change happen – no matter how small. Ideas flourish and Birmingham communities grow stronger and more connected.

Our mission

Birmingham Community Matters aims to boost the development and sustainability of small voluntary and community groups in and around Birmingham. Our peer support and learning network inspires people into action and gives them space to share their skills, knowledge and experience.

We call our approach ‘peer support and learning’, as our volunteer BCM helpers support people as equals, rather than as experts. They don’t give advice or answers and they nearly always end up discovering something too.

Our objects

BCM is established to promote the voluntary sector and promote the efficiency and effectiveness of other charitable organisations for the benefit of the public in the area of Birmingham and immediate surrounding areas by:

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What we do

We see that micro and small community organisations are uniquely placed to identify and serve the needs of their communities. Whether tackling specific challenges or seizing opportunities, they have the local insight and relationships to make the changes they want to see.

We believe that all the strengths needed to build strong and sustainable small and voluntary groups exist among the volunteers of groups themselves. Our role is to facilitate networking and exchange between volunteers across Birmingham to spread their knowledge, goodwill, inspiration and resources even more widely.

We champion volunteers and volunteering. We seek to bring people together as peers to exchange knowledge, information, experiences and contacts, and to nurture a city of skilled volunteers.

We support and work with Birmingham-based partners who share our interest in developing strong local networks that support communities and bring about positive change in our city.

How we help

We achieve our objectives by:

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Our values

Thoughtful

People come first. We are compassionate towards one another and our supportive working culture encourages us to be compassionate to ourselves as individuals and to model that style of working to the groups we support. We embed inclusivity and accessibility into everything we do.

Listening

Our peer support and peer learning model reflect the value we place in each person’s knowledge and experience. We seek to nurture a diverse team of employees, associates, BCM helpers and trustees, valuing the different worldview that every individual brings.

Adaptable

We are open to new opportunities, thoughts, and ways of doing things. We respond to the needs of the people and groups we support, as well as the changing needs of communities. We are innovative in our approach to reaching people, and keep our working systems flexible so we can react quickly to new situations — and we never assume we’ve got everything right.

Empowering

We are generous with our knowledge, connections and experience. We work with people to explore what their next step should be, rather than telling them what to do. We are comfortable with not having the answer straight away, taking an iterative approach to solving problems.

Authentic

We foster a culture of openness, sharing our failures as well as celebrating our achievements. We view mistakes as part of being human – and a vital way of learning. This frees us to try new things, ‘fail fast’ if needed, and find more effective ways forward.

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During the year, across all our different projects, we supported a total of 242 existing or start-up voluntary groups

Our core work

Delivering peer support and learning for small voluntary and community groups across Birmingham

This year followed a time of change for BCM, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We had adapted to bring peer support and learning to small and micro voluntary groups through a mixture of face-to-face and online delivery.

We continued to operate with a staff team of two (with support from one part-time associate), while our trustees worked with staff to consider what BCM’s future structure should look like.

During this period, we held regular drop-in sessions online for any group wishing to talk through their ideas and challenges with BCM helpers. We supported more organisations through online one-to-one sessions and small group sessions. Our reach across Birmingham grew as a result.

Our return to in-person events was slower than we had anticipated. Demand for our help had grown, and the needs of groups had changed. Our community partners were also adapting: seeking to help with new challenges within their local communities while experiencing challenges of their own.

“I am now at a level ten in confidence in being able to move forward with my group. You helped me by explaining the different structures I could take for my idea and made me feel at ease about taking it slow if I needed to, though at the same time making me feel reassured that there is help available if and when I need it. I am very happy BCM exists!” - from someone exploring setting up a charity focusing on maternal health and wellbeing

During the period we supported 100 individuals and group representatives across Birmingham

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41

groups supported through 18 online sessons

groups were supported through one to one online sessions with a volunteer

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23 groups had help from a skilled volunteer at an in-person event

further groups supported with information and resources, either on email or telephone

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Our core work

We ask people we help about their ‘confidence to take next steps’ before and after our help.

We were pleased to host ‘meet the funder’ events with representatives from the Severn Trent Community Fund, easyfundraising and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. We held information events for groups interested in Localism - namely on the topics of Community Asset Transfer and Assets of Community Value. We also ran an online ‘Learn about: grant fundraising’ workshop.

On average, people report a

68.8% increase in confidence levels

Resuming in-person events has been a highlight for us all

Working alongside partner organisations to enhance and complement their work is key to our approach, so we were delighted to run support sessions at events organised by the Birmingham LGBT Centre, the Birmingham Warm Welcome Network, Get Grants, the Severn Trent Community Fund and the West Midlands Funders Network.

We were also glad to return to Soho Community Hall, Stirchley Baths and The Old Post Office, and hold sessions in the new-tous venues of West Heath Community Centre and Ward End Wellbeing Centre.

We are very grateful to the National Lottery Community Fund Reaching Communities England programme for supporting our work - and for renewing this support in December 2022.

We are also grateful for the contribution of Severn Trent Community Fund, the Dulverton Trust via the Heart of England Community Foundation, the Lillie C Johnson Foundation, the CB Taylor and HH Taylor 1984 Trust and the Grimmitt Trust for their contributions to support our core work.

We recorded the legal structure of the groups for whom we delivered more in-depth support:

----- Start of picture text -----
Groups
supported
by BCM
Charitable Incorporated Individual: 12%
Organisation (CIO): 8% Informal group
Community interest without governing
company (CIC): 15% document: 11%
Constituted group/ Other: 8%
unincorporated Registered charity: 18%
association: 28%
Support
needs on first
contact
Exploring: 6% Organisational
Financial: 1% development: 14%
Other: 1%
----- End of picture text -----

Policies and procedures: 3%

How we supported these groups

The most common topics we supported people with were:

Governance

Including choosing a legal structure for groups relative to their size and purpose; steps to constituting a group or registering as a CIO

Getting started

Exploring ideas, learning about how to run voluntary groups, thinking about getting others involved

Fundraising

Identifying funding needs, searching for funders, making strong applications, thinking about managing grants and funding

Financial

Managing money in and out, putting together budgets (*a lot of help with budgets was included in Fundraising category)

Organisational development

Exploring the planning and development stages of a group, policies and procedures.

Marketing

Such as managing social media, setting up a simple website or promoting groups

Partnerships and Networks

Linking with other similar groups, engagement with local networks and useful contacts.

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Neighbourhood Network Schemes

Helping to boost the sustainability and effectiveness of small groups for people aged over 50 (and younger adults with additional needs)

Neighbourhood Network Schemes (NNS) in Birmingham work to strengthen communities and help older adults in our city to lead happy, active, healthy lives. They also support younger adults who have additional needs.

One strand of NNS work is giving help and small grants to boost local community groups, recognising their vital role in connecting people and helping to tackle isolation and loneliness. These groups hold events and run services that promote active lifestyles and togetherness.

Each constituency in Birmingham has a lead organisation that is responsible for developing its local NNS. In the Selly Oak and Perry Barr constituencies, that lead organisation is Birmingham City Council’s Neighbourhood Development and Support Unit (NDSU). We’ve been pleased to work with the NDSU to understand the specific needs of both those constituencies, and to develop bespoke packages of support for local groups.

In the period covered by this annual report, we have:

We have also worked with Birmingham Settlement, the lead agency for Ladywood NNS, to run a set of funding surgeries. At these one-to-one sessions, delivered by a BCM team member, we supported groups with developing and defining projects, and showing how to bring together a successful funding proposal.

©Jesse Gerald Photography

“We needed help with learning how to record our income and completing funding application forms, including support in how to write them. The help we received from BCM was communicated across so easily. Staff are pleasant, understanding and helpful and recognised the needs of our group. We received step-by-step guidance and the information was broken down for us into an understandable format. Since working with BCM we have found it easier to budget for the year. The help with funding applications has enabled us to feel confident with completing applications in the future” - Old Oscott Elders

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Celebrating Communities

Helping small and micro groups bring their projects and activities to life, in celebration of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

In 2021/22 we were delighted to support 280 groups in applying for Celebrating Communities grants. This was Birmingham City Council’s fund to help community organisations hold events to celebrate the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. In partnership with Locality, we gave application and planning guidance to prospective applicants through workshops and webinars. We created an application handbook and added a resources page to our website.

In 2022/23 we were pleased to continue this partnership by supporting the groups which had received a grant. This time, we helped them with mobilising their plans in the run-up to the Games.

From April to June 2022, we ran online peer support sessions to help groups explore key considerations in planning and running their celebratory events. We held seventeen sessions and 76 different groups attended them.

The topics we covered included:

“We loved being involved with this fund, which accompanied a once-in-a-lifetime event for Birmingham and helped to carry the excitement and energy of the Commonwealth Games into smaller community events and activities across the city. During our delivery, we got to know a huge range of small groups doing innovative, inspiring work around the themes of the fund: ‘Getting Active’, ‘Ready, Steady, Fun’ and ‘Celebrating Culture’. Seeing their projects come to life reinforced BCM’s belief that community groups have so much power to tackle social isolation, get people moving, bring people together of different ages and backgrounds, and generally make Birmingham an even better place to live” — Jo Burrill, BCM’s CEO

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local visions

Birmingham’s Neighbourhood Planning Toolkit

A collaborative project with Locality, for Birmingham City Council (BCC)

We know many residents and community groups are interested in the possibilities within the planning process to improve neighbourhoods, protect buildings and green spaces, and care for the environment. In the past we have held workshops on Assets of Community Value and Community Asset Transfer with BCC’s Neighbourhood Development and Support Unit. Attendees showed us how wonderfully placed local people and groups are to recognise what’s important to their communities and to come together to look after them.

Building on this work, we were delighted to partner with Locality on a project for BCC, as part of the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities’ Neighbourhood Planning Pilots Programme. Together we created a resource to make people aware of the possibilities in Neighbourhood Planning and give them a step-by-step guide to bringing their community together to draft, refine and bring into policy a Neighbourhood Plan (NP).

Our collaboration and the resulting website (toolkit) are called Local Visions: www.localvisions.co.uk.

With the Local Visions Neighbourhood Planning Toolkit, we are proud to have turned complex planning information into easy-to-understand guidance to help people in Birmingham:

While offering inspiration and encouragement, the toolkit also conveys the limitations of Neighbourhood Planning. It suggests alternative mechanisms for making change happen, and ways to bring a local community together to consider people’s wishes for the future.

BCM’s role in Local Visions

BCM’s role in the project included gathering and creating content (words, imagery and videos) and building the website. We worked with people who have already embarked on a Neighbourhood Planning journey in Birmingham to capture their stories in order to strengthen the toolkit.

Thank you to those people in Balsall Heath, Beeches, Booths and Barr (3Bs), Jewellery Quarter, Small Heath and Soho and Handsworth for their valuable insight.

“We commissioned the fantastic, highly skilled BCM Team to work with us and develop the online Birmingham Neighbourhood Planning Toolkit – enabling communities to access accurate, accessible and clear information, in an engaging format, about how they can be utilised to improve local areas. www.localvisions.com is the result and we are delighted, as are local residents and partners who have used it so far. This was a key part of our Dept Levelling Up Housing and Communities funded Neighbourhood Planning pilot programme in Birmingham. BCM (working with Locality as a delivery partnership) were professional, flexible, creative and responsive. They worked constructively in partnership with us and residents who are developing, or already have, a Neighbourhood Plan – to capture their input including via short films. Highly recommended!” — NDSU Team, Birmingham City Council

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Case study: Arts All Over The Place (AAOTP)

We give ongoing support to AAOTP, having helped the management committee to register the group as a charity

Since 2007, AAOTP has been providing community arts projects, exhibitions and engagement events for adults with mental health problems in Birmingham.

Over several sessions, BCM worked with Cathy and team to explore AAOTP’s governance and make the necessary updates needed to satisfy the Charity Commission’s criteria for awarding charity status. Taking this time and care gave AAOTP’s management committee the chance to work through all registration documents and understand how best to run AAOTP as a charity.

AAOTP celebrates the creative talents of people who have (or who have had) mental health problems across all arts, as well as promoting the value of the arts in mental health recovery.

In 2017, AAOTP’s chair Cathy Crossley attended a BCM session in Balsall Heath.

With BCM’s support, AAOTP successfully registered as a CIO in June 2018.

Cathy explained that the management committee wanted to register AAOTP as a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) but had received feedback from the Charity Commission about refinements needed to its governing document and objects.

Since then, AAOTP has sought BCM’s support on a range of further matters – for example, in defining trustee roles, planning for the recruitment of staff, and accessing funding to cover its core costs.

“I always get a friendly welcome, and a listening ear from someone who understands our issues and can suggest a positive way forward. It means a lot to know I can go and discuss the issues without judgement and have free help to move Arts all Over The Place onwards so we can continue to serve our community” - Cathy Crossley, AAOTP

Case study: Kings Heath Action for Refugees

We helped this Kings Heath group with preparations for becoming a charity

Started in 2015, Kings Heath Action for Refugees (KHAR) works with local individuals, groups and schools to help refugees. KHAR delivers community fundraising events, promotes awareness, and gives befriending, support and solidarity for refugees and asylum seekers living in Birmingham, and for people seeking safe passage across Europe.

From this conversation emerged the fact that KHAR had a pool of potential trustees with the right experience to carry out additional reporting.

After deciding alongside KHAR’s management committee that becoming a CIO (charitable incorporated organisation – a charity) was the right choice for KHAR, Lucy returned for another chat with BCM. This time Lucy met BCM helper Chris, who has specialist experience and interest in charity registration, operations and governance. Chris and Lucy looked at the difference between CIO foundation and association models. They worked through ways to decide on objects that are charitable and fit within the criteria set down by Charity Commission. Lucy went away to draft KHAR’s objects and governing document, and Chris later reviewed them and made further suggestions.

KHAR’s chair Lucy contacted BCM when the community group was considering the idea of registering as a charity. One of KHAR’s partner organisations was closing, which was set to have a big impact on KHAR. Lucy wanted to know what becoming a charity would mean for KHAR regarding its operations, as well as extra administration and reporting responsibilities.

Lucy met with BCM helper Emma, who has a deep understanding of the various legal structures of community organisations.

Lucy and the team secured charity status for KHAR in 2022.

Together they explored the pros and cons of registering KHAR as a charity.

“BCM have been invaluable as always. Their support has really helped us get to where we need to be. We’re very lucky to have access to a free service” — Lucy, Kings Heath Action for Refugees

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----- Start of picture text -----
Structure, governance
and management
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----- End of picture text -----

Our people

BCM is registered as a charitable incorporated organisation (Association CIO) with the Charity Commission. Our board of trustees has responsibility for BCM’s policies, its strategic direction and priority. It also has full financial and legal responsibilities for BCM, its staff, activities, services, contracts and assets.

Thank you to our trustees who served BCM during the period covered by this report:

Emma Woolf MBE, Chair Helga Edström OBE, Vice Chair Dipali Chandra, Treasurer Chris Bonnard Sandra Cooper Emma Macpherson David Broome (co-opted 12 January 2023) Denise Peach (co-opted 12 January 2023).

Thank you also to our core team:

Jo Burrill, Chief Executive Becky Coley, Project Officer - North and East Birmingham AD, Operations Support Officer Claire Johnson, Project Officer - South and West Birmingham Mansukh Kaur Dhillon, Delivery Support Administrator Marie Kreft, freelance marketing and communications Kerry Leslie, freelance graphic design and administration Rob Jones, associate.

BCM helpers

We are hugely grateful for the dedication and knowledge of our BCM helpers – the people who work with us on a voluntary basis to give one-to-one peer support to small and emerging community groups across Birmingham. We truly appreciate the time they give, their ability to truly listen, and their generosity in sharing their experience and contacts to make a difference.

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----- Start of picture text -----
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----- End of picture text -----

Our partners

Thank you to those senior officers from Birmingham City Council, especially colleagues from the Neighbourhood Development and Support Unit, who have provided invaluable support to our trustees and staff. Their insight gives us strategic context to the development of BCM across Birmingham.

Our work aligns with grantmaking in the region, from the National Lottery, Heart of England Community Foundation, Heritage Lottery Fund, Severn Trent Community Fund and the Neighbourhood Development Support Unit within Birmingham City Council. We have benefited from their support, their insight into the state of the sector, and their trust in us when referring groups for help.

We are grateful to our colleagues in other infrastructure and capacity-building support organisations for being BCM’s crucial supporters and collaborators.

We have also been pleased to work with the following organisations to deliver activities that support voluntary and community groups in Birmingham:

Thank you (in alphabetical order):

Birmingham LGBT

Age Concern B8 Network Birmingham LGBT Birmingham Settlement CASE at Soho Community Hall Gateway Family Services Holloway Hall Community Association Kingstanding Regeneration Trust Northfield Community Partnership The Old Post Office, Stirchley Spring Housing Stirchley Baths Stirchley Community Market Thrive

Birmingham Open Spaces Forum Birmingham Voluntary Sector Council (BVSC) Bournville Village Trust Coalition for Efficiency (which closed in spring 2023 and is already missed) Digital Neighbourhood Network Scheme Institute for Social Entrepreneurs LawWorks

Locality

Neighbourhood Support and Development Unit at Birmingham City Council Pilotlight

Sandwell Council of Voluntary Organisations (SCVO)

Ward End Wellbeing Centre West Heath Community Centre.

Sport Birmingham West Midlands Funders Network.

We are grateful for financial contributions to our work from:

National Lottery Community Fund Reaching Communities England Selly Oak Neighbourhood Network Scheme Perry Bar Neighbourhood Network Scheme Locality

Birmingham City Council’s Neighborhood Development Support Unit Severn Trent Community Fund

Lillie Johnson Charitable Trust The Grimmit Trust CB and HH Taylor 1984 Trust The WE Dunn Charitable Trust

The Dulverton Trust, via Heart of England Community Foundation.

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Accounts

Financial review

Our reserves policy

BCM has a reserves policy which is reviewed every 24 months. The latest policy was reviewed and approved on Saturday 8 April 2022. The current reserves policy is to hold as free reserves a level equivalent to eight weeks outgoing resources for critical operations plus redundancy costs for existing staff. For the period 2022/2023 this would be a total of £12,500 as a total. Based on BCM’s budget for 2023/2024, a minimum designated reserve of £20,977 is required. Actual free reserves are £42,432, which is slightly in excess of policy.

Responsibilities of trustees

Trustees are responsible for preparing BCM’s annual report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards. The duty to file accounts and the trustees’ annual report with the commission applies to all CIOs, irrespective of income.

Trustees are required to prepare financial statements for each financial year in order to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of BCM as a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) and of the income and expenditure including the income and expenditure of the charity for that period.

In preparing these statements, the trustees are required to:

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the CIO and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011. The trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the CIO and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Receipts and payments accounts for the year ended 31 March 2023

Un-restricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total 2023
Total 2022
Receipts
£
£
£
£
Grants
-
131,418
131,418
127,211
Other income
31,500
-
31,500
11,440		 Un-restricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total 2023
Total 2022
Receipts
£
£
£
£
Grants
-
131,418
131,418
127,211
Other income
31,500
-
31,500
11,440
Total receipts 31,500
131,418
162,918
138,651
Payments
Salaries and staff costs
Administrator’s fees
Staff recruitment
Staff travel & subsistence
Staff training & development
Consultancy/partner costs
Fundraising Support
HR Support
Evaluation
Volunteer costs
Venue hire
Marketing
Website
Offce costs
Insurance
Equipment
Independent Examiners Fee
Bookkeeping/Accountancy
Bank charges
Total payments
Net receipts over payments
Cash funds last year end
Transfers
Cash funds this year end		 4,824
53,520
58,344
45,683
-
-
15,019
1,024
15,019
1,024
12,200
-
122
445
567
714
-
568
568
1,263
8,850
22,881
31,731
25,791
1,860
-
1,860
-
1,655
-
1,655
-
-
175
175
950
-
-
-
72
120
487
607
329
-
10,929
10,929
11,504
5,141
5,853
10,994
3,007
316
3,589
3,905
2,483
-
307
307
475
-
606
606
185
-
575
575
550
-
4,248
4,248
3,064
-
72
72
72
22,888
120,298
143,186
108,342
8,612
11,120
19,732
30,309
33,965
36,375
70,340
40,031
(145)
42,432
145
47,640
-
90,072
-
70,340

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29

Accounts

Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the year

Un- Restricted Total funds Total funds
restricted funds 31/3/23 31/3/22
funds
10.1 Cash funds £ £ £ £
Bank balances 42,432 47,640 90,072 70,340
10.2 Restricted fund Fund Receipts Payments Transfers Fund
balances balance at
1/4/2022		 balance at
31/3/2023
£ £ £ £
National Lottery Reaching 19,853 35,734 (55,632) 45 -
Communities 2019-2022
National Lottery Reaching
Communities 2022-2025		 - 41,204 (15,754) - 25,450
Selly Oak Neighbourhood
Network Scheme		 2,722 18,330 (21,152) 100 -
Perry Barr Neighbourhood 8,800 - (14,574) - (5,774)
Network Scheme
Northfeld Neighbourhood
Network Scheme		 - 10,000 - - 10,000
Edgbaston
Neighbourhood Network		 - 5,000 - - 5,000
Scheme
NDSU Citywide 5,000 5,000 (10,000) - -
mobilisation
Dulverton Trust - 5,000 - - 5,000
Severn Trent
Total		 -
36,375		 11,150
131,418		 (3,186)
(120,298)		 -
145		 7,964
47,640

Report of the Independent Examiner

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Birmingham Community Matters on the receipts and payments accounts for the year ended 31 March 2022.

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Birmingham Community Matters (‘the Charity’) for the year ended 31 March 2023 which are set out on pages 29 and 30.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the trustees of the Charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the Charity’s accounts 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 2011 Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

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:

  1. ) Accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or

  2. 2.) The accounts do not accord with those records.

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.

Karen Hanlan, ACA, ACIE Date: 20th October 2023

Karen Hanlan Independent Examiner Ltd, 1 Saracen Close Ettington, CV37 7SZ

Signed on behalf of the Board of Trustees

Signature

Print name Emma Woolf Chair, Birmingham Community Matters Date 20th October 2023

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Birmingham Community Matters

Birmingham Community Matters (BCM) is a charity registered in England and Wales: 1179442.

Registered office: Stirchley Baths, 2-4 Bournville Lane, Stirchley, Birmingham B30 2JT.

info@birminghamcommunitymatters.org.uk www.birminghamcommunitymatters.org.uk @brummatters /birminghamcommunitymatters

Everyone has something to learn and everyone has something to teach