## GREEK CULTURAL SOCIETY OF BIRMINGHAM "ITHACA"
_Trustee Annual Report and Financial Statements For the Year Ended 6 April 2021_
Charity Number: 1183839
## **Greek Cultural Society of Birmingham “Ithaca”**
**Trustee Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 6 April 2021**
## **1. Reference and Administrative Information**
Charity name
Greek Cultural Society of Birmingham “Ithaca”
> Other name the charity Ithaca uses
> Registered charity 1183839 number Charity’s principal BIRMINGHAM CHAMBER OF COMMERCE address 75 HARBORNE ROAD BIRMINGHAM B15 3DH
## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity:**
**Trustee name Office** Konstantinos Anastasakis Head Treasurer Athanasia Evlampia Davies Deputy Chair Ioannis Karavias Assistant Treasurer Maria Konstantinou Class Manager Thomas Laios Chair Maria Emmanouela Terlektsi Secretary
## **2. Structure, Governance and Management**
Type of governing document: Constitution Charity type: CIO
Appointment of charity trustees: The structure and governance of the charity is detailed in the charity constitution. In selecting individuals for appointment as charity trustees, the charity trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO.
## **3. Objectives and Activities**
## Objectives:
Our charity’s aim and purposes as set out in the objects contained in the Ithaca’s constitution are to advance education of the public concerning Greek culture, traditions, language, history and arts in Birmingham and such parts of the United Kingdom as the trustees may from time to time determine through the provision of courses and activities.
## Activities:
In setting our objectives and planning our activities the trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance. However, the uncertainty caused by the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the repeated government restrictions proved to be a major obstacle for inperson activities for the period of April 2020 to April 2021. An Easter gathering planned in March 2020 was cancelled because of the first lockdown. In response, Ithaca set the following objectives:
- To survive the crisis financially
- To continue its activities under the new circumstances.
Ithaca decided to continue to pursue its goals online by delivering regular high quality seminars that were broadcasted live on Facebook and Youtube. The speakers were internationally acclaimed academics, policy makers, historians etc. The audience actively participated in the talk by asking questions throughout the duration of the seminar.
The following online events were organised:
- “Money: Past and Present”, invited speakers: Panayiotis Leliatsos, Yiannis Karavias
- “Chess between Greece and Turkey: Geopolitics”, invited speaker: George Tsaltas
- “Greek Navy and the Greco-Turkish relationships”, invited speakers: Kleanthis Kyriakidis, Antonis Klapsis
- “The meaning of Christmas in the 21[st] century”, invited speakers: Andreas Andreopoulos, Konstantinos Giavropoulos
- “200 years from the Greek Revolution”, invited speakers: Christos Dimtsios, Yiannis Megalakakis
- “Enosis: Grivas Digenis and EOKA”, invited speaker: Leonidas Leonidou
- “A different Easter: the signs of our time”, invited speaker: Geron Nektarios Moulatsiotis
## **4. Achievements and Performance**
The online talks above were widely watched by thousands of people live, or at other points in time. Ithaca has established itself in the virtual space and has maintained its dynamic and even more expanded beyond its geographical region as the broadcasts where watched by people in every continent. This attempt by Ithaca was very well received and the comments were overwhelmingly positive.
Overall, the trustees are confident that the two objectives, that of financial viability and that of maintained activity, were achieved. It is still Ithaca’s dream to find a space to house in-person activities but this aim was not actively pursued in this year because the Arts Council ceased such funding because of the pandemic. This plan is no longer an immediate target as there is great uncertainty by the ongoing pandemic and the impact of the virus variants.
## **5. Financial Review**
In the period April 7[th] 2020 – April 6[th] 2021 Ithaca had a total income of £150 and a total expenditure of £720.69. The reserves are equal to £4426.94. The financial position is considered satisfactory.
Income was generated through the following methods:
1. Memberships and donations: Memberships cost £30 pounds and last for a year. The membership provides the member with several discounts in the rest of the charity’s activities. The trustees made a donation of £1000.
The expenditures were generated as follows:
1. Communications cost: Ithaca has a dedicated mobile number which is used for communications with our members and public. Furthermore, Ithaca built and maintains its own website.
2. Broadcasting costs: Ithaca pays a membership fees to Restream for broadcasting both in Facebook and Youtube.
The policy on reserves is to hold them and increase them until we are in a position to secure a place which can host all of Ithaca’s activities. Currently the activities are spread in various place in Birmingham and this has an economic cost both for us who need to rent space and our community which have to travel to different locations.
## **6. Plans for Future Periods**
The main objectives for future periods will be to maintain the online public talks which have been very popular but also to return to in-person activities whenever this is allowed. Unfortunately, there is great uncertainty arising from the impact
of COVID-19. Ithaca’s strength is that it carries no debts or obligations, only a good reserve of unrestricted funds.
## **7. Declarations**
**The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.**
**Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees**
**Signature(s)** Konstantinos Anastasakis **Full name(s)** Thomas Laios **Position** Chair Head Tresurer **Date** 3/1/2022
## **Greek Cultural Society of Birmngham “Ithaca” Statement of Financial Activities (including Income & Expenditure Account) for the year ended 6 April 2021**
||||Total||Total|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||No|Unrestricted|Funds|Unrestricted|Funds|
||tes|Funds 2021|2021|Funds 2020|2020|
|**Incoming**||||||
|**Resouces**||||£|£|
|_Incoming resources_||||||
|_from generated funds_||||||
|Voluntary Income||||1000|1000|
|Charitable||||||
|activities|1|150|150|10674.47|10674.47|
|Total Incoming||||||
|Resources||150|150|11674.47|11674.47|
|**Resources**||||||
|**Expendended**||||||
|_Costs of_||||||
|_generating funds_|2|720.69|720.69|746.59|746.59|
|_Charitable_||||||
|_activities_|3|||5930.25|5930.25|
|Total Resources||||||
|Expended||720.69|720.69|6676.84|6676.84|
|Net Income of the||||||
|year||-570.69|-570.69|4997.63|4997.63|
|Total funds carried||||||
|forwards||4426.94|4426.94|4997.63|4997.63|
## **Greek Cultural Society of Birmngham “Ithaca” Statement of Assets and Liabilities for the year ended 6 April 2021**
||**2021**||
|---|---|---|
||2021|2020|
|Current assets|||
|Cash and cash at hand|4426.94|4997.63|
|Total Funds|4426.94|4997.63|
## **Greek Cultural Society of Birmingham “Ithaca” Balance Sheet as at 6 April 2021**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Unrestric Tota
ted l
Funds Fun
2020 ds Unrestrict Total
Not 202 ed Funds Funds
es 0 2020 2020
Income
1 Memberships 150 360 360
Classes 0 2192 2192
0 2960.
Greek Nights 2960.38 38
0 5162.
Ithacia Festival 5162.09 09
Expenditure
2 Costs of generating funds
315 486.0
Communication Costs 486.08 8
Arts Council grant application 0 150 150
0 110.5
Advertisement costs 110.51 1
Broadcasting 405.69
3 Charitable activities
0 1787.
Classes 1787.75 75
Greek Nights 0 1700 1700
0 2442.
Ithacia Festival 2442.5 5
**----- End of picture text -----**