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2021-06-30-accounts

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From period start date: 01.07.20 To period end date: 30.06.21

Charity name: Eco Brixs UK Charity registration number: 1184169

Objectives and Activities

SORP reference
Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document		 Para 1.17 The preservation and protection of the
environment for the public benefit, mainly
but not exclusively in the Masaka region
of Uganda, by support to:
(a) The promotion of waste reduction,
re-use, reclamation, recycling and
improved waste management techniques;
(b) Educating the public about
environmental conservation, waste
reduction and waste disposal.
Summary of the main
activities in relation to those
purposes for the public
benefit, in particular, the
activities, projects or services
identified in the accounts.		 Para 1.17 and
1.19		 The UK Charity Eco Brixs UK focuses on
marketing and fundraising activities for
its partner organisation, a Ugandan NGO
(which has the same name).
The Ugandan NGO:
The Ugandan entity, based in the district
of Masaka in Uganda, uses the funds
raised by the UK Charity to grow its
recycling services and reduce pollution.
The focus of the organisation is recycling
plastic waste, as currently there are no
waste management systems in Uganda,
and it is estimated 600 tonnes of plastic
is disposed of a day in Uganda.

Furthermore, this waste is often burnt or buried in unsafe landfills, posing a risk to both the environment and the community. The NGO’s model is based on purchasing plastic waste from the community, therefore creating job opportunities to also tackle poverty in Uganda. Once the plastic is purchased, the NGO recycles this plastic into new items of value (Eco-Products), which it can sell. This helps the NGO to generate revenue to ensure it can keep paying the community for their plastic waste.

How the UK Charity works in partnership with the Ugandan NGO:

The UK charity helps facilitate this work via fundraising, which helps the NGO to contribute to the preservation and protection of the Masaka environment, as well as promote and teach environmentally-friendly behaviours to the local people.

In its second financial year, the UK Charity raised funds of £22,419 to support this work. Within the year, it donated £12,368 to the Uganda NGO.

Funds were raised via:

Alongside the UK charity’s direct financial contributions to the NGO, the UK charity also supports the Ugandan organisation in its own fundraising

efforts, specifically by marketing the
NGOs work and achievements. This has
helped the Ugandan NGO to fundraise a
further £90,000 in donations, which have
been made directly to that organisation.
This ‘marketing support’ has been largely
achieved by the UK charity maintaining
and developing the following:
●
A website and blog
●
Several social media platforms,
growing the number of followers
on each:
○
Facebook
○
Twitter
○
Instagram
○
YouTube
○
Linkedin
●
A monthly online newsletter
Each method above has been used to
promote the work of both organisations,
stay in touch with supporters, and
generate donations.
In Year 2, the UK charity spent £220 of its
expenditure on boosting social media
posts to help promote the work of the
NGO and grow Eco Brixs’ presence on
social media.
The UK charity also set up a new
fundraising programme called ‘Plastic
Action’ which gives Eco Brixs supporters
the opportunity to offset their own plastic
usage whilst supporting the charity’s
recycling work in Uganda. This was
launched in June 2021 in anticipation of
‘Plastic Free July’.
Statement confirming
whether the trustees have
had regard to the guidance
issued by the Charity
Commission on public
benefit		 Para 1.18 The trustees of the charity read the
guidance when being inducted into their
roles, and also refer to it when making
decisions for Eco Brixs UK.

Additional information (optional)

You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

SORP reference
Policy on grant making Para 1.38 The UK Charity Eco Brixs UK does not
offer grants, but makes donations to the
NGO entity, allowing the Ugandan
organisation to develop its plastic
recycling services and education
programmes.
The UK board authorises any payments
made to the Ugandan NGO. This will take
place after an agreement has been made
between the board and the CEO on how
the funds will be spent.
The CEO, who is based in Uganda, is
accountable for how the donated funds
are spent, and reports back to the UK
Trustees via email and digital conference
calls.
This process is outlined in the UK
charity’s policy on monitoring
expenditure abroad.
Policy on social investment
including program related
investment		 Para 1.38 N/A
Contribution made by
volunteers		 Para 1.38 None
Other N/A

Achievements and Performance

SORP reference

Summary of the main
achievements of the charity,
identifying the difference the
charity’s work has made to
the circumstances of its
beneficiaries and any wider
benefits to society as a
whole.		 Para 1.20 £12,368 Donation to the NGO
The UK Charity Eco Brixs UK has
generated an income of £22,419 in its
second financial year, and donated
£12,368 to the Ugandan NGO.
This donation is partly formed from
£7,033 raised through Eco Brix UK’s
emergency fundraising appeal in
response to the Coronavirus pandemic,
which took place between March and
September in 2020 (£6,204 was
fundraised in Year 1, then £829 in Year 2).
In addition to the £7,033 fundraised via
public donations, the UK charity also
donated £5,335 of its unrestricted funds
to help support the Ugandan NGO, its
beneficiaries and the Masaka community
during the pandemic.
Specifically, this fundraising helped to:
●
Feed over 4,000 vulnerable
individuals during lockdown
through an emergency food relief
programme
●
Support Masaka Referral Hospital,
the main hospital of the district, by
providing:
○
PPE equipment
○
COVID-19 testing equipment
○
Washing & hygiene
equipment
○
An isolation ward for
COVID-19 patients
●
Fund the Ugandan NGO’s core
costs (eg. staff wages) when the
recycling network was required to
close during the first lockdown in
Uganda
Subsequently, when the Ugandan NGO
recycling network was able to reopen, it
was well placed to support the
community in recovery following
lockdown. For example, many jobs had
been lost and therefore many individuals
turned to collecting plastic (in exchange
for cash) in order to fund essentials such
as rent, food and child support.

This highlights the key difference both Eco Brixs organisations were able to make in supporting the Masaka community during the pandemic, both in terms of initial emergency response and long-term recovery. Grant with TMC/SBIR Secured The two Eco Brixs organisations, alongside the Dutch technology company TMC, successfully won a grant offered by SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research). This grant was awarded to create and implement groundbreaking machinery capable of turning plastic waste into two new Eco-Products:

● Bricks - these can be used in
construction as a substitute for
concrete bricks and have several
advantages over their
counterparts, including being
stronger and cheaper
● Face masks - these masks are
medically approved under
European standards and can
therefore support the under
resourced Ugandan medical
services

The revenue generated from the sale of both items will help build the sustainability of the Ugandan NGO. As a result, a portion of the grant is also reserved for marketing the items, alongside the R&D and construction of the machine lines which includes 3 Extruders and an electrospinner. These machines will be the first of their kind in Uganda.

One installment was received in June 2021 for £16,163, with subsequent installments to follow. The whole grant was £150,000 which will be split across the two Eco Brixs organisations and TMC.

Due to the long-term nature of the project, it is predicted the NGO will be able to begin producing these new items

in Spring 2022, in the second half of Year
3.
Further Financial Support for the
Ugandan NGO
In addition to donations and grants, Eco
Brixs UK has also supported the
Ugandan NGO through the following
expenditure:
£12,540 - Freelance Service Contacts
This expenditure has secured the
services of 3 professional freelancers
who work for Eco Brixs UK on a part-time
basis. Collectively, their work supports
the growth of both the UK and Ugandan
entity by:
●
Ensuring all charity funds are
accounted for and spent as agreed
with the UK Board of Trustees
●
Raising funds eg. over £60,000 has
been raised to date for the UK
Charity, and £150,000 for the
Ugandan NGO
●
Building partnerships with
charities, businesses and
academic institutions to support
Eco Brixs’ mission. Eg. In year 2,
partnerships were formed with the
global charity Tearfund and the
University of Cambridge
●
Marketing Eco Brixs’ work digitally
●
Providing project management
and financial skills
£367 - Marketing Support
£220 was spent boosting social media
posts on Facebook and Instagram,
promoting the recycling work of the NGO
to new audiences. This helped increase
Eco Brixs’ social media following from a
few hundred to over 3,000 followers.
£147 was also spent on launching ‘Plastic
Action’ and setting up a new website,
which will generate further funds in Year
3 to further Eco Brixs’ work.

Increased Impact

Through the support of the UK charity, the Ugandan NGO has been able to significantly grow its environmental, economic, and social impact over Year 2. This has helped Eco Brixs to protect the environment in Masaka, whilst helping many more beneficiaries. Specifically over Year 2, the Ugandan NGO has been able to:

To date, this means the Ugandan NGO has been able to remove 380 tonnes of plastic waste from the environment of the Masaka district. Furthermore, the community has been given access to widespread plastic recycling services, which weren’t available in the area prior to the establishment of Eco Brixs. ‘Recirculating Plastic’ documentary with Prince Charles’s Sustainable Markets Initiative

In Spring 2021, Eco Brixs UK partnered with RE:TV and the Sustainable Markets Initiative (whose Editor-in-Chief is HRH Prince Charles) to produce a high quality video demonstrating the NGO’s closed-loop system in action - recycling plastic and creating income opportunities for the local community.

The documentary highlights the importance of communities adopting circular economy models, especially in countries such as Uganda where there

are no waste management systems. It also features interviews with Eco Brixs CEO, staff, the Masaka community, and sustainability experts Dr Anna Barford and Dr Gabriel Okello.

You can view the video here, which was published in Eco Brixs’ newsletter and on its social media channels.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
Achievements against
objectives set		 Para 1.41
Performance of fundraising
activities against objectives
set		 Para 1.41
Investment performance
against objectives		 Para 1.41
Other

Financial Review

Financial Review
Review of the charity’s
financial position at the end
of the period		 Para 1.21 Eco Brixs UK is in a positive financial
position at the end of Year 2, with £22,419
fundraised and £17,234 held in the bank.
Of this £17,234 bank balance, £16,146 is
unrestricted.
Based on this, the organisation has more
funds than the minimum requirement of
its reserves policy - an excess of £6,711.
Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held		 Para 1.22 The reserves policy of the charity
requires the organisation to hold a
minimum balance of £9,435 in
unrestricted funds, which is the
equivalent of the charity’s costs for a
period of 6 months.
This policy is to ensure the longevity of
Eco Brixs UK, ensuring it can continue
operations and the pursuit of its
charitable objectives over the long-term.
Amount of reserves held Para 1.22 £16,146 of unrestricted funds was held at
the end of Year 2.
Reasons for holding zero
reserves		 Para 1.22 N/A
Details of fund materially in
deficit		 Para 1.24 None
Explanation of any
uncertainties about the
charity continuing as a going
concern		 Para 1.23 None

Additional information (optional)

You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

The charity’s principal
sources of funds (including
any fundraising)		 Para 1.47 The charity has generated an income of
£22,419. The majority of income was
generated through a grant from SBIR
(Small Business Innovation Research)
worth £16,163.
£4,508 was donated from the public
(including Gift Aid).
Investment policy and
objectives including any		 Para 1.46 None
social investment policy
adopted
A description of the principal
risks facing the charity		 Para 1.46 N/A
Other None

Structure, Governance and Management

Description of charity’s
trusts:
Type of governing document
(trust deed, royal charter)		 Para 1.25 Constitution
How is the charity
constituted?
(e.g unincorporated
association, CIO)		 Para 1.25 Charitable Incorporated Organisation
(CIO)
Trustee selection methods
including details of any
constitutional provisions e.g.
election to post or name of
any person or body entitled
to appoint one or more
trustees		 Para 1.25 New trustees are recruited through a
process of public advertising which
includes publishing a role description
and person specification. (The term for a
new trustee is three years.) Then,
shortlisted candidates are interviewed by
the current trustees, where the
candidates are assessed with regards to
their skills, knowledge and experience, to
ensure they have the necessary criteria to
effectively administer the CIO.
As the governing document describes,
age is also considered (required to be
above 16). For the selected candidates, a
verbal and written offer is made for them
to accept. If accepted, a resolution is then
passed by the current trustees and the
Chair (or nominated person) will update
the Charity Register to reflect the
appointment of the new trustee.

Additional information (optional)

You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

Policies and procedures
adopted for the induction and
training of trustees		 Para 1.51 New trustees are provided with copies of
Eco Brixs UK’s governing document and
latest Annual Returns to familiarise
themselves with, as outlined in the
organisation’s constitution.
Trustees are also asked to read the
Charity Commission’s ‘The Essential
Trustee: what you need to know, what
you need to do’ document.
Trustees are then given an induction
presentation to Eco Brixs (both the UK
Entity and the Ugandan NGO). This
introduces the organisation’s model and
financial position, and is presented by the
CEO and/or current trustees.
The induction is followed by an open
Q&A session, where the new trustees can
ask further questions if required.
The charity’s organisational
structure and any wider
network with which the
charity works		 Para 1.51 The UK Charity Eco Brixs UK works in
partnership with the Ugandan NGO, to
help protect the environment, whilst
creating jobs, in the region of Masaka,
Uganda.
As principally a fundraising organisation
for the Ugandan NGO, the trustees of the
UK charity monitor the accountability of
the funds donated. This is reported
through the CEO, Andrew Bownds, who
presents this information at quarterly
board meetings and as required.
As donations made from the UK entity to
the Ugandan NGO are in the region of
several thousand pounds (to minimise
international transfer costs), and equal to
a significant amount of the charity’s
income, these are authorised by the
trustees.
The expenditure of these funds is
monitored according to the UK charity’s
policy of monitoring expenditure abroad.
(The CEO operates on a freelance
contract, and is responsible for ensuring
donated funds are spent in Uganda as
outlined by the trustees’ decisions).
None

Relationship with any related Para 1.51 parties None Other

Reference and Administrative details

Charity name Eco Brixs UK
Other name the charity uses Eco Brixs
Registered charity number 1184169
Charity’s principal address Eco Brixs
11 Long Meadow
Chesham
Bucks
HP5 2BN

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

1
2
3
4
5
6
7		 Trustee name Office (if
any)		 Dates acted if not for
whole year		 Name of person (or body) entitled
to appoint trustee (if any)
Ms Georgina Elliott 01.01.19 - 20.11.20
Mr James Tyler 01.01.19 - present
Mr Andrew Teale 01.01.19 - 20.11.20
Anthony Mark Elliott 27.10.20 - 26.10.21
Anjana Krishnan 16.11.20 - present
Martin Worster 27.10.20 - present
Nick Chapman 22.06.21 - present

– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved Director name None

Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity Trustee name Dates acted if not for whole year None

Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others

Description of the assets None held in this capacity

Name and objects of the None charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects Details of arrangements for None safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets

Additional information (optional) Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Type of Name Address adviser Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Exemptions from disclosure

Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details

None

Other optional information

None

Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s)
Full name(s) Martin Worster Nick Chapman
Position (eg
Secretary,
Chair, etc)		 Chair Treasurer
Date 30.03.22 30.03.22
Charity Name

Eco Brixs UK
 Charity Name

Eco Brixs UK
 Charity Name

Eco Brixs UK
 Charity Name

Eco Brixs UK
 Charity Name

Eco Brixs UK
 CC16a
For the period
from		 Period start date
01.07.2020		 To
Section A Receipts and payments
Unrestricted
funds
to the nearest
£
A1 Receipts		 Restricted
funds
to the nearest £		 Endowment
funds
to the nearest £		 Total funds
to the nearest £		 Last year
to the nearest £
Unrestricted Donations -
19,629-		 -
--
-
--
-
122-
-
707-
-
1,088-
-
--
-
--
-
--		 -
--		 -
19,629-
-
125-
-
122-
-
707-
-
1,088-
-
88-
-
660-
-
--		 -
25,806-
Unrestricted Donations Gift Aid -
125-		 -
--		 -
--
Restricted Donations COVID -
--		 -
--		 -
6,204-
Restricted Donations COVID Gift Aid -
--		 -
--
Income for Ugandan NGO -
--		 -
--		 -
--
Plastic Action Fundraiser -
88-		 -
--		 -
--
Refund from Year 1 freelance contracts -
660-		 -
--		 -
--
Alan & Nesta Ferguson Grant -
--		 -
9,055-
Sub total(Gross income for
AR)
-
20,502-
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).		 -
20,502-		 -
1,917-		 -
--		 -
22,419-		 -
41,065-
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).
-
--		 -
--
-
--		 -
--		 -
--
-
--
-
--		 -
--		 -
--
Sub total-
--
Total receipts -
20,502-
A3 Payments		 -
--		 -
--		 -
--		 -
--		 -
--
-
20,502-		 -
1,917-		 -
--		 -
22,419-		 -
41,065-
Core Costs -
13,036-		 -
--
-
--
-
6,326-
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
707-		 -
--		 -
13,036-
-
1,077-
-
6,326-
-
5,335-
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
707-		 -
1,288-
Fundraising Costs -
1,077-		 -
--		 -
1,405-
Restricted Donations COVID -
--		 -
--		 -
--
COVID Donation to NGO (unrestricted) -
5,335-		 -
--		 -
--
Alan & Nesta Ferguson Grant -
--		 -
--		 -
7,500-
G Elliott Donation -
--		 -
--		 -
5,000-
COVID Project Mask making Machine -
--		 -
--		 -
4,106-
Video/Glass Passport -
--		 -
--		 -
470-
Restricted Donations COVID Gift Aid -
--		 -
--		 -
--
Sub total -
19,448-
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)		 -
19,448-		 -
7,033-		 -
--		 -
26,481-		 -
19,769-
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
-
--		 -
--
-
--		 -
--		 -
--
-
--
-
--		 -
--
Sub total -
--
Total payments -
19,448-
Net of receipts/(payments) -
1,054-
A5 Transfers between funds
-
150-
A6 Cash funds last year end
-
14,942-
Cash funds this year end -
16,146-		 -
--		 -
--		 -
--		 -
--
-
19,448-		 -
7,033-		 -
--		 -
26,481-		 -
19,769-
-
1,054-		 -
5,116-		 -
--		 -
4,062-		 -
21,296-
-
150-		 -
150-
-
6,354-
-
1,088-		 -
--		 -
--
-
21,296-
-
17,234-		 -
--
-
14,942-		 -
--		 -
--
-
16,146-		 -
--		 -
21,296-
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
Categories
B1 Cash funds		 Details
Cash at Bank		 Unrestricted
funds
to nearest £		 Restricted
funds
to nearest £
-
1,088-		 Endowment
funds
to nearest £
-
16,146-		 -
--

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period

Unrestricted Restricted Endowment
Categories Details funds funds funds
to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £
B1 Cash funds Cash at Bank - 16,146- - 1,088- - --

CCXX R1 accounts (SS)

4/5/2022

1

-
--		 -
--		 -
--
-
--		 -
--		 -
--
B2 Other monetary assets
B3 Investment assets
B4 Assets retained for the
charity’s own use
B5 Liabilities
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees		 Total cash funds
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))
Details
Details
Details
Details
Signature		 -
16,146-		 -
1,088-		 -
--
OK
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
to nearest £
to nearest £
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
Fund to which
asset belongs
Cost (optional)
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
Fund to which
asset belongs
Cost (optional)
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
Fund to which
liability relates
Amount due
(optional)
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
Print Name
Martin Worster
Nick Chapman		 Endowment
funds
to nearest £
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
Current value
(optional)
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
Current value
(optional)
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
-
--
When due
(optional)
Date of
approval
Martin Worster 30.03.22
Nick Chapman 30.03.22

CCXX R2 accounts (SS)

4/5/2022

2