Ignite Hubs (Registered charity, number 1186658) Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025
| Page | Contents | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 - 5 | nnual report | |
| 6 | Independent e | report |
| 7 | Receipts & payments account | |
| 8 | Statement of assets & liabilities | |
| 9 - 10 | Notes to the accounts |
Ignite Hubs annual report for the year ended 31 December 2025
Full name Ignite Hubs
Organisation type Charitable incorporated organisation
Registered charity number 1186658
Principal address 30 Lynbrook Grove, Peckham, London, SE15 6HS
Trustees
Duncan Forbes Themba Sweet Graham Bowles, from 15/02/2025 Christopher Fung, from 21/01/2025
Independent examiner
Eva Stevens, employee of Community Accounting Plus, Units 1 & 2 North West, 41 Talbot Street, Nottingham, NG1 5GL
Governance and management
Roles are advertised on Reach, volunteering platform, and other appropriate channels. Applicants are interviewed by trustees and CEO. After which, the applicant is put forward for approval by the Board.
The charity is operated under the rules of its CIO-Foundation constitution adopted 29/11/19.
Objectives and activities
To advance the education of the public in particular, but not exclusively, in the subject of coding and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit
We deliver remote and in-person classes in coding and STEM for children and young people who learn digital skills and access career-related learning opportunities to prepare for future employment.
Public benefit statement
The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit, 'Charities and Public Benefit'.
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Summary of the main achievements during the period
Ignite Hubs expanded its educational provision and community impact throughout 2025, further strengthening our mission to widen access to coding, STEM and creative learning opportunities for children and young people.
To support progression in coding and STEM subjects, we launched online maths classes designed to help students build confidence in their mathematical skills which are essential for long-term success.
In July 2025, we published Virtual Combat, the third book in our STEM Career Book series for children aged 9 to 12. The series aims to inspire young children to explore STEM and learn about the wide range of careers within the sector. Virtual Combat was created in partnership with Colt Technology Services and focused on cybersecurity, an area of growing importance and career demand.
A major milestone during the year was the development of the Ignite Learning & Careers Hub, our online learning platform. The platform is designed to improve accessibility, reinforce learning and support young people in developing skills at their own pace. Throughout the year, we made a significant investment in the creation of new digital courses.
We also strengthened our partnerships within the STEM sector. During the summer, Ignite Hubs partnered with the Royal Institution to deliver three free, full-day STEM Summer Masterclasses at Canada Water Library. The workshops were extremely popular, attracting 75 students across the three days. Sessions explored topics including computing and space, magic and mathematics, problem-solving, artificial intelligence, football and data, helping students engage with STEM subjects in creative and fun ways.
Our work and impact were also recognised externally during 2025, Ignite Hubs received the STEM Educator Award from SheCanCode, recognising our contribution to STEM education and inclusion. In addition, our Founder and CEO, Lin Vong, was selected for a Civic Award by Southwark Council in recognition of her contribution to the local community.
Our reserves policy is designed to protect the long-term financial stability and sustainability of Ignite Hubs, ensuring that the charity can continue operating effectively in the event of unexpected changes in income or expenditure. Maintaining adequate reserves enables the charity to manage financial risk, meet ongoing commitments and provide continuity of services for children and young people.
The target reserve level is equivalent to approximately 4 to 6 months of operational reserve range of approximately £40,000 to £90,000. At the end of the 2025 financial year, Ignite Hubs held reserves of £109,349.
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Reserves are currently above the target range as the charity plans to continue investing in its infrastructure and long-term development during 2026. This includes investment in the development of the Ignite Portal to improve the management and engagement of volunteers, freelancers and other supporters, the redesign of the Hub and wider IT infrastructure.
The Trustees believe these strategic investments are important to improving growth and sustainability. The reserves policy is reviewed annually by the Board of Trustees to ensure it remains appropriate to the scale, activities and future plans of the charity.
Financial review
Ignite Hubs ended 2025 in a good financial position, with net assets and reserves of £109,349 at the year end. While the charity recorded a deficit during the year, this reflected a deliberate and strategic investment in the long-term development of the organisation.
As outlined in the 2024 Annual Report, the development of the Ignite Learning & Careers Hub was identified as a key strategic priority for 2025, with plans to utilise a therefore reflects the planned implementation of this strategy. The Trustees believe structure, improve the quality and -term growth and impact.
During the year, we made significant progress in the development of the Ignite Learning & Careers Hub. This included the creation of ten digital courses for students and internal training programmes for team members covering safeguarding and instructor training. The work involved the customisation of Moodle, the development of interactive learning content using Articulate, and the integration of these resources into the platform to create a high-quality and scalable learning environment. These developments contributed to increased expenditure during the year, particularly in staffing and programme development costs.
Income during the year totalled £114,308 and was supported through a combination of grants, corporate partnerships, programme delivery and donations, demonstrating
The Trustees are satisfied that Ignite Hubs remains in a good financial position with sufficient reserves to support ongoing operations and future development. The work undertaken during 2025 has laid important foundations that will enable the charity to reach more children and young people through both in-person and digital learning opportunities in the years ahead.
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Financial risk
particularly grant funding and corporate donations. While this support has enabled the charity to grow and invest in new programmes and infrastructure, there remains a risk that funding levels may fluctuate due to changes in the economic environment, funder priorities or wider financial pressures affecting the charitable sector.
As the organisation continues to expand, there are also financial risks associated with rising staffing, technology and programme delivery costs. In particular, the continued development and maintenance of the Ignite Learning & Careers Hub and wider digital infrastructure require ongoing investment in software, safeguarding, training, content development and IT systems.
To mitigate these risks, Ignite Hubs is committed to diversifying its income streams, developing sustainable revenue-generating opportunities, maintaining regular financial monitoring and exercising prudent cost management to ensure financial resilience and support future growth.
Signed ______ Date _ Graham Bowles, Trustee
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Independent e report to the trustees of Ignite Hubs for the year ended 31 December 2025
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Ignite Hubs (the charity) for the year ended 31 December 2025.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts I report in res 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.
Independen
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
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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.
29/07/26 Signed ____ Date _______ Eva Stevens BSc, CPFA Employee of Community Accounting Plus
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Ignite Hubs Receipts & payments account for the year ended 31 December 2025
| 2024 Total Funds £ Note Receipts 225082 Grants & donations 2 980 Classes 2633 DofE Delivery 5656 Corporate delivery 741 Bank interest 20 Book sales 235112 Total receipts Payments 3439 Admin Expenses 286 Insurances 4184 IT & Software 125 Mobile Expenses 31112 Legal & professional fees 11765 Programme Equipment & Hardware 152 Programme Expenditure 3817 Recruitment 120156 Wages, Pension & NI 2854 Training 36 Transaction Charges 1136 Travel & Entertainment 179062 Total payments 56050 Net receipts/(payments) 144178 Cash funds at start of this period - Transfers between funds 200228 Cash funds at end of this period |
Unrestricted Funds £ 72611 91 - 7890 1038 31 81661 526 294 1698 - 4190 - - - 114692 2506 180 776 124862 (43201) 168114 (15564) 109349 |
Restricted Funds £ 27300 1666 3455 - - 226 32647 464 - 1823 - 4720 4931 - 3298 63540 595 - 954 80325 (47678) 32114 15564 - |
2025 Total Funds £ 99911 1757 3455 7890 1038 257 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 114308 990 294 3521 - 8910 4931 - 3298 178232 3101 180 1730 |
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| 205187 (90879) 200228 - |
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| 109349 |
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Ignite Hubs Statement of assets and liabilities at 31 December 2025
These financial statements are accepted on behalf of the charity by:
Signed _____ Dated _____ Graham Bowles, Trustee
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Ignite Hubs Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2025
1. Receipts & payments accounts
Receipts and payments accounts contain a summary of money received and money spent during the period and a list of assets and liabilities at the end of the period. Usually, cash received and cash spent will include transactions through bank accounts and cash in hand.
2. Grants & donations
3. Funds analysis
| Restricted funds Programme delivery Unrestricted funds General fund |
Opening balance £ 32114 32114 168114 168114 |
Receipts £ 32647 32647 81661 81661 |
(Payments) £ (80325) (80325) (124862) (124862) |
Transfers £ 15564 15564 (15564) (15564) |
Closing balance £ - - 109349 109349 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Programme delivery STEM coding classes equipment.
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4. Premises & staff
The premises are provided by the local authority free of charge, the classes are delivered in meeting rooms of the libraries as they are free and are for the community.
5.
- Trustees received no expenses, remuneration or benefits in this period.
6. Related party transactions
- There were no related party transactions in this period.
7. Glossary of terms
8.
Creditors: These are amounts owed by the charity, but not paid during the accounting period.
Debtors: These are amounts owed to the charity, but not received in the accounting period.
Restricted funds: These are funds given to the charity, subject to specific restrictions set by the donor, but still within the general objects of the charity.
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