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2024-03-31-accounts

Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (1187516)

Trustees’ Annual Report & Statement of Financial Activity for 12 months ended 31st March 2024

Unity is Strength

Email: info@unityisstrength.org.uk https://unityisstrength.org.uk/

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Contents

Section Page
1. Reference and Administration Details 3
2. Structure, Governance and Management 4
3. Activities 10
4. Achievements and Performance 14
5. Financial Review 15

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Trustees Annual Report & Statement of Financial Activity for 12 months ended 31st March 2024

______________

1. Reference and Administration Details

1.1. Charity Name & Registration

Unity is Strength

The charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registration number 1187516. Registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales on 22nd January 2020.

The charity is registered with HM Revenue & Customs.

1.2 Charity details

Registered address: Pollardine Farm, Gatten, Pontesbury, Shropshire, SY5 0SJ Email: info@unityisstrength.org.uk Website: https://unityisstrength.org.uk/

1.3 Trustees

The Trustees who served the charity in this period are:

Elizabeth Ann Hulton-Harrop (Chair) Jane Elizabeth Yair Hulton-Harrop Thomas Hugh Hulton-Harrop Robert Edward Havard (appointed 26 May 2024)

1.4 Names of Advisors & Senior Members of Staff

None

1.5 Bank

CAF Bank, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent ME19 4JQ.

1.6 Reporting period

The reporting period is 1[st] April 2023 – 31[st] March 2024.

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2. Structure, Governance and Management

2.1 Type of governing document

The governing document is a Constitution based on the Charity Commission’s model governing document for Foundation Charitable Incorporated Organisations, ie: where the Trustees are the only Members of the charity. The charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO).

2.2. Charitable Objects

As defined in Unity is Strength’s Constitution (governing document), the charity’s objects (“objects”) are:

‘to advance education, relieve sickness and poverty and to otherwise provide for the charitable needs of orphans at St. Paul KAASO (Kabira Adult Attention & School for Orphans), Uganda in particular by providing grants, items and services to KAASO.’

2.3 Organisational structure

The charity trustees are responsible for the governance and management of the charity. The trustees give their time freely and receive no remuneration or other benefits.

The trustees regularly discuss the running of the charity and formally meet on an annual basis. They are responsible for all decisions taken in relation to running the charity. To assist the smooth running of the charity, the trustees set up a sub-committee to oversee certain aspects of the charity’s work. The Chair sits on the sub-committee alongside the two Founders and Directors of St Paul KAASO, Uganda, and the KAASO Volunteer Coordinator. The sub-committee oversees the delivery of the projects in Uganda to ensure there is no duplication between Unity is Strength’s work and that of other organisations or volunteers.

2.3 Trustee selection methods

There must be at least three charity trustees. There is no maximum number of charity trustees that may be appointed to the CIO.

In accordance with the Constitution, Trustees are appointed or re-appointed for a oneyear term by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees.

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In appointing Trustees, due consideration is given to ensuring that the Trustees have, between them, the skills and experience necessary to manage the charity effectively and in accordance with charity law as laid down in Clause 10 (2) of the Constitution.

2.4 Induction and training of trustees

Before being appointed, individuals that express an interest in becoming a trustee receive the following documents to ensure they have full understanding of what the role entails and how Unity is Strength operates:

This ensures new trustees are aware of the scope of their responsibilities under the Charities Act. Initially, new trustees work with an existing trustee assisting on activities and projects run by the charity. After satisfactory feedback from existing trustees, they may be given the task of leading a particular activity or project, reporting progress at trustee meetings.

2.5 Risk Management

The Trustees have assessed the risks the charity faces and have drawn up a Risk Log which identifies the major risks by likelihood of occurrence, severity of impact, control procedure, retained risk, monitoring process, and responsibility. The trustees review the Risk Log annually.

The major risks and how they are managed are outlined in the table below:

Risks Management
The Board is made up of 4 members, so
governance and management
responsibilities fall on a small number of
people. As per the Constitution, the charity
must always have a minimum of 3
trustees. There is a risk that the current
trustees cannot fulfil all tasks required to
successfully operate the charity.
The fourth trustee joined the Board in May 2024.
The current trustees prioritise complying with
regulatory requirements before spending time on
other activities e.g. funding applications. The
charity needs to have a strong foundation to be
able to grow successfully in the future.
Regular communication between trustees so that if
work becomes overwhelming/unmanageable it is

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recognised at the earliest opportunity.
Tasks are divided into categories 'must-have',
'should-have', or 'nice-to-have'. This enables the
trustees to see everything that the charity could be
doing, but with a control mechanism in place to
prioritise activities.
Data breach. Data stored on limited devices, all password
protected, and in areas only accessible to
individuals where necessary. Any individual with
access must sign a Data Protection Policy for Unity
is Strength. Authenticator applications/dual
verification is enabled where possible.
Systems and who has access are reviewed on an
annual basis to ensure the retained risk is low.
Trustees/Volunteers visiting KAASO may
experience sickness, loss of personal
items, need wellbeing care before and
after visits.
The trustees consider it essential for those visiting
KAASO to attend sessions with a minimum of one
trustee before a visit to talk through some of what
they might see/do while in Uganda. Some
situations can be physically challenging/mentally
distressing so procedures are in place for before,
during and after the visit(s) to ensure physical and
mental safety are prioritised.
Non-compliance with legislation and
regulations appropriate to the activities,
size and structure of the charity.
Review Charity Commission guidance regularly to
ensure the charity is fully compliant with all
relevant legislation.
Reminders are set for important deadlines e.g.
submission of annual report and accounts.
Money transferred from UK to Uganda not
reaching intended recipient.
Unity is Strength is set up with a reputable bank
that specifically deals with charities (Charities Aid
Foundation Bank). To send money to Uganda, a
form must be completed and signed by two
trustees. When CAF receives this form, they may
call the registered contact and confirm security
questions before authorising the transaction.
Partners in Uganda send the automated
confirmation message from their bank on receipt
of the funds and a report of how the moneyhas

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been spent with supporting photos/videos when
the project has been completed.
The full process has been documented in a
Financial Controls policy for the trustees to follow.
The same procedure has been followed since the
charity was established and there has never been
an issue.
Mishandling of restricted vs unrestricted
donations.
Any donation processed via the website is clearly
assigned to General funds or to a specific fund.
Unless specified by the donor, all donations made
directly to UiS either by cash, BACS or cheque are
deemed general donations.
Partners in Uganda are required to prepare a
budget before funds are sent so that we can agree
on what the money will be spent on.
When funds are sent to Uganda (restricted and
unrestricted), our partners are required to send a
report to show how the funds have been spent and
to ensure the funds have been used for the correct
charitable purposes. Additional funds are not sent
until a report has been received.
Investment of funds e.g. if a large
donation was received, how it would be
appropriately managed.
If the charity receives a large donation, a trustee
meeting would be called immediately to review our
Investment Policy and use it to decide how these
additional funds should be managed. Professional
advice would be sought where appropriate.
Dispute(s) between the charity and our
partners in Uganda.
Regular meetings between trustee(s) and partners
in Uganda where both parties (Unity is Strength
and KAASO) are given the opportunity to air any
concerns they have; these are noted, and solutions
proposed. This is reviewed at subsequent
meetings to ensure the situation is improving or to
identify if further action is required. Both parties
are always given the opportunity to speak openly to
build a relationship on transparency and trust.
The Chair of trustees (Lizzie Hulton-Harrop) and
Directors of St Paul KAASO (Dominic and Rose
Mukwaya) have a strong relationship that has been
built upover aperiod of 13years.

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The sub-committee explained in Section 2.3 (page
4) includes the KAASO Volunteer Coordinator who
works with KAASO in a separate capacity.
Communication involving the Coordinator ensures
that projects do not duplicate each other and
priorities are agreed upon. If there was a dispute
between Unity is Strength and partners in Uganda,
the Coordinator would be a good third party to
manage the situation.
KAASO becoming dependent on funds
from Unity is Strength.
Focus on funding income-generating projects
rather than funding maintenance costs. Medium-
long term strategy is to reduce provision for
maintenance costs. All income-generating projects
must pass criteria to demonstrate that they can
run without additional input from Unity is Strength.
Regular, open conversations with partners in
Uganda to discuss the above strategy and ensure it
is the most appropriate mechanism of support.
Understanding that donations come in peaks and
troughs throughout the year e.g. at Christmas time
we are likely to receive a higher number of
donations.
Funding for projects that may fail. From June 2023, we no longer provide funds for
the original income-generating projects that were
set up in 2020-21 e.g. piggery, coffee plantation,
but provide funds that can be issued as loans
through the KAASO Staff Development Association
(see Section 3.3, page 10), as well as funds for
land acquisition. We have agreements in place to
ensure due diligence and thorough processes are
followed for each of these areas, but the decision
to fund the original income-generating projects
(e.g. should we allocate money to the brick-making
project, or the piggery) no longer lies with the
trustees. These decisions are made by
staff/teachers at KAASO who are better placed to
understand the risks/opportunities of different
projects.
Reputational risk – either from
trustees/volunteers or projects supported
in Uganda bringingthe charityinto
Trustees/volunteers are given guidance on how to
talk about/promote the charity when they take on
the role,as well as beingrequired to sign a Code of

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disrepute. Conduct. Regular communication between
trustees/volunteers. Any concerns are addressed
immediately.
Posting on social media is kept to a minimum as
this generates minimal reward for the charity. With
limited resource, it is felt our time is better spent
on other activities.
Newsletters are approved by trustees before being
sent out. Quality over quantity of newsletters is
prioritised – only sent out when significant updates
are received from Uganda.
For projects in Uganda, we have regular
calls/messages to understand which projects have
received loans for the microloan initiative (see
Section 3.3, page 10) and the progress of people
repaying loans. Identify any cause for concern as
early as possible.
We do not issue further funds before being
satisfied KAASO-Dep is operating within the
parameters set out in the agreement.
Emotional/physical harm of anyone we
are working with in Uganda (particularly
children).
Complete safeguarding spreadsheet each time we
talk with partners in Uganda to record:

Number of new staff members

Number of staff members who have left

Training delivered for new staff members

Training delivered for existing staff
members

Have any safeguarding incidents occurred
– what happened and what was the
outcome

Action/measures to prevent safeguarding
issues

The trustees are satisfied that systems are in place, or arrangements are in hand, to manage the risks that have been identified.

2.6 Other

The trustees spent considerable time in the first year of Unity is Strength’s operation to establish good governance. As well as developing a risk management framework as

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mentioned above, the trustees put policies and practices in place for safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries, managing volunteers, handling complaints, recording and managing conflicting interests, agreeing a reserves policy, and protecting beneficiary, supporter and trustee personal data.

These policies were reviewed, updated (where necessary) and approved by trustees in January 2024.

3. Activities

3.1 Statutory Declaration

The Trustees of Unity is Strength confirm that they have paid due regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.

3.2 How our activities deliver public benefit

The charity carries out a range of activities in pursuance of its charitable aims. The trustees consider that these activities, summarised below, provide benefit for the needs of students and staff at St. Paul KAASO (Kabira Adult Attention & School for Orphans), Uganda.

3.3 Provision of grants for:

From general donations and restricted donation: Microloan initiative – KAASO Staff Development Association - Following the success of the income-generating projects set up in 2020-21, the staff members at KAASO started a new project called the KAASO Staff Development Association (or KAASO-Dep for short), which issues microloans to individuals and groups working at KAASO to run small businesses to supplement their salaries.

Their vision is, “To create a society where workers have equal and sufficient economic and social opportunities to improve their standards of living and where they can contribute productively towards the overall development of the country.”

Individuals or groups are required to apply to the KAASO-Dep committee outlining what their project is, why they want to run it, and a breakdown of the costs. The committee, chaired by Nurse Shiba, reviews the applications and decides which projects are granted loans. Each loan has a specified pay-back window with a small interest rate to ensure the initiative is sustainable, and loanees must have three guarantors in case they

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are unable to pay. As the loan is repaid, this money can then be allocated to another project, and so on.

We are delighted to see this initiative take shape. We, as an organisation, are reluctant to fund the maintenance costs of the projects and/or the school unless necessary as we never want to create a dependency on our fundraising.

In 2023/24, Unity is Strength allocated £2,000 to the loan pot (£127 from the restricted fund for COVID, and £1,873 from general donations received). To date, we have contributed a total of £5,600 (2022/3: £3,600).

Lizzie Hulton-Harrop and Nurse Shiba discussing the loan applications received (March 2023)

As of March 2024, there are 56 members of the KAASO Staff Development Association, 34 teaching staff and 22 non-teaching. 20 projects have been supported so far at a total cost of 21,850,000 UGX (approximately £4,600), including purchasing oxen, starting a piggery, developing a poultry project, and growing crops. The loans are also being used to sustain the income-generating projects set up previously (e.g. the chair hire business and the brick-making project). Nearly £3,000 has been paid back as of 31[st] March 2024.

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Interest in the project is growing rapidly – the KAASO-Dep committee has received a further 23 applications totalling £8,460, which will be loaned out as and when funds are repaid.

Unity is Strength and the KAASO-Dep committee are working closely to evaluate the impact of the initiative and assess when no further capital needs to be added to the pot.

Happy, healthy, consistent teachers and staff members are essential for delivering a top-class education for the students at St Paul KAASO.

Dominic Mukwaya (Director of KAASO)’s caption: ‘Fatherly words of farewell to our beloved candidates of 2023.’

Restricted donation: Rabbit project supported by Northbourne Park School - We are very grateful to Northbourne Park School for supporting the Rabbit Project with a donation of £550 (supplemented with £25 from unrestricted funds). Northbourne Park School has had a partnership with KAASO since 2015. The Rabbit Project is run by the students at KAASO.

The rabbits are in elevated huts with a grated floor so that the dung and urine can be collected. This goes onto the vegetable beds, coffee and banana plantations as fertiliser, which leads to more productivity. The rabbits are fed plants that are a waste product from other projects, so no additional funds are spent on the rabbit feed. Everything is interconnected and nothing is wasted.

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Restricted donation: Kitchen – We helped to promote a fundraiser organised by the KAASO Volunteer Coordinator and the organisation KATKiDS to improve the kitchen facilities at KAASO (a £50 donation was received through the Unity is Strength website for this restricted fund).

The children's kitchen at KAASO was not only inefficient, using a lot of unnecessary firewood, it was also incredibly smoky and unhealthy for the cooks. Each day, 707 children and 57 staff members are fed from this kitchen - most of them three meals a day. The cooks work tirelessly from before sunrise until after sunset to feed the KAASO children and the conditions were unsuitable. With this fundraiser, the aim was to build three large cooking stoves for the children and one small stove for the teachers. This has now been completed and the fire beneath the giant pots can be closed in to reduce smoke and save on wood – the firewood used is now just a quarter of that previously.

From general donations: Postage for coffee samples from Uganda to England – We have established contact with a coffee company in England who may be able to process coffee grown in Uganda. We sent £110 in August 2023 and £110 in March 2024 to cover travel costs for Dominic Mukwaya to go to Kampala to post the sample and postage costs to England. Being able to export coffee could potentially be a significant income-stream for KAASO in the future.

From general donations: Medical costs for Prima

Mukwaya – In March 2024, we were devastated to hear the news that one of Dominic and Rose’s daughters, Prima, was seriously ill. At one point she was in a coma and put on support machines. Lizzie has known Prima since she was 5 (she is now 18 years old). The medical costs were high and unexpected for Dominic and Rose, so we offered to contribute towards them (£700). A message of thanks read, “Thank you for saving Prima’s life.” Prima is improving and is now attending a nearby school as a day scholar, although she is still under strict medical measures. We hope Prima continues to improve and she is well again soon.

Prima (right) in August 2021 ready for farm work. She is aspiring to become a vet.

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We decided to contribute towards Prima’s medical costs because Dominic and Rose give so much of their time and money to ensuring KAASO operates as smoothly as possible, giving the students a safe, secure, and happy environment in which to learn. We wanted to show our support for Dominic and Rose at this difficult time.

4. Achievements and Performance

Microloan initiative - Examples of KAASO-Dep projects - Staff and students from KAASO visited a local training centre to learn how to make bars of soap, liquid soap, shampoo, and chalk for the school blackboards (photo below, left).

Photo below, right shows: Ray (left) who teaches Computer Studies and manages the library; he has started a poultry project. Moses (right) teaches mathematics and is involved in the brick-making project.

The funds provided by Unity is Strength to KAASO-Dep has enabled:

The impact of KAASO-Dep - Having the autonomy to design a project, apply for a loan, and earn additional income has been hugely positive for the teachers and staff members at KAASO. As well as increased economic independence, running these projects enables the teachers and staff members to advance their knowledge in a new discipline and collaborate with their colleagues in a different way.

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Dominic reported that members were happier and more motivated in their schoolwork. KAASO-Dep is run entirely by the committee at KAASO. Other than our due diligence, Unity is Strength is not involved in the group’s decision-making.

Give as you Live and Amazon Smile - £112 raised by supporters generating free donations on Give as you Live and £26 on Amazon Smile while shopping online (included in unrestricted donations). Unfortunately, Amazon Smile has now been discontinued.

5. Financial Review

There was £412 in the bank account at the start of the financial period and £13,886 at the end of the financial period.

The pie charts below show the breakdown of our income for the financial period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.

The £5,102 restricted income includes a Gift Aid claim of £875. This was claimed on a donation of £3,500 given to the Land Purchase project where the donor wished the Gift Aid to be restricted to the same project.

The £12,136 unrestricted income includes a Gift Aid claim of £2,347.

We received £16 in interest for the financial period under review.

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Restricted donations were received for the following projects: Kitchen, Rabbits, KAASO Staff Development Association, and Land Purchase as shown in the pie chart below.

All restricted donations given to Unity is Strength within the financial period under review were transferred to KAASO before 31 March 2024, except for the Land Purchase donation. Some general funds were used to supplement the restricted funds given to specific projects, as shown in the Receipts and Payments spreadsheet. The total transferred to KAASO in the period under review was £3,545.

Our operating costs for the year 1 April 2023 – 31 March 2024 were £235, which includes bank fees, transfer fees, donation processing fees, and our subscription to the Fundraising Regulator.

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Breakdown to show cash funds at the end of the financial period under review:

The £13,886 in the bank account on 31 March 2024 is made up of £9,311 unrestricted funds, £4,375 restricted to land purchase, and £200 in reserves.

The Land Purchase donation and remaining unrestricted funds will be transferred to KAASO when a suitable piece of land has been identified and the Land Acquisition Policy has been followed by both parties. This will be a significant investment for Unity is Strength and KAASO, so it is a process that must be managed carefully and only progressed when the right piece of land can be purchased.

5.1 Reserves Policy

The reserves policy seeks to balance spending the maximum amount of income raised at a suitable time after receipt with maintaining the minimum level of reserves to ensure uninterrupted operation and provide time to adjust to a change in financial circumstances.

An assessment of the financial impact of risk events on reserves is estimated at 1.5% of total cash income for this reporting period (April 2023 - March 2024). Our only committed expenditure is our monthly bank account fee, which equates to £15 over a three-month period. The Trustees feel it is important to safeguard some additional unrestricted funds to cover unexpected costs, such as increased transaction fees. Total charges and transaction fees for April 2023 – March 2024 is £235. 1.5% of our total cash income for 2023/24 is approximately £250. This is the minimum amount that we aim to keep in our account over each three-month period.

5.2 Details of any funds materially in deficit

The Charity has no funds which are materially in deficit.

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5.3 Principal funding sources

Fundraising comes from a range of sources, such as individual recurring donations, individual one-off donations, school fundraisers at Northbourne Park School, fundraisers run by the trustees, and grant-funding.

5.4 Plans for future period

The Trustees aim to develop the following in 2024/25: A case-study about the land purchased and the impact this will have on KAASO’s self-sufficiency and sustainability. If appropriate, to run an online campaign to raise further funds for land purchase.

Approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:

Elizabeth Hulton-Harrop (Chair), 7[th] July 2024

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Unity is Strength 1187516
Receipts andpayments accounts

CC16a

For the period Period start date Period end date To from 4/1/2023 3/31/2024

Section A Receipts and payments

Section A Receipts and payments
A1 Receipts
Covid / KAASO-Depdonations
-
Landpurchase donations
-
Rabbitproject
-
Kitchenproject
-
General donations
9,789
Voluntaryreceipts(Gift Aid)
2,347
Interest
16
Fundraisingevents
-
Grants
-
-
-
-
12,152
-
-
Sub total -
Total receipts 12,152
A3 Payments
1,873
Grant - Landpurchase
Grant - Rabbitproject
25
Grant - Kitchenproject
920
Bank charges
60
International transfer fee to Uganda
100
Donationprocessingfees
19
Transfer fee for Facebook donations
6
FundraisingRegulator subscription
50
NCVO trustee training
-
Sub total 3,053
-
-
Sub total -
Total payments 3,053
Net of receipts/(payments) 9,099
A5 Transfers between funds
-
A6 Cash funds last year end
412
Unrestricted
funds
to the nearest £
Restricted donations (food, classroom,
solar batteries, bunk beds, music)
Sub total(Gross income for AR)
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).
Grant - KAASO Staff Development
Association(loan scheme)
Grant - General donations (for coffee
samples and Prima's medical costs)
Restricted donations (Covid, food,
classroom, solar batteries, bunk beds,
music)
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
to the nearest £
127
3,500
550
50
875
-
-
-
-
-
5,102
-
-
-
5,102
127
-
550
50
-
-
727
-
-
-
727
4,375
-
-
Restricted
funds
to the nearest £
Endowment
funds
Total funds
to the nearest £
127
3,500
550
50
9,789
3,222
16
-
-
-
-
-
17,254
-
-
-
17,254
2,000
-
575
50
920
60
100
19
6
50
-
-
-
-
3,780
-
-
-
3,780
13,474
-
412
Last year
to the nearest £
15 monthperiod
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
13,332
4,035
9
1,049
18,425
-
-
-
-
-
- 18,425
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
17,303
96
150
59
30
100
55
4,406
22,199
-
-
-
- 22,199
4,375 -
-
-
- 3,774
-
- 4,186

Cash funds this year end 9,511 4,375 - 13,886 412

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

Categories
B1 Cash funds
B2 Other monetary assets
B3 Investment assets
B5 Liabilities
B4 Assets retained for the
charity’s own use
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees
Details
CAF Bank
Details
Details
Details
Details
Signature
E A Hulton-Harrop
JEY Hulton-Harrop
Total cash funds
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))
to nearest £
to nearest £
9,511
4,375
-
-
-
-
9,511
4,375
OK
OK
to nearest £
to nearest £
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Cost (optional)
-
-
-
-
-
Cost (optional)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Print Name
Elizabeth Ann Hulton-Harrop
Jane Elizabeth Yair Hulton-Harrop
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Fund to which
asset belongs
Fund to which
asset belongs
Fund to which
liability relates
Amount due
(optional)
to nearest £
Endowment
funds
-
-
-
-
OK
to nearest £
Endowment
funds
-
-
-
-
-
-
Current value
(optional)
-
-
-
-
-
Current value
(optional)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
When due
(optional)
Date of
approval
E A Hulton-Harrop Elizabeth Ann Hulton-Harrop 07.07.24
JEY Hulton-Harrop Jane Elizabeth Yair Hulton-Harrop 07.07.24