TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT OF POSITIVE AGEING IN LONDON
(which is a registered charitable Incorporated Organisation with educational aims).
It meets the public benefit reporting requirements by:
• including the statement that the trustees have had regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit at our AGM on 6[th] March 2024
• describing all activities undertaken to further its charitable purposes for the public benefit
Our Aims and Objectives can be summarised as follows: To make a real difference to the lives of older people by:
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Raising key issues affecting older people in London
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Developing older peoples policy and voice for London
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Challenging for change
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Engaging, advocating for and promoting older people in London
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Working with key strategic bodies which have an influence in London
During the year under review and despite our ongoing lack of success in acquiring funding to pay for professional support, our activities continued to include the following:
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maintaining our public profile;
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being open to and encouraging new members;
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running activities which have been both educational and fostered active involvement by members aimed at reducing social isolation and loneliness;
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encouraged members and our target demographic of older Londoners to be informed and involved in issues pertaining to the welfare and health of older people in London.
Lack of funds regrettably led to our website being lost and despite pleas to the host to reinstate it, it proved not possible. Fortunately we continue to have our domain and are grateful to its host, 34SP who continue to waive the hosting fee due to our charitable status. We are now seeking skilled volunteers who can rebuild our website and if successful, hopefully over the course of the next few months we can create at least a basic web presence. Our list of contacts is still maintained as part of a database and with financial support from a trustee, we were able to use mailchimp to ensure newsletters and event invites were sent out.
Despite the aforementioned lack of funding, PAiL, during the financial year being reported on, sought to meet its aims and objectives by organising a conference focusing on Pensioner Poverty around the theme of What Can We Do? This was PAiL’s first face-to-face conference since the start of the pandemic and was kindly hosted by Westminster City Council’s mayor and had a particular focus on the many threats confronting older people and particularly those already facing poverty. It focused on the impact high inflation rates, particularly in the energy and food sectors were having, resulting in many pensioners having to face stark choices between
heating and eating. The conference brought together experts who knew about and were trying to help overcome pensioner poverty in London, including Age UK London, Wise Age, National Pensioner Convention and Southwark Pensioners centre. After each presentation the audience participated in Q & As around the specific themes. We continued sending out newsletters vis mailchimp to 1000+ members/contacts which in turn led to dissemination by our partners to many more and we also continued to lobby for the publication of London’s Age Friendly City plan of action to deliver the 8 World Health Organisation’s Age Friendly Domains that made up their template for delivering an age friendly city. Our email address remained active and continued to receive enquiries about our work. Some limited success was also achieved via a social media presence highlighting the ongoing issues of interest and concern to PAiL members and the wider community.
We continued to support age friendly working groups seeking to raise issues of concern and recommendations relating to making LONDON more accessible and age friendly in line with the work of the GLA and the LRB as well as London boroughs and key members continued to play an active role in age partnerships, particularly the London Age Friendly Forum network and EngAgeNet the national age forum network. PAiL also continued to hold regular committee meetings which were open to all members with a focus on trying to attract funding from relevant grant making bodies and agree plans on future activities to ensure we continued to meet our charitable aims. These meeting continued to be held virtually as a majority of members still had ongoing concerns around Covid. Nonetheless we were able to hold our AGM face to face in March thanks to the Penfold Community Centre in Northwest London.
As in the previous financial year, we continue to actively pursue funding from contracts, fundraising and donations with the specific aim of being able to pay for part time administration and a new website.
PAiL’s new chairperson is James Crummie who is one of the founding trustees.
POSITIVE AGEING IN LONDON (PAIL)
(Charity Commission Registration Number 1189011)
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT For the period 01 October 2022 to September 30, 2023
£
RECEIPTS:
Donation 50.00
Total Receipts 50.00
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PAYMENTS:
Administration Costs 100.00
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Total Payments 100.00
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Net of Receipts/Payments (50.00)
Funds held at Bank on 01 October 2022 317.95
-----------Funds held at Bank on 30 September 2023 267.95
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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF POSITIVE AGEING IN LONDON
I report on the accounts for the year ended 30[TH] SEPTEMBER 2023.
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner .
The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider an audit is not required for this year (under section 144 2 of the Charities Act 2011 and that an independent examination is required.
It is my responsibility to:
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Examine the accounts under section 145 of the above Act.
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To follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission (under Section 145 5b of the above Act: and
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To state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of the independent examiner’s report .
My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items and disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanation from you as trustees concerning such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
Independent examiners statement
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
- 1) Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that, in any material aspect, the requirements
. to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 130 of the above act and
. to prepare accounts which accords with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the above act
. have not been met or
- 2) To which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the account to be reached
William Burke BSc Econ Hons
Member of the Association of Accounting Technicians:
Address: 27 Alderton Way, Loughton Essex IG10 3EQ
Date: 5/7/24