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2021-03-31-accounts

Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts

Year ending: Incorporation to 31[st] March 2021 Charity Number: 1189286

Report Date: September 2021

Fuel Macedonia Registered Charity Number 1189286

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Reference and Administration

Name: Fuel Macedonia

Number: 1189286

Principle Office: 3 Greenbanks, Cranham, Upminster RM14 3YR

Names of Trustees of the Charity

IP Coppeard, Chair of Trustees

D Parker

D Woodward

L Smith

M Smith

Names & Addresses of Advisors

Bank: Metro Bank, Romford

Financial advice and Independent Examiner: Mr Stephen Price, Derby

Structure, Governance and Management

Fuel Macedonia, a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, is a registered charity, number 1189286, with a constitution dated 10[th] April 2020. The Charity raises funds to support appropriate projects managed by carefully selected Local Partners and Partner Organisations who live and operate in the Republic of North Macedonia in line with the Constitution’s Objects and in accordance with the Charity’s Grant Making and Due Diligence policies.

New Trustees are appointed by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the current Trustees and are appointed indefinitely. The Constitution provides for a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 7 Trustees, all appointed indefinitely. The current Board consists of 5 people who bring the following skills to the operation: the original vision, project and people management, web design and media production, English as a foreign language and other languages, finance (ex-bank manager) and passion for the cause and people.

At the 6 weekly trustees’ meetings the Trustees review the current projects, the level of funding needed and available, and they look at ways of raising the profile of the charity to encourage more giving. They use these opportunities to consider additional grants to projects or the raising of funds for new projects suggested by the Charity’s Local Partners or Partner Organisations.

Fuel Macedonia Registered Charity Number 1189286

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On appointment new Trustees sign the Charity’s ‘Trustee Code of Conduct’, are made aware of the current Local Partners and Partner Organisations through whom grants are distributed, and the current projects the Charity is supporting. They have access to, and are expected to read, the Charity’s policies on grant making, due diligence, confidentiality, data protection and conflict of interests.

All Trustees give of their time freely and no Trustee remuneration has been paid. Details of Trustee expenses are disclosed in Note 1 of the accounts. Trustees are required to disclose all relevant interests and register them with the Chair of Trustees and, in accordance with the Charity’s policy, withdraw from decisions where a conflict of interest arises.

The major risk for the Charity is the potential failure of a funded project and the effects on the donor(s). Hence the Grant Making and Due Diligence Policies are key in the decision-making process for the agreement to raise funds for a grant or project, therefore, these policies are constantly under review to ensure that they are fit-for-purpose.

Objects and Activities for the public benefit

The object of the Charity is the prevention and relief of poverty and the relief of those in need by reason of financial hardship in the Republic of North Macedonia.

The Charity carries out these objects through (but is not limited to) the following activities:

The Trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the Charity’s aims and objectives and in considering future activities and the grant making policy for the year.

Grant making policy

The Charity has established its Grant Making Policy to clearly lay out the way the Charity works to achieve the Charity’s objectives (see above). During this first year the trustees have been continually reviewing this policy to ensure it is fit for purpose to advance public benefit.

Fuel Macedonia Registered Charity Number 1189286

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The Charity’s beneficiaries are all in various degrees of financial hardship and, whilst most of this year’s efforts have centred around the relief of poverty, the Trustees are very excited about the sustainable garden where we can, to some degree, look at preventing poverty. The beneficiaries have to be known by the Local Partners or Trustees and the Grant Making Policy has been worded to protect abuse of the donations received through Trustee contacts and site visits.

Executive Summary

We, as Trustees, have been very gratified by the response to the appeals we have made for the various projects that have been brought to us by our Local Partners and the following is a summary of our achievements and performance in our first 11 months of operation to 31[st] March 2021 as a registered Charity:

Relief of poverty & financial hardship

Beneficiaries’ welfare

Sustainable projects

Since the Charity’s year end (31[st] March 2021) we have provided a further

Achievements and Performance

We are so grateful for the generosity of people in the UK towards the people of Macedonia that have made a real difference in the lives of many households. Trustees have had the privilege of meeting some of the beneficiaries who have expressed their gratitude and thanks towards the people who have given so freely – it was very humbling for us.

All the projects we have undertaken to support have been those suggested by our Local Partners and they are all ongoing projects from year to year. The following report gives more details of the projects for the time period from the inception of the Charity to the date of the report.

Fuel Macedonia Registered Charity Number 1189286

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Relief of Poverty/Financial Hardship:

Winter Heating

This has to be the starting place as it is what caused us to start the charity in the first place: our Local Partner in Tetovo had seen the hardship of people around him and wanted to raise €1,000 to enable 5 families to heat their homes during the winter. This would be through the purchase of either firewood or Calor gas, to heat homes during the worst months of the year because the price of electricity for heating was/is considerable and the gathering of firewood is also controlled (there are wood police!).

We got alongside the Local Partner and were able to raise over and above what he had requested. As people were keen to give, we looked to formalise the arrangement and expand into food parcels too.

This year we were able to buy 41 months of heating for 18 households at a total cost of £2,313.

Food Parcels

Food parcels are never the same – they depend on the makeup and heritage of the family concerned and they vary in price. The parcels are meant to supplement the household’s groceries, not completely provide for them. They average £40 per ‘food parcel’, which will also contain cleaning and washing materials, would be for a family of 2 adults and 2 smaller children.

This year we were able to buy 33 food parcels for 26 households (1 of which has been an on-going support as the family have a

very difficult situation), at a cost of £1,678.

During the months since the end of the financial year the Trustees have agreed to continue supporting 2 situations on a monthly basis – the current pandemic having exacerbated both situations. We have been able to fund a further 8 food parcels for 6 families, 2 of these are the regular support, at a cost of £241.

Feeding the Homeless in Skopje

This was a pilot project in the capital city where many people gather for help. Our Local Partner in Skopje has a real heart for the disadvantaged and was going out and spending his own money to buy meals for those he found on the streets. We heard of this and suggested an immediate emergency funding for him (as he had no job due to the 2020 pandemic) while we considered with him what could be done for this situation.

We have been able to give him £150 which was used in supporting at least 9 different situations.

Fuel Macedonia Registered Charity Number 1189286

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Beneficiaries’ Welfare:

Wellbeing sessions

Various courses and seminars that are free to attend have been led in the community by our Local Partner in Tetovo, who has arranged venues and speakers. These meetings have been hindered by the pandemic situation and the government restrictions in force but the Local Partner has been able to meet regularly with the participants of the seminars/courses and provide much needed 1-2-1 encouragement to them.

These seminars/courses have been funded by Fuel Macedonia, at a cost during the first 11 months of £515, and a further £169 to September this year.

We have also been able to fund some specific ‘projects’ for individuals who have had specific needs.

Sustainable Projects:

Shutka Food Garden

This project has been set up to “establish a sustainable local food garden which will engage with the community to provide them with supplemental food to meet their physical needs. It will require their physical work/input/maintenance to develop it into a long-term program within the community.” (This has been copied from the Project Leader’s proposal to the British Embassy, Skopje when asking for a grant to purchase the greenhouse required).

In March 2021 the 40metre greenhouse (picture opposite) was under construction thanks to the British Embassy grant.

Fuel Macedonia was able to award an initial grant of £450 towards the set-up costs of the garden, which it is hoped will feed at least 15 families –

maybe more. This

will depend on the uptake from the community and the growing conditions.

Since the year end we have had discussions with the project leaders about partnering with another funder to cover the monthly running costs of the project until it becomes self-sufficient. We have agreed to this funding for the first 6 months when we will review the project with the project leaders.

The picture to the left was taken at the open day in June 2021.

Fuel Macedonia Registered Charity Number 1189286

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There have also been 2 further grants of £1,404 towards setting up the greenhouse and ensuring it runs well. The monthly costs are €300 (approx. £260).

Financial review

The Charity depends on donations to enable grants to be given. The Charity has no investments or endowments to provide a steady income. Therefore, each new project has to be marketed and have funds raised for it. No ‘promises’ of grants are given for which funds have not already been received or promised.

The Charity has no regular support or governance costs and, therefore, there are no reserves.

Plans for the future

The year’s achievements are a testimony to the generosity of the public responding to a very real need in another country.

The Trustees have been actively developing their relationships with, and encouraging the activities of, the Local Partners through this difficult season (pandemic), which has caused additional financial hardship of many people in Macedonia, particularly through loss of employment.

We are aiming to continue our ‘winter aid’ of heating materials and food parcels for families in need and to promote these projects to our Local Partners in Tetovo, Skopje, Matka and Shutka so that we can increase the circle of beneficiaries.

The Food Garden is an exciting project and we are hoping that we can provide the funding to enable it to become self-sustaining in a year or so. The Project Leaders have very ambitious plans to set up more food gardens in and around Skopje. The project could also involve volunteer teams from the UK lending help too.

We mentioned the IT micro-school above and this is still a project that is very dear to our hearts in Fuel Macedonia as it will enable young people to obtain employable skills and the possibility of employment too as the school will have firms already lined up for their students. Currently young people very often look for work abroad, many working in the hospitality industry once having obtained their degrees in Macedonia. We want to see good employment possibilities available in their own country and as this project was first put together by a Macedonian national it has a good chance of success. We look forward to working with this project when it starts.

Fuel Macedonia Registered Charity Number 1189286

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Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the financial statements

The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards. The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires trustee(s) to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy the financial position of the Charity and enable them to ascertain to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 1993, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the Constitution. They are responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the Charity and financial information included on the Charity’s website.

Approved by the Trustees on 9[th] September 2021 and signed on their behalf by:

----- Start of picture text -----
Signature(s)
Full name(s) Ian Paul Coppeard Daniel William Parker
Position Chair of Trustees Trustee
Date 9/9/2021
----- End of picture text -----

Fuel Macedonia Registered Charity Number 1189286

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Fuel Macedonia Statement of Financial Activities For the period from 01/04/2020 to 31/03/2021

Receipts and payments Receipts and payments Receipts and payments
Receipts Unrestricted
funds
to the
nearest £
6,692
508
525
7,726		 Restricted
funds
to the
nearest £
-
-
-
-		 Endowment
funds
to the
nearest £
-
-
-
-		 Total
funds
to the
nearest £
6,692
508
525
7,726		 Last year
to the
nearest £
Donations for Projects 6,692 -
Donations for Charity
Overheads		 508 -
Gift Aid reclaimed 525 -
Subtotal Receipts 7,726 -
Asset and investment sales
None -
- -
-
Total receipts 7,726 - - 7,726 -
Payments 1,679
2,313
150
450
515
868
267
6,243
30
23
113
619
7,027		 -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-		 -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-		 1,679
2,313
150
450
515
868
267
6,243
30
23
113
619
7,027
Grants for Food Parcels 1,679 - - 1,679 -
Grants for Winter Heating 2,313 - - 2,313 -
Grants to Feed Homeless in
Skopje		 150 - - 150 -
Grants for Shutka Food
Garden		 450 - - 450 -
Wellbeing Sessions 515 - - 515
Miscellaneous Grants (note
2)		 868 - - 868 -
Charity costs spent in
Macedonia		 267 **- ** **- ** 267 -
Subtotal payments in
Macedonia		 6,243 - - 6,243 -
Cost of Grants in exchange
rate fees		 30 - - 30 -
Cost of Donations on
NowDonate platform		 23 - - 23 -
Costs incurred in UK for
Clothing sent (note 3)		 113 - - 113
Charity running costs not in
Macedonia		 619 - - 619 -
Subtotal all Payments 7,027 - - 7,027 -

Fuel Macedonia Registered Charity Number 1189286

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Asset and investment
purchases		 Unrestricted
funds
to the
nearest £		 Unrestricted
funds
to the
nearest £		 Restricted
funds
to the
nearest £		 Restricted
funds
to the
nearest £		 Endowment
funds
to the
nearest £		 Endowment
funds
to the
nearest £		 Total
funds
to the
nearest £		 Total
funds
to the
nearest £		 Last year
to the
nearest £
None - - - -
Subtotal - - - - -
Total payments
Net of receipts &
payments
Transfers between funds
Cash funds to start
Charity
Cash funds this year end		 7,027
699
-
741
1,440		 -
-
-
-
-		 -
-
-
-
-		 7,027
699
-
741
1,440
-
699 - - 699 -
- - - - -
741 - - 741 -
1,440 - - 1,440 -

Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period

Cash funds
Other monetary assets
Investment assets
Assets retained for the
charity’s own use
Liabilities		 Current Account
Total cash funds
Gift aid reclaim
None
None
None		 Unrestricted
funds
to nearest £
1,440
1,440
292		 Restricted
funds
to nearest £
-
-
-		 Endowment
funds
to nearest £
-
-
-
None

Notes to the Accounts

  1. Trustee expenses have only been for reimbursement of items needed to run the charity

  2. Miscellaneous grants are those where an individual need is found and responded to and includes financial assistance for funeral costs and dental bills. Funds are raised specifically for these purposes.

  3. Donated clothes were shipped out to Macedonia and these were the shipping costs

Fuel Macedonia Registered Charity Number 1189286

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