2024-03-31-accounts - Fuel Macedonia

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Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts

Year ending: 31[st] March 2024

Charity Number: 1189286

Report Date: September 2024

Fuel Macedonia Registered Charity Number 1189286

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 Albright

M Smith

Names & Addresses of Advisors

Bank: Metro Bank, Romford

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 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.

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.

Fuel Macedonia Registered Charity Number 1189286

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:

funding the provision of basic comfort needs to families in financial hardship, promoting and preserving good health by the provision of basic food and groceries (food parcels), fuel (gas and wood) for winter heating, and other support as the Trustees deemed fit,
making grants available to Partner Organisations and Local Partners who are able to help the beneficiaries’ welfare (mental health and wellbeing seminars).
prevention of poverty through making grants available to local education establishments approved by the Trustees where the curriculum is appropriate to employment (the microschool project is still under development and not yet being funded).
funding sustainable projects that increase the living standards of the local residents (a ‘food garden’ where locals are instructed on growing methods and grow food that they can both use and sell).

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.

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 have been very pleased to see the sustainable garden (which is preventing poverty) handed over to joint management of the Roma people for whom it was intended. 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.

Fuel Macedonia Registered Charity Number 1189286

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 third full year of operation from 1[st] April 2023 to 31[st] March 2024:

Relief of poverty & financial hardship

Purchase of 49 months of heating for 17 households at a total cost of £3,107.
Purchase of 3 heating/cooking stoves at a cost of £66
Purchase of 15 food parcels for 2 households at a cost of £390.
Regular support of 2 families who live in very difficult situations

Beneficiaries’ welfare

Financially supporting 10 sessions of a wellbeing course for 9 men at a cost of £563.

Community Outreach projects started in Feb 2023

£5,360 for 4 project areas, Banica, Polog (Tetovo & Gostivar), Resen and Vratnica
Provided for 65 households;
8 households received 24 metres of wood between them
57 households received 159 food parcels

Since the Charity’s year end (31[st] March 2024) we have provided a further:

£811 for 14 metres of wood for 5 families
£199 for 7 food parcels for 2 families
£282 for a further 5 the wellbeing seminars
£2,100 for additional grants to the 4 Community Outreach projects providing for 25 households:
4 receiving 11 metres of wood
21 receiving 60 food parcels

Achievements and Performance

We are so grateful for the generosity of people in the UK towards the people of Macedonia that has 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 is always 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

Relief of Poverty/Financial Hardship:

Winter Heating

In summary this project purchases either firewood or Calor gas, to heat homes during the worst 3 months of the year because the price of electricity for heating is considerable and the gathering of firewood is controlled by the government (there are wood police!). Where necessary we will also purchase a wood burning stove for heating and cooking.

With the start of the Community Outreach initiative, we now have only 1 Local Partner who requests wood and he looks out for households in need in Skopje. This last winter has been a lot

milder than other years and there have not been so many requests for help – coupled with a lower donation rate.

This year we were able to buy 49 months of heating for 17 households at a total cost of £3,107 and 3 heating/cooking wood burning stoves at a total cost of £66.

Food Parcels

Food parcels are never the same – they depend on the makeup and heritage of the family concerned. They average £40 per ‘food parcel’ which will also contain cleaning and washing materials. Once again with the advent of our Community Outreach Project, food parcels were not so sought for – have a look at the CO figures.

This year we were able to buy 14 food parcels for 2 households at a cost of £390.

Community Outreach projects

This new initiative was born out of seeing groups reaching out to new communities and incurring expenses – often from the Project Leaders’ own pockets, to provide for some of the basic needs that they found in their work. Their aims are to better the living situations and improve the living environments of those residing in these areas.

This year a new project was added: Resen, in the Southwest of the country.

Fuel Macedonia Registered Charity Number 1189286

In total, for the Community Outreach initiative, we have been able to fund:

57 households received 159 parcels
8 households received 24 months’ heating
At a cost of £5,360

Project specifics:

Banica: received £1,550 this year. This project supports 6 families with food parcels every month, delivering a total of 90 parcels.

Polog (Tetovo and Gostivar): received £2,167 this year. The Project Leader has supported 28 families with 30 food parcels and 5 households with 3 metres of wood each.

Resen: received £1,179 this year. This project is new in the town and is gradually building up contacts. The Project Leaders have supported 17 families with a food parcel and 3 families with 3 metres of wood each.

Vratnica: received £463 this year. This project is also regularly supporting 6 households in the village with 18 food parcels . Due to continued poor health and over-work, the Project Leader has scaled down his operation there for a time after our year-end. He is occasionally visiting the village and schools with teams from Shutka (and, yes, from those who are now working on the Food Garden).

Since year end Banica has received a further £350, Polog £500 and Resen a further £1,250.

Beneficiaries’ Welfare:

Wellbeing sessions

These are run by our Local Partner in Tetovo, who has a venue.

These are run by our Local Partner in Tetovo, who has a venue. This particular cohort is made up of 9 guys from 2 cities: Tetovo and Gostivar, and they’ve met 9 times this year and it’s been funded by Fuel Macedonia, at a cost of £563 and a further £70 since year end.

Sustainable Projects:

Shutka Food Garden

The original food garden in Shutka was handed over to the Pentecostal church that owns the land and a local Roma man, was tasked with seeing what he could do with the 40-metre greenhouse and land around it. After much hard work and with the help of a small group of Roma friends and a visiting Dutch team, he was able to secure an abundant harvest of produce (tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, chillis, aubergines, okra, pumpkins, squashes, water melons) plus apples and cherries from trees growing wild on the premises.

Since learning of the rise of the garden FM teams have developed a working relationship with this man and his team and we are supporting, where we can, with physical help, as well as finances for seeds etc.

Fuel Macedonia Registered Charity Number 1189286

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 Trustees have continued developing their relationships with, and encouraging the activities of, all the Local Partners through another year and this is where the new project for Community Outreach has developed from. We are aiming to continue our ‘winter aid’ of heating materials and food parcels for families in need through our Community Outreach projects in Tetovo/Gostivar (Polog region), Skopje/Matka and Resen.

Fuel Macedonia Registered Charity Number 1189286

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:

select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
observe the methods and principles of the Charity Commission’s ‘Charities Statement of Recommended Practice’;
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Charity will continue in business.

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 5[th] November 2024 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 5/11/2024
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Fuel Macedonia Registered Charity Number 1189286

Fuel Macedonia Statement of Financial Activities For the period from 01/04/2023 to 31/03/2024

Receipts and payments	Receipts and payments
Receipts	Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 7,191 340 405 7,936	Restricted funds to the nearest £ - - - -	Endowment funds to the nearest £ - - - -	Total funds to the nearest £ 7,191 340 405 7,936	Last year to the nearest £
Donations for Projects	7,191				15,258
Donations for Charity Overheads	340				605
Gift Aid reclaimed	405				512
*Subtotal Receipts*	7,936				16,375

Asset and investment sales
None	-	-	-	-	-
*Total receipts*	7,936	-	-	7,936	16,375
Payments	390 3,108 - 292 - 5,360 563 66 100 9,879 29 3 57 9,968	- - - - - - - - - - - - - -	- - - - - - - - - - - - - -	390 3,108 - 292 - 5,360 563 66 100 9,879 29 3 57 9,968
Grants for Food Parcels	390	-	-	390	1,501
Grants for Winter Heating	3,108	-	-	3,108	8,636
Grants to Feed Homeless in Skopje	-	-	-	-	-
Grants for Shutka Food Garden	292	-	-	292	-
Grant for the Food Bank	-	-	-	-	-
Community Outreach	5,360	-	-	5,360	2,000
Wellbeing Sessions	563	-	-	563	528
Miscellaneous Grants (note 2)	66	-	-	66	460
Charity costs spent in Macedonia	100	-	-	100	247
*Subtotal payments in* *Macedonia*	9,879	-	-	9,879	13,372
Cost of Grants in exchange rate fees	29	-	-	29	111
Cost of Donations on NowDonate platform	3	-	-	3	16
Charity running costs not in Macedonia	57	-	-	57	205
*Subtotal all Payments*	9,968	-	-	9,968	13,704

Fuel Macedonia Registered Charity Number 1189286

Asset and investment purchases	Unrestricted funds to the nearest £	Restricted funds to the nearest £	Endowment 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 from last year end *Cash funds this year end*	9,968 (2,033) - 4,328 2,296	- - - - -	- - - - -	9,968 (2,033) - 4,328 2,296
					13,704

					2,672
					-
					1,772
					4,443

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 £ 2,296 2,296 -	Restricted funds to nearest £ - - -	Endowment funds to nearest £
					-
					-

					-





	None

Notes to the Accounts

Trustee expenses have only been for reimbursement of items needed to run the charity
Miscellaneous grants are those where an individual need is found and responded to and includes financial assistance for cooking stoves. Funds are raised specifically for these.

Fuel Macedonia Registered Charity Number 1189286