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2023-10-31-accounts

GAMFAM

(a company limited by guarantee)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS for the year ended 31 October 2023

Charity number 1191139 (England & Wales) Charity number SC051622 (Scotland) Company number 12255967

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2023

The Trustees present the directors’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 October 2023.

Reference and Administrative Information

Charity Name: GamFam Charity Registration Number: 1191139 (England & Wales) Charity Registration Number: SC051622 (Scotland) Company Registration Number: 12255967 Registered Office: 19 Holywells Road Ipswich Suffolk IP3 0DL

Trustees

Trustees, who are also directors under company law, who served during the year and up to the date of this report were as follows:

T Glyn Davies (Chair) Erica J Dyson Jeanne M Rowe Barry P Grant

Secretary

Ian Aston FCA

Chief Executive Officer

Steven Watts

Independent Examiner

Paul Dearsley FCCA Aston Ley Limited Aston Ley Barn Hermitage Meadow Clare CO10 8QQ

Bankers

Solicitors

Lloyds Bank plc Birketts LLP 3 Sidney Street Providence House Cambridge CB2 3HQ 141-145 Princess Street Ipswich IP1 1QJ

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REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2023

Our Aims and Objectives

We are incredibly proud to share with you the annual report for GamFam for the year ended 31 October 2023.

Who are GamFam

GamFam was incorporated on 11 October 2019 and was awarded full charity status by the Charities Commission for England and Wales on 3 September 2020 and the Office of the Scottish Regulator (OSCR) on 2 March 2022.

GamFam was originally founded by the parents of a young man, who developed an online gaming addiction which escalated into a gambling disorder and had no idea where to go for support or that a gambling addiction was in fact, a recognised mental health disorder.

With 20 years’ experience of working in education our founder was fully aware that there was little or no help and support for parents/carers surrounding gambling harms awareness and that structured peer support for those affected by someone else’s gambling was hard to access or very much in short supply. With this information and understanding our founder developed an information and awareness programme for parents/carers and also began developing the GamFam Recovery and Support Programme (GRA5P) – a five stage structured self-help peer support programme for those affected by someone else’s gambling – in conjunction with Suffolk Mind, our mental health partner.

Using the ‘If only we knew then, what we know now’ approach, GamFam began visiting schools in the Essex area meeting and presenting to the parents/carers of junior school children right through to the parents of students embarking on the world of work or off to university. Feedback highlighted that the majority of parents were unaware of the risks associated with gambling harms and our various ‘10 Things to Look For, 10 Things to Do’ models proved a valuable resource to help parents recognise the early warning signs and to give them the tools to have a better understanding and practical tools and barriers to help them support their children both now and in the future.

Prior to the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020 our expectation was to serve and support the people of Essex and Suffolk and surrounding areas. However, the opportunity to work remotely has given GamFam the opportunity to support others beyond our immediate geographical location, meaning we now work with more people in more areas.

Originally, our GRA5P model was aimed at families and friends affected by someone else’s gambling. However, it soon became apparent that whilst we were able to support our group members, often their loved ones were not engaging in any meaningful medium to long term support beyond perhaps initial therapy or counselling and in many cases nothing at all.

Therefore, more out of demand rather than design, GamFam created a GRA5P model for the person directly experiencing gambling harms, one that complements our existing model for families and friends.

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REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2023

Purposes and Aims

Our charity’s purposes as set out in the objects contained in the company’s memorandum of association are to benefit the public by the preservation and protection of good mental health and the relief of need among people who have developed or who are at risk of developing a gambling addiction, their parents, families and friends by:

Our Vision

Empowering individuals and families to alleviate the impact of gambling harms and move towards a positive future.

Our Mission

To offer hope to anyone affected by gambling harms and the opportunity to share their experiences in a safe space, without fear of judgement with others who have genuine empathy and understanding.

How we achieve our Mission

Our Values

GamFam is an organisation that is committed to supporting any person directly or indirectly affected by gambling harms by:

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REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2023

Ensuring our work delivers our aims

We will review our aims, objectives and activities each year. The annual review helps us ensure our aims, objectives and activities remain focused on our stated purposes. We have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aim and objectives and in planning our future activities. In particular, the trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives they have set.

The focus of our work

What have we done well

We have:

How our activities deliver public benefit

Our Programmes

Peer Support

We offer support through GRA5P – The GamFam Recovery and Support Programme, a structured 5-stage self-help peer support programme which was originally designed to support those affected by someone else’s gambling. However, out of demand, GamFam have now developed a similar programme to support those directly in recovery too.

Currently all our meetings operate remotely via Zoom allowing us to help and support more people in more locations without any natural barriers to location. Meetings are hosted by trained GamFam facilitators.

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REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2023

The GRA5P programme delivers a strong support network so that group members can start to understand the devastating impact that a gambling disorder can have. It also offers guidance on how individuals, families and friends can help themselves, as well as practical suggestions for coping day-by-day and moving towards a more positive future.

Through structured peer support the GRA5P programme gives its members the opportunity to share their experiences in a safe space, with no fear of judgement and with others who have real empathy and understanding with their own unique situation.

What difference does GamFam make to our peer group members

GamFam offers affected others and gamblers in recovery a safe, confidential space to share and support with other peers. Our peer groups are structured around the GRA5P five step programme. All facilitators have lived experience of gambling harms and have attended our in-house training, safeguarding training and the Suffolk Mind’s ‘The Essentials’ mental health training.

Feedback from our members

“Being able to relate to others who have had similar experiences. Listening and being heard, sharing and learning. But most of all having support and people who genuinely care.”

“It has helped me to cope immensely with a member of family gambling on how to deal with the myriad of issues arising.”

“It has provided me with a safe space to discuss issues related to gambling with people who understand what I am going through.”

“It has given me the road back to life.”

“It has given me huge support. A space in which to talk freely about my anxieties and from which to gain strategies to help me manage.”

“If I didn't have GamFam, I would be seriously ill, both mentally and physically. I was totally unable to cope with my gambler.”

“It's kept me mentally stable. Has given me hope that things can get better. It's shown me ways to put things in placed to help prevent the gambler in our family from gambling.”

“It’s enabled me to process my own thoughts and think more clearly. For the first time in 2 years, I’ve started to talk about my life living with an addict/addict in recovery. It’s like a weight has been lifted.”

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REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2023

Information and Awareness

GamFam want to change people’s perceptions about gambling and help combat the stigma surrounding gambling harms which is often referred to as the 'hidden addiction' so that gambling is viewed on the same level as other addictions such as drugs and alcohol.

Gambling is often promoted as 'a bit of fun' and has been normalised as an integral part of enjoying sport, in particular football. In addition, a recent report found that children who enjoyed the risk of simulated online gaming were more likely to gamble later in life.

Through our CPD accredited Information and Awareness programmes we want to support all people but with a particular focus on parents/carers, families and professionals working with young people to enable them to make informed choices and decisions about gambling.

The GamFam CPD accredited Information and Awareness presentations cover the following topics :

Our presentations are age appropriate and can be delivered to parents/carers, families or professionals of children and youngsters of any age through to adults and offer strategies and advice for The Early Years (Key Stage 2, Key Stage 3) Preparing for 18 (Key Stage 4), Off to University/Work (Key Stage 5) and beyond.

Other Projects

Regionalised Pathways

GamFam are currently working within Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex to develop bespoke regionalised pathways. This includes working with local organisations to raise awareness of gambling harms; developing our CPD accredited Information and Awareness programme; setting up referral and signposting pathways and extending our offer of structured Peer Support through our GRA5P programme for both affected others and gamblers in recovery.

We hope that our experience in Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex will enable us to develop this model in other regions too.

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REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2023

Financial Review

The Charity is now firmly established, and our cost base has increased accordingly. Notwithstanding our increased costs, a surplus of £195,506 (2022: £20,201) was generated in the year under review and the addition to reserves will support the sustainability of our activities.

Principal Funding Sources

During the year 55% of income was derived from grants and fees (2022: 76%) and 45% from voluntary donations (2022: 24%).

Reserves Policy

In The Trustees’ view, the reserves should provide GamFam with adequate financial stability and the means for it to meet its charitable objectives for the foreseeable future.

The Trustees have adopted a policy of retaining sufficient free reserves to ensure the continuity of operations and to absorb periodic setbacks, while committing to the maximum amount available for the provision of services to our service-users.

The following formula for the calculation of free reserves was adopted by The Trustees:

Less

Reserves are to retained in a combination of GamFam’s Bank Current Account, fixed term deposit accounts and an instant access deposit account. The allocation between accounts is determined by GamFam’s liquidity requirements based on its financial projections.

The Trustees will review the amount of reserves that are required to fulfil GamFam’s continuing obligations at a minimum of every six months. Care will be taken to consider changing funding structures and activity growth strategies. The policy will be reviewed at a minimum of every two years.

Investment Policy

Most of the charity’s funds are to be spent in the short term so there are no funds for long term investment.

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REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2023

Plans for Future Periods

GamFam have worked hard to establish itself as a well-respected independent Charity. We currently support over 150 people on a regular basis and have held in excess of 1,000 online Peer Support sessions on our various GRA5P groups with a further proportion who do not access support on groups on a regular basis but are supported on an ad-hoc basis and are part of our quarterly check in routine.

We pride ourselves on being able to respond to all referrals and enquiries within 24 hours (if not sooner) and where appropriate currently have the facility to place those in need of support onto a group within one week.

Lived Experience is at the heart of everything we do, and we will continue to identify those group members who have the desire to become fully trained GamFam facilitators to enable us to increase the number of groups that we operate. We have developed our own in-house CPD accredited Facilitator Training programme that means we will be able to help more people in more locations without compromising the quality of our service.

Our plan is to adopt a co-facilitation model and use our established and experienced facilitators to work as mentors to support new facilitators in the early stages of their service. This will help us ensure that group members continue to receive the quality of support that they require.

The appointment of an Operations Manager has been crucial to GamFam as it has given the charity the opportunity to take a more strategic approach beyond the day to day running of the organisation as it grows.

Structure, Governance and Management

Governing Document

The organisation is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 11 October 2019 and was awarded full charity status by the Charities Commission for England and Wales on 3 September 2020 and the Office of the Scottish Regulator (OSCR) on 2 March 2022.

The company was established under a Memorandum of Association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its Articles of Association. In the event of the company being wound up members are required to contribute an amount not exceeding £1.

Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees

The directors of the company are also charity trustees for the purposes of charity law. Under the requirements of the Memorandum and Articles of Association Trustees are elected to serve for a period of three years after which they must be re-elected at the next Annual General Meeting.

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REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2023

All Trustees give their time voluntarily and received no benefits from the charity. Any expenses reclaimed from the charity are set out in note 6 to the financial statements.

Trustee Induction and Training

The GamFam Trustees have worked diligently since the charity was established to ensure that our policies and procedures are robust and underpin the aims and values of the charity.

The GamFam Trustee Code of Conduct is fundamental to ensure that all trustees are fully aware of their responsibilities within their respective roles. As GamFam is a member of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), our trustees are encouraged to attend courses to help develop their skills in areas they would like to enhance and develop their knowledge and understanding to support the organisation.

In future the Trustees will be looking to increase numbers to further enhance the skill set to continue to support GamFam to grow and develop in line with its aims and objectives.

Risk Management

The Trustees have conducted a review of the major risks to which the charity is exposed. A risk register has been established and is updated at least annually. Where appropriate, systems or procedures have been established to mitigate the risks the charity faces. Procedures are in place to ensure compliance with health and safety of staff, volunteers and clients. These procedures are periodically reviewed to ensure that they continue to meet the needs of the charity.

Organisational Structure

A scheme of delegation is in place and day to day responsibility for the provision of the services rest with the Chief Executive Officer who is responsible for ensuring that the charity delivers the services specified and that key performance indicators are met.

Employee Information

As of 31 October 2023 and at the date of this report GamFam has two full time employees and one part time employee. GamFam engages with a number of facilitators, counsellors and peer support workers on a self-employed contract basis.

The Chief Executive Officer meets regularly with the Trustees to discuss strategy and priorities.

Responsibilities of the Directors

Company law requires the Directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of the affairs of the charitable company as at the balance sheet date and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including

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REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2023

income and expenditure, for the financial year. In preparing those financial statements, the management committee should follow best practice and:

The Directors are responsible for maintaining proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. The Directors are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Trustees

Trustees, who are directors for the purpose of company law and trustees for the purpose of charity law, who served during the year and up to the date of this report are set out on page 3.

This report has been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS102) and in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small entities.

Approved by the Trustees on 4 June 2024 and signed on their behalf by:

TG Davies

Director and Chair of Trustees

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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT ON THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Report to the directors of GamFam (“the Company”) on the financial statements for the year ended 31 October 2023

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the financial statements of the Company for the year ended 31 October 2023 set out on pages 12 to 18.

As the charity’s trustees of the Company (who are also the directors of the company for the purposes of company law), you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (“the 2006 Act”) and the terms of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 (“the 2005 Act”) and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) (“the 2006 Accounts Regulations”).

Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the Company are not required to be audited for this period under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and Regulation 10(1) (a) to (c) of the 2006 Accounts Regulations, and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity’s financial statements as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (“the 2011 Act”) and Regulation 11 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations. In carrying out my examination, I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act and under section 44(1)(c) of the 2005 Act.

The Company’s gross income exceeded £250,000 and I am qualified to undertake the examination by being a qualified member of The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention which gives me cause to believe that:

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 financial statements to be reached.

Paul Dearsley FCCA Aston Ley Limited Aston Ley Barn Hermitage Meadow Clare CO10 8QQ

4 June 2024

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STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (incorporating an income and expenditure account)

For the year ended 31 October 2023

Notes
Income
Voluntary donations
Grants
Fee income
Interest receivable
Total income
Expenditure
Governance costs
2
Total expenditure
Net income for the period
and movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds
Funds brought forward
Funds carried forward		 2023
Unrestricted
£
2023
Restricted
£
211,475
6,175
90,259
149,307
26,584
-
5
-		 2023
Total
£
2022
Total
£
217,650
55,884
239,566
137,704
26,584
38,733
5
-
328,323
155,482		 483,805
232,321
138,992
149,307		 288,299
212,120
138,992
149,307		 288,299
212,120
189,331
6,175
102,855
8,075		 195,506
20,201
110,930
90,729
292,186
14,250		 306,436
110,930

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BALANCE SHEET

As at 31 October 2023

Notes
Fixed assets
Tangible fixed assets
5
Current assets
Debtors
6
Cash at bank and in hand
Creditors: amounts falling
due within one year
7
Net current assets
Net assets
Unrestricted funds
Restricted funds
Total Funds		 2023
Unrestricted
£
2023
Restricted
£
2023
Total
£
2022
Total
£
740
-
740
1,069
980
-
980
872
387,217
42,301
429,518
324,447
388,197
42,301
430,498
325,319
(96,751)
(28,051)
(124,588)
(215,458)
291,446
14,250
305,910
109,861
292,186
14,250
306,650
110,930
292,186
-
292,400
102,855
-
14,250
14,250
8,075
292,186
14,250
306,650
110,930

The company was entitled to exemption from audit under s477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Companies Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts.

These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to small companies subject to the small companies’ regime and in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS102).

Approved by the Trustees on 4 June 2024 and signed on their behalf by:

TG Davies

Director and Chair of Trustees

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NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2023

1. Accounting policies

The principal accounting policies are summarised below. The accounting policies have been applied consistently throughout the period.

(a) Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102), the Companies Act 2006 and The Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulation 2006 (as amended).

Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy or note.

(b) Public benefit entity

The charitable company meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS102.

(c) Going concern

The Trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern.

The Trustees do not consider that there are any sources of estimation or uncertainty at the reporting date that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next reporting period.

(d) Income

Income is included in the statement of financial activities when the charity is entitled to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the income have been met, and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy.

Income received in advance of the provision of a specified service is deferred until the criteria for income recognition are met.

Donated services and facilities are included at the value to the charity where this can be quantified. The value of services provided by volunteers has not been included in these accounts.

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NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2023

1. Accounting policies (continued)

(d) Income (continued)

Gift Aid receivable is included in income when there is a valid declaration from the donor. Any Gift Aid amount recovered on a donation is considered to be part of that gift and is treated as an addition to the same fund as the initial donation unless the donor or the terms of the appeal have specified otherwise.

(e) Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity.

Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure imposed by the donor or through the terms of an appeal.

(f) Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised on an accrual basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes irrecoverable VAT which is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates.

(g) Governance costs

Governance costs include those costs associated with meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements of the charity and include the professional fees and costs linked to the strategic management of the charity.

(h) Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

Tangible fixed assets are included at cost less depreciation and impairment. Depreciation has been computed to write off the cost of tangible fixed assets over their expected useful lives as follows:

Computers and Communications Equipment - 3 years

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NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2023

2. Governance costs

Employment costs (note 3)
Project management
Facilitator costs
Other delivery costs
Accountancy and independent
examination fees
Website, marketing and design
Training
Other professional fees
Depreciation
Travel and subsistence
Other costs
Shared cost recharge		 2023
Unrestricted
£
2023
Restricted
£
2023
Total
£
2022
Total
£
123,526
-
123,526
115,178
-
23,167
23,167
17,500
54,363
-
54,363
30,508
-
45,422
45,422
24,299
5,609
-
5,609
3,991
5,393
10,157
15,550
6,474
879
-
879
1,660
349
-
349
2,104
709
-
709
619
2,573
10,940
13,513
4,504
4,680
532
5,212
5,283
(59,089)
59,089
-
-
138,992
149,307
288,299
212,120

3. Employees

Analysis of employment costs

Analysis of employment costs
Salaries
Social security costs
Pension costs		 2023
£
2022
£
101,783
93,353
2,020
5,739
19,723
16,086
123,526
115,178

Employee numbers

The average monthly number of employees was two (2022 - two).

The charity considers its key management personnel comprise the trustees and the CEO.

Trustees are prohibited from receiving remuneration under the Articles of Association. The total employment benefits including employer pension contributions of the key management personnel were £79,075 (2022: £78,336).

The number of employees whose emoluments exceeded £60,000 were:

2023 2022
£ £
£70,001 - £80,000 1 1

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NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2023

4. Taxation

As a charity, GamFam is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or s256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects. No tax charges have arisen in the Charity.

5. Tangible Fixed Assets - Computers and Communications Equipment

Cost
At 1 November 2022
Additions
At 31 October 2023
Accumulated depreciation
At 1 November 2022
Charge for the year
At 31 October 2022
Net book value
At 31 October 2023
At 1 November 2022		 Unrestricted
£
1,999
380
2,379
930
709
1,639
740
1,069

6. Debtors

2023 2023 2023 2022
Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
£ £ £ £
Other debtors - - - 11
Prepayments and accrued income 980 - 980 861
980 - 980 872

7. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

Trade creditors
Other creditors
Other taxes and social security
Accruals and deferred income		 2023
Unrestricted
£
2023
Restricted
£
2023
Total
£
2022
Total
£
1,265
235
1,500
-
300
-
300
610
3,215
-
3,215
3,103
92,292
27,496
119,573
211,745
97,072
27,731
124,588
215,458

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NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2023

8. Related party transactions

Donations include £5,000 (2022: £nil) received from TG Davies, Chair of Trustees, together with associated Gift Aid of £1,250 (2022: £nil).

9. Legal status of the charity

The Charity is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. The liability of each member in the event of winding up is limited to £1.

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