www.rcpod.org uk ARCH SUPPORT ROYALCOLLEGE of PODIATRY Annual Report and Accounts Arch Support Charitable Incorporated Organisalion Number..1193688 2024 Legal and administrative information ........................................................................................ 01 Report of the Trustees ............................................................................................................................ 02 Trustees’ Responsibilities ............................................................................................................ 04 Independent Auditor’s Report .................................................................................................... 05 Statement of Financial Activities ................................................................................................ 08 Balance Sheet .............................................................................................................................. 09 Notes to the Accounts ................................................................................................................ 10 Published in 2025 by The Royal College of Podiatry Quartz House, 207 Providence Square, Mill Street, London SE1 2EW Tel: 020 7234 8620 Email (general enquiries): contact@rcpod.org.uk Copyright © 2025 Royal College of Podiatry ## **Charity registration number** The Council of The Royal College of Podiatry appoints the Trustees of Arch Support for a term of three years. The Trustees are: 1193688 ## **Registered office** Quartz House, 207 Providence Square, Mill Street, London SE1 2EW ## **Honorary Secretary** George Dunn – Chair Thomas Kelly Usamah Khalid – appointed 15 October 2024 Richard Leigh Helena Basarab-Horwath ## **Independent auditor** Crowe U.K. Audit LLP 55 Ludgate Hill, London EC4M 7JW ## **Solicitors** Russell-Cooke LLP 2 Putney Hill, London SW15 6AB ## **Bankers** Bank of Scotland PO Box 1000 BX2 1LB ## **Stockbrokers** Rathbones Incorporating Investec Wealth & Investment 30 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7QN | Annual Report and Accounts 2024 The Trustees are pleased to present their annual Trustees’ Report together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ending 31 December 2024. Expenditure from grant requests approved in 2024 was £16,234 a decrease compared to (2023: £35,847). The movement of funds for the year increased by £51,743 compared to 2023 where the funds increase by £31,047. This has resulted in balance sheet net assets of £1,513,270 (2023: £1,461,527). The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in the notes to the accounts and comply with the charity’s governing document, the Charities Act 2011 and 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 United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland published October 2019. The Trustees have paid due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission in exercising their powers and planning the activities of the charity. The Trustees are satisfied that the charity has charitable purposes as set out in the Charities Act 2011 covering the prevention and relief of poverty for the public benefit. The charity, founded in 1946, was incorporated in 2021. There are several advantages of incorporation including offering limited liability to the Trustees. The charity operates under a Constitution dated 3 March 2021. Its purpose is to make grants or loans without interest to any member, or to the spouse, children, dependents or widow/er of any member or deceased member who “in the opinion of the Trustees may be in need of assistance”. During 2024, the Board of Trustees of Arch Support met three times to discuss member applications, the performance and operations of the charity. Members have been helped where their earning capacity has been reduced considerably by various circumstances. In all cases, the Trustees consider the circumstances with great care, in absolute confidence, and offer help as swiftly as possible. Trustees, in accordance with the provisions of the Trust Deed, distributed grants from the income generated by investments. The total income of Arch Support in 2024 was £35,649 which is an increase from the previous year (2023: £34,843). Donations received in the year was £369 an increase to previous year (2023, £40) were received from Branches and Regional Branch committees. The Constitution of the charity grants Trustees the right to make investments of various types and to delegate powers of investment to our stockbrokers, and to allow the transfer of some or all the gilt-edged stocks into equities. The Trustees instructed the charity’s stockbrokers (Rathbones) to invest its monies to maximise income and capital to ensure there was an operational fund to assist those in need who apply for financial support. Performance of the investments is measured against the market in the United Kingdom. Overall, the value of the investment portfolio in year decreased by £6,251 (2023: increased by £62,266). The investment manager has assured us that this a medium-term readjustment of the funds. The chair and Trustees of Arch Support is developing an Investment Strategy by July 2025 to support the investment performance management. As at 31 December 2024, the unrestricted reserves amounted to £1,513,270 (2023: £1,461,527). The Trustees’ aim is to maintain a level of reserves that will generate income from invested funds enough to support a minimum of 80 per cent of an annual grant programme based on an average of grants made annually over the last three years. The charity’s overall planned grant programme will be based on both this funding and the forecast total of donations for any reporting year. The level of reserves held will also allow for substantial exceptional grants to be made in addition to the planned annual programme. These may be required, for example, to support members of The Royal College of Podiatry facing further impacts from austerity measures and changes to the payment of tax credits and benefits. The Trustees have instituted procedures to identify and examine the major strategic, business, and operational risks that the charity faces. The necessary systems have been established to enable regular reports to be provided to them to make sure that action is taken to mitigate the effect of the identified risks. Annual Report and Accounts 2024 | The Trustees have set out above a review of financial performance and the charity’s reserves position. In their view, the charity has adequate financial resources and the Trustees remain well-placed to manage the business risks. The investments are still performing well in the long term. The Trustees’ planning process, including financial projections, has taken into consideration the current economic climate and its potential impact on the various sources of income and planned expenditure. The Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. The Trustees believe that there are no material uncertainties that call into doubt the charity’s ability to continue. The Auditors Crowe UK Audit LLP have expressed their willingness to continue in office. By order of the Trustees and signed on their behalf by George Dunn Chair of the Board of Trustees 12 May 2025 | Annual Report and Accounts 2024 Under the Charities Act 2011, the Trustees are required to prepare a statement of accounts for each financial year which gives a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity at the end of the financial year and of the incoming resources and application of resources in the year. In preparing the statement the Trustees are required to: - select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently. - make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent. - state whether applicable accounting standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explain in the statement of accounts. - prepare the financial statements on the going-concern basis unless it is inappropriate to assume that the Trust will be able to continue in operation. - observe the methods and principles in the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice SORP. The Trustees are responsible for keeping accounting records that disclose, with reasonable accuracy at any time, the financial position of the charity at that time and to enable the Trustees to ensure that any statement of account prepared by them complies with the regulations under section 132(1) of the Charities Act 2011. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Trust and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. So far as each of the Trustees at the date of this report is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the charity’s auditor is unaware. Each Trustee has taken all the steps that they ought to have taken as a Trustee in order to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the charity’s auditor is aware of that information. Annual Report and Accounts 2024 | We have audited the financial statements of Arch Support (the ‘charitable company’) for the year ended 31 December 2024 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). In our opinion the financial statements: - give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 December 2024 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure for the year then ended; - have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and - have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006. We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate. ## statements are authorised for issue. Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the Trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report. The Trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard. In our opinion based on the work undertaken in the course of our audit - the information given in the Trustees’ report, which includes the directors’ report prepared for the purposes of company law, for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and - the Directors’ report included within the Trustees’ report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements. Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial In light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Directors’ report included within the trustees’ report. | Annual Report and Accounts 2024 We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion: - adequate accounting records have not been kept; or - the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or - certain disclosures of Trustees' remuneration specified by law are not made; or - we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit As explained more fully in the Trustees’ responsibilities statement set out on page 4, the Trustees (who are also the Directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the Trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the Trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so. Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements. We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks within charitable company operates, focusing on those laws and regulations that have a direct effect on the determination of material amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The laws and regulations we considered in this context were the Charities Act 2011 together with the Charities SORP (FRS102). We assessed the required compliance with these laws and regulations as part of our audit procedures on the related financial statement items. In addition, we considered provisions of other laws and regulations that do not have a direct effect on the financial statements but compliance with which might be fundamental to the charitable company’s ability to operate or to avoid a material penalty. We also considered the opportunities and incentives that may exist within the charitable company for fraud. The laws and regulations we considered in this context for the UK operations were General Data Protection Regulation, health and safety legislation and employment legislation. We identified the greatest risk of material impact on the financial statements from irregularities, including fraud, to be within the timing of recognition of income and the override of controls by management. Our audit procedures to respond to these risks included enquiries of management and the Finance Committee about their own identification and assessment of the risks of irregularities, sample testing on the posting of journals, reviewing accounting estimates for biases, reviewing regulatory correspondence with the Charity Commission, and reading minutes of meetings of those charged with governance. Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that some material misstatements of the financial statements may not be detected even though the audit is properly planned and performed in accordance with the ISAs (UK). No internal control structure, no matter how effective, can eliminate the possibility that errors or irregularities may occur and remain undetected. In addition, because we use selective testing in our audit, we cannot guarantee that errors or irregularities, if present, will be detected. Accordingly, our audit should not be relied upon to disclose all such misstatements or frauds, errors or instances of non-compliance as may exist. A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities . This description forms part of our auditor’s report. Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below: Annual Report and Accounts 2024 | This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed. ## Vincent Marke Senior Statutory Auditor For and on behalf of Crowe U.K. LLP Statutory Auditor London Date 12.05.2025 | Annual Report and Accounts 2024 |Unrestricted funds
Income and endowments from:
Donations and Legacies
Donations
Investments
Gross income on investments
Total income
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
Stockbroker's and administration charges
Charitable activities
Assisting members
3
Total expenditure
Net income before investment gains
Net gains on investments
Net movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds:
Balance brought forward, 1 January
Balance carried forward, 31 December|£
369
35,280
35,649
13,711
16,234
29,945
5,704
46,039
51,743
1,461,527
1,513,270|£| |---|---|---| |||| |||| |||| |||| |||40| |||| |||| |||34,803| |||| |||34,843| |||| |||| |||| |||| |||12,988| |||| |||| |||35,847| |||| |||48,835| |||| |||(13,992)
45,039| |||| |||| |||31,047| |||| |||| |||| |||1,430,480| |||| |||1,461,527| The notes on pages 10-13 form part of these accounts. Annual Report and Accounts 2024 | |**Investments**
5
**Current Assets**
Debtors
Cash at bank
6
7
**Current Liabilities**
**C**reditors
8
**Net Current Assets**
**Total Assets less Current Liabilities**
**Accumulated Fund**|£
1,385,178
3,695
127,757
3,360|£
1,385,178
128,092
1,513,270
1,513,270|£
1,391,429
2,431
71,027
3,360|£| |---|---|---|---|---| |||||| |||||| |||||1,391,429| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||70,098| |||||| |||||| |||||1,461,527| |||||| |||||| |||||1,461,527| Approved and authorised for issue by the Trustees on 12 May 2024 and signed on their behalf by: George Dunn Trustees ## Richard Leigh The notes on pages 10-13 form part of these accounts. | Annual Report and Accounts 2024 ## **a) Charity information** Arch Support is a registered charity in the United Kingdom, with The Royal College of Podiatry being the Member of the charity. The nature of the charity’s operations and principal activities are detailed in the Trustees’ Report. The principal place of business is Quartz House, 207 Providence Square, Mill Street, London, SE1 2EW. ## **b) Basis of accounting** The accounts (financial statements) have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) second edition (October 2019) and the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011 and UK Generally Accepted Practice as it applies from 1 January 2019. The charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policies. The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the company. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest pound £. ## **c) Merger accounting policy** Arch Support moved from being an unincorporated charity to a CIO structure in August 2021 by transferring its assets to a new CIO registered for that purpose. ## **d) Cash flow exemption** The charity has elected to take the exemption from preparing a statement of cash flows under FRS 102, available for non-large charities. ## **e) Fund accounting** All the charity’s funds are unrestricted. They can, therefore, be used at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the Objects of the charity. ## **f) Income** Income is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, and it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably. ## **g) Investments** Investments are stated at bid price. Realised and unrealised investment gains and losses are combined in the Statement of Financial Activities. ## **h) Taxation** Arch Support is a registered charity and is thus exempt from tax on income falling within sections 518-537 of the Income Tax Act 2007 or s256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objectives. ## **i) Financial instruments** The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments (sundry creditors). Basic financial instruments are recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value. ## **j) Going concern** At the time of approving the financial statements, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future, being a period of at least twelve months from the date of approval of these financial statements, and as explained in the Trustees’ Report. The charity holds an investment portfolio of which annual grants are made, thus the Trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements. Annual Report and Accounts 2024 | |Donations
Grants
Subscriptions paid on behalf of members
Legal and professional fees
Sundry expenses|£
369
369
£|£
40
40
£| |---|---|---| ||14,510|30,900| ||1,340
-
384
16,234|803
800
3,344
35,847| Grants paid were to 5 individuals (2023: 5). No staff are employed by Arch Support. All costs in relation to the charity audit are paid by The Royal College of Podiatry. Trustees received £384 reimbursement of expenses for travel, accommodation and subsistence during the year 2024 (2023: £2,837). In order to manage costs and improve value for money more meetings are held on Teams rather than in person. In the absence of any employees, the Trustees are considered to be the charity's key management personnel. |Market value at 1 January
Additions at cost
Disposals at opening market value
Unrealised and Realised gains
Market value at 31 December*
Historical cost|£|£| |---|---|---| ||1,391,429|1,329,163| ||450,151|442,707| ||(502,363)|(425,477)| ||45,961|45,036| ||1,385,178|1,391,429| |||| ||1,144,946|1,109,529| There were no investments constituting 5% or more of the total portfolio. * Market value does not include cash investments which totalled in 2024 £44,095 (2023: £34,814). These are shown on the balance sheet under cash in hand. | Annual Report and Accounts 2024 The investment portfolio market value comprises the following geographical and asset class categories: |UK Fixed Interest
UK Equities
Overseas Fixed Interest
Overseas Equities
Property
Alternative assets
Emergency Economies
Accrued investment income
At bank on current account
At bank on deposit account
At brokers on interest bearing account
Sundry Creditors|£|£| |---|---|---| ||180,706|243,459| ||196,702|207,084| ||68,586|70,970| ||702,948|575,519| ||57,887|73,994| ||127,722|173,9364| ||50,627|47,039| ||1,385,178|1,391,429| ||£
3,695
3,695
£
74,751
8,911
44,095
127,757
£
3,360
3,360|| |||£| |||2,431| |||2,431| |||| |||£| |||57,007| |||8,716| |||5,304| |||71,027| |||| |||£| |||3,360| |||3,360| The Trustees of Arch Support are appointed by the Council of The Royal College of Podiatry and include Directors of The Royal College of Podiatry. The Royal College of Podiatry is the immediate parent company and ultimate controlling party of the charity. Excepting stockbroker's fees, the management, administration, and support costs of the Arch Support are borne by The Royal College of Podiatry. Donations were received in 2024 £369 (2023: £40). Membership subscription fees totalling £1,340 (2023: £803) was paid by the charity to The Royal College of Podiatry on behalf of members. Annual Report and Accounts 2024 | The ultimate parent undertaking of Arch Support is The Royal College of Podiatry, which also exercises control over the reporting entity. This control is demonstrated through the Trustees with an oversight from The Royal College of Podiatry Council. The Royal College of Podiatry is a company registered in England and Wales (company registration number 400709). The parent company is established for the promotion of the profession of podiatry and all the matters affecting podiatrists. In the opinion of the Directors of the parent company, the income and net assets of the Arch Support is material therefore a consolidated group accounts been prepared. | Annual Report and Accounts 2024 Arch Support Notes Annual Report and Accounts 2024114 Arch Support Notes 151 Annual Report and Accounts 2024 ## Further information: The Royal College of Podiatry Quartz House 207 Providence Square Mill Street London SE1 2EW Tel: 020 7234 8620 Email: contact@rcpod.org.uk Web: www.rcpod.org.uk