2021-12-31-accounts

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From January 2021 to December 2021 Charity name: Open Table Network (OTN) Charity registration number: 1193868

Objectives and Activities

Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document

The object of the CIO is the advancement of the Christian faith, in particular but not exclusively amongst lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, intersex or asexual (LGBTQIA+) Christians, by: (a) supporting and affirming people identifying as LGBTQIA+ and those questioning their sexuality or gender identity within churches in the United Kingdom, by giving pastoral support and facilitating the provision of acts of Christian worship, in particular the celebration of Holy Communion: (b) promoting knowledge and mutual understanding of human sexuality and gender identity in the churches through discussion, study and the sharing of people’s stories (c) supporting and standing in solidarity with those churches that include and affirm LGBTQIA+ Christians by providing theological resources and networking opportunities.

Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts.

Activities - how the charity spends its money •Encourage provision of inclusive 'Open Table Worship' (chiefly Communion) in affiliated churches, & creation of 'Open Table Communities' comprising those who attend. •Maintain an office and online presence. •Resource hub for churches, providing separate activities, support, speakers, worship materials & guidance.

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	•Pastoral resource for individual enquirers, offering workshops & other gatherings. What the charity does: •Religious activities •Human rights / religious or racial harmony / equality and diversity Who the charity helps: •Other charities or voluntary bodies •Other defined groups How the charity helps: •Provides services •Provides advocacy/advice/information •Sponsors or undertakes research •Acts as an umbrella or resource body Where the charity operates: •Throughout England And Wales
Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit	The trustees have read and are aware of the guidance issued.
Policy on grant making	We aspire to be in a position to make grants to communities within the Open Table Network, and other groups with similar aims, though as a newly established charity, we are not yet in a position to do this.
Contribution made by volunteers	As a growing partnership of communities across the UK, we hugely value the contributions of more than 140 volunteers across the 21 communities we have supported in 2021. Independent research into the experiences of OTN’s volunteers in 2021 showed that gave significant contributions of time to OTN communities: •23% completed 1-2 hours a month •59% completed 1-2 hours a week •13% completed 2-4 hours a week •5% completed 10+ hours a week

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Through this consultation it was clear that OTN’s volunteers wanted to be better equipped to lead their communities and provide more informed pastoral support. This is a key objective for OTN in 2022, to resource training and peer support to meet this need. The value of volunteering and delivery of social action with and for marginalised communities is a real asset to the work of OTN.

Achievements and Performance

Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole.

OTN is balancing a glaring inequality. LGBTQIA+ people can go to a town hall, a cafe, a beach, a cinema and feel accepted. But they cannot go to church without risking either a cold shoulder or open hostility. The OTN communities that we help to establish, and support as they develop, are balancing that inequality, resulting in proven improved mental health and well-being for those who belong to them. Independent research into the experiences of OTN’s community members in 2021 showed that: • 56% said being LGBTQIA+ is a barrier to belonging in a faith community. • On average, our members experienced a 40% improvement in well-being after joining an Open Table community • 87% feel less isolated and more socially connected after joining an Open Table community. • 92% said being part of an Open Table community increased their sense of belonging. • 89% said being part of an Open Table community provided a safe space for them. • 78% said there is a need for an LGBTQIA+ organisation to bridge the gap between the Christian community and the LGBTQIA+ community. We know that these communities are needed, and the need is growing: •In 2020 we supported 17 communities, and launched one new community. •In 2021 we supported those 18 communities, launched three new communities, and relaunched one that had been unable to meet since 2017, bringing the total to 22. •In 2022 we have already confirmed the launch of three new communities, and the relaunch of another that has not met since 2019. We have also scheduled

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consultations with 12 other churches seeking to host an Open Table community. •The number of people interacting with our communities is also growing: - In 2019, pre-Covid, the average number of monthly contacts across all 17 communities was 251, and we did not keep statistics for online engagement, as it was such a small part of our work. - Between October and December 2020, when our Coordinator began working full-time, the average monthly contacts were 254, despite the fact that three of the communities were inactive during this time. If we add in online outreach and other activities, the average number of monthly contacts grew to 2750, an increase of 999%. - In 2021, the average number of monthly contacts across 21 communities, plus planning meetings with two preparing to launch in 2022, was 402 (58% increase since December 2020). If we also add contacts through online outreach and other activities, the total is 5911 (115% increase since December 2020). We are neither an evangelising nor a campaigning organisation. Our aim is solely to create UK-wide equality of opportunity. OTN works to give LGBTQIA+ people what other people take for granted: a safe space in church if they want it. The OTN website now offers information to the whole of society, giving any interested party (welcoming, curious, cautious or currently hostile) a chance to understand LGBTQIA+ people, and a very clear picture of what ‘unsafe’ can mean, and to encourage interaction with our organisation to prevent this.

Achievements against objectives set

In January 2021 the OTN trustees set objectives to: • Obtain Charity Commission registration as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation This was achieved on 19thMarch 2021. We will hold our first Annual General Meeting before 19thMarch 2022. • Develop an infrastructure of support for fundraising We created a fundraising subcommittee in March 2022 and co-opted two members with expertise in addition to members of the trustee board. • Research and understand evidence of need amongst our target demographic In June 2021 we published our Research & Case For Support 2021 which has provided evidence of the impact of our communities on the well-being and connectedness of our members.

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• Recruit a new Treasurer OTN has evolved from a outreach project from the church where the first Open Table community began into an independent charity with an increasing national reach. We have moved from a restricted fund within the account of another charity, supported by their treasurer, to an independent charity with an experienced treasurer of our own, since June 2021. • Develop website offering OTN information and other resources Until September 2020, the OTN website was a single page listing where communities met, averaging 353 views a month. We began this re-development in October 2020 and made substantial progress in 2021. Between October and December 2021, OTN’s website averaged 566 views a month, a 61% increase. In 2021, the website averaged 2019 views a month, a further 257% increase. Our intention is to maintain this trend in 2022. • Clarify OTN’s core messages for people considering joining the network, for individuals and the wider church. The outcomes of this work are reflected in the content and increased engagement with our website, but also in the increase in positive engagement with churches seeking to join the network. Based on feedback from enquirers, we have refined the information we send about our affiliation process to make it easier to understand the requirements, recommendations, and commitment to safe, sustaining community-building we seek to make together. We have also seen a significant growth in engagement with our core messages on social media (see below). • Lead events aimed at teaching leaders to offer radical welcome and hospitality in their churches. In response to the growth in enquiries from church leadership teams for online presentations about OTN during the pandemic, and enquiries from allies who want to host an LGBTQIA+-affirming community but don’t know what the level of need is in their community, we opened out the meetings we host to plan the launch of a new community into an open consultation event which is advertised to attract new members from the beginning so they have a stronger sense of belonging and empowerment. • Provide at least two pieces of online video content per month We have met or exceeded this throughout 2021, with

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highlights including webinars with our Patrons, CoChairs, Coordinator and leading Christian speakers, plus It’s A Sin actor and HIV activist Nathaniel Hall. We also shared worship videos linked to key milestones in the social justice, LGBTQIA+, and church calendars (e.g. Holocaust Memorial Day, LGBT+ History Month, Lent). • Build complementary partnerships with other LGBTQIA+-affirming groups, hold joint events and tackle issues together During 2020 we began to find new ways to work with others, on which have built substantially in 2021. Space To Be: In May 2020 we began working with five other LGBT-affirming Christian organisations: (Diverse Church, House of Rainbow, OneBodyOneFaith, Quest, Two:23 Network) to host a 30-40 minute Zoom gathering including prayer, reflection and signposting to resources. This continued until March 2021, followed by a story-telling event in partnership with the same organisations for International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia & Biphobia in May. The power of partnership : In February 2021, we were a founding contributor to a statement developed in response to conversations following some divisive and harmful responses to the Church of England’s Living In Love & Faith resources on identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage. The other partners in this were: Inclusive Church, Modern Church, OneBodyOneFaith, Progressive Christianity Network Britain, and the Student Christian Movement. Question Time with Savera UK Youth Panel: In June our Coordinator was a panellist at this online event for Savera UK, a charity tackling culturally-specific abuse in the UK. This event was aimed at young people who had opportunities to put questions to the panel which also included an MP, the Chair of a Race Equality Task Force, a BME Community Development Officer, a city councillor, a Police and Crime Commissioner, and the founder of Savera UK. Online church consultation: In July 2021 we collaborated with Inclusive Church and OneBodyOneFaith to produce a consultation on inclusive online church. The aim was to gather feedback from our members and supporters about their experiences of online church and in-person church gatherings and events. The results will help our organisations, plus partners and churches involved with us, to improve accessibility for all. The results were scheduled for publication in 2022. Safeguarding survey: In October 2021 we worked

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with eight other organisations to publish an online survey to find out how safe LGBT+ Christians feel in UK churches. The partners were: Affirm (Baptist LGBT+ Network), Campaign for Equal Marriage in the Church of England, Dignity & Worth (Methodist LGBT+ Network), Global Network of Rainbow Catholics, Oasis Open House, OneBodyOneFaith, Ozanne Foundation, and Quest (Catholic LGBT+ Network). The results were scheduled for publication in 2022. Faith In Kind Cities podcast: In October 2021, technology company Lenovo launched the Kind City project - a vision to change urban environments forever and create future cities built on kindness. One of the themes of the project was ‘Faith in kind cities’ - OTN Coordinator Kieran Bohan was one of a panel of four leaders from diverse faith communities who took part in an interactive podcast for the project. This discussion brought together four leaders of community projects with a faith context to discuss the role faith-based communities can play in creating a kinder city. It also began a relationship with Lenovo which may lead to funding from their Corporate Social Responsibility programme in 2022. Gathering Voices conference : In October 2021 we cofacilitated a half-day online conference: ‘Working together to create sanctuary: Exploring Christian safe space for LGBTQIA+ people.’ The conference was coordinated by Gathering Voices, ‘a collaborative network of Christian organisations that encourage churches to be fully inclusive and affirming of all people without regard of gender and sexuality’. Contributors included: Creating Sanctuary, Quest and Diverse Church, as well as representatives from OTN. First Sunday: In November 2021, our Coordinator gave a presentation to First Sunday, an LGBT+ affirming church community in Oxford which pre-dates the first Open Table community by four years. LGBT+ clergy research: In November 2021 we worked with four LGBT+ clergy to publish a call for LGBT+ clergy in England, especially underrepresented groups - those who are bisexual, younger, retired, and / or from an ethnic minority – to be interviewed about their experiences. The results were scheduled for publication in 2022. LGBT+ retreat: In November 2021, with colleagues from Quest, we co-facilitated an ecumenical LGBT+ Christian retreat at St Beuno’s Jesuit Spirituality Centre in Denbighshire. It was the 30[th] anniversary of the retreat, and it was a privilege to reflect on our journeys, individually, as an LGBT+ community, and as a church,

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during that time. Out At Prayer: LGBT+ Activism Within and Across Faith Traditions:In November our Coordinator presented at this online half-day online conference University of Wales Trinity St David Lampeter campus, in association with the International Dialogue Centre, alongside partners from Hadiyah, KeshetUK, and OneBodyOneFaith. World AIDS DAY:In December we worked with OneBodyOneFaith and Positive Catholics to share three 15-minute online vigils, one at 8am, one at 1pm, one at 6pm, incorporating a video with contributions from each organisation. • Grow our social media presence: These figures compare the monthly averages for Oct- Dec 2020 (when our Coordinator began working full- time to develop our online outreach) to the monthly average for the whole of 2021 (See table on page 11). Facebook:Average monthly page visits rose from 268 in to 282 (5% increase). YouTube:Average monthly video views grew from 566 to 824 (46% increase). MailChimp:Average monthly of people who received and opened our e-news doubled from 179 to 358 (100% increase). Twitter:Average monthly profile visits climbed from 782 to 1834(135% increase)

Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set

OTN’s income to date has come from grants and donations. In October 2020, thanks to funding from the Coronavirus Community Support Fund, distributed by The National Lottery Community Fund, our Co-ordinator increased his capacity from 7 hours to 35 hours a week. Our original proposal was to fund 17.5 hours a week, but a fundraising consultant advised us that we were making a strong case and should ask for more, which proved to be good advice. This funding was for six months, to help our communities respond to the crisis and to raise our online presence to reach more isolated LGBTQIA+ folk. This was OTN’s first major funding bid. It enabled us to increase the peer support we offer to LGBTQIA+ Christians, to support active communities with their online outreach, and enable emerging communities to join the Network more easily. We also secured a further £7500 from Allchurches Trust Hope Beyond grant scheme (also focussed on our Covid crisis response in 2021). A further £2000 was awarded by the LGBT Consortium Intersections Fund, to resource locally based interventions that support and improve the lives of LGBT+ people of faith. We also received one-off and regular donations from several supporters.

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In October and November 2021 we ran a six-week Crowdfunder campaign which raised £8951 in one-off donations, more than doubled the amount of ongoing monthly donations, and attracted £555 in donations from other sources and an estimated £1351.50 in Gift Aid. This enabled our Coordinator to extend this programme of development for OTN until April 2022, while wework hard on other funding bids to secure support for our communities for the long-term. After achieving charity registration in March 2021, we are also able to begin using other online tools to generate income: • Facebook:A fundraiser in September 2021 raised £1070. Registering as a charity with Facebook has enabled us to receive further donations via our own donate link, and it will enable others to create fundraisers on our behalf. • PayPal:Before registering with PayPal Giving Fund (PGF) in September 2021, we received just £105 in donations via a paypal.me link, which deducted charges from each donation. Since registering with PGF, we have received £1469 in full, without fees deducted. • Online shopping:We have registered with two schemes to generate donations at no extra cost to our supporters: 1 -AmazonSmile, through which Amazon will donate 0.5% of the net purchase price (excluding VAT, returns and shipping fees) of the customer’s eligible purchases. Only purchases made through smile.amazon.co.uk are eligible to generate donations. OTN has not received donations from this scheme yet. 2 –Easyfundraising, through which more than 6000 shops and websites will donate between 0.5% and 10% per purchase. This more generous scheme as raised £105 to date.

Other:

Feedback from members in our Research & Case for Support: ‘In Open Table I have finally found a church that didn’t despise me or my very presence.’ ‘To have a service which was absolutely guaranteed to be a safe space was a very important thing.’ ‘Open Table means everything to me, it has truly saved me.’ ‘It’s just one of the greatest things I think I’ve ever been part of. I’ve loved it.’ ‘This is genuine, this is hopeful, if only every church could be like this.’ ‘These are my people. This is something I belong to. That is amazing.” “Others have buckled under the weight over years, and suffered lot of abuse, and they found a space in Open Table.’

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‘About 50% of my direct pastoral work comes from Open Table. I have been really very deeply shocked about how many people have had such dreadfully hurtful experiences.’ ‘A way to be myself, within the church, and to realise I am not alone.’ ‘I know a few people who have begun to believe that the church actually might love them after all. You can’t put a price on that.’ ‘You give a message which is totally different to the ministry of the wider church.’ ‘We feel very supported.’ ‘When you come to Open Table and somebody says welcome, they mean welcome.’ ‘I think if I belong anywhere it’s as part of Open Table.’ Challenges and opportunities for community leaders: A common theme in feedback from local leaders is the challenge of maintaining and rebuilding community as they navigated changing Covid restrictions during the year. Several communities were creative and resourceful in experimenting with occasional outdoor events, maintaining online meetings and exploring ways of offering ‘blended’ in-person and online gatherings. They recognised that there are pros and cons to offering online access. Some people who would otherwise be isolated cam feel supported, yet it can also exclude others if online access is all that is available. Here is a sample of the feedback we got from our community leaders: ‘every now and again, having a ‘Zoom only’ Open Table works well, with all participating equally, particularly for those who are only ever able to join online.’ ‘We stayed on Zoom through the summer and autumn except for a very windy Pentecost in May and a very wet forest church in September, and had a couple of sunny outdoor socials in July and August. We tried going hybrid back in the building in December to be as inclusive as possible and it went well, so there is now quite a good team in place to make it work going forward.’ ‘Others are vulnerable to covid and are still isolating. Due to special educational needs and disabilities some have difficulty joining online. One online member cannot meet face to face due to anxiety/autism. We still have to do some work on this.’ ‘Zoom has enabled new people to attend who otherwise would not have been able to attend. It has allowed our community to meet and support one another through a difficult year with Covid. Without this support people would have been isolated and struggling.’

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Contacts in 2021

In 2021 OTN had 70,937 contacts online and in-person. The monthly average was 5,911 contacts, which is a 115% increase on the last quarter of 2020, when we began keeping more detailed statistics for our online outreach.

17,346 of the annual total (24%) were new contacts, an average of 1,446 per month.

Contact source	Annual total	Monthly Average	2020 Q4 Average	% Increase	New contacts	Monthly Average
Webinars	393	33	19	74	232	19
Youtube	9,886	824	566	46	115	10
Website	24,266	2,022	567	257	15,444	1,287
Facebook	3,388	282	268	5	236	20
Instagram	1,130	94	95	-1	153	13
Twitter	22,003	1,834	782	134	539	45
LinkedIn	187	16	14	14	45	4
Mailchimp	4,298	358	179	100	157	13
Research	97	8	0	N/A	0	0
Communities	4,822	402	254	58	112	9
Email	259	22	6	267	174	15
Events	208	17	0	N/A	139	12
TOTAL	**70,937 **	5,911	2,750	115	17,346	1,446

Financial Review

Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period	As a small emerging charity, we have achieved much with few resources, as detailed above. We believe that we are punching above our weight in achieving so much. Finding funding has been a priority. Costs are managed carefully but activity is restricted by lack of funds. We continue to seek extra funding to develop the work further.
Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held	At the current levels of income it is difficult to build reserves. Ideally we would keep up to six months’ worth of expenditure in reserve. This would enable us to continue operating during times when income may be drying up.
Amount of reserves held	£8,447

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Structure, Governance and Management

Type of governing document	Constitution
How is the charity constituted?	Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees	Trustees have been recruited by nomination from within the membership and leadership of Open Table communities, and from stakeholders with whom we have worked in partnership. All persons appointed or re-appointed as charity trustees shall be asked, on being invited to accept appointment, to indicate in writing whether they identify as Christian and whether they accept the following Statement of Faith. No appointment shall have effect if the person appointed does not accept the Statement of Faith. No appointment shall have effect if it would bring the proportion of charity trustees not identifying as Christian at the time of last appointment to greater than one- third. The Statement of Faith is as follows: ‘The Open Table Network is a Christian organisation, but not a church. Its work is built on a common profession of the faith of Jesus Christ but not confined to the detailed tenets of any one denomination. It believes human lives, identities and relationships are precious gifts from God, which all are called to live out with integrity. Its goal is to build a community where this is evident, and which equips others to go out and do the same. It seeks to serve members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual communities and the wider Church by sharing the Christian gospel and promoting invitation, understanding, acceptance and reconciliation between them. It values and supports the practice of Christian common worship, specifically the celebration of Holy Communion, which it regards as the primary context of its welcome and outreach to lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual individuals.’

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Reference and Administrative details

Charity name	The Open Table Network
Other name the charity uses	Open Table Network, Open Table, OTN
Registered charity number	1193868
Charity’s principal address	St Bride's Church, Percy Street, Liverpool, L8 7LT, UK

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

1 2 3 4 5 6 7	Trustee name	Office (if any)	Term of office (from 19/03/21)
	Ms Sarah Louise Hobbs	Co-Chair	4years
	Revd Alex Scott Clare-Young	Co-Chair	3years
	Revd Julian Francis Holywell	Trustee	3years
	Revd Kendell Augustine Tanner-Ihm	Trustee	3years
	Revd Anne Yvonne Bennett	Trustee	2years
	Revd LucyElizabeth Rowan Berry	Trustee	2years
	Mr Neil Gordon Rees	Trustee	2years

Names and addresses of advisers

ames and addresses of advisers	ames and addresses of advisers	ames and addresses of advisers
Type of adviser Name Address
Treasurer	Mr Jeff Prescott	c/o St Bride’s Church, Percy Street, Liverpool L8 7LT
Fundraising consultant	Mr Mark Ereira- Guyer	Civil Society Consulting, 8 Bryan House, Rotherhithe Street, London SE16 5HB

Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Kieran Bohan, Coordinator, Open Table Network, St Bride’s Church, Percy Street, Liverpool L8 7LT

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Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s) Full name(s) Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc)

Date

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REG No: 1193868

OPEN TABLE NETWORK

SUMMARY RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS 2021

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01/01/21 to 30/11/21 01/01/20 to 31/12/20
Unrestricted Funds Unrestricted Funds
£ £ £ £
Receipts
Donations 15,075.21 11,459.87
Grants 11,057.00 15,570.00
Other 1,002.34 257.91
Total 27,134.55 27,287.78
Payments
Charitable Expenditure 32,012.92 14,426.23
Surplus / Deficit -4,878.37 12,861.55
Reserves brought Forward 13,325.64 464.09
Reserves carried forward 8,447.27 13,325.64
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The notes to these accounts form part of them and include detailed receipts and payments

All operations are classified as ongong operations

Page 1

REG No: 1193868

OPEN TABLE NETWORK

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

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For the period ended 31 December 2021
£
Assets:
Cash at Co-Op Bank 8447.27
Represented by :
General Fund (unrestricted) 8447.27
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TRUSTEES RESPONSIBILITIES IN RELATION TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Charity Law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which comply with the regulations set out in the Charities Act 2011. The Trustees have elected to take advantage of the provisions that apply to small charities and have prepared a Receipts and Payments Account and Statement of Assets and Liabilities which are set out on pages 2 and 3.

Approved by the trustees on 10 March 2022 .

Signed on their behalf by:

Sarah Hobbs Joint Chair

Page 2

REG No: 1193868

OPEN TABLE NETWORK

Notes to the 2021 Accounts

1 ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The accounts have been prepared under the "Receipts and Payments" basis as prescribed by the Charity Commissioners, and they meet the appropriate legal requirements. Change of Basis There has been no change to the valuation rules and methods of accounting since last year. There has been no change to last year's

2 RESTRICTED FUNDS

The Charity held no restricted fund during this financial period.

3 PAYMENTS TO TRUSTEES

No trustees received remuneration, expenses or payment for goods or services during the year

4 DETAILED RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS

See Next Page

Page 3

REG No: 1193868

OPEN TABLE NETWORK

NOTE 4: RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS 2021

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01/01/21 to 30/11/21 01/01/20 to 31/12/20
Unrestricted Funds Unrestricted Funds
£ £ £ £
Receipts
Donations 13,513.00 10,795.86
Grants 11,057.00 15,570.00
Gift Aid 1,562.21 664.01
Speaker & training fees 550.00 120.50
Contributions to travel expenses 452.34 108.00
Other 0.00 29.41
Total 27,134.55 27,287.78
Payments
Development Work 27,300.00 10,815.00
Interpreting Services 750.00 700.00
Consultants 1,750.00
LGBT Consortium 25.00
Telephone and Zoom 637.28 536.11
Booklets 217.50
Reuters Pictures 120.00
Administration 0.00 300.22
Office rent 32.00 168.00
Office Expenses 59.22
IT Hardware 0.00 1,482.91
IT Software 45.16 15.99
Support Costs 0.00 300.00
Travel 989.93 108.00
Other 86.83
Total 32,012.92 14,426.23
Surplus / Deficit in Month -4,878.37 12,861.55
Reserves brought Forward 13,325.64 464.09
Reserves carried forward 8,447.27 13,325.64
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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT, TO THE TRUSTEES OF OPEN TABLE NETWORK, (CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1193868)

I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 December, 2021 which are set out on pages 1 to 5.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act;

to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act;

and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of independent examiner’s report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters.

The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

Independent examiner’s statement

In connection with my examination , no matter has come to my attention:

(1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements: to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act have not been met; or

(2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

K CROOPER AIA