## **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.|
4
• **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,
7
||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.|
8
||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.’|
9
‘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.’
10
## **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|
11
## **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.’|
12
## **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
13
## **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**
14
**REG No: 1193868**
## **OPEN TABLE NETWORK**
## **SUMMARY RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS 2021**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
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
**----- End of picture text -----**
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**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
For the period ended 31 December 2021
£
Assets:
Cash at Co-Op Bank 8447.27
Represented by :
General Fund (unrestricted) 8447.27
**----- End of picture text -----**
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**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
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
**----- End of picture text -----**
Page 4
## **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