NO ONE LEFT OUT IN THE COLD
ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[ST] DECEMBER 2022
IN THE DARK
Our aim
Our charitable objective is
to provide a safe space for teenage boys and young men at risk physically or emotionally and to provide the support and guidance they need to help them build happy and successful lives.
Chair’s Message
Exactly one year ago, I met a young man called Mike.
He was lost and neglected. He did not trust a soul. As loved as he was and as hard as they tried, not a single person could help him.
I offered for him to come to our workshop that evening. With a loving heart and an open mind, I sat with him and listened. He disclosed his history and relayed how he fell through the cracks of the education system. He wasn’t receptive to help from anyone. Not his parents, nor his teachers, friends or extended family. The more he pushed people away, the more troubling his situation became.
He returned week after a week and as he continued opening up we referred him to a highly regarded psychotherapist. She helped him slowly, session by session and gradually helped him to overcome his mental anxieties.
A year has lapsed. Mike has a growing sense of self awareness and is working full time in a
warehouse. He feels good about himself, is confident and has flourished beautifully in such a short timeframe. He still attends therapy sessions to help him overcome trauma and abuse.
He is beginning to trust again.
Mike reminds me of the extent to which our organisation benefits the community.
How many teens are still out there, all alone with no one to confide in?
How many young adults are on our doorsteps, starving physically and emotionally?
How many crave healthy relationships or a social group of caring friends?
And how many have already given up hope?
I am determined to continue to invest all my energies into extending our activities. To reach more needy adolescents.
So no one should be left outside, alone, in the cold.
Mr Baruch Izak
What we do
We support teenagers and young adults who find themselves in difficult life. situations and have nowhere else to turn.
We also assist adolescents who have fallen through the cracks of their community and education system and have a variety of issues that were not addressed appropriately when they were younger.
We extend support to those suffering from mental health issues, deficiencies in life skills, difficulty gaining employment and many other similar or related issues.
Our services help take these boys out of situations that often involve crime, substance abuse, self-harm and even suicide.
Our trained one volunteers offer to one mentoring to guide the boys towards stable and as meaningful lives well as 24/7 support to deal with any crises that may arise.
Our range of six projects helps to ensure that each boy is cared for and their individual needs are met.
We inspire and
encourage the boys to take the necessary steps towards building a stable and purposeful future.
We help them to help themselves.
Home Sweet Home
We provide and supervise a beautifully renovated shelter for young adults who are
experiencing homelessness and prepare nutritious meals for them.
They are expected to undertake household
chores which
fosters a sense of
responsibility and gives them the skills and confidence to live independently.
It is important to us that the boys are supervised 24/7. We recruit volunteers and provide them with professional training in order to responsibly attend to the boys.
Mental Health Support
We offer weekly therapy sessions and one to one coaching. These sessions aim to aid the recovery from mental health conditions and trauma.
When very serious issues are left untreated, there are
often incidents of crime and mental health breakdowns that can be dreadful. Our therapists help these boys move away from a life of shoplifting, trauma, abuse, anxiety, lack of self confidence, addiction, self-harm, suicidal thoughts
and other terrible situations.
We give the boys the opportunity to get their lives back on track and live confident, happy and fulfilling lives.
We also run workshops presented
by professionals which cover crucial topics including communication, relationships, stability, parent/ child connections, regulating emotions, anger management and other important life skills.
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Life
Skills
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opening a bank account and many other skills most people take for granted.
We provide classes and mentoring to the boys to teach them life skills they might be lacking. These include spoken English skills, literacy, computer proficiency, budgeting, getting a driving license,
Our goal is to support them towards becoming independent, successful and contributing adults.
Weekly Activities & Sports
We get the boys involved in recreational activities, sports and hobbies.
These include trips to supervised leisure centers, biking, golf, nice dinners at a restaurant, safe group parties with music and healthy entertainment.
The boys eagerly look forward to each weekly event. This is a major tool in helping them experience a joyful life without feeling the need to resort to criminal behaviour, drugs or harmful activities and
helps them tremendously with their social and communication skills.
“SUITS ME” initiative
We provide clothes, shoes, toiletries, and other basic necessities to vulnerable boys who don’t have family support and can’t afford such things for themselves.
Being well dressed has an enormous impact on their self-esteem and confidence and is a major part of getting them on the path towards living independent, happy lives.
Employment
We help boys find satisfying employment suitable to their
skills and interests. We liaise with
the employers so that they can deal with the boys appropriately and sensitively and we ensure the
workspace is a safe environment.
This is a major step towards their independence and becoming fully rounded, successful and contributing members of the community.
The trustee, who are also the Directors for the purpose of company law, present their report and the unaudited financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2022.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
Reference and administrative details are shown in the schedule of trustees and professional advisers on page 1 of the financial statements.
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
The charity is constituted as a company limited by guarantee, and is therefore governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association.
The governors (trustees) administer the day – to – day affairs of the charity. None of the trustees have any beneficial interest in the charity.
It is not currently the intention of the trustees of the charity to appoint new trustees. Should the situation change in the future, the trustees will apply suitable recruitment training and induction procedures.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
The charity is established to further those purposes both in the United Kingdom and abroad recognised as charitable by English Law and in furtherance of the aforementioned objects.
The charity receives income mainly from its property investments, which it utilises in the provision and distribution of grants and donations.
The charity`s principle activity throughout the year was the provision and distribution of donations and grants to organisations, and no change is envisaged in the immediate future.
The trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commissions general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charitys aims and objectives and in planning future activities and setting the grant making policy for the year.
STRATEGIC REPORT
The following sections for achievements and performance and financial review from the strategic report of the charity.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
During the year the company continued to pursue its philanthropic objects in support of educational, religious and other charitable organisations. Income from investments aggregated £33,415. Total resources expended were £27,625 resulting in net surplus of £5,790.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The financial results of the charity`s activities for the year to 31 December 2022 are fully reflected in the attached Financial Statements together with the Notes thereon.
RESERVE POLICY
It is the policy of the charity to maintain unrestricted funds, which include the free reserves of the charity, at a level which the trustees think appropriate, after considering the future commitments of the charity and the likely costs of the charity for the next year. At 31 December 2022 the charity had unrestricted funds aggregating £2,466.
GRANT MAKING POLICY
Grants are made to charitable institutions and organisations which accord with the objects of the charity.
The trustees are approached for donations by a wide variety of charitable institutions operating all over England. The trustees consider all requests which they receive and make donations based on the level of funds available.
RISK MANAGEMENT
The trustees have examined the major strategic, business and operational risks which the charity faces and confirm that systems have been established to enable regular reports to be produced so that the necessary steps can be taken to manage these risks.
PLANS FOR FUTURE PERIODS
The aim is to continue to provide support in form of grants and donations to educational, religious and other charitable organisation
A SPARK IN THE DARK LTD COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES for the year ended 31 December 2022
| Notes Unrestricted Funds £ INCOMING RESOURCES 3 Incoming resources from generated funds Donations and legacies 28,170 Total Incoming resources 28,170 RESOURCES EXPENDED Costs of charitable activities Expenditure on charitable activities 4 24,579 Governance costs 5 1,145 Total resources expended 25,724 NET INCOMING/(OUTGOING) RESOURCES 2,446 RECONCILIATION FUNS Total funds brought forward 0 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 2,446 |
Total Funds 2022 £ 28,170 28,170 24,579 1,145 25,724 2,446 0 2,446 |
|---|---|
A SPARK IN THE DARK LTD COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION 31 DECEMBER 2022
| Notes Unrestricted Funds £ CURRENT ASSETS 3,086 Cash at hand in bank 3,086 CREDITORS: amounts falling due within one year 6 640 Net Current assets/(liabilities) NET CURRENT ASSETS FUNDS Unrestricted funds TOTAL FUNDS 7 |
Total Funds 2022 £ 2,446 2,446 2,446 2,446 |
|---|---|
The Charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 December 2022.
The trustees have not required the charitable company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2022 in accordance with section 476 of Companies Act 2006. The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for
a) ensuring that the charitable company keeps accounting records that comply with Section 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006 and
b) preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company as at the end of each financial year and of its surplus or deficit for each financial year in accordance with the requirements of Section 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with all the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relaiting to financila stataments, so far as applicable to the charitable company.
Approved by the board of Trustees on: 03 January 2023 And signed on their behalf by:
Mr B Izaak Trustee
A SPARK IN THE DARK LTD COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended 31 December 2022
1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Accounting convention
These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the historical cost convention and in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (FRSSE) (effective January 2015). In preparing the accounts, the charity follows best practice as laid down in the Statement of Recommended Practice “Accounting and Reporting by Charities” (SORP) issued in March 2005. Where there is a conflict between the FRSSE and the SORP, the SORP has been adopted in accordance with paragraph 419ff of the SORP.
Incoming resources
All incoming resources are included in the statement of financial activities when the charity is entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy.
Resources expended
Expenditure is accounted for on accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.
Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.
2. TRUSTEES REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS
There were no trustees remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31 December 2022 Trustees Expenses
There were no trustees expenses paid for the year ended31 December 2022
3. DONATIONS AND LEGACIES
A list of donations and legacies received are available from the office upon request in writing.
| Notes | Unrestricted | Total Funds | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funds | 2022 | |||
| £ | £ | |||
| INCOMING RESOURCES | ||||
| Incoming resources from generated | ||||
| funds | ||||
| 3 | Donations and legacies | 28,170 | 28,170 | |
| Total Incoming resources | 28,170 | 28,170 | ||
| 4 | Expenditure on charitable activities | Unrestricted | Total funds | |
| Funds | 2022 | |||
| £ | £ | |||
| Charitable activities | 5,780 | 5,780 | ||
| Grants to Institutions | 18,799 | 18,799 | ||
| TOTAL | 24,579 | 24,579 | ||
| 5 | Governance Costs | Unrestricted | Total funds | |
| Funds | 2022 | |||
| £ | £ | |||
| Accountancy fee | 624 | 624 | ||
| Bank charges | 21 | 21 | ||
| Professional fees | 500 | 500 | ||
| 1,145 | 1,145 | |||
| 6 | CREDITORS: amounts falling | 2022 | ||
| due within one year | £ | |||
| Accruals | 1,320 | |||
| 1,320 | ||||
| 7 | MOVEMENT IN FUNDS | |||
| At 1.1.2o22 | Net movement in | At 31.12.2022 | ||
| funds | ||||
| Unrestricted funds | £ | £ | £ | |
| General fund | 0 | 2,466 | 2,466 | |
| TOTAL FUNDS | 0 | 2,466 | 2,466 | |
| Net | movement in funds, oncluded in the above are as follows: | |||
| Incoming | Resources | Movement in | ||
| resources | Expended | funds | ||
| Unrestricted funds | £ | £ | £ | |
| General fund | 28,170 | 25,724 | 2,446 | |
| TOTAL FUNDS | 28,170 | 25,724 | 2,446 |
REGISTERED CHARITY NAME: A SPARK IN THE DARK LIMITED
COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 13793890
REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1199465
TRUSTEES: MR J MATYAS MR Y SCHWARTZ MR B IZAK
PRINCIPAL OFFICE: FLAT 1 100 HAMILTON ROAD LONDON NW11 9DY
ACCOUNTANT: JS & CO ACCOUNTANTS 26 THEYDON ROAD, LONDON E5 9NA T: 020 8806 7800
BANKERS: WISE BUSINESS
IN THE DARK