**CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 1199902** 

## **Little Acorns** 

## **Unaudited Financial Statements** 

**1 August 2024** 



## **Little Acorns** 

## **Financial Statements** 

## **Year ended 1 August 2024** 

||**Page**|
|---|---|
|Trustees' annual report|**1**|
|Independent examiner's report to the trustees|**5**|
|Statement of financial activities|**6**|
|Statement of financial position|**7**|
|Statement of cash flows|**8**|
|Notes to the financial statements|**9**|





## **Little Acorns** 

## **Trustees' Annual Report** 

## **Year ended 1 August 2024** 

The trustees present their report and the unaudited financial statements of the charity for the year ended 1 August 2024. 

## **Reference and administrative details** 

|**Registered charity name**|Little Acorns|
|---|---|
|**Charity registration number**|1199902|
|**Principal office**|34 Norwich Crescent|
||Rayleigh|
||Essex|
||SS6 9QR|
|**The trustees**||
||Matthew Baker - Chair|
||Bernard Chant|
||Paul Wilkins|
|**Bankers**|CAF Bank|
||25 Kings Hill Avenue|
||Kings Hill|
||West Malling|
||Kent|
||ME19 4JQ|
|**Independent examiner**|John Assie FCCA|
||Suite 7, Meridian House|
||62 Station Road|
||Chingford|
||London|
||E4 7BA|



_Jackson Nicholas Assie Limited Chartered Certified Accountants_ 

- 1 - 



## **Little Acorns** 

## **Trustees' Annual Report** 

## **Year ended 1 August 2024** 

## 1. Structure, Governance and Management 

Little Acorns is a CIO UK-registered charity governed by a Constitution adopted in August 2022. It is run by a board of three trustees who meet regularly to oversee the charity’s activities and ensure that its objectives are met. All trustees are unpaid. 

Day-to-day activity is managed by the Chair, Matthew Baker, who volunteers full-time and travels regularly to Cambodia to coordinate directly with our local partners. 

## 2. Objectives and Activities 

## Charitable Objectives: 

Little Acorns exists to relieve poverty, advance education, and support vulnerable children in Cambodia, primarily through funding grassroots local organisations. 

Key Activities in the Year: 

- Continued support for the Future Light Organization (FLO), covering core operating costs. 

- Funding the running costs of FLO, including food, clothing, in-house education, school supplies for children in Phnom Penh. 

- To re-engage with businesses we have developed previous relationships with, such as Forte Insurance in Cambodia. 

## 3. Achievements and Performance 

- Raised £37,261 during the year. 

- Enhanced the charity’s social media presence. 

_Jackson Nicholas Assie Limited Chartered Certified Accountants_ 

- 2 - 



## **Little Acorns** 

## **Trustees' Annual Report** 

## **Year ended 1 August 2024** 

## 4. Financial Review 

- Total income: £37,261 

- Total expenditure: £28,031 

- Closing bank balance: £13,520 

Little Acorns maintains a no-expenses model, with all operational costs personally covered by the trustees, which includes IT and digital services costs. 100% of donated funds are directed to charitable activities. 

## 5. Reserves Policy 

As a small charity, Little Acorns aims to maintain a modest reserve equivalent to 2–3 months of the current monthly amount donated to FLO. No paid staff or overheads exist in the UK, or Cambodia. 

Overall reserves of the charity at the end of the reporting period are £9,230, all of which were unrestricted.  The charity does not have a restricted fund reserves. 

## 6. Plans for the Future 

- Increase total donations to £30,000 per year. 

- Deepen engagement with UK and Cambodian-based businesses for long-term partnerships. Initial steps based on the amount of time we are spending in Cambodia, during the financial year. 

- Maintain consistent monthly donations to FLO, and learn what positive impact this is having. 

- Allocate funds to purchase new school uniforms, and sports clothing, for the 75 children, currently living at FLO. This relates to the school year commence November, 2023. 

- Apply for a grant, through the London Market Charity Awards 2023. 

- Prepare plans for our ‘’Inspire the Future’’ event. This is likely to involve travelling to some of Cambodia’s poorest provinces, and providing inspirational and motivational presentations to up to 500 children. 

_Jackson Nicholas Assie Limited Chartered Certified Accountants_ 

- 3 - 



## **Little Acorns** 

## **Trustees' Annual Report** 

## **Year ended 1 August 2024** 

Trustees’ Responsibilities 

- (a) the Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations and in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; 

- (b) Charities Act requires the Trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the surplus or deficit profit or loss of the charity for that period; 

- (c) in preparing the financial statements the directors are required to: 

   - (i) select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; 

   - (ii) make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent; (iii) State whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and 

   - (iv) prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business. 

- (d) the Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the company's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy al any time the financial position of the charity and that enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011; 

- (e) the Trustees are responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities; and 

- (f) where appropriate, the Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charity's webs 

## **Small company provisions** 

This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies entitled to the small companies exemption. 

The trustees' annual report was approved on 26 August 2025 and signed on behalf of the board of trustees by: 


Matthew Baker Trustee (Chair) 

_Jackson Nicholas Assie Limited Chartered Certified Accountants_ 

- 4 - 



## **Little Acorns** 

## **Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Little Acorns** 

## **Year ended 1 August 2024** 

I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Little Acorns ('the charity') for the year ended 1 August 2024. 

## **Responsibilities and basis of report** 

As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’). 

I report in respect of my examination of the charity's financial statements carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. 

## **Independent examiner's statement** 

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: 

1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or 

2. the financial statements do not accord with those records; or 

3. the financial statements do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair' view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. 

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. 

**John Assie FCCA Independent Examiner Jackson Nicholas Assie Limited Chartered Certified Accountants** Suite 7, Meridian House 62 Station Road Chingford London E4 7BA 

- 27 August 2025 

_Jackson Nicholas Assie Limited Chartered Certified Accountants_ 

- 5 - 



## **Little Acorns** 

## **Statement of Financial Activities** 

## **Year ended 1 August 2024** 

|||**2024**||
|---|---|---|---|
|||Unrestricted||
|||funds**Total funds**||
||**Note**|**£**|**£**|
|**Income and endowments**||||
|Donations and legacies|**4**|37,232|37,232|
|Investment income|**5**|29|29|
|||`────────`|`────────`|
|**Total income**||37,261|37,261|
|||`════════`|`════════`|
|**Expenditure**||||
|Expenditure on charitable activities|**6,7**|(28,031)|(28,031)|
|||`────────`|`────────`|
|**Total expenditure**||28,031|28,031|
|||`════════`|`════════`|
|||`────────`|`────────`|
|**Net income and net movement in funds**||9,230|9,230|
|||`════════`|`════════`|
|**Reconciliation of funds**||||
|Total funds brought forward||–|–|
|||`────────`|`────────`|
|**Total funds carried forward**||9,230|9,230|
|||`════════`|`════════`|



The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities. 

**The notes on pages 9 to 13 form part of these financial statements.** 

_Jackson Nicholas Assie Limited Chartered Certified Accountants_ 

- 6 - 



## **Little Acorns** 

## **Statement of Financial Position** 

## **1 August 2024** 

|||**2024**|
|---|---|---|
||**Note**|**£**|
|**Current assets**|||
|Cash at bank and in hand||13,520|
|**Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**|**12**|(4,290)|
|||`────────`|
|**Net current assets**||9,230|
|||`───────`|
|**Total assets less current liabilities**||9,230|
|||`───────`|
|**Net assets**||9,230|
|||`═══════`|
|**Funds of the charity**|||
|Unrestricted funds||9,230|
|||`───────`|
|**Total charity funds**|**13**|9,230|
|||`═══════`|



These financial statements were approved by the board of trustees and authorised for issue on 26 August 2025, and are signed on behalf of the board by: 



Matthew Baker                                                             Paul Wilkins Trustee                                                                    Trustee 

**The notes on pages 9 to 13 form part of these financial statements.** 

_Jackson Nicholas Assie Limited Chartered Certified Accountants_ 

- 7 - 



## **Little Acorns** 

## **Statement of Cash Flows** 

## **Year ended 1 August 2024** 

||**2024**|
|---|---|
||**£**|
|**Cash flows from operating activities**||
|Net income|9,230|
|_Adjustments for:_||
|Other interest receivable and similar income|(29)|
|Accrued expenses|1,410|
|_Changes in:_||
|Trade and other creditors|2,880|
||`────────`|
|Cash generated from operations|13,491|
|Interest received|29|
||`────────`|
|Net cash from operating activities|13,520|
||`════════`|
|**Net increase in cash and cash equivalents**|13,520|
|**Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year**|–|
||`────────`|
|**Cash and cash equivalents at end of year**|13,520|
||`════════`|



_Jackson Nicholas Assie Limited Chartered Certified Accountants_ 

- 8 - 



## **Little Acorns** 

## **Notes to the Financial Statements** 

## **Year ended 1 August 2024** 

## **1. General information** 

The charity is a public benefit entity and a registered charity in England and Wales and is Charitable Incorporated Organisation. The address of the principal office is 34 Norwich Crescent, Rayleigh, Essex, SS 9QR. 

## **2. Statement of compliance** 

The 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 (FRS102) issued in October 2019 and the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS102) and the Charities Act 2011, and UK Generally Accepted Practice as it applies from January 2019. 

## **3. Accounting policies** 

## **Basis of preparation** 

The financial statements have been prepared on the historical cost basis 

The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the entity. 

## **Going concern** 

There are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue. 

## **Judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty** 

The preparation of the financial statements requires management to make judgements, estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported. These estimates and judgements are continually reviewed and are based on experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. 

## Significant judgements 

There are no judgements (apart from those involving estimations) that management has made in the process of applying the entity's accounting policies. 

## **Fund accounting** 

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees to further any of the charity's purposes. 

Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the trustees for particular future project or commitment. 

Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure declared by the donor or through the terms of an appeal, and fall into one of two sub-classes: restricted income funds or endowment funds. 

_Jackson Nicholas Assie Limited Chartered Certified Accountants_ 

- 9 - 



## **Little Acorns** 

## **Notes to the Financial Statements** _**(continued)**_ 

## **Year ended 1 August 2024** 

## **3. Accounting policies** _**(continued)**_ 

## **Incoming resources** 

All incoming resources are included in the statement of financial activities when entitlement has passed to the charity; it is probable that the economic benefits associated with the transaction will flow to the charity and the amount can be reliably measured. The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income: 

- income from donations or grants is recognised when there is evidence of entitlement to the gift, receipt is probable and its amount can be measured reliably. 

- legacy income is recognised when receipt is probable and entitlement is established. 

- income from donated goods is measured at the fair value of the goods unless this is impractical to measure reliably, in which case the value is derived from the cost to the donor or the estimated resale value. Donated facilities and services are recognised in the accounts when received if the value can be reliably measured. No amounts are included for the contribution of general volunteers. 

- income from contracts for the supply of services is recognised with the delivery of the contracted service. This is classified as unrestricted funds unless there is a contractual requirement for it to be spent on a particular purpose and returned if unspent, in which case it may be regarded as restricted. 

## **Resources expended** 

Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be fully recovered, and is classified under headings of the statement of financial activities to which it relates: 

- expenditure on raising funds includes the costs of all fundraising activities, events, noncharitable trading activities, and the sale of donated goods. 

- expenditure on charitable activities includes all costs incurred by a charity in undertaking activities that further its charitable aims for the benefit of its beneficiaries, including those support costs and costs relating to the governance of the charity apportioned to charitable activities. 

- other expenditure includes all expenditure that is neither related to raising funds for the charity nor part of its expenditure on charitable activities. 

All costs are allocated to expenditure categories reflecting the use of the resource. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs are apportioned between the activities they contribute to on a reasonable, justifiable and consistent basis. 

## **Financial instruments** 

A financial asset or a financial liability is recognised only when the charity becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument. 

Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at the amount receivable or payable including any related transaction costs. 

_Jackson Nicholas Assie Limited Chartered Certified Accountants_ 

- 10 - 



## **Little Acorns** 

## **Notes to the Financial Statements** _**(continued)**_ 

## **Year ended 1 August 2024** 

## **3. Accounting policies** _**(continued)**_ 

## **Financial instruments** _**(continued)**_ 

Current assets and current liabilities are subsequently measured at the cash or other consideration expected to be paid or received and not discounted. 

## **4. Donations and legacies** 

||Unrestricted|**Total Funds**|
|---|---|---|
||Funds|**2024**|
||£|**£**|
|**Donations**|||
|Benevity Charitable Giving|14,566|14,566|
|UK Online Giving Foundation|174|174|
|Howden Group Services|10,000|10,000|
|Lloyds of London|5,000|5,000|
|CAF|164|164|
|Assure|50|50|
|Frederick Baker|500|500|
|Other Donations|5,810|5,810|
|Gift Aid|968|968|
||`────────`|`────────`|
||37,232|37,232|
||`════════`|`════════`|



_Jackson Nicholas Assie Limited Chartered Certified Accountants_ 

- 11 - 



## **Little Acorns** 

## **Notes to the Financial Statements** _**(continued)**_ 

## **Year ended 1 August 2024** 

## **5. Investment income** 

||||Unrestricted|**Total Funds**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||||Funds|**2024**|
||||£|**£**|
||Bank interest receivable||29|29|
||||`════`|`════`|
|**6.**|**Expenditure on charitable activities by fund type**||||
||||Unrestricted|**Total Funds**|
||||Funds|**2024**|
||||£|**£**|
||Supporting education and poverty relief in Cambodia||26,286|26,286|
||Support costs||1,745|1,745|
||||`────────`|`────────`|
||||28,031|28,031|
||||`════════`|`════════`|
|**7.**|**Expenditure on charitable activities by activity type**||||
|||Activities|||
|||undertaken||**Total funds**|
|||directly|Support costs|**2024**|
|||£|£|**£**|
||Supporting education and poverty relief in Cambodia|26,286|<br>335|26,621|
||Governance costs|–|<br>1,410|1,410|
|||`────────`|<br>`───────`|`────────`|
|||26,286|<br>1,745|28,031|
|||`════════`|<br>`═══════`|`════════`|
|**8.**|**Analysis of support costs**||||
||||Supporting||
||||education and||
||||poverty relief||
||||in Cambodia|**Total 2024**|
||||£|**£**|
||Communications and IT||2,880|2,880|
||Finance costs||335|335|
||Governance costs||1,410|1,410|
||||`───────`|`───────`|
||||4,625|4,625|
||||`═══════`|`═══════`|
|**9.**|**Independent examination fees**||||
|||||**2024**|
|||||**£**|
||Fees payable to the independent examiner for:||||
||Independent examination of the financial statements|||1,320|
|||||`═══════`|
|**10.**|**Staff costs**||||



The average head count of employees during the year was Nil. 

_Jackson Nicholas Assie Limited Chartered Certified Accountants_ 

- 12 - 



## **Little Acorns** 

## **Notes to the Financial Statements** _**(continued)**_ 

## **Year ended 1 August 2024** 

## **10. Staff costs** _**(continued)**_ 

No employee received employee benefits of more than £60,000 during the year (2023: Nil). 

## **11. Trustee remuneration and expenses** 

- no remuneration or other benefits from employment with the charity or a related entity were received by the trustees; and 

- no trustee or other person related to the charity had any personal interest in any contract or transaction entered into by the charity during the year. 

## **12. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year** 

||**2024**|
|---|---|
||**£**|
|Accruals and deferred income|1,410|
|Other creditors|2,880|
||`───────`|
||4,290|
||`═══════`|



## **13. Analysis of charitable funds** 

## **Unrestricted funds** 

|**Unrestricted funds**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
||At|||**At**|
||2 August 2023|Income|Expenditure|<br>**1 August 2024**|
||£|£|£|£|
|General funds|–|37,261|(28,031)|<br>9,230|
||`════`|`════════`|`════════`|<br>`═══════`|
|**Analysis of net assets between**|**funds**||||
||||Unrestricted|**Total Funds**|
||||Funds|<br>**2024**|
||||£|**£**|
|Current assets|||13,520|13,520|
|Creditors less than 1 year|||(4,290)|<br>(4,290)|
||||`────────`|<br>`────────`|
|**Net assets**|||9,230|9,230|
||||`════════`|<br>`════════`|



## **14. Analysis of net assets between funds** 

## **15. Analysis of changes in net debt** 

|||||||**At**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||At|2|Aug|2023|Cash flows|**1 Aug 2024**|
|||||£|£|**£**|
|Cash at bank and in hand||||–|13,520|13,520|
|||||`════`|`════════`|`════════`|



## **16. Related parties** 

During the year, a donation of £500, was received from Frederick Baker, who is the father of trustee Matthew Baker. 

_Jackson Nicholas Assie Limited Chartered Certified Accountants_ 

- 13 - 

