2025-05-19-accounts - Muslim Community In Kendal

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Trustees’ Annual Report

For the period 1 August 2024 – 19 May 2025

1. Reference and administrative details

Charity name: Muslim Community in Kendal

Registered charity number: 1209371

Charity structure: Charitable Incorporated Organisation (Association model)

Principal office:

Kirkland Centre Kirkland

KENDAL Cumbria

LA9 5AF

Trustees during the period 1 August 2024 – 19 May 2025 were:

Zaeed Iram Mohammed – Trustee
Hugh Lordsley Burrows – Chair of Trustees
Said Houdi – Secretary
Shwan Khder – Treasurer
Adel Ben Hamida - Trustee

Bankers: Cumberland Building Society, Kendal Branch and Lloyds Bank, Lancaster

Independent examiner / accountant (if applicable): Pro Tax Accountants

2. Structure, governance and management

Muslim Community in Kendal (MCiK) is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) governed by its Constitution for Muslim Community in Kendal. The constitution sets out the charity’s objects, powers, membership arrangements and the duties and powers of the charity trustees.

The principal office of the CIO is in England. The trustees are responsible for the overall strategic direction of the charity and for ensuring that its activities are carried out in accordance with the constitution and with charity law.

New trustees are appointed in line with the constitution. Trustees are usually recruited from within the local Muslim community in Kendal and the surrounding area, based on their commitment, skills and willingness to support the objects of the CIO. An induction is provided for new trustees to familiarise them with the charity’s work, their responsibilities and the governing document.

The trustees meet regularly (Monthly) to review activities, finances, risks and plans. All activities are delivered by volunteers; the CIO did not employ paid staff during this reporting period.

3. Objectives and activities

The objects of the CIO, as set out in the constitution, are:

“To advance the Islamic faith for the benefit of the public in accordance with the statement of faith by providing a place of worship, religious education and participation in interfaith events in the community of Kendal and its surrounding areas.”

In line with these objects, the trustees have pursued the following main activities during the reporting period, all of which are intended to provide public benefit:

• Providing opportunities for congregational worship and religious observance.
• Supporting religious education and understanding of Islam among Muslims and non-Muslims.
• Participating in, and where appropriate hosting, interfaith and community cohesion activities in Kendal and the wider South Lakeland area.
• Fundraising and organisational development to secure a permanent base for worship and community engagement.

4. Public benefit

The trustees confirm that they have had due regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit when planning and carrying out the activities of the CIO.

The charity’s work benefits local Muslims living in and around Kendal, Muslim visitors to the Lake District, and the wider community. It does this by providing a respectful, welcoming space for worship and reflection; by supporting learning and understanding about Islam; and by contributing to interfaith and community cohesion activities which foster mutual respect, reduce misunderstanding and help build a stronger, more resilient and inclusive Cumbria.

5. Achievements and performance (1 August 2024 – 19 May 2025)

During this period, a significant focus of activity was fundraising to establish a permanent place of worship for Muslims living in and around Kendal, and for Muslim visitors to the Lake District. Securing and developing a permanent base is critical to delivering the CIO’s object of providing a place of worship, and to building a stronger, more resilient and inclusive Cumbria in which the Muslim community is visible, rooted and able to contribute consistently to local life.

Alongside this, the trustees and volunteers prioritised community cohesion, outreach and public benefit in the following ways:

Participating in the Unity Festival in Kendal, where the Muslim Community in Kendal hosted a stall offering resources about Islam and acting as an informal information point for anyone wishing to understand more. Members of the community also provided henna and Arabic writing, creating a welcoming, family-friendly space for conversation and learning, and helping to break down barriers between communities.
Taking part in the Faith Covenant working group exploring a Faith Covenant for South Lakeland. This ensured that Muslim voices were included in discussions about how faith communities and public bodies can work together for the common good, resilience and social cohesion.
Attending a mitzvah dinner as part of wider community cohesion efforts, building positive relationships with the local Jewish community and demonstrating a commitment to mutual respect and shared values across different faith traditions.
Visiting local schools to support teaching and learning about Islam. These visits provided pupils with opportunities to ask questions, challenge stereotypes and gain a more accurate understanding of the Muslim faith and its place in contemporary Britain.
Hosting an Eid celebration for the Muslim community and local stakeholders, including neighbours from Trinity Church, the Unitarian Chapel in Kendal and the Mayor of Kendal. This event allowed the community to express gratitude for the support shown to Muslims in Kendal, to deepen interfaith relationships, and to highlight a shared interest in a peaceful, welcoming and cohesive town.
Laying a wreath on behalf of the Muslim Community in Kendal during remembrance sunday

The CIO is now at the stage of developing a regular schedule of community activities based around the Kirkland Centre, which it intends to offer more widely to the local community (for example, open evenings, talks, family events and

interfaith dialogues). This will strengthen the organisation’s ability to contribute to social resilience, wellbeing and a sense of shared belonging in Kendal and South Lakeland.

During this financial period, the core provision to the local Muslim community has been the facilitation of weekly Jummah (Friday) prayers at the Kirkland Centre. This provides a consistent opportunity for worship, connection and mutual support. The trustees’ clear aspiration, in line with the objects of the CIO, is to expand this provision over time to enable five daily prayers as resources, volunteer capacity and facilities allow. This expansion will serve the religious needs of Muslims locally and visiting the Lakes, and will also anchor the community more firmly in Kendal, enhancing its capacity to contribute positively to a more inclusive and resilient Cumbria.

6. Financial review

During the period 1 August 2024 to 19 May 2025, the CIO’s finances were as follows:

Total income
• Donations and regular giving: £[INSERT]
Total expenditure: £[INSERT]
• Venue hire / Kirkland Centre costs: £[INSERT]
• Utilities and running costs: £[INSERT]
• Resources (e.g. prayer mats, Qur’ans, signage): £[INSERT]
• Insurance / professional fees: £[INSERT]
• Other costs: £[INSERT]

The net movement in funds during the period was £[SURPLUS / DEFICIT], leaving closing funds of £[INSERT] as at 19 May 2025.

Reserves policy

The trustees aim to hold reserves sufficient to cover approximately 3 months of essential running costs of the Kirkland Centre and core activities. This is to ensure continuity of services in the event of unexpected fluctuations in income or unforeseen expenses. At the period end, free reserves stood at …….which the trustees consider to be adequate and will review over the coming year.

7. Risk management

The trustees keep under review the major risks facing the CIO and the systems in place to manage or mitigate those risks. The main risks identified during the period were:

Financial risk – dependency on voluntary donations and limited reserves. This is mitigated by careful budgeting and expenditure control, transparent communication with donors and exploration of broader fundraising opportunities.
Premises and safety risk – use of the Kirkland Centre by multiple groups, and the need to ensure fire safety, safeguarding and appropriate conduct. This is mitigated by following venue rules, carrying out basic risk assessments for events, and giving clear guidance to volunteers and attendees.
Reputational risk – the need to maintain positive relationships with neighbours, partners and public bodies. This is mitigated by open communication, prompt response to any concerns and adherence to both charity law and Islamic ethical principles in all activities.

8. Plans for the future (from 20 May 2025 onwards)

Looking ahead, the trustees intend to:

Consolidate and improve the use of the Kirkland Centre as a welcoming and well-managed base for worship, education and community engagement.
Develop a regular schedule of educational and family activities (for example, study circles, youth engagement, open evenings and interfaith events) that support both religious education and community cohesion.
Strengthen interfaith and community engagement through events that invite wider Kendal residents to learn about Islam and to meet members of the Muslim Community in Kendal.
Explore additional fundraising and grant opportunities to support the longterm sustainability of the Kirkland Centre and the CIO’s charitable activities.
Formalise and support volunteer roles (e.g. keyholders, welfare contacts, events volunteers) to ensure safe, consistent and sustainable delivery of services.

9. Statement of trustees’ responsibilities

The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and, where required, the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards. The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to ensure that proper accounting records are kept, that the financial position of the CIO is monitored, and that the report and any financial statements give a true and fair view of the CIO’s affairs.

In so far as the trustees are aware, there is no relevant information of which the CIO’s independent examiner is unaware, and the trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant information and to establish that the independent examiner is aware of that information.

10. Approval

This report was approved by the trustees on 5[th] January 2026 and signed on their behalf by:

Name: Zaeed Iram Mohammed

Role: Trustee

Date: 5[th] January 2026

Registered number 1209371

MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN KENDAL

Report and Accounts

31 July 2025

MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN KENDAL Report and accounts Contents

	Page
Trustee's report	1
Independent' Assurance report	2
Income & expense Account	3
Balance sheet	4

MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN KENDAL Trustee 's Report

The Trustee presents his report and accounts for the year ended 31 July 2025.

Trustees

The following persons served as trustees during the year: Hugh Lordsley Burrows Adel Ben Hamida Shwan Khder Said Houdi Zaeed Iram Mohammed The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting record which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statement comply with the charities Act 1993. Trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and taking reasonable steps to for prevention and detection of fraud.

This report was approved by the board on 27 November 2025.

Hugh Lordsley Burrows Trustee

Independent assurance report on the unaudited accounts of Muslim Community Kendal

To the trustees of Muslim Community Kendal

We have performed certain procedures in respect of the Charity’s unaudited accounts for the year ended 31 July 2025 (which comprise the income and expene Account, the Balance Sheet and the related notes), made enquiries of the Charity’s trustees and assessed accounting policies adopted by the trustees, in order to gather sufficient evidence for our conclusion in this report.

This report is made solely to the Charity’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with the terms of our engagement letter dated 13 November 2025. It has been released to the trustees on the basis that this report shall not be copied, referred to or disclosed, in whole (save for the trustees’ own internal purposes or as may be required by law or by a competent regulator) or in part, without our prior written consent. Our work has been undertaken so that we might state to the trustees those matters that we have agreed to state to them in this report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the Charity and the Charity’s trustees as a body for our work, for this report or the conclusions we have formed.

Respective responsibilities

You have confirmed that you have met your duty as set out in the trustees’ statement. You consider that the Charity is exempt from the statutory requirement for an audit for the period. Our responsibility is to form and express an independent conclusion, based on the work carried out, to you on the accounts.

Scope

We conducted our engagement in accordance with basic priciples of audit & review of financial information. Our work was based primarily upon enquiry, analytical procedures and assessing accounting policies in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities. If we considered it to be necessary, we also performed limited examination of evidence relevant to certain balances and disclosures in the accounts where we became aware of matters that might indicate a risk of material misstatement in the accounts.

The terms of our engagement exclude any requirement to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the risks of material misstatement, a consideration of fraud, laws, regulations and internal controls, and we have not done so. We are not required to, and we do not, express an audit opinion on these accounts.

Conclusion

Based on our work, nothing has come to our attention to refute the trustees’ confirmation that in accordance with the Charities act 1993 the accounts give a true and fair view of the state of the Charity’s affairs as at 31 July 2025 and of its Surplus for the period then ended and have been properly prepared in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard for Charities

Protax Chartered Certified Accountants 371 Bordesley Green Birmingham B9 5RP

27 November 2025

MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN KENDAL

Income & Expense Account for the year ended 31 July 2025

Notes Turnover Administrative expenses Operating Surplus Surplus for the period	2025 £ 360,719 (3,684) 357,035 357,035