HIGHBURY AREA COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION Registered Charity Number 276283 Annual Report 1/4/2024 to 31/3/2025 Address: Highbury Community Centre Hawthorn Crescent Cosham Portsmouth P06 2TL Trustees: Graham Heaney Maureen Allen Simon Sansbury Asghar Shah Independent Examlner Michael Picton Pitravie Road Cosham Bank Nat West Bank Commercial Road Portsmouth STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT Background Highbury Area Community Association was formed and registered in 1978, under a constitution amended in 2004, with the aim of operating Highbury Community Centre. The original community centre was demolished in 2010 and replaced by a new, larger building to allow the accommodation of a Children's Centre, which subsequently closed in March 2018. The charity is an unincorporated association and is controlled by it5 8overning document, the constitution, registered with the Charity Commission. The centre belongs to Portsmouth Clty Council but is leased to the Assoclatlon at a peppercorn rent. PCC looks after the structure of the building and the Association is responsible for internal repairs and maintenance. All runnin8 costs such as rates and utilities are paid by the Association. The Association is managed by a volunteer management committee of trustees, who meet regularly to set policy, make financial decisions and ensure the centre is in a safe and welcoming condition. The trustees are elected bythe membership at the Annual General Meetlng and each receives an induction pack, as well as being offered access to appropriate training for their role. OBJEcfivES AND ACTIVITIES Publlc beneflt The Objects of the charity in accordance with its constitution are: To promote the benefit of the inhabitants of the City of Portsmouth, particularly the area known as Highbury Estate and its neighbourhood, without distinction of gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnic origin or of political, religious or other opinions, by associating with the local authorities, voluntary organisations the inhabitants and, in a common effort to advance education and to provide facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation and leisure time occupation with the object of improving the conditions of the life of the said inhabitants. a) Establish or secure the establishment of a Community Centre Risk management The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to whlch the charity Is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error. The trustees have in place the necessary policies and procedures for the operation of the centre and the association and meet regularly to oversee policy and finance matters, with the Centre Administrator in attendance as the professional advisor. The dependence of the association upon the annual staffing support grant, in a time when local authoritles have reducing budgets, has been identified as a possible risk to its long-term sustainability. Reserves The charity has an agreed Reserves Policy and following Charity Commission guidance has identified the equivalent of three months operational costs as the appropriate free reserves level. Performance and Achlevements The centre has fully recovered from the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic including the impact on finances. There is a periodic turnover of groups but activities continue to run throughout the week. Our Centre Administrator continues to provide a dedicated and efficient service which contributes enormously to the success of the Centre. th Agreed by the Committee of Trustees on 14 January 2025 and signed on their behalf by Graham Heaney Chair of the Association INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORTTO THE TRUSTEES OF HIGHBURY AREA COMUNITY ASSOCIATION I report on the accounts of the or8anlsation for the year endlng 31 $1 March 2025 which are set out on the followln8 page. Respective responsibllltles of trustees and examlner.. As the charity's trustees you are re5ponslble forthe preparatlon of the accounts: you conslder that the audit requirement of section 43121 of the Charltles Act 1993 (the Act) does not applv. It 15 my responslbility to state, in the basls of procedure5 speclfled In the General Dlrectlons 8lven by the Charity Commissloners under sectlon 43{7llb) of the Act. whether partlcular matters have come to my attention. Basls of the Independent examiner's report My examlnatlon was carried out in accordance wlth the General Dlrectlons given by the Charltv Commlssloners. An examlnatlon Includes a revlew of the accountln8 records kept by the charlty and a compar150n of the accounts presented with those records. It also Includes consideratlon of any unusual Items or dlsclosures In the accounts and seekin8 explanatlons from you as tru5tee5 concernln8 any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required In an audlt, and consequently I do not express an audlt opinion on the vlew given by the accounts. Independent Examiner's Statement In connectlon wlth my examlnation no matter has come to my attentlon: I which glve5 me reasonable cause to belleve that in any materlal respect the requlrements to keep ccountln8 records In accordance wlth section 41 of the Act and to prepare accounts which accord with the accountin8 records and to comply wTrth the accountln8 requirements of the Act have not been met; or to whlch. In my oplnlon, attentlon should be drawn in order to enable a proper understandlng of the accounts to be reached. Mlke Picton 18 Pltravie Road Highbury Slgnature..................................... 2-02-S HIGHBURY AREA COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION Income & Expenditure Account 1.4.2024 to 31.3.2025 Income Hirings PCC staffing grant Men's Shed electricity Donations PCC air con grant Bank interest 2024125 24,593 6,500 2023124 21,944 6.500 65 5,000 1,174 113 Total: £37,380 £ 28,619 Expendlturn Staffing costs Gaslelectricity Water Rates Refuse Phone PosUstation8ry Cleaning materials Additional cleaning Insurance Air Con installation Air Con seNicing PRS music licence Equipment purchases Miscellaneous. 20,355 3.975 980 225 525 841 100 661 408 570 20,730 5,954 582 218 502 712 305 786 611 506 7,828 144 231 71 479 360 279 490 3,387 Total.. £33,156 £39,659 Surplus for period: £4,224 'MIs￿lIaneOus: Web site maintenance Garden Pest control Building improvements Sanitary bins Defibrillator Thank you social 72 420 149 478 96 2,135 37 £3,387 Balance sheet at 3111 March 2025 Current Assets Bank: current account 22,108 Interest account 31,177 Cash in harKI: 42.40 Creditors: 2.361 Debtors: 2.238 N•t current a85ets £53,204 Cr8ditor8'. 2,381 Utilitie8 453 PCC wages 1,642 Cleaning materials 199 BT 67 Debtors.. OIS hlre fees 2,238