2023-03-31-accounts

The Focolare Trust

Annual Report and Financial Statements

31 March 2023

Charity Registration Number (England & Wales) 279072 Charity Registration Number (Scotland) SC039844

Contents

Reports
Reference and administrative information	1
Trustees’ report	3
Independent auditor’s report	32
Financial statements
Statement of financial activities	37
Balance sheet	38
Statement of cash flows	39
Principal accounting policies	40
Notes to the financial statements	45

The Focolare Trust

Reference and administrative information

Trustees	Marie Christine Fournier
	Paola Grazia
	Claudia Melis
	Elizabeth Taite
	Patricia Whitney
	The trustees are incorporated under the
	Charities Act 2011
Administrative address	67 Church Road
	Roby
	Liverpool
	L36 9TN
Charity registration numbers	279072 (England & Wales)
	SC039844 (Scotland)
Auditor	Buzzacott LLP
	130 Wood Street
	London
	EC2V 6DL
Bankers	Co-operative bank
	PO box 250
	Delf House,
	Southway
	Skelmersdale
	Wigan
	WN8 6WT
	Barclays Bank plc
	7 St John’s Hill
	Clapham Junction
	London
	SW11 1TR
	National Westminster Bank plc
	145 Clapham High Street
	London
	SW4 7SZ

The Focolare Trust 1

Reference and administrative information

Bankers (continued) Santander UK plc 3rd Floor Santander House 100 Ludgate Hill London EC4M 7RE Shawbrook Bank Lutea House, Warley Business Park The Drive Great Warley Brentwood CM13 3BE Solicitors Carter Lemon Camerons LLP 10 Aldersgate Street London EC1A 4HJ HRJ Foreman Laws 10 Parkway Welwyn Garden City AL8 6HG

The Focolare Trust 2

Trustees’ report 31 March 2023

The trustees present their report together with the financial statements of the Focolare Trust for the year ended 31 March 2023.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out on pages 34 to 38 of the attached financial statements and comply with the charity’s trust deed, applicable United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice) laws and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), effective from accounting periods commencing 1 January 2015 or later.

Governance, structure and management

The Focolare Movement began in Italy in 1943 and is now active in 182 nations across the world. It is an ecclesial Movement, a movement of spiritual and social renewal which aims at spreading the message of unity worldwide.

Inspired by Jesus’ prayer to the Father, “May they all be one” (Jn 17:21), its goal is to promote fraternity and to achieve a more united world in which people respect and value diversity. To achieve this goal, people of the Movement engage in various forms of dialogue and are committed to building bridges of fraternal relationships among individuals in every area of society.

Members of the Movement include Christians of different Churches and ecclesial communities, members of the major world religions and people of no particular religious belief. Each one adheres to the Movement’s goal and spirit, while faithfully following the precepts of their own faith and conscience.

At the heart of the Movement are small communities of men and women who consecrate their lives to God and live in households called “focolares”, from the Italian word for “hearth”.

In the women’s section of the Focolare Movement there are currently 24 consecrated members living in community in Britain.

The wider movement is made up of about 250 close members and approximately 2,000 who are more loosely associated.

The Focolare is an international organisation with its International Centre (headquarters) and General Council in Rome. The Movement is divided into a number of individual ‘zones’ (geographical areas) which are closely linked to the international centre. Since 2015, the Focolare Movement in Britain is part of the ‘zone’ of Western Europe which has its area headquarters in Brussels.

The accounts accompanying this report are the accounts of the charitable trust in which the assets of the women’s section of the Focolare Movement in Britain are held. The Focolare Trust is governed by a trust deed dated 11 October 1979 and is registered with the Charity Commission, Charity Registration No 279072 and with OSCR No SC039844.

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Governance, structure and management (continued)

Working with other organisations

The Focolare Trust works hand in hand with Mariapolis Limited, a charity administered by the men’s section of the Focolare Movement, in planning all the activities of the Movement in this country – managed by the ‘Core Group’.

For example, some members of The Focolare Trust contribute editorial content to Mariapolis Ltd’s ‘New City’ monthly magazine, while Mariapolis Ltd members support the daily running of the Centre for Unity.

Governance and key management personnel

The Trustees are responsible for the alignment of the charity’s development plans, activities and assets with the charity’s aims.

The key management of the day to day running of the charity (e.g. event planning, media and communication) sits with the ‘Core Group’ and the people responsible for different groups, such as local communities, youth leaders, Focolare volunteers, interest groups.

The Core Group is a body of 23 people drawn from a wide range of Focolare membership, meeting regularly every month. The aim for this group is to be a focal point for deciding on which activities best align with the aims of the Focolare Trust and for finding the resources (financial and human) to carry these out. The Core Group comprises representatives of each Focolare house, as well as members of different backgrounds, ages, skills and geographic provenance. Some Trustees also sit on the Core Group.

They all act on a voluntary basis. A lot of energy is currently being invested, and discussions have been happening around reviewing the governance of the Movement in GB and worldwide (see Risk Management Section).

The Trustees collaborate with the ‘Core Group’, and are also in regular communication with those responsible for the community houses, the Centre for Unity, and for key activities of the Movement.

Trustees

Under the terms of the trust deed new Trustees are appointed by the existing Trustees. The minimum and maximum number of Trustees is three and six respectively. The current Trustees are as follows:

• Elizabeth Taite

• Marie Christine Fournier

• Paola Grazia

• Pat Whitney

• Claudia Melis

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Trustees’ report 31 March 2023

Governance, structure and management (continued)

Governance and key management personnel (continued)

Trustees (continued)

Currently, all Trustees are consecrated members of the Movement; their living and personal expenses are borne by the charity but they receive no remuneration or reimbursement of expenses in connection with their duties as Trustees.

Discernment is ongoing towards the recruitment of new Trustees who – whilst fully participating in the life of the Movement – may not be consecrated members.

Statement of trustees’ responsibilities

The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees' report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The law applicable to charities in England and Wales and in Scotland requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the income and expenditure of the charity for that period.

In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

•  select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

•  observe the methods and principles in Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102);

•  make judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

•  state whether applicable United Kingdom Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and

•  prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, applicable Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 and the provisions of the charity’s trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

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Governance, structure and management (continued)

Risk management

The Trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed, in particular those relating to the specific operational areas of the charity and its finances. The Trustees believe that by monitoring reserve levels, by ensuring controls exist over key financial systems, and by examining the operational risks faced by the charity on a regular basis, they continue to maintain effective systems to mitigate those risks.

Governance - widening participation, sharing responsibilities and ensuring sustainability.

Our governance structures are under continuous review. The significant events and new challenges of the “post-foundation period” in which the Focolare Movement finds itself, including the Covid-19 pandemic, have brought about many changes and an increasing awareness of the need of a new outlook for Focolare structures.

As shown in previous reports, the ‘Core group’ had been engaging in discussions around the different roles and ways of working within the Movement in GB.

With the desire of getting together after the pandemic, a weekend for members was organised at the end of October “to re-connect, to renew and strengthen our mutual love”. This also emerged as “an opportunity to discern together how we see the Focolare Movement today and how we go ahead” (from the invitation).

Back Together” Weekend – 29th/30th October 2022

A gathering such as this had never taken place before – young people, close members of the local communities, volunteers, and consecrated members engaged in ‘communitarian discernment’: 120 people with the desire to deepen their relationships and agree together the next steps.

Many were involved in the planning, presenting the programme and in supporting different aspects of the gathering. To ensure everyone had a say in the weekend, a questionnaire was sent round to ask which topics should be included and the responses became an integral part of the programme.

The weekend was designed to encourage sharing and dialogue, between close members with experience of working within the structures of the Movement, a safe space where difficult and challenging conversations could take place in charity and truth. It was subsequently described by someone as “an honest appraisal of the current challenges faced by the Focolare today”.

Most of the programme involved sharing in small groups, with the opportunities to share ideas and questions on the suggested topics such as governance, working together, communication, and the crucial role of the young people.

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Governance, structure and management (continued)

Risk management (continued)

Governance (continued)

Back Together” Weekend – 29th/30th October 2022 (continued) Some feedback from the ‘Back Together’ weekend:

“Being together, focolarini (consecrated members), volunteers and other members has highlighted how much we NEED each other to be fully in our respective vocations. How much we need each other to fully experience that light and strength of God among us all, which comes from the encounter of our different experiences and perspectives. No doubt this weekend had marked a stepping stone for the Focolare Movement in GB as a family, where everything is shared with simplicity and trust.”

Following on from that weekend, a small working group convened to look more closely at how governance works within the Focolare Movement. The group met several times over the period from November 2022 to March 2023. They produced a “white paper” that was presented at the ‘Core Group’ meeting on 15th April 2023, and has been shared with Catherine Burke and Andreas Amann, the Focolare delegates for the zone of Western Europe.

The document aims to clarify some concepts, defining some key terms and offering some reflections, to help further discussion among all those who are interested and who work within the structures of the Movement in GB. Accessibility was considered - the document is also available in audio format. Members were offered the chance to participate in discussions via Zoom or in person where geographically possible, as a preparation for a further weekend on discussion of governance planned in Welwyn Garden City on 16th/17th September 2023. The focus of this weekend will be how to better understand and develop appropriate structures for the way we want to work together today.

Centre for Unity - sustainability.

Since the summer 2022, the Centre has been in high demand and the Trustees have been monitoring the activities of the Centre with reduced staff. At times the human resources were not sufficient to meet the demand from groups wishing to use the Centre, and some potential bookings could not be accommodated.

The financial situation with the levels of reserves was not deemed to question the sustainability of the Centre; however, the current limitations in human resources puts the Centre at risk of being unsustainable. Recruitment has been challenging and a 6-month trial period with new management did not prove successful.

An online meeting to open a consultation among our members to share the situation with transparency (a presentation of the accounts was included), was held in September 2022 and a workshop at the ‘Back Together weekend’. We listened to the needs, opinions and suggestions around the Centre for Unity and to seek sustainable solutions together.

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Governance, structure and management (continued)

Risk management (continued)

Centre for Unity (continued)

A Centre for Unity Consultation Team was also formed, to collate responses from the wider consultation and respond to them. The report produced highlighted strengths and weaknesses of the Centre for Unity, and in particular the need for a new management structure to oversee and support the day-to-day running of the Centre, as well as overseeing policy issues and future direction.

All those involved in the daily running of the Centre also participated in a meeting on 27th January 2023 with the Delegates of the zone of Western Europe.

Since these consultation events, there have been significant developments with regard to staffing:

•  One of the cleaners who had worked at the Centre for 13 years and was made redundant during Covid has been re-employed as ‘Housekeeper’, with increased responsibilities in catering and overseeing cleaning.

•  Various members of the movement have volunteered to come and stay at the Centre on a regular basis.

•  A consecrated member from Portugal has obtained a two-year visa to work as the Workers and Volunteers Co-ordinator.

•  A new Centre Manager was appointed in June 2023.

•  A new Management Committee is being constituted to support the Centre Manager and help guide the ongoing planning for the future of the Centre. The Committee is responsible for ensuring that all decisions are taken in the best interest of the Centre for Unity and that their role is carried out effectively. The Committee members will have allocated areas of responsibility to enable the Centre Manager to consult on key decisions that need to be taken. A member of the Trustees is also on the Committee. The Management Committee members have access to relevant information to support them in carrying out their responsibility. All Committee members agree to adhere to the principles of Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness, Honesty and Leadership (Nolan principles).

Aging communities

During 2022-23, we continued to be aware of the age profile of many of the consecrated members living in our houses. We have continued to be engaged in discussions with Focolare members both in this country and in Western Europe as to how to ensure the wellbeing of members in the future. The aspect of succession planning, which is linked to the ageing of our communities, is being looked at within the governance consultations.

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Governance, structure and management (continued)

Safeguarding

The Focolare GB Safeguarding team comprises four members- two Safeguarding Officers: Jane Evans and Nic Innocent; and two additional members/administrators: Claudia Melis and Anja Primbs.

In 2022-2023 safeguarding has been in the spotlight following the publication, in March 2022, of the GCPS Consulting’s Report of an Independent Inquiry into Historical Child Abuse within the Focolare Movement in France. For more information and to access the full report: https://inquiry.gcps.consulting/report.html

Amidst the significant and inevitable shock to members resulting from the reading of this report, this stimulated much discussion and reflection among members over how the Focolare Movement fulfils its duty of care towards those it meets, especially the young and vulnerable, and a greater awareness of areas acknowledged as needing improvement. This has been the focus of the Safeguarding team during this year.

The report listed a number of recommendations for improving the culture and practice within the Focolare Movement internationally, some of which are already in place in Britain and others are currently being worked on. Among these recommendations was the need for “Leaders at all levels to initiate discussion of the inquiry findings and to create ‘safe space’ discussions that allow members to talk about their response to the Inquiry, their own experiences of being in the Focolare and the changes they would propose to improve safeguarding.”

As a first response to this, in the months the followed the publication of the report, conversations have been encouraged, and have taken place, sometimes in small groups, online or more often in person, and most frequently informally, that provide for this among members.

In addition, the Focolare is offering ‘Listening Points’, to provide a listening ear to members and previous members. Here people can share any adverse experiences or concerns, as well as positive suggestions which could avoid mistakes being repeated.

Local initiatives

•  In order to improve our duty of care, the Safeguarding team have expanded the risk assessment form. This can be found on the focolare.org/gb website – together with the safeguarding policy and guidelines: www.focolare.org/gb/safeguarding/

•  At the “Back Together” weekend in October 2022, the Safeguarding team spoke to a large part of our local community in GB to raise awareness of safeguarding, to encourage the reading of our safeguarding documents, to use our revised risk assessment form and to sign up to safeguarding training.

•  In January 2023, the Safeguarding Team met with the youth leaders in our community and held a workshop on what safeguarding might look like in practice.

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Governance, structure and management (continued)

Safeguarding (continued)

Local initiatives (continued)

•  Further questions arose out of this meeting and in 2023 the Safeguarding team has been seeking advice on specific scenarios from professionals in this field.

•  At the end of 2022, the administrators started enrolling (or re-enrolling) and monitoring the people who have or need DBS checks for on-line safeguarding training through Educare, the organisation used by most RC Dioceses, as well as schools and local authorities.

•  Since March 2022, there have been regular fortnightly meetings between the Safeguarding Officers and the Chair of Trustees/Directors of The Focolare Trust and Mariapolis Ltd and Co-directors for the Focolare Movement in GB, Elizabeth Taite and Mark Darcy.

•  The team has been looking for an external expert to review what the team is doing and give advice on better practice. The search will continue into next year.

•  The team has started looking at document retention and storage. This will continue in 2023-24.

Zonal activities (Western Europe level)

•  In response to the publication of the report on abuse in France, the ‘Listening Points’ have been set up, to encourage ‘safe space’ discussions that provide an opportunity for members and previous members to share concerns around Focolare practice. www.focolare.org/gb/listening-points-for-adverse-experiences-or-concerns/

•  Focolare members have also been encouraged during different meetings to talk to external agencies if they so wish.

International activities

•  In August 2022, the safeguarding team in Rome circulated the draft copy of a revised safeguarding policy and asked for feedback. Our Safeguarding Officers produced an extensive response suggesting many points that needed clarification.

•  In January 2022, Jane Evans (Safeguarding Officer) attended the first international online meeting for Safeguarding Leads within the Focolare Movement organised by CO.BE.TU. (Focolare International Commission for the Safeguarding and Wellbeing of Young People and Vulnerable Adults.

•  The Safeguarding Officers contacted the Focolare Centre in Brussels to discuss the safeguarding structure within our Western Europe zone, and how that relates to CO.BE.TU. in Rome. This conversation is in progress.

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Governance, structure and management (continued)

Safeguarding (continued)

Plans for 2023-2024

•  Renegotiate Focolare GB umbrella agreement with the CSSA (Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency) in England and Wales, including update our DBS clearance process. The agreement with the Scottish RC Bishops Conference remains.

•  Find/appoint a trustee with responsibility for Safeguarding.

•  Monitor the use of risk assessment forms with a view to making them part of our normal custom and practice.

•  Monitor and support training.

•  Revising / updating our Safeguarding Policy so that it more accurately reflects current thinking, current terminology and current practice. A new version has been published on the Focolare GB website in April 2023.

•  Continue to look for an external expert to audit Focolare GB safeguarding.

•  Continue to work within Western Europe zone and with the Focolare international to develop a robust safeguarding structure internationally.

•  Continue to develop a team of people to act as “Listening points”

Specific objectives and relevant policies

Principal aims

The general objects of the Trust as set out in the charity deeds are the advancement of the Christian religion, the prevention or relief of poverty and education.

In particular, the Movement works towards establishing unity at all levels:

•  fostering dialogue and promoting a culture of encounter. The Focolare achieves this through engaging in ecumenical and interfaith dialogue initiatives, engaging in dialogue among people of different convictions, and advocating unity within different areas of interest (e.g. ecology, politics, the arts)

•  fostering greater equity among peoples and nations. To this end each year it supports Focolare projects with these aims in various countries, those affected by natural disasters, and people in need in GB.

Objectives and priorities

During the year 2022-23, the Trustees, together with the ‘Core Group’ identified the following specific areas upon which to concentrate much of the work of the movement in keeping with our general aims:

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Specific objectives and relevant policies (continued)

Objectives and priorities (continued)

•  To continue supporting Focolare consecrated members in Great Britain, as well as our Focolare International Centres in Rome.

•  To continue prioritising our work with young people.

•  To continue accompanying Focolare communities, families and individual members and continue working for ecumenical and interreligious dialogue locally and abroad.

•  To join the campaign ‘Dare to Care’ (United World Project for the years 2021-23), striving to reach more sustainable practices in terms of ecology and working with other agencies promoting care for ‘our common home’.

•  To continue supporting the Centre for Unity and monitoring the sustainability of the Centre.

•  To continue supporting people affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, both in GB and abroad, and Action for a United World (AMU) and New Families Actions onlus (AFN) projects for international solidarity.

Grant making policy

The Trust’s grant making policy and procedures depend on decisions made in consultation with the members responsible for the Movement in Britain, our regional headquarters in Brussels, with the General Council in Rome and with those responsible for each local house. Priority is given to furthering Focolare projects. Financial support is sometimes given to close relatives of consecrated members who are in need. This help is given sensitively and it corresponds to individual needs.

With regards to objectives for overseas donations, grants are made in consultation with the International Centre in Rome to give support in places of great need; and in particular through the charitable arms AMU and AFN onlus (see below, Activities - point f).

The ‘Covid and Hardship Fund’ is managed by a committee of 5 members: two trustees of the Focolare Trust, the secretary of Mariapolis Ltd and 2 other Focolare volunteers. They manage donations received for this purpose and make decisions in respect of how the funds are distributed. Requests to the committee are made via the Focolare houses or local communities.

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Achievements and performance

Public benefit

In accordance with Charity Commission guidance, the Trustees have had regard to public benefit. Activities and achievements are described below in order to demonstrate the public benefit of Focolare Trust in relation to its specific objectives to foster dialogue and unity.

Review of activities

Following the objectives and priorities set out above:

a) Supporting Focolare consecrated members in Great Britain and Focolare International Centres

In the year to 31 March 2023, the charity supported 24 consecrated members in Great Britain. These members are in the front line of our activities and events, be it with young people in particular but also in furthering our ecumenical and interfaith work at all levels.

The charity also gave a substantial contribution of £492,991 to the Focolare International Centre in Rome to support consecrated members of Focolare abroad and for the work of the Movement in poorer and developing countries. On behalf of the International Centre, we continue to hold funds in a separate deposit account (Centro Foco fund), which are drawn down when needed in response to needs as outlined above. This year, as requested by the Centre, the surplus of the focolare houses’ monthly budget has been sent regularly to the Centre, rather than invested into the Centro Foco fund.

b) Working with young people

A group of girls (9-12 years old) spread across GB continues to meet on Zoom every month, and two groups of young children (4-8 and 4-12 years old) meet regularly in person in London and in Welwyn Garden City. One of their activities was a party for the Ukrainian families who have arrived in the area. A new group for 4-8 year old has started in Liverpool this year and the participation in these monthly meetings continues to grow.

Ahead of the Special European Council, on 9 February 2023, these groups participated in the ‘Kids 4 Peace’ initiative, sending letters and drawings to world leaders asking them to take action to bring about peace where there is war.

Beatrice from Wales received an answer from the office of the Canadian Prime Minister and from the British Prime Minister’s office:

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Achievements and performance (continued)

Review of activities (continued)

b) Working with young people (continued)

Youth Retreats

13 young adults met for the first time in person for a retreat in August 2022.

From their feedback, the participants were especially happy with the freedom and space they were given to express themselves without fear of being judged. Several said that it was the first time they had been encouraged to speak about things that challenge them and concern them in their daily lives. They expressed the desire to meet again and to continue the dialogue.

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Achievements and performance (continued)

Review of activities (continued)

b) Working with young people (continued)

Youth Retreats (continued)

The young people were involved in the planning and running of the retreat. A further weekend was then held in February 2023, when a group of 14-17 years old met at the same time for a parallel residential, with some sessions all together.

Some feedback from the younger group:

“To me this was all about figuring out and discovering how we can hear and connect with God.

It was very eye opening and probably the first time I felt very intrigued throughout the conversations.

I also liked the fact that it was a range of different people with different ethnicities, ages, genders etc.”

“It was fun and interactive”

“I liked the weekend and liked to be challenged by it.”

“I liked how much time we got to reflect on ourselves and share our ideas with others and how little we were pressured to share. I also enjoyed making new friends with people around my age.”

The young people also provided suggestions such as to “have weekends like this more often”, “play more games and do more fun activities”, and to cover “a few more topics that are quite controversial in our society, such as LGBTQ+”, which will be constructive feedback to guide the planning of future events.

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Achievements and performance (continued)

Review of activities (continued)

b) Working with young people (continued)

Down to Earth – with Malta and France

In July 2022 15 young adults also travelled to Malta for “Down 2 Earth (D2E)”, a project in partnership with Focolare Malta and France, funded by the EU Erasmus Programme. Initially planned for 2020, it had to be postponed due to the pandemic. The goals of this project were to raise awareness about environmental and social ecology, and build intercultural bridges, to help become better global citizens.

For a week, the young people took part in a programme comprising:

•  Lectures by and discussions with local experts about the nature of social and environmental ecology;

•  Brainstorming about this topic and coming up with a concrete plan for how to encourage more eco-friendly lifestyles;

•  Learning about other cultures through interactive activities, cultural events and fun outings;

•  Building new contacts with their peers around Europe to kindle future international cooperation;

•  Guided tours around local sites of ecological significance;

•  Planning and carrying out a mini-project to clear up the rubbish on a local beach, popular with tourists.

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Achievements and performance (continued)

Review of activities (continued)

b) Working with young people (continued)

Listening to the Young People

A few young people were present at a weekend that was organised in January 2023 for planning future youth activities, and later on in June 2023. Their contributions are key in ensuring that ideas of new activities are relevant to young people today.

c) Focolare Communities, Families, Dialogue

Local and Online Communities

This year the local communities have begun meeting face to face again, discovering that relationships have been strengthened through having lived the challenge of the pandemic together.

Thanks to opportunities to meet online, there has been more engagement and growth in relationships. For example, a course on Spirituality, on Zoom, was attended by nearly 80 people from different countries and denominations. It has been so successful that it will start again in the autumn.

Here are some of the comments:

“ The rich diversity of those attending and sharing. The real lived unity.”

“The variety of input was engaging and enjoyable. I look forward to more! Thanks for resources - most helpful!”

“My words that sums up the meetings: ‘To live is to encounter’”

A new development, is engagement with a number of people from Hong Kong, who have come to live in England. Focolare communities across GB are getting to know them better, creating links to Focolare members near them to give both moral and material support as they engage with a new country and culture. A day has been planned in the autumn in the Focolare Centre for Unity, providing translations for those who do not yet speak English. Local community coordinators are working together with friends from Hong Kong, who have been here longer, and therefore understand the needs of those arriving.

Whilst the series of Zooms ‘Time together as families’ continued in 2022 until September (see previous report), a new group of young families has also started to meet regularly in Bexleyheath in south east London with children of all ages coming together.

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Achievements and performance (continued)

Review of activities (continued)

c) Focolare Communities, Families, Dialogue (continued)

Ecumenism

The Focolare Movement’s annual meeting for ecumenical Church Leaders took place in January 2023 at the Focolare conference centre in Welwyn Garden City. The keynote speaker was Rev. Prof. Nicholas Sagovsky whose rich ecumenical and theological background enabled him to give a fascinating presentation on the role of synodality in Scripture and in its later development in the Church. Deep sharing and dialogue followed the presentation. The day - long meeting was attended by twenty- five Church leaders, including three arch bishops from the bishops’ conferences in England, Wales and Scotland as well as Anglican, United Reform Church and Salvation Army members. Other representatives followed by Zoom.

Some feedback:

“Thank you all for an excellent day yesterday. There was a real sense of common purpose. Well done.”

“It truly was a very special time: Nicholas our speaker was superb; and it was evident, both from the moving contributions and in the discussions outside the formal sessions that everyone was engaged at a very profound level.”

“The atmosphere combined serenity with honest, frank exchange. It was clear from how people were contributing that it was an experience of light for those participating, bringing new insights and decisions for moving ahead on the synodal pathway.”

Ecumenical Prayers by Zoom have continued once a week during the last year. The 20 minute time of reflection & prayer attracts an average of fifty followers each week and is led by people from many different countries. Each session varies in style, topic and content but always strengthen the commitment to dialogue of those who follow.

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Achievements and performance (continued)

Review of activities (continued)

c) Focolare Communities, Families, Dialogue (continued)

Ecumenism (continued)

In last year’s report the 4 ecumenical Zoom groups were mentioned, working to promote a culture of welcoming difference within the Movement and to raise awareness on the ecumenical nature of the Focolare spirituality in countries that are predominantly Roman Catholic, to be able to reach out to Christians of various Churches and further foster Christian unity worldwide.

Some of the concrete initiatives they undertook:

•  The 4 groups gave a substantial contribution to the programme of the annual retreat for Focolare members in Rome in December 2022. Some participants commented that it was the first time they experienced a retreat with Christians of various Denominations.

•  Lesley Ellison, Church of England, the first non-Catholic consecrated member, was interviewed by the Focolare International Communication Office. The video of the interview was featured in the December "Link-up" (the quarterly live streaming appointment of the Focolare) and has 6.9K views.

Here is Lesley (left) with the film crew. The interview can be found here:

www.youtube.com/@CollegamentoFocolare_official www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJWtzhL2tew (direct link)

•  The groups engaged with the organisers of the study courses delivered by the UPM (Universita Popolare Mariana), bringing ecumenical speakers to the programme for 2022-23, on Prayer. www.universitapopolaremariana.org/en/

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Trustees’ report 31 March 2023

Achievements and performance (continued)

Review of activities (continued)

c) Focolare Communities, Families, Dialogue (continued)

Inter-religious dialogue

The Movement’s commitment to inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue is intrinsic in its nature but is taken forward predominantly by individuals who live and work in areas of the greatest diversity in the UK - London, Birmingham, Newcastle, Leeds and Glasgow, for example. In these areas, dialogue is happening on four different levels – dialogue of life, of action, of shared religious experience and of theological exchange.

Some of the activities undertaken include:

•  In October 2022, in London, the Movement facilitated the involvement of interfaith groups in the Faithinvest conference, encouraging people of all faiths to make ethical investments. Also in London, members of the Movement supported celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of the Association of Muslim Schools.

•  In Birmingham, a member of the Movement in collaboration with St. Mary’s University, London, organised an evening on “Eternity” during which leaders of the six main faiths in Birmingham presented their beliefs about life after death and its impact upon the choices made by believers. This event attracted a large number of attendees. It has also developed into a bid being made to the Marie Curie Foundation to finance research into the barriers experienced by people in minority faith groups in accessing end of life care.

•  Also in Birmingham, membership of the Birmingham Faith Leaders’ Group, the Birmingham Council of Faiths and the RC Diocesan Commission for Dialogue enable members of the Movement to collaborate with the City Council and participate in the planning of public interfaith events such as the Holocaust Memorial, the annual Peace Service on the anniversary of 9/11, the launch of Interfaith Week and on-going Faith & Reflection events.

•  Christian/Shi’a Muslim dialogue is also integral to the life of the Movement. Since 2016, a small ecumenical group of Christians has met regularly, usually in Welwyn Garden City, with a group of Muslims to share understanding of topics of theological significance. The bonds created in the group enable the members to journey ahead together in solidarity.

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Trustees’ report 31 March 2023

Achievements and performance (continued)

Review of activities (continued)

c) Focolare Communities, Families, Dialogue (continued)

Focolare houses in the Birmingham area

In June 2022, the women’s focolare completed the purchase of a house in the Smethwick area after living in rented diocesan accommodation for nearly two years. There are currently four members living permanently in the property. Thus, a women’s community has been established in the West Midlands after a long period of intermittent visits that began in 2015. Smethwick is known for its cultural and religious diversity and history of racial tension: the community endeavours to create links with local residents as well as be a focal point for the Focolare community in this area.

The men’s focolare also recently bought a house in Willenhall, Black Country (about 25 mins drive from Smethwick). They too work alongside the Focolare community in the north of the country. Furthermore, both the men’s and women’s groups are engaged with formation and various activities in the busy Roman Catholic parish cluster in the Willenhall area.

Local Mariapolis 2022

The Mariapolis (summer gathering for people of all ages and convictions) is always a highpoint of the Focolare year. In 2022 four small Mariapolis were held in local areas. The north of England hosted two, in Formby, Merseyside, in May, and in Ripon, Yorkshire, in June. Another two Mariapolis happened in July, in Stone, Staffordshire for the Midlands and Chilton in Oxfordshire, which brought together communities from London, the South of England and South Wales.

Another Mariapolis was held in Motherwell, Scotland in September.

The strength and importance of the local ‘steering groups’ in organising these days became evident. Each Mariapolis – or “city of love” as it has been defined - had different programmes but all were characterised by a joyful atmosphere and the shared desire to be builders of community.

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Trustees’ report 31 March 2023

Achievements and performance (continued)

Review of activities (continued)

c) Focolare Communities, Families, Dialogue (continued)

Local Mariapolis 2022 (continued)

Some feedback:

“All the meditations, experiences, the contributions and presence of everyone there were Heavenly Blessings.

It was the perfect medicine for my soul, mind and body’.

“We were enriched by the experience of those forced to flee due to war or persecution, from Rwanda or Ukraine. The experience of one couple who are hosting a family from Ukraine led to some deep sharing.”

“It’s my first physical Mariapolis in the UK. With the Focolare Movement, even if you are far from home, you always feel at home. You can never explain the love that you get from places like this. From the experiences and what we lived today, deep down we realize that we are walking together.”

“There is the potential here that produces a real change in society.”

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Trustees’ report 31 March 2023

Achievements and performance (continued)

Review of activities (continued)

d) Dare to Care campaign ‘People, planet and our ecological conversion’

(see www.unitedworldproject.org/en/daretocare/)

Some members of the Focolare Integral Ecology group hosted an online session (“Eco Link Up”) on 5th July 2022 to raise awareness around the “Eco-Plan” for the Focolare which was prepared by an international team in partnership with FaithInvest and EcoOne.

The Eco-Plan aims to inspire Focolare members and communities to re-examine their lifestyles in relation to the protection of people and the planet. It also represents a public declaration of ecological commitment as a response to the objectives expressed by the last Focolare General Assembly. It was presented at the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on 3rd June 2022 in Stockholm along with other similar proposals from organisations that are part of Faith Plans for People and Planet ( www.faithplans.org/ ).

The Focolare Eco Plan is available here: - www.focolare.org/en/2022/06/22/italiano focolare-ecoplan-una-potente-intuizione/

In the online session on 5th July, Nino Puglisi, one of the Focolare team who prepared the Eco-Plan, gave some background to why this was developed. An update was given on the Halki V summit meeting in Turkey, attended by Margaret Karram, President of the Focolare Movement ( www.halkisummit.com/hs5/ ). Experiences of ecological action were also shared from London, from Scotland and by some of those involved in the ‘Hombremundo - Dare to Care’ event for young people earlier in the year (see previous report).

In order to illustrate the extent of the commitment, and the impact, of some of the members of the Focolare Eco Group, we report one member’s recent experience of being active in her Parish:

“Our Parish has just received a Silver Eco-Congregation award. We are the third RC church in Scotland (and the first in our diocese) to receive an award, and the second to receive a Silver award. We have developed the most amazing relationship with the local Church of Scotland who have asked us to speak at their session meeting about our journey to an eco award and guide them on doing the same. We have established links with the local Coptic Church and have inserted ourselves in the local community…

We were given 4 commendations for the work being done in outreach to the wider community, with ecumenism, with the youth and with the liturgy.

I am convinced that working for our common home from a spiritual dimension really opens up opportunities of building unity in the world, and also presents a new way of sharing the Gospel message with many.”

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Trustees’ report 31 March 2023

Achievements and performance (continued)

Review of activities (continued)

d) Dare to Care campaign ‘People, planet and our ecological conversion’

Ethical banking (first of the 7 areas of the Focolare Eco Plan)

After having moved all the Focolare Trust current accounts from NatWest to the Cooperative bank, in September 2022, the process of moving towards more ethical banking choices continued in 2023: 2 of the Shawbrook saving accounts have been closed and new saving accounts were opened, also with the Co-operative bank.

e) Focolare Centre for Unity

This has been a challenging year due to changes in personnel and also in finding the best way ahead. The need has arisen for a Management Committee to work together and make decisions to support the work of the Centre Manager (see Risk Management section above).

As a development of the last year’s consultation on how best to progress, members of the Focolare Movement have come forward to offer their expertise. A member of Focolare now undertakes general maintenance tasks, eliminating the need to pay a local trader. Material costs and travel expenses are reimbursed by the Centre.

The Centre for Unity has an excellent reputation. There is no need for advertising as reputation for quality is spread by word of mouth. It is used by many outside groups (secular, charities, church and interfaith groups) and has hosted ecumenical initiatives. It is responding to the desire to reach out to the most vulnerable in society: e.g. English lessons and social events for refugees and hosting groups supporting people in need (e.g. Saint Vincent de Paul Society).

When the first Ukrainian refugees started to arrive in the UK, the Focolare Movement was asked if it would provide a room and refreshments at the Centre for Unity so that the visitors could learn English. Since then there have been ESOL classes every Monday and Wednesday excluding school holidays. Numbers vary but approximately 20 people, mainly women, come each week. To help alleviate their stress, another room, for weekly yoga lessons, has been provided.

The Ukrainian refugees were able to hold their Christmas celebration at the Focolare Centre. It was a very successful family event, with their traditional Christmas food and people of all ages involved.

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Trustees’ report 31 March 2023

Achievements and performance (continued)

Review of activities (continued)

e) Focolare Centre for Unity (continued)

The Centre for Unity is self-supporting due to its location and popularity with a diverse mixture of groups. Local Authorities groups (such as Herts Police, County Council and NHS) keep it affordable for charity groups and assist in making outreach possible. The income from the Local Authorities groups allows the Centre to subsidise charities and Focolare groups. This also enables the Centre to develop a contingency fund for building maintenance and emergencies.

Volunteer Perspective of the Focolare Centre for Unity:

“I became aware of the centre in January 2023, when, as a member of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, we hired the venue to host the Ukrainian Christmas Meal on 6th January.

Upon entering the building, I was overwhelmed by the feeling of sincerity, peace and comfort within the walls, to the extent that after the event, I felt compelled to return. Having time in my week to spare, I enquired as to whether I could volunteer which was graciously accepted. So I come along each Thursday morning, my role being to facilitate any of the groups which are in the building on that day, initially by welcoming them, ensuring the tea/coffee facility is maintained, the rooms are set up as required, essentially anything that will make their visit a memorable one. And this is the case – the serenity of the building seems to seep into the pores of the people working within it, who in turn extend this to visitors, and I have never seen an unhappy face within the building. All who leave are appreciative of their experience at the centre. It is a very fulfilling place to in which to be.”

f) Supporting people who suffered because of Covid-19 pandemic and initiatives of International solidarity

During 2022-23, the Covid & Hardship Emergency Fund has continued to offer support to people in need within the UK. One case was of a student whose family had been severely affected by Covid. Their job which involved night shifts, was also not sufficient to pay their university fees.

Many generous donations have been also received by the Focolare Trust towards Focolare Projects abroad, via the International Emergency Coordination Team of the Focolare Movement, Action for a United World - AMU ( www.amu-it.eu ) and Action for New Families - AFN ( https://afnonlus.org ).

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Trustees’ report 31 March 2023

Achievements and performance (continued)

Review of activities (continued)

f) Supporting people who suffered because of Covid-19 pandemic and initiatives of International solidarity (continued)

Donating to the Focolare Trust, rather than directly to AMU/AFN, allows donors who are UK tax payers to donate an extra 25% Gift Aid.

In 2022-23 3 of the biggest projects supported were in Pakistan, Ukraine and Syria.

Pakistan (from AMU website)

Pakistan experienced a real humanitarian and health emergency with the monsoon rains causing heavy floods in June 2022.

Two medical camps were set up in remote areas (the district of Qamber Shahdadkot and in Nawa Killi, Quetta).

In Mastung, province of Baluchistan, a mountainous area where temperatures drop below zero, more than 250 people have been provided with blankets as well as medical care.

Photo: AMU website

Ukraine (from AMU website)

Since the beginning of 2023, Caritas-Spes (AMU’s local partner) has been distribution hot meals, food parcels and non-food items such as toiletries and household products. They also provided safe shelter to 908 beneficiaries and funded houses renovation and construction projects in Kyiv and Kharkiv regions. More recent plans are in place towards the renovation of destroyed houses and construction of modular houses in the area of the Odessa-Simferopolis RC diocese.

Since January 2023, over 900 families have received monthly financial assistance and over 6,000 people received listening support and/or counselling services.

Photo: AMU website

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Trustees’ report 31 March 2023

Achievements and performance (continued)

Review of activities (continued)

f) Supporting people who suffered because of Covid-19 pandemic and initiatives of International solidarity (continued)

Syria (from AMU website)

The donations have been managed jointly by AMU and AFN to reach the people affected by the earthquake which struck Turkey and Syria on 6th February 2023. Basic aid for food, medical care, housing, heating, and hospitality have been provided in the Syrian provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and in the Turkish region of Iskenderun.

In Syria two particular projects were supported: the RISE programme and RestarT.

RISE, in partnership with the Life Care association, provides care for the elderly and people with special needs, with the double outcome of assisting lonely people and creating work opportunities for carers.

RestarT (Restarting to Remain) supports the restart of small businesses. It is aimed at people who already have experience in business but have been unable to return to work because of the economic crisis. This allows entrepreneurs to stay in the country and contribute to rebuilding it after the war. RestarT is currently active in Homs and Aleppo.

One of the RestarT projects: Tony Attye’s Shop in Sebaa – Photo: AMU website

Focolare activities in Scotland 2022-23

During the year we continued with our monthly Zoom meetings of the community. Gradually they became ‘hybrid’ with more people coming to the Focolare House.

On 3rd September 2022 we had our first bigger face to face event after the pandemic. A ‘Mariapolis Day’ open to everyone, not just members of the Focolare. There were 96 participants of all ages and the theme was ‘Time out to Tune in – In tune with God, with ourselves and with creation and the world around us’. Some of the feedback:

“The openness of everyone and willingness to share very personal details. It was a very thought provoking day. There was a sense of belonging and being accepted.”

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Trustees’ report 31 March 2023

Focolare activities in Scotland 2022-23 (continued)

“The sharing of experiences stayed with me, that to love and living in the present moment is all that matters”

Following the Mariapolis Day, we had a series of meetings and events that were aimed at the Focolare community in its widest sense or people who wanted to get to know the Focolare, including some film nights.

For example, we showed the feature film of Chiara Lubich to people of our parish ( www.imdb.com/title/tt13462628/ ) or we organised a screening of the Laudato Si’ film “The letter” together with our Muslim friends ( www.theletterfilm.org/ ).

About 50 people attended on 25th November, both from the Ahl Al Bait Society and Focolare. The thought-provoking film spoke loudly to all the attendees and sparked a dialogue in small groups on the current climate crisis and on how spiritual values call us to take action. There was a general consensus that the answers are in being and working together, hence the shared desire to continue fostering and widening our experience of unity in diversity .

Around Christmas Time we had events aimed particularly for families with little children and young people:

•  An afternoon Advent meeting in the Focolare House

•  Christmas Carols in Daniel’s House, a house for people with learning difficulties.

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Trustees’ report 31 March 2023

Future plans 2023-24

Following discussions with the Core Group, the Trustees confirmed the following specific objectives for the coming year in keeping with our general aims:

•  To continue supporting Focolare consecrated members in Great Britain, as well as our Focolare International Centres in Rome.

•  To continue accompanying young people, families and individual members and building community in our local areas.

•  To continue working for ecumenical and interreligious dialogue locally and abroad. In particular, to host a GB Mariapolis in the summer 2024.

•  To continue supporting the Centre for Unity and monitoring the sustainability of the Centre.

•  To continue supporting international projects via Focolare agencies AMU and AFN, as well as supporting people in need in GB.

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Trustees’ report 31 March 2023

Financial Review

Results for the year

A summary of the year’s results can be found on page 30 of the attached financial statements.

For the year to 31 March 2023, the income of the charity amounted to £894,921 (2022 - £744,103), including £701,765 (2022 - £644,091) from voluntary income, £160,250 (2022 - £73,686) from charitable activities and interest receivable of £25,540.

Total expenditure in the year was £1,067,396 (2022 - £784,880) including £563,311(2022 - £379,512) for donations and grants payments; £158,841 (2022 - £113,307) for provision of retreats, conferences and publications; £8,800 (2022 - £679) for interfaith and youth projects; and £336,444 (2022 - £291,382) for the support of the members of the Movement.

Net investment gains in the year were £nil (2022 –£479). The net movement in funds for the year was a decrease of £172,475 (2022 – a decrease of £40,298).

Reserves policy and financial position

The trustees have examined the requirement for the free reserves (i.e. those unrestricted funds not invested in tangible fixed assets, designated for specific purposes or otherwise committed). In particular, at the current time, the reserves need to be sufficient to enable the charity to operate in the exceptional circumstances created by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The trustees consider that, given the nature of the charity’s work, the level of free reserves should be approximately between three and six months’ ongoing expenditure. The trustees are of the opinion that this provides sufficient flexibility to cover temporary shortfalls in income, adequate working capital to cover core costs, and will allow the charity to cope and respond to unforeseen emergencies.

The balance sheet shows total reserves of £7,517,831 (2022 - £7,690,306). Of this, £4,855,362 (2022 - £4,329,618) is represented by tangible fixed assets used to support the work of the Movement. Such assets are of fundamental importance to the charity; without these assets the charity would be unable to fulfil its charitable aims and objectives. The value of such assets, therefore, would not be easily realisable, if needed to meet future contingencies. To emphasise this point, the net book value of these assets has been set aside, by the trustees, in a tangible fixed assets fund. Other designated funds stood at £2,511,743 (2022 - £3,145,183) (see note 16).

Free reserves available to support the work of the members in the future are those shown on the balance sheet under the general fund and, at 31 March 2023 equate to £149,313 (2022 - £214,892). The level of free reserves at 31 March 2023 equates to approximately 3 months’ of ongoing expenditure which is consistent with the desired reserves level as noted above.

The Focolare Trust 30

Trustees, report 31 March 20¥3 I l R vl w{C(￿tInued) Thè charity'5 a55ets Acqubsitions and disposals of laNJible fixed assets durlro the y8af arts r6cortled in not8 10 to the financial statements. Em s and rnembers ol the Socie The Trustees wish to record their gratitude to all their staff. volunteers, members and suppy19rs of the FO￿￿are MovemenL Their totsl dedication. generosity and creativity has been invaluable. Thanks to them new ways are unfolding. of working and of spr8ading the message of unty- ngw Paths which we look forward to walking Icgether. Appmved by the trustees arKI ￿gned on their behav by.. Truslee The FrKolare Trust 31

Independent auditor’s report 31 March 2023

Independent auditor’s report to the trustees of The Focolare Trust

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of The Focolare Trust (the ‘charity’) for the year ended 31 March 2023 which comprise the statement of financial activities, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flows, the principal accounting policies and the notes to the financial statements. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 ‘The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland’ (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion, the financial statements:

•  give a true and fair view of the state of the charity’s affairs as at 31 March 2023 and of its income and expenditure for the year then ended;

•  have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and

•  have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and regulation 8 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended).

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

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Independent auditor’s report 31 March 2023

Other information

The trustees are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the annual report and financial statements, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Charities Act 2011 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

•  the information given in the trustees’ annual report is inconsistent in any material respect with the financial statements; or

•  sufficient and proper accounting records have not been kept; or

•  the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

•  we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement, the trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

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Independent auditor’s report 31 March 2023

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

•  The engagement partner ensured that the engagement team collectively had the appropriate competence, capabilities and skills to identify or recognise non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations;

•  We identified the laws and regulations applicable to the charity through discussions with management, and from our commercial knowledge and experience of the sector;

•  The identified laws and regulations were communicated within the audit team regularly and the team remained alert to instances of non-compliance throughout the audit;

•  We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks applicable to the charity and the sector in which it operates. We determined that the following laws and regulations were most significant: Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), the Charities Act 2011, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 and safeguarding regulations.

•  We assessed the extent of compliance with the laws and regulations identified above through making enquiries of management, inspecting legal correspondence and reviewing trustee meeting minutes and reports from regulatory bodies.

We assessed the susceptibility of the charity’s financial statements to material misstatement, including obtaining an understanding of how fraud might occur, by:

•  making enquiries of management and those charged with governance as to where they considered there was susceptibility to fraud, their knowledge of actual, suspected and alleged fraud; and

•  considering the internal controls in place to mitigate risks of fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations.

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Independent auditor’s report 31 March 2023

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements (continued) To address the risk of fraud through management bias and override of controls, we:

•  performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships;

•  tested journal entries to identify unusual transactions;

•  tested the authorisation of expenditure as part of our substantive testing thereon;

•  assessed whether judgements and assumptions made in determining the accounting estimates set out in the accounting policies were indicative of potential bias; and

•  used data analytics to identify any significant or unusual transactions and identify the rationale for them.

In response to the risk of irregularities and non-compliance with laws and regulations, we designed procedures which included, but were not limited to:

•  agreeing financial statement disclosures to underlying supporting documentation;

•  reading the minutes of trustee meetings;

•  enquiring of management and those charged with governance as to actual and potential litigation and claims; and

•  reviewing any available correspondence with the Charity Commission and other regulators.

There are inherent limitations in our audit procedures described above. The more removed that laws and regulations are from financial transactions, the less likely it is that we would become aware of non-compliance. Auditing standards also limit the audit procedures required to identify non-compliance with laws and regulations to enquiry of the trustees and other management and the inspection of regulatory and legal correspondence, if any.

Material misstatements that arise due to fraud can be harder to detect than those that arise from error as they may involve deliberate concealment or collusion.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

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Independent auditor’s report 31 March 2023

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charity’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and with regulations made under section 154 of that Act and in accordance with Section 44(1)(c) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and Regulation 10 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity’s trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's 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 audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Buzzacott LLP Statutory Auditor 130 Wood Street London EC2V 6DL

Date: 7 December 2023

Buzzacott LLP is eligible to act as an auditor in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006

The Focolare Trust 36

Statement of financial activities Year to 31 March 2023

Notes	Unrestricted funds £	Restricted funds £	Total funds 2023 £	Unrestricted funds £	Restricted funds £	Total funds 2022 £
Income from: Donations and legacies 1 Investments Charitable activities . Retreat and conference centre fees . Interfaith, youth projects and events Other income . Surplus on disposal of tangible fixed assets . Miscellaneous income 2 Total income Expenditure on: Charitable activities . Donations and grants payable 3 . Provision of retreats, conferences and publications 4 . Interfaith, youth projects and events 5 . Support of members of the Movement 6 Total expenditure Net (expenditure) income before recognised investment gains and losses Gains on investments 11 Net (expenditure) and net movement in funds 7 Reconciliation of funds: Balances brought forward at 1 April Balances carried forward at 31 March	653,886 25,540 153,828 7,688 — 6,100	47,879 — — — — —	701,765 25,540 153,828 7,688 — 6,100	584,734 16,157 73,686 — 400 9,769	59,357 — — — — —	644,091 16,157 73,686 — 400 9,769
	847,042	47,879	894,921	684,746	59,357	744,103
	531,588 143,533 4,769 340,425	31,723 15,308 50 —	563,311 158,841 4,819 340,425	345,586 88,953 16 291,382	33,926 24,354 663 —	379,512 113,307 679 291,382
	1,020,315	47,081	1,067,396	725,937	58,943	784,880
	(173,273) —	798 —	(172,475) —	(41,191) 479	414 —	(40,777) 479
	(173,273) 7,689,693	798 613	(172,475) 7,690,306	(40,712) 7,730,405	414 199	(40,298) 7,730,604
	7,516,420	1,411	7,517,831	7,689,693	613	7,690,306

All of the charity’s activities derived from continuing operations during the above two financial periods.

The charity has no recognised gains and losses other than those shown above.

The Focolare Trust 37

8alan¢e sheet 31 March 2023 2023 21)23 2022 2022 Flxed assets Tangible assets Invg¥trnents 10 11 4.855.364 4.329.62Q 6,313 4.335,933 4.855.364 Curr•nt a••ots Dabtors Cosh at bank in hand Totsl CUTr•nt •u•ts 12 21.566 2,668.331 1089,897 85.704 3.297.009 3,382.713 Llabllltl Croditors". amounts lalirYJ du8 wllhln one year N•t CUTvent ￿8•￿ 13 127A30) 128,3401 2,662A67 7,517031 3,354,373 7,690,306 Th• funds of th• thwlty Restr￿ted hJrKIs Un￿sIr￿ted I￿￿¥ . Gèn8ral fund . T8rKJibb fLxed awls lurKI . ￿￿Jnated Total fund• 14 613 149.313 4.855.364 2.511,743 7,517.831 214,89) 4.329.620 3.145.183 7.690.306 15 16 Approved by trustees ond signed on their behalf by.. Tru¥tee Approved by Ihe truste•s on.. 061izl2023 The Fowlare Trust 38

Statement of cash flows 31 March 2023

DRAFT

Notes	2023 £	2022 £
Cash flows from operating activities: Net cash used in operating activities A Cash flows from investing activities: Investment income Proceeds from the disposal of tangible fixed assets Purchase of tangible fixed assets Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year Cash and cash equivalents at 1 April B Cash and cash equivalents at 31 March B	(134,808)	(90,401)
	25,540 — (519,410)	16,157 400 —
	(493,870)	16,557
	(628,678) 3,297,009	(73,844) 3,370,853
	2,668,331	3,297,009

Notes to the statement of cash flows for the year to 31 March:

A Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net cash flows used in operating activities

	2023 £	2022 £
Net movement in funds (as per the statement of financial activities) Adjustments for: Depreciation charge Gains on investments Investment income Donated investments Surplus on disposal of tangible fixed assets Decrease (increase) in debtors Decrease in creditors Net cash used in by operating activities	(172,475) 51,166 — (25,540) 6,313 — 6,638 (910)	(40,298) 61,815 (479) (16,157) — (400) (66,941) (27,941)
	(134,808)	(90,401)

B Analysis of cash and cash equivalents

Analysis of cash and cash equivalents
	2023 £	2022 £
Cash at bank and in hand Total cash and cash equivalents	2,668,331	3,297,009
	2,668,331	3,297,009

The Focolare Trust 39

Principal accounting policies 31 March 2023

The principal accounting policies adopted, judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty in the preparation of the financial statements are laid out below.

Basis of preparation

These financial statements have been prepared for the year to 31 March 2023.

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policies below or the notes to these financial statements.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (Charities SORP FRS 102), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011.

The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102.

The financial statements are presented in sterling and are rounded to the nearest pound.

Critical accounting estimates and areas of judgement

Preparation of the financial statements requires the trustees to make significant judgements and estimates.

The items in the financial statements where these judgements and estimates have been made include:

•  estimating the useful economic life of tangible fixed assets; and

•  determining the value of designated funds needed at the year end in particular in respect to the assumptions made in determining the value of the retirement fund.

Assessment of going concern

With the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Trustees have assessed that there are no material uncertainties related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the ability of the charity to continue as a going concern.

In 2022-23 the Centre for Unity resumed its activities as per pre-pandemic. The level of reserves and income and expenditure of the Centre for Unity continue to be subject to three monthly reviews in order to assess the financial sustainability of the Centre.

The Trustees have considered the level of funds held and the expected level of income and expenditure in respect of a period of at least 1 year from the date of approval of these financial statements. They acknowledge the sharp increase in provisions and utilities costs and foresee a loss of income in the next 12 months, due to the Centre for Unity hosting an Art exhibition for 6 weeks which will put other bookings on hold; however, they are in favour of the outreach and profile-raising that the exhibition will bring.

The Focolare Trust 40

Principal accounting policies 31 March 2023

Assessment of going concern (continued)

They are also of the opinion that the charity will have sufficient resources to meet its liabilities as they fall due, and therefore to be able to continue as a going concern.

Basis of consolidation

Consolidated financial statements have not been prepared as the subsidiary company remained dormant throughout the year.

Income recognition

Income is recognised in the period in which the charity has entitlement to the income, the amount of income can be measured reliably and it is probable that the income will be received.

Income comprises donations, investment income, income from retreat and conference centre fees, income from events and workshops and other income including the surplus on the disposal of tangible fixed assets.

Donations, including salaries and pensions of individual members of the Movement received under Gift Aid or deed of covenant, are recognised when the charity has confirmation of both the amount and settlement date. In the event of donations pledged but not received, the amount is accrued for where the receipt is considered probable. In the event that a donation is subject to conditions that require a level of performance before the charity is entitled to the funds, the income is deferred and not recognised until either those conditions are fully met, or the fulfilment of those conditions is wholly within the control of the charity and it is probable that those conditions will be fulfilled in the reporting period.

In accordance with the Charities SORP FRS 102 volunteer time is not recognised.

Legacies are included in the statement of financial activities when the charity is entitled to the legacy, the executors have established that there are sufficient surplus assets in the estate to pay the legacy, and any conditions attached to the legacy are within the control of the charity.

Income from retreat and conference centre fees and from events and workshops is usually recognised in the period to which it relates or the period in which the event or workshop took place.

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the bank.

Expenditure recognition

Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.

Expenditure comprises the costs of the charity’s primary charitable purposes as described in the trustees’ report. Such costs include:

The Focolare Trust 41

Principal accounting policies 31 March 2023

Expenditure recognition (continued)

•  Donations and grants payable - these are included in the statement of financial activities when approved and when the intended recipient has either received the funds or been informed of the decision to receive the grant and has satisfied all related conditions.

•  Provision of retreats, conferences and publications, including expenditure on the Focolare Centre for Unity in Welwyn Garden City.

•  Interfaith, youth projects and events, including expenditure on the Gen Verde project and other interfaith and youth projects and events.

•  Expenditure on the support of the members of the Movement which enables the members to carry out the charitable work of the Trust in the areas of the advancement of Christianity, the advancement of education and the relief of poverty, including all support and governance costs associated with the administration of the charity.

All expenditure is stated inclusive of irrecoverable VAT.

Tangible fixed assets

All assets costing more than £1,500 and with an expected useful life exceeding one year are capitalised.

Tangible fixed assets are depreciated at the following annual rates in order to write them off over their estimated useful lives:

•  Furniture and equipment – 10% to 20% per annum based on cost

•  Computer equipment – 25% per annum based on cost

•  Motor vehicles – 25% per annum based on cost

•  Freehold land and buildings

These are included on the balance sheet at cost.

• Residential

No depreciation is provided on freehold buildings used as private residential accommodation. The value and condition of the buildings are reviewed annually by the trustees, who are satisfied that their residual value is not materially less than their book value.

• Conference centre

• Freehold land and buildings used for the provision of the conference centre are depreciated at a rate of 2% per annum on a straight-line basis in order to write the properties off over their estimated useful life.

The Focolare Trust 42

Principal accounting policies 31 March 2023

Investments

Investment in the subsidiary company is included in the balance sheet at cost.

Listed investments are included in the financial statements at their market value at the balance sheet date. Realised and unrealised gains (or losses) are credited (or debited) to the statement of financial activities in the year in which they arise.

Debtors

Debtors are recognised at their settlement amount, less any provision for non-recoverability. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid. They have been discounted to the present value of the future cash receipt where such discounting is material.

Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and in hand represents such accounts and instruments that are available on demand or have a maturity of less than three months from the date of acquisition. Deposits for more than three months but less than one year have been disclosed as short term deposits.

Creditors and provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised when there is an obligation at the balance sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefit will be required in settlement, and the amount of the settlement can be estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are recognised at the amount the charity anticipates it will pay to settle the debt.

Fund accounting

Restricted funds comprise moneys raised for and their use restricted to a specific purpose or contributions subject to donor imposed conditions.

The charity’s unrestricted funds comprise a number of funds which are available for application towards the charity’s objectives. Within unrestricted funds, the trustees have designated certain amounts for specific purposes and have identified those non-liquid funds represented by tangible fixed assets. Details of these funds are given in notes 15 and 16 to the financial statements.

Financial instruments

The charity only holds basic financial instruments as defined in FRS 102. The financial assets and financial liabilities of the charity and their measurement basis are as follows:

Financial assets – other debtors are basic financial instruments and are debt instruments measured at amortised cost. Listed investments are a basic financial instrument as detailed above. Prepayments are not financial instruments.

Cash at bank – classified as a basic financial instrument and is measured at face value.

The Focolare Trust 43

Principal accounting policies 31 March 2023

Financial instruments (continued)

Financial liabilities – accruals and other creditors are financial instruments, and are measured at amortised cost.

Leased assets

Rentals applicable to operating leases where substantially all of the benefits and risks of ownership remain with the lessor are charged to the statement of financial activities on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease.

Services provided by members of the Movement

For the purposes of these financial statements, no value has been placed on administrative and other services provided by the members of the Movement.

The Focolare Trust 44

Notes to the financial statements 31 March 2023

1 Donations and legacies

Donations and legacies
	Unrestricted funds £	Restricted funds £	Total funds 2023 £
Salaries and pensions of individual religious received under deed of covenant General donations Legacies 2023 Total funds	546,093 68,343 39,450	— 47,879 —	546,093 116,222 39,450
	653,886	47,879	701,765

Salaries and pensions include amounts totalling £75,371 (2022 - £43,505) from trustees.

	Unrestricted funds £	Restricted funds £	Total funds 2022 £
Salaries and pensions of individual religious received under deed of covenant General donations Legacies 2022 Total funds	501,551 62,956 20,227	— 59,357 —	501,551 122,313 20,227
	584,734	59,357	644,091

2 Miscellaneous income

Miscellaneous income
	Unrestricted funds £	Restricted funds £	Total funds 2023 £
Sundry income 2023 Total funds	6,100	—	6,100
	6,100	—	6,100

	Unrestricted funds £	Restricted funds £	Total funds 2022 £
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme grant Sundry income 2022 Total funds	6,216 3,553	— —	6,216 3,553
	9,769	—	9,769

The Focolare Trust 45

Notes to the financial statements 31 March 2023

3 Donations and grants payable

The charity makes grants to both individuals and institutions in accordance with its grant making policy set out in the trustees’ report.

Several donations have been sent via the Movement’s centre in Rome for the work of the Movement in various countries including some specific projects for those in need, especially in Ukraine, Pakistan and Syria, as well as grants to support those in need as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The donations and grants payable during the year were for the following purposes:

	Unrestricted funds £	Restricted funds £	Total funds 2023 £
Contributions to the Global Mission Grants to international projects Covid-19 emergency grants Contribution to former members Other grants 2023 Total funds	492,991 94 — 8,736 29,767	— 24,833 2,700 — 4,190	492,991 24,927 2,700 8,736 33,957
	531,588	31,723	563,311

Included above are grants paid to 7 individuals totalling £22,317 (2022 – 9 individuals totalling £21,768).

	Unrestricted funds £	Restricted funds £	Total funds 2022 £
Contributions to the Global Mission Grants to international projects Covid- 19 emergency grants Other grants 2022 Total funds	304,015 20,080 — 21,491	— 23,568 5,570 4,788	304,015 43,648 5,570 26,279
	345,586	33,926	379,512

4 Provision of retreats, conferences and publications

	Unrestricted funds £	Restricted funds £	Total funds 2023 £
Retreat and conference centre costs . Premises . Centre for Unity running costs . Staff costs (note 8) . Office sundries Other costs and publications 2023 Total funds	60,659 54,260 27,683 774 157	— 14,473 — — 835	60,659 68,733 27,683 774 992
	143,533	15,308	158,841

The Focolare Trust 46

Notes to the financial statements 31 March 2023

4 Provision of retreats, conferences and publications (continued)

			Total
	Unrestricted	Restricted	funds
	funds	funds	2022
	£	£	£
Retreat and conference centre costs
. Premises	38,393	24,354	62,747
. Centre for Unity running costs	22,396	—	22,396
. Staff costs (note 8)	25,435	—	25,435
. Office sundries	676	—	676
Other costs and publications	2,053	—	2,053
2022 Total funds	88,953	24,354	113,307

5 Interfaith, youth projects and events

Interfaith, youth projects and events
	Unrestricted funds £		Restricted funds £	Total funds 2023 £
Youth projects 2023 Total funds		4,769	50	4,819
		4,769	50	4,819
Birmingham project 2022 Total funds		Unrestricted funds £	Restricted funds £	Total funds 2022 £
		16	663	679
		16	663	679

6 Support of members of the Movement

Support of members of the Movement
	Unrestricted funds £	Restricted funds £	Total funds 2023 £
Direct costs . Premises . Members’ living expenses . Education, training and spiritual renewal Support and governance costs . Legal and professional fees 2023 Total funds	123,776 174,774 20,021 21,854	— — — —	123,776 174,774 20,021 21,854
	340,425	—	340,425

The Focolare Trust 47

Notes to the financial statements 31 March 2023

6 Support of members of the Movement (continued)

Support of members of the Movement(continued)
	Unrestricted funds £	Restricted funds £	Total funds 2022 £
Direct costs . Premises . Members’ living expenses . Education, training and spiritual renewal Support and governance costs . Legal and professional fees 2022 Total funds	91,636 160,080 20,125 19,541	— — — —	91,636 160,080 20,125 19,541
	291,382	—	291,382

7 Net movement in funds

This is stated after charging:

	Total 2023 £	Total 2022 £
Auditor’s remuneration (including VAT) . Statutory audit services . Other services Depreciation(note 10)	9,210 9,210 51,166	8,370 8,370 61,815

8 Staff costs and trustees’ remuneration

Staff costs and trustees’ remuneration
	Total 2023 £	Total 2022 £
Wages and salaries Social security costs Pension contributions Total staff cost	25,048 2,143 492	23,748 1,450 237
	27,683	25,435

The charity employed an average of two staff members during the year (2022 – two) on a part-time basis.

The trustees consider that they comprise the key management of the charity in charge of directing and controlling, running and operating the charity on a day to day basis.

All trustees are members of the Movement and whilst their living and personal expenses are borne by the charity they receive no remuneration or reimbursement of expenses in connection with their duties as trustees.

9 Taxation

The Focolare Trust is a registered charity and therefore is not liable to income tax or corporation tax on income derived from its charitable activities, as it falls within the various exemptions available to registered charities.

The Focolare Trust 48

Notes to the financial statements 31 March 2023

10 Tangible fixed assets

Freehold land and buildings	Freehold land and buildings	Furniture and equipment £	Computer equipment £	Motor vehicles £	Total £
Residential £	Conference centre £
2,993,400 576,910	2,052,477 —	268,734 —	10,295 —	88,687 —	5,413,591 576,910
3,570,310	2,052,477	268,734	10,295	88,687	5,990,501
— —	749,344 41,049	245,798 6,083	10,295 —	78,536 4,034	1,083,973 51,166
—	790,393	251,881	10,295	82,570	1,135,139
3,570,310	1,262,084	16,853	—	6,117	4,855,364
2,993,400	1,303,133	22,936	—	10,151	4,329,620

11 Investments

nvestments
	2023 £	2022 £
Listed investments	—	6,313
	—	6,313
Listed investments	2023 £	2022 £
Market value Disposals Unrealised investment (losses) gains Market value	6,313 (6,313) —	5,834 — 479
	—	6,313
Cost of listed investments	—	3,886

The listed investments were donated to a former member during the year.

The Focolare Trust 49

Notes to the financial statements 31 March 2023

12 Debtors

Debtors
	2023 £	2022 £
Accrued income and prepayments Other debtors	12,947 8,619	75,573 10,131
	21,566	85,704

13 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
	2023 £	2022 £
Loans payable Accruals and other creditors	8,200 19,230	11,600 16,740
	27,430	28,340

All loans are interest free and repayable on demand. Loans payable relate to amounts borrowed before 2000 to purchase the Focolare Centre for Unity.

14 Restricted funds

The income funds of the charity include the following restricted funds to be applied for specific purposes:

	At 1 April 2022 £	Income £	Expenditure £	At 1 April 2023 £
Interfaith, Youth Projects, Events Centre for Unity Overseas Project Covid Emergency and Hardship Other	— — — 613 —	50 14,473 24,833 3,498 5,025	(50) (14,473) (24,833) (2,700) (5,025)	— — — 1,411 —
	613	47,879	(47,081)	1,411

	At 1 April 2021 £	Income £	Expenditure £	At 1 April 2022 £
Interfaith, Youth Projects, Events Centre for Unity Overseas Project Covid Emergency and Hardship Other	— — — 199 — 199	663 24,354 23,568 5,984 4,788	(663) (24,354) (23,568) (5,570) (4,788)	— — — 613 —
		59,357	(58,943)	613

The Focolare Trust 50

Notes to the financial statements 31 March 2023

14 Restricted funds (continued)

•  Interfaith, Youth Projects, Events

• This fund consists of monies received towards various Focolare projects and events in GB, including interfaith and youth activities and other events such as local ‘Mariapolis’.

•  Centre for Unity

• This fund consists of restricted donations received to support the work of the Centre for Unity.

•  Overseas Projects Fund

• This fund consists of donations received towards specific overseas projects, liaising with the International Centre in Rome, through the charitable arms AMU and AFN onlus, or via local Focolare centres in places of need.

•  Covid Emergency & Hardship Fund

• This fund consists of donations received towards families and individuals close to Focolare communities, who may need financial support, due to the consequences of Covid, or because of particular circumstances. The fund is managed by a specific committee.

15 Tangible fixed assets fund

Tangible fixed assets fund
	Total £
At 1 April 2022 Net movements in year At 31 March 2023(see note 10)	4,329,620 525,744
	4,855,364
	Total £
At 1 April 2021 Net movements in year At 31 March 2022(see note 10)	4,391,433 (61,813)
	4,329,620

The tangible fixed assets fund represents the net book value of the charity’s fixed assets. A decision was made to separate this fund from the general fund and other designated funds of the charity in recognition of the fact that the tangible fixed assets are essential to the day to day work of the charity. The fund value, therefore, cannot be realised with ease or without jeopardising the ongoing work of the charity.

The Focolare Trust 51

Notes to the financial statements 31 March 2023

16 Designated funds

The income funds of the charity include the following designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes:

	At 1 April 2022 £	New designations £	Utilised/ transferred £	At 31 March 2023 £
Focolare UK major maintenance fund . The Focolare Centre for Unity . Other Properties Western Europe property repair fund International property repair fund Property replacement fund The Focolare Centre for Unity fund Retirement fund Volunteers fund Centro Foco fund	79,902 201,557 1,400,000 — 540,000 61,574 333,060 — 529,090	34,000 17,506 15,929 1,383,400 — 52,716 5,778 7,059 300,189	— (201,557) (1,217,523) — (540,000) (34,000) (4,176) (2,117) (450,644)	113,902 17,506 198,406 1,383,400 — 80,290 334,662 4,942 378,635
	3,145,183	1,816,577	(2,450,017)	2,511,743
	At 1 April 2021 £	New designations £	Utilised/ transferred £	At 31 March 2022 £
Focolare UK major maintenance fund . The Focolare Centre for Unity . Other Properties Western Europe property repair fund Property replacement fund The Focolare Centre for Unity fund Retirement fund Centro Foco fund	65,902 216,057 1,400,000 600,000 29,769 338,400 529,445	22,000 — — — 35,805 1,850 282,245	(8,000) (14,500) — (60,000) (4,000) (7,190) (282,600)	79,902 201,557 1,400,000 540,000 61,574 333,060 529,090
	3,179,573	341,900	(376,290)	3,145,183

The Focolare Trust 52

Notes to the financial statements 31 March 2023

16 Designated funds (continued)

•  Focolare UK major maintenance fund This fund consists of monies set aside for the purpose of financing large scale repairs to the charity’s residential freehold properties and the Centre for Unity.

•  Western Europe property repair fund This fund consists of monies set aside for the purpose of financing large scale repairs to the Focolare Movement’s properties across Western Europe.

•  International property repair fund This fund consists of monies set aside for the purpose of financing large scale repairs to the Focolare Movement’s properties across the world (beyond Western Europe).

•  Property replacement fund

• This fund consists of monies set aside for the purpose of replacing residential properties which were sold in 2021/22. The fund was utilised in 2022/23 to purchase a new property in Birmingham.

•  The Focolare Centre for Unity fund

• This represents the general fund balance attributable to the Centre which has been separately designated by the trustees for transparency.

•  Retirement fund

This fund consists of funds that the trustees have designated to provide for members of the Movement in their retirement, calculated using actuarial principles as the members will not be entitled to a full pension.

•  Volunteers Fund

this fund consists of donations from Focolare ‘Volunteers of God’, mainly destined to the ‘Volunteer Centre’ in Rome.

•  Centro Foco fund

This fund consists of monies that the trustees have designated for future donation to the Movement’s centre in Rome, in support of Focolare community houses on a worldwide scale.

17 Analysis of net assets between funds

	General fund £	Tangible fixed assets fund (note 15) £	Other designated funds (note 16) £	Restricted funds (note 14) £	Total 2023 £
Fund balances at 31 March 2023 Are represented by: Tangible fixed assets (note 10) Net current assets Total net assets	— 149,313	4,855,364 —	— 2,511,743	— 1,411	4,855,364 2,662,467
	149,313	4,855,364	2,511,743	1,411	7,517,831

The Focolare Trust 53

Notes to the financial statements 31 March 2023

17 Analysis of net assets between funds (continued)

	General fund £	Tangible fixed assets fund (note 15) £	Other designated funds (note 16) £	Restricted funds (note 14) £	Total 2022 £
Fund balances at 31 March 2022 Are represented by: Tangible fixed assets (note 10) Fixed assets investments (note 11) Net current assets Total net assets	— 6,313 208,577	4,329,620 — —	— — 3,145,183	— — 613	4,329,620 6,313 3,354,373
	214,890	4,329,610	3,145,183	613	7,690,306

The Focolare Trust 54