BRISTOL LESBIAN, GAY & BISEXUAL FORUM
ACCOUNTS Year ended 31st March 2010
Charity Number 1098085
BRISTOL LESBIAN, GAY & BISEXUAL FORUM FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2010
CONTENTS
PAGE
Legal and Administrative Information
2
Trustees annual report
3 to 4
Independent Examiner’s Report
5
Statement of financial activities
6
Balance sheet
7
Notes to the Accounts
8 to 13
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BRISTOL LESBIAN, GAY & BISEXUAL FORUM
Legal and administrative information YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2010 Status Bristol Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual Forum is a registered charity governed by its constitution. Charity number 1098085. TRUSTEES Alan Palmer Logan Blackburn Robin Corser Langford Laura Welti Helen Webster Lucas Abedecian Lesley Welch Alan Wilkins Simon Nelson Emily Morton
Co-Chair Co-Chair Vice Co-Chair Vice Co-Chair Treasurer Treasurer Expert only
Matt Wallis Daniel Smart
Appointed November 2009 Appointed November 2009 Appointed November 2009 Appointed November 2009 Resigned November 2009 Appointed November 2009 Resigned November 2009 Resigned November 2009 Resigned March 2010 Appointed November 2009 Resigned December 2009 Appointed November 2009 Appointed November 2009
Registered Office The Create Centre Smeaton Road Bristol BS1 6XN Independent Examiners Bristol Community Accountancy Project The Park, Daventry Road, Knowle Bristol BS4 1QD Bankers Unity Trust Bank plc 9 Brindley Place 4 Oozells Square Birmingham B1 2HB
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BRISTOL LESBIAN, GAY & BISEXUAL FORUM TRUSTEES REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2010 The Trustees present their report and the unaudited financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2010 Structure, Governance and Management Organisation The Trustees are appointed or reappointed annually at the AGM. Objectives and activities Objects of the Charity The objects of the charity are: To advance the education of the public in all aspects of discrimination suffered by reason of sexual orientation, and in particular to relieve lesbian, gay and bisexual people who are in need in such ways that are charitable in law. Review of activities 2009-10 was a very busy year for the Forum, our Under One Sky project – the Black and Minority Ethnic Lesbian Gay and Bisexual EHRC funded research for Bristol - finished in July and a comprehensive report is now available. On 30th September 2009 we held a large meeting at Council House to further our work campaigning to reduce homophobia in schools. This meeting was well attended by both the public and council representatives and saw a pledge by Gary Hopkins to sign up to Stonewall Education Champions. This has now been done and the Forum is working with the Children and Young People and Skills department at Council to develop their LGBT Strategy in Schools. In October we held a meeting to encourage people to be governors and several people have now joined as openly LGBT governors. We also worked alongside the Council in setting up a support group for people working or supporting the education system in Bristol. For LGBT History Month in February 2010 the Forum held two events in partnership with others. The first was a film showing of Topher Campell’s film “In This Our Lives” at the Watershed held in partnership with Rhapsody, the support group for BME LGBT people in Bristol that was set up following the Under One Sky project. The second event was a talk on Edward Carpenter by Sheila Rowbotham in partnership with Bristol Libraries. An extremely informative evening on the life of this sexual and feminist pioneer, it was so well attended that there was standing room only. Our AGM in October saw the election of a younger Management Committee and change of chairs. A successful Development Day in January at Windmill City Farm led to a number of new ideas and a raft of work for 2010-11 including an event for IDAHO – International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. The Forum will also have a presence at Pride 2010 in Bristol and was enthused to see so much activity and creativity put forward to creating a Pride for Bristol. Despite the downturn in the economy the Forum has managed to still add to it's reserves and is increasingly using full cost recovery. We now have 4 months worth of reserves and are continuing to 3
BRISTOL LESBIAN, GAY & BISEXUAL FORUM TRUSTEES REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2010 strive towards the target of 6 months. Much work has been achieved behind the scenes with work towards a volunteer strategy, PQASSO (recognised standard of excellence for charities) and office procedures, by the time this is published the Forum will also have a formal Reserves Policy. Work has continued towards officially becoming inclusive of Transgender and at the AGM Forum members proposed that the name and constitution is changed to formally acknowledge the inclusion of Transgender members. Many thanks to all the Management Committee who have worked so hard this year and to the staff – particularly Toni Massari who has worked tirelessly on improving the website. Details of all groups and meetings mentioned in this report can be found on our website at www.bristol.lgb.forum.org.uk. Reserves policy and risk management Although at present the trustees have no formal reserves policy, they have an exit strategy should the Bristol LGB Forum have to wind up its operations, due to insolvency, lack of employees, or lack of management committee members. This will largely be a financial process as the charity meets its final obligations, currently standing as liabilities of approximately £8,960, including redundancy costs and other expenses. The Bristol LGB Forum has at present £11,681 to cover this. The trustees have examined the major risks to which the charity is exposed and systems have been established to mitigate those risks. These procedures will be periodically reviewed to ensure that they still meet the needs of the charity. Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the financial statements Law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the charity’s financial activities during the year and of its financial position at the end of the year. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to: * * * *
Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; state whether applicable accounting standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed subject to any 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 business.
The trustees are responsible for keeping accounting records which 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 1993. 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. Approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by: …………………………………………….
Date ………………………………………2010 4
BRISTOL LESBIAN, GAY & BISEXUAL FORUM Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2010 I report on the accounts of the Charity for the Year ended 31st March 2010 which are set out on pages 6-13. Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 43(2) of the Charities Act 1993 (the 1993 Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to: • Examine the accounts under section 43 of the 1993 Act; • to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 43(7)b of the 1993 Act; and • to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. Basis of independent examiner’s report My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. Independent examiner’s statement In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention: 1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements: *
to keep accounting records in accordance with section 41 of the 1993 Act; and
*
to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 1993 Act have not been met; or
2)
to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Joanne Trowbridge MAAT ……………………………………………………. Bristol Community Accountancy Project The Park Daventry Road, Knowle Bristol BS4 1QD Date ..............................................2010 5