The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 30 November 2023.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006 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 UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)" (effective 1 January 2019).
The Greenhouse Project’s Board of Trustees and its Officers put the beneficiaries of the charity at the heart of their plans and all of their decision making. They ensure that we provide activities and events that support children and young people’s creative development and promote a greater understanding of diversity and interaction within and between communities. We work hard to expand and maintain existing partnerships and networks and increase our ability to create and deliver both local and Merseyside wide programmes of arts and play based activities that provide alternative approaches to learning and improve children and young people’s health and well-being. We provide opportunities for individual’s development and training and for gaining formally accredited qualifications. Trustees and officers work to identify funding and income generating opportunities and ensure that appropriate resources and facilities and the infrastructure for programme delivery is in place. Our Trustees promote the work of the organisation and the benefits that involvement in arts and play based learning brings.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
VISION - More prosperous, creative, cohesive and sustainable communities.
MISSION -To build a culture of participation through which children and young people’s creativity are developed and their energy and ideas recognised and harnessed in regenerating their community.
We have been funded throughout the year by grants and donations and fees charged to parents for after school pickups and childcare.
We continue to be the driving force in the development of the 5acre Tiber site where we are based and Brian Dawe remains The Greenhouse Project’s representative on Tiber’s Board of Trustees.
Our staff and volunteers have used their expertise and their mental health training to support children and young people in building their resilience and addressing the challenges that they have been facing as part of the long-term consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic. Our staff and volunteers have pulled in all of the resources available and with the help of other organisations; Good Gym, The Reader, Windows, Cycle of Life, The Everyman and Playhouse Theatres, Tate Liverpool, Mandela8, Culture City, The Alcantara Family Foundation and LFC Foundation, have provided a wide range of physical fitness, mindfulness and creative learning experiences and resources for our Early Years Children – ages 2-5, our Out of School and Playscheme Children – aged 5-12 and our Young Event Producers aged 13-18. A special event planned by Julia Alcantara with the help of LFC Foundation raised the funds for a brand-new outdoor play area for our Early Years Education Centre and our Out of School Club. Construction Company KrolCorlett, Warehouse brands, Huyton Asphalt and ESP play added a bike track, artificial grass and wall greenery and a pogoda creating a wonderful environment for exploring, learning and fun.
During 22-23 our Young Event Producers stepped up their game, working with Tate Liverpool, Turner prize winning Artist Mark Leckey and composer and sound producer Silvo, to create an audio-visual piece of work called ‘Future Forecast’, a 24 minute film presenting an imagined vision of the future, where extreme weather conditions have changed the landscape of Liverpool. The work was first show at ‘Late at Tate’ in September ’23. The group also planned and delivered community events with a Christmas Winter Wonderland Grotto and a ‘Love on the Lane’ summer festival for children and families taking place on Tiber Square.
As local families continued to struggle financially the provision of meals and supplying the ingredients for them was a priority for us. Throughout the year we once again fed over 300 individual children in our Early Years Education and Out of School provisions; delivering 4 cook and eat sessions each day during the school holidays and providing healthy snacks in each of our 3 daily school term time sessions. The delivery of free food hampers from LFC Foundation provided additional help for families who would have otherwise struggled during the Summer and Christmas school holidays.
Our Greenhouse Project/Fans Supporting Food Banks’ food pantry continued to be supported through generous donations of funding and by our wonderful Volunteers who each week set the pantry up, served customers and cleared away. The Food Pantry provided shopping for a charge of just £3.00 for 10 items for 80 -100 local families on a weekly basis. The Food Pantry also hosted the ‘Young Readers Club’ and a variety of other community health information and advice services.
2023 saw our staff and volunteers working towards and achieving Information Technology Skills, National Vocational Qualifications, Special Education Needs Awards and Enterprise and Management qualifications.
It is the policy of the charity that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level equivalent to between three and six month’s expenditure. The trustees consider that reserves at this level will ensure that, in the event of a significant drop in funding, they will be able to continue the charity’s current activities while consideration is given to ways in which additional funds may be raised. This level of reserves has been maintained throughout the year.
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
The Trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of The Greenhouse Multi-Cultural Play and Arts Project (the charity) for the year ended 30 November 2023.
As the trustees of the charity (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (the 2006 Act).
Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act). In carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
Since the charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of ICAEW, which is one of the listed bodies.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or
the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
the financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
The Greenhouse Multi-Cultural Play and Arts Project is a registered charity in England and Wales and is incorporated by guarantee. The address of the principle office is Tiber Street Site, Lodge Lane, Liverpool, L8 0TP.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the Charities SORP "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)" (effective 1 January 2019). The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors or grantors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit 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 is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the statement of financial activities.
At each reporting end date, the charity reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the charity's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
Grants receivable Liverpool City Council
Grants receivable Sundry
Grants receivable Food Pantry
Grants receivable Childcare Services
Other activities for generating funds - Tiber costs reimbursed
Other activities for generating funds - Fees Childcare Services
Other activities for generating funds - Sundry income
Charitable expenditure - Purchases
Charitable expenditure - Rent
Charitable expenditure - Premises costs
Charitable expenditure - Repairs
Charitable expenditure - Insurance
Charitable expenditure - Sundries
Charitable expenditure - Travel expenses
Charitable expenditure - Telephone
Charitable expenditure - Office costs
Charitable expenditure - Computer costs
Charitable expenditure - Volunteer costs
Charitable expenditure - Staff training
Charitable expenditure - Subscriptions
Charitable expenditure - Cleaning
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity in an independently administered fund.
The restricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used.
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2022 - none).