The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the period ended 31 March 2024.
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 Memorandum and Articles of Association, 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 objects of the charitable company are to advance the Christian religion either in the UK or overseas, in particular but not exclusively, by:
- the advancement of education;
- the promotion of good race relations and equality of opportunity between persons of different racial groups; and
- the relief of poverty particularly amongst children in inner-city areas.
The directors seek to achieve these aims by:
- training and equipping Christian groups in the UK to work with inner-city children. This is achieved primarily by the retail of relevant training materials.
- raising awareness of, and collecting funds for projects which relieve poverty amongst children overseas.
The charity's trustees have referred to the guidance in the Charity Commission's general guidance on Public Benefit when reviewing the charity's aims and objectives and in planning its future activities. In particular, they have considered how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives they have set.
Grant making
The trustees will consider any requests for grants or donations which they receive. However, due to the nature of the charitable company's operation, it is unlikely to make any grants available (other than passing on donations received for specific purposes).
2023 was a year of changes, restructuring and stabilization.
Moving out of Covid, this was the first year with full operations, unhindered by lockdowns, tiered levels and other restrictions. However, we could see how the financial pressure was affecting some of the sponsors and donors who in turn limited or paused their regular support for the projects supported by Metro World Child UK. A significant effort was made to recruit new supporters and strengthen relationships with our current, faithful supporters. Phone and email campaigns as well as personal notes helped to ease the effect.
In January, Metro World Child saw an unexpected turn of events as our office staff, Ms Nicky Cameron, handed in her notice with her last day in office indicated as February 17, 2023. The month of February was filled with necessary activities to find a replacement for Ms Cameron and at the same time to prepare a thorough handover that would protect and move forward the operations of Metro World Child UK.
Despite advertising the open position on various platforms, we only received a few applications and none that seemed qualified to fill the position. However, one of our volunteers presented Metro with a wonderful opportunity: They offered office space at financially extremely beneficial conditions. The caveat was that this office space was a distance from the London area in Nottingham. After thorough analysis of the potential costs and benefits to the organisation, whether financially or in donor relations and care, it was decided by the board of directors to move the office to said office space in Nottingham. A contributing factor to this decision was that we were made aware of a job application in the area. This applicant was keen on joining Metro World Child, serving alongside our international team. After multiple interviews, she was taken on board and now Ms Donna Cibor has already proven a valuable staff member, contributing richly to the operations and missions of Metro World Child.
The office move was prepared in detail and with much care as to protecting the office assets and assuring compliance with regulations. After handing in notice to the office space at the Charis Centre as well as our storage unit, the move took place under the close supervision of the board and a representative of the International Operations of Metro World Child, Ms Carola Graeter. It was confirmed that confidentiality of the records and data was kept at all times according to the provisions of GDPR.
In October of 2023, the director of our partner organisation in Nakuru, Kenya has come for a visit to raise awareness and promote the work of Metro World Child in various churches and for groups of individual donors. With the help of the Metro supporters and sponsors in the UK, Metro projects in the Philippines, Kenya, US and India have been able to grow and expand.
The UK network for Metro World Child was in full swing in 2023 and MWC has seen a great blessing through the unique and timely consultancy of Mr Matthew Murray. We hope to be able to continue this beneficial partnership for the children who are reached through Metro World Child.
We have concluded the year of 2023 with a sense of accomplishment, looking back with on many changes and grateful for new beginnings and growth.
Financial position
The charity had total net incoming resources of £20,825 (2022: £123,568) during the financial period ended 31 March 2024, as shown in the statement of financial activities on page 5 of the accounts.
Reserves policy
The trustees have established a policy for unrestricted reserves, whereby, in order to enable the charity to operate effectively, they aim to have three to six months expenditure in general funds.
The unrestricted reserves are now £286,320 (2022: £259,831) and restricted funds are £23,281 (2022: £28,945).
The charitable company has made charitable donations totalling £403,093 in the financial period (2022: £367,768) to Metro World Child based in New York, the majority of which related to forwarding on specific donations from donors.
In the next year we will start looking into other ways of fundraising besides our sponsorship program. Our main focus however remains increasing the number of sponsorships.
With a solid marketing strategy plan we expect to raise more awareness and achieve our goals. Outside sources will be approached to help us. Networking (social media) with businesses and attending exhibitions will be part of this marketing strategy plan as well.
The charity is controlled by its governing document, a Memorandum and Articles of Association, and constitutes a charitable company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006.
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the period and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
None of the trustees has any beneficial interest in the company. All of the trustees are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £1 in the event of a winding up.
Vacancies occurring for trustees shall be filled by individuals appointed by the directors and ratified by vote of a majority of Directors then in office, regardless of their number. Trustees appointed shall hold office until their successors have been elected and qualified.
The areas of risk have been identified and the appropriate policy, in each case will be established during the course of next year and will be reviewed and monitored on a regular basis.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Metro World Child UK (the charity) for the period ended 31 March 2024.
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 Institute of Chartered Accountants for England & Wales, 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 period. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Metro World Child UK is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Ground Floor, 1 - 7 Station Road, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 1HT.
he charitable company have taken the decision to extend their reporting period to a 15 months period to 31 March 2024. Therefore, the comparative amounts presented in the financial statements (including the related notes) are not entirely comparable.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's Memorandum and Articles of Association, 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 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.
Designated funds are those designated as such by the trustees.
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.
Donations, gift aid on donations and other forms of income are recognised as incoming resources when receivable.
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.
Grants offered subject to conditions which have not been met at the year end date are noted as a commitment but not accrued as expenditure.
Expenditure on charitable activities includes grants payable made to third parties and other activities undertaken to further the purposes of the charity and their associated support costs.
The Trustees have identified one charitable activity.
Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the charity but do not directly undertake charitable activities. Support costs include back office costs, finance, and governance costs which support the charity's activities. These costs have been allocated to expenditure on charitable activities.
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.
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 charitable company only has financial assets and liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value.
Other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid.
Creditors are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably results in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any discounts due.
As a registered charity the company benefits from rates relief and is generally exempt from income tax and corporation tax. The charity is not registered for value added tax.
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.
Assets and liabilities in foreign currencies are translated into sterling at the rates of exchange ruling at the balance sheet date. Transactions in foreign currencies are translated into sterling at the rate of exchange ruling at the date of transaction. Exchange differences are taken into account in arriving at the operating result.
Hire purchase and leasing commitments
Rentals paid under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight line basis over the period of the lease.
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.
The average monthly number of employees during the period was:
The remuneration of key management personnel was as follows:
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.
Appeal fund - Pastor Bill - are funds generated during speaking engagements of the senior pastor and founder of Metro Ministries, Reverend William F Wilson. The specific appeals are announced during his visit.
The other restricted funds represent funds donated where the donor has specified that proceeds be transferred to a particular cause.
These are unrestricted funds which are material to the charity's activities.
Sponsorship funds represent funds raised during the year on various appeals other than specifically restricted appeals. It also includes all funds directly related to sponsorship programmes such as funds for children in the Phillipines and South Africa, the Book Bag Project, Summer Camp and the Won by One fund.
The unrestricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants which are not subject to specific conditions by donors and grantors as to how they may be used. These include designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the period (31/12/2022 - none).