The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 July 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 governing document, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" 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)".
The ACLT is dedicated to raising the awareness of the shortage of Black, Asian, Mixed Race and Minority Ethnic (BAME) donors on the UK Stem Cell (Bone Marrow), Blood and Organ registers, recruits potential donors to come forward at ACLT registration drives via cheek swabs or blood donation and is involved in the process of offering hope and a healthy future to someone whose disorder/condition may otherwise prove fatal. The likelihood of finding a matching donor is considerably greater if the patient and the donor are from the same ethnic background. To relieve, counsel and support persons, in particular those from Minority Ethnic communities suffering with bone marrow/stem cell disorders such as leukaemia, blood disorders such as sickle cell disorder and those in need of an organ transplant.
Our mission is to tackle the health inequalities in the BAME community by increasing the number of lifesaving donors from this group. The ACLT is committed to providing the most convenient, culturally sensitive and most friendly healthcare and wellbeing service to the BAME community in the UK. The ACLT aims to give BAME individuals diagnosed with bone marrow/blood cancers the ability to hope. The charity’s ultimate aim is to accelerate the saving of more lives within the BAME community.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the Charity should undertake.
The ACLT adopts a consultative approach to its work and has evolved to create a service in direct response to what people in the BAME community have told us they need. This has resulted in the following:
Increasing the number of BAME individuals on the donor registers.
Provision of support, comfort and hope to children, adults and families in need of lifesaving donors.
Creating a better understanding of donation among BAME’s.
Improving community cohesion by bringing together people from different ethnic backgrounds and cultures under a common aspiration to save lives.
Driving the issue of the lack of donors within the BAME community up the political and social agenda.
On a cumulative basis raising the number of Black and Ethnic Minority people on the UK Stem Cell (Bone Marrow) register from 550 to over 200,000.
Helping save over 200 lives by finding matching Stem Cell (Bone Marrow) donors.
Register 1,000’s of new blood and organ donors.
Orin Lewis is a founder member of the UK Stem Cell Strategic Forum and UK Stem Cell Strategy Oversight Committee.
Orin Lewis is the Chair of the National BAME Transplant Alliance (NBTA), the coordinating group for Black, Asian, Mixed Race and Minority Ethnic Transplant donations. The NBTA is the Secretariat of the All Party Parliamentary Group: Ethnicity Transplantation and Transfusion.
We achieve our aims through a variety of activities:
Our team continues to grow, there are currently 8 incredible staff, 7 awesome Trustees, 6 amazing Haematology and Transplantation clinicians, 150+Ambassadors without whom, we could not achieve our goals.
On reflection our workload has changed the way that we engage with the public, which is largely due to the array of projects, campaigns, digital content, and patient appeals being created by our team.
We have worked with various Haematologists and Kidney Transplant Consultants, etc. on various projects and tasks relating to Blood Cancer, Blood Disorders (Sickle Cell) and deceased/living organ donation.
This has helped to expand our reach and develop our roles in the clinical world of haematology, transplantation as well as working alongside patients, donors and our stakeholder partners.
Registration drives, Education and training sessions to challenge and address social taboos, myths and fears around bone marrow, blood and organ donation in places of worship, schools, colleges, community centres and gatherings.
Working with partner organisations to improve relations and trust within the BAME community.
Undertaking 87 events where ACLT attended and hosted registration drives to raise awareness and funds. These events contributed to the ACLT registering:
2,400 people joining the stem cell (bone marrow) register.
1,400 people registered as new blood donors
260 pledged to remain as deceased organ donors.
4 stem cell (bone marrow) donors found in 2024.
ACLT Advocacy and awareness work reached 18 national media platforms.
ACLT was able to give direct emotional and cultural support to 68 families.
In the year to 31 July 2024 total income for the year amounted to £349,863 (2023: £460,137). The charity ended the year with a deficit of £35,497 (2023: surplus £106,059) before charging depreciation of £12,305 (2023: £11,999). Expenses are detailed in the Statement of Financial Activities on page 7 and analysed in notes 4, 5, 6 and 7. The total funds at 31 July 2024 were £499,376 (2023: £547,178).
The Trustees are endeavouring to build up its financial donor base with a view to having reserves of up to four months operating expenditure.
The Charity is a company limited by guarantee.
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:
When a need arises the power of appointing new Trustees vests with the Trustees at that time.
The trustees to retire by rotation shall be those who have been longest in office since their last appointment or reappointment, but as between persons who became or were last reappointed trustees on the same day those to retire shall (unless they otherwise agree among themselves) be determined by lot.
No person other than a trustee retiring by rotation shall be appointed or reappointed a trustee at any general meeting unless:
(i) He/she is recommended by the trustees; or
(ii) Not less than fourteen nor more than thirty-five clear days before the date appointed for the meeting, notice executed by a member qualified to vote at the meeting propose that person for appointment or reappointment stating the particulars which would, if he/she were so appointed or reappointed, be required to be included in the Charity’s register of trustees together with a notice executed by that person of his/her willingness to be appointed or reappointed.
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.
Organisational structure
The trustees work together and the decisions are made by all trustees at trustee meetings. Individual trustees take responsibilities for different areas of work, when this is deemed appropriate.
Governing document
The African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT) is a registered charity, number 1119516. It is also a Company with no share capital, limited by guarantee. The governing document is the Memorandum and Articles of Association incorporated 7.11.2003.
Risk management
The Trustees of the ACLT constantly monitor and review the major practical and financial risks to the Trust. The balance sheet highlights the overall financial state of the Trust.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
The trustees, who are also the directors of African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust for the purpose of company law, 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).
Company law 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 incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year.
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 the Charities SORP;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable UK 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 adequate 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 Companies Act 2006. 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.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (the Charity) for the year ended 31 July 2024.
Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the Charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 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. In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act 2011.
Since the Charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000, the independent examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. 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 Companies Act 2006.
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 Companies Act 2006 other than any requirement that the financial statements 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 financial statements 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.
Stephen Hale FCA FCCA
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is 2a Garnet Road, Thornton Heath, Croydon, Surrey, CR7 8RD.
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" 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)". 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 £1.
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.
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 capitalised if over £500 and are 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.
Travel and motor expenses
Hire purchase interest due
Office & general expenses
Staff costs
Rent
IT costs
Printing and stationery
Consulting
Independent examination
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 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.