The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025.
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 Cameron Charitable Trust was set up to directly provide accommodation and to provide assistance in satisfying the housing needs of people with learning disabilities and physical disabilities who, as a consequence, require support to make their own way in their local community. The properties owned by the charity are being used to provide a residence for a small number of individuals. There is also a focus on the charity to provide information and advice for people with disabilities to understand the different options of housing with support.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
The charity purchased a small number of properties in January 2010 and since then, in the current period and previous years, has been renting out these properties as a part of fulfilling its charitable objectives. In addition, the charity has supported a number of other cases in which it has enabled individuals with learning disabilities to satisfy their housing needs via alternative private leasing options and supporting its subsidiary charity, Lets for Life.
A renovation project began for these properties and is in its final stages due to be fully completed by the end of 2025.
During the prior and current period, Mr Cameron, the main benefactor to the charity, has provided a guarantee in respect of the bank finance used to purchase the freehold property on the balance sheet in addition to making donations.
Further bank finance of £500,000 was obtained by the charity in 2022 to enable it’s subsidiary undertaking Lets for Life to work on the complex projects under the NHSE Transforming Care programme, which is centred around the goal of “homes not hospitals”. This has now been fully repaid as the active projects are nearing completion.
Net income for the year amounted to £449,897 (2024: 280,914 Net income) and the charity ended the year with net assets of £1,017,333 (2024: £567,436), all of which relates to unrestricted funds.
At present the charity does not have a formal reserves policy. It is in receipt of funding from Mr Cameron which covers required expenditure. Unrestricted reserves at 31 March 2025 amounted to £1,017,333 however this is not freely available as reserves are tied up in fixed assets.
The charity intends to supplement its revenues and generate additional funds net of expenses in order to increase its capital base. During the financial year the final £150,000 of the above additional borrowing was repaid. In future periods the charity intends to continue to facilitate its subsidiary undertaking, Lets for Life, in supporting housing solutions for a greater number of individuals with learning disabilities and complex support needs.
The Cameron Charitable Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales (No 1126377) and a company limited by guarantee (No 6653397). Its governing document is a memorandum and articles of association.
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:
Trustees are recruited by reference to an Appraisal Review and Framework of Competency to ensure the composition of the Board is such that it can perform effectively.
None of the trustees has any beneficial interest in the company. All of the trustees are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £10 in the event of a winding up.
The charity's direct property holdings are overseen by its team of staff. The team's role includes working with its subsidiary undertaking, Lets for Life, in order to find appropriate tenants, assist with home moves and liaise with the local authority to assist tenants with their housing entitlements. The team is overseen by the Trustees, who possess a combination of complementary skills. The charity's team of staff has been working to continue to manage its existing responsibilities and with a view to supporting further tenants in identifying and meeting their housing needs.
This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies entitled to the small companies exemption.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of The Cameron Charitable Trust (the charity) for the year ended 31 March 2025.
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.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
The statement of financial activities also complies with the requirements for an income and expenditure account
under the Companies Act 2006.
The Cameron Charitable Trust is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Hensmill House, 9-13 Manchester Road, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 1BQ.
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, modified to include the revaluation of freehold properties and to include investment properties and certain financial instruments at fair value. 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.
Property rental income under operating lease agreements is recognised on a straight line basis over the term of the lease.
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 includes all VAT which cannot be recovered.
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.
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.
Investment property, which is property held to earn rentals and/or for capital appreciation, is initially recognised at cost, which includes the purchase cost and any directly attributable expenditure. Subsequently it is measured at fair value at the reporting end date. The surplus or deficit on revaluation is recognised in profit or loss.
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.
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or section 252 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects..
Investment property comprises land and buildings. In the opinion of the trustees, the fair value of the charity's investment property is equivalent to cost, as guided by a professional valuation.
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 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.
During the current and previous periods, Mr D R Cameron, a trustee of the charitable company, provided a personal guarantee to HSBC Private Bank for the £315,000 bank loans (2024: £465,000).
Mr D R Cameron provided the charitable company with an unrestricted donation of £704,000 (2024: £704,000) and rent-free use of office space.
At the year end, the charitable company owed Mr D R Cameron £1,475 (2024: £1,475) being a loan repayable on demand.
The charitable company was owed £347,641 (2024: £75,295) by Lets for Life, its subsidiary undertaking, at the balance sheet date.
The charity is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. Every member of the charity undertakes to contribute to the assets of the charity in the event of the same being wound up during the time he/she is a member or within one year afterwards for payments of the debts and liabilities of the charity contracted before the time he/she ceases to be a member, and of the costs, charges and expenses of winding up the same and for the adjustment of the right and contributories amongst themselves, such amount as may be required not exceeding £10 or equivalent.