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)".
Following the closure of the St Georges Road community centre in 2012 and subsequent transfer of its interest in the site to the Council in June 2013 the WCA has been unable to directly provide physical community facilities. Following a wide-ranging consultation, the trustees launched a new website, Wimblecomm, in September 2016 to support the provision of community space and promote community activities.
This was refocused towards supporting the organisations and providing helpful information and positive stories as a consequence of the Covid 19 lockdown in March 2020. We extended membership to a new category of community groups in 2021.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the WCA should undertake.
The trustees are mindful of keeping the mix heavily in favour of public benefit and are focussed on supporting the provision of facilities to meet those aims through our mission of ‘connecting people, places and passions’. Among the various objectives of community users are health, education, sporting, arts, social and self-help.
Following a few personnel changes the previous year, there was just one change in 2024/25, with the departure of staff member, Natalie Romero in March 2025 (having originally joined as Communications Executive in February 2024). Our thanks to Natalie for her work with us during that time. We were pleased to recruit Sarah Carroll to the role as her replacement in April 2025.
During 2024/25 we undertook a major revamp of the website. The new remodelled design eventually went live in September 2024. After a significant increase in website activity in 2023/24, there has been a reduction in site activity in the last year or so as measured by the new-format Google analytics. Nevertheless, we continue to closely monitor statistics and comparable year-on-year and month-by-month data.
Referrals to venues have also dipped slightly following the surge after lockdown but overall referrals from our site to member venues since we first launched are nevertheless expected to break through the 4,000 threshold later in 2025.
We have continued with blogs, articles and other pieces telling the stories of people past and present and other events that have been an inspiration to our community. We are still posting regular vacancies on our recruitment section advertising paid and voluntary roles on behalf of our members. Our Chair, David Hall, completed a weekly one-page blog for the entire year throughout 2024. Trustees and staff now take turns to post a monthly blog.
In addition to this we took the bold decision early in 2024 to plan and host a hustings for the general election which took place successfully in Wimbledon in June 2024 at Merton Arts Space. We successfully closed our storage facility in February 2025 finding homes for several items.
Our community group section is continuing to prove popular with currently 75 groups registered on the site alongside the 110 venue spaces. Our social media presence continues to expand on, Instagram and Facebook. We also continue to use X (formerly Twitter) for the time being. We also successfully relaunched our monthly newsletter during 2024 and have seen an increasing number of individual subscribers.
We continue to be a voluntary member of the Merton Community Champions programme (started during lockdown) and report on that in our newsletters.
The WCA was previously able to facilitate major work with a number of groups before the closure of the old centre. Groups which it has previously supported include the following: adults with learning difficulties; homeopathic clinics; martial arts; drama; music appreciation, current affairs and art for older people; WAAFA; Scottish dance; alcoholics anonymous; drink awareness courses; cultural groups; athletics, football and Korfball clubs; flower club; women's groups; choir practice; English language courses for overseas students; blood donor sessions; local electoral services; fetes; residents associations; Urdu language and poetry; wedding and other receptions; first aid courses; animal welfare; ramblers; Bridge; Pythagoreans; flag days; and Zumba exercise gatherings.
The WCA is seeking to ensure that it continues to support the provision of facilities for as many of these groups (and others) as possible via Wimblecomm and believe that the website is a constructive way with which to promote the community facilities in the area and maintain its previous legacy. However, we also continue to challenge ourselves to be increasingly involved within the community to be more than an online presence.
Since the closure of the St Georges Road centre in 2012 and the disposal of its interest to Merton Council in 2013, the WCA has supported itself through an investment of a large proportion of its funds (£600,000) in the CCLA. The fund value reduced by about £45,300 from about £973,200 in March 2024 to £927,900 in March 2025.
Dividends from the fund along with interest and donations were around £27,200 in 2024/25. Total costs were around £33,200.
Alongside the dividend income the charity continues to be supported by a substantial number of volunteer hours from the trustees and other occasional volunteers. We continue to explore other ways in which we can generate income from donations, grant funding and other sources.
Plans for the future
Jackie Chapman and David Hall have now been serving the WCA for 13 years and we continue to review succession plans alongside the charity’s longer-term options and welcome any new trustees or volunteers to support our work.
We continue to support the annual Merton Heritage Discovery Day and had a stand at the event in August 2025. As part of the event, we presented a session on the history and current activity of the charity which proved to be quite popular.
Following another successful AGM at the Merton Arts Space (alongside a fun quiz evening) in 2024 we are planning to hold this year’s AGM at Morden Hall Park along with a tour / talk about the facilities there. The AGM will also be an opportunity to discuss with members how the WCA and Wimblecomm might develop in future.
The Wimbledon Community Association (WCA) is a company limited by guarantee as well as a registered charity.
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 appointed by the existing trustees. None of the trustees has any beneficial interest in the company. All of the trustees are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £25 in the event of a winding up.
As reported above, our part-time member of staff, Natalie Romero left us in March 2025 but was replaced with Sarah Carroll on a contract basis in April 2025.
The WCA disposed of its interest in the St Georges Road site to the Council in June 2013. Since then, the trustees have put systems in place to ensure its assets are protected and to mitigate its exposure to subsequent risks.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Wimbledon Community Association (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 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.
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 the 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.
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.
Wimbledon Community Association is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is St Christopher House, Tabor Grove, Wimbledon, London, SW19 4EX.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance 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 charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities applying FRS 102 Update Bulletin 1 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 accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention, modified 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 as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the accounts.
Endowment funds are subject to specific conditions by donors that the capital must be maintained by the charity.
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 make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
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.
Fixed asset investments are initially measured at transaction price excluding transaction costs, and are subsequently measured at fair value at each reporting date. Changes in fair value are recognised in net income/(expenditure) for the year. Transaction costs are expensed as incurred.
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 the cash or other consideration expected to be received and not discounted. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Basic financial liabilities 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. They are subsequently carried at the cash or other consideration expected to be paid and not discounted.
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 at the cash or other consideration expected to be paid and not discounted.
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 independent examiner cost included in governance costs is £750+VAT for the preparation and independent examination of the accounts (2024: £730+VAT),
None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration during the year, none of them were reimbursed expenses.
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The Charity employed one part time member of staff equivalent to 0.6 of a full time employee.
The historic cost of the investments is £600,000.
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
WCA was entitled to 1/3 of the proceeds on disposal of the community centre building situated at 28 St George Road, Wimbledon. Negotiations with the London Borough of Merton were concluded in June 2013 following an independent valuation, and a payment of £816,667 less cost deductions was paid to WCA for its interest in the property.
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.
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2024 - none).