The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2026.
The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the accounts and comply with the company's governing document, 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 2015)”
The main purpose of the Women's Institute organisation are:
a) to advance the education of women and girls for the public benefit in all areas including, without limitation, local, national and international issues of political and social importance; music, drama and other cultural subjects; and all branches of agriculture, crafts, home economics, science, health and social welfare;
b) to promote sustainable development for the public benefit by educating people in the preservation, conservation and protection of the environment and the prudent use of natural resources; and promoting sustainable means of achieving economic growth and regeneration;
c) to advance health for the public benefit;
d) to advance citizenship for the public benefit by the promotion of civic responsibility and volunteering.
The NFWI seeks to give women the opportunity of working together through Women's Institute organisation in their communities, of developing their capacity and skills and of putting into practice those ideals for which the Women's Institute organisation stands.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the company should undertake.
Members have benefitted from workshops on a wide range of arts and crafts. Specialists and members have informed and discussed topics of both national and international concern. The members' wellbeing was encouraged with many opportunities to take part in sporting and leisure activities and music. New members are coming to the WI to learn traditional crafts and cookery.
We have an overall surplus this year of £99,964 (2025: £31,267), which includes £195,029 (2025: £13,637) relating to the release of suspended WI funds over 3 years old.
It is the policy of the company 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 company’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 have assessed the major risks to which the company is exposed, and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks.
The company is a company limited by guarantee. The company is registered as a charity. The company is governed by the articles and memorandum of association. The schedule of company information sets out further details.
The charity is governed by a Board of Trustees of not fewer than eight and not more than fifteen members which shall meet not less than six times a year.
Trustees are appointed by the Federation Annual Meeting to hold office for a period of two years. Retiring trustees may be re-elected and new trustees may be appointed following the procedure laid down in the company's 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:
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.
The memorandum and articles of association grant wide powers of investment to the trustees.
The notes to the accounts set out an analysis of the assets attributable to the various funds and a description of the trusts. These assets are sufficient to meet the charity's obligations on a fund by fund basis.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of The West Sussex County Federation of Women's Institutes (Limited By Guarantee) (the company) for the year ended 31 March 2026.
Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the company 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 company’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 company’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 in England and 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 company 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.
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Other ancillary trading activities
Investments
Raising funds
Ancillary trading costs
Membership and county activities
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
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Other ancillary trading activities
Investments
Raising funds
Ancillary trading costs
Membership and county activities
The West Sussex County Federation of Women's Institutes (Limited By Guarantee) is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Denman House, 60 Queen Street, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 5AD. The charity number is 1036497.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the company'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 company is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The company has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.
The financial statements have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a true and fair view. This departure has involved following the Statement of Recommended Practice for charities applying FRS 102 rather than the version of the Statement of Recommended Practice which is referred to in the Regulations but which has since been withdrawn.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the company. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The accounts have been prepared on 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 company 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 comprise funds which have been set aside at the discretion of the trustees for specific purposes. The purposes and uses of the designated funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
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 company 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.
Grants are credited as income in the year in which they are receivable. Grants received for specific purposes are accounted for as restricted funds. Grants are not recognised as receivable until all conditions for receipt have been complied with. Where donor imposed restrictions apply to the timing of related expenditure as a pre-condition for its use, the grant is treated as deferred income until those restrictions are met.
Income relating to memberships, newsletters and events are recognised in the period in which it relates and in which the service or goods are provided or the event takes place. Deferred income is then released to income in the reporting period in which the performance related or other conditions that limit recognition are met.
Turnover is measured at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable and represents amounts receivable for goods and services provided in the normal course of business, net of discounts, VAT and other sales related taxes.
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.
Costs have been allocated under different headings. Costs of publications and merchandise have been allocated to raising funds to be matched against the income from sales of publications and merchandise.
Costs relating to sub committee expenses, 300 plus club expenses and bursaries and donations have been allocated to charitable activities undertaken directly.
Costs relating to accountancy, bookkeeping, trustees' travel, courses and conferences have been allocated to governance costs. All other costs have been allocated to support costs. Both governance costs and support costs are allocated to the charitable activity of the company.
Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be fully recovered and is reported as irrecoverable VAT in the accounts. The charity deregistered from VAT in the year and therefore all costs going forward will be reported on a gross basis.
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.
Land and buildings are shown in the accounts at 31 March 2023 cost with the additions of any improvements since that date.
At each reporting end date, the company 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).
Recoverable amount is the higher of fair value less costs to sell and value in use. In assessing value in use, the estimated future cash flows are discounted to their present value using a pre-tax discount rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to the asset for which the estimates of future cash flows have not been adjusted.
If the recoverable amount of an asset is estimated to be less than its carrying amount, the carrying amount of the asset is reduced to its recoverable amount. An impairment loss is recognised immediately in income/(expenditure for the year, unless the relevant asset is carried at a revalued amount, in which case the impairment loss is treated as a revaluation decrease.
Recognised impairment losses are reversed if, and only if, the reasons for the impairment loss have ceased to apply. Where an impairment loss subsequently reverses, the carrying amount of the asset is increased to the revised estimate of its recoverable amount, but so that the increased carrying amount does not exceed the carrying amount that would have been determined had no impairment loss been recognised for the asset in prior years. A reversal of an impairment loss is recognised immediately, unless the relevant asset is carried in at a revalued amount, in which case the reversal of the impairment loss is treated as a revaluation increase.
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 company 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 company's balance sheet when the company 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.
Financial assets, other than those held at fair value through income and expenditure, are assessed for indicators of impairment at each reporting date. Financial assets are impaired where there is objective evidence that, as a result of one or more events that occurred after the initial recognition of the financial asset, the estimated future cash flows have been affected.
If an asset is impaired, the impairment loss is the difference between the carrying amount and the present value of the estimated cash flows discounted at the asset’s original effective interest rate. The impairment loss is recognised in net income/(expenditure) for the year.
If there is a decrease in the impairment loss arising from an event occurring after the impairment was recognised, the impairment is reversed. The reversal is such that the current carrying amount does not exceed what the carrying amount would have been, had the impairment not previously been recognised. The impairment reversal is recognised in net income/(expenditure) for the year.
Basic financial liabilities, including trade and other payables, 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 receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade payables are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Accounts 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 payables are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the company’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 company 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 company’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 annual depreciation charge is sensitive to changes in the estimated useful lives and residual value of the assets. The residual values are re-assessed annually and amended where necessary.
Membership income
Income from Sub Committees
300 Plus Club income
Sales of publications and merchandise
Ancillary trading costs
Costs of publications and merchandise
Subcommittee expenses
300 Plus Club expenses
The trustees consider that all support and governance costs should be allocated to the charitable activities of the charity.
None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration during the year, but 8 of them were reimbursed a total of £2,268 for travelling expenses and Annual National Council meeting expenses (2025- 12 were reimbursed £3,705).
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
Other expenditure includes an exceptional items of £56,436 in relation to costs incurred for termination of the photocopier lease.
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
A new property was purchased at 60 Queen Street, Horsham for £378,717 in the year ended 31 March 2023. The property has undergone renovation which was completed in May 2025 and is now used by the charity as a headquarters. Improvements of £333,035 have been made up to the year ended 31 March 2026.
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.
Bramber Beeches Fund represents a donation for the upkeep of trees at Bramber.
The Maintenance Fund represents donations received for the West Sussex Room at Denman College.
The Denman Bursary Draw comprises donations received for Denman course fees and expenses.
The Awards for All fund was established upon receipt of a grant for the purchase of computer equipment to be used for presentations, conferences and meetings.
The Centenary Grant was awarded to help promote the WI, to recruit new members and open new WIs. The Federation has attended various village and town open days to facilitate this.
The Marketing Initiative represents funding given to promote the WI.
The Midhurst WI sponsorship is to support changes to the administration of the West Sussex News. This fund has now been fully utilised.
The Midhurst Centenary Bursary is to support education.
The Kingscote WI donation is for the provision of a lift at Denman House Queen Street. This fund has now been fully utilised.
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.
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