LISTENING BOOKS

Charity Number: 264221
Charity reporting is up to date (on time)

Charity overview

Activities - how the charity spends its money

To provide a postal and internet based audiobook service to: Any child or adult who suffers from an illness or disability which makes it hard to hold a book, turn its pages or read in the usual way; including people with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, and people with visual impairments.

Income and expenditure

Data for financial year ending 31 March 2024

Total income:
£1,068,544

Text alternative for this canvas graphic is in the data table below.
Donations and legacies £946.40k
Charitable activities £74.63k
Other trading activities £13.37k
Investments £34.14k
Other £0

Total expenditure:
£1,146,237

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Raising funds £40.83k
Charitable activities £1.11m
Other £0

£34,136 investments gains (losses)

Charitable expenditure

Charitable expenditure

Some charities generate all, or a substantial part, of their income from investments which may have been donated to the charity as endowment or set aside by the charity from its own resources in the past. Such investments usually take the form of stocks and shares but may include other assets, such as property, that are capable of generating income and/or capital growth.

In managing their spending and investments charities need to strike a balance between the needs of future and current beneficiaries. They also need to take account of spending commitments that may stretch over a number of future years. To do this, charities will normally adopt an investment strategy designed to generate both income and capital growth. To maximise returns trustees may commit to investment strategies for several years.

Investments can experience large swings in value so trustees may, in a particular year, decide to realise and spend part of their charity’s capital or to invest part of its income.

By clicking the investment gains checkbox the charitable spending bar is adjusted to take account of capital growth as well as income. This shows the balance the charity is striking, between spending on current beneficiaries and retaining resources for future beneficiaries.

Text alternative for this canvas graphic is in the data table below.
Raising funds and other expenditure £40.83k
Charitable expenditure £1.11m

People

13 Employee(s)

7 Trustee(s)

9 Volunteer(s)

Employees with total benefits over £60,000

Number of employees
£80k to £90k 1

Fundraising

No information available

Trading

This charity does not have any trading subsidiaries.

Trustee payments

No trustees receive any remuneration, payments or benefits from the charity.

What, who, how, where

What the charity does:
  • General Charitable Purposes
  • Disability
Who the charity helps:
  • Children/young People
  • Elderly/old People
  • People With Disabilities
How the charity helps:
  • Provides Services
Where the charity operates:
  • Throughout England And Wales
  • Northern Ireland
  • Scotland

Governance

Registration history:
  • 06 July 1972: Standard registration
Organisation type:
Charitable company
Other names:
  • THE LISTENING LIBRARY (Previous name)
  • THE NATIONAL LISTENING LIBRARY LIMITED (Previous name)
Company number:
01056004 Open in new window
Gift aid:
Recognised by HMRC for gift aid
Other regulators:
No information available
Policies:
  • Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
  • Complaints handling
  • Complaints policy and procedures
  • Financial reserves policy and procedures
  • Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
  • Internal risk management policy and procedures
  • Investing charity funds policy and procedures
  • Investment
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding policy and procedures
  • Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
  • Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
  • Social media policy and procedures
  • Trustee expenses policy and procedures
  • Volunteer management
Land and property:
This charity owns and/or leases land or property

Trustees

Trustees are the people responsible for controlling the work, management and administration of the charity on behalf of its beneficiaries. Generally trustees are treasurer, chair, board member etc. The trustees are responsible for keeping this list up to date and can do this by updating their details as they happen through the online service

7 Trustee(s)

Name Role Date of appointment Other trusteeships Reporting status of other trusteeships
MRS GILLIE HOWARTH Chair
None on record
Charlotte Bainbridge Trustee 12 March 2025
None on record
Helen Rosalind Miriam GRANT Trustee 12 March 2025
None on record
Sayra Tekin Trustee 12 March 2025
None on record
NICHOLAS DAVID FORSTER Trustee 04 April 2011
None on record
DAVID OWEN O' NEILL Trustee 04 April 2011
None on record
JULIA ECCLESHARE Trustee
None on record

Financial history

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Financial period end date

Income / Expenditure 31/03/2020 31/03/2021 31/03/2022 31/03/2023 31/03/2024
Total gross income £1.36m £867.31k £895.71k £877.32k £1.07m
Total expenditure £1.42m £887.48k £1.00m £1.04m £1.15m
Income from government contracts N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Income from government grants N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Income - Donations and legacies £1.26m £780.17k £793.56k £798.83k £946.40k
Income - Other trading activities £39.06k £24.82k £42.88k £16.52k £13.37k
Income - Charitable activities £65.75k £62.32k £59.26k £61.97k £74.63k
Income - Endowments £0 £0 £0 £0 £0
Income - Investment £79 £77 £40.17k £0 £34.14k
Income - Other £0 £0 £0 £0 £0
Income - Legacies £269.84k £15.19k £55.10k £20.53k £8.77k
Expenditure - Charitable activities £1.37m £855.22k £960.25k £995.61k £1.11m
Expenditure - Raising funds £46.00k £32.27k £42.16k £41.83k £40.83k
Expenditure - Governance £5.26k £5.64k £5.77k £5.76k £6.28k
Expenditure - Grants institution £0 £0 £0 £0 £0
Expenditure - Investment management £0 £0 £0 £0 £0
Expenditure - Other £0 £0 £0 £0 £0

Assets and liabilities

Definitions for assets and liabilities
Own use assets

These are assets, other than investments, which are held for more than 12 months and used to run and administer the charity such as buildings, offices, exhibits and fixtures and fittings.

Long term Investments

Investments are assets held by the charity with the sole aim of generating income which will be used for their charitable purposes such as deposit accounts, shares, rental property and unit trusts.
Investment assets are re-valued every year and included in the balance sheet at their current market value.
Long term investments are held for more than 12 months.

Other assets

These are assets held generally for less than 12 months such as cash and bank balances, debtors, investments to be sold within the coming year and trading stock.

Defined benefit pension scheme asset or liability

This is a surplus or deficit in any defined benefit pension scheme operated and represents a potential long-term asset or liability.

Total liabilities

These are all the amounts owed by the charity at the balance sheet date to third parties such as bills due but not yet paid, bank overdrafts and loans and mortgages.

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Asset / Liability 31/03/2020 31/03/2021 31/03/2022 31/03/2023 31/03/2024
Own use assets £106.28k £123.52k £88.63k £51.24k £34.39k
Long-term investments £280.64k £347.66k £387.83k £303.83k £267.97k
Other assets £443.33k £413.20k £330.77k £274.67k £258.20k
Defined benefit pension scheme asset or liability £0 £0 £0 £0 £0
Total liabilities £39.97k £47.25k £36.64k £33.26k £41.77k

Accounts and annual returns

This table shows the charity's record of submitting annual returns, accounts and trustees' annual report (TAR) for the last five financial periods.
Title Reporting year Date received Received Download
Annual return 31 March 2024 08 October 2024 On Time
Accounts and TAR 31 March 2024 08 October 2024 On Time Download Open in new window
Annual return 31 March 2023 04 January 2024 On Time
Accounts and TAR 31 March 2023 04 January 2024 On Time Download Open in new window
Annual return 31 March 2022 26 September 2022 On Time
Accounts and TAR 31 March 2022 26 September 2022 On Time Download Open in new window
Annual return 31 March 2021 07 November 2021 On Time
Accounts and TAR 31 March 2021 07 November 2021 On Time Download Open in new window
Annual return 31 March 2020 19 October 2020 On Time
Accounts and TAR 31 March 2020 19 October 2020 On Time Download Open in new window
Submit annual return Open in new window

Governing document

Details of the type of governing document the charity has and when it was established.
It is not the full text of the charity's governing document.

MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES INCORPORATED 26/05/1972 AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION(S) DATED 22/01/1974 AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION(S) DATED 09/03/1988 AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION(S) DATED 14/06/1988 AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION(S) DATED 24/04/1989 AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION(S) DATED 28/06/1996 AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION(S) DATED 01/07/1997 AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION(S) DATED 13/10/1997 AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION(S) DATED 30/01/2006 AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION(S) DATED 12/05/2014

Charitable objects

TO RELIEVE DISABILITY OR INCAPACITY, WHETHER PERMANENT OR TEMPORARY, ARISING FROM ANY SICKNESS, INJURY OR OTHER PHYSICAL OR MENTAL CONDITION, IN PARTICULAR, BY THE PROVISION OF AN AUDIO BOOK LIBRARY SERVICE INCLUDING RECORDED LITERATURE AND OTHER MATERIAL, TOGETHER WITH EQUIPMENT FOR THE REPRODUCTION OF SUCH LITERATURE OR OTHER MATERIAL, INCLUDING THE ADVANCEMENT OF EDUCATION OF PERSONS SUFFERING FROM SUCH CONDITIONS.

Area of benefit

The area the charity can operate in, as set out in its governing document.

NOT DEFINED

Contact information

Address:
The Foundry
17 Oval Way
LONDON
SE11 5RR
Phone:
02074079417
Email:
info@listening-books.org.uk
Website:

www.listening-books.org.uk Open in new window