Birmingham Christmas Shelter
Trustees’ Annual Report and Receipts and Payments accounts for the year ended 30 June 2024
Registered Charity number 1002891
Birmingham Christmas Shelter Receipts and payments accounts for the year ended 30 June 2024
Index Trustees’ Annual Report 3 Report of the Independent Examiner 9 Receipts and payments accounts 10 Statement of assets and liabilities 11
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Birmingham Christmas Shelter Receipts and payments accounts for the year ended 30 June 2024
TRUSTEE’S ANNUAL REPORT:
The Trustees of Birmingham Christmas Shelter (“the charity”) have pleasure in presenting their annual report and accounts for the year 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES:
The objects of the charity are to provide relief for the homeless and lonely adults (over 16’s) in the West Midlands, particularly through the provision of food, clothing and shelter over the Christmas period.
The charity achieves its objects by the following activities and in planning such activities, the Trustees have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit:
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We provide food, warmth, wellbeing services, shelter, clothing and friendship to homeless and lonely adults of Birmingham and surrounding districts during the Christmas period, regardless of gender, colour, race, religion, disability or sexual orientation.
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The functioning of the Shelter is wholly dependent on the time freely given by all of our very generous volunteers and service providers.
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The Trustees are supported by a network of senior volunteers, who act as area team supervisors, and over 300 trained volunteers.
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The only people who are paid at the Shelter, are a professionally trained mixed gender security team on duty while guests are present. They are there to support the guests, volunteers and Trustees to maintain safety and wellbeing and ensure that weapons and non-prescribed mind-altering substances are not brought into the Shelter. All security staff are first aid trained.
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All Trustees are DBS checked.
A company was previously set up with Companies House, under the name of “Birmingham Homeless Shelter”. This enables a potential retail business to undertake selling of second hand and other donated items to raise funds for the Shelter. No trading has taken place during the financial year.
ACHIEVEMENTS, PERFORMANCE AND FUTURE PLANS:
The Venue:
Shelter Week 2023 was held for the second year running at St Catherine of Siena Catholic Primary School, located on Great Colmore Street, Lee Bank, Birmingham B15 2AY which is sandwiched between the IBIS Budget hotel and the O2 Academy just off the A38 Bristol Street.
The Trustees continue to be delighted with the school as our main venue, as it is warm, clean, bright, spacious and welcoming, has most of the facilities we need and is much easier for our target group of guests to get to. In line with their Catholic duty, the parent governors
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Birmingham Christmas Shelter Receipts and payments accounts for the year ended 30 June 2024
of the school offer us the facilities free of charge, except for payment of gas and electricity and the treating of the building with respect. The school has an accessible entrance, a large professional kitchen, a formal meals and drinks serving area, several dining tables, excellent playground space for parking, an enclosed astro turf football pitch and several ground floor accessible classrooms. We also have use of classrooms in another part of the school for the storage of the school’s materials and equipment.
During Shelter Week 2022, it became apparent that the kitchen electrics were old and underpowered for our needs and we had a significant problem with the fuses continually tripping. Unfortunately, the central heating controls were knocked off the corridor wall when the upright fridges and freezers were delivered such that heating could only be controlled via the school boiler. This made temperature control in the building rather difficult and at times the rooms were too hot, especially for our guests who are more accustomed to living in the cold. The heating system was set to heat the entire school and we had no means to reduce the heating in the unused parts of the building. As a result, our gas and electricity bill was twice that expected.
In the latter part of 2023, we repaired and upgraded the school’s central heating controls and funded a second more powerful electrical circuit in the kitchen as these changes would be of mutual benefit and be a goodwill gesture to the school for their generosity to us.
For Shelter Week 2023, we agreed with the caretaker to switch off the heating in unused parts of the school, drop the room temperatures and with other fuel saving measures such as keeping doors closed, we radically reduced our fuel consumption to a more affordable level. Our guests reported feeling more comfortable in the cooler room temperatures.
Shelter Week:
Setting up Shelter Week 2023 was a challenge, as Birmingham schools did not close until 3pm on Friday 22nd December, leaving us only a day and an evening to get ready. The process was much easier than the previous year as we had a clear system for noting the layout of each of the rooms in order to return them exactly as we found them when we left. As before, we ensured, for safeguarding reasons, that any displays that could lead to children at the school being identified, were kept covered up and Christmas wrapping paper proved a colourful and attractive solution to the issue.
We opened our doors at 10am on 24[th] December and as in the past, remained open 24 hours a day until 10am on 28[th] December. During the week, we welcomed significantly more guests than in the recent past with a mixture of regular faces and a lot of new ones. This was a return to the numbers we used to see prior to 2015.
NUMBERS:
400 different people with an average of 220 guests each day
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Many different nationalities & ethnic origins and people with a range of disabilities, mental, physical and substance use health issues.
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10% were regular attenders of Shelter Week
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72 were female and / or transgender
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Birmingham Christmas Shelter Receipts and payments accounts for the year ended 30 June 2024
Even with generous donations of food from commercial catering companies and hard working professional chefs in charge of a dedicated kitchen team, the increase in demand caused our Catering Team some issues as we had only obtained supplies for the numbers seen the previous year and had to go food shopping every day. It did mean we were unable to be as generous as we like in providing meals for our volunteers.
We struggled to find a volunteer chef for the last full day and a local chef recruitment agency donated the time of a chef to us.
A harvest festival style appeal to local primary schools was especially successful in obtaining large donations of snacks and treats for our tea hatch.
The school furniture proved too low for our adult guests in the first year, so for 2023 we hired several adult sized tables and chairs to make our guests more comfortable.
Drug Use:
The increase in numbers of guests presented us with challenges arising from the chaotic substance misuse of several individuals. There was an unprecedented level of attempts to bring illegal substances onto the school and hotel premises and the security team was kept busy on a daily basis dealing with medical emergencies. Our ease of access to defibrillators and other equipment proved invaluable and the emergency services were prompt in coming to our aid.
Unfortunately, the selling of drugs around the area continued for some weeks after we closed and caused alarm amongst the parents of the school children that their children might be exposed to risk. While the school and hotel are keen to welcome us back for Shelter Week 2024, the Board has agreed with them and the local police, a number of increased measures to radically reduce the issues.
Toilets:
The capacity of the toilets was insufficient for the increased volume of adult use and resulted in unpleasant blockages. As a result, the Trustees will need to make alternative arrangements at the school for Shelter Week 2024.
Overnight:
We continued to hire a whole floor of 53 basic ensuite double bedrooms in the IBIS hotel next door on each of the days we were open. This meant we could offer a significant proportion of our guests a better standard of overnight accommodation in largely single occupancy rooms in line with national guidance on the prevention of spread of Covid and other airborne infections. The Trustees believe this was a significant factor in the rise in our numbers.
The hotel was very supportive of our work but was unable to offer us a reduced room rate. The Board still considered it worth the investment as we were able to use all the rooms during the day to offer good quality warm shower facilities and more comfort to some of our guests, all for the same cost of hiring a mobile shower block.
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Birmingham Christmas Shelter Receipts and payments accounts for the year ended 30 June 2024
SERVICES:
We served over 2,500 hot meals & 1,100 assorted sandwiches plus other snacks & treats.
400 showers were taken, with new toothbrushes, underwear & socks given out each time.
Of the 125 needing to stay overnight, 50% spent at least one night in the hotel, the others slept at the school.
In addition, we were able to provide:
- 32 people with massages - 76 with hairdressing - 8 with Covid vaccinations / boosters - 8 with counselling - Of 64 people assessed for housing, 27 were offered a new place to live - 35 people received professional podiatry / footcare On the last day, over 130 people took away a bag of toiletries and clothing / footwear of their choice from our donated supplies.
All leftover goods were given to local charities serving the same client group.
We worked with the Rough Sleeper Outreach Team to develop criteria for an equitable allocation of these bedrooms as we knew they would be popular and to enable us to be mindful of the risks in using the hotel, to ourselves, the hotel and our guests. The criteria presented us with challenges in verifying eligibility and will be reviewed for Shelter Week 2024. We hired additional security staff overnight to provide extra cover for the hotel. With our conditions of use, our guests reported feeling very safe and felt better able to get a good night’s sleep.
Even with the hotel rooms, the demand for warm, safe, overnight accommodation exceeded expectations and many people bedded down on the hall floor of the school.
As an experiment, we provided an overnight cafe in one of our rooms with hot and cold food, drinks and films through the night. It proved very popular but was difficult to safely manage with the number of volunteers we had and became noisy and disruptive to those sleeping at the school.
Entertainment and Services:
Our Shelter was also supported by a team of service providers who gave their time and skills for free enabling us to have hairdressers, daily podiatry, chefs, an NHS vaccination team, a qualified counsellor, housing agencies, masseuses, and entertainers.
We gave our guests a full programme of entertainment including bingo, arts and crafts, sports, table top activities, singers, TV and films and all our guests received a Christmas present. The week culminated with the highly successful ‘Shelter’s Got Talent’ with guests displaying their performance skills. We were also able to offer emergency clothing and sleeping bags where necessary. On the penultimate day, guests were able to select a number of clothing items for themselves that were bagged up to be taken away when they left. No donations were wasted and leftover items were either passed on to other local charities or kept for fundraising activities and the next year.
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Birmingham Christmas Shelter Receipts and payments accounts for the year ended 30 June 2024
The guests and volunteers co-operated with us, in taking care of both the school and the hotel and on a positive note, we have been welcomed back by both venues. The Shelter was well received by all those that attended, both guests and volunteers.
FINANCIAL REVIEW:
Birmingham Christmas Shelter is entirely dependent on donations from local companies, individuals, local churches and other supporting organisations and receives no central government or local authority funding.
All expenditure relates to the primary purpose of providing the Shelter and associated activities at Christmas.
Our new budget arrangements enabled us to better manage our costs and we were able to stay within budget.
RESERVES POLICY:
The Charity’s policy on reserves is to hold at least two year’s revenue funding in the bank. Each year’s Shelter Week is funded from the money raised in the previous financial year, to mitigate against any catastrophic loss of donations. Any surplus is then retained for capital expenditure including replacement of key items.
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT:
Birmingham Christmas Shelter is a registered charity governed by a Declaration of Trust dated 31.3.1990 and amended 31.3.2009 and 11.11.2014.
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Birmingham Christmas Shelter Receipts and payments accounts for the year ended 30 June 2024
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION:
TRUSTEES:
Kevin Jarvis – Treasurer David Jack Hanson Tej Jhite Kerrie Lo Shirley Mallon - Secretary Zak Ullah
It is the policy of the Charity to rotate the chair on a monthly basis between the Executive (voting) Trustees.
CHARITY NUMBER: 1002891
REGISTERED OFFICE:
Birmingham Christmas Shelter PO Box 17677 Moseley Birmingham B13 3PS
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER:
BANKERS:
Karen Hanlan ACA Karen Hanlan Independent Examiner Ltd Registered Company in the UK: 07778482 1 Saracen Close Ettington CV37 7SZ
HSBC CAF Bank 25 Kings Hill West Malling Kent ME19 4JU
Approved by the Board and signed on its behalf by Kevin Jarvis
Kevin Jarvis (Treasurer and Executive Trustee) Date: 07/10/2024
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Birmingham Christmas Shelter Receipts and payments accounts for the year ended 30 June 2024
Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Birmingham Christmas Shelter on the receipts and payments accounts for the year ended 30 June 2024.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Birmingham Christmas Shelter (‘the charity’) for the year ended 30 June 2024 which are set out on pages 10 and 11.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and 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.
Independent examiner’s statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
1) accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 130 of the 2011 Act; or
2) the accounts do not accord with those records.
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 accounts to be reached.
Signed:
Date: 7 October 2024
Karen Hanlan, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales Karen Hanlan Independent Examiner Limited 1 Saracen Close Ettington CV37 7SZ
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Birmingham Christmas Shelter Receipts and payments accounts for the year ended 30 June 2024
Receipts and Payments
| Restricted | Total | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Un-restricted | Funds | Funds | Funds | |
| RECEIPTS | Funds 2024 | 2024 | 2024 | 2023 |
| Donations | £22,535 | £1,449 | £23,984 | £25,624 |
| Other Income (Fundraising Events) | £24,646 | - | £24,646 | £15,016 |
| Grants | £3,000 | £3,000 | - | |
| Gift Aid | £3,002 | - | £3,002 | £2,441 |
| Bank Interest | £2,459 | - | £2,459 | £926 |
| Total Receipts | £55,642 | £1,449 | £57,091 | £44,007 |
| PAYMENTS | ||||
| Storage | £3,568 | - | £3,568 | £6,582 |
| Security | £9,456 | - | £9,456 | £7,308 |
| Accommodation and Premises | £9,663 | £370 | £10,033 | £12,225 |
| Other Materials and Equipment Hire | £3,540 | - | £3,540 | £645 |
| Insurance | £812 | - | £812 | £875 |
| Telephone/postage/printing | £500 | - | £500 | £302 |
| Website Costs | £600 | - | £600 | £661 |
| Fundraising Costs | £887 | - | £887 | £442 |
| Food and Catering | £3,398 | £1,079 | £4,477 | £1,524 |
| Training | £354 | - | £354 | £203 |
| Independent Examiners Fee | £490 | - | £490 | £825 |
| Bank Charges and Interest | £62 | - | £62 | £70 |
| Equipment and Capital Costs | £11,732 | - | £11,732 | - |
| Sundry | £2,379 | - | £2,379 | £3,465 |
| Total Payments | £47,441 | £1,449 | £48,890 | £35,127 |
| NET RECEIPTS OF PAYMENTS | £8,201 | - | £8,201 | £8,880 |
| Cash Funds Last Year End | £114,601 | - | £114,601 | £105,721 |
| Cash Funds This Year | £122,802 | - | £122,802 | £114,601 |
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Birmingham Christmas Shelter Receipts and payments accounts for the year ended 30 June 2024
Statement of Assets and Liabilities
| 1) Cash Funds | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| CAF Current Account | £13,826 | £21,882 |
| CAF Gold Deposit Account | £108,378 | £90,950 |
| PayPal Account | £598 | £2,826 |
| Petty Cash | £50 | - |
| Outstanding Creditors | (£50) | (£1,057) |
| Cash at Bank and in Hand | £122,802 | £114,601 |
| 2) Assets retained by the Charity's own use | ||
| Mattresses (purchased 2016) | £5,070 | |
| HP 250 Notebook (Purchased 2021) | £685 | |
| Cannon MG5750 printer (Purchased 2021) | £99 | |
| Tables (Purchased 2023) | £367 | |
| Room Divider (Purchased 2023) | £72 | |
| Walkie Talkies (Purchased 2023) | £282 | |
| PA System (Purchased 2023) | £160 | |
| Storage Cages (Purchased 2023) | £100 | |
| Wi-Fi Devices (Purchased 2023) | £179 | |
| Tea Urns and Soup Tureens (Purchased 2023) | £346 |
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