## **BOARD REPORT 2023-2024** We are pleased to present our Annual Report for 2023/24, highlighting our achievements over the past year. Despite changes in policies, organisation structure, funding, and the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on both our charity and community, our centre remains a crucial support hub for vulnerable individuals. We continue to focus on addressing inequality and disadvantages faced by Black people, offering ongoing support to marginalized and economically inactive individuals facing discrimination. ## **Organisation Structure & Sustainability** To strengthen and sustain our charity, we are close to becoming a registered incorporated organisation. To aid this we are working to identify training for board members to better understand their roles and have worked to recruit new members with relevant skills and passion. We also regularly review our business strategic plan to ensure we meet our targets. ## **Funding** Securing funding remains challenging due to increased competition. Our Vulnerable Adults Project funding ends in October 2024, so we are actively working on plans to attract more funding for core and project activities. We are excited about the Windrush Sister Project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, which will document the history of women from the Windrush generations and the Walsall Black Sisters Collective. ## **Conclusion & Thanks** Thanks to our dedicated staff led by Chief Officer Maureen Lewis, who ensure smooth service delivery. We also appreciate our funders and strategic partners for their ongoing support and collaboration. As we implement our business strategy, we look forward to strengthening existing partnerships and forming new ones within the West Midlands and beyond. ## CHAIR – WENDY ANGUS-BOVELL On behalf of Walsall BSC Board of Trustees WALSALL BLACK SISTERS COLLECTIVE HNANCIALSTATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31sr MARCH 2024 CHARrrY NUMBER . 1009687 WALSALL BLACK SISTERS COLLECTIVE CONTENTS OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 I Income and Expendlture Account 2 Schedule of Expendlture 3 Balance Sheet 4 . Independent Examlner's Report INCOME & EXPEIIOITUREACCOUNT Ye•r ended 31 Mot¢h 2024 INCOME Restrfctod Bl8 Lottery grant Awards forAII- lottery 126593 97.693 Walsall Coundl Grnnts NHS Grants ckstart Food Bank Locallty Heart ofEnAland Saf* Plac4 35820 595 250 ioooo 7,916 15,298 7.975 4.371 Lla7 ESF Communlty Grants Wa15all Wellbelni Grant Hollday Program Communlty Cohedon Heatln&Wlntir Warni Wi15all for ￿1 L9SO 16545 Garhed Western £￿SOn Trust 8aron Davenwt8r•nt 2(N),130 Umrertrlrt¢d Money Mana8er Interest Donatlons- Walsall Wom•M Forum Donatlon5- Other WBSC Accummulated Fund Aepayments After 5th001 aub Fees Room Hlre and c￿rge$ Oay or•- Elderley 450 7,191 3.a 19,227 10,749 9A05 31,144 32247 9,106 2313TI L•0: Expendltur• EXCESS OF INCOME OVEA (EXPENDITURE) 17.503 8,312 EXPENDrruRE Year ended 31 M•rth 2024 12L517 158,198 Rent and rates Heat and li8ht Stationery & printlng Posta8e Computer costs InsurarKe Motor expenses & travel Repalrs and malntenance E￿nts Professlonal fees Consultancy Telephone Tralnln8 422 579 393 172 249 L945 976 5,953 L761 9,351 13,730 2.870 IL099 4,199 13,51JO 5,071 732 2,337 5.338 3.133 Materfals and resour Volunteers expenses Sundrfes Marketlr Photocopler & phMe system kases Hy8lene sep4lces Thl & Z1￿M Ilcen Room h1￿ & charges Bank char8es Counselling Crlsts support projert 3,128 L559 649 L931 8.745 429 159 2.257 182 343 2.148 5.738 387 1,555 197 4,454 13,853 7,277 201.6D4 240.689 Year ertd￿ 31 Marth 2024 Motor Vehld81 Offlce EqulpmeTht Computhr Equlpment 25,250 4,679 25.2SO 3,322 8.021 37,949 36,592 CURRENT ASSE75 84nk knunt Deposlt Account Cash In h•nd 24135 6L243 254 3.718 65,195 85,631 69mi 123,580 105,613 HMRC-PAYE NW. Pensbn Acmls 830 322 4216 3,7SI 119.365 ioi Repremnted by:. ACCUMULATED FUND Balance brnu8ht tOTward Excess of expendlbjre over Incom•:. 101,862 17,503 119365 110,174 8,312 The Incoffle funds olthe tharlty Indude £60m whlch ha¥e been set •slde out of unrestrlcted nds by thetntheeK It19 the chartty's poliLyto regard a 8eneral reserve requlremerrt equlvalent to 3 months runnln8 costs of the charftys tharltable and admIThStrat￿ expendlture. INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TrUSTEES OF WALSALL BLACK SISTERS, COLLEcnvE YEAR ENDING 31 MARCH 2024 CHARITY NUMBER 1009657 I report on the accounts for the year ended 31" March 2024 set out on pages 1-3. Respectlve responslbilfties of trustees and examlner The charlvs trustees are responslble for the preparatlon of the accounts In accordance wlth the requlrements of the Charltles Act 2011 {"the ACVI. The charlVs trustees conslder that an audlt Is not requlred for thls year under *ction 144 of the Act and that an Independent examlnatlon Is needed. It Is my responslblllty to: examlne the accounts under sectlon 145 of the Charltles Act to follow the appllcable dlrections given by the Charlty Commlssion {under Sectlon 145(5)(b) and to state whether partlcular matters have corne to my attentlon. Basls of the Independent examlnerfs report My examlnatlon was carrled out In accordan￿ wlth the general Dlrectlons 8lven by the Charlty Commlsslon. An examlnatlon includes a revlew of the accountlng records kept by the charlty and a comparlson of the accounts presented wlth those records. It also Includes conslderatlon of anv unusual Items or dlsclosures In the accounts and seeklng explanations from the trustees concernlng any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provlde all the evldence that would be requlred In an audlt, and consequently no oplnlon Is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and falr vlew, and the report15 Ilmlted to those matters set out In the statements below. Independent examlnerfs ststement In connectlon wSth my examlnatlon, no materlal matters have come to my attentlon whlch glves me cause to belleve that In, any materlal respect.. accountlng records were not kept In accordance with sectlon 130 of the Charltles Act or the accounts do not accord wlth the accountlng records I have no concerns and have come across no other matters In connectlon wlth the examinatlon to whlch attentlon should be drawn in order to enable a proper understandlng of the accounts to be reache Mrs SD Cooke FCCA Dlrector Rlce & Co {Brownhllls) Ltd 90 High Street Brownhills Walsall WS8 6EW 2d2J WALSALL BLACK SISTERS COLLECTIVE HNANCIALSTATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31sr MARCH 2024 CHARrrY NUMBER . 1009687 WALSALL BLACK SISTERS COLLECTIVE CONTENTS OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 I Income and Expendlture Account 2 Schedule of Expendlture 3 Balance Sheet 4 . Independent Examlner's Report INCOME & EXPEIIOITUREACCOUNT Ye•r ended 31 Mot¢h 2024 INCOME Restrfctod Bl8 Lottery grant Awards forAII- lottery 126593 97.693 Walsall Coundl Grnnts NHS Grants ckstart Food Bank Locallty Heart ofEnAland Saf* Plac4 35820 595 250 ioooo 7,916 15,298 7.975 4.371 Lla7 ESF Communlty Grants Wa15all Wellbelni Grant Hollday Program Communlty Cohedon Heatln&Wlntir Warni Wi15all for ￿1 L9SO 16545 Garhed Western £￿SOn Trust 8aron Davenwt8r•nt 2(N),130 Umrertrlrt¢d Money Mana8er Interest Donatlons- Walsall Wom•M Forum Donatlon5- Other WBSC Accummulated Fund Aepayments After 5th001 aub Fees Room Hlre and c￿rge$ Oay or•- Elderley 450 7,191 3.a 19,227 10,749 9A05 31,144 32247 9,106 2313TI L•0: Expendltur• EXCESS OF INCOME OVEA (EXPENDITURE) 17.503 8,312 EXPENDrruRE Year ended 31 M•rth 2024 12L517 158,198 Rent and rates Heat and li8ht Stationery & printlng Posta8e Computer costs InsurarKe Motor expenses & travel Repalrs and malntenance E￿nts Professlonal fees Consultancy Telephone Tralnln8 422 579 393 172 249 L945 976 5,953 L761 9,351 13,730 2.870 IL099 4,199 13,51JO 5,071 732 2,337 5.338 3.133 Materfals and resour Volunteers expenses Sundrfes Marketlr Photocopler & phMe system kases Hy8lene sep4lces Thl & Z1￿M Ilcen Room h1￿ & charges Bank char8es Counselling Crlsts support projert 3,128 L559 649 L931 8.745 429 159 2.257 182 343 2.148 5.738 387 1,555 197 4,454 13,853 7,277 201.6D4 240.689 Year ertd￿ 31 Marth 2024 Motor Vehld81 Offlce EqulpmeTht Computhr Equlpment 25,250 4,679 25.2SO 3,322 8.021 37,949 36,592 CURRENT ASSE75 84nk knunt Deposlt Account Cash In h•nd 24135 6L243 254 3.718 65,195 85,631 69mi 123,580 105,613 HMRC-PAYE NW. Pensbn Acmls 830 322 4216 3,7SI 119.365 ioi Repremnted by:. ACCUMULATED FUND Balance brnu8ht tOTward Excess of expendlbjre over Incom•:. 101,862 17,503 119365 110,174 8,312 The Incoffle funds olthe tharlty Indude £60m whlch ha¥e been set •slde out of unrestrlcted nds by thetntheeK It19 the chartty's poliLyto regard a 8eneral reserve requlremerrt equlvalent to 3 months runnln8 costs of the charftys tharltable and admIThStrat￿ expendlture. INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TrUSTEES OF WALSALL BLACK SISTERS, COLLEcnvE YEAR ENDING 31 MARCH 2024 CHARITY NUMBER 1009657 I report on the accounts for the year ended 31" March 2024 set out on pages 1-3. Respectlve responslbilfties of trustees and examlner The charlvs trustees are responslble for the preparatlon of the accounts In accordance wlth the requlrements of the Charltles Act 2011 {"the ACVI. The charlVs trustees conslder that an audlt Is not requlred for thls year under *ction 144 of the Act and that an Independent examlnatlon Is needed. It Is my responslblllty to: examlne the accounts under sectlon 145 of the Charltles Act to follow the appllcable dlrections given by the Charlty Commlssion {under Sectlon 145(5)(b) and to state whether partlcular matters have corne to my attentlon. Basls of the Independent examlnerfs report My examlnatlon was carrled out In accordan￿ wlth the general Dlrectlons 8lven by the Charlty Commlsslon. An examlnatlon includes a revlew of the accountlng records kept by the charlty and a comparlson of the accounts presented wlth those records. It also Includes conslderatlon of anv unusual Items or dlsclosures In the accounts and seeklng explanations from the trustees concernlng any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provlde all the evldence that would be requlred In an audlt, and consequently no oplnlon Is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and falr vlew, and the report15 Ilmlted to those matters set out In the statements below. Independent examlnerfs ststement In connectlon wSth my examlnatlon, no materlal matters have come to my attentlon whlch glves me cause to belleve that In, any materlal respect.. accountlng records were not kept In accordance with sectlon 130 of the Charltles Act or the accounts do not accord wlth the accountlng records I have no concerns and have come across no other matters In connectlon wlth the examinatlon to whlch attentlon should be drawn in order to enable a proper understandlng of the accounts to be reache Mrs SD Cooke FCCA Dlrector Rlce & Co {Brownhllls) Ltd 90 High Street Brownhills Walsall WS8 6EW 2d2J