2024-03-31-accounts - Queens Park Bangladesh Association

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QUEENS PARK BANGLADESH ASSOCIATION

Registered Charity No. 1033590

CONTENTS Organisation Information Aims & Objective Report of the Management Committee Special Acknowledgment Statement of Financial Activities Independent Examiners Report	PAGE NO
	3 4 6 9 10 12

The trustees submit their report and financial statements for the year ended 31[st] March 2024.

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Annual Report

‘It is our privilege to present to you the financial statements for the year ending 31[st] March 2024. It is exciting to see the commitment of the organisation to adapt to changing and volatile circumstances, whether that be in the local context within which it operates, or in improving its own efficiency. We have secured new funding streams to provide our community support, hope to become stronger in the coming financial year, increase our capacity and continue our services. QPBA would like to express our thanks to all of our funders, donors and supporters who have helped us much with the grants they have given during this successful year.’ we would like to give our thanks to all of our members and organisers who have made this organisation what it is today.’

The Management Committees Board is elected by members to run the organisation on their behalf. QPBA has a total of 3036 (2022-23: 2630) members. A public election was held on November 2023, and the new management committees listed below were elected to take control. Members have the right to attend and vote at General Meetings and can stand for Public Election onto the Management Committee of the organisation.

Previous Board of Trustees all resigned on 12 Nov 2023, ahead of the election.

Shajahan Khan (Chair) Akizun Nazmin Nahar Md Misba Rahman Rabia Khatun Mohibur Rahman Mufti Jaber Uddin Muhammad Abdus Samad Khan Sanu Miah Rahima Khanom Ahmed Sheikh Maruf Ahmed Abu Bakr Siddique (Co-opted) Abdul Hamid Babul Miah Khalid Miah Syed Afzal Ahmed

New Elected Board of Trustees appointed on 12 November 2023

Bulbul Ahmed (Chair) Raful Miah Mohammed Helal Uddin Azad Miah Moinul Islam Moin Mohammed Hussain Abdul Malik MD Al-Aman Shah Mustak Kabir Afsana Aktar (Co-opted) 6 December 2023 Dali Begum Ruman Miah (Co-opted) 6 December 2023 Sorwar Miah MD Shirajul Islam (Co-opted) 6 December 2023

Mohammed Shamshu Miah

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Current Organisation Address

1st Floor, The Stowe Centre 258 Harrow Road London W2 5ES

Previous Address

No.13 Selbourne House 36A Elgin Avenue London W9 3AZ

Bank

NatWest Kilburn High Road Branch 127 Kilburn High Road London NW6 6JL

Our Aim

QUEENS PARK BANGLADESH ASSOCIATION is a non-profit making community-led organisation working for the benefit of residents in North Westminster, Brent and North Kensington. QPBA is a community organisation and democratically accountable organisation, with our members (residents) in control. We organise advice, education, training, recreation services & activities for disadvantaged people to improve community relations, harmony and quality of life.

Our Objective

To ensure all local residents in the area have good access to services including advice, housing, health & wellbeing, employment, education and leisure activities.

To improve access to the range of information and mainstream services.
To increase household income, creating awareness on benefits entitlement.
To increase the knowledge and confidence of young children, to have appropriate support and facilities.
To increase the health, wellbeing and recreation facilities of residents.
To ensure the area is a safe place for Bangladeshi and all local residents.
Reduce isolation preventing access to social networks and peer support.
Ensure QPBA is a well governed, managed and financially secure organisation.

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Trustees’ responsibilities

Company law requires the charity trustees, to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of the affairs of the charity and of the results of the return at the period. In preparing those financial reports, the trustees are required to:

Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
Make judgments and estimates that a are reasonable and prudent;
State whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any materials departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to assume that the company will continue on that basis.

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and enable it to ensure that the financial statements comply with the relevant Act. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps and detect fraud and other irregularities.

Name: Bulbul Ahmed Position: Chairperson B. Ahmed Date: 11 January 2025 Signed:_________

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Foreword from Chair – Bulbul Ahmed

am delighted to welcome you to our annual report for the first time as I begin my role as I Chair of the Board of Trustees. To be part of an organisation renowned for upholding the democracy of the people is an incredibly humbling responsibility. The organisation’s incredible achievements this past year are plain to see and I am thrilled to be elected and the Board to deliver its important mission. Last year, 2023 was an incredibly challenging year and the need for our work here has never been greater. The rising cost of living, tested us all, causing difficulties and hardship for many, particularly those who were already vulnerable and more pressure on the services. I have worked with QPBA throughout my life, over 36 years, and our response to all these crises has been incredible. I know of the complexity and breadth of the Association’s work and have great pride in it. I am looking forward to everything that is to follow in my time as Chair. I want to continue listening to our members, local residents and learn from their experience. I will fight for the issues that are important to you, holding the council, and other organisations accountable for delivering the services that are needed for our community.

I would like to thank my predecessor, Shajahan Khan, our outgoing chair. He has led the QPBA with immense courage and skill over the last 4 years, as the UK have undergone great challenges and crises that have grown in both frequency and complexity.

I wish to congratulate all my colleagues and the previous management committee at Queens Park Bangladesh Association (QPBA) for working so hard in securing the organisation into a stable and trusted charity that has increased its reputation amongst the community, funders and wider stakeholders.

QPBA has always been committed in making a positive difference in the lives of the local Bangladeshi and all ethnic minority groups through our services. All our projects have been very well managed, this has only been possible through hard work and total commitment of our users, staff, volunteers and I thank them all. I believe we now on the right path, our progress in strengthening QPBA, building connections, understanding and trust between the communities.

It is personally satisfying to see parents take on an active role in their children’s health & learning; building and shaping their children’s future. Having well informed, active parents supporting their children in the learning process is so important. This is seen by the outcomes from our enriching Projects.

“It is an enormous honour to be Publicly Elected Chair of Queen’s Park Bangladesh Association. I wish to thank our 3000 members and the Board of Trustees for the faith they have placed in me. I hope to continue to serve the needs of the community.”

I would like to thank my committee members and executive team for their thoughtful contributions. I thank all our funders for their generous support. I hope that with their continued assistance, we will be able to continue to deliver projects and services beneficial for all our community.

Thank you!

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Foreword from the General Secretary – Mohammed Helal Uddin

he past year has been a remarkable period for our Association. Our support to help T people in need and in crisis will always be there, this is the bread and butter of the work of QPBA. Never has our movement of compassion been more necessary and impactful. Our capacity to rally people on such a large scale, drawing together like-minded individuals to support the work of our movement, is extraordinary! I hope that our Association inspires our communities to work together and I believe it is an organisation that offers unique services and prospects to the whole community.

I have been deeply impressed by the way our volunteers and staff have stepped up during this time to offer more people the help and hope they need. At a weekly social session run by our staff and volunteers in Queen’s Park, I saw the real impact they have, as community came together in a safe space to spend time together, share their worries and support each other. I was extremely proud to represent this Association and to explore how we can tackle the most pressing issues confronting our diverse community.

On behalf of the Management Committee, I feel the positive working relationship with the core staff team has helped us grow the organisation's reputation across Westminster and London.

Our record over the recent years will show we have delivered and grown QPBA. The organisation is now in a strong position and we have restored the pride and dignity of QPBA. We are delivering activities and projects that benefit our core group including homework clubs, cultural classes, Bangla mother tongue lessons, sports activities and there are a huge number of people attending each session. The new funding secured in the past years shows that larger funding bodies trust QPBA. The London Youth Quality Mark Bronze award and the Active Westminster Mark are evidence of the improvement to governance, systems, and processes that the senior staff have implemented.

We could not serve the community without the support and generosity of our funders, so I would like to say a big Thank You! We raised a significant amount in the past years to help people in North Westminster and the surrounding areas.

But we must make sure that we are able to be there for all those who need us. The number of people in need is rising all the time, and the rising cost of living will no doubt have an impact on those we help, as well as on our supporters.

We are committed to continuing to develop as an organisation so that our people can thrive and grow despite the turbulent times we find ourselves in.

“These are turbulent times, but we have to emerge from them. It is our challenge to ensure that individuals and families with urgent needs emerge to a better, more equitable, more socially just landscape.”

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Treasurers’ Report – Moinul Moin

It is my privilege to present to you the financial statements for the year ending 31st March 2024. The financial statements have been examined by H&H Accountants London.

Having faced extremely challenging times we are managing to improve QPBA’s reputation and image. We have secured several funding from local and London wide partners to provide more services today.

Upholding the democratic process and working with the core staff, we became stronger and improved our systems and processes. This helped us increase the funding we received from grants. Our core staff and volunteers helped to increase our capacity and deliver more projects.

I would like to express my thanks to all our donors and supporters who have helped us much with the grants they have given during this successful year.

We have focused on using our finances more efficiently and according to the project budget without affecting the quality of the essential services we provide. As QPBA grows, so too should its processes which ensure that information and oversight reflect good practice. This will be a key project on my part

Most of our funding secured is restricted funding so this means it can only be spent on the funding headings in line with the grant agreement. We have worked closely with the core staff to identify the projects needed and they have applied for the funding for these projects. Our knowledge of the community needs has been the reason why all the projects were so successful and the funders and happy with the delivery. Most of our funders have visited our activities monthly for 1 year and were surprised to see many more people than we estimated. That is why the income for the organisation has been increasing every year during our elected period.

I would like to thank the board, members, staff and our executive leadership team for their support and the significant milestone reached. Thank you for all your brilliant contributions. I know that together we will deal with whatever the future brings.

Thank you.

Management Committee’s Statement

We wish to thank all our staff, volunteers and supporters for their contribution which made it possible to keep our service. We are very grateful for all the support given by trusts, foundations, local councils, governments, charities, individuals, and businesses who share our passion, values and ambition to improve. We have two Quality Marks, London Youth Mark & ActiveWestminster Mark. QPBA hopes to continue to provide passion to our work by encouraging more local people to become involved as volunteers and steering groups in our projects.

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Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 March 2024

Income Received Grant/Funding Partner Support Fundraising & Donations Total Income Expenditure Office Cost Staff Salary Activity Cost Sub-contractors Accountancy & Audit Other Expenses Total Expenditure Surplus/Deficit for the Year Balance Brought Forward Balance Carried Forward	Restricted £119,955.00 £119,955.00 £2,726.00 £23,711.00 £92,018.00 £13,876.00 £1,500.00 £0.00 £119,104.00 £0.00 £12,984.00 £12,984.00	Unrestricted £0.00 £0.00 £4,291.00 £4,291.00 £3,440.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £851.00 £5,771.00 £6,622.00	2024 2023 £119,955.00 £54,772.00 £0.00 £1,570.00 £4,291.00 £0.00 £124,246.00 £56,342.00
			£6,166.00 £2,043.00 £23,711.00 £10,683.00 £92,018.00 £34,898.00 £0.00 £7,421.00 £1,500.00 £2,400.00 £0.00 £1,906.00 £123,395.00 £59,351.00
			£851.00 -£3,009.00 £18,755.00 £21,764.00 £19,606.00 £18,755.00

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As at 31 March 2024 Fixed Assets Tangible Assets Current Assets Cash in hand and at Bank Creditors : amounts falling due within one year Total Assets Less Current Liabilities Net Assets Funds: Restricted funds Unrestricted funds: General funds Total Funds	Restricted - £13,835.00 £13,835.00 £0.00 £0.00 £13,835.00 £13,835.00 £13,835.00 £0.00 £13,835.00	Unrestricted - £5,771.00 £5,771.00 £0.00 £0.00 £5,771.00 £5,771.00 £0.00 £5,771.00 £5,771.00	2024 - £19,606.00 £19,606.00 £0.00 £0.00 £19,606.00 £19,606.00 £13,835.00 £5,771.00 £19,606.00	2023 - £18,755.00
				£18,755.00 £0.00
				£0.00
				£18,755.00
				£18,755.00
				£12,984.00 £5,771.00
				£18,755.00

These financial statements were approved by trustees on 11 January 2024 and signed on their behalf by:

B. Ahmed

…………………………………….. Chairperson

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Independent examiner's report

I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Queen's Park Bangladesh Association (the Charity) for the year ended 31 March 2024.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the trustees of the Charity you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act).

I report in respect of my examination of the Charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of 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.

Independent examiner's statement

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:

1 accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 130 of the 2011 Act; or

2 the financial statements do not accord with those records; or

3 the financial statements do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 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.

Date: 11 January 2024 Signed: _________

A M Hussain H&H Accountants London 90 Church Street London NW8 8EX

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