**Charity registration number 1058631**
**Company registration number 3252691 (England and Wales)**
**LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023**
## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION**
|**Trustees**|M Brooks||
|---|---|---|
||A Lake||
||E Mosley||
||C Morris||
||D Namirembe||
||V Scott||
||A Pacrami||
||J Panesar||
||L Clemett|(Appointed 30 October|
|||2022)|
|**Charity number**|1058631||
|**Company number**|3252691||
|**Registered office**|341 Evelyn Street||
||London||
||SE8 5QX||
|**Auditor**|F J Wilde FCCA MBA DChA||
||Warner Wilde||
||4 Marigold Drive||
||Bisley||
||Surrey||
||GU24 9SF||
## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **CONTENTS**
||**Page**|
|---|---|
|Trustees' report|1 - 20|
|Statement of trustees' responsibilities|21|
|Independent auditor's report|22 - 24|
|Statement of financial activities|25 - 26|
|Balance sheet|27|
|Statement of cash flows|28|
|Notes to the financial statements|29 - 47|
## **Charity registration number 1058631**
## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK (LRMN) TRUSTEES’ REPORT**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2023**
## **REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS**
Registered Company Number (England and Wales): 3252691
Registered Charity Number: 1058631
Registered Office: 341 Evelyn Street, SE8 5QX
## **Trustees**
Claire Morris Vicky Scott Diana Fawcett – left 17 January 2023 Aferdita Pacrami Linda Clemett - Treasurer Appointed 30 Jagdev Panesar October 2022 Rossen Roussanov – left 9 August 2022 Mike Brooks Hilary Judge – left 14 November 2022 Adam Lake Craig Hardaker – Appointed 13 December Eve Mosley 2022 and left 17 March 2023 Drucilla Namiremba
## **Auditors’ details**
Warner Wilde Limited
Chartered Certified Accountants and Registered Auditors
Charity and Not for Profit Specialists, Registered in England No. 6923262 4 Marigold Drive, Bisley Surrey GU24 9SF
## **Legal and administrative details**
The Trustee’s annual report and financial statements comply with current statutory requirements, the requirements of the Charitable Company’s governing document and the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) FRS102.
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## **CONTENTS**
1. Welcome from the Interim Chair, CEO and Community
2. Structure, Governance and Management
3. Public Benefit
4. Advocating for people’s rights
5. Campaigning for change
6. Improving Well being
7. Community
8. Emergency Support
9. Behind our Services
10.Financial Overview
11.Acknowledgements
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## **Message from the Interim Chair**
At LRMN we are locally based but our vision is national. As a result, we can’t avoid the increasingly difficult environment that we, our partners, and our communities face. This year, it felt like every time we turned on the news, a new policy decision was made that made life even more difficult for sanctuary seekers.
Although this makes our work more challenging, it also makes it more vital. For many we are a lifeline - one of our clients recently described us a ‘fortress for vulnerable people’. We take huge pride in the work we’re doing to create a safe space for people seeking sanctuary, from giving invaluable advice to improving wellbeing, from meeting urgent needs to campaigning for change.
There have been some wonderful wins this year. The campaigning around the Illegal Migration Bill and the Rwanda Plan has gained significant traction, and I’m sure we will continue to push back through legal avenues and community campaigning. At a local level, we’ve seen a huge increase in engagement in our Borough of Sanctuary campaign, particularly in Greenwich, and engaged in direct work on the Communities Not Camps campaign, ensuring that asylum seeking communities are able to rebuild their lives in safety.
As always, I am grateful to the whole LRMN community for their support, commitment and resilience in the face of a political system that seeks to exhaust us. Rather than giving up, I can see every member of this community continue working for a fair and humane system, one centred around hope and care.
## **Vicky Scott, Interim Chair of Trustees**
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## **Message from the CEO**
This year, we have started charting our path forward as an organisation. As we have come to the end of our 2023 strategic plan, we have been reflecting on our growth, and I am proud of how we have increased our capacity to support people facing the cruelty of a system built to exclude and oppress them. We will always stand by people standing up to an unjust immigration system.
We have also ensured that our services respond directly to the needs of our communities. In addition to our longstanding services, including specialist legal advice on immigration, housing, welfare and support for women survivors of genderbased abuse, we were able to secure funding for new services, as well as continue our campaigning work. We have hired an Access to Healthcare Advisor to support our clients through barriers to healthcare, and we have hired a Service Navigator to guide our community through the different services that we provide, ensuring everyone gets the right help. Last year, in the wake of the emergency in Ukraine, we offered support to newly arrived Ukrainian refugees, ensuring that they were quickly connected to the community and accessed the services they needed, including mental health and well-being support.
More and more people coming through our doors at LRMN are asylum seekers staying in unsuitable accommodation, meaning that we’ve been offering outreach support alongside other partners. As a result, we’ve been working to secure a Legal Aid contract this year. Legal Aid is imperative to ensure people are able to access justice, yet too many people are locked out by cuts to this essential advice. We are thankful to be helping to fill the gap in the service in South East London, but urge the government to take justice seriously and put more funding into Legal Aid.
A huge part of our work this year was done in partnership with Southwark Law Centre and saw us working across six London boroughs to provide support to people who were street homeless.
In the coming year, we will continue to work for our communities, and campaign for sanctuary for all. LRMN truly provides a safe haven for people simply trying to rebuild their lives, and that is down to our wonderful team, the trustees, the volunteers, and our clients, who make LRMN creative, dynamic, joyful, and effective in making real, tangible change.
## **Rosario Guimba-Stewart, LRMN CEO**
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## **Message from our Community**
This year, we have been part of LRMN as campaigners, volunteers, members of groups, and even fundraisers.
Being part of these groups has been a great opportunity. We have been provided with a safe space, a place to upskill, a place to build our confidence, and find solace in each other. We have felt accomplished in being able to work on issues such as migration, mental health, housing, and accessing GP services. This has helped expand our sense of belonging to the LRMN community, as well as strengthened our sense of purpose. For instance, through community organising training and support from LRMN and wider networks, we were able to put questions before the Lewisham councillors on their work around issues such as housing, asylum seekers, and domestic abuse. This has helped us to think about how to approach people in authority and the power we have when we are part of a wider group.
The Women's Group in particular has been a source of great joy for us. It has enabled us to talk about ourselves in a way we never would. For example, this year one of us gave an assembly at a local primary school. Here, we spoke about our experiences as refugees/migrants to the students, and we hope this has changed some of their perceptions.
Of course, all of the fantastic campaigning we do is set against a challenging backdrop. The news on migration is very demoralising, dehumanising and affects our health and overall wellbeing. We feel worried and unsure about our lives and what the future holds. This leads to depression and hopelessness. The different bills passed give us the feeling that we are not wanted, and it is frightening. We appreciate all the help, be it morally, physically, and financially offered by LRMN over this year.
In the coming year, we are hoping that the Women’s Group continues to be that safe space for women and that we at LRMN are able to continue campaigning for change, working with partners and other communities. We are also excited about being able to take on more leadership roles across LRMN - taking ownership over campaigns, leading sessions and supporting LRMN’s governance. We also want to say a huge thank you to LRMN for everything! We’re looking forward to the year ahead!
## **LRMN Campaigners and Women’s Group Members**
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## **1. Structure, Governance and Management**
## **Constitution**
Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network (LRMN) was formed in 1991/92 and was incorporated and became a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee in 1996. It was established under a Memorandum and Articles of Association and is governed under its objects and powers. New updated Articles were adopted on 14[th ] April 2016.
## **Recruitment and Appointment of Board of Trustees**
The management of LRMN is the responsibility of the Board of Trustees who are elected and co-opted under the terms of its Articles of Association.
Under the requirement of the Articles of Association, each Trustee shall be appointed for a fixed term of office. Each fixed term may not exceed three years. Each director whose term of office comes to an end at the end of a fixed term in accordance with these articles is eligible for re-appointment as a director unless he or she has ceased to be eligible for such re-appointment by reason of another provision of these articles. Provided that no director shall be re-appointed for a term which would cause his or her aggregate term of office to exceed 9 years. New Trustees are selected following a formal selection process.
The board aims to ensure that it is diverse, includes service user experience and reflects the communities we serve.
## **Induction and Training of Board of Trustees**
Newly elected Board of Trustees are formally welcomed and provided with a structured induction programme and LRMN information (Welcome Pack). Arrangements are made to meet with staff and current Trustees. On-going training is available to existing and new members.
## **Risk Management**
LRMN regularly carries out detailed risk assessments and addresses every area that is likely to pose a threat to the organisation, Board of Trustees, staff, visitors and users. Risks are divided in two: Strategic Risks which the Board of Trustees regularly review in meetings and Operational Risks which the staff, led by the CEO, examine in managers and staff meetings. Any significant Operational risks are escalated to the Strategic risk register.
## **Organisational structure and the decision making process**
The Board of Trustees meets every quarter and is responsible for the strategic direction of LRMN. Each Trustee is a member of at least one sub-committee namely Finance, Risk and Compliance (FRC), Organisational Development (OD), and Fundraising and Marketing (F&M). Each sub-committee develops a plan for the activities within their remit and these form part of the Board annual plan, progress against which is monitored regularly.
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LRMN employs a CEO who works closely with the Board of Trustees and is responsible for the day to day management of the organisation. We empower refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants facing destitution and vulnerable situations by advocating for their rights, campaigning for change, supporting their wellbeing and offering emergency assistance. Supporting the CEO in her management of the organisation is the Head of Operations, who manages administration staff, volunteers and five team managers. Team managers are responsible for immigration, housing and welfare benefits advice, women’s wellbeing, community wellbeing and mental health and admin and operation. The CEO manages the Finance Manager, Campaigns and Communications Manager and the Fundraising Officer. LRMN also employs a variety of freelance staff, supporting our services.
The 7 managers of LRMN and the CEO form the management team and meet formally every 4-6 weeks. A staff meeting is held every 6 weeks, managers conduct staff supervision meetings every month and staff performance appraisal is held annually.
## **Responsibilities of the Board of Trustees**
Company and charity law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the Trustees (who are also directors of Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network for the purposes of company law) to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give an accurate view of the state of affairs of LRMN and of the surplus or deficit for that period. In preparing those financial statements the Trustees have:
- selected suitable accounting policies and applied them consistently
- observed the methods and principles of charities SORP
- made judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent
- stated whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures
- disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
- prepared the financial statements on an on-going concern basis (unless it is inappropriate to assume that LRMN will continue on that basis).
The Trustees have overall responsibility for ensuring that LRMN has appropriate financial control systems. They are also responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose, with reasonable accuracy at any time, the financial position of LRMN and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. It is also responsible for safeguarding the assets of LRMN and hence for taking reasonable steps for the detection and prevention of fraud and other irregularities.
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## **Members of the Board of Trustees**
Members of the Board of Trustees are directors for the purpose of company law and trustees for the purpose of charity law, who served during the year and up to the date of this report. In so far as the Trustees are aware:
● there is no relevant information of which LRMN’s Auditor is unaware, and
● as the directors of LRMN they have taken all the steps that they ought to have taken in order to make themselves aware of any relevant information and to establish that LRMN’s Auditor is aware of that information.
The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on LRMN’s website.
## **2. Public Benefit**
## **Our Vision**
People from all backgrounds belong and thrive and are treated with respect and dignity in a just and welcoming society.
## **Our Mission**
To enable refugees, asylum seekers and migrants (RASM) to know and exercise their rights, thrive, integrate and engage in activities to bring about change for a better future.
## **Our Values**
Collaborative - We know we are stronger together.
We will involve the people we serve, our team and our partners in designing and delivering our work.
Refugee and Migrant Justice – rights and justice primarily for refugees and migrants are at the heart of everything we do.
Integrity - We will be honest and do the right thing
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion – We are committed to building a community that removes barriers, embraces people from all backgrounds and provides opportunities for them to rebuild their lives."
## **Our Goal**
To reduce poverty, increase inclusion and engagement and improve mental health and well-being amongst the RASM community in London.
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## **Our Strategic Goals**
**Strategic Goal 1** – Effective and Modern Governance, Leadership, Management, Financial and Organisational systems and operations.
**Strategic Goal 2** - Grow and improve our services
**Strategic Goal 3** – Develop and sustain effective and relevant partnerships, collaboration and influence.
**Strategic Goal 4** – Resilient, competent and compassionate workforce
## **Public Benefit Statement**
The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in Section 4 of the Charities Act 2006 to have due regard to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit, ‘Charities and Public Benefit’.
LRMN’s charitable purpose is enshrined in its objects, which include ‘the advancement of education, the furtherance of health and the relief of poverty, distress and sickness’, especially through advice, support and information given to our clients.
The Trustees ensure that this purpose is carried out for the public benefit by delivering services that are valued by our refugee, asylum seeking and migrant clients. These enable those with immigration, housing and welfare and other issues to access the right legal advice, those with health issues, both mental and physical to access the right health services for quality treatment, women who have survived gender-based abuse and men to receive counselling and therapeutic support, and those seeking employment or furthering their skills are supported.
Our services are free, confidential and independent, thanks to the support received from statutory and charitable sources and individual donors.
## **3. Our Achievements**
## **Highlights 2022/23**
1,612 people supported by LRMN
£1,730 hardship funds given
79 digital access support given
1,785 food parcels and vouchers given by LRMN, with 1,530 of these given at the Migrant Hub
243 applications made to regularise immigration status
221 given housing & welfare benefits advice
103 issues resolved for our Resettled Refugee families
162 women & girls supported by women’s project
353 people supported at the Greenwich Migrant Hub
223 people supported to improve their mental health and wellbeing
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## **a. Specialist Legal Advice and Support**
## **Immigration**
We want the immigration system to be fair, transparent and allow people to move on with their lives. Our immigration team works hard to ensure that everyone who walks through our doors can access justice equally and with support, particularly focusing on those who are destitute or homeless. Many of the people we support struggle with mental ill-health, substance abuse issues, or are managing trauma.
This year, we provided 809 people with immigration advice. We were successful with 315 applications - whether this be gaining leave to remain, Home Office fee waivers, or a Change of Conditions, among others. That means hundreds of changes that allow people to feel safer in this country. We made 243 applications to support people to regularise their immigration status, and we are confident that many of these will be successful.
However, with the increased cost of living, the complexity of the immigration system, and the increasing cruelty of the immigration system, we are seeing more people being forced into destitution and homelessness. This year, we supported 135 homeless clients, especially those with complex cases across Lewisham, Bexley, Greenwich and Bromley with our partners, in particular Southwark Law Centre, St Mungos, Thamesreach and the 999 Club.
We give initial advice to asylum seekers including making applications for asylum support; however, with the lack of Legal Aid agencies in South East London, we are often faced with the challenge of taking these cases further. To overcome this, we are seeking to secure a Legal Aid contract, which will enable us to make full representations for asylum seekers and those with more complex cases. With 70% of our clients coming from South East London, this is an imperative step in serving our communities and combating ‘advice deserts’.
As a team and an organisation, we know it’s important to work in collaboration. We are particularly proud of our work with Southwark Law Centre in our sub regional street homeless project. All of our funded projects involve working with fantastic partners and agencies, including CABs in Lewisham and Bexley; Hackney Councils No Recourse to Public Funds Team, and various charities such as Thamesreach, St Mungos, the 999 Club, DePaul UK, and the Peabody Trust.
We will continue to offer support to those who need it the most - providing a vital lifeline to security and stability.
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## **Case Study**
When Tatsu found Miri sleeping in the corridor of her building, she couldn’t imagine what Miri had been through. After hearing her story, Tatsu brough Miri straight to LRMN, where we started our work to support her.
Miri’s in-laws had been threatening her, and she had been experiencing domestic abuse. One day, Miri couldn’t take it anymore and contacted a travel agency to help her get to the UK. She saved all her money to pay the agency for the documents, travel, and accommodation, transferring her life savings. She hoped to secure a good life in the UK, and education for her children.
However, Miri’s host took her money, passport and travel documents and locked them away. Then she made Miri work in the house, unpaid. Miri’s children, who she had prepared for school, were not allowed to leave their bedroom. It was violent, difficult, and exhausting - and one day, she had packed her bags and run, which is when Tatsu had found her.
LRMN immediately secured emergency support and accommodation for Miri and her family, and secured immigration advice from a specialist agency working on modern slavery. As a result, Miri is now on the path to being safely able to stay in the UK, getting the support she needs, and her children are finally able to attend school.
Modern slavery is a common challenge we see at LRMN. With a worsening political environment, and a lack of safe routes, we are deeply concerned about a rise in modern slavery and human trafficking and urge the government to open more routes to settlement.
## **Housing & Welfare Benefits**
Home should be a place of safety and comfort for everyone. However, for too many people seeking sanctuary, this is not a reality. With housing in crisis across the UK, we often see the most complex cases that can take months to resolve. In 2022/23, we supported 221 people with housing and welfare benefits advice.
LRMN client feedback “When I came in [to LRMN], the first words I heard made me feel alive again: ‘We are going to help you.’”
In Greenwich, we run our Migrant Hub, which brings together immigration lawyers, housing advisors, and other specialist organisations, and we have a wonderful group of volunteers who support us to deliver these services. Here, we provide free advice and practical support to refugees, migrants and asylum seekers.
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It is an incredibly valuable service, which allows us to provide a safe, warm space for people, while also providing a hot meal and even Warm Spaces activities that support our communities with the skills to thrive. In 2022/23, we provided information and advice to 357 people at the Migrant Hub, provided 1,530 food parcels and held employment workshops, campaigning spaces, and financial literacy support.
With housing in crisis across the UK, we know that there will be an increased need for our services in the coming year. For us, it’s important that we not only support clients with their urgent needs, but also empower them to know their rights and entitlements and feel empowered to advocate for themselves.
## **Case Study**
Samuel and Ade were both in the middle of GCSEs and A-levels when their parents’ relationship broke down due to domestic abuse. Suddenly, they were homeless, alongside their mum and their brother and sister, evicted with barely enough time to gather their revision notes.
Mum was resourceful and relied on a friend to give them a bed for the night, then presented to the Council for help, fighting the anxiety filling family. However, due to a lack of communication, the brothers and their family were turned away as they didn’t have access to public funds.
In desperation, they came to LRMN - our service navigator immediately took steps to support the family. We were able to support the family into emergency accommodation, find longer term housing, and offer Mum counselling services. The immigration team then took on her case and successfully managed to settle her status! Now, her and her family have more security for the future.
Also, the children can focus on growing up, rather than where they’re sleeping that night. Thanks to Mum’s knowledge, she was able to come to LRMN, where we worked as a team to support Mum back on her feet.
The LRMN team works closely together, but also closely in partnership with others, including our local councils. Taking this approach means we can ensure people get the help they need, while also encouraging our partners to take steps to embed sanctuary for all.
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## **b. Campaigning for Change**
At LRMN, we campaign against the government’s cruel migration policies, and the every day borders that impact people seeking sanctuary in our communities. Instead, we work to build neighbourhoods that are safe for everyone, regardless of their immigration status. Guided by our Community Forum, a group of the LRMN community engaged in campaigning, we work to lobby for policy change, build capacity, and find creative ways to bring down borders in everyday life.
In 2022/23, we focused on progressing the Greenwich Borough of Sanctuary work, preparing the Council to apply for a Council of Sanctuary award. We supported people with lived experience to contribute to Greenwich Council’s new Sanctuary Strategy. In Lewisham, we worked closely with Lewisham’s new Borough of Sanctuary Manager to establish a new vision for Lewisham as it reapplies for Council of Sanctuary status. We also continued working on our housing campaign for everyone to have a safe place to call home.
“I am grateful for the tremendous support in making sure my voice is heard” Member of the Community Forum
We worked with our new Access to Healthcare advisor to our work campaigning for an end to migrant charging in the NHS and accessible healthcare for all. This year, 100% of Lewisham surgeries signed up to the Safe Surgeries scheme. Our clients in the Community Forum ran a secret shopper action to check compliance, while we worked with local Integrated Care Boards and our partners, including Citizens, to eradicate borders to primary healthcare, as well as improve mental health provision in the Borough.
Campaigning also means responding to the urgent needs of our communities. When an asylum hotel closed abruptly in Greenwich this year, we rallied on the front line to support those affected. Alongside other community groups, we put pressure on the Home Office to ensure everyone who wanted to could stay in London, where residents had started building communities and rebuilding their lives.
In the coming year, we’ll continue to build solidarity across our communities and across London, converting pledges and commitments into practical change.
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## **c. Improving Wellbeing**
## **Access to Healthcare**
Despite access to healthcare being central to wellbeing, there remain barriers to accessing this vital service, which had a significant impact on our clients, with many of them struggling with unresolved health conditions which then had a knock on effect for other areas of their lives. Our Access to Healthcare Advisor is a dedicated resource to bring down these barriers.
Across 2022/23, with our new role, we have supported 45 clients with accessing healthcare. This means supporting people to register with a GP, supporting them to fill out documentation, improving their knowledge and confidence, and even supporting them to write off NHS debt.
We know that we need systemic change to ensure that there are no borders in healthcare, so we continue to work with NHS partners, South London’s Integrated Care Boards, and campaigning partners such as Patients Not Passports to build an equitable and accessible healthcare system for all. Further, we’ve trained over 20 clients in our healthcare advocacy guide, encouraging knowledge of healthcare rights and entitlements.
Where clients have come up against barriers in accessing clinical mental health support, we have been working in partnership with our Community Embedded Worker from South London and Maudsley. Through this partnership, we have been able to refer 30 people into mental health support, who would otherwise have struggled to access the support they desperately needed.
## **Lewisham Community Wellbeing**
We know how difficult it can be to access mental health services. That’s why, along with Lewisham, Greenwich and Bromley MIND and others, we provide culturally specific support for Lewisham residents. Our non-clinical service supports refugees, asylum seekers and migrants from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds. In 2022/23, we supported over 190 clients to improve their mental health and wellbeing through this project.
## **Supporting Women’s* Wellbeing**
Our Women Together project supports survivors of violence against women and girls to rebuild their networks, develop their confidence and access their rights and entitlements. Our service provides therapeutic support as well as a weekly peer support group, which brings women together to develop new skills, improve their wellbeing, and build resilience and independence. Over 2022/23, 163 women reported having positive experiences with the LRMN Women Together project.
Through this service, 41 women and girls have received counselling, with over 55 women attending our women’s group meetings. This year, we had guests such as the Big Issue Group and Citizens UK, supporting the women with a wide range of skills, including developing employability skills, managing finances, and engaging in public
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speaking and community organising. Some of the women’s group even became group facilitators, leading conversations on mental health both in the group and in local politics, challenging local politicians to commit to improving mental health and healthcare provisions across Lewisham and South London.
Over the summer of 2022, we ran summer activities for 16 women and 25 children, providing a space for mothers and their children to have fun, and take the pressure off childcare during the summer holidays.
Women involved in the group told us “Counselling was very helpful to me because I was able to say my mind. When you have everything bottled up in your mind you don’t know what you’ll do.” Another said “[At the Women’s Group] you meet people and interact instead of staring at the wall or television or the same thing by yourself every day. I enjoy getting close to people.”
“[When you come to LRMN’s women’s group] You know you’re not alone and some people are going through what you’re going through. When you joke things out you feel relieved. When you talk, you have relief.”
• LRMN Client
*Note: Please be aware that LRMN values inclusion. Therefore, when we refer to “women”, we are referring to any person who identifies as a woman.
## **Men’s Wellbeing**
We offer a small but mighty clinical counselling service for men at LRMN, working with people who are often locked out of the traditional routes to mental health support. This allows us to support men to alleviate complex mental health challenges across 2022/23.
## **Case Study**
Yen had to leave her country because of her political beliefs, which put her at risk of persecution. She and her two young children left their country, but not before she had experienced imprisonment and torture. She had also lost her husband and other family members in the violence.
Though she had initially approached us, Yen found it difficult to open up and it took several months of reaching out for her to build the confidence to come to our counselling service. Yen told us about how lonely she felt - with no friends in the UK - and the fear she had to deal with every day.
We offered Yen counselling, which we extended because of the support she needed, recognising the need to work flexibly where we can. She attended every single one of her sessions, and reported feeling much more comfortable and capable of managing her mental health. She finally felt she was able to start thinking and planning for the future, rather than finding ways to avoid the terror in her past.
Now, Yen is starting to improve her English and is building up a support network. We
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know that mental health is often undervalued as a need for people rebuilding their lives, which is why our counselling sessions for survivors of domestic abuse are central to our work.
## **d. Community Connections**
For sanctuary seeking communities, isolation can be a significant challenge. That ’s why we help to rebuild support networks.
Part of this is support for the families on resettlement pathways living in Lewisham.
In partnership with Lewisham Council and Refugee Council, we have delivered support to 175 people from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts of the Middle East and North Africa. Across this year, we helped to resolve 103 issues brought to our team - resolving issues with housing and social engagement so our families could focus on getting on with their lives. We have been working to support Lewisham to achieve its aim of resettling 100 families in the borough.
Our Building People, Changing Minds scheme, in partnership with Lewisham Local and Lewisham Speaking Up, connected around 10 members of the LRMN community up with volunteering placements across Lewisham and surrounding areas. Through this programme, over a dozen employers took part in training to make their workplaces more accessible, embedding sanctuary across our community.
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When Delilah came to LRMN, she was struggling with low confidence. Having experienced gender-based abuse, she was determined to rebuild her life in the UK and to prove to herself that she could take ownership back over her life. Despite her professional background, she often felt isolated in the UK and was anxious about her standard of English.
After joining our women's activities, she was introduced to Building People, Changing Minds. She signed up to become a volunteer at a number of events in Lewisham and took part in Employment and Sanctuary training run by LRMN.
During her placements, her confidence blossomed. She was able to practise her English and bring out the professional skills she had cultivated over the years. With this newfound confidence, she was able to encourage a local institution to commit to becoming a place of sanctuary, and has become a real advocate for volunteering in the community.
Now, she plans to take on more volunteering in the Borough in order to continue developing her connections across Lewisham, improving her mental health through social connection.
Many of those who walk through the doors of LRMN feel socially isolated, like they’re alone in the journey here. We work to break down those barriers, supporting people to build their communities back up.
## **e. Emergency Support**
Sometimes, when people come to LRMN, they are in moments of extreme crisis. Given the increasingly hostile environment, and the difficulties of economic uncertainty, we have seen more and more of our community in need.
To alleviate this, we provided 1,785 food parcels and vouchers to those in need. We also gave away £1,730 of hardship funds, supporting mothers to buy formula and nappies for children, enabling people to pay for transport for urgent medical appointments and buying medication. Enabling digital inclusion, we gave away 26 laptops and provided 53 different kinds of digital support, including giving out mobile phones and paying for data for people who came through LRMN’s doors.
“My sincere gratitude, LRMN gave me food to eat, put a roof over my head, clothed me when I was naked. Forever, the story of my life, when my stay is sorted, will never be fulfilled without mentioning your caring organisation.”
- Client quote
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## **4. Behind our services**
## **Organisational Health**
We know that many of the people that come through our doors are facing overlapping challenges. That’s why this year we introduced our ‘Service Navigator’ role. This person helps our community to identify the right services for them, and in which priority they might need to access them. This has had a huge impact on being able to offer wraparound support and guide our clients through our organisation.
As our Strategic Plan has come to an end, we have been reflecting on our work and our plans to continue being one of the leading charities for sanctuary seekers in South East London. We want to continue being able to raise our capacity to support our communities, while also raising awareness of the injustices faced by people seeking sanctuary and advocating for change. This has been at the heart of generating our Strategic Plan for the next five years.
We are committed to ensuring that our workforce is equitable, diverse, and inclusive. As such, we’ve been taking steps to produce a new EDI strategy, ensuring that LRMN is a place where everyone – our clients, staff and volunteers – can be their authentic self and fulfil their potential.
## **5. Financial Overview**
The Trustees have a responsibility for ensuring the financial health of LRMN. A quarterly meeting of the Finance, Risks and Compliance committee provides an opportunity for detailed examination of the annual budget, regular reviews of the financial position of the charity and to examine the financial implications of any changes that may occur during the year. The committee’s findings and any recommendations are reported to the full Board of Trustees meeting for decision. Despite the continuing economic challenges and the hostile environment in which we work, we are pleased to say that our income streams in 2022/23 were maintained at a similar level to 2021/22. Total income was £1,204,481 in the year ending 31st March 2023 compared to £1,082,693 in the year ending 31st March 2022, and total expenditure was £1,067,178 in the year ended 31st March 2023 compared to £913,179 in the year ended 31st March 2022. Overall LRMN activities in the financial year 22/23 resulted in an increase of £137,303 in total funds held compared with an increase of £169,514 in 2021/22 and these funds are held as reserves.
At the end of the year the general reserve increased to £600,518 and represents 7 months of expenditure in line with the reserves policy of holding three to nine months to manage the day-to-day activities of the charity. The three designated reserves did not change in the year and are held at £175,000, for (a) staffing costs in the event of an unplanned income loss (£100,000), (b) premises costs associated in the event of an unplanned income loss (£15,000), and (c updating office equipment (£60,000). The restricted reserves increased from £242,258 at the start of the year to £268,896 at the end of the year and they will be carried over to 2023/24, and spent on the various purposes for which they were donated.
18
## **Principal funding sources**
The principal funding sources were London Borough of Bexley CAB, Trust for London, Bromley Lewisham & Greenwich Mind, Refugee Council, The Charity of Sir Richard Whittington, Ben & Jerry's Foundation Fund - A Tides Foundation Fund, London Borough of Lewisham, Greenwich Council, London Borough of Hackney, Oak Foundation, DePaul UK, Peabody Community Foundation, Allen & Overy Foundation, Henry Smith Charity, City Bridge Trust, Community Justice Fund, AB Charitable Trust, Goldsmith University of London, LandAid Charitable Trust, GLA – Rough Sleeping Response, GLA - IARSF, Lloyds Bank Foundation for England & Wales, The National Lottery Community Fund, London Legal Support Trust.
We are very grateful for all the funding received which has enabled us to continue to support our clients and deliver our services.
## **Reserves Policy**
The Trustees have an amended policy whereby the unrestricted funds not committed or invested in tangible fixed assets (the free reserves) held by LRMN should be between three and nine months of annual expenditure. At this level, the Trustees feel that they would be able to continue the current activities in the event of significant drop in funding, providing flexibility in achieving our objectives or covering our liabilities if LRMN is to be closed down. The current level of £759,127 free reserves is in the range of the above policy.
The Trustees recognise that this year, the designated reserves levels provide for redundancy costs to meet contractual obligations, and premises costs in the event of a wind down and a further reserve for equipment updating. The £600,518 of general unrestricted funds provides a sensible buffer against any short term funding for a strategically important service while we continue to look for replacement funding.
The Trustees review this policy in accordance with the Charity Commission’s guidelines on a regular basis, at least once a year.
## **6. Acknowledgements**
Without the support of so many important people and organisations, we would not be the organisation that we are today. We would like to extend a special thank you to the following:
- To all our funders and corporate donors for your continued support and trust placed in us
- Ades Cash & Carry, Fareshare, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Greggs and Perry Rise Baptist Church for their regular food donations
- Bench Outreach for letting us use their training room free of charge for our meetings.
19
## **THANK YOU**
LRMN is extremely grateful to our funders, volunteers, staff, trustees and clients for supporting us as we provide vital services. It is the generosity, hard work, and commitment of our community that allows us to respond to the needs of refugees, migrants and sanctuary seekers across London.
The Trustees are satisfied that Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network is well placed to fulfil these and its overall purposes.
## **Declaration**
The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees Report above. Signed on behalf of the Trustees
……………………………………………..
Trustee…………………………………. Vicky Scott
16 November 2023 Date……………………………………..
20
## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES' RESPONSIBILITIES**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023**_
The trustees, who are also the directors of Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network for the purpose of company law, are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company Law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year.
In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
- 21 -
## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT**
## **TO THE TRUSTEES OF LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **Opinion**
We have audited the financial statements of Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network (the ‘charity’) for the year ended 31 March 2023 which comprise the statement of financial activities, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 _The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland_ (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice) .
In our opinion, the financial statements:
- give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company's affairs as at 31 March 2023 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, for the year then ended;
- have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
- have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
## **Basis for opinion**
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the _Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements_ section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
## **Conclusions relating to going concern**
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
## **Other information**
The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
- 22 -
## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT (CONTINUED) TO THE TRUSTEES OF LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **Matters on which we are required to report by exception**
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 require us to report to you if, in our opinion:
- the information given in the financial statements is inconsistent in any material respect with the trustees' r eport; or
- sufficient accounting records have not been kept; or
- the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records; or
- we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.
## **Responsibilities of trustees**
As explained more fully in the s tatement of trustees' r esponsibilities, the trustees, who are also the directors of the charity for the purpose of company law, are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
## **Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements**
We have been appointed as auditor under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with the Act and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder.
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below .
Our approach to identifying and assessing the risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, was as follows:
the engagement partner ensured that the engagement team collectively had the appropriate competence, capabilities and skills to identify or recognise non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
we identified the laws and regulations applicable to the charity through discussions with trustees and other management, and from our knowledge and experience of the charity sector;
we focused on specific laws and regulations which we considered may have a direct material effect on the financial statements or the operations of the charity, the Charities Act 2011, taxation legislation, data protection, employment, environmental and health and safety legislation;
we assessed the extent of compliance with the laws and regulations identified above through making enquiries of management; and
identified laws and regulations were communicated within the audit team regularly and the team remained alert to instances of non-compliance throughout the audit.
We assessed the susceptibility of the company’s financial statements to material misstatement, including obtaining an understanding of how fraud might occur, by:
making enquiries of management as to where they considered there was susceptibility to fraud, their knowledge of actual, suspected and alleged fraud;
considering the internal controls in place to mitigate risks of fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations; and
- 23 -
LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NEfwoRK
INDEPENDENT AUDrroR'S REPORT (CONTINUED)
TO THE TRUSTEES OF LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK
l•sllng contro15 With walk through PToc8dLYeS and substanlwe transxtion testiThJ'.
To addr8&Y the rf3k of fraud through management bias and override of controlB, we:
porfomod anotytical pro¢odur8s to hlgntify any unuwol or unexpected relationships:
tg¥tgd loumal entries to Klgntfy unuBual transac*ons',
assessed whethef Jud•nts and a5sumptkn8 mgdg In detgnnlnkng any ocxy)unllrvJ gsumgtes wgrg IThJlcat?
ol potential bias:
Invosogatod the raonakn b•hlnd SIgnCnI or unusual tr•n8acllon8; and
In T¢$pon8e lo the rf8k of Irr•gulartti88 and nLYKompllan(x wllh laws and rngUbttS. deslgnad prdUr•S
which included, bul ware nol kmitad to:
agr66lng financlal 8tatsment dlsc408ure8 to undertying 8upporting documentslion;
reading the minutes of meetings of Iho$8 thgrg&d with gOVnc*..
8nqulrtng of manag8mnt 0$ to o¢lual polwtw lrtlgatkffj ¥nd dalms:
vtewlng corre8poTrJence wtth HMRC and relevant regulators a3 the Charty CommlBl8On
There are Inhefenl 11ThtatIOnS In our audrt procedures descdbed atove. Th8 more removed that laws And
ragulatlons aro from finandal transath. the Ilkely tt L8 thal we %*wld bgcw• awaro ol rK)n-C4Jnpll9n.
AudlJng Stsndards 8180 Ilmlt the èudil prcr*dure8 Tequired to Identify nonwC£)mplian¢e with laws and regulafjon8
to enqufy of the dlre(*orn and olher management and Ihe inspeca1 of regulatory *al (JJrreSpondera.11
Matarial mis$t8tsmgnts that ar1 to fr8ud Can b• hard•r to d•t•¢¢ thgn thoso thgt •rlse from error Js they
may Invofve dellborale conce8kn8nt N llu¢)n.
A fUrtr descrtpllon of our responsibilitl¥s 1$ 8v8llablg on thg Flnanaal Rgpthng Coyndl's w8bs¢lg 01.. htt..1/
www.frc.org.ukJaudttor8fosF4)n81blllUe8. TNS d88cdptk*n fomis part olour audrtorfs repo
Us• ol our r•port
This roptsrt 18 mado sOty to th• compan8 momb•rn, as • btr*, in accordan vAth 8•cllon 391 of th•
Companies Act 2014. ()Jr audit work has been urKlertaken so that we mlght slale lo the company's members
those matters we ar8 roqulr8d to state to th8m In an audStorfs r8port and for no other purpose. To tho f1&81
extent perniitted by Low. we do not accopt or assuma responsibiltty to any¢M8 other than tho company and tha
oomponls membor8 a8 a body. for our ajIt for thls or for th• oplnlons wo hav• fomi•d.
F J Wlld•
For and an b•h•lf of Wam•rWlld•
chartOr Cortlfled Accountants
St•tutory Audftor
Ib lo is
W8mer Wildtr
4 Marigobj Drlv•
Bisley
Surr9y
GU24 9SF
F J Wmde FCCA MBA DChA 1$ efvJible 8pw)irknent as auditor of the tharity by vlrtue of Its ellglblllty
appoinknant as audltor of a rA)mpany under set*M 1212 of the CompaniesAct 2006.
-24-
## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023**_
|**Current financial year**
**Unrestricted Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**funds**
**funds**
**general d esignated**
**2023**
**2023**
**2023**
**Notes**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**Income and endowments from:**
Donations and legacies
**3**
183,029
-
1,005,015
Charitable activities
**4**
-
-
-
Other trading activities
**5**
576
-
-
Investments
**6**
3,879
-
-
Other income
**7**
11,982
-
-
**Total income**
199,466
-
1,005,015
**Expenditure on:**
Charitable activities
Immigration
**8**
40,056
-
324,382
Campaign and Advocacy
**8**
2,574
-
119,646
Refugee Resettlement
**8**
36,918
-
196,777
Mental Health
**8**
1,282
-
89,519
Housing and Welfare
**8**
12,912
-
54,095
Women Together
**8**
5,147
-
70,687
Other projects
**8**
25,021
-
86,660
**Total charitable expenditure**
123,910
-
941,766
Other
**12**
1,502
-
-
**Total expenditure**
125,412
-
941,766
**Net incoming resources before transfers**
74,054
-
63,249
Gross transfers between funds
**17**
36,611
-
(36,611)
**Net income for the year/**
**Net movement in funds**
110,665
-
26,638
Fund balances at 1 April 2022
489,853
175,000
242,258
**Fund balances at 31 March 2023**
600,518
175,000
268,896|**Total**
**2023**
**£**
1,188,044
-
576
3,879
11,982
1,204,481
364,438
122,220
233,695
90,801
67,007
75,834
111,681
1,065,676
1,502
1,067,178
137,303
-
137,303
907,111
1,044,414|**Total**
**2022**
**£**
1,064,183
14,742
1,415
2,353
-
1,082,693
302,814
124,664
104,410
101,611
55,052
77,391
145,072
911,014
2,165
913,179
169,514
-
169,514
737,597
907,111|
|---|---|---|
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
The statement of financial activities also complies with the requirements for an income and expenditure account under the Companies Act 2006.
- 25 -
## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (CONTINUED) INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023**_
## **Prior financial year**
|**Unrestricted Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**funds**
**funds**
**general d esignated**
**2022**
**2022**
**2022**
**Notes**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**Income and endowments from:**
Donations and legacies
**3**
148,439
-
915,744
Charitable activities
**4**
14,742
-
-
Other trading activities
**5**
1,415
-
-
Investments
**6**
2,353
-
-
**Total income**
166,949
-
915,744
**Expenditure on:**
Charitable activities
Immigration
**8**
3,624
-
299,190
Campaign and Advocacy
**8**
566
-
124,098
Refugee Resettlement
**8**
1,416
-
102,994
Mental Health
**8**
1,699
-
99,912
Housing and Welfare
**8**
1,132
-
53,920
Women Together
**8**
1,036
-
76,355
Other projects
**8**
4,019
-
141,053
**Total charitable expenditure**
13,492
-
897,522
Other
**12**
2,165
-
-
**Total expenditure**
15,657
-
897,522
**Net incoming resources before transfers**
151,292
-
18,222
Gross transfers between funds
(1,715)
-
1,715
**Net income for the year/**
**Net movement in funds**
149,577
-
19,937
Fund balances at 1 April 2021
340,276
175,000
222,321
**Fund balances at 31 March 2022**
489,853
175,000
242,258|**Total**
**2022**
**£**
1,064,183
14,742
1,415
2,353
1,082,693
302,814
124,664
104,410
101,611
55,052
77,391
145,072
911,014
2,165
913,179
169,514
-
169,514
737,597
907,111|
|---|---|
- 26 -
## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **BALANCE SHEET**
## _**AS AT 31 MARCH 2023**_
|**Notes**
**Fixed assets**
Tangible assets
**13**
**Current assets**
Debtors
**14**
Cash at bank and in hand
**Creditors: amounts falling due within**
**one year**
**15**
Net current assets
**Total assets less current liabilities**
**Income funds**
Restricted funds
**17**
Unrestricted funds
Designated funds
**18**
General unrestricted funds|**2023**
**£**
**£**
16,391
34,686
1,140,175
1,174,861
(146,838)
1,028,023
1,044,414
268,896
175,000
600,518
775,518
1,044,414|**2022**
**£**
**£**
18,980
94,965
915,662
1,010,627
(122,496)
888,131
907,111
242,258
175,000
489,853
664,853
907,111|
|---|---|---|
The company is entitled to the exemption from the audit requirement contained in section 477 of the Companies Act 2006, for the year ended 31 March 2023, although an audit has been carried out under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011.
The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 with respect to accounting records and the preparation of financial statements.
The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements under the requirements of the Companies Act 2006, for the year in question in accordance with section 476.
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.
## 14 November 2023
The financial statements were approved by the Trustees on .........................
.............................. V Scott **Trustee**
**Company registration number 3252691**
- 27 -
## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023**_
|**Notes**
**Cash flows from operating activities**
Cash generated from operations
**21**
**Investing activities**
Purchase of tangible fixed assets
Proceeds on disposal of tangible fixed
assets
Investment income received
**Net cash used in investing activities**
**Net cash used in financing activities**
**Net increase in cash and cash equivalents**
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year
**Cash and cash equivalents at end of year**|**2023**
**£**
**£**
225,146
(3,010)
(1,502)
3,879
(633)
-
224,513
915,662
1,140,175|**2022**
**£**
**£**
182,130
(5,485)
-
2,353
(3,132)
-
178,998
736,664
915,662|
|---|---|---|
- 28 -
**LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023**_
## **1 Accounting policies**
## **Charity information**
Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is 341 Evelyn Street, London, SE8 5QX.
## **1.1 Accounting convention**
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity'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 charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling , which is the functional currency of the charity . Monetary a mounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, [modified to include the revaluation of freehold properties and to include investment properties and certain financial instruments at fair value]. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
## **1.2 Going concern**
At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity 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.
## **1.3 Charitable funds**
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors 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.
Endowment funds are subject to specific conditions by donors that the capital must be maintained by the charity.
## **1.4 Income**
Income is recognised when the charity is legally entitled to it after any performance conditions have been met, the amounts can be measured reliably, and it is probable that income will be received.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity 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.
Legacies are recognised on receipt or otherwise if the charity has been notified of an impending distribution, the amount is known, and receipt is expected. If the amount is not known, the legacy is treated as a contingent asset.
- 29 -
## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023**_
## **1 Accounting policies**
**(Continued)**
## **1.5 Expenditure**
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.
## **1.6 Tangible fixed assets**
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:
Fixtures, fittings and equipment
20% Reducing Balance
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 .
## **1.7 Impairment of fixed assets**
At each reporting end date, the charity 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 ) .
## **1.8 Cash and cash equivalents**
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.
## **1.9 Financial instruments**
The charity 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 charity 's balance sheet when the charity 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**_
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.
- 30 -
## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023**_
## **1 Accounting policies**
## **(Continued)**
## _**Basic financial liabilities**_
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans 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 p aymen ts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts 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 creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
## _**Derecognition of financial liabilities**_
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity ’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
## **1.10 Employee benefits**
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 charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
## **1.11 Retirement benefits**
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
## **2 Critical accounting estimates and judgements**
In the application of the charity’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.
## **3 Donations and legacies**
|**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**funds**
**general**
**2023**
**2023**
**£**
**£**
Donations and gifts
12,052
-
Grants
170,977
1,005,015
183,029
1,005,015|**Total**Unrestricted
funds
general
**2023**
2022
**£**
£
12,052
14,663
1,175,992
133,776
1,188,044
148,439|Restricted
funds
2022
£
-
915,744
915,744|Total
2022
£
14,663
1,049,520
1,064,183|
|---|---|---|---|
- 31 -
## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023**_
|**3**
**Donations and legacies**
**Grants receivable for**
**core activities**
AB Charitable Trust
Bromley Lewisham
Greenwich Mind/
Community Wellbeing
City Bridge Trust
GLA Funding - Covid 19
- Rough Sleeping
Response
The Refugee Council
Oak Foundation
Advice Lewisham/ LBL
Core
The Charity of Sir
Richard Whittington
The Big Lottery
Trust for London -
Housing & Welfare
Other|20,000
-
-
-
-
50,000
50,000
28,000
-
-
22,977
170,977|-
125,950
-
25,746
164,124
34,399
21,000
-
-
50,000
583,796
1,005,015|20,000
125,950
-
25,746
164,124
84,399
71,000
28,000
-
50,000
606,773
1,175,992|24,000
-
-
-
-
12,776
-
28,000
-
-
69,000
133,776|**(Continued)**
-
24,000
97,460
97,460
42,300
42,300
77,237
77,237
104,467
104,467
86,487
99,263
36,000
36,000
-
28,000
71,810
71,810
25,000
25,000
374,983
443,983
915,744
1,049,520|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
'Other' includes:
2023 Unrestricted: London Legal Support Trust £12,851; The 29th of May 1961 Charitable Trust £4,000; Goldsmith University Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) £3,000 and Lloyds Bank Foundation for England & Wales £2,250.
2023 Restricted: Allen & Overy Foundation £10,000; Ben & Jerry's Foundation £19,333; Community Justice Fund £4,662; DePaul UK £68,750; GLA £18,000; Greenwich Council £29,638; Henry Smith - Access to Healthcare £29,175; Henry Smith - Improving Lives £59,075;London Borough of Lewisham - ILR service £47,946; Landlaid Charitable Trust £5,000;London Borough of Lewisham - NCIL £33,326; London Borough of Lewisham - Ukraine Fund £33,333; Lewisham Homes £2,500; Lewisham - Local Essential Grant £5,000; LLST £52,654; London Borough of Bexley CAB/TFL £30,000; London Borough or Hackney £31,722; Awards for All £2,500; Peabody - Community Advice £24,678; Phoebe Centre £5,875; GLA £62,387; Royal Borough of Greenwich - Ukraine Small Grants £2,991; Royal Borough of Greenwich - Warm Spaces £2,961; Asda £1,440; London Refugee Churches Fund £850.
2022: Award for All £8,396; NLCF Therapeutic Leadership for Women £7,500; Ben & Jerry's Foundation Fund - Tides Covid-19 support £5,000; Access to Justice - Community Justice - Funder Plus £392; NHS Covid-19 Event Funding £720; London Refugee Churches Fund £1,500; Hack Foundation £250 and Donate for Refugees £361.
- 32 -
## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023**_
## **4 Charitable activities**
||**Charitable**|**Charitable**|
|---|---|---|
||**Income**|**Income**|
||**2023**|**2022**|
||**£**|**£**|
|Other income|-|14,742|
## **5 Other trading activities**
|||**Unrestricted**|Unrestricted|
|---|---|---|---|
|||**funds**|funds|
|||**general**|general|
|||**2023**|2022|
|||**£**|£|
||Fundraising events|576|1,415|
|**6**|**Investments**|||
|||**Unrestricted**|Unrestricted|
|||**funds**|funds|
|||**general**|general|
|||**2023**|2022|
|||**£**|£|
||Interest receivable|3,879|2,353|
|**7**|**Other income**|||
|||**Unrestricted**|Total|
|||**funds**||
|||**general**||
|||**2023**|2022|
|||**£**|£|
||Sundry income|11,982|-|
- 33 -
## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023**_
## **8 Charitable activities**
|**Immigration**
**Campaign**
**and Advocacy**
**Refugee**
**Resettlement**
**2023**
**2023**
**2023**
**£**
**£**
**£**
Staff costs
240,850
80,602
156,519
Depreciation and impairment
1,047
323
766
Destitution expenses
-
-
-
Staff expenses and training
2,968
363
1,941
Project costs
20,562
4,351
4,789
Premises
9,888
5,356
5,316
Office costs
8,721
5,439
4,202
284,036
96,434
173,533
Share of support costs (see note 9)
75,698
24,336
56,721
Share of governance costs (see note 9)
4,704
1,450
3,441
364,438
122,220
233,695
**Analysis by fund**
Unrestricted funds - general
40,056
2,574
36,918
Restricted funds
324,382
119,646
196,777
364,438
122,220
233,695|**Mental**
**Health**
**Housing**
**and Welfare**
**2023**
**2023**
**£**
**£**
59,905
43,308
270
241
-
-
2,214
431
1,250
6,208
3,810
1,818
2,110
721
69,559
52,727
20,027
13,198
1,215
1,082
90,801
67,007
1,282
12,912
89,519
54,095
90,801
67,007|**Women**
**Together**
**2023**
**£**
44,016
209
-
782
8,881
2,831
2,669
59,388
15,505
941
75,834
5,147
70,687
75,834|**Other**
**projects**
**2023**
**£**
33,772
263
-
3,196
35,727
1,875
3,464
78,297
32,200
1,184
111,681
25,021
86,660
111,681|**Total**
**2023**
**£**
658,972
3,119
-
11,895
81,768
30,894
27,326
813,974
237,685
14,017
1,065,676
123,910
941,766
1,065,676|**Total**
**2022**
**£**
612,371
3,536
1
-
103,706
21,587
13,306
754,507
148,478
8,029
911,014
13,492
897,522
911,014|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
- 34 -
## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023**_
## **8 Charitable activities**
**(Continued)**
"Other" includes Destitution & Community; Migrant Hub; LLST Cost of Living advice. Please refer to Restricted Funds note 17 and the Donations and Legacies note 3 for more detailed information regarding income and expenditure relating to these activities.
## **For the year ended 31 March 2022**
|**Immigration Campaign and**
**Advocacy**
**Refugee**
**Resettlement**
**£**
**£**
**£**
Staff costs
214,360
85,478
85,048
Depreciation and impairment
987
211
528
Destitution expenses
1
-
-
Project costs
40,460
22,177
1,030
Premises
3,781
4,210
273
Office costs
3,592
2,233
1,327
263,181
114,309
88,206
Share of support costs (see note 9)
35,895
10,000
15,316
Share of governance costs (see note 9)
3,738
355
888
302,814
124,664
104,410
**Analysis by fund**
Unrestricted funds - general
3,624
566
1,416
Restricted funds
299,190
124,098
102,994
302,814
124,664
104,410|**Mental**
**Health**
**Housing**
**and Welfare**
**Women**
**Together**
**Other**
**projects**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
76,030
53,535
38,179
59,741
633
422
386
369
-
-
-
-
1,385
961
17,985
19,708
2,008
1,589
6,679
3,047
509
924
2,512
2,209
80,565
57,431
65,741
85,074
19,980
(3,089)
11,000
59,376
1,066
710
650
622
101,611
55,052
77,391
145,072
1,699
1,132
1,036
4,019
99,912
53,920
76,355
141,053
101,611
55,052
77,391
145,072|**Total**
**2022**
**£**
612,371
3,536
1
103,706
21,587
13,306
754,507
148,478
8,029
911,014
13,492
897,522
911,014|
|---|---|---|
- 35 -
## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023**_
## **8 Charitable activities (Continued)**
"Other" includes Destitution & Community; Migrant Hub; LLST Cost of Living advice. Please refer to Restricted Funds note 17 and the Donations and Legacies note 3 for more detailed information regarding income and expenditure relating to these activities.
- 36 -
## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023**_
## **9 Support costs**
|**Support**
**costs**
**Governance**
**costs**
**£**
**£**
Staff costs
213,570
-
Depreciation
978
-
Finance & admin:
Project costs
1,935
-
Finance & admin:
Premises
2,620
-
Finance & admin: Office
costs
11,917
-
Finance & admin: Other
costs
-
-
Sundry expenses
6,666
-
Audit fees
-
8,190
Legal and professional
-
5,827
237,686
14,017
Analysed between
Charitable activities
237,685
14,017|**2023**
**£**
213,570
978
1,935
2,620
11,917
-
6,666
8,190
5,827
251,703
251,702|Support
costs
Governance
costs
£
£
140,308
-
-
-
4,709
-
1,548
-
326
-
1,003
-
585
-
-
8,029
-
-
148,479
8,029
148,478
8,029|2022
£
140,308
-
4,709
1,548
326
1,003
585
8,029
-
156,508
156,507|
|---|---|---|---|
Governance costs includes an accrual of £6,825 plus VAT for the preparation and audit of the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 (2022: includes payments to the auditors of £ 3,613 for the audit fees for the 31 March 2021 accounts and an accrual of £6745 plus VAT for the preparation of the accounts and audit thereon of the 31 March 2022 accounts).
## **10 Trustees**
None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration or benefits from the charity during the year.
## **11 Employees**
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
|Management
Immigration
Advisory
Finance and Administration
Total|**2023**
**Number**
2
9
10
3
24|**2022**
**Number**
2
10
10
3
25|
|---|---|---|
- 37 -
## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023**_
|**11**
**Employees**
**Employment costs**
Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Other pension costs|**(Continued)**
**2023**
**2022**
**£**
**£**
775,519
675,345
68,237
62,774
28,786
14,560
872,542
752,679|
|---|---|
The total cost to the charity of Key Management Personnel (which is defined as the Senior Leadership Team), is £116,624 (2022: £106,282). This includes gross salaries, employer's national insurance and employer's pension contributions.
The number of employees whose annual remuneration was more than £60,000 is as follows:
|||**2023**|**2022**|
|---|---|---|---|
|||**Number**|**Number**|
||60,001 - 70,000|1|1|
|**12**|**Other**|||
|||**Unrestricted**|Unrestricted|
|||**funds**|funds|
|||**general**|general|
|||**2023**|2022|
||Net loss on disposal of tangible fixed assets|1,502|2,165|
|||1,502|2,165|
- 38 -
## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023**_
|**13**|**Tangible fixed assets**||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
||||**Fixtures, fittings and equipment**||
|||||**£**|
||**Cost**||||
||At 1 April 2022|||31,756|
||Additions|||3,010|
||Disposals|||(2,347)|
||At 31 March 2023|||32,419|
||**Depreciation and impairment**||||
||At 1 April 2022|||12,776|
||Depreciation charged in the year|||4,097|
||Eliminated in respect of disposals|||(845)|
||At 31 March 2023|||16,028|
||**Carrying amount**||||
||At 31 March 2023|||16,391|
||At 31 March 2022|||18,980|
|**14**|**Debtors**||||
||||**2023**|**2022**|
||**Amounts falling due within one year:**||**£**|**£**|
||Other debtors||22,129|88,616|
||Prepayments and accrued income||12,557|6,349|
||||34,686|94,965|
|**15**|**Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**||||
||||**2023**|**2022**|
|||**Notes**|**£**|**£**|
||Other taxation and social security||18,082|-|
||Deferred income|**16**|98,392|80,174|
||Trade creditors||8,850|8,857|
||Other creditors||2,613|17,727|
||Accruals||18,901|15,738|
||||146,838|122,496|
- 39 -
## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023**_
## **16 Deferred income**
||**2023**|**2022**|
|---|---|---|
||**£**|**£**|
|Other deferred income|98,392|80,174|
|Deferred income is included in the financial statements as follows:|||
||**2023**|**2022**|
||**£**|**£**|
|Deferred income is included within:|||
|Current liabilities|98,392|80,174|
|Movements in the year:|||
|Deferred income at 1 April 2022|80,174|79,936|
|Released from previous periods|(80,174)|(79,936)|
|Resources deferred in the year|98,392|80,174|
|Deferred income at 31 March 2023|98,392|80,174|
- 40 -
## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023**_
## **17 Restricted funds**
The income funds of the charity include restricted funds comprising the following unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust for specific purposes:
|
Destitution & Community
Immigration
Campaign & Advocacy
Housing & Welfare
Mental Health
Women Together
Migrant Hub
Refugee Resettlement
Young Londoners Fund
Covid response fund
Advice Cost of Living|**Balance at**
**1 April 2021**
**£**
26,059
39,110
7,165
(7,598)
25,501
30,575
28,749
26,180
33,180
13,400
-
222,321|**Movement in funds**
**Incoming**
**resources**
**Resources**
**expended**
**Transfers**
**£**
**£**
**£**
54,553
(37,314)
567
310,561
(299,192)
10
137,328
(124,098)
-
90,965
(53,920)
-
97,461
(99,912)
-
64,046
(76,354)
-
20,720
(26,197)
-
105,287
(102,994)
-
29,823
(64,110)
1,107
5,000
(13,431)
31
-
-
-
915,744
(897,522)
1,715|**Balance at**
**1 April 2022**
**£**
43,865
50,489
25,395
29,447
23,050
18,267
23,272
28,473
-
-
-
242,258|**Movement in funds**
**Incoming**
**resources**
**Resources**
**expended**
**Transfers**
**31**
**£**
**£**
**£**
10,512
(11,598)
(36,611)
354,603
(324,711)
-
110,233
(119,922)
-
50,000
(53,772)
-
125,950
(89,519)
-
61,575
(70,687)
-
34,039
(39,670)
-
205,448
(196,768)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
52,654
(35,118)
-
1,005,014
(941,765)
(36,611)|**Balance at**
**March 2023**
**£**
6,168
80,381
15,706
25,675
59,481
9,155
17,641
37,153
-
-
17,536
268,896|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
- 41 -
## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023**_
## **17 Restricted funds**
**(Continued)**
Notes on 2023 Funds/Projects
## **Destitution & Community**
We provided white goods, food parcels and vouchers to those in need of help and provided hardship funds and emergency support to those in most urgent situations in 2022/23. Principal funders included Community Justice Fund, UKAWJ, London Refugee Churches Fund and Southall Black Sisters.
## **Immigration**
We provided 809 people with immigration advice.We were successful with 315 applications. We made 243 applications to support people to regularise their immigration status in 2022/23. Altogether, we supported about 135 homeless clients through our partnerships, such as with Southwark Law Centre, St Mungos, Thamesreach, the 999 Club and Depaul UK. Principal funders included GLA IARS, Hackney Council, London Borough of Bexley, London Borough of Lewisham, Southwark Law Centre, GLA, Depaul UK, the Peabody Trust and the Oak Foundation.
## **Campaign & Advocacy**
In 2022/23, we continued to focusing on Lewisham and Greenwich Borough of Sanctuary groups, as well as continuing our work on Access to Healthcare and ending NRPF. We also continued our Building People, Changing Minds project, where we partnered with Lewisham Local and Lewisham Speaking Up and were funded by Lewisham Council. Our Access to Healthcare Advisor also supported 45 people with getting the healthcare they need. Principal funders were the Ben & Jerry's Fund Foundations, LB Lewisham, the Henry Smith Foundation and the Oak Foundation.
## **Housing & Welfare**
In 2022/23, we supported 221 people with housing and welfare benefits advice. Principal funders were Trust for London and Oak Foundation.
## **Mental Health**
In 2022/23, we supported over 190 clients to improve their mental health and wellbeing. We offer a small but mighty clinical counselling service for men to alleviate complex mental health challenges. Working with our Community Embedded Worker at South London and Maudsley, we also referred 30 people into mental health services. Funding is through the Lewisham Mental Health Project and the Henry Smith Foundation.
## **Women Together**
We helped 41 women and girls receive counselling and 55 women actively attended our women’s group meetings. Over the summer of 2022, we ran summer activities for 16 women and their children. Principal funders are the Henry Smith Foundation.
## **Migrant Hub**
At our Migrant Hub in Greenwich we provided information and advice to 357 people . The principal funders are Greenwich Council.
- 42 -
## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023**_
## **17 Restricted funds**
## **(Continued)**
## **Refugee Resettlement**
In partnership with Le wisham Council and Refugee Council, we delivered life-changing support to 13 resettled refugee families from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries. In 2022/23, we helped resolve 96 cases on everything from accessing welfare support to helping children access education. We were also glad to see 10 people start training, volunteering and ESOL classes. We provided 35 people across our services a supportive, friendly, and informal environment for students to improve their English level and build their confidence. The principal funder is the Refugee Council.
Notes on 2022 Funds/Projects
## **Destitution & Community**
We provided over 1,000 food parcels and vouchers to those in need of help and provided hardship funds and emergency support to those in the most urgent situations in 2021/22. Principal funders included Access to Justice, Homeless Link, UKAWJ, London Legal Support and Ben & Jerry’s Foundation Fund – Covid 19 support.
## **Immigration**
We helped clients make 541 applications to regularise immigration status in 2021/22. Over 150 of these applications have already been successful. Altogether, we supported about 165 homeless clients through our partnerships, such as with Depaul UK and Bench Outreach. Principal funders included GLA IARS, Hackney Council, London Borough of Bexley, London Borough of Lewisham and the Oak Foundation.
## **Campaign & Advocacy**
In 2021/22, we spent the first half of the year building our Greenwich Borough of Sanctuary Group. The second half of the year was spent focusing on local elections, which led to commitments from both Greenwich and Lewisham leaders to make changes to housing, healthcare, and sanctuary into cornerstones of their time in office. Principal funders were Big Lottery Advice, Ben & Jerry’s Fund Foundation and Oak Foundation.
## **Housing & Welfare**
In 2021/22, we supported 623 people with housing and welfare benefits advice. Principal funders were City Bridge Trust, Trust for London and Oak Foundation.
## **Mental Health**
In 2021/22, we supported over 130 clients - with 33% gaining employment, re-entering education and training, and volunteering. We offer a small, dedicated, and clinically powerful counselling service to men at LRMN, we have helped 35 men over intensive sessions across 2020/21. Funding is through the Lewisham Mental Health Project.
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## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023**_
**17 Restricted funds (Continued)**
## **Women Together**
We helped 55 women and girls receive counselling and 188 women actively attended our women’s group meetings. Over the summer of 2021, we ran summer activities for 16 women and their children. Principal funders are the Henry Smith Foundation.
## **Migrant Hub**
At our Migrant Hub in Greenwich we provided information and advice to 312 people . The principal funders are Greenwich Council.
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## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023**_
## **18 Designated funds**
The income funds of the charity include the following designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes:
||||**Movement**||**Movement**||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||**in funds**||**in funds**||
|||**Balance at**|**Incoming**|**Balance at**|**Incoming**|
**Balance at**|
||**1**|**April 2021**|**resources**|**1 April 2022**|**resources**|
**31 March 2023**|
|||**£**|
**£**|**£**|
**£**|
**£**|
|Staffing||100,000|
-|100,000|
-|
100,000|
|Equipment updates||15,000|
-|15,000|
-|
15,000|
|Premises||60,000|
-|60,000|
-|
60,000|
|||175,000|
-|175,000|
-|
175,000|
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## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023**_
|**19**
**Analysis of net assets between funds**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Designated**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**2023**
**2023**
**2023**
**£**
**£**
**£**
Fund balances at 31 March 2023 are represented
by:
Tangible assets
16,391
-
-
Current assets/(liabilities)
584,127
175,000
268,896
600,518
175,000
268,896|**Total**Unrestricted
funds
Designated
funds
**2023**
2022
2022
**£**
£
£
16,391
18,980
-
1,028,023
470,873
175,000
1,044,414
489,853
175,000|Restricted
funds
2022
£
-
242,258
242,258|Total
2022
£
18,980
888,131
907,111|
|---|---|---|---|
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## **LEWISHAM REFUGEE AND MIGRANT NETWORK**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023**_
## **20 Related party transactions**
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2022 - none) .
|**21**
**Cash generated from operations**
Surplus for the year
Adjustments for:
Investment income recognised in statement of financial activities
Loss on disposal of tangible fixed assets
Depreciation and impairment of tangible fixed assets
Movements in working capital:
Decrease in debtors
Increase in creditors
Increase/(decrease) in deferred income
**Cash generated from operations**|**2023**
**£**
137,303
(3,879)
3,004
4,097
60,279
6,124
18,218
225,146|**2022**
**£**
169,514
(2,353)
2,165
4,446
71,518
5,060
(68,220)
182,130|
|---|---|---|
## **22 Analysis of changes in net funds**
The charity had no debt during the year.
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