Charity registration number 1059801 Company registration number 02269918 (England 2nd Wales) BRENT IRISH ADVISORY SERVICE ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 BRENT IRISH ADVISORY SERVICE LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATIO Trustees C Boland J O'Hara C Moloney D Maccraith T Traynor E O'Kane (Appointed 31 May 2023) CEO M McGing Secretary D Maccraitb Charity number 1059801 Company number 02269918 Registered office 379-381 High Road Willesden London NWIO 2JR Auditor Simpson Wreford LLP Wellesley House Duke of Wellington Avenue Royal Arscnal London SE186SS BRENT IRISH ADVISORY SERVICE CONTENTS Page Chair's Statement Trustees, report Statement of trustees, responsibilities Independent auditorfs report 9_ 12 Statcmcnt of financial activitics 13 Balance sheet 14 Notes lo the financial statements 15-26 BRENT IRISH ADVISORY SERVICE CHAIR'S STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 2024 has been an important year as BIAS has ¢ontinued to expand services i￿1th new projects coming online and is our 46th year of existence supporting Britain's largest Irish community. On behalf of the long- standing trustees Donal Maccraith, Tom Traynor and myself it has been an honour lo be involN'ed in the Charity for many decades. These times have now changed and many of the !oun(Fer Irish einigrants are well educated and do not need our help. It is the long-standing older vulnerable who have settled in the UK who need our services. BIAS over the lasi few years bas gone from strength io slrengih and I would like to thank all the staff, volunteers, and more recently the new Irustees and what they bring to the Charity. BIAS has supported many thousands of people oi'er a number of decades and over the last 12 months BIAS has achieved many amazing outcomes, raising over £1.9 million in extra income for the Irish community and having close to 3000 attendances at our clubs. BIAS continue5 to help the most TrThlnerable within our community continuing to rebuild confidence and community presence. This has meant that BIAS continues to adapi how we delivered our services to meet those new challenges and ensure that no one was left behind. BIAS continues to innovate and launched a new volunteer project in 2023. Weekly welfare advice drop-in One-to-one outreaLh Telephone advice Housing adviLC project In-person advice and forni-filling Three-way telephone conthci with clients and other organisaiions Weekly Active Ageing services in Dollis Hill and Cricklewood Volunteer project Be A Friend project. The aboN'e additional services could not have happened without the amazing support BIAS recei&ed from a number of grant funders, enabling BIAS to deliver innoi'atii-e new projects and to use moTe teLhnology to reach out. I would also like to thank the funders for the flexibility and underslanding. Ihat BIAS knows our local community with the trust built up over many decades. I wuuld also likc to thank d nutnber of donations from Irish businesses that inade a significant and real difference lo what BIAS could deliver. BIAS has had 2119 engagements from individuals with our welfare advice service allowing us to help them clairn over £1.9 million in bcncfit8 and other entitlemcnts. This helps to rcducc povcrty in our community. BIAS continues to operate under the Advice Quality Standard (AQS) kite mark (April 2023) which Provides TeaSSUTance on the level that BIAS operates, accounthbilAtI' and of course quality standards. As can be seen from our audited accounls. BIAS income has increased over the last 12 months with an increase of 37.4 % inconic froni thc ycar bcforc. Thi5 has bccn no casy task, with kcy staff going thc cxtra inilc in con]pctin&T for additional funding streams. As a small organisation. the operating environment continues to be challenging with limited resources and capacity. However, BIAS 1% in a solid financial position. with a number of new grants algo due to %tart later thi% year and continuing for the nexi 24 years. BIAS coniinues to have support from the Emigrant Support Prograrnme Ireland. as it has done over a number of decades, and this is recognition of the key role ive have in delii'ering e55enlial services to our community. This provides BIAS with an appropriate platform to continue io develop and meet Ihe changing needs of the Irish Community. As noted, it has been a challenging year FOT BIAS but also very rewarding, Ivith increased outcoineslouQ)uts and increased community awareness of the services we can provide. Firsi and foremost, a big (hank you to all the funders and donors that have supported BIAS and of course a big thank you to all the staff, volunteers and tru%tees that have supported the charity. BRENT IRISH ADVISORY SERVICE CHAIR'S STATEMENT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 LWIARCH 2024 C Moloncy Chairperson Date.. BRENT IRISH ADVISORY SERVICE TRLTSTEES, REPORT (INCLUDINC DIRECTORS, REPORT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 LWIARCH 2024 The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note I to the financial statements and comply Th'ith the charity's Articles of Association. the Companies Act 2006 and "Accounting and Reporting by Charities= Statement of Recommended PraLtice applicable to chaTities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)" (effective I January 2019}. BIAS'S charitable purposes are lo provide advice. inf0m￿tion and support to vulnerable Irish people living in the London Borough of Brent and surrounding areas. Brent has ihe highest Irish population in Great Britain, with the majority in the ovcr 60 age group. BL4S collaborates with oihci similat local services and contributes lo Tclatcd local strategy development. Objeetives and activities The company is a charity striving to relieve poverty. disadvantage and social exclusion among vulnerable Irish people locally in Brent and acr055 Britain. To achieve this BIAS provide5 a range of advice, infonnation, support, recreational and welfare facilities as well as contn"buting to local and national developmenls affecting the clients group. Ensuring our work delivers our aims We review our aims, objectives and activities each year. This review looks at what we have achieved and the outcomes of our work in the previous 12 months. The review looks at the success of each key acijiiity and Ilie benefits diey have brought to those groups of people we are set up to help. The review also helps us ensure our aims, objectives and activities remained focused on our staled purposes. We have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aims and objectives and in planning our future activities. In particular, the trnstees consider how planned activities will Contribu￿ to the aims and objectives they have set. How our activilies deliver public benefit The Management Committee confirn] that they have cornplied with the duty in %eetion 4 of the Charities Aet 2011 to have due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake. BIAS'S charitable purposes are lo provide advice, infonnation and support to ￿￿lnerable Irish people living in the London Borough of Brent and surrounding areas. Brent has the highest Irish population in Great Britain. with the n]ajority in the over 60 age group. BIAS collaborates with oiher similar local services and contributes to related local strategy development. Achievements and performanee BtAS continued io deliver tbree core projects: welfare advice. active ageing and volunteer services. Tuesday and Thursday Clubs BIAS continue to operate from the Trades Hall in Cricklewood for our Irish Active Ageing Club and St Mary's and St Andrew's which delivers our weekly tea danee. BIAS expects to have approx. 3000 attendances yearly. Welfare Advice Service BIAS opened an additional drop-in day lo increase access for our welfare services and help to support more people in need. In our experience. more people are presenting themselves and have complex muliiple needs and are often in crisis. BIAS provides approximately 2100 engagements. Volunteer services Our volunlecr scrviccs ￿'C￿e introduced August 2023 and havc continued to grow with voluntccrs used in our clubs, offices, telephone befriending scheme and Be-a-friend sen-ice. BRENT IRISH ADVISORY SERVICE TRLTSTEES, REPORT (INCLUDINC DIRECTORS, REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 LWIARCH 2024 The focus of our Ivork Our main objectives for the year continued to be promolion of services to our Lqrgel group. The strategies we used io meet these objectives included: l) Advocacy and Advice service: BIAS continues to provide advocacy to the Irish communiry on welfare and on other advocacy areas. BIAS supports around 400 people each year and ha5 over 2100 engagements through telephonelour drop-in advice surgeries on a yearly basis. BIAS regularly supports people presenting in crisis ￿'1th multiple issues and complex advice needs. BIAS additionally would like lo extend one-to-one outreach support to those most vulnerable in their hornes to access seTh'ices and entitlements as they are often overlooked. This is planned to happen in late 2024. Online Casework and Database BIAS continues to use an online cloud-based daiabase thai has been designed io meet the specific needs of all BIAS projects including casework for our welfare service. This enables improved perforn]ance and cominunication between all staff and resources are utilised more efficiently. BIAS can provide detailed reporting to funders, quantifying value and quality standards achieved. BIAS has had a long-esthblished track record of delivering projects lo the local coi]m]unity ensuring tangible benefits to the community. 2) Active Ageing Thursdav Club and Dollis Hill elubs BIAS providc8 wcckly social support through OUT Tuesday and Thursday clubs. Mcinbers are involved in the planning and delivery. helping to reduce isolaiion, improve wellbeing and increase sustainability. More than half of all local Irish people are retired. The majority of our ¢lients are in their 70s180s and the above project helps to reduce loneliness. Without our inteTvention, our fear was that many would fall through the cracks. struggling 10 regain independence and confidence which would then require greater intervention from Statutory services. Our ITish Hcarts Thursda! and Tucsday Clubs avcrdgc 75 pcoplc pcr wcck and wc cxpcct to havc oiwcr 3000 attcndanccs per year over a 44-week period with approx. 240 people accessing our services. BIAS had over 230 people attend our Christmas event which included the Irish Ambassador. 3) Volunteer Project BIAS has a number of volunteers supporting the cbarity through our two clubs. administrative roles in BIAS, telephone befriending and our Be-a-Friend scheme. The befriending scheme5 match isolated older rnernbers of the ITish community wilh volunteers who call or visit them every week to provide companionship and support, with the aim of reducing loneliness and social i501ation. BIAS currently has twenty-eight volunteers. who contribute a total of 400 hours every month on average. The life experiences that they bring are invaluable: and the benefits in kind and the financial value is immcnsc to both scrvicc uscrs and th¢ir famili¢s and to th¢ sustainability of thc projcrt. Finaneial revie BIAS has secured a significant uplift our surplus in our 45tb Anniversary year with additional fundraising events for the accounting year. BIAS expects to draw down on some of the surplus in ihe next accounting year and has increased our designated rcscrvc Icvcl. Grant funding has staycd Iclatively consistcnl with thc prior ycar. BIAS continues to work hard to diversify funding and has made good progress to help aChIe￿e these goals and, at the same time, deliver front line services. BIAS Lurrently has four core funding streams apart from the Emigrant Support Programme-Ireland which include the City Bridge Trust, Trust for London, the National Lottery Community Fund and NCIL Brent Council funding. The Cardinals Lenten Fund and NCIL Brent funding streams will expire between September and December 2024. Incoming resources for the year tothlled £419,275, of which £352,440 were for restricted purposes and £66,835 were for unrestricted purposes. Outgoing resources for the year totalled £331,213, of which £311,530 were attributable to rc8trictcd funds and £19,683 ivcic atttibulablc lo unrestricted funds. Ovcrall the accounts show a surplus for thc year of £88,062. Unrestricted funds at the year