OpenCharities

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

2021-12-31-accounts

GRANTHAM & DISTRICT POVERTY CONCERN GROUP

( Incorporating THE GRANTHAM PASSAGE)

A Company Limited by Guarantee & Registered Charity No: 1060003 Company No: 013-922110 Reg. Address: c/o D Lynn, Charity & Company Treasurer, 142 Harrowby Road, Lincs, NG31 9DU

AGM and ANNUAL REPORT

Grantham Poverty Concern Annual General Meeting held on 28[th] March 2022 at the Resource Centre, St Mary’s church

Present:

Trustees: Andy Maddison, Mary Howard (MH), Esme Sutton, Ian Whittle, Stephen Cameron, Maureen Griffiths

Management Committee: Chris Thomas, Pat Temple Fielder, Liz Bennett, Stephen Howe, Ann Walker

Aims and Objectives

AM walked everyone through the charity’s aims and objectives, below. ‘The aims of Grantham Poverty Concern is to help in emergency need, to oversee the Grantham Passages which operates in the following churches:

With the provision by rota to provide food every day of the week. The Charity also sets out to act for the relief of poverty and helps children, young people and the elderly as well as the general public. Grantham Poverty Concern operates by making loans to individuals to alleviate hunger and deprivation. It gives a ‘listening ear’, networks with other agencies and signposts clients where to go for help.

The Charity is staffed entirely by volunteers and financed by donations, with the aforesaid churches giving their premises free.

OBJECTS

The objects of Grantham Poverty Concern are the relief of poverty and of elderly persons in Grantham and the surrounding area in the county of Lincolnshire as the trustees in their absolute discretion shall determine.

In furtherance of the Objects but not otherwise, the Charity may exercise the following powers:1. To draw, make, accept, endorse, discount, execute and issue promissory notes, bills, cheques and other instruments and to operate bank accounts in the name of the Charity.

  1. To raise funds and to invite and receive contributions; provided that in raising funds the Charity shall not undertake any substantial permanent trading activities and shall confirm to any relevant statutory regulations

  2. To establish or support any charitable trusts, associations or institutions formed for all or any of the Objects

  3. To co-operate with other charities, voluntary bodies and statutory authorities operating in the furtherance of the Objects or similar charitable purposes and to exchange information and

advice with them

  1. To pay out of the funds of the Charity the costs, charges and expenses of and incidental of the formation and registration of the Charity

  2. To do all such other lawful things as are necessary for the achievement of the Objects’

Grantham Poverty Concern – Charity Number 1060003 CHAIRMANS REPORT FOR 2021

I’d like to extend a warm welcome to the Grantham Poverty Concern and Grantham Passage AGM and it is good to be able to be in the same room as you all - very different to this time last year where everything was virtual!

As the COVID pandemic continued to be a major factor in all our lives, 2021 has been a year of two halves when it comes to the Passage providing assistance and support to those that needed it. Up to the point in July when restrictions were lifted, the food parcels continued unabated and we supported not only our clients but additional individuals and families in and around the local area. After July, our Passage locations all re-opened welcoming back the clients and picking up where we left off so many months before.

As I mentioned in last years report, none of us could have imagined the length of time that we would be restricted and how much this virus would affect society in general. It has affected the lives of all - rich or poor - but I do think that we have seen the generosity of the public increase over this pandemic. We have been contacted on a regular basis offering support of all types as I’m sure Chris will cover in his report and this has meant that as a charity, we end the year in a stronger position than when we started. This doesn’t just mean financially, and this cannot be ignored as without funds there is no Passage, but also with the contacts and reputation that has been built and strengthened as well. A huge number of companies and individuals have given so much to help what we do and assist with the support.

I’d like at this point to thank Chris Thomas and Esther Maddison who have tirelessly and selflessly worked almost every day of the last two years on the food parcel project. It was only ever meant to be temporary but with the level of need and the impact of the pandemic it has gone for just over two years (note to self - buy Chris and Esther a dictionary so they can look up the meaning of ‘temporary’). They have organised, co-ordinated, arranged, stressed, laughed, cried and most importantly excelled at the parcels that went to individuals and families. When parcels stopped to individuals when the Passage locations re-opened, they then continued to get parcels and food boxes to the families that needed our support. These have now stopped as of the end of March and all the families have been signposted to other agencies. I also extend my sincere thanks to our volunteer drivers who have made sure that each week the food gets to those that need it despite restrictions, weather, incidents and their own family lives. Lastly and by no means least further thanks to all those organisations that have stepped up to the line and helped in innumerable ways through the mediums of donations, financial assistance, time, expertise and support for the entire food parcel operation.

I would also like to thank you, the Trustees and location co-ordinators, for taking up the baton of restarting the meals and getting the Passage locations up and running. It’s no mean feat to restart after a long hiatus and its brilliant that you have regrouped and got back to providing the meals and associated support. Initially dealing with all the restrictions that had to be adhered to and now with the numbers climbing once again its been an uphill battle that you have all risen to with calm assurance and professionalism. Many of you have also had the food hygiene inspections to deal with on top of all of that that you passed with flying colours.

I’d also like to thank Stephen for taking over the mantle of running the St.Marys Passage after the sad passing of Mike Monaghan. It certainly seems like the end of an era with Mike not being around and his dedication and passion for the Passage over so many years, plus being the driving force behind the resource centre as well as all the fundraising he undertook cannot be underestimated. As has been mentioned before, and now cleared by the Church, we will be renaming the hall in his honour and to act as a lasting tribute.

Another heartfelt thank you goes to Maureen for her continued and dedicated work on the advice and benefit support. I know how much time Maureen spends looking into the various claims and other investigations and without your expertise there would be a large number of clients much worse off than they are now.

Christmas is always a milestone in the Passage year as its looked forward to by so many of our clients. Christmas 2021, although it seems like a lifetime away now, went very well and again was not the traditional sit down affair that we are used to. As with last year, it was cooked and put into takeaway containers but instead of being delivered we asked the clients to come down and collect. It went incredibly smoothly (although a lot of hard work to get to that stage) and over 60 clients had a fantastic meal and present pack to take away. Fingers crossed that this year we can go back to the sit down meal!

So what can we expect for the remainder of 2022? All restrictions are now lifted from COVID although the continued upward trend of cases is something that we need to consider. This needs to be looked from all angles to ensure the safety of clients and volunteers alike. We are also entering the most unstable and damaging attack on the overall standard of living since the 1950s with everything costing more and wages / benefits being squeezed like never before. Our clients are already struggling to make ends meet as so many are already on the poverty line and have expensive pre-payment meters or sub-standard insulation and heating. I’m expecting with the extra pressures on living expenses things are definitely going to get worse and because of this, we can expect to see an increase in new clients using our service as the hardships bite.

As an entire organisation this is something that we will need to be acutely aware of and ensure that we have the mechanisms in place to cope. Do we need to change what we do and how we operate? At the moment I don’t see that any changes need to be made but it is something that we need to review and discuss at the Trustee level during our monthly meetings. What I can see happening this year however is that we will be working even closer with a number of local agencies to ensure those that need the support get it in a timely manner, that information is freely exchanged (in accordance with the relevant regulations) and as best we can make sure that no-one slips through the net for available support.

I will close my report by thanking again all Trustees, volunteers and supporters of Grantham Passage for their unceasing dedication, kind hearts and broad shoulders for working through COVID, then rising up phoenix-like to get us back to the position we are today. I always consider myself incredibly lucky to be able to work as a collective team alongside so many inspirational and dedicated individuals providing support, kindness and understanding to those that need our help.

“The intelligent way to be selfish is to work for the welfare of others” - The Dalai Lama

I will close by thanking Chris and all of my Trustees and volunteers of Grantham Passage for their unceasing support and hard work to get us through this unique and challenging time. Also, it would be remiss of me not to thank all those that have supported us through their donations of time, monetary donations, food donations

or that have worked alongside us to help those in Grantham that have so desperately needed it.

The Trustees have not received any emoluments other than authorised expenses.

Andy Maddison, Chair of Trustees 28 March 2021

Review of Trustees/ New Trustees and Roles

The following nominations were made and seconded.

Other Trustees include Ian Whittle, Esme Sutton, Maureen Griffiths.

Treasurer’s Annual Report for financial year ending 31 December 2021

David Lynn submitted a report of the annual accounts for the period 1 January to 31 December 2021. He had prepared accounts and had been examined by an Independent Examiner and no corrections were needed. They were signed off on 27 February 2022. DL then gave a summary of the accounts.

Income:

Donations * 51,204.83
Client's donations 0.00
HMRC tax claim 480.57
Bank interest 0.00
Total Income 2021: 51,658.40
Expenditure:
Discretionary emergency relief to clients 300.00
Food Vouchers 0.00
Passage Costs
 11,203.41
Food parcels & presents for clients/families 27,014.36
Donation to other causes 2,500.00
Admin/Miscellaneous 419.00
Debt & benefit advice 522.10
Centre costs 2,628.10
Total Expenditure 2019: 44,586.97
Account held with:
Yorkshire Bank Total balance – 55,803.14
o General Account - balance 52,866.74
o Edith Meredith Account – Balance
1955.39
o Development Account - Balance 981.01

The Accounts had been Independently Examined by Gae Ellis.

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT

Report to the Trustees of Grantham Poverty Concern Charity Number 1166263 On accounts for the year ended 31st December 2021

Respective Responsibilities of trustees and examiner: The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (The Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

Basis of independent examiner’s statement: My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

Independent examiner’s statement: In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention

1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements:

2. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached

Signed:

Date: 27 February 2020

Gae Ellis

Name: Gae Ellis 12 West Way Allington Gardens Allington Nr Grantham Lincs NG32 2FP