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2021-03-31-accounts

Company Registration Number 04296856

SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE (CHARITY NO. 1089995)

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE (CHARITY NO. 1089995)

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

CONTENTS

Page
Trustees’ report 1 - 8
Independent Examiners Report 9 - 10
Statement of financial activities 11
Balance sheet 12
Notes to the financial statements 13 - 15

SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

TRUSTEES’ REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

Status Speak Out In Hounslow has charitable status and is a
company limited by guarantee.
Trustees Joe Johnson (Chairperson)
Anthony Power
Sarah Ann Miller
Sean Douglas Wienand
Punam Sharma
Directors Nicholas Benjamin
Sally Malit
Company Secretary Nicholas Benjamin
Company registration number 04296856
Charity registration number 1089995
Registered office Suite 2-03 Qwest
1110 Great West Road
Brentford
TW8 0GP
Bankers HSBC Bank Plc
127 High Street
Hounslow
TW3 1QP

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TRUSTEES’ REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

The Trustees of the charity, who are also Directors of the company, present their report and the audited financial statements of Speak Out in Hounslow for the year ending 31st March 2021.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Speak Out in Hounslow is a registered charity. It is also constituted as a company limited by guarantee and is therefore governed by a Memorandum and Articles of Association. Members of the charity elect trustees annually, who are then given induction training and access to further development opportunities including Safeguarding Adults training.

The staff team in the 2020-21 period comprised of:

Nick Benjamin and Sally Malit as part-time Co Directors with additional responsibilities in sharing the Strengthening Our Community Project Manager’s role. Sarfraz Kherdin as Campaigns Consultation and Partnership / Campaigns and Advice Coordinator with Jaspaul Vilkhu supporting as Project Worker. Rebecca Driver as Empowerment/Manage Your Life Coordinator with Vaishali Arora as the Project Worker (resigned June 2020). Steve Joyce coordinated the Travel Training/ Keeping Safe Project (downsized role to project worker October 2020) and Jeff Munday the Outings and Taster Project/ Express Yourself and Keeping Safe coordinator (October 2020). Terri Kember as Movement and Dance co-ordinator.

All Speak Out employees work on a part-time basis and are employed due to the wide range of skills and expertise they can draw from.

MISSION STATEMENT

Speak Out in Hounslow works to support and empower adults with learning disabilities and/or autism in Hounslow to speak up, be heard and listened to, affect change, and have real life and social opportunities.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

Overall Aim

The overall aim of Speak Out in Hounslow is to improve the lives of adults with learning disabilities and/or autism in the London Borough of Hounslow.

Specific Aims

Speak Out in Hounslow seeks to achieve this overall aim through:

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SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

TRUSTEES’ REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

OBJECTIVES

Speak Out tries to achieve these aims by doing the following things:

As of 31st March 2021, Speak Out has 11 paid staff (all part time), and in the last year have worked with 4 sessional staff and 18 volunteers. The Trustees wish to thank all of them for their commitment and achievement during the year. Speak Out would also like to thank all of its members with learning disabled and/or autism for their invaluable additional contribution to Speak Out’s work – without which the key aims and objectives of the organisation could not have been achieved.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

At the beginning of 2020 Speak Out reconfigured the project delivery to ensure that it reflected the changing needs of our members and ran 4 main projects.

Therefore, the Campaigns Consultation and Partnership Project was expanded to include advice and was renamed Campaigns and Advice, Empowerment project was divided into Express Yourself and Manage Your Life, Travel Training was expanded to Keeping Safe. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic other projects were put on hold.

Speak Out currently has 675 members and continues to produce well-regarded printed information in Easy Read.

The Campaign Project - Campaigns and Advice (C&A) This project is a user led campaign group that was identified by its learning disabled members, who wanted to make real and lasting change in Hounslow.

This project supports members to: Ensure people have an influence on what happens in their lives and in their community by raising the profile of people with learning disabilities and/or autism in the borough and working against changes in both mainstream and specialist services that exacerbate or do not aim to alleviate poverty, exclusion and disadvantage experienced by people with learning disabilities

The project achieves this by:

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TRUSTEES’ REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

C&A currently has 25 members. Due to the pandemic, the project hosted 63 Zoom meetings with a total of 592 adults with learning disabilities and/or autism attending.

Example of project outcomes:

Individual: A parent of a member contacted Sarfraz Kherdin- C&A project coordinator asking for help in assisting his daughter in rent arrears she was unwittingly accruing. Due to not having the capacity to read the letters that her housing association were sending saying that they had increased the cost. He also had personal and digital connectivity issues that meant he could not act on her behalf and was concerned that she would be evicted. Sarfraz liaised with Hestia - support agency and LB Hounslow to ensure the member had a reassessment of care and support needs following a change of support providers who would read her letters, so that her benefits could be adjusted to cover the rent and that her needs were met.

Group: The volunteer members of C&A were quick to learn how to use Zoom during the first lock down to ensure that they could still take part in consultations with partners. The consultations included meetings with Health Watch Hounslow, Our Barn and Transport for London. The volunteer members were asked to share their experiences of lockdown, restrictions easing and having to shield so that the partner organisations could assess and understand what they should put in place to assist in the health and well-being of the learning disabled and/or autistic community. Our Barn used the consultation results to gain funding for a digital inclusion project that provides computers and basic understanding of IT systems.

Everyone: the group were approached by Nadine Fletcher from Poet in the City. She was working on behalf of Hounslow Council in order to create a creative archive recording the ways in which the COVID 19 pandemic had impacted on local people in the borough. The purpose of the project was to create a record of the diverse ways this extraordinary time has affected local people, build awareness and empathy across communities and shine a light on the grassroots initiatives that have embedded crucial support networks during this time.

The C&A members were excited to take part and express their experiences and views. Poet Daljit Nagra spoke with the group and created a poem called Aldona & the Lockdown Squeaker: a poem for Hounslow. Speak Out and several members are mentioned in the poem which provides the lived experiences of Hounslow’s learning disabled and/or autistic community at this extraordinary time for future generations.

Speak Out would like to thank the London Borough of Hounslow and the National Lottery for their generous and vital support.

The Empowerment Project - Express Yourself and Manage Your Own Life

The project supports adults with a learning disability in Hounslow to live more independently and have more choice and control over their lives.

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TRUSTEES’ REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

This project supports members to:

The project achieves this by:

● Running user led groups take part in activities, access community resources, work together and have fun.

Since April 2020, The Empowerment project has had contact 3122 times with adults with learning disabilities and/or autism. Due to the Covid -19 pandemic the main contact was by phone, WhatsApp and Zoom, 2912 interactions were this way. In addition to 1800 information and activity packs being produced and mailed out. When restrictions eased 210 attendees came to the in the person activities

The Empowerment Project worked in partnership during 2020/21 with Let's Go Outside and Learn, The London Museum of Water and Steam and Will to Win Chiswick as well as many professionals from both mainstream and specialist services. Speak Out would like to thank all of these partners for their time, expertise and contributions towards helping Speak Out meet its aims.

Examples of project outcomes:

Individual : When the National Restrictions eased Speak Out delivered 5 weekly activities. That included arts and crafts, gardening, line dancing, tennis and walks.

One member who has a sight impairment and mild learning disability was required to shield by the government said that it was a major relief to be able to get out of her house. As her relationship with her mother had increasingly deteriorated and they argued constantly with each other. Her mother agreed and said that both of them needed the company of others to keep themselves sane.

Group: As part of the activity programme for the Manage Your Life project the gardening group restarted in August. The members were enthusiastic to be back and there was a lot of work to do in the garden area of the London Museum of Water and Steam. As volunteers had not been able to take care of the garden during the lockdown. The museum management were really pleased to welcome the members back and used the activities delivered there as a vehicle to get much needed emergency funding to ensure that it could continue and not close due to lack of finances.

Everyone : Speak Out Radio which is part of the Express Yourself project formed an essential part of the members week during the lockdowns. They were invited by host Nick Benjamin to be interviewed and suggest songs that they would like to hear. In addition, Nick interviewed local politicians Ruth Cadbury MP and The Mayor of Hounslow, Cllr Tony Louki. They both talked about their experiences growing up and representing the London Borough of Hounslow residents. They also spoke about the members of Speak Out In Hounslow they knew and respected. Cllr Tony Louki recalled the time he met a member with cerebral palsy who uses a wheelchair for mobility, whilst he was walking down a local street. She was coming back from a Speak Out activity by herself after being supported by the Keeping Safe project to travel independently. He asked her why she was on

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SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

TRUSTEES’ REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

the road and not the pavement as he thought that it was a dangerous thing to be doing. She told him that as there were no dropped curbs she could not access the pavement. After inspecting the pavement, he realised that she was correct. So he contacted Hounslow Highways and requested that they put in dropped curbs as soon as possible as there were several residential houses and schools in the vicinity, which they did.

The project was funded by The National Lottery, the Co-op Community Fund and Sport England. Speak Out would like to thank them for their vital financial contribution.

The Keeping Safe project

This project started in January 2020 due to funding from The National Lottery. However, due to the Covid -19 pandemic the practical in-person activities were postponed. The main media for interacting with the members was via Facebook and Facebook Live. During this period there was an average daily active interaction with 75 members and a yearly total of 27324.

This project supports members to:

Individual: One member on the autism spectrum who in pre-Covid days would be active out in the community posted in Speak Out’s Public Facebook group ‘I've been listening to Steve's three sessions on keeping safe during the lockdown. I found them very interesting. I would like to thank Steve very much’ .

Community: During the period of lockdown and the easing of national restrictions the Keeping Safe Project coordinators Jeff Munday and Steve Joyce did several Facebook live videos in order to assist the members in understanding what was happening and what the government updates meant to our community. Jeff shared a post with a photograph in March 2021’ Here I am the proud owner of a Covid 19 vaccination badge. Got my second jab today. Sending tremendous thanks to all the great NHS staff and volunteers who were brilliant and so friendly...and I didn't feel a thing! This encouraged members to share when they were going to get theirs and to congratulate each other when they had them.

Everyone: Due to reports from members concerned about receiving information through the post about the Census that needed to be completed by Sunday 21st March on-line or the household would be issued with a fine. Jeff Munday made two short videos explaining the process and constructed a post with the key points to make it easier for the members and parents/carers to understand. The information provided by the members to the England Census will go towards assisting government and statutory services in understanding the lives of the learning disabled and autism community of the London Borough of Hounslow as well as future generations.

Speak Out would like to thank the National Lottery for their generous and vital support

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SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

TRUSTEES’ REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

FUTURE PLANS

As this report has demonstrated, Speak Out has continued to make a positive difference to the lives of many adults with learning disabilities and our autism in the London Borough of Hounslow and surrounding areas. Speak Out’s challenges and targets in 2021-22 are:

RESERVES POLICY

This policy outlines the total reserves we allow Speak out in Hounslow to have and their purpose. We recognise that if we ended our support it would be particularly hard for our users to understand and come to terms with as all of them are adults with a learning disability. So we aim to have enough money to wind down over 3 months. In addition to this, a redundancy reserve is to be allocated to provide each affected staff member with a lump sum. This will cover them if for any reason, beyond their control, their post was ended prior to the end of their contract or the expected funding period of that post.

The maximum total reserves allowed will be one week’s pay per years’ service for each staff member, plus three months running costs for each project. Our redundancy reserve will be calculated on the salary costs only.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE TRUSTEES

Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the charity’s financial activities during the year and of its results at the end of the year. In preparing those accounts, the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable it to ensure that the financial statements comply with appropriate legislation. 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.

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TRUSTEES’ REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

TRUSTEES

The Trustees, who are also Directors of the company, serving during the year are listed on page 1. This report was approved by the Trustees on 14 December 2021.

For and on behalf of the Trustees

Joe Johnson Anthony Power Trustee Trustee

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SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

I report on the accounts of the company for the year ended 31 March 2021, which are set out on pages 11 to 15.

Respective responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner

The trustees (who are also the directors of the company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

Having satisfied myself that the charity is not subject to audit under company law and is eligible for independent examination, it is my responsibility to:

Basis of independent examiner's report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the 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 you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations 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:

and

have not been met; or

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SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

A and C Services Apartment 202 Jantzen House Ealing Road Brentford TW8 0GF

14 December 2021

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SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

Unrestricted Unrestricted Restricted Restricted Year ended Year ended Year ended Year ended
Funds Funds 31 March 31 March
2021 2020
Charitable Activities £ £ £ £
Big Lottery Funds 77,273 40,900 118,173 117,347
London Borough of Hounslow 49,459 20,000 69,459 70,649
Peoples Health Trust - - - 7,201
Co-op Funds - 4,183 4,183 2,602
Sport England - - - 9,954
SERGO - - - 4,397
Heathrow Community Trust - 125 125 2,375
Other Grants and Donations 249 150 399 1,108
Investment Income 28 - 28 137
Total incoming resources 127,009 65,358 192,367 215,770
Charitable activities
Directors’ remuneration 33,636 25,330 58,966 60,542
Salaries and wages 48,772 36,727 85,499 97,447
Employer’s NIC 4,887 1,023 5,910 6,377
Pension 1,829 777 2,606 2,514
Staff training 65 - 65 1,235
Project costs 101 268 369 1,883
Event and running expenses 2,649 709 3,358 12,940
Computer running expenses 361 - 361 2,204
Equipment 25 - 25 231
Rent and rates 12,029 - 12,029 13,931
Travel 32 81 113 1,122
Postage, printing, stationery and 2,938 - 2,938 3,377
publications
Subscriptions 737 36 773 1,442
Evaluation 2,250 - 2,250 2,640
Telephone 2,850 - 2,850 2,500
Insurance 690 272 962 949
Tutor - 1,210 1,210 2,450
Payroll costs 1,104 - 1,104 1,352
Independent examiner’s fee 500 - 500 500
Miscellaneous expenses, AGM and 1,897 77 1,974 1,776
annual report
Total resources expended 117,352 66,510 183,862 217,412
Movement of funds 9,657 (1,152) 8,505 (1,642)

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SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2021

Notes 2021 2020
£ £
Current assets
Debtors 3 1,932 1,932
Cash at bank and in hand 149,500 140,925
__ __
151,432 142,857
Creditors: Amounts falling due
within one year 4 (1,055) (985)
__ __
Net current assets 150,377 141,872
======= =======
The funds of the charity:
Unrestricted funds 6 130,688 126,653
Restricted funds 6 19,689 15,219
__ __
150,377 141,872
======= =======

For the financial year ending 31 March 2021 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Trustees/Directors’ responsibilities:

These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime.

Approved by the Board and authorised for issue on 14 December 2021.

Joe Johnson Anthony Power Trustee Trustee

Company Registration No. 04296856

The notes on pages 13 to 15 form part of these financial statements.

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SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

1. Accounting policies

The following accounting policies have been used consistently in dealing with items which are considered material in relation to the financial statements.

a) Accounting convention

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention and on a going concern basis, which is dependent upon the availability of adequate continued funding. The nature of the charity’s funding is inherently uncertain as it is only agreed by the funding bodies every one to three years. Should grant funding be discontinued in future years, the charity would have to find other sources of funding or significantly curtain its activities.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with 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 United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS102), and the Charities Act 2011 and applicable regulations.

b) Incoming resources

Grants and other funds receivable are included in full in the Statement of Financial Activities as they are received.

c) Resources expended

Expenditure is charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on an accruals basis. Resources expended include VAT which cannot be recovered.

d) Taxation

Subject to agreement with HM Revenue and Customs, the company is exempt from the payment of any taxes to the extent it is a registered charity and therefore is not liable for Income Tax or Corporation Tax on income derived from charitable activities. The company does not have a liability to register for VAT.

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SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2020

1. Accounting policies (continued)

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity. Restricted funds are subjected to restriction on the expenditure imposed by the donor or through the terms of appeal.

Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them. Governance costs included those costs associated with the meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements of the charity and include the fees and costs linked to the strategic management of the charity.

f) Equipment

Purchases of equipment are expensed off in full in the year in which it is acquired.

g) Pension costs

The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity. Pension costs are assessed in accordance with actuarial advice and based on the most recent valuation of the scheme. These costs are accounted for on the basis of charging the cost of providing pensions over the period during which the charity benefits from the employees’ services.

2. Directors’ remuneration

The remunerations for the directors for the year were as follows:

3.

Gross
Salary
Employer’s
Pension
2021
Total
£
£
£
N Benjamin
27,657
663
28,320
S Malit
31,309
752
32,061
Total
58,966
1,415
60,381
Debtors
2021
£
Other debtors
1,932
=======
==		 2020
Total
£
30,455
31,535
61,990
2020
£
1,932
=====

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SPEAK OUT IN HOUNSLOW

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2020

4. Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year

2021 2021 2020
£ £
Accruals 1,055 985
======= =======
5. Analysis of Net Assets between funds
Unrestricted Restricted 2021 Total
Funds Funds
£ £ £
Funds 130,688 19,689 150,377
Debtors 1,932 - 1,932
Creditors (1,055) - (1,055)
131,565 19,689 151,254
6. Statement of Funds
Balance at Incoming Resources Balance at
01/04/2020 Resources Expended Transfer 31/03/2021
Restricted Funds £ £ £ £ £
CCP (formerly Heresay) 9,161 22,000 (20,258) - 10,903
Drama 326 10,650 (9,544) - 1,432
Empowerment Project 5,732 32,708 (31,086)
- 7,354
Total Restricted Funds 15,219 65,358 (60,888) - 19,689
Unrestricted Funds 126,653 127,009 (122,974)
- 130,688
Total Funds as at 141,872 192,367 (183,862)
- 150,377
31 March

7. Operating lease commitment

At the report end date, the charity had outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payment under non-cancellable operating lease, which fall due as follows:

Within one year
Between 1 – 2 years		 2021
£
10,000
10,500
20,500		 2020
£
-
-
-

8. Related party transaction

There were no Trustees’ expenses paid during the year.

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