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2020-12-31-accounts

Open Door - Colchester Annual Report and Accounts

2020

Registered charity number: 1101675

Contents

History and Background ............................................................................................. 3 Chairman’s Letter ....................................................................................................... 5 Director’s Report ........................................................................................................ 6 Report on the Public Benefit .................................................................................... 11 Stories ...................................................................................................................... 12 Financial Policies ...................................................................................................... 14 Treasurer's Report ................................................................................................... 15 Accounts: Open Door Colchester ............................................................................. 16 Notes on the Accounts ............................................................................................. 17 Independent Examiner's Report ............................................................................... 19 Management and Constitution ................................................................................ 20

History and Background

Open Door began after some church members invited a few young drug users in for coffee and biscuits. In response to the obvious need for help, support and somewhere to go, Open Door was born in September 1986. Initially, six volunteers opened up the church vestibule for just two hours a week. This quickly became four hours a week, then soon after three days a week. The volunteers were able to welcome people with a wide variety of needs and listen, support and form relationships with those they were welcoming.

After five years in cramped conditions in the vestibule, it was decided that a church lounge would be built. This building project also included an office that enabled confidential conversations to happen and for the use of a telephone. During this period, three team leaders were appointed, one for each day that Open Door was open, all under the leadership of the Director.

Listening and counselling, whether formal or informal, was at the heart of what Open Door offered. It is a very relaxed setting where people can come and go as they please. Guests can sit quietly on their own, or one of the team will always be happy to talk with them.

Open Door has been grounded in prayer from the very beginning, with the team meeting to pray each morning. Many people have come to find faith in Jesus through the work of Open Door, and many others have benefitted emotionally or practically from their involvement in the charity.

There have been many challenging moments over the years as guests are often in tough situations. Several people have passed away, especially from the rough sleeping community. In addition, there have been ongoing battles with various addictions but with several success stories of addictions having been beaten.

At times, drug addictions have been a prevalent challenge experienced by the guests. In recent years, mental health has become the dominant challenge faced by guests to Open Door.

Take Away Lunches being served during the Lock Down

In 1994, Cornerstone came to life as a form of Church for those who struggled with ‘normal’ churches. Until September 2018, they met every week in the back room of the Odd One Out pub in Colchester.

A couple of years after that, Beacon House was set up as a separate charity (originally named Open Door Primary Health Care Centre) that focussed entirely on those who were homeless or at risk of homelessness.

For over 20 years, there has been a Christmas lunch served to the guests with turkey and Christmas pudding for everyone. This has been a joyful occasion to celebrate and often give gifts to the guests.

In 2004, Open Door – Colchester was registered with the Charity Commission as a separate entity. Strong links have remained between Open Door and Colchester Baptist Church, and they continue to allow the use of their premises free of charge.

Over eight years ago, further opportunities were developed for guests to explore and express their Christian faith. Open Door opened every Tuesday for a Bible study (called Tuesday@Twelve) and Sunday for a service (called Sunday@One). These quickly grew and were popular with the guests providing an accessible form of Church for those who again may not be comfortable with ‘normal’ Church.

While much has changed over the years at Open Door and seven Directors, the DNA has remained unchanged. Open Door is still a place where anyone can come to be welcomed, served very affordable food and drink, treated with dignity and respect, listened to and supported through whatever challenges they are facing.

There is no typical Open Door guest, but they may be homeless, unemployed, hungry, addicted, elderly, lonely or struggling with mental illness. Thousands have been served over the years, and we trust God that many thousands more will continue to be served in the years ahead.

Chairman’s Letter

The Chairman’s letter often and for excellent reasons starts with a very ‘big’ thankyou to the many caring volunteers (25+) that make Open Door such a welcoming and supportive drop-in centre.

2020 proved quite challenging with Covid-19 infections spreading and government restrictions forcing meeting places and cafes to close. How do you respond to meet the needs of clients who are often affected more than most? For some, the Open Door Community is their only family (see Stories on page 12). In addition, the Director and Manager had fewer hands to serve as many of the volunteers were at retirement age, and were forced to shelter. How the team rose to the challenge is wonderfully described in enclosed reports.

Staff . In July, we welcomed Simon Heard as Director, assisted by our newly appointed drop-in Manager Kaoru Magee. Simon and Kaoru have previously worked together at Open Door enhancing a great team spirit.

Volunteers . Rob Urand, Anna William and Diane Green announced that they are retiring. Words cannot express the debt of gratitude as each of these beautiful people have served Open Door for over 20 years. A tribute video from clients and staff is available on our website.

Trustees & Advisors . I am again grateful to the team of nine trustees and two advisers (Safeguarding & Independent Financial Examiner) who together ensure that the organisation is run with good best practice and flexible to serve the changing needs of the visitors. Mark Skull retired at the AGM after many years of loyal service providing invaluable practical support. Rob Urand announced his retirement as a trustee and team leader. We are most grateful to Rob for providing the trustee board with a deep insight into the visitors' needs and volunteer mentoring throughout his long tenure. Grant Duminy joined in December and took on the role of Assistant Treasurer. Peter Hurstell and Sandra Stockwell gained extra ‘titles’ (Safeguarding and Grant Funding)

Donations . The work relies entirely on legacy gifts, the generosity of donors, and individual gifts, as well as valuable stakeholder support to enable Open door Colchester to continue for over 30 years. A massive thank you to all our supporters

Best wishes,

Tim Rose, Honorary Chairman, June 2021

Director’s Report

New Role as Director

I want to give thanks for the fantastic work of our previous Director Peter Dale over these last four years. Many people have recognised his calling to the Church of England to train to become a vicar. I am personally grateful to Peter for making my life easier by giving me sufficient instruction to hand over the Directors role.

Saying goodbye to Peter

When I agreed to take on the role of Director, I could

not have anticipated that I would be working under the condition of a global pandemic. Most of my vision for Open Door involves connection and interaction with people, getting alongside our guests, spending time listening and looking for ways to support and encourage. Many of our visitors rely on Open Door throughout the week for either sustenance, assistance or good company. However, most find themselves somewhat isolated with insufficient support in Colchester town due to the Government restrictions around Covid 19. Therefore, since I started in July 2020, we have tried to be consistently creative by looking at ways to remain open while keeping both guests and volunteers safe.

A Big Thank you

We are so grateful to Colchester Baptist Church for their constant support of the work of Open Door. The biggest blessing is that they allow us to use their Church lounge as a drop-in centre that has its own amazing caretaker Brian! The Church also has a relatively large car park/forecourt directly outside its building, which has been ideal for the work of Open Door throughout this pandemic (as

Opening after the Lockdown

we haven’t been able to allow gathering in our building due to Government restrictions). We are also grateful to Colchester Baptist Church for all their support and annual donation. Likewise, we are thankful to all those who give a regular gift each month.

Operation during Covid

Staff and Volunteers

We welcome Kaoru Magee as the new drop-in manager who took over from Graham Last. Kaoru is a deacon at Colchester Baptist Church but has been an avid advocate for Open Door and has given much of her time as a volunteer team leader and volunteer over the years. I was delighted to hear that Kaoru was joining us, as I know that she has such a heart and compassion for our guests.

At the start of the pandemic, the Government advise those who were either vulnerable or over 70 to self isolate. This included two-third of our volunteers, including our team leaders. Therefore, we had to campaign for more volunteers. We created a video subsequently posted on our Facebook and YouTube page and shown in some local churches. We were overwhelmed by the response - with 3,600 views online, we could bolster our teams to serve our guests each day adequately. We have recruited three new team leaders: Ann Jonas, Hannah Crome and Nicci Lambert, who work alongside our dropon manager, Kaoru Magee. We also have an amazingly diverse collection of volunteers, all of whom are dedicated and have such a heart for people. We hope and pray that the volunteers who have had to isolate during the pandemic will be able to rejoin us, as the Open Door

team and our guests miss them immensely. With that said, many of the volunteers have been able to maintain a connection with our guests by making regular telephone calls, recognising that isolation can cause anxiety due to loneliness for some.

Operation Forecourt

Throughout the summer and autumn months, we have operated as a café drop-in centre on the forecourt. The volunteers would offer table service to our guests while adhering to the Governments guidelines, serving on average 40 people each day. Not only were people able to be nourished, but they would get the support they needed through this difficult time. We purchased two large gazebos to shield our guests from the sun and protect them from the rain. This does give extra work for the volunteers, but it is worth it, as you can see from the photo, they are well used and enjoyed by our guests.

Takeaway Lunches

The forecourt has been a real blessing during the warmer months, but it became too cold to remain outside during October. We were looking at ways to utilise the hall in the Church building, but then the Government issued another lockdown.

For the remainder of the year, we offered “takeaway” lunches and support to our visitors. This was an essential service provided for those desperately in need. Thankfully, we were donated enough pheasant curry and stew to feed an army. On average, we have been able to feed about 20 people each day.

Every year in December, we have hosted a large banquet style Christmas dinner for our guests, which can seat up to 80 people. Even though this was impossible to achieve during the lockdown, we offered a “takeaway” Christmas dinner. We were also able to give out a Christian gift parcel to everyone who came. We are grateful to St Johns church and Sue Caulfield (from Halstead) for making up a total of 80 Christmas gift bags. All of the food and nearly all the gift bags were given out. Many of our visitors wouldn’t have the luxury of such beautiful presents at this time of year, so it was lovely to be able to bless them this year.

We hope to utilise the forecourt through this difficult period. We will be looking to get some more appropriate and lighter furniture, with the possibility of another gazebo in the future. With that said, we hope and pray that we will be able to open up our indoor Café next year to spend more time chatting with our guests.

Challenging Times

As we come out of lockdown, we are aware that the needs will be greater than before. People have spent a significant amount of time in isolation, the need for interaction with others is paramount. We have noticed a significant increase in mental health issues due to solitude. Mental health awareness has always been at the heart of what we do; therefore, we will continue to look at ways to help people back to mental wellbeing. As the furlough scheme is removed and once the Government no longer house the homeless in hotels, people will need additional support. We will seek to work with other organisations to help meet this need.

Colchester Central Foodbank

One of the greatest needs in 2020 was people finding themselves in the predicament of not afford food for themselves or their families. We decided to team up with Colchester Foodbank to become a Foodbank satellite. We began our training in November and held

our open day in the first week of

December. We were grateful to the Mayor and Mayoress, Mike Becket (CEO of Colchester Foodbank), Lee Sordis (Local councillor), Rev. Cole Maynard (Senior Minister of Colchester Baptist Church), and many others for a fantastic opening ceremony. We planned to open only one day a week to start, but it wasn’t long before we decided to open

up three days a week. We are giving out up to 10 food parcels each day and helping others with smaller parcels as the need arises. Subsequently, Colchester Foodbank has moved their premises to Stanway (significantly further than their original base in Colchester). Therefore, we recognise the great need for having a Colchester Town Centre Foodbank. Going forward, we are looking to erect an outbuilding on the forecourt (subject to funds and permission) for storage and a hub to operate from.

Spiritual Need

We will always focus on giving practical support to our guests, and as I have mentioned before, this need will be far greater in 2021. We are also aware that the spiritual needs of our guests are just as important. Even though we have been able to keep in touch with some of our guests, many miss coming to our Tuesday Bible study and our Sunday time of fellowship, Sunday at One. We covet the day when we will be able to reignite these ministries operating from the building. However, we intend to make good use of the forecourt when restrictions ease. It is often said that, due to this pandemic, we have a blank canvas to work with. We intend to be sensitive to what God is saying, as spiritual needs arise, we want to point people to the One who can offer Salvation and wholeness. Sharing the love of Jesus remains central to everything we do at Open Door; we do not doubt that this love will be increasingly attractive to many people in our community.

Rev Simon Heard, March 2021. director@opendoorcolchester.co.uk

Report on the Public Benefit

The aims of Open Door are two-fold:

  1. Advancing the Christian faith; and

  2. The provision of facilities, resources, and practical support, with the object of improving the conditions of life for those in need in Colchester.

These aims have been the focus of the work of Open Door in 2019. The Sunday@One and Tuesday@Twelve ministries have provided the main opportunities for advancing the Christian faith. These provide informal and accessible options for guests to explore or express their Christian faith. Anyone is welcome to these events and is encouraged to participate as much as they feel comfortable.

The provision of emotional and practical support is primarily through our regular drop-in sessions. These are open to anyone, and everyone is treated equally regardless of their circumstances or past. We can refer guests to appropriate agencies that they may not otherwise know about. In addition, we regularly help with phone calls and filling in forms. We serve food and drink at very reasonable prices and offer a willing listening ear.

Many people have found great help from their involvement in Open Door, and for some, we are the only agency in Colchester whose services they access. We provide a community and safe space to belong for those who are lonely, and crisis support for those who need it.

Stories

I have struggled for 7 years as a rough sleeper and suffered from alcohol addiction (40 years), but now I have finally been housed in Colchester and am doing much better. I am grateful to Kaoru (our manager) for her help over the last few months.

Mary, Guest

I frequently visit Open Door and attend the Tuesday fellowship at 12pm. I was diagnosed with schizophrenia but manage it extremely well. I find that spending time at Open Door helps me and gives me the support I need.

Michael, Guest

I was a heroin addict when I came to Open Door and addicted to prescription drugs. I suffered with rejection from a child as my father left me when I was five years old. The volunteers took time to pray with me every time I came to Open Door. You never gave up on me. The discipleship on Tuesday and wisdom of the volunteers has helped me get my life back on track.

Claire, Guest

Gerry is an inspiration to everyone at Open Door. Even though he is wheelchair bound (he has cerebral palsy), it doesn’t stop Gerry from helping Open Door raise money. Every year he raises well over £1,000.

Gerry, Guest

It made me feel vaguely human, it’s a place where I feel safe to “let go” and to be myself. Everyone at Open Door is very open. The help is practical. Just talking to other humans is good practice.

Sara, Guest

The Guests are the best reason for working at Open Door. At last, I can read Matthew 25:31-46 and know that in our guests I am serving Christ. In addition, the guests teach me about life in its broadest sense. They are open, honest and direct. These journeys of faith are inspiring, walking alongside a guest who is discovering the action of Christ in their lives – Wow! It is just brilliant!

Judith, Volunteer

Financial Policies

Investments

The funds possessed by Open Door – Colchester have been relatively small and are not held for the long term. Hitherto, the Trustees have considered it appropriate for funds not immediately needed for current expenses to be placed on deposit. These funds are placed in an account with the Affirmative Deposit Fund for Charities (ADFC) operated by Epworth Investment Management (associated with the Methodist Church) in order to obtain some interest while retaining immediate access to the funds.

The £25,000 deposit with the Shawbrook Bank matured in January 2020. £15,000 plus the accrued interest was taken into the Current Account and £10,000 placed in a further one-year deposit with the Shawbrook Bank.

No other investments are held.

A current account is held with the CAF Bank to manage the day-to-day needs of Open Door.

Reserves

The Executive considered in 2005 that it would be prudent to hold reserves equal to some six months' normal expenditure to allow for an orderly winding-up of operations should this prove necessary. The balance of funds at the end of 2019 exceeded this level, thus enabling the Trustees to have confidence for the future of Open Door.

No reserves for particular contingencies are held.

Grants and Loans

Open Door – Colchester does not make large grants to individuals (or to organisations). Small sums of money to assist with living expenses, delays in receiving benefits, etc., are provided for individual Guests in appropriate cases at the discretion of the Director, Manager or Team Leaders. When feasible, these sums are provided in the form of loans, and repayment terms agreed with the Guest. Otherwise, the money is given without strings attached.

Treasurer's Report

The Accounts for the year ended 31st December 2020 follow this Report and should be read with the accompanying notes.

God's blessing on the work of Open Door – Colchester very much continued to extend to our finances in 2020, particularly in the matter of donations and grants to support the work and despite the problems arising from the pandemic. We thank the Essex Community Foundation and Colchester Borough Council for their grants supporting aspects of our work. We are very grateful for the donations from the Baptist Insurance Company and the kind people using fundraising opportunities offered by the Wonderful Organisation, Givey Stripe and purchases on Amazon.

The continuing support of Colchester Baptist Church (through a donation and allowing the use of their premises without charge) is much appreciated. The support of other Churches in Colchester and District is valued by Open Door, partly because of the volunteer helpers who belong to them and the generous donations made to our work. These Churches and related bodies are included in 2020 St Helens Orthodox Parish; St Andrews Marks Tey Men’s Breakfast, West Bergholt PCC, Aldham Church and St Johns Church. We continue to benefit from around 35 monthly donations varying in amount from £5 to £50 and totalling over £500 a month!

The Richard Green Special Needs Fund is shown separately. Restrictions on our activities arising from the pandemic resulted in few calls on the Fund during the year.

Bananas and Fruit Fund: a kind donor continues to give £20 a month to provide fresh fruit for guests. In 2019 and again in 2020, expenditure on fruit exceeded these donations, and it was thought better to include the donations and costs in the General Fund to avoid showing a negative balance.

One effect of the pandemic and the resulting lockdowns was the suspension of the Sunday@One services. During the services, collections had been taken to support a child in need via Compassion UK with monthly donations of £28. To ensure that the payments could continue, it was decided to send the payments centrally.

We are grateful to Michael Baker FCCA for his work in Examining these Accounts.

E A Drake Honorary Treasurer March 2021

Accounts: Open Door Colchester

1[st] January – 31[st] December 2020

1. Receipts and Payments: General Fund

Receipts
Donations and Grants
Colchester Baptist Church
Other Churches
Other Bodies
Individuals
Total Donations and Grants
Receipts from Activities
Sale of Refreshments
Sponsored Walk and Cycle Ride
Loans refunded by Guests
Sale of cards, etc
Total receipts from Activities
Other Income
Legacy
Interest on Deposit Accounts
Income Tax refunded on Gift-Aided Donations
Total Receipts		 2020
2019
1,100
1,100
1,859
1,739
23,000
1,515
11,322
8,398
37,281
12,752
613
1,511
0
1,273
291
435
7
33
911
3,252
19
37
5,000
0
484
139
1,307
1,182
45,002
17,362
Payments
Direct costs of supporting Guests
Payments and loans to or on behalf of Guests
Food and Refreshments
"Compassion" payments
Total Direct Costs
Costs of running Open Door – Colchester
Salaries, Pension and National Insurance
Staff training costs
Telephone line rental, calls and broadband
Insurances
Purchase of Equipment
Administration materials, etc.
Miscellaneous Costs
Total Running Costs
Total Payments
Increase (Decrease) in Funds over the Period
Balance brought forward from previous Period
Balance carried forward		 656
783
2,228
3,080
168
0
3,052
3,863
37,024
26,666
283
222
312
353
535
535
1,622
454
677
980
105
322
40,558
29,532
43,610
33,395
1,392 -16,033
37,237
53,270
38,629
37,237

Notes on the Accounts

1. Accounting Policy: in view of its size, Open Door’s accounts are presented on a “receipts and payments” basis in accordance with Sections 132 & 133 of the Charities Act 2011.

2. Status: Open Door – Colchester became a Registered Charity (No 1101675) on 22nd January 2004.

3. Donations and Grants: large donations and grants given to Open Door are listed in the Treasurer’s Report. Other Churches and bodies in and around Colchester continue to give much-appreciated support, both in money and prayer.

4. Gift Aid Income Tax refund: many individual donations have been made under the Gift Aid Scheme. The tax reclaims in respect of donations made in 2019 is included in these accounts.

5. The Richard Green Special Needs Fund: this Fund arose from specific donations – its purpose is to help Open Door buy items such as sleeping bags, tents, etc., for Guests with particular needs. Mr Green has generously continued these donations.

6. Borrowings: Open Door owes money to no-one. The Director and Team Leaders are provided with floats out of which they make small grants and loans to Guests. The total of the unexpended balances of these floats was some £217 at 31st December 2020.

7. Insurances: Open Door holds insurance cover for Public and Employer’s Liability, Trustees’ Indemnity and Legal expenses. Insurance cover for buildings and contents is held by Colchester Baptist Church, in whose premises Open Door operates.

E A Drake, Honorary Treasurer, March 2021

Independent Examiner's Report

Report to the Executive Committee (as Trustees) and members of Open Door – Colchester (Charity no. 1101675) on the accounts for the year ended 31st December 2020 set out below.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The Executive Committee is responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The Committee considers 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

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.

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 keep accounting records by section 130 of the Charities Act;

  3. to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act have not been met; or

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

Signed

Date: 10[th] March 2021

MG Baker FCA, 118 Chapel Road, West Bergholt, Colchester, C06 3EZ

Management and Constitution

Open Door – Colchester was constituted as a charity separate from Colchester Baptist Church on 25th November 2003 and registered with the Charity Commission on 22nd January 2004 (registered number 1101675).

Open Door is managed by an Executive Committee of between 5 and 12 members, including

Membership of the Executive Committee during 2020 was

These are the Trustees of Open Door Colchester.

The day-to-day work of Open Door is controlled by the part-time Director, Rev Simon Heard, assisted by the almost full-time drop-in Manager, Kaoru Magee. Open Door continues to take full responsibility for Sunday@One (an informal Sunday service) and Tuesday@Twelve (an informal Bible Study). The Director’s hours cover part of this ministry.

Open Door operates on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with groups of helpers led by Team Leaders Nicci Lambert, Hannah Crome and Anna Jonas. There are approximately 25 volunteers in total