2025-04-30-accounts

WAND UK celebrating 20 years

Women’s Association for Networking and Development

It has been a joy to work in the community with our women and their families during the last 20 years helping them to become agents for their own change .With the message, Accept who you are, Eat healthily , Keep Active we continue to provide a client centered service for all. We thank our funders, partners, staff and volunteers craving their continued support,

Https://www.wanduk.org/ Exmoor Street, London W10 6DZ

St Charles’ Centre for Health and Wellbeing

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WAND UK Boat Trip spring 2025

Kensington Palace summer activities

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Table of Contents

• Annual report p-1 -17 • Directors’ (Trustees’) report page p-18 • Statement of financial activities p-19 • Statement of trustee's responsibilities p-23 • Independent examiners report p-24 • Financial Activity p-25 • Balance Sheet p-26 • Notes to the accounts. p-27

The Trustees, who are also the directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act, present their annual report together with the accounts of WAND UK for the year ended 30 April 2025. The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the accounting practice set out on page 7 and comply with the charity’s governing document, applicable laws and the requirements of Statement. of Recommended Practice on ‘Accounting and Reporting by Charities’ issued in 2019”

Directors (Trustees)

Eiman Osman

Asha Singh

Nicola Ambler (Resigned May 2024)

Katherine Laurenson

Gladys Jusu-Sheriff

Alicia Harrison-Obafemi

Joanne Quillan

Arora Sanya

Olasubomi Dinyo

Aarti Mangla

Domitille Cornut LaFontaine De Coincy

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Bankers

Barclays Bank plc Leicester

LE87 2BB

Independent examiner

Ade Adebambo, MBA, ACMA, CGMA, ACG. London Accountancy Practice

161 Sumner Road London SE15 6JL

Governance and Management

WAND UK is a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity. It operates under the rules set out in its Memorandum and Articles of Association, originally dated 18 April 2005 and subsequently amended. The charity has no share capital, and the liability of each member in the event of winding-up is limited to £1.

Trustees are recruited and appointed through an open advertising process.

WAND UK is a London-wide women’s charity dedicated to supporting marginalised and vulnerable women and girls from the global majority. The organisation works with women on low incomes, those whose families are affected by the cost-of-living crisis, and women who are refugees, asylum seekers, or migrant settlers with no recourse to public funds. WAND UK also supports women experiencing domestic violence, living with long-term health conditions, and/or disabilities.

The charity operates across several London boroughs, including Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham, Westminster, Camden, Hackney, and Islington.

Aims and Objectives

WAND UK works with women both individually and in groups to support them in taking control of their lives, improving their health and wellbeing, boosting self-esteem, and making their voices heard. The organisation is committed to reaching the most vulnerable women in the community by placing the individual at the center of its interventions.

Through its YANA (You Are Not Alone) project, WAND UK aims to:

Provide information and referrals to marginalised women in need

Support the empowerment of women and girls through cultural and educational projects and activities

Collaborate with women of the Global majority (BAMER : Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and Refugee) and women-focused organisations wherever possible.

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Promote girls’ health and wellbeing, and increase their economic development aid their participation in community life

Amplify women’s voices

Strengthen women’s ability to contribute to society on their own terms

WAND UK’s Approach

WAND UK prioritise holistic, preventative approaches that help women avoid crisis points and build long-term resilience. Its work is rooted in the community and shaped by the social and cultural contexts of the women it supports, empowering them to make sustainable changes in their lives.

The charity also acts as an anchor within the community, offering one-to-one support and advocacy. It promotes and signposts women to relevant services they may not be aware of, helping them access the wider support they need.

Our Vision

WAND UK envisions a world free from discrimination and oppression, a world where differences are respected and valued, and where every woman and girl enjoys all their human rights and could realise their full potential.

Our Mission

In pursuit of this vision, our mission is to contribute to the empowerment and enablement of women and girls, supporting them to become agents of positive change for themselves, their families, their communities, and society at large.

Our Values

Equality & Fairness: Our activities and services are inclusive, accessible, and responsive to the diverse needs and circumstances of women and their families.

Inclusion: We value diversity and are committed to promoting equality in all aspects of our work.

Holistic & Person-Centered: WAND UK’s support considers all aspects of a woman’s life, including physical, emotional, social, and economic wellbeing.

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Highlights

The cost-of-living crisis, following the pandemic, continues to place pressure on communities across the UK. In response to these challenges, our staff and volunteers have continued to demonstrate passionate and unwavering commitment to supporting women and girls in need.

What makes our work stand out is this deeply rooted, shared determination to listen, believe, and empower vulnerable women and girls. We strive to deliver the highest quality services possible, guided by compassion, authenticity, and a belief in the strength and resilience of the women we serve.

We remain deeply grateful for the invaluable support and expertise our volunteers bring to WAND UK. Their contributions have been instrumental in helping us meet the growing demand for our services. Alongside them, the entire WAND UK team continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience, tenacity, compassion, and determination.

Securing core funding to support the organisation’s infrastructure and growth remains a significant challenge. Over the next three years, WAND UK will focus on investing in and further developing priority services that address the most urgent needs of the women we support. This strategic focus will help us maintain impact and build a strong case for ongoing funding.

Our Impact in numbers:

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22%
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The past twelve months have been a time of improvement, challenges and growing needs of our service users. The rising cost of living has been associated with a reduction in wellbeing, increased anxiety and worsening mental health, especially for those already on lower incomes. During the year under review WAND UK helped 3754 individuals and their families with 14486 attendances. A total of 216 are new participants who were linked to different projects, and which represents 5.75% of the attendees

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To support this, the charity is consolidating its work under the following overarching service strands.

Above shows the level of services we delivered, the other/ unspecified is a combination of the community food project and day trips and workshops.

Reaching Women Facing Significant Barriers

WAND UK continues to reach women who face multiple and complex barriers. Of those supported:

I addition to women Wand Uk supported last year we had 124 new users.

85% Were from ethnic minority backgrounds (Global Majority)

10% Identified as having a disability (both hidden and physical)

15% were single women

8% Are over 50 years

63% did not disclose their age

WAND UK made direct contact with 3040 women via our community food distribution project. 2899 in person 141 required food delivered or collected for them due to their mobility needs. WAND UK delivers its services through volunteer-led interventions and works in close partnership with both local and national organisations. Total contact hours where calculated at 11262

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Our Stories:

Quotes and feedback from the one to one/advocacy work / grant applications:-

“I am very grateful for your generosity and kindness. This grant has helped me in a time of great distress, where i am unwell and alone in a foreign country. I do not have family support and this grant has helped me a great deal. Than you for considering my circumstances and helping where possible.” yours sincerely,

“On the behalf of myself and my kids, thanks from the bottom of my heart. I wish I can return this help by volunteering in the charity. pleas ask me for that if you need. I really appreciate everything you have done for me and my kids.”

“Thank you for your voucher and for your help. i am happy with this because i need to buy things like food, clothes and other things. thanks”

“We are a family from Kurdistan, because of my husband's problems, my children and i have always been in big trouble, but now we live in peace in the UK. I have 3 children, this for new refugees because all of us are students. I thank you very much for this help. This assistance is very important

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for new refugees because those who have just arrived in this country are in dire need of financial and moral support. We are very happy because we are in UK safe. thank you for every thing

• “.“Thank you for the Tesco voucher, we're gonna spend it on food. I am so happy “

CLIENT-CENTRIC

The voices of the women WAND UK serves will inform decision-making and we will take proactive steps to ensure that WAND UK continues to be an organization where everyone is welcome and can thrive.

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Supporting Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

WAND UK remains committed to equality and non-discrimination. We ensure that all our activities and services are inclusive, accessible, and responsive to the diverse needs of women and their families.

Safeguarding

We hold a legal and moral responsibility to protect everyone who engages with our organisation, including beneficiaries, trustees, staff, and volunteers. Safeguarding remains a core priority, with regular policy reviews at the heart of the Board of Trustees’ agenda.

Performance

Throughout the year, our dedicated team of staff and volunteers delivered impactful services that led to positive outcomes for women and their communities. Despite ongoing challenges, WAND UK has sustained its service delivery and continued to support women’s health and wellbeing through three key messages that guide our work.

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WAND UK registered 4316 hours of frontline work. Delivering 200 sessions with 18018.45 hours of volunteer involvement and contact with the women we work with.

We have maintained a strong focus on areas that create the greatest impact in the lives of vulnerable women and girls. Through our weekly food bank, we supported over 733 families, including 30 housebound individuals, with 2940 supported

124 women benefited from our reflexology therapy, wellbeing, and self-care services.

We delivered 390 sessions, including advice services, educational workshops, peer and group support, one-to-one emotional and practical support, and online physical activities.

WAND UK continues to prioritise the health and wellbeing of BAME women.

Seasonal Support

Holiday Activities and Food Program

During school holidays, we ran activities for children aged 7-13, supported by funding from the Holiday Activity Fund (RBKC). This enabled us to provide snacks, hot lunches, and a range of activities, including dance, arts and crafts, cooking, trips, and gardening, to 59 children, with 164 attendances.

WAND UK celebrated the valuable work of our 30 volunteers. As well as celebrating the 20th anniversary of WAND UK’s work on 22nd February 2025

Cutting the celebration cake

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The Celebration Continues

WAND UK continued to work intensively with other organisations to promote the welfare of our clients. We focused on increasing knowledge and skills to address the wider determinants of health, prevent isolation, build confidence, improve skills, set goals, and transform lives.

Through our networking role, WAND UK has been a key support to women and community organisations. We collaborated on joint activities, facilitated access to services, and participated in advocacy and policy work to amplify the voices of the Global Majority (BAMER) women.

Impact and Feedback

Evaluation reports and feedback from service users consistently show that WAND UK’s activities have had a significant positive impact on individual women, their families, and their sense of belonging within the community.

Support from Our Volunteers

In 2024 - 2025, our dedicated cohort of 30 volunteers played a vital role in shaping and delivering a range of services and projects. Collectively, they contributed over 296.5 hours of their time. An invaluable asset to the ongoing work of the charity. In addition the social value of our volunteers is that they are able to increase the connectivity and community engagement with the women who are hard to reach and often do not know they can access support. The value of peer to peer communications is so important to ensure Wand Uk are helping the ones we set out to help.

Of these volunteers, 66% primarily supported our weekly community food bank, which continued to receive generous donations from partners including The Felix Project, City Harvest, Neighbourly, Fabrique, and Bloody Good Period.

The remaining 34% contributed across various areas, including reflexology therapy, massage, social media, accounting and administration, outreach, and digital literacy support.

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NETWORKING WITH OTHER ORGANISATIONS:

WAND works with the following organisations: We work in close partnership with local and national bodies and deliver our services through volunteer-led interventions.

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council.	Domestic Violence Intervention Project	Women’s Resource Centre
Kew Gardens	Islington Refugee Forum	St Michael’s Church
Imkaan	One Westminster	Voluntry Action Islington
Kensington and Chelsea social	Kensington and Chelsea young foundation	Refugee Council
Stroke Association	Nucleus	Metropolitan Police
Victim Support	Neighbourly	Grenfell NHS
Community Language Services Islington	Royal Kensington Palace CAS	Black female Doctors

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Felix project	BME health Forum	Elgin Resource Centre
Hammersmith and Fulham Voluntary Sector Network	Pepperpot	Imperial college London
Job Centre Plus North Kensington Hammersmith	Bloody Good Period	City Harvest

Events/ Participation/ Training:

Participation/ Training:
Russell Cooke Good Governance training sessions	Voluntary Action Islington	Kensington and Chelsea Social Council
SMART	SOBUS/hammersmith and Fulham	NHS England
Women’s Resource Centre	BME Health Forum	The Growth Company
Law center	Kensington & Chelsea Social Council	NCVO
CAB Hammersmith & Fulham Westminster Kensington and Chelsea	Kensington & Chelsea Volunteer Centre	MIND Hammersmith & Fulham
West Way trust	The Foundation for Social Improvement	London Community Foundation

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Key Metrics

• Our key metrics continue to focus on three core areas:

• The number of women supported

• Our success rate in delivering positive outcomes

• The cost-effectiveness of our service delivery

Future Activities

In response to the ongoing challenges posed by increase in the cost-of-living crisis, WAND UK will remain focused on delivering its established objectives, which have been reviewed and reaffirmed for the 2022–2025 period. A key priority will be achieving financial sustainability by strengthening partnerships with external organisations and grant funders to advance the charity’s mission. WAND UK has realised that the there is a need to for women to have a better feeling of belonging, reduced isolation and loneliness. We are also aware that women need to increase the levels of self confidence to be able to improve their ability to make informed decisions by increasing participation in their community and to reduce food poverty. WAND UK know that improved access to benefits and to increase resources to feed their families also links into being able to access support via gaining better knowledge of choices available to address fuel poverty, alongside gaining financial literacy and understanding how to budget.

WAND UK will also continue its efforts to promote diversity and remove barriers, ensuring that women and girls have a positive experience from the outset. We will focus on implementing our recommended theory of change and embedding our standards of conduct across staff, volunteers, and trustees.

Additionally, we have invested in collaborative technologies and new ways of working, with a commitment to developing and enhancing our digital infrastructure to better serve our community.

Organisational Development

Trustees

WAND UK’s trustees continued to play a vital role in overseeing governance and strategic direction. They reviewed and approved all organisational policies and remained aligned with the charity’s three-year strategic plan (2022–2025). Trustees met quarterly throughout the year and convened at an Annual General Meeting to monitor progress and ensure accountability.

To strengthen governance and operational efficiency, a policy review grid has been developed to ensure all policies are updated in a timely manner. The organisation is also working towards appointing a CEO to lead the next phase of WAND UK’s development.

Efforts have been made to keep our database current and aligned with project delivery needs. We have also ensured that our insurance coverage remains fit for purpose and that all staff receive comprehensive safeguarding training to uphold the safety and wellbeing of everyone involved in our work.

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Trusted Charity

WAND UK remains committed to achieving the accreditation under the Trusted Charity Mark framework, demonstrating our dedication to quality and continuous improvement.

Safe Minimum Practice Standards

We are actively working towards accreditation in Safe Minimum Practice Standards, reinforcing our commitment to safeguarding and best practice across all areas of our work.

– Data and Impact Upshot

WAND UK uses Upshot, a robust data management system, to collect and monitor progress, measure impact, and capture stories that evidence the difference our work makes in the lives of women and their families.

Policies

We maintain comprehensive policies across all relevant areas, including:

Safeguarding Adults at Risk

Safeguarding Children

Data Protection

Health and Safety

Conflict of Interest

Complaints Handling

Privacy Policy for Clients

Equality and Diversity

Reserves Policy

The trustees aim to maintain an unrestricted, undesignated reserve equivalent to 3months of the charity activity of annual expenditure. This reserve ensures the charity can meet contingent liabilities and continue service delivery during periods of financial uncertainty.

Representation

WAND UK actively contributes to wider sector efforts by serving on the Management Committees and Boards of the Islington Centre for Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Migrants, and the BME Health Forum.

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Donors

We are deeply grateful to all our donors for their financial and moral support throughout the year. Their contributions have been vital to sustaining our work.

Public Benefit

The trustees have adhered to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aims and objectives and planning future activities. This report has been prepared in accordance with Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006, applicable to companies under the small companies regime.

For the year under review, WAND UK reported:

Risk Management

The trustees maintain a risk register to monitor and manage the key risks facing the charity. This is reviewed regularly to ensure appropriate mitigation strategies are in place.

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WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION FOR NETWORKING AND DEVELOPMENT TRUSTEES’ REPORT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 APRIL 2025

The Trustees present their report and the financial statements for the year ended 30 APRIL 2025.

Principal Activity

The objective of WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION FOR NETWORKING AND DEVELOPMENT is to

work with marginalised and vulnerable women and girls and with special interest in working with women of the Global Majority experiencing Domestic Violence, refugees, asylum seekers, migrants. Women with no recourse to public funds, lone parents, low income families, unemployed, long term health conditions and or disabilities. WANK UK operates in the London boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith& Fulham, Westminster, Camden, Hackney and Islington.

Reserves Policy

The Charity Commission requires charities to determine and explain their policy for free reserves. The trustees are in the process of reviewing their reserves to make sure adequate funds are available in case of any downturn in income.

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WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION FOR NETWORKING AND DEVELOPMENT

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 APRIL 2025

CHARITY REGISTERED NUMBER: 1111925

COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 5427536

LONDON ACCOUNTANCY PRACTICE SOJOURNER TRUTH CENTRE 161 SUMNER ROAD LONDON SE15 6JL

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WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION FOR NETWORKING AND DEVELOPMENT COMPANY INFORMATION FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 APRIL 2025

Charity Registration Number	1111925
Company Registration Number	5427536
Registered Office	WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION FOR
	AND DEVELOPMENT
	St Charles Centre for Health and Wellbeing
	Exmoor Street
	London W10 6DZ
Bankers	Barclays Bank Plc
	Leicester
	LE87 2BB
Independent Examiners	Ade Adebambo CPFA, MBA, ACMA, CGMA
	London Accountancy Practice
	161 Sumner Road
	London
	SE15 6JL

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WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION FOR NETWORKING AND DEVELOPMENT TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 APRIL 2025

The Trustees present their report and the financial statements for the year ended 30 April 2025.

Principal Activity

The objective of WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION FOR NETWORKING AND DEVELOPMENT is to work with marginalised and vulnerable women and girls with special interest in working with women with mental health issues, domestic violence victims, refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, lone parents, unemployed, low level educated, women affected by HIV, and low income families. WAND UK operates in the London boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith& Fulham, Westminster, Camden, Hackney and Islington.

See WAND UK separate Trustees Report.

Financial Review

The total income for the organisation for the year ended 30 April 2025 was £159,170 compared with £144,613 in the previous year with a surplus of £60,993 in 2025 compared with £58,558 in the previous year. The total funds retained at the end of the year are £165,457 out of which unrestricted funds are £85,751 and restricted funds are £79,706.

Reserves Policy

The Charity Commission requires charities to determine and explain their policy for free reserves. The trustees are in the process of reviewing their reserves to make sure adequate funds are available in case of any downturn in income.

The trustees agreed to target unrestricted reserves to cover 3 – 6 months of activities. Based on the current expenditure, the unrestricted reserves should cover over four and half months of expenditure.

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WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION FOR NETWORKING AND DEVELOPMENT TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 APRIL 2025

STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES RESPONSIBILITIES

The Trustees are required to prepare financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the project and the income and expenditure of the project for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

• select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently;

• make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

• prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the project will continue in operation.

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the project. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the project and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

.

This report was approved by the Board on …………………........2025 and signed on its behalf by

Sign……………………………………………

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For the period ended 30 April 2025 the Company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Directors’ responsibilities:

• the members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476,

• the directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of the accounts.

• these accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provision applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime.

The financial statements on pages 8 to 10 were approved by the board of directors on …………………………………..and signed on its behalf by

Sign…………………………………………..Director

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WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION FOR NETWORKING AND DEVELOPMENT NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED APRIL 2025

1.0 ACCOUNTING POLICIES

1.1 Basis of preparation of Financial Statements The financial statements are prepared under the historic cost convention and include the results of the charity’s operations which are described in the report of the Trustees all of which are continuing.

The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the Statements of Recommended Practice for charity accounts.

The charity has taken advantage of the exemption of Financial Reporting Standard No 1 from the requirements to produce a cash flow statement on the grounds that it qualifies as a small charity.

1.2 Incoming Resources

Revenue grants are credited to the Statement of Financial Activities on the earlier date of when they are received or when they are receivable, unless they relate to a specific future period, in which case they are included on the Balance Sheet as deferred income to be recognised in the future accounting period.

1.3 Grants received for specific purposes are accounted for as restricted funds in the Statement of Financial Activities.

1.4 Restricted Funds

Restricted funds are to be used for specific purposes as laid down by the donor. Expenditure which meets these criteria is identified to the fund, together with a fair allocation of management and support costs.

1.5 Unrestricted Funds

Unrestricted funds are donations and other incomes received or generated for the objects of the organisation without further specified purpose and are available for general funds.

1.6 Designated Funds

Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the Management Committee for particular purposes.

1.7 Resources Expended

All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been included under expense categories that aggregate all costs for allocation to activities.

2.0 Tangible Assets

The organisation keeps a register of assets

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WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION FOR NETWORKING AND DEVELOPMENT NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 APRIL 2025 (continued)

3.

Creditors 2025 2024 £ £ Accountancy fees 1,500 1500

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