THE WEIR LINK ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2023- 24 i-'I I L( )rii &h?li 33 Weir Rd l London I SW12 ONU www.theweirlink.or Contents Legal and AAlrnlni81ratNe Details Report of the Direciors l Trustees 4-10 Examlnefs Report 11 Statsment of Flnandal Actlvltles 12 Balanc8 Sheet 13 Notes to the Accounts ei THE WEIR UNK ANNUAL REPORT AND AUDITED ACCOUNTS APRIL 2023 - MARCH 2024 Legal and Administrative InfOrn￿tIOn ststus: Company Limited by Guarante8 v￿th Charilable Status {frorn JU￿ 2006) 1114855 Charity Number. Company Number: 05819428 Office Address: The Weir Lirkk 33 Weir Road London SW12 ONU Trusto08 202>24 Mike Hayes CBE: Margarel Hedley Richard Lea". Chair VKtrChair Company Secrelary Treasurer Carfo Taczalskt Rachel Stokes: Safeguarding Lead ReS￿ned 09.11.23 Appointed 06.02.24 pointed 06.02.24 Rev Helen Smith Laura Boyd James Boyd Bankers HSBC Bank PIC 117 Balham High Road London SW12 Independent Examiners Anthony Epton Goldwins Ltd 75 Maygrove Road London NW6 2EG Tha Weir Link Annual Report and Acc￿Thts 202&2411 Iio Illl. Public Benefft Statement The TNstees confinn that they have c4)mpfied with the duty Hi seclion 17 of Ihe Charilies Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charfty Commlsslon's general guidanLT on public benefft. The charitable purpose is enshrined in its objects for: The prnmo&"on for th6 public benefft of utsn and rurdl f8gen8ration in areas of social and acor￿ deprivation (in particular. the W￿r Estale, Lond￿ SW12 and the neighbourhood in the wider area of south London). To promots the development of young people in achievhg Ihw full physical. Intellectual, social and 'iitual potentlal. The promotion of8ny other chanTth puw 8S the Directors shall from t1rne4￿ think fft lor benefft ofthe community In th8 Arna ofBenefft. The Trustees conslder that thes• obiectNe8 are baing fulfill6d Ihrough delivering a range of communlty services for chlldren and adults with pro-actlve outreath as shown in the actSvitle8 and perlomwn¢e 8ectlon of thls reporL Objectlves The main objects of The Weir Link charity are: 1. for the promotion. for the public benefil, of urban and rural regeneralkm in areas of social and economic deprivation (in particular, the Wetr Estate, London SW12 and the neighbourtK)od in the wider area of south LorKlon) includir¥J by all or ary of the following means: the relief of povwty the relief of LmeffployM￿t the advancement of educaticm. trainirKJ arKI re4raning provision of technical assistance. business ajvice or consultanGy creation rf training and employment opw1￿nIt4eS development of the capauty and skills of the munbers of disadvantaged ￿mMunI￿e8 Tha Weir Link Annu￿ Re[￿ arKI A(￿￿nts 202&2412 provision of public heallh facdities and thRdcare Maintenan￿ improvement (Y provision of public amenities provision of recreational activities promotion of good ra￿ relations advancement of health protection or conseNation of the environment prom￿10n of public safety and the prevention of Ixime 2. to promote tha development of young people In achleving th8tr full physical. Intellectual. social and spiritual potential The Welr Llnk Vlslon The Weir Llnk aim8: To be a (Xtsw for thange. Providing a centre 0￿ing a range of educational. training. d)ildcare and soc181 support for resldents of Clapham Parf( ward (fomwty Tt¥Jmton ward) targethYJ those on low income; unempkjyed; k>w skilled I retuming to work adulis and minority ethn￿ commurNIi8S. To (xeats 0ppJ￿n1tieS for individual and COm￿nty gro￿ through eduG9t1￿, trainirffJ. fami suppjrt and opportunities for building CA>*￿sIve communltss through a raThJe of n61wo￿lng. soc*1 and educatlonal acaivities. To create a communlty vthere evwyone is valued and encouraged and dlvW￿ty Is cherished and enjoyed. Oryanlsatlon Structure. Govemance and Management Governlng Documents The Weir Link was i￿￿[pOrated in May 2006 and regislered as a charlty in June 2ThJ6. The ChaTity was incorporated as a Company Limited by Guaranlee wItt￿Ut share ca&xtal. The powef3 and limits of The Weir Link are set out bn the Memorandum and Artides of Asso(iati(M (xiginally dated 3rd May 20[￿, then amended by Member5. Written Resolution on 1 October 2(X)8 and 11 De(￿nber 2011. M(Ist r￿en1jy, on 21 March 2023. ts Articles of Association were fulty overhauled aml amended by MembeTS' Wtitten The Wer Link Annua ReFyxt and AC￿Unts 202&2413 Trustee Re￿Itment and Inductlon The Board recognises the need to have a range of skills ￿presented arn￿st the Tfustees and will. vtherever p05sibl8. Seek to ensure that each Trustee VAK) is appointed wtll add to the skills of th8 Board. The Board has decided to aim for a maximum of 15 Trustees with the minimum number being 5. EX￿ting Trustees, Officers. Management Committee membets and other interested parties may recommend to the Board potential new Trustees wilh skills appropiate to the needs of The Weir LinK or the Board may fomially advertise and recruit for new Trustees with speuk skills. Potential new Tnjstees must apply in vmting and undertake a process of interviews a combination of existing Trustees. staff and a qualified Human Resources professional. References are taken up and the subsequent appointment is by an ordinary resdution of the Board. All Tntstees are DBS thecked. Rlsk Management The Trustees o)nsider the main risks to the charity being about th8 provlsion of swvlces and fundlng. Fornial policies have been put in place to cover all rns relating lo the provision of services. The pn)c of risk assessment and management is a continuous process and applies r￿lt only to dients. but to staff, premises and equipmenL The Weir Link Trustees are satisfied that effective systems are in place lo mitigate perceived risks and monitor these at Trustee meetings. Regular and rol)ust financial planning and monit2415 ei Aftw many years of Servi￿ Rev Hel8n Smith of Power of th8 Ltving Word resigned as a trustee. Her service was recognised at an event at the 2023 AGM. new trustees - Laura and James Boyd - ￿re appoNited and discussions wilh two more interested people were ongoing at the end of Ihe year. The Welr Unk Fun Day - Saturday 19th August The Director and staff. with help from trustees and many volunteers on the day (Yganised at very short notice a wonderful community Fun Day event attended by around 150- 2(X) people. Overall. Ihis Wds very much a suc(xssful event. with a great tum¢Mrt in vrdrn (and crucially dry) weather and a very positive ambience, swKMted by the Weir Estate Residents Association, Lambeth Council. Dean from The Thoughtful Fnjiter. Brixt(￿ Chamber Or(*￿th. the Metropolitan Police aThY many others The dog show was undoubtedly a highlight for many. with 17 dogs taking part in the end. The live musical perf￿rnanCeS were also very muth enjoyed, with Ghildren's camival being a fitting finale. A particulady sucxessful outcome was attracting 8 significant number of famli ias and young people, sorne of Wh{￿ expressed interest in becoming involved In voluntewing wilh TWL. BUsIn￿8 Devel¢)prnont - actlvltles. projects and programmes Some of the a(thiti8s undertaken In 2023r24 at TWL on a weekty basls Indud8: Monday Maths club, wlth H dlildren aged 7-15 attendlng each week. suworted by a paid Maths tutor and a volunteer. Funded by the Walcot FourKlatlon. Tuesday's g8neral homework dub. wilh up to 8 pupils attendlng each week for hmwork supp(xt, supported by one TWL staff member and Iwo volunteers. Weekly popup 'Chit Chat Café,, ￿th 10-12 children, parents and carers attendSng each week for snacks. games and themed actlvitles (Motherfs Day. Easter. Chrlstmas etc). WednesdaYs Arts and Crafts dub with up to 12 chiklren aged 7-13 attending each week. led by arts tutor Kayleigh de Souza. Community Pilates da&ses on Wed• evenings, run by physioth8raFXSt Madia Rashid. Thursday's Polish slay-and-pjay sesslon ￿ 34 families attending each wee The Weir Link Annual Report and Accounts 2023-2416 #,r From April 2023 ￿ ran a 'digtal indusicm hub" in Collaborati￿ with Clear Community Web's staff and volunteers to offer dlgital advk% and support for residents. The Weir Link Film Club has been a huge success helping briThJ isolaied peO￿e into a u)mmunty activity and providing a fun afternoon for faTnilies during school holidays. Following the loss of the venue at The St Stephens Church Centre. a sh(￿l[￿J of Wonka t(x3k place at The Cube in Kings Avenue. The first two young people were introduced to (y)ntscts within the Fwofessions, thr￿h The Weir Link's 'Link into the Professions. sthme. In May Concheater Thomas commenced work kn the new post of part41Th￿ Facilities and Booklngs CTrordinator. Contheater resigned in December 2023 and was replaced in January by Christine Hold￿00k. Rita Sankoh continued to co(xdinats the Chit Chat Club arKI played a key role in ¢xganisin9 th6 Communty Fun Day. The trustees are grnteful for everything thal Rila arKI other volunteers induding Jennifer Davies and Hilary Lyle c¢￿trIbuted to the success of TWL. The Boanl are very grateful to Lizzie Taczalski for her excellent leadersh¥i as Community Centre Diractor throughout 2023-24. Her commitim6nl and hard wort( helped create a vibrant programme of events at TWL and engagement vAth a ￿ aThJ growlrKJ communlty, partlcularfy thrwh the use of ￿)Cial media. Partnern 1. TWL continued to have an excellent relalionshlp its partners, especialty London Earfy Years Foundation (LEYF) and The Michael Tippet College (TMTC) and its successor 1st February 2023 Nido Volans Lambeth (NVL). of London South East Colleges (LSEC). During 20231243 LB Lambeth recommenced negot•ations in respect of securing IWL'S head- lease; however. the Iwo parties faded to agree the proposed tenns aTKI discussions continued into the followmig year at a slow pace. Negots'ations in respect of the renewal of Leyfs lea88 C(￿linUed in a pasitive directTh. The Weir Link Annual Report and A(xx)unts 2023-2417 ei Bulldlng malntenance The Iru5tees continue to pay significant attention to malntaining the bullding's fabrlc arwj re5pondirvJ to the need for ongoing rnaIntenan￿ and repair. No major expenditure %YdS required: h(Mever, routine maintenance was undertaken in relatK>n to the shutters. security and fire alamis. and emergency lighting. The capability of the boiler Wds assessed. pest control rn8asures taken wr￿n n￿SSary and the qualty of the cleaning ContraCt￿S monit(ThY. Flnandal and rr systthns Regular updates on the financial postoon wer8 made at eath meetlng of the Board of Trustees. The Trustees had preVI￿sIY made a cortsoous decision to run at a small annual defiot rx)st<￿id to enable the organisation to regain and grow its momentum. The financial position is kept under regular review and alth(￿gh sensitive to unexpected changes in both irKx)me and expenditure remalns in sustainable position and able to pay its way. A sèttlement of £25.000 was agreed with and received from the Parochial Parish Council of St Thomas with St Stephen following the termination of TWL'S licence to occupy space at the St Stephen Church Centre. Volunteers Vdunteering ts central lo TWL'S ethos. arxl TTUStees wish to place on record thanks to its voluntews. The Weir Link Annual Rep(￿t arml Ac(x)unts 202&2418 Stratoglc Rav1￿. March 2024 In March 2024 the trustees undertwk a Str￿g￿ review of TWL'S performan￿ in Te18tion to thetargets set out in the Business Plan. The Board wiewed progress in the previous year in relation to." Activities, Partner relationships; results of the Comrnunlty SuTvey: Funding applicatM)ns; Premise& Slaffww; Volunteer contributTh& Trustee appoinbnents: Govemance a￿1 Finan(x. In relatlon to the fv￿re challenges arml opportunllles, the follo%￿ng wlnts weKe mad8. whlth have been added to the Business Plan as an Appendi > Financial risks were a challenge but manageable. Ralslng awareness of who TWL Is and vthat it (k)es needs to be Increased and Offe￿ a rangg of opportunitses especially on the estate. People to know what TWL can offer, e.g. art, music, tech. health and wellbelng sefvices, PrepaTrIk￿ for emFtynent and communlty even￿ Through communty surveys, fun day and other routes TWL needs to sharpen up its urKlerstsnding of what residents themselves wanL TWL needs to market its space moro smarty. especially in view of the departure of NidD Volans. Funding appllrAllons and requests for sponsorthlp are areas of Opp(w￿nfy but also of thallenge due to competslion with other (Yganisal#)ns. TWL needs to continue to vigorousty pursue funding and sponsorship opportunities. The fulure of the Nido Volans arKI St Step1￿'s sites may offer the fulw It was agreed to produce a revised marf(eting strategy do￿rnent to be entitled "Marketirvj 8nd Relationships". > Awareness campalgn. It was agreed that ther8 was a need for a 'TWL Awareness Campalgn. to help address both challenges and OPPLYknrt Th8 Weir Link Annual Rewt and Acix)unts 2023-2419 oi Concluslon 2023r24 has been a year of (x)nsolIdat￿ and grry*Ah. Actsvitses have grown in number and atte￿lan(￿. our fo(xs on raisifYJ resources from as many SOU￿ as possible has increased and the Board of T￿￿teeS was in a stronger FK)sition at the end of the year. The Su￿Sful Fun Day in particular helped stre￿jthen confidence in TWL'S value and its value to the communty. We have ex￿lIent staff. a committed body of truslees, a strong business plan and grx)d systems for govemance. administration and fin8nc& TWL frdces Chall￿eS in relation lo the availabilty of space, Ihe impact of Infialion and reduced funding In the pubk se¢aor but ends the year looking forward to navigalmg this challenging and changFng terrilory as we (x)ntinue to seek to serve the communty. Flnancial Revlaw The Weir Link re￿IveS financial support from the IoeAI authority ￿ other statutory agencies and for several years has been entirely deperHlent on rent and fees from users of the building. The Truslees have sought to manag8 the available financial resource in a FKudent manw. ensuring thal unalk)cated reseryes *ere sufficient to meet unforeseen maintenance and m8nagement challenges and that, as a general rule, operational expenditure does not &x(*ed income. Regular rental irKome fr￿n Leyf a￿1 lice￿ fee income frryn Michael fippett College (now Nido Volans) have h8lped secure a good financial posilion from whlch the Trustees intend to seek to increase aclivities for the benefft of the local oxnmunty. Looking ahe8d, It Is tha Trustees. intention to u)ntinue with 8 pdicy of prudence and reinfor￿ this wlth a more proacttve approxh to raising income 8nd a planned programme of expenditure on 80cial and economic projects, in additlon to building maintenance. Approved by the Board of Trustees and slgned on its bèhalf by: Rlchard L ayes Trust•0 and Company S•crotary TTUSte• and Chair 18 LULt The Weir Link Annual Report and Ac(xwnts 202&24110 INDEPENDEKf EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE WEIR UNK FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 I rep(xt to the trustees on my examination of ￿ accounts of the Company for Ihe yw erthd 31 March 2024. Responsibililies and basis of report As the charity's trustees of the Company (and also its diredixs tr the purposes of CA)mpany law) you are reswnsible for the preparation ofth8 aX￿ntS in acaxdancè with the r8qurements ofthe Companies Act 2006 (Ihe 2006 A(a'). Having salisfied myself that the accounls of the Company are not required to be audtted under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for indepe￿Ient examination, I report in respect of my examination of charity's accounts as canied oui under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (Ihe 2011 Ad.). In Ixrying out my examFnation I have followed the Diredions given by the Charity Ccffimission under section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act. Indyndent exafflinerfs statement I have completed my examination. I confrn that no matters have c¢xne to my attention In connedion vAth the examination giving me ￿U88 to believe: 1. accounting re(xDrds were not kept in resped of the Company as required by 88Ction 386 of the %)06 Acl; or 2. the accounts do not accord with those ￿C(￿ds. or 3. the aco)unts do not o)mply with the accounting requirements of sectk)n 396 of the 2006 A other than any reqUI￿rnent that the ac(yJunts give a 'true and fay view which is not a matter Conside￿ as part of an Indep￿￿t examination: or 4. the accounts have not been prepared in ac(x)rdance with the methods and prnc¥Aes of the Statement of Recommende(I Practice for accounting and reporting by charilies applicable to charibes preparing their accounts in acc(wdance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102). I have rK) (x)ncerrts arKI have come across no other matters in connection with the examinatkn to whlch attention shoukl be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Anthony Epkn Goklwins Chartered accwntants 75 Maygrove Road West Hampstead London NW6 2EG FCACTA FCIE 18 Q 0(￿-L￿ Lt The Weir Link Annual Rewt and Ac(x)unts 202&24111 2023 Tatsl Trtai Fund¥ o￿al￿S aryl 1gw'95 2A33 52.703 1(Kl 74218 107 107 99.079 99,079 Nqt(•xpwdkn)forth•pv P4W) (140 (24.861) Totsi funds 371 346 170 12 AT31 IIIRCH %Q4 The Wetr Cenirn Churth Coundl 10 262.351 11 2.37T 267J58 287.614 Debtrys Cash at bank and In Iwd 11 3.721 61,719 S8￿56 13 346.170 14 Reslrfcted funds Unrgststhd funds: Gorbw4 fund# Tolal UnrwtrI¢￿ fvnds 2K816 285ZJ7 60￿33 T•tsl tsnd• 346.170 For thg ernlkng 31 Moth 2024 th8 tx)mpany wa8 enlill•J lo •xempkn Irom aud5t under 477 of th8 A 2CM)6 rdath9 to small ￿￿nPanIos. Thfy mgmlm nal roquifvAI the o)mpany to obtaln an audit in aw)rdO￿a wlth sedl 476 01 the Co￿￿onIeS A¢1 2(X16.The dlredorn thelr rnsp(WT8i￿1Ity f0r.owyl￿.Th3 requlreff*nlg of th8 Act tho appl(*bLeto C￿lp0n198Bu￿ lo thg sffwll (xxnpar4•6 rnglmè. Approvad by Iha truthy on... and slgned th th#Sr bohaw W. Th• att•th•d not•¥ ftyTn pwt ofth• f¢nondal ¥t•tarrn 13 15Jwrn 15 Funds 2A33 703 10D 11x1 74218 74 21.690 21.69) (3.171) P1.W (24.8611 N￿gaInS l Oo&wl on 11171) Pl,W)) 124m11 13,171) (21.Wl) (24.e811 11171) {21.￿) 64.104 ￿￿27 r24.8611 371N31 18.W2 18.582 Jnds 51703 T•tsl funds Th• Y￿R UNK F(Xi ThE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH EireL# staff cog: ¥0 31.462 Pr(4ect C08ts Inwrar 11MO 1164 6,973 &164 &282 ,789 23.114 PMi888 & eq￿1￿1 Gosts 3W115 30,MS 21.843 Examinerfs fees 2.180 99.079 99.079 or th8 trAal expeThJlture, £87.235 was unrestricted (21Y13: £TI,389) •KI £20.421 restrkled {2022: £21.W). Anal￿ of t￿Or >•ar adi¥Hies 2023 T¢)tal 2022 Totsl 31A62 31A62 29265 6.973 2,931 5.282 26.789 23.114 2.1￿j 99,079 5.697 26,789 27.593 23.114 22.236 2.160 2,010 99.079 91,434 Premi8es a oquipmenl costs Examine¢s fees 17 Th•irf¢ UNK 23.114 1.673 g T•J•l At tha slwtoftr• P4ld1ti￿ In y8 At Its end oftho ya 517Jf 171M27 4Ifj5 IIW14 715 5.580 WS211 517.322 At the slart of th8 y 254,971 8.407 148.171 12.014 180.185 ￿10 427A73 AilJ* oftr* >* Alh• •nd•tth•y•v 11 Attho s18rtofth•> 262.351 1.013 Pen8k 3.197 FUTh 21V16 331.162 Fun Fund8 Funds T¢*al fwKIs ftyAd 888•t# 60.933 Ngt a86018 al the end otthe your 19 IhlAER UMK Atth• •nd •fth• SEIF Wla -Chur¢h 12.014 1(1 872 107 Transforn 01th8 RgstrJ¢W ￿￿j¥. {10.2491 262.351 21.6 2&5237 64,104 74218 74 2023 11 YKkng ￿ hlirnltd to £1.