2023-03-31-accounts

Charity no. 1120185 Patrons: Anthony Anaxagorou, Poet and Publisher

Annual Report 2022-2023

Kent Refugee Help is a small user-led charity, now in its fourteenth year. Our main focus is working with foreign national prisoners in Kent prison establishments. Some of our clients are in prison under immigration laws, being deemed too high-risk to be placed in a removal centre. Others may be refugees, former unaccompanied minors, EU migrants, those with long residence who came to the UK fleeing human rights violations with their parents when very young, people who are undocumented or stateless. More recently, we have been involved in working with people coming over in small boats being arrested and criminalised. All are trying to navigate the complex legal system they are caught up in, with very little help or advice available. Many of them are facing deportation at the end of their sentence without legal representation. We are there to listen, offer legal advice and point them in whatever direction is appropriate for each client.

During the year 2022-2023, we supported FNPs through workshops (HMPs Maidstone and Rochester), legal visits, and remotely on occasion. We supported people in various prisons, which included HMPs Pentonville, Elmley, Maidstone, Littlehey and Rochester. We also supported people who had been released.

During the year we also received individual referrals from HMPs Wormwood Scrubs, Rochester, Elmley, Swaleside, Huntercombe, Maidstone, and Stoke Heath. There is still complex ongoing work with several former detainees from the DIRC (Dover Immigration Removal centre), which closed in 2015. This work is done by the previous case worker on a voluntary basis. Men on bail, waiting for their asylum case to be resolved, are forbidden to work, must conform to reporting restrictions, and are frequently tagged. This is akin to ‘prison in the community’. This situation continues. KRH believes that indefinite detention of any person for administrative purpose is discriminatory and should be challenged.

We would like to thank all our funders and organisations who have helped us to continue our work.

KRH Personnel

Trustees: Bahriye Kemal, Andrew Jordan, Chris Perks

Legal Advisers: Antti de Ruano, Fatima Kadić

Caseworkers: Kate Adams, Raga Gibreel, Pete Keenan

Admin. support: Lesley Grove of Accuracy Accounts, Caroline Gipson VA.

Volunteers : Hakki Aganoglu, Pete Keenan, Maria Ruano, Liza Seed, Rupert Bowers, Lucas Strauss, Nick Tompsett (website)

Although we no longer find Sureties for bail, we acknowledge that some of our former Sureties are still in touch with and support the people they stood bail for, some of whom have to wait many years for the resolution of their case.

We continue to work with The Prisoners' Advice Service, Kent Law Clinic and BID (Bail for Immigration Detainees)

Celebrating 16 years of working with detainees and ex-detainees www.kentrefugeehelp.org.uk | [e-mail]

Finance and Funding

Our prison work this year has been funded by the YAPP , The Allen Lane Foundation, Community Justice Fund, and the Vulnerable Persons Fund administered through the Kent Community Foundation.

Donations from individuals and church groups have continued to be generous. We see this as proof of a strong public desire to see more positive action to welcome and support refugees in the UK. Donations are treated as ‘unrestricted’ funds, which we use for the many individual needs of our clients. This year we also had an emergency fund, which supported numerous clients in various ways. This included paying for phone calls for over 10 people to get help in: finding a legal representative; accessing mental health services; contacting the Home Office; contacting their embassy - for renewing their ID; contacting their families. The funds were also used in other ways, such as: a haircut and beard trim for a client with mental health issues; a coach fare so a father could visit his daughter who lives some distance away; money to a client to buy Christmas and birthday presents for their children, who do not live with them. We also paid fares for someone’s family to come to The Christmas Party and we bought presents for everyone which were paid for by a raffle. The amounts in each case are small, but each one makes a positive contribution to the lives of our clients.

Christmas Party with our casework, Kate Adams, and our client’s family

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May Day 2023 by Nasrin Parvaz I call this painting ‘May Day 2023’. This is because this year’s May Day was the first after the uprising in Iran. There was a huge workers strike on this day which proved how important it is. The workers who started their strike on May Day are still on strike today, and are refusing to go back to work until their demands are met. Many workers have already been on strike for the last few months and are still on strike.

Whilst Western governments and their media are silent, the Iranian regime has been executing those who have been arrested during the uprising, as well as those who have been arrested for drug offences. People arrested during the uprising have been interrogated and subjected to torture that includes sexual violence in order to force them to make “confessions”. These torture induced confessions have been used as evidence and broadcast on state media prior to their trials in an attempt by the authorities to vilify

them and justify their executions. Prisoners have also been denied access to legal representation and are executed in secret, with no final visits or notice given to their families. Despite the rise in executions, people are showing their anger in many forms such as demonstrations and civil disobedience. Dancing is forbidden in Iran yet people are gathering in the streets and dancing. The regime looks away. Tens of thousands are in prison; how many more can they arrest?

The Farsi word in the painting that is holding the woman-made flag aloft means “we”. It is the first time in the world that women have led and started a revolution. As I am in the UK I can’t do the same kind of activism as the people in Iran, but I can try to amplify their voice with my writing and painting. This is a collective experience that has not only affected Iranians outside the country, but also the many women and people who are witnessing it. Both my writing and art are about our current historical period, and this is a painting about fighting back against brutal power, politics and social injustices. It is also about the absence of information about this situation in the British media.

Nazrin Parvaz is a writer, artist, and activist who fled Iran after being tortured in prison and facing execution for her support for women's and civil rights. Nasrin was granted refugee status in the 1990s. She continues to support the Iranian people's struggle, while also campaigning for refugee rights in the UK. She has frequently provided her artwork to support our work with foreign national prisoners.

http://www.nasrinparvaz.org/ ‘One Woman's Struggle in Iran, A Prison Memoir’ ‘The Secret Letters from X to A’

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Talking to the Spirits by Kadour Milnyali

Kadour Milnyali is an Algerian artist based in Birmingham who has contributed many of his paintings to provide images for our posters and postcards

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Casework and Volunteer Reports

Report for Kent Refugee Help’s AGM July 2023 Kate Adams Caseworker and Prison project Coordinator.

This year I have worked with 50 people from the following countries : Afghanistan, Algeria, Albania, Bengali, Brazil, Columbia, Congo, Eritrea, France, Jamaica, India, Iran, Pakistan, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Romania and Sudan. I have provided casework support to clients in HMPS Maidstone, Pentonville, Stamford Hill Open Prison, Littlehey and Huntercombe . I have also provided general advice and information to those who have contacted us regarding issues that are outside our remit through our main email and on Facebook. Our Facebook page has brought us into contact with people of many nationalities and allowed them space to publicise their campaigns and stories.

I am grateful to two advisors Anti de Ruano and Fatima Kadic for the legal support provided through visits and our immigration advice line. The majority of our clients are facing deportation unrepresented and the cuts which reduced legal aid for foreign nationals in this position have not been rescinded. Many immigration firms have closed and those that remain struggle to find capacity to take on these complex prison cases. The advice line is a lifeline for prisoners who can connect and re-connect with a friendly voice and receive specific and detailed advice which can be followed up with a letter. No such support exists within the prison service for immigration matters which is why we are pleased that post Covid our advice surgery at HMP Rochester run by Anti de Ruano and Raga Gibreel has been reinstated and we plan to expand by starting advice surgeries in other prisons.

Of the 50 clients I have worked with 27 were new referrals and the rest people known to us, some still dealing with the effects of imprisonment and immigration detention after many years and without secure immigration status. Supported by our immigration advisors I have assisted clients with various issues including making a fresh claim, varying their reporting conditions and challenging a refusal of a Modern Slavery claim. I have liaised with Bail for Immigration Detainees (Bid) in supporting clients applying for immigration bail without a solicitor who need help with applying for a release address from the Home Office and gathering documents to evidence their case. I have helped clients access Exceptional Funding (ECF) legal aid for their deportation case. All applications have been successful so far. The application requires providing a detailed and accurate immigration history and exploring the relationships which bind a person to the UK and demonstrate their Article 8 rights to Family and Private Life.

Casework Example : I felt privileged to support a Nigerian man and his Ghanian partner who were particularly concerned about the effects of his potential deportation on their little daughter who was suffering from insomnia, nose bleeds and losing weight. He was dealing with multiple bereavements from losing all his family in Nigeria, which he has addressed through psychological therapy. A successful ECF application helped me place him with a solicitor and I have provided written evidence citing their commitment to family life for his deportation appeal.

I am very concerned about the mental health of prisoners. Imprisonment and particularly prolonged detention under immigration powers is detrimental to mental health. A report by

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the charity Medical Justice identified mental illness as the most significant issue for immigration detainees.

Casework Example: A young man who originally came to the UK as an unaccompanied child had a troubled history of drug and alcohol misuse, which resulted in periods of incarceration in prison and immigration detention. He made many suicide attempts including using a ligature made from bed clothes and setting fire to his cell. Recently after completing a short sentence for criminal damage he remained under immigration hold though the Home Office had no means of deporting him. He contacted me to tell me he had cut his arm badly and that he planned to hang himself. I immediately reported his case to the Mental Health team as there was some delay in assessment and treatment. I told him he could call me every day until support was in place. I also involved Medical Justice who spoke to the prison about strategies for suicide prevention and self- harm. An immigration solicitor who knew my client previously took his case for bail and eventually the young man was released into Home Office accommodation. He has said that our interventions saved his life.

I have been working with one of our legal advisors to help him build medical evidence for a fresh claim. Like many who came here as separated children he has been damaged by his experiences and both legal and psychological factors remain barriers to him becoming settled in the UK.

I spoke about the mental health experiences of some of our clients at a meeting arranged by Faversham and Villages Refugee Solidarity Group which was well received and supported by a generous donation.

Conclusion

Our legal and psycho social support for foreign nationals in prison exists under the shadow of increasingly draconian legislation that dismantles protection for asylum seekers and other marginalised people. The Nationality and Borders Act has denied asylum rights to thousands and criminalised asylum seekers who are now being held in Kent prisons charged with illegal entry and arrival which carries a maximum sentence of 4 years. Those who are charged with facilitation of illegal immigration by driving the boat can face a life sentence.

The Illegal Migration Bill currently in process promises to deny asylum to everyone who does not arrive by “legal routes” and massively increase detention and deportation. There are no “safe and legal routes” for asylum seekers fleeing conflict in Iran and Sudan and for the majority who come by whatever means necessary and were previously allowed entry under the Refugee Convention.

This blatant state sanctioned cruelty has given ammunition to the far right. Along with other colleagues I supported the peaceful protest in Dover which countered an inflammatory visit from English Patriot. I also spoke at a meeting in the University of Kent about the growing authoritarianism in the UK which can both intimidate and divide communities and is reflected in the dehumanising treatment of refugees and migrants. As a small charity we stand in solidarity with those displaced, detained and dispossessed and continue to be part of the resistance.

Kate Adams

………………………………………………………………………………………… Legal Project Report Antti de Ruano, Legal Advisor

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We continue to operate a telephone advice line twice a week for foreign national prisoners. We usually receive several calls on both days. The advice line enables us to provide one-off legal advice about immigration law to prisoners and their families.

There remains no organised provision of legal aid to prisons for immigration law unlike in immigration detention centres where there are daily legal aid duty advice surgeries. While legal aid for immigration matters is available on an ad hoc basis it appears to be extremely difficult for prisoners to find such representation and even we find it difficult to find legal aid providers who would accept our referrals for legal representation. We therefore continue to fill in a gap as far as we can.

Even the one-off legal advice on immigration issues and options appears to be useful to prisoners as often they do not seem to have access to such advice from anywhere else. This at least enables them to make better informed choices about their options and in some cases also helps them, to some extent, in representing themselves if they have to.

A recent example is Mr M. He was claiming asylum and seeking release after completing his prison sentence. Like many people in his position, after finishing his criminal custody with the Probation Service having no objection for his release, he was held in immigration detention in the prison. He was given a form IS91 which has certain standard boxes for an immigration officer to tick as the reasons for his immigration detention, as far as the detainee was aware of the reasons for such a decision. With a pending asylum claim, he was eligible for Home Office accommodation but the Home Office had decided to keep him in immigration detention while his asylum claim remained pending for months. He was not successful in finding a legal aid provider to represent him with asylum and bail despite both matters being within the scope of legal laid even after 2013. He was left with the support of charities with limited capacity and resources to process his bail application very quickly. We were however able to apply for Home Office accommodation for this person, something that does not appear to be funded by legal aid. We were also able to make a referral to BID (Bail for Immigration Detainees) for them to make an immigration bail application to the First-Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber).

Antti de Ruano, Legal Advisor

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I have continued to support historic ex detainees, with whom we have worked through asylum and beyond. Some new faces encountered locally, via interactions and involvement with Napier Barracks campaigning for instance, we have been able to assist refugees to gain legal representation through to Asylum application; even grappling with hostile rental legislation - successfully in one case.

The moral complications of engaging, in the interest of refugees, with negative government legislation and new practices, never gets easier; it has been a fine line between practical compassion for individuals and in that very action, potentially being seen as validating the latest institutions established to undermine their human rights.

I was walking in the Spring sunshine yesterday through Folkestone Warren, in its balmy microclimate, with new friends from Napier away from cold winds – from whatever direction. Pete Keenan

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Prison Workshops (Surgery):

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Our work with HMP Rochester (Young Offender Institution – YOI) became more established this year. This was because KRH’s information sheet became much more accessible with the help of the prison community distributing it. We saw new clients at our workshops and also received new self-referrals over the phone.

Support for Foreign National Prisoners:

We provided financial support for clients to access phones so they could keep in touch with their families or to contact their solicitors. In addition to this we provided support for clients to find legal representatives; access mental health services; contact the Home Office; contact their embassy - for renewing their ID (as for example the case of Mr. C. S, a Portugal National, which is not resolved but we are working on it.)

Our Rochester workshop became more regular between 2022- March 2023. There were a few postponements due to internal changes or staff replacement in the prison.

Support for men at Napier: Folkestone Drop-in Centre.

Much of this work was done through referrals. As part of this we provide support and advice on accessing important information. As an example, one of our clients is a very distressed young Eritrean who feared for his family’s life. He was previously supported by the IOM (international Office of Migration) relocation programme. He was separated from his eight family members including younger siblings in the moving process. He became homeless and lived on the streets in Italy and struggled to find work or shelter. He wanted to track his family. After some discussion with our trustee, Andrew, we agreed that the Red Cross, IOM and Refugee Council would be useful contacts. In the end I assisted the young man to contact the International Red Cross to track his family before his transfer.

Community: Examples of Cases

M. K. Algerian. He was transferred from HMP Maidstone to Brook House Immigration Removal Centre i n 2020. After being released into the community, he was sent to Cardiff. I referred him to the Oasis charity in Cardiff. Occasionally he calls for support as his immigration situation is not resolved. Last time he called was 13/05/2023.

M.M. Algerian. He arrived in the UK as unaccompanied minor. After his release from HMP Maidstone in 2020, he was sent to Cardiff. After his release he continued to receive support from us. We provided him with access to legal assistance, emotional support and referred him to local support groups like the Oasis charity. We also made sure he was able to attend the Home Office meetings and appointments. We provided him with funding to make phone calls and travel. He subsequently returned to Kent and was sofa surfing at a friend’s house. He received support from me and Antti de Ruano, our Legal Adviser. I last contacted him on 29[th] of January to remind him of his biometric appointment.

One referral made to Doctors Without Borders.

R. E. was first supported by Kate Adams. I visited him in prison, provide him with phone access, and worked closely with his personal adviser/ social worker. I referred him to both legal and mental health support as he expressed suicidal thoughts. KRH also, provided him with small financial assistance to contact his solicitor and friends. These were three small payments of maximum £30. After his release, we supported him through providing him with a SIM with 20 GB data, which made it possible for him to contact us and help him through our networks. I referred him to local support groups and appropriate services in in London. We offered grants to help him to attend to court and go to hospital.

T.M. a young person held in Rochester (YOI). We provided him with access to legal support, and he is now supported by Turpin Miller. I also provided him with information to access

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mental health, work-related information in prison, and assistance to keep in touch with his family. T.M. was very happy with our support, which he shared with us in a meeting and with the prison officer. He went on to promote our work and shared our contact information with his friends in HMP Rochester.

The boat men:

I received one referral from a criminal solicitor (Tuckers Kent Branch), who had previously assisted one of our clients. They referred Mr. K.M. who I saw in HMP Elmley for support in accessing an immigration solicitor and assistance to get to court after being released on bail. Our Legal Adviser is helping with this case.

Other referrals are mostly done by post as self-referrals. I have written back to 25 people so far, and have received numerous forms. Most of the men are in HMP Elmley and requested financial assistance. We are still working on this with other support groups to figure out the best way to assist and avoid duplication.

Here is some feedback received from a client:

R.E. sent this by WhatsApp after being released this year. “I just want to say thank you very much for your help and yeah you've been helped me a lot”

We saw him first in HMP Rochester, when he received support from Kate Adams and myself. I continued to provide him with assistance after release.

Raga Gibreel

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Volunteer Case Worker Lucas Strauss

I started volunteering with Kent Refugee Help (KRH) in April 2022. Over the last year I have worked with 2 clients from Jamaica and Guinea. Both of these clients have served a custodial sentence in prison and are currently living in the community. I am in telephone contact with these clients each week and provide both practical and psychosocial support. Furthermore I am in regular contact with my supervisor from KRH supporting my clients to access the charity’s financial and legal support services. Both of these clients have responded differently to our telephone contact.

Volunteering with KRH has been a learning experience for me. Having completed a training in counselling and therapeutic skills, I had a preconception of how the telephone contact could benefit the clients and KRH. What I learnt was that although many of these skills were useful, the clients benefitted from a more human connection. Although I would maintain a “professional relationship” with the clients, I also felt that by connecting with them as equals (sharing interests, dreams, passions, struggles) we could understand each other clearer, bridge cultural frames of reference, and develop a more congruent relationship. These conversations with the clients and my supervisor have helped me to understand some aspects of the lived experiences and the processes involved for refugees and asylum seekers. I have also learnt a lot about the financial, legal, and community resources available to my clients and helped them to access some of these services. The support that I provide clients is multifaceted. Beyond our weekly conversation, they will contact me for “everyday” support. Examples include using transport services, literacy support, technical support, navigating customer services, and education (homework support).

Celebrating 16 years of working with detainees and ex-detainees www.kentrefugeehelp.org.uk | [e-mail]

Working alongside my supervisor, an immigration lawyer, and the client I have drafted a witness statement to be used in their immigration proceedings. Due to the nature of my relationship to the client, I felt that it was important to include the client in the writing process in order to accurately reflect their experience and empower their autonomy to share their own experience. Too often refugees’ voices are alienated from the legal and bureaucratic process. By including them in the drafting process I attempted to bridge some of this power imbalance and support them to navigate the tension between sharing their story and drafting a legal document. At each stage of the drafting process I wanted to be sure that the client felt comfortable about the information it contained and the language used to describe their experiences.

Furthermore KRH has sponsored me to complete a CPD training in “ Working with Refugee People and their Families ”, at the Tavistock institute. This is a 10 week online course which will assist me to enhance my theoretical understanding of issues surrounding the asylum seeking and refugee experience and the practical skills and dynamics involved in supporting KRH clients. This training provides a systemic, therapeutic, and politically informed framework when working with refugees and asylum seekers. This opportunity will help me in my personal and professional development and help me improve the support that I provide KRH clients in future.

Lucas Strauss Volunteer Case Worker

Events

In 2022, we organised an event entitled Seeking Asylum is a Human Right- Stop criminalizing refugees and migrants!

The event consisted of powerful talks by Antonia Bright from Movement for Justice, by any means necessary, and Graham Minter, Amnesty International, Human Rights!

Celebrating 16 years of working with detainees and ex-detainees www.kentrefugeehelp.org.uk | [e-mail]

Policing the Hostile Environment by Social Scientist Against Hostile Environment

We attended a webinar on Policing the Hostile Environment organised by the Social scientist against the Hostile Environment. The webinar focused on critical social scientific and criminological perspective on the 2022 Act and subsequent policing policies, and accounts of how they are impacting on migrant communities,

anti-racist activism and Roma, Traveller and Gypsy communities, including in Kent around the detentions centres, prisons and arrival points.

Our session consisted of Christian Algar, local activist in Kent with Freedom From Manston and Channel Rescue, and Kate Adams, Kent Refugee Help, in dialogue with Bahriye Kemal, University of Kent, on the current situation in Manston

The speakers included Dr Samuel Burgum, Lecturer in Sociology, Birmingham City University, who spoke on Damage, Disruption, Distress: Unsettling the Police Bill. The second talk was by Dr Monish Bhatia, Lecturer in Criminology, who spoke about the impact of policing law on migrants and refugees.

Protest

Solidarity Knows No Borders June 2022

KRH stall in protest against Deportations to Rwanda

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SHUT MANSTON DOWN!

We attended the Shut Manston Down protest on 6[th] November 2022. This was a call to shut the centre and for freedom for the estimated 4000 people held there without access to doctors, lawyers, phones and belongings.

Together with hundreds of people under the pouring rain, Kent Refugee Help stood outside the centre calling out SHUT MANSTON DOWN!

NO-ONE IS ILLEGAL BRAVERMAN OUT NOW

REFUGEES WELCOME

REFUGEES WELCOME

SHUT MANSTON DOWN!

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Protestors Welcome Refugees

A counter-protest and rally in Market Square Dover organised by community and anti-racist groups against fascist groups.

On 4[th] March, the far-right group English Patriot visited Dover in an attempt to divide residents and undermine support for asylum seekers. KRH joined community groups, trade unionists, and Roma activists in a counter-demonstration held in Dover Market Square. The far-right group marched accompanied by the Police but their toxic action was rendered ineffectual by the strength of solidarity with refugees from local people.

Jewish Protestors welcome refugees

Activists from Stand Up to Racism in front of the KRH banner.

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No Human is Illegal

KRH attended this No Human is Illegal protest. In this photo, protestors are bringing toys to children. The photo is by Thanet Left group

Our volunteer Lucas Straus and caseworker Kate Adams set up street stall to raise awareness of Kent Refugee Help, Defend the Human Rights Act and Shut Down Manston Centre

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Mental Health, Faversham and Villages Refugee Solidarity Group

Kate Adams attended a meeting organised by Faversham and Village Refugee Support. Kate spoke about our work with focus on the mental health experiences of our clients. The talk was very well received and supported by a generous donation.

Since the pandemic we noticed many of our clients are experiencing mental health struggles. In light of this, at our 2022 AGM we organised an event entitled Seeking Sanctuary: Mental Health, Space, Papers in Hostile Environment . Here vulnerable people, poets, experts and campaigners spoke on the complex struggle for the right to well-being and health experienced during the pandemic.

In 2023, we have found that mental health struggles continue to grow among our clients, and we do all we can in helping them access mental health support. We are very concerned about the mental health of our clients because imprisonment, prolonged detention and isolation is detrimental to mental health.

Looking Forward…

The state of the world and hostile environment towards people seeking asylum has not changed, indeed it has worsened considerably. Following last year’s victory in court for those people accused of steering a boat, the government has introduced a draconian new Illegal Asylum bill. If passed, in its present form, it will make it illegal to enter this country by any other means apart from by approved routes. This is impossible as there are no approved safe routes apart from those for citizens of Ukrainians and Hong King. The Nationality and Borders Bill has been passed in parliament despite vigorous campaigning against it by all refugee organisations. The Bill denies sanctuary rather than offering welcome. The proposals for asylum reform focus on refusing people protection and aim to make life in the asylum system unbearable – these reforms will force people to live in anxiety, under the continuous threat of removal, and denied the chance to reunite with family and loved ones. It focuses on penalising and criminalising refugees, turning them into legal and illegal people. Dividing people between “illegals” who took a clandestine entry, including dangerous crossing, and “legals” who took the orderly process of resettlement directly from refugee camps under government programmes.

In spite of this overwhelming hostility towards displaced people, we continue to have hope, with many people in civil society, organisations and the general public expressing their opposition to the increasing hostility.

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In 2022, Amal a puppet representing a Syrian displaced young person returned to Canterbury, and we were invited to welcome her. Amal arrived in the UK in 2021 after walking 8000km from Gaziantep. Amal, whose name means Hope in Arabic, made us all feel hopeful that we can have concrete change. In June 2022, as part of Refugee Week with its focus on Healing, Amal returned from Manchester to Kent for an event entitled Together Again. Here she was welcomed by the Migration and Movement Signature Research Theme at the University of Kent as part of the Youth Summit for young people who have lost learning as a result of the pandemic. The first day of the Summit focused on Migration and Amal was joined by young people and charities to dance a dapke with the different music that she experienced throughout her journeys. Together we Healed through dance. Kent Refugee Help had a stall and was very excited to welcome and dance with Amal.

We produced a postcard to Priti Petal in response to the Border Bill, which we gifted to Amal. Amal sent the postcard

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The need for our work continues to increase all the time. We are very grateful to the support of our volunteers and friends upon whom we depend for so much. Our work in supporting refugees and migrants is more urgent than ever, and we will do our utmost to make their voices heard.

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Charity No. 1120185

KENT REFUGEE HELP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2023

Page 1 KENT REFUGEE HELP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2023 TRUSTEES Chris Perks Chairperson Dr Bahriye Kemal Andrew Jordan CHARITY ADDRESS PO Box 192 Whitstable Kent. CT5 1WA. INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Ms Sarah Oyediran MAAT 19 Pintail Way Herne Herne Bay Kent. CT6 7XP BANKERS Lloyds TSB Bank plc, 49 High Street, Canterbury, Kent. CT1 2SE. CHARITY NUMBER 1120185 CONTENTS 1 Index 2 Independent Examiner's Report Page 3 Profit & Loss Account 4 Balance Sheet 5 & 6 Notes to the Financial Statements Trustees report is provided seperately

Page 2.

Independent Examiner's Report to the trustees of Kent Refugee Help

I report on the accounts for the year ended 31st March 2023 which are set out on pages 3 to 6.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

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

It is my responsibility to:

Examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act. To follow the procedures laid down by the General Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act) and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of independent examiner's report

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 unsual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explainations from you the trustees concerning any such matters. The prcedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair' view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

Independent examiner's statement

In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

1 . Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect the requirements to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charity Act; have not been met or 2 . to which, in my opinon, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached

signed:

dated:

Ms Sarah Oyediran MAAT 19 Pintail Way Herne Herne Bay Kent. CT6 7XP

Page 3

KENT REFUGEE HELP STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2023

Notes Unrestricted Funds Activities in the furtherance of the Charity's objectives:- Grants receivable 2 0.00 Donations 3 3,814.43 Activities to generate funds 3 30.00 Other & Reimbursements 3 805.68 0.00 Total incoming resources 4,650.11 Charitable expenditure Employees/Sub-contracted assista 4 3,417.09 Activity costs 5 1,157.61 Management and administration 6 2,051.73 Total resources expended 6,626.43 Fund balance brought forward at 1st April 2022 38,640.78 Transfers between Funds - Petty cash 0.00 Fund balance carried forward at 31st March 2023 36,664.46		Restricted funds 24,196.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 24,196.00 23,525.52 3,630.29 3,414.53 30,570.34 11,609.05 0.00 5,234.71		Total 2023 24,196.00 3,814.43 30.00 805.68 0.00
				28,846.11
				26,942.61 4,787.90 5,466.26
				37,196.77
				50,249.83 0.00
				41,899.17

Page 4

KENT REFUGEE HELP BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31st MARCH 2023

Current assets Debtors Cash at bank Cash in hand ( Petty Cash) Creditors:Amounts falling due within one year Net current assets/liabilities Net assets Represented by: Restricted funds Eddie Barns Memorial Donations ARM Trust - Prison Project French Huguenot YAPP Allen Lane Access To Justice - Cost of living crisis Unrestricted funds: General fund Daughters of Jesus donation Cotmore Trust donation Petty Cash Total funds	Notes	2023 0.00 41,899.17 0.00	2022 0.00 50,034.83 215.00
		41,899.17 0.00	50,249.83 0.00
		0.00	0.00
		0.00	50,249.83
		568.75 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4,665.96 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 36,664.46 0.00 0.00 0.00	. 794.25 6,510.13 329.35 597.04 3,378.28 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 32,425.78 1,000.00 5,000.00 215.00
		41,899.17	50,249.83

The financial statements were approved by the trustees on and signed on their behalf by:-

Dated:

Page 5

KENT REFUGEE HELP

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2023

2 Grants receivable Kent Community Foundation - Changing Lives YAPP Access to Justice - Cost of living crisis 3 Other income Donations Daughters of Jesus Donation Cotmore Trust Donation Eddie Barns Memorial Fund Fund Raising Events Other & Re-imbursements 4 Sub-contracted assistance and Employees Paid to sub-contractors Employee Gross Pay Employer NIC Costs	Unrestricted Funds 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3,814.43 0.00 0.00 0.00 30.00 805.68 0.00 4,650.11 3,417.09 0.00 0.00 3,417.09	Restricted funds 10,000.00 2,000.00 12,196.00 0.00 24,196.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 23,525.52 0.00 0.00 23,525.52	Total 2023 10,000.00 2,000.00 12,196.00 0.00
			24,196.00
			3,814.43 0.00 0.00 0.00 30.00 805.68 0.00
			4,650.11
			26,942.61 0.00 0.00
			26,942.61

The average number of employees during the year, calculated on a full time equivalent basis was 0 (2019-20).

No employees received remuneration amounting to more than £50,000 during the year. No trustee received any remuneration during the year.

5 Activity costs Professional & Volunteer Travel Expenses Professional & Volunteer Telephone Expenses Detainee & Ex-detainee Expenses Meetings (inc Hall Hire) Training Volunteer Expenses Miscellaneous	40.45 0.00 314.07 77.41 700.00 0.00 25.68 1,157.61	271.00 1,164.21 1,945.08 0.00 200.00 0.00 50.00 3,630.29	311.45 1,164.21 2,259.15 77.41 900.00 0.00 75.68
			4,787.90

Page 6

KENT REFUGEE HELP NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2023

6 Management and administration Administration Costs Insurance Independent examiner's fee Bank charges Committee and meeting expenses Publicity 7 Debtors Grants due 8 Creditors: amounts falling due within one Deferred income Accrued expenses	Unrestricted Funds 2,219.24 0.00 52.50 0.00 0.00 66.00 2,337.74 0.00 year 0.00 0.00 0.00	Restricted funds 2,601.66 279.36 157.50 0.00 0.00 90.00 3,128.52 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00	Total 2023 4,820.90 279.36 210.00 0.00 0.00 156.00
			5,466.26
			0.00
			0.00 0.00
			0.00

Page 2. Independent Exarnineffs Report lo the trnstees of Kent Refugee Help I report on the ac￿Unts fly the JEar ertd￿ 31si March 2023 are set Thjt on pages 3 to 6. Respective responsibilities of trustees and examlner The charityls truste&s are resp¢￿S1b1e for the preparat)n ofthe accounts. The charitys trustees consKJer that an audr( is nol required for this year under section 144 of the Chartbes Act 2011 (tr￿ c￿￿11[eS and that an independent examination is need&J. tt is my responsTr&ilty to.. Examine the ac(x)unts under sect¥￿ 145 of the chariti￿ Act. To folh)w Ihe pro(%dures laid down bythe General Dwecttons gNen bythe Charity Commission (under sedion 145151{b) of the Charities Ad) and to state thether partic#Jlar matters have come to my attenim. Basls of independent examinerfs report by the Charity Commiss￿n. An examination indudes a rewew of the accounting records kept by the thanty and a wmF)aris(M of the a¢xounts presented with those records. It also indud&s C￿sKIeratIon of any unsual it￿1S or disdosures in the accounts. and seeking expiainations from YDU the trustees Ixjnceming any such matters. The prcedur&s undertaken do not provide all the eviden￿ that woukj be required in an audiL and Cor￿Uen￿ no opinK)n is given as trj whether the accounts present a Inje and fair view ar￿ Ihe rewt is limibj to those matters set out ￿ the statement bek)w. Independent examln*s sLitement In the (xjurse of my examination. no matter has L￿me to my attent￿. 1. Which gNes me reasonable ￿use to believe Ihat in. any malerial respect the requirements to keep acctsunting re(x)rds in aCLx)[dan￿ with section 130 of the Charities Act and to prepare ac(x)unts accord ￿ryth the accounttng records comply wtth the accounting requirements of the Chartty Art have not been met or 2. to which. in my opinon. attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be re8chwJ signed: {L 113 Ms Sarah 0￿1ran MAAT 19 Pintail Way Heme Heme Bay Kent. CT6 7XP