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2023-03-31-accounts

REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Report of the Trustees and Unaudited Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2023

for

Reading Community Learning Centre Ltd

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

READING COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTRE LTD

CONTENTS
1. Charity Information Page 3
2. Structure, Governance and Management Page 4
3. Objectives and Activities Page 5
4. The Work of the Centre
•
Significant Activities April 2022 - Mar 2023
•
Partnership Work Following the Pandemic
•
Increased Support Needs & Cost Of Living Crisis		 Page 9
5. Course Programme
•
Core Programmes 2022/2023
•
Syrian, Afghan and Ukrainian Refugees
•
Improving Citizen Engagement
•
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)
•
Learner Engagement
•
Volunteers		 Page 13
6. Achievement and Performance
•
Monitoring and Evaluation
•
Learner Statistics		 Page 17
7. Quality Assurance
•
Learner Feedback and Outcomes – The Difference Our Work Makes
•
Learner Progression
•
Learner Evaluation		 Page 19
8. Our Partnerships
•
Developing new partnerships
•
Future partnerships		 Page 22
9. Reading Borough Council Commissioned Work
•
Closing The Gap (CTG)
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New Directions		 Page 25
10. RCLC and Research Projects
•
Community Participatory Action Research Project (CPAR)
•
CareWell Research Project
•
New Research Project: Migrant Voices		 Page 28
11. Removing Barriers to Learning
•
Learner Support
•
Creche		 Page 31
12. Maintenance of the Centre Page 34
13. Staffing Page 35
14. Financial Review Page 36
15. Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2023 Page 41

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

1. CHARITY INFORMATION

Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2023

The trustees, who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2023. The trustees have adopted the provisions of the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) (FRS 102) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities', effective 1 January 2019.

The Trustees have complied with the duty in section 17(5) of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to public benefit guidance.

Reference and administrative details

Registered Company number 6442616 (England and Wales)

Registered Charity number 1123017

Registered office 94 London Street Reading RG1 4SJ

Trustees

Clare Furneaux Hemamalini Sundararajan Jennifer Theron Karen Rowland Katharine Sarah del Tufo Linda Smith Lucy England Parveen Brar - staff representative Raya Mohamed Rosie Chambers Shahanaz Uddin - resigned 6/6/2022 Simran Aul Aydan Gasimova

Company Secretary

Aisha Malik (Centre Manager)

Independent examiner

Holy Brook Associates

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

2. STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing document

Reading Community Learning Centre is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated and registered as a charity. The company was incorporated on 3 December 2007 and registered as a charity on 29 February 2008 under a Memorandum of Association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and it is governed under its Articles of Association. In the event of the company being wound up its members are required to contribute a sum not exceeding £10 towards any outstanding debts.

The Board of Directors

The directors of the company are also charity trustees for the purposes of charitable law. Under the requirements of the Memorandum and Articles, one third of the directors must retire from office each year but can offer themselves up for re-election at the Annual General Meeting.

Board members provide a wide range of financial, HR, life experience and business and management skills. Board meetings are held at approximately six weekly intervals, currently using Zoom. We hope to have more face-to face meetings in 2023/2024. The Board is responsible for the strategic direction and policies of the organisation. Sub-groups have been formed to take forward the work on human resources (HR), learner engagement, and fundraising. The Centre Manager and a Tutor representative attend Board meetings in an advisory capacity. Day to day responsibility for the running of the organisation and the provision of services is delegated to the Centre Manager under the direction of the Board.

Recruitment, appointment, and induction of trustees

When an individual is being considered as a potential new Board member they are first invited to a meeting with the Chair and Centre Manager where the work of the organisation and the contribution of the trustees is discussed. If there is mutual agreement that the applicant should continue with their application, they will be provided with appropriate written information about the organisation and the roles and responsibilities of trustees, and they may be invited to provide a CV, and attend a Board meeting as an observer. Their application will be discussed by the trustees and if appropriate they will be formally invited to join the Board. Further induction and training will be organised on an individual basis according to the specific needs of the appointee. Trustee packs are given to all new Trustees.

Members

Reading Community Learning Centre is a membership organisation. There are currently 59 members, mainly longstanding supporters of the work of the Centre. Reading Community Learning Centre's Board is accountable to its members for the operation of the organisation in line with its stated objectives. Members receive a report on the Centre's work and progress at least annually, and they are eligible to vote at general meetings of the organisation.

Risk management

The Directors have a responsibility to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure that reasonable steps are taken to manage the finances effectively and guard against fraud. A number of measures and protocols have been established which aim to safeguard the finances of the Centre and to provide satisfactory systems in all areas of work which expose the charity to risk. The Board of Directors has continued to take a conservative approach to financial decisions during this year of the charity's life and has aimed to establish an appropriate reserve of funds as advised by the Charity Commission. A full risk register is maintained and reviewed at Board Meetings and staff are regularly reminded of the operational risks. Since early March 2020, the Centre Manager has developed an additional Covid-19 Risk register and set of protocols.

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

3. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Objectives and aims

The Centre’s objectives are, for the benefit of the public in the Reading area:

  1. The relief of poverty and the needs of those who are socially or economically disadvantaged, in particular women and children and those from minority ethnic communities. This is done, for example, by:

  2. a. providing general education and training, including language skills and other basic skills, to advance them in life and/or assist them to adapt within a new community; and

  3. b. providing or assisting them in the provision of facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation or other leisure time occupation of individuals who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, age, financial hardship or social circumstances with the objects of improving their conditions of life and relieving the effects of isolation.

  4. To promote racial and religious harmony and raise awareness about, and to promote good relations between, persons of different racial and religious groups.

  5. To advance the education of the public about issues relating to migrants, those seeking asylum and/or granted refugee status to help promote knowledge, mutual understanding and mutual and good relations between them.

  6. To relieve financial hardship among people living or working in the Reading area by providing information, advice and support.

The Board has referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the aims and objectives and in planning our future activities.

Vision

Marginalised ethnic minority women in Reading achieving their individual hopes and fulfilling their aspirations.

Mission

Reading Community Learning Centre:

Aims

Reading Community Learning Centre aims to enable marginalised ethnic minority women to be skilled, confident active citizens who contribute to society.

Overall objectives

  1. To provide safe, first step educational opportunities for excluded ethnic minority women- for example:

  2. building their confidence and independence;

  3. developing language skills;

  4. pre-employment skills; and

  5. getting them started on journeys towards further education and employment.

    1. To support the progression of ethnic minority women onto further education, volunteering or work activities for example:

  7. working with other organisations to ensure a clear pathway into further education;

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES 2022-2023

The Board’s plans for next year are outlined below;

Our 1-Year Strategic Plan

  1. We will build financial resilience and continue to diversify funding.

  2. The lasting financial impact of COVID-19 has heavily impacted the charity sector and our ability to generate income so we will need to be more creative than ever in raising funds that we need to deliver our vital work. We will:

  3. a. continue to maintain tight control over expenditure throughout 2022/23;

  4. b. recruit a part-time business development manager to diversify our funding and promote the Centre’s work;

  5. c. seek to agree our rental costs with our new landlord to enable us to budget effectively

  6. d. build a new strategic vision for 2023-2025 to continue to grow the organisation.

  7. We will respond to the urgent need to address isolation and focus on the mental health needs of learners. The COVID-19 crisis has had a devastating impact on ethnic minority migrant and refugee women already experiencing isolation and loneliness. We will address this by providing mental health support and we will:

  8. a. recruit one dedicated social prescriber and outreach worker who is mental health first aid trained.

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

  1. To build closer collaboration with partner organisations to help the women we support recover from the crisis. We will:

  2. a. Continue to connect and engage with our partner organisations

  3. b. Ensure women are referred directly to partner organisations who can provide them with the support they need.

  4. We will find the women who are most often invisible to other services and denied the support they need by offering them advice and signposting to other services. This has only been exacerbated by the lasting impact of the pandemic. We will therefore:

  5. a. strengthen our existing outreach activity

  6. b. recruit one new outreach worker to spread the word of our services at this critical time.

  7. To continue to strengthen the Board of Trustees and recruit, if possible, an ethnic minority woman to the role of Chair.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES 2023-25

  1. To recruit a consultant to coordinate an organisational review in Autumn 2023. This will support the strategic growth of the charity and enable us to provide the best support we can for learners.

  2. To work with the newly-appointed Business Development Manager to raise funding and continue to diversify funding incomes, including:

  3. a. income generation from the building

  4. b. to strengthen the fundraising capacity of the Centre with a focus on strengthening the management resources and

  5. c. seeking stable core funding, building on the work of the business development manager.

  6. To provide a core programme for a minimum of 270 learners pa, involving recruitment, assessment, delivery, Information Advice and Guidance, signposting, and well-being support to learners and others approaching the Centre for support.

  7. To help to overcome isolation by creating a space for women to access information, advice and support, and build friendships, confidence and resilience.

  8. To provide mental health support, awareness and referrals to partners and courses at the Centre. To put the women we work with at the heart of what we do by encouraging learners to influence and contribute to the work and direction of the Centre. We aim to do this through participation in the Trustee Board, as volunteers and through learner voice groups. We will also continue to monitor and evaluate our services to continually improve and evolve our services for learners.

  9. To continue promoting and raising awareness of women’s issues and rights, that are pertinent to the empowerment of migrant and refugee women who use the Centre. To embed these within the existing courses and maintain links with relevant healthcare organisations and social prescribers in light of the increased demand for support work resulting from the pandemic.

  10. To further improve and strengthen the marketing and communication of the Centre as a source of support, advice, and signposting to learners, and other communities and organisations, building on increased awareness of the needs of migrant and refugee ethnic minority women.

  11. To continue to develop opportunities for learners to volunteer with built-in support at the Centre. Supporting learning, employment friendship and integration, and tracking of progression.

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

  1. To continue to recruit community volunteers and develop integration opportunities with host community members and groups.

  2. To increase cultural awareness and promote friendships creating bilateral benefits for the learners and the community volunteers who support them.

  3. To continue to build strategic partnerships with appropriate voluntary, statutory, and private sector organisations to provide strengthened services and opportunities for learners.

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

4. THE WORK OF THE CENTRE

Reading Community Learning Centre (RCLC) exists to help marginalised women from ethnic minority backgrounds to achieve their individual potential. The majority of the women we support are migrants, refugees or asylum seekers who speak little or no English, and often have limited contact outside of the home. No matter what barriers a woman faces we work alongside her as she overcomes obstacles to realising her aspirations. For many women, this includes improving their English, volunteering locally, gaining qualifications or securing a job.

Based in central Reading, we offer a programme of outreach activities, training classes, workshops and social opportunities at our Centre. These are designed to build confidence, increase skills and reduce the social isolation of local ethnic minority women, many of whom are amongst the most isolated, deprived and vulnerable in our community. In 2022/2023, we ran classes for 420 women from 36 different countries. A total of 874 women were supported with information, advice and guidance (IAG) with support varying from benefit support, filling in forms, making telephone calls, translation support to accompanying them to access services at the Centre from April 2022- Mar 2023. Out of these women 48% were not RCLC learners and had been referred to us from friends, neighbours or other organisations and our partners.

Reading Community Learning Centre provides informal education and support for women who are unable to access more mainstream services because of the educational, social or cultural barriers they face. Some of the women who come to the Centre have had little access to formal education, most do not speak English, and sometimes they are not literate in their own language. Almost all the migrant and refugee learners face cultural and other challenges, and for some the Centre offers their only contact outside their immediate family. Many of the refugees and asylum seekers are living with children in poor hotels. The Centre's unique success has been in making learning accessible to the hardest to reach learners through a community-based approach, built on gaining the trust of often isolated communities and designing courses and services to meet their needs.

RCLC's educational provision creates ways into education for the most tentative and least confident of learners. Women with very limited language and literacy skills can take their first steps into learning here, and women who have gained qualifications in their countries of birth can access support to develop their English skills. This may mean coming to a social activity, joining an English conversation class or learning English through one of several practical creative classes. Learners are drawn from many different ethnic and religious backgrounds. The development of cross-cultural friendships is one of the most important benefits for many RCLC learners. Our model encourages community cohesion, breaks down barriers between cultures, and fosters mutual respect amongst the women. No other service in Reading reaches such a diverse group of women, giving us a unique insight into the needs of local ethnic minority communities.

Since the pandemic, supporting women around their mental health issues has become increasingly important and will remain a key focus.

SIGNIFICANT ACTIVITIES FROM APRIL 2022

Thanks to grants and contracts from the organisations listed below, we have been able to run a sustained programme of activities throughout the year, for which the trustees are very grateful:

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

From April 2022 all of our core programme of classes were taught face to face and the creche was fully open from Monday to Friday essentially doubling our provision from the previous year due to increased demand to catch up on the waiting lists from the previous year. This face-to-face contact was vital as many ethnic minority women were isolated and vulnerable over the lockdown period.

RCLC continue to adhere to the government Covid guidelines and has a risk register in place. We no longer need to socially distance ourselves or wear masks but there is hand gel in every room, windows are kept open, and all staff took weekly Covid tests. We taught the learners at the Centre not only how to order the test kits but how to use them if they needed them. However, from April 2022 the government stopped giving free test kits so RCLC bought them for the staff but could no longer give any to the learners.

Actions taken to incorporate safe teaching, learning and support at RCLC from April 2022:

  1. All learners were enrolled face to face and were given a detailed induction on health and safety, the current Covid-19 protocols, and where to get support if they had symptoms of Covid-19.

  2. At the start of each term, all tutors had a training session, received the Covid-19 risk register training with revised Covid regulations and the online teaching guidelines training for RCLC. All staff were given Covid test kits and face masks if they still wished to wear them.

  3. All enrolled learners were set up with their class WhatsApp group to learn, post homework, use to connect with the tutor and stay in touch with friends from the class.

  4. RCLC stayed in contact with the elderly female learners from the Pakistani Community Centre (PCC), and the elderly Nepalese ladies who were enrolled on our ESOL Skills for Health Courses at the Warehouse. Friendly phone chats were arranged once a week to support them to reduce loneliness and isolation. These calls provided the latest health information regarding the pandemic and in supporting them to access the services they needed as they were on the shielding list and housebound. Our very popular online seated yoga course for the elderly learners from the PCC and Indian Community Association continued throughout the year with learners commenting on how much easier it was for them as they did not need to worry about travelling by bus yet still meet friends and do exercise safely in their own home.

Increased support needs

RCLC continues to experience an increase in demand as we support women and their families through the pandemic. Many have experienced disproportionate challenges and difficulties around mental and physical health, loss of finance, social isolation and domestic abuse - compounded by language barriers and racism. Covid-19 has further exposed some of the health and wider inequalities that persist in our society. The virus itself had a disproportionate impact on certain sections of the population, including those living in most deprived neighbourhoods and people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

There is emerging evidence that the pandemic has increased Ethnic minority women's mental health support needs along with increased domestic abuse. Just under four in ten (36%) adults in Britain reported that during the coronavirus crisis and lockdown they have experienced an increase in stress or anxiety. Two in ten (21%) said that they have been finding lockdown difficult to cope with, while 14% said that social isolation was making ‘relationships at home more difficult than usual’. This last figure rose to 19% for BME groups. A recent Red Cross Report identifies that following lockdown the situation has worsened for Ethnic minority people. Runnymede Trust report that in their survey over a third of Ethnic minority people (36%) have experienced an increase in stress or anxiety during the coronavirus crisis, with one out of five struggling with social isolation.

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Cost of Living Crisis

There is now increasing evidence about the levels of hidden poverty in the migrant and refugee communities, especially amongst Muslim communities, who make up around 60% of our learners. Many of the women we work with cannot access employment, and live in, or at risk of, poverty as a result, especially in the current crisis. For some this is a result of language, low skills, religious or cultural barriers, or due to caring responsibilities, a lack of flexible job opportunities, and low levels of confidence, skills, how they can access services to help improve their life chances and hence many live in, or at risk of, poverty as a result and work experience.

70% of the learners on our programmes; state they want to work. Gaining confidence, English language skills, an understanding of the job market and basic tools to navigate the world of work (CVs, how to complete an application, where to look for work), and supported volunteering, are therefore essential ways of tackling unemployment, poverty, and health inequalities. RCLC is part of a 7-organisation contract with Reading Borough Council to tackle poverty, discrimination and disadvantage and promote wellbeing, working in a formal delivery partnership with Refugee Support Group, Communicare, Reading Welfare Rights, Starting Point, Churches in Reading Drop In Centre, Christian Community Action and Readifood. A weekly benefits advisor from Communicare visits the Centre, seeing women on a 1:1 basis. Other than a small registration fee, all of our classes and activities are free of charge, and we know that this helps to increase accessibility as many have no recourse to public funds, 24% of the women are on benefits and 91% of them are unemployed.

Our research on the needs of ethnic minority women in Reading, in partnership with Reading University (2018), reinforced other local and national research into the barriers faced by refugee, migrant and ethnic minority women to achieving their potential and integrating into the community. The research found that limited English language skills impact upon migrant women's ability to integrate with the community around them, further compounding their sense of isolation, impairing their ability to gain employment and reducing their sense of well-being.

Together, with the cost of living, our organisational costs have gone up including the rent and utilities. The crisis is bringing to us women who are seeking help but have not had contact with other agencies and at least initially are not looking for classes. This requires support time from all our staff, including time to actively signpost to other agencies. This often involves staff or volunteers accompanying to support and interpret.

The crisis has had significant effect on our staff, all of whom are paid at Living Wage rates or above. Because of cost-of-living problems they are experiencing the Board has reviewed staff salaries and also made an additional one-off payment to all staff in 2022/2023. Unlike most charities in the town, we have managed to retain our staff. Our ex-teacher volunteers are on pensions and relatively financially secure, but the learner volunteers are in the same serious situation as all our learners.

There is considerable fearfulness at acknowledging financial issues like debt and lack of finance for food, utilities rent etc. There is limited history of using food banks though the mosques and other local charities are helping.

Of the 420 women we supported with classes in 2022/2023: a third of our learners came from the 10% most deprived wards in Reading, 91% were unemployed and 24% of our learners are on benefits. However, it is important to remember acknowledge that 32% of our learners were asylum seekers and refugees who could not work and were ineligible to claim benefits due to their immigration status, so in reality the percentage on benefits should be much higher.

All these factors are further compounded by the fact that the vast majority of the women we support even if they were highly educated or if their families and husbands have money are not free to spend money on themselves to pay for travel to courses, work or volunteering, on clothes, or food for themselves. The family budget has been considerably reduced during the cost-of-living crisis has meant that there is less money than ever in the household budget for the women in the family.

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

As the cost-of-living soars we are running double the number of creche sessions and classes pre-pandemic but are still struggling to keep up with demand and increasing waiting lists. Our experienced and qualified BAME staff team with lived experience must be paid at a rate where we can retain them as they will not be able to work if their cost-of-living needs are not met. Termly learner evaluation feedback from our learners confirms that the women only, free classes and creche in a friendly local setting for women are one of the many reasons they come to the centre to learn. Engagement and early intervention with the vulnerable women we support is a key strategy in breaking this cycle of poverty, unemployment, despondency, and declining mental health exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis.

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

5. COURSE PROGRAMME

Core Programmes run in 2022 - 2023

In the academic year 2022/2023, 420 (an increase of 14% since last year) women completed our core programmes which for the first time since the pandemic were all taught face to face at RCLC.

Summer 2022

Autumn 2022

Spring 2023

Alongside our core programme of classes, we also ran;

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

These courses enabled RCLC to provide not only a more diverse range of classes but also more opportunities for our learners to engage in courses outside the centre as many went on to progress onto the Museum for English Rural Life courses for babies and mums and arts and crafts courses at Jelly Arts. These new classes for migrant and refugee ethnic minority women who would not have the means, knowledge or accessibility to any wellbeing, arts or gardening activities outside of their homes also hugely benefitted their mental health.

Supporting Syrian, Afghan and Ukrainian Refugees

The statistics below give a breakdown of the number of refugees and asylum seekers who studies on the core programmes at RCLC and which country they came from over the academic year 2022/2023

Refugees(total number over 2022/2023 = 42) Refugees(total number over 2022/2023 = 42) Asylum Seekers(total number over 2022/2023 = 93) Asylum Seekers(total number over 2022/2023 = 93)
Afghanistan 18 Afghanistan 8
Ethiopia 4 Albania 4
Pakistan 4 Bangladesh 6
Sudan 1 El Salvador 9
Syria 3 Iraq 5
Ukraine 12 Iran 2
Namibia 2
Nepal 4
Pakistan 6
Sri Lanka 1
Sudan 1
Ukraine 6

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Improving citizen engagement – learners engaging with agencies about issues that affect their lives

803 learners (an increase of 50% from last year) attended the information sessions at RCLC with guest speakers over the three terms or were supported on enrichment activities as well as outreach sessions outside the Centre. Guest speakers are invited to the Centre so that women have the opportunity to engage and access important information in a safe and private environment. The guest speakers are broadly categorised into terms which are themed on women’s health, accessing local services or are linked to women’s rights and safety. This year we ran the following sessions and trips;

Autumn 2022

Spring 2023

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Summer 2023

Mental Health First Aid Courses (MHFA)

In response to the growing need for MHFA courses in Reading during and since the pandemic, RCLC were requested by RBC to run online MHFA Courses over a 2 year period from Mar 2021 for the voluntary, faith-based organisations and statutory sector staff across Reading, Slough, Wokingham, West Berkshire, and Bracknell who were supporting vulnerable men and women in financial crisis over the pandemic. We were given funding from RBC twice following our successful delivery so by the end of July 2022 we had taught MHFA Courses to 122 men and women. In January this year we taught one MHFA Course to 4 men and women. We have a little bit of funding left which we will use to deliver a face-to-face course in Autumn 2023.

The advantage of teaching the courses online has meant that RCLC was able to engage with many people across a large area and the course was accessible to those who struggled to travel due to the pandemic guidelines, mental health or physical needs.

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

6. ACHIEVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE

Monitoring and Evaluation

The Centre continues to collect evidence of its outputs and outcomes through:

Learner Statistics

420 learners enrolled on our core programme of courses at RCLC 2022/2023

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

7. QUALITY ASSURANCE

Following initial interviews to identify learning needs, the Centre records achievement, recruitment and retention to check that quality learning is taking place, and that it has met the learners' needs. Progression opportunities are discussed termly by tutors and information advice and guidance advisors.

As part of the quality assurance procedures, regular teaching observations are undertaken which monitor methods of delivery, assessment, management of diversity, and equal opportunities, e-learning contributions and learners' comments. All tutors and crèche staff are qualified and supervised. Observations for the academic year 2022/2023 were undertaken in February, May and June 2023 by the Centre Manger.

In addition to the observations undertaken by the Centre Manager, New Directions observed a sample teaching session. Each tutor also completes a course evaluation after every session.

LEARNER FEEDBACK AND OUTCOMES – THE DIFFERENCE OUR WORK MAKES.

RCLC Learner Feedback 2023 summary

Approximately 10% of learners are interviewed yearly by staff and Trustees. This was the first year that we were able to resume these 1:1 evaluation with our newly appointed outreach/ community development worker. Her post was funded by the National Lottery Funding which we started to receive in December 2022. Learners and tutors also complete teaching and learning evaluation forms and a collection of case studies are also collated at the end of each term. A summary of the feedback is below.

Reasons for coming to UK and feelings about Reading: Whilst some families were economic migrants, who were coming for better education for children and/or to join families, many learners had escaped from extremely dangerous countries, and were mainly living in hostels. Some learners had lived here for a long time but had not been able to learn English. All those interviewed liked living in Reading, mentioning how central and close everything was, with some identifying the good schools, and that it was quiet and felt safe.

Learner Needs: Most learners arrive at the Centre with very little English language, even if they had lived in UK for many years, and sought an opportunity to learn. As girls, many of the women had never gone to school and others had only completed Primary School. Whilst some women had families in the UK, many were alone with husbands and/or children and faced isolation, stress, depression and loneliness. A number of women identified a loss of confidence having come to the UK.

How learners discovered the Centre and enrolment: Most learners first found out about the Centre through a friend or family member who introduced them to the outreach/ support worker, or the administrator, though some were referred by other agencies. Learners had often to wait to get on language courses, but were helped to choose an alternative and their names put down for next term's language class. Enrolment was universally seen as very quick and easy

Perceptions of the Centre and classes: There was universal praise for the quality of the teaching, and the friendliness, kindness and helpfulness of tutors:

‘I am learning new skills... the teachers are all very good and explain everything well’

‘The tutor is very good and so supportive.’

The free courses are really important to some learners.

The administrator and the outreach/ support workers are also greatly valued, the phrases ‘ kind’, ‘helpful’, ’friendly’ and ‘supportive ’ used in most interviews. The creche is really valued.

Many of the comments cover the Centre as a whole including the other learners: ‘I like coming to the Centre as it feels very cozy like home’.

‘ I have made friends with everyone in my class- I really love it. ’

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Outcomes - the difference coming to the Centre has made: Learners identified linked benefits:

Hopes for the future: Almost all of those interviewed planned to work when their English was improved.

Through regularly analysing our learner data and undertaking learner interviews we have identified the following key outcomes from our work. Information we have collected is given under the following two headings.

Learner Progression

Learner Evaluation Forms Feedback

At the end of each course every learner completes a learner evaluation form. The statistics below outline the learners’ feedback from their classes over the academic year 2022/2023

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Learner Engagement

Learner evaluations are held at the end of each term during which learners of the Centre evaluate their learning programmes and raise any issues, concerns, improvements or just highlight what they enjoyed most about their time at the Centre.

In autumn 2016 we started our Learner Voice Forum to engage the learners more deeply in planning and decision making about the running of the Centre. We held a series of meetings to engage learners from the classes and talk to them about what a learner forum is, how they could be involved, who would like to be a part of it and why it was important for them to be involved. A group of 12 learners formed the learners' forum group and from their discussions we were able to discuss their ideas at our strategic business plan day. It was their idea to raise money for the Centre by running pampering sessions at the Centre, selling food and other Items. We implemented this by running a termly Women’s Day where we raise money for the Centre by selling international food made by the learners, selling beauty treatments by the learners and tutor of the beauty class as well as a bric-a-brac sale.

Sadly, since the pandemic we have been unable to run any of fundraising activities which had been proposed by the learners, but the learner voice group will hopefully restart Autumn 2023.

Volunteers

Some learners have chosen to undertake additional voluntary activities at the Centre. As a small organisation with only a small number of part-time paid staff, volunteering is central to the success of our work. For the volunteers, being able to contribute to the community provides satisfaction and enables them to develop and practice skills they may not otherwise be able to use. For some volunteers it has also provided a basis from which to move into paid employment.

During 2022 we welcomed our volunteers back into the classroom following the end of social distancing and we built up our volunteer group again over the academic year 2022/2023

This year we had 15 learner volunteers (in comparison to only 7 last year) of whom:

We also had 2 long-term classroom volunteers who were ex-teachers, 2 were volunteers from Vodaphone and 1 was a volunteer who used to work for Healthwatch Reading. In total we had 20 volunteers in 2022/2023.

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

8. OUR PARTNERSHIPS

During the pandemic RCLC was a part of various local steering groups and forums which we continued to be a part of following the pandemic. Some of these partnerships have evolved so that they are a means of building new partnerships for funding sharing good practice and knowledge as well as means informing health and wellbeing action plans Reading Borough Council. These partnerships include;

We are building strategic partnerships with voluntary, statutory and other organisations whose work affects our learners, to provide appropriate and stronger services and opportunities for them. We raise awareness of the issues and needs of the women we serve, wherever possible using their own voices. We sit on many panels influencing policy in Reading, and act as a source of expertise on the issues facing the women we serve for other organisations.

We have formal partnerships with Reading Refugee Group and Communicare and informal partnerships with Social Prescribers (Reading Voluntary Action), Reading Voluntary Action Schools and Parent Engagement Officer, ACRE, Berkshire Women’s Aid, Alafia, Oxford Road FGM, City of Sanctuary, Welfare Rights, Citizens Advice Reading (CAR), Readifriends, Adviza, Indian Community Association (ICA), Pakistani Community Centre (PCC), Nepali groups such as SSFA, REGBA, Local CCGs, South Reading Patients Forum and Healthwatch

Through attendance at many meetings (RBC led and RVA led) we have been promoting the work of the Centre and this year engaged in new and exciting partnerships promoting the work of the Centre, increasing referrals both to RCLC and from RCLC as well as providing more opportunities for the women to engage in new activities since the pandemic. Please see below a list of the regular meetings and panels RCLC contributes to locally over 2022/2023;

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DEVELOPING NEW PARTNERSHIPS

A number of new partnerships which started out in 2021/2022 have developed this year and we are grateful for the opportunities they have offered:

Thriving Communities Wildbeing Project:

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Life. The project came to an end in Aug 2022, but links are maintained with the Museum of English Rural Life.

NEW PROJECTS

Promoting friendships, Reducing Loneliness and Isolation

RCLC successfully applied for the RBC Covid-19 Small Grant for £10,000 towards the RCLC Befriending Facilitator post and Reading Voluntary Action also gave £10,000 to RCLC from its Ageing Well Fund to match the RBC funding to start the small befriending programme for a year. This new funding was to be used to fund a 2 day per week facilitator who will receive training and how to set up the befriending programme for RCLC through Engage Befriending (Mustard Tree). Mustard Tree provide training to the newly recruited bilingual, female befriending volunteers. Regular trainings will be received through Engage.

However, in agreement with RBC RCLC transferred this funding to Mustard Tree and utilise this funding towards their current Befriending Work instead. This was because RCLC were successful with their Lottery Application which required setting up 2 new posts, in addition to a new IT Tutor post within the space of 6 months. Hence starting another new Befriending Project would have been very difficult to deliver in light of all of the other new posts.

Jelly Arts and RCLC

A new partnership project between Jelly Arts and RCLC started in the autumn of 2022. This involved a programme of eight sessions (six at RCLC and two at Jelly Arts in Broad Street Mall) teaching hand sewing techniques on scrap fabrics to create a small quilt. The course focused on building new friendships to reduce loneliness and isolation as well as learn new sewing skills. The sessions were drop ins, open to all ethnic minority women to come together, have a cup of tea and make friends whilst also produce a piece of artwork to display at RCLC. The course was funded by Reading Borough Council’s Small Grants Programme. The beautiful quilts were displayed by the learners at Jelly Art and two out of the 7 learners progressed onto new courses with Jelly Arts.

Food for Families and RCLC

In partnership with Food 4 Families and the Museum of English Rural Life, RCLC ran a 5-week course linking health and wellbeing with gardening in the summer term. The aim of the project was for learners to learn how to grow their own food with or without a garden and on a budget and improve their wellbeing through a new community garden which will be built over the summer. A total of 11 learners completed this course.

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

9. READING BOROUGH COUNCIL COMMISSIONED WORK

Reading Borough Council’s (RBC) Narrowing The Gap (NTG II) partnership moved to supporting service users and others experiencing stress, loneliness social isolation. Our two-service level agreement lots with RBC, 12.1 (titled, Facilitating Peer Support and Reducing Social Isolation For Adults At Risk Because of Language and Cultural Barriers in partnership with CommuniCare and Reading Refugee Support Group) and Lot 1.3 (titled, Steps Towards Employment in partnership with CommuniCare and Reading Refugee Support Group) continued to run online and later as government guidelines changes face to face over the pandemic. The NTG partnership came to an end in Sep 2022. At this point a new partnership was negotiated for RCLC under the Council’s Closing The Gap (CTG) over the next 3 years.

RBC Lot 12.1

Lot 12.1 titled , “ Facilitating peer support and reducing social isolation for adults at risk because of language or cultural barriers” is a partnership between RCLC, CommuniCare and Reading Refugee Support Group. We were unable to run any classes for the elderly Pakistani, Indian and Nepali women who were on the shielding list with underlying health conditions and were housebound from March 2020 to November 2021. However, from Nov 2021 our yoga tutor was able to run an online seated yoga class for elderly Pakistani and Indian women. Over the academic year 2021/2022 we ran three hugely successful online seated yoga classes for a total of 60 Indian and Pakistani women.

From Nov 2021 our yoga tutor was able to run an online seated yoga class for elderly Pakistani and Indian women. Over the academic year 2021/2022 we ran three hugely successful online seated yoga classes for a total of 60 Indian and Pakistani women.

For the academic year 2022/2023 although there was no longer any shielding or social distancing needed the elderly learners on this course wanted and preferred the seated yoga classes to be delivered online. We have therefore continued to deliver the classes online as the learners prefer online learning as it means that they can still meet up every week, make new friends and get some exercise without having to worry about using public transport, arrange travel and it is easier due to their health requirements. The following classes were delivered in 2022/2023:

Some comments from the learners:

“I like the way (the tutor) Simran guides about the exercises & the benefits. It will be great to have classes continued on Zoom since it makes me feel safe to learn at home”

“I really enjoy the sessions. It has helped me to improve the stretching. Zoom allows me to exercise at the comfort of my home & save travel. Please continue these classes.”

“Many thanks for providing for such a valuable exercised. I have learned how to move my body. Chair yoga is appropriate for me considering my age. Please continue the classes online.”

In January 2022 we were able to run our popular ESOL Skills 4 Health Classes for elderly Nepali women at the Warehouse face to face again. The course content included healthy eating, how to make an appointment at the GP surgery, form filling, giving medical information, making a medical info card, a visit to the health centre, women’s health, how to get a prescription and a visit to the pharmacy, health checks, diabetes and blood pressure. The following courses were run from Summer 2022- Autumn 2022:

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

RBC Lot 1.3

Lot 1.3 titled, “Supporting steps towards employment” was a partnership between RCLC, CommuniCare and Reading Refugee Support Group. This partnership not only allowed the charity to extend its core programme and outreach work but also helps us to achieve a long-term ambition of starting courses to support men and women into work.

Working with a wide range of referral partners, this partnership bid focussed on employability, up-skilling, and employment support for people with complex or longer-term support needs which affect their ability to gain employment - in particular, language acquisition, cultural restrictions, trauma, and exclusion from statutory support through ineligibility. Gaining confidence, English language skills, understanding of the job market and basic tools (CVs), and supported volunteering, are evidenced ways of tackling poverty, unemployment, and health inequalities

Over 2021/ 2022 371 learners enrolled and completed our core programmes of courses. An incredible 96% of all our learners progressed on to either internal courses, jobs, volunteering or external courses both accredited and non-accredited in the academic year 2021/2022. This partnership ended in October 2022 and a new partnership under Closing the Gap (NTG) was formed from November 2022 (please see below)

Closing the Gap Overview (Reading Borough Council)

Closing the Gap (CTG), which was previously commissioned under the Narrowing the Gap II framework, is an established programme within Reading for the commissioning of services to:

CTG brings together funding from Public Health, Adult Social Care, Housing and Neighbourhoods and the Resources Directorate along with additional funding from the Clinical Commissioning Group to continue support for these causes and further the good work already undertaken to date. Tenders are invited from organisations to enable people in Reading to overcome disadvantage and achieve better outcomes which have been divided into three tender areas listed below;

RCLC successfully applied in partnership with 6 local charities Communicare, Christian Community Action (CCA), Starting Point (Mustard Tree), ReadiFood (Faith Christian Group), Reading Welfare Rights, and CIRDIC (Churches in Reading Drop In Centre) for a partnership tender for outcome 1 and were successful.

RCLC also applied in partnership with Reading Refugee Support Group for outcome 2 and were also successful with this focusing on work with refugee, migrant and asylum-seeking families in Reading. These new partnerships started in November 2022.

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Since this partnership was forged, we have delivered the following under each of the 2 outcomes from November 2022- Mar 2023 (Year 1 quarters 1-2). The funding from both outcomes contributes to the core work of the Centre. The numbers listed below are those learners and women funded through RBC funding.

Outcome 1

Outcome 2

As can be seen from the above figures RCLC has already reached the majority of its yearly targets before even adding the figures for the third and fourth quarter which will cover the months Apr- Oct 2023.

New Directions College

RCLC is in a 2-year partnership with New Directions College (ND). As a subcontractor for New Directions, we have delivered non accredited learning programmes for 120 migrant ethnic minority women over the academic year 2022/2023.

The funding RCLC receives is from the Neighbourhood Learning In Deprived Communities (NLDC Fund) which supports local Voluntary and other third sector organisations to develop their capacity to deliver learning opportunities for the residents of disadvantaged neighbourhoods. RCLC engages with some of the most vulnerable learners from Reading and were commissioned by New Directions College to continue to successfully widen participation, engage learners who were traditionally hardest to reach and to give them a joy of learning promoting lifelong learning. In the academic year 2022/2023 RCLC achieved its target of 120 learners

As part of this partnership RCLC reported on the courses being delivered with subcontractor’s reports every month, had quarterly review meetings, attended New Directions College trainings and had quality review meetings which included observations of teaching and learning in addition looking at all of our teaching paperwork, CPD, meetings agenda, safeguarding, prevent, observations of teaching, RCLC Business plan and learning and induction paperwork. They were very happy with our quality checks and assessments and have no recommendations regarding our quality.

Our contract with New Directions College will come to an end at the end of this academic year in 2023 and will not be renewed as the funding criteria from NLDC has changed. However, we may look to work on other things and will continue with our math class (Multiply Project) funded by New Directions College.

New Directions College (ND) will also be continuing this partnership by using the Centre as one of their community teaching venues. This academic year they hired the classroom on Mondays and Thursdays and will continue with this format into 2023/2024. Not only will this generate some additional rental income for the centre but also provide in house progression opportunities for RCLC Learners onto accredited courses.

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

10. RCLC AND RESEARCH PROJECTS

We aim to influence policy and service development across Reading, by advocating for our learners, and wherever possible supporting them to voice their concerns and ideas to agencies and organisations directly. Over this past year we have worked with ex-learners and staff who trained to become researchers, including at universities, on the issues and barriers faced by ethnic minority and refugee women in our community. This year RCLC have taken part in three research projects listed below.

Community Participatory Action Research Project (CPAR)

RCLC’S CPAR research on, Access to Healthcare services for ethnic minority women and the impact of Covid, evidenced that out of 104 ethnic minority migrant, refugee and asylum seeking women interviewed, 21% reported that their physical health had become worse during the pandemic whilst (26%) said that their mental health had become worse during the pandemic. Our findings highlighted:

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

described how they already felt isolated in the UK due to living alone with no English language skills or due to close family members living in other countries.

The project has now finished but the lessons learnt from this CPAR project and others undertaken by the University of Reading have resulted in a new Research Toolkit for community researchers, community organisations, students and academics who want to reflect on and better understand the principles and everyday practices of Participatory Action Research (PAR), how to build community research teams and how to use PAR to understand local issues.

CareWell Research Project

This 2-year research project is in partnership with The University of Reading (UoR) and Reading Refugee Support Group. RCLC has employed 3 community researchers with lived experience of migration and/or seeking sanctuary as a refugee or asylum seeker to find out about the care experiences of families who have relatives in different countries and how caring responsibilities affect their wellbeing and opportunities for education, employment, social activities. We also want to find out about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected families with their caring responsibilities and accessing services. The three researchers have just completed their interviews of families both here and abroad and this summer the analysis of this data will take place. In addition to these interviews with 9 families two of our RCLC staff who care for their own families both here and abroad have also been interviewed. In the autumn term further interviews will be conducted with the children of the families.

New Research Project - Migrant Voices

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

project will share the amazing life stories of migrant and refugee minority ethnic women in Reading, who came to the UK and became learners at Reading Community Learning Centre, in a collection of stories and celebration event in 2023.

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

11. REMOVING BARRIERS TO LEARNING

To achieve our strategic objective that focuses on removing barriers to learning, we offer excellent learner support and crèche facilities.

Learner and non-learner Information, Advice and Support

The Centre provides hands-on support, advice and encouragement, as many of the people we work with face difficulties that go well beyond their learning needs. Several of our learners have been through very traumatic experiences due to war or becoming refugees or are isolated from their families. The Centre is often seen as a first port of call for help by learners and others with a wide variety of problems and difficulties including accessing benefits, experiencing domestic violence, and dealing with immigration issues. Dealing with a complex society like ours is daunting for women with few language skills and little experience outside the home, or for those who have been traumatised by their current situation or recent history. For many women a simple referral to another agency is not enough. This work has become even more important during the Cost-of-Living Crisis.

This year our informal drop-in sessions have been mostly face to face and through telephone calls. RCLC has continued supporting women to access local services and getting expert help when they needed it, e.g., by making appointments, acting as a link between the user and the service, explaining what letters or forms are about, befriending telephone calls, translating and giving vital health information in regard to the pandemic, and sometimes acting as an advocate for a vulnerable user. Our evaluation work shows that the Centre's work breaks down isolation of the women and their families and helps them link into the wider community. In addition, there is evidence from the literature on global maternal literacy that shows that mothers who can speak, read and write in the language of the country they live in have healthier children who are more able to thrive in education themselves. Around 40-50% of our learners require additional support.

Building on the Centre's current support work with around 70 vulnerable ethnic minority women per month (this figure has more than doubled since last year) RCLC applied and successfully received grant funding from The National Lottery for an additional Outreach Worker/ Social Prescriber to employ a new member of staff for 14 hours per week to offer a listening ear and active signposting and referral service to those who with less extreme mental health issues, especially those requiring weekly support calls. This released the current outreach and support worker to further develop work with people, mainly women, with more extreme examples of stress, depression, and mental ill health from February 2023. By adding a new member of staff to the team we were able to engage with double the number of women per month (as can be seen from our data). The support for clients consisted of:

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

The largest number of referrals were made to RCLC (42%) as the majority of women were interested in courses or further support and advice from RCLC

A total of 874 women were supported with information, advice and guidance (IAG) with support varying from benefit support, filling in forms, making telephone calls, translation support to accompanying them to access services at the Centre from April 2022- Mar 2023. Out of these women 48% of these were not RCLC learners and had been referred to us from friends, neighbours or other organisations and our partners.

New learners mostly come to the centre through word of mouth from a friend, relative, previous learner, a relative or through RCLC outreach work Around 493 women came to the Centre through this route. Care 4 Calais has been our largest referrer, referring 76 women over the academic year 2022/2023 to RCLC. Other referrals to RCLC over the academic year are listed below;

Responding to learners’ mental health needs

In response to the learner feedback and an increase in mental health concerns during the pandemic, RCLC in partnership with Compass Recovery College (mental health and wellbeing organisation based in Reading, Berkshire, UK, commissioned by Reading Borough Council) and our trained mental health tutor a programme of health and wellbeing courses was developed to take place each term. It was important to address this increased need around mental and physical health by delivering workshops and programmes which used graded language and had translation support to meet learner needs. We knew that these courses had to be taught face to face where additional outreach, signposting to specialist services and 1:1 support could be provided in private at the Centre rather than online where women could not talk in private.

Following these successful workshops in 2022, RCLC developed their own mental and physical wellbeing courses with graded language so that women with low levels of English could still understand, follow and implement the simple wellbeing techniques they were taught in class. These five-week courses taught every term also had simple yoga sessions built into each lesson.

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Crèche

Alongside its other activities, the Centre provides a crèche which offers important support for children from 4 months to 5 years old.

Many of these children have had little social contact outside their family and almost all have no English language when they arrive. Some are unfamiliar with toys or have no experience of playing with other children. Others are living in, or have already lived through, extremely difficult circumstances, including as refugees or asylum seekers in hotels.

Through the crèche, children learn to speak English, to be confident separated from their mothers, and to take part in educational play which stimulates social, emotional, physical and intellectual development, in the care of a multicultural team of well-trained, loving workers. The crèche also helps to develop language skills and the ability to socialise and provides informal parenting advice and support. This provides crucial school readiness skills.

We currently employ two crèche workers and a crèche supervisor. In the academic year 2022/2023, 71 children were able to access the creche.

Evaluations from parents/ carers of children in the creche showed that;

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

12. MAINTENANCE OF THE CENTRE

The Centre continues to be a comfortable and well-maintained environment for learners to attend. We have ensured that our IT equipment and software is kept up-to-date and we maintain robust security software. Considerable funds have been spent on maintaining security, fire equipment and alarms, safety lighting, electrical testing and gas heating maintenance in the building.

As a result of the changing government guidelines regarding safe working and learning environments meant that the robust Covid-19 Risk register was updated and reviewed before the start of each term. All staff and volunteers also receive inductions on the risk register before the start of each term. Learners coming into the Centre were and still are given inductions on how to keep themselves and others safe at the Centre.

The Centre has been fully open for the academic year 2022/2023 as we have gone back to pre-pandemic opening times and regulations. Maintenance of the building includes the annual checks for;

Sadly, in September 2021 the charity SmartWorks (interview coaching and dressing support to help women get into employment) who rented the top floor at the Centre, moved out to new premises across the road as they needed more space and lift access. Due to the increase in the number of learners wanting face to face to classes and to reduce waiting lists we added an extra English intermediate conversation class and a mental health and wellbeing class and moved the sewing class to the top floor so that we could free up the ground floor classroom for room hire for New Directions College. The front room on the top floor has been converted into the outreach office for staff and the small room on the top floor is used by CommuniCare for weekly benefit advice surgeries.

From Dec 2022, RCLC also gained a new landlord, Richard Sharples, who is really interested in our charity work and has visited a couple of times. We had an increase in rent from £36,000 per annum to £39,600 per annum. We have a break clause in the summer of 2026 and a rent review in January 2027.

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

13. STAFFING

During 2022/23 we continued to employ a Centre Manager who has worked tirelessly to manage the team and, with the Trustees, promote and develop the work of the Centre and building new partnerships. In addition, we now to employ two part-time Support and Outreach Workers, whose work has been invaluable in spreading the word about our service, supporting women on the phone and face to face with advice and guidance including referrals and signposting. We also employ a part-time reception worker and data administrator who records, inputs and analyses our learner data in addition to giving advice and guidance to new learners.

We currently employ 5 sessional tutors: a sewing tutor (for the sewing beginners and improvers classes), one beauty tutor for Looking Good Feeling Good, two English conversation tutors, one IT Tutor and ESOL with Maths tutor and one reading and writing tutor. We sadly lost one of our long-standing Reading and Writing/ IT tutors in the spring term 2023 who had been with the charity for four years. We wish her every success on her new journey ahead.

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

14. FINANCIAL REVIEW

Despite continuing to keep a tight control over our expenditure during the year, we are reporting a net expenditure in the region of £57,000 for 2022/23 (£23,000 for 2021/22). We have been able to make use of reserves such as the “DCLG 2022-24” funds to meet the shortfall. See the “Reserves Policy” section below for further details.

While the Centre’s income has remained largely the same year-on-year, the increase in shortfall since 2021/22 is due to rising costs and demand for the Centre’s services. Most significantly, staff pay has increased due to increased hours worked and pay increases being awarded where appropriate, e.g. in line with National Living Wage levels and to ensure the pay we offer is fair and competitive.

While we secured some new funding from National Lottery and Reading Borough Council during Summer 2022, which greatly improved the Centre’s financial security, we are aware of the need to diversify our funding. A number of applications have been submitted during 2023 so far and we expect to welcome our new Business Development Manager into her role in early 2024. The Business Development Manager will be tasked with ensuring the long-term financial security of the Centre, e.g. by diversifying income streams. This role is funded by the National Lottery grant (see below).

Income and expenditure figures are monitored monthly against the annual budget and reviewed by the Board at each meeting. We produce detailed cash flow forecasts every month, as we are aware of the importance of closely monitoring our financial position. When contracts are due for review, every effort is made to ensure services are purchased from the most cost-effective source.

Reading Borough Council

Between 2018/19 and 2021/22, funding from RBC consisted of two strands of commissioned work (Closing the Gap outcomes 1 and 2) under employment and adult social care themes. From November 2022, the basis of our contracts with RBC changed, although the two new strands of commissioned work are under similar themes as before. This money has and will continue to provide a valuable base, as it makes a substantial contribution towards our costs.

National Lottery

Funding from National Lottery started in December 2022 and will continue for two years. This funding contributes towards the costs of the Centre’s rent, utilities and existing staff. In addition to this, the funds provide for an additional part time Community Development Worker (appointed February 2023) and a part time Business Development Manager (starting in early 2024).

New Directions

Throughout 2022/23, we maintained our partnership work with New Directions and continued to receive Neighbourhood Learning in Deprived Communities (NLDC) funding from them until July 2023. Our core programme of first steps courses is part funded by New Directions for those learners who meet the enrolment eligibility criteria and complete the course.

Other Income

The Centre received other income in the form of room hires and regular donations. We also continue to charge learners a small enrolment fee for each course and for the use of places in the crèche.

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Some of our other sources of income received during 2022/23 have been given below:

As in previous years, other funding applications were made but were unsuccessful.

Reserves Policy

The Board has examined the Charity Commission’s requirements for reserves in the light of the main risks to the organisation. Originally, the Board had established a policy whereby the unrestricted funds not committed or invested in tangible assets would be held to cover 3 months’ running costs, which with the current rent and salary levels now requires an amount of £56,000 to be held. We have been able to reach this level in the General Reserve.

Funds are also being held in designated reserves as follows:

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Report of the Trustees and

Unaudited Financial Statements

for the year ended 31 March 2023

for

Reading Community Learning Centre Ltd

Report of the trustees, incorporating a strategic report, approved by order of the Board of Trustees, as the company directors on 30 October 2023 and signed on the Board’s behalf by:

K. Sarah del Tufo (Chair of the Board of Trustees)

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees/ members of

Reading Community Learning Centre

On accounts for the year ended

31[st] March 2023

Charity no 1123017 (if any)

Set out on pages 39 and 40

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:

Basis of independent examiner’s statement

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Independent examiner's In connection with my examination, no material matters have come to my statement attention which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect,:

I have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached .

Date: 19[th] September 2023

Signed: Name: Rachel Eden Relevant professional ACMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: Holy Brook Associates, Curious Lounge, 1st Floor, Pinnacle Building, Tudor Road, Reading, England, RG1 1NH

Section B Disclosure

NONE

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Unaudited Financial Statements

for the year ended 31 March 2023

for

Reading Community Learning Centre Ltd

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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Statement of Financial Activities

(Incorporating an Income and Expenditure Account) for the year ended 31 March 2023

Note
INCOME FROM
Charitable activities
2
Grants – Core programme
Grants – Research projects
Grants – Covid-19 costs
Courses
Crèche
Total charitable activities
Donations and legacies
Other income
3		 Unrestricted
Funds
£
15,600
-
-
3,478
-
19,078
3,768
4,263		 Restricted
Funds
£
109,921
13,388
-
530
-
123,839
-
-		 2023
Total Funds
£
125,521
13,388
-
4,008
-
142,917
3,768
4,263		 2022
Total Funds
£
104,453
8,715
11,500
3,250
5,000
132,918
8,057
11,544
Total income
EXPENDITURE ON
Charitable activities
Building costs
Office costs
Programme costs
Staffing
Independent examination
Total expenditure
NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)
RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS
Total funds brought forward
Movements between restricted
and unrestricted funds
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD		 27,110
50,397
3,027
17,244
5,567
480
76,715
(49,606)
168,011
1,562
119,968		 123,839
14,322
2,411
40,289
74,342
-
131,365
(7,526)
58,887
(1,562)
49,799		 150,949
64,719
5,439
57,534
79,909
480
208,081
(57,132)
226,898
-
169,766		 152,519
63,829
3,176
45,066
62,691
380
175,142
(22,623)
249,521
-
226,898

42

REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Balance Sheet

at 31 March 2023

Note
FIXED ASSETS
Tangible assets
8
CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors
9
Cash at bank
Total current assets
CREDITORS
Amounts falling due within one year 10
NET CURRENT ASSETS
TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT
LIABILITIES
NET ASSETS
FUNDS
12
Unrestricted funds
Restricted funds
TOTAL FUNDS		 Unrestricted
Funds
£
6,592
468
118,302
118,770
(5,395)
113,375
119,967
119,967		 Restricted
Funds
£
-
722
78,252
78,974
(29,176)
49,798
49,798
49,798		 2023
Total Funds
£
6,592
1,190
196,554
197,744
(34,571)
163,173
169,765
169,765
119,968
49,797
169,765		 2022
Total Funds
£
3,372
15,422
248,151
263,573
(40,048)
223,524
226,896
226,896
168,011
58,886
226,898

43

REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Balance Sheet

at 31 March 2023 – continued

The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 March 2023.

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

The Trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for:

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

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees on 30 October 2023 and were signed on its behalf by:

44

REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2023

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of preparing the financial statements

The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP FRS 102 (second edition) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The charity has taken advantage of the disclosure exemptions applicable to smaller charities.

Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits

The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the charitable company’s pension scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate.

Going Concern

The board of trustees considers that the use of the going concern basis of accounting is appropriate because there are no material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the ability of the charity to continue as a going concern.

Income

All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received, and the amount can be measured reliably.

Expenditure

Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings, they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.

Tangible fixed assets

Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life. In the year of acquisition, depreciation is recorded based on the number of months the asset is in service.

Improvements to property Straight line over 1 year Furniture, fixtures & fittings 25% on reducing balance Computer equipment 33% on cost

Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.

45

REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Notes to the Financial Statements

for the Year Ended 31 March 2023 – continued

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the board of trustees. Designated funds are unrestricted funds which have been allocated by the Board for particular purposes.

Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes. Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes.

Hire purchase and leasing commitments

Rentals paid under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight line basis over the period of the lease.

2. INCOME FROM CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES

Activity
Grants
Core programme
Grants
Crèche
Grants
Research projects
Registration fees
Courses
MHFA courses
Courses
Grants
Covid-19 costs		 2023
£
125,521
-
13,388
3,478
530
-
142,917		 2022
£
104,453
5,000
8,715
3,250
-
11,500
132,918

Grants received, included in the above, are as follows:

Reading Borough Council
Reading Borough Council – Building Closure
Reading Borough Council – Covid-19
Reading Borough Council – Zumba
New Directions (NLDC)
Henry Smith
Garfield Weston
National Lottery
AB Charitable Trust
Healthwatch Reading
Earley Charity
BWCCG and RVA grant
Berkshire Community Foundation grants
CPAR Research Project
Carewell Research Project		 2023
£
38,104
-
-
-
12,000
10,800
-
34,412
15,000
10,000
-
-
-
600
12,788
133,705		 2022
£
36,750
10,000
-
1,470
12,000
32,233
15,000
-
-
-
5,000
5,000
3,500
4,452
4,263
129,668

46

REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Notes to the Financial Statements

for the Year Ended 31 March 2023 – continued

3. OTHER INCOME

Rent receivable
Room and facilities hire
Gain on disposal of laptops
Interest income		 2023
£
-
3,648
420
195
4,263		 2022
£
9,720
1,824
-
-
11,544

4. NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)

Net income / (expenditure) is slated after charging / (crediting):

Depreciation – owned assets
Other operating leases
Accounts and independent examination		 2023
£
2,334
825
480
3,639		 2022
£
1,536
720
380
2,636

5. TRUSTEES ’REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS

During the year to 31 March 2023 three of the trustees were paid for work they did outside of their trustee duties.

Hemamalini Sundharajan was paid a total of £2,066 (£4,159 2021/22). This is for her work as an outreach worker (£1,568) and as a researcher (£498). A laptop worth £400 was provided for conducting this work during the year to 31 March 2021. This laptop has been returned to the Centre. Hemamalini's outreach work was funded by the BWCCG and RVA grant and the Berkshire Community Foundation grant. Her work as a researcher was funded by the CPAR Research Project grant.

Simran Aul received £530 (£750 2021/22) for teaching online seated exercises classes during the year. These costs were funded by Reading Borough Council Lot 12.1 "Outreach & Community Education" and Reading Borough Council "Closing the Gap" outcome 2.

Raya Mohamed was paid £504 (£587 2021/22) for working in the creche during the year. This was to provide cover for regular creche staff. This was funded by Reading Borough Council Lot 12.1 "Outreach & Community Education", Earley Charity and AB Charitable Trust.

Trustees’ expenses

Simran Aul was reimbursed a total of £102 during the year ended 31 March 2023 (£173 2021/22). These expenses cover her monthly Zoom subscriptions, which are required for her to teach online seated exercise classes. These costs were funded by Reading Borough Council Lot 12.1 "Outreach & Community Education" and Reading Borough Council "Closing the Gap" outcome 2.

47

REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Notes to the Financial Statements

for the Year Ended 31 March 2023 – continued

6. STAFF COSTS

Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Other pension costs		 2023
£
128,718
2,596
3,524
134,838		 2022
£
103,611
1,127
2,680
107,418

The average number of employees during the year was as follows:

Crèche
Tutor
Outreach and Support Worker
Manager
Administrator		 2023
3
7
2
1
1
14		 2022
3
6
2
1
1
13

No member of staff was paid more than £60,000 in the year.

Key management personnel

The charity considers its key management personnel to comprise the trustees and Aisha Malik, the office manager.

7. FUNDING FROM DCLG CONTROLLING MIGRATION

During the year 2020/21, the charity received a grant of £38,340 from DCLG Controlling Migration and also had carried forward grant from 2019/20. Some of this funding was used towards the running costs of the Centre during 2020/21, however it was clear that there would be an underspend of this grant. It was confirmed in August 2020 that the remaining grant could be transferred to unrestricted funds and used towards the running costs of the Centre.

£48,000 of the DCLG underspend was put in a designated reserve titled "DCLG (2022-24)" and this reserve is being used towards the Centre's running costs for years 2022/23 and 2023/24. Just over half of this reserve was used during 2022/23. See note 12 for further details.

48

REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Notes to the Financial Statements

for the Year Ended 31 March 2023 – continued

8. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS

COST
At 1 April 2022
Additions
Disposals
At 31 March 2023
DEPRECIATION
At 1 April 2022
Disposals
Charge for year
At 31 March 2023
NET BOOK VALUE
At 31 March 2023
At 31 March 2022		 Improvements to
property
£
9,224
-
-
9,224
9,224
-
-
9,224
-
-		 Furniture, fixtures
& fittings
£
4,760
159
-
4,919
3,222
-
388
3,610
1,310
1,538		 Computer & other
equipment
£
11,882
5,395
(4,701)
12,576
10,048
(4,701)
1,946
7,293
5,283
1,834		 Totals
£
25,866
5,554
(4,701)
26,719
22,494
(4,701)
2,334
20,127
6,592
3,372

9. DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

Trade debtors
Accrued income
Prepayments		 2023
£
698
-
491
1,190		 2022
£
4,220
1,584
9,618
15,422

10. CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE TO WITHIN ONE YEAR

Social security and other taxes
Other creditors
Deferred Income
Accrued expenses		 2023
£
1,919
12,481
18,608
1,563
34,571		 2022
£
1,586
10,619
25,732
2,112
40,048

49

REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Notes to the Financial Statements

for the Year Ended 31 March 2023 – continued

11. LEASING AGREEMENTS

Minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases fall due as follows:

Within one year
Between one and five years		 2023
£
39,600
112,200
151,800		 2022
£
36,000
-
36,000

12. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS

Unrestricted funds
General Fund
General Reserve
Designated Reserve (Staffing)
Designated Reserve (Premises)
Designated Reserve (DCLG 2023-24)
Restricted funds
Neighbourhood Learning in Deprived Communities
RBC – Narrowing the Gap (Lot 1.3)
RBC – Outreach & Community Education (Lot 12.1)
RBC – Closing the Gap Outcome 1
RBC – Closing the Gap Outcome 2
RBC and New Directions – Multiply Project
National Lottery
Henry Smith
Earley Charity
BWCCG and RVA grants
Compass Recovery College
Jelly Arts
Healthwatch
CPAR Research Project
Carewell Research Project
MHFA courses
TOTAL FUNDS		 At
01/04/2022
£
12,511
55,000
33,000
19,500
48,000
168,011
-
11,331
29,260
-
-
-
-
5,145
1,773
3,971
-
-
-
315
3,721
3,370
58,886
226,898		 Net
movement
in funds
£
(23,880)
-
-
-
(25,725)
(49,606)
5,197
(10,849)
(17,339)
(3,018)
5,013
1,481
6,235
(5,144)
(1,773)
(3,571)
-
-
10,000
214
8,129
(2,100)
(7,526)
(57,132)		 Transfer
between
funds
£
18,562
1,000
(18,000)
-
-
1,562
-
(482)
(151)
-
-
-
-
-
-
(400)
-
-
-
(529)
-
-
(1,562)
-		 At
31/03/2023
£
7,193
56,000
15,000
19,500
22,275
119,968
5,197
-
11,769
(3,018)
5,013
1,481
6,235
-
-
-
-
-
10,000
-
11,850
1,270
49,797
169,765

50

REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Notes to the Financial Statements

for the Year Ended 31 March 2023 – continued

12. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS – continued

The movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:

Unrestricted funds
General Fund
Designated Reserve (DCLG 2022-24)
Restricted funds
Neighbourhood Learning in Deprived Communities
RBC – Narrowing the Gap (Lot 1.3)
RBC – Outreach & Community Education (Lot 12.1)
RBC – Closing the Gap Outcome 1
RBC – Closing the Gap Outcome 2
RBC and New Directions – Multiply Project
National Lottery
Henry Smith
Earley Charity
BWCCG and RVA grants
Compass Recovery College
Jelly Arts
Healthwatch
CPAR Research Project
Carewell Research Project
MHFA courses
TOTAL FUNDS		 Incoming
resources
£
27,110
-
27,110

12,000
13,709

7,729
10,417
6,250
2,804
34,412
10,800
-
-
1,000
800
10,000
600
12,788
530
123,839
150,949		 Resources
expended
£
(50,990)
(25,725)
(76,715)
(6,803)
(24,558)
(25,068)
(13,435)
(1,237)
(1,323)
(28,178)
(15,944)
(1,773)
(3,571)
(1,000)
(800)
-
(386)
(4,659)
(2,631)
(131,365)
(208,081)		 Movement
in funds
£
(23,880)
(25,725)
(49,606)
5,197
(10,849)
(17,339)
(3,018)
5,013
1,481
6,235
(5,144)
(1,773)
(3,571)
-
-
10,000
214
8,129
(2,100)
(7,526)
(57,132)

51

REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Notes to the Financial Statements

for the Year Ended 31 March 2023 – continued

12. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS – continued

2021/22 Comparatives for movement in funds

Unrestricted funds
General Fund
General Reserve
Designated Reserve (SmartWorks)
Designated Reserve (Staffing)
Designated Reserve (Premises)
Designated Reserve (DCLG 2022-24)
Restricted funds
Neighbourhood Learning in Deprived Communities
RBC – Narrowing the Gap (Lot 1.3)
RBC – Outreach & Community Education (Lot 12.1)
Reading Borough Council – Zumba
Inner Wheel
Henry Smith
Awards4All
Earley Charity
BWCCG and RVA grants
Berkshire Community Foundation
CPAR Research Project
Carewell Research Project
MHFA courses
TOTAL FUNDS		 At
01/04/2021
£
18,398
53,000
1,578
42,000
33,000
48,000
195,976

5,338
11,524

26,735
-
2,567
(2,531)
2,450
-
871
-
-
-
6,592
53,545
249,521		 Net
movement
in funds
£
(26,695)
-
(1,578)
-
-
-
(28,273)
(5,338)
(192)
2,524
-
(2,566)
7,676
(2,450)
1,773
3,100
309
315
3,721
(3,221)
5,651
(22,623)		 Transfer
between
funds
£
20,809
2,000
-
(9,000)
(13,500)
-
309
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
(309)
-
-
-
(309)
-		 At
31/03/2022
£
12,511
55,000
-
33,000
19,500
48,000
168,011
-
11,331
29,260
-
-
5,145
-
1,773
3,971
-
315
3,721
3,370
58,886
226,898

52

REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Notes to the Financial Statements

for the Year Ended 31 March 2023 – continued

12. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS – continued

2021/22 comparative net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:

Unrestricted funds
General Fund
Designated Reserve (SmartWorks)
Restricted funds
Neighbourhood Learning in Deprived Communities
RBC – Narrowing the Gap (Lot 1.3)
RBC – Outreach & Community Education (Lot 12.1)
Reading Borough Council – Zumba
Inner Wheel
Henry Smith
Awards4All
Earley Charity
BWCCG and RVA grants
Berkshire Community Foundation
CPAR Research Project
Carewell Research Project
MHFA courses
TOTAL FUNDS		 Incoming
resources
£
47,851
-
47,851

12,000
23,500

13,250
1,470
-
32,233
-
5,000
5,000
3,500
4,452
4,263
-
104,668
152,519		 Resources
expended
£
(74,546)
(1,578)
(76,124)
(17,338)
(23,692)
(10,726)
(1,470)
(2,566)
(24,558)
(2,450)
(3,227)
(1,900)
(3,191)
(4,136)
(542)
(3,221)
(99,017)
(175,142)		 Movement
in funds
£
(26,695)
(1,578)
(28,273)
(5,338)
(192)
2,524
-
(2,566)
7,676
(2,450)
1,773
3,100
309
315
3,721
(3,221)
5,651
(22,623)

There were a number of transfers between funds during the year. All were approved by the trustees and, where appropriate, the funder. More details are given below.

General Reserve

The Board has set aside £56,000 in order to cover three months' working capital requirements and three months' rent payments. This is in line with the Centre's reserving policy.

Designated Reserve (Staffing)

An amount of £15,000 has been set aside from the General Reserve to cover future staffing costs. We have been able to reduce this reserve compared to 2021/22 since restricted funds cover most of our expected 2023/24 staffing costs.

Designated Reserve (Premises)

An amount of £19,500 has been put aside to cover general premises costs for 2023/24 that are not covered by restricted funds or the DCLG designated reserve.

53

REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06442616 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1123017

Notes to the Financial Statements

for the Year Ended 31 March 2023 – continued

12. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS – continued

Designated Reserve (SmartWorks)

A small designated reserve was held to show the deposit paid by SmartWorks Reading on their rental of premises. This reserve was no longer required as at 31 March 2022, since SmartWorks moved out in October 2021 and the deposit was returned.

Designated Reserve (DCLG 2023-24)

During the year to 31 March 2021 we were allowed to take underspent restricted funds of around £62,500 from DCLG into unrestricted funds, with the permission of DCLG. The Board decided to spread this unrestricted funding over a number of years rather than spend it all during 2021/22. The designated reserve of £48,000 has been set up to use during financial years 2022/23 and 2023/24. We have used just over half of this reserve in 2022/23 and will use the rest during 2023/24.

13. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES

There are no related party transactions for the year ended 31 March 2023.

54