## Volunteer Centre
Report of the Trustees and Accounts For the period from 1 October 2020 to 30 September 2021
Company no. 6638750 (England & Wales) Charity no. 1127300
Myrus Smith Chartered Accountants Norman House 8 Burnell Road Sutton Surrey SM1 4BW
VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
|Contents||
|---|---|
||Page No.|
|Reportofthe Trustees|2-34|
|Report ofthe Independent Auditors|35 - 37|
|Statement of Financial Activities|38|
|Balance Sheet|39|
|NotestotheFinancialStatements|40-47|
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
## Report of the Trustees for the year ended 30 September 2021
The Trustees present their report and audited financial statements for the year ended 30 September 2021.
## REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
## Charity Name: Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets
Charity Registration Number: 1127300
Company Registration Number: 6638750
|Registered Office:|Norvin House|
|---|---|
||45-55 Commercial Street|
||London|
||E1 6BD|
|Trustees:|Alice Sims, Chair until26Aug 2021|
||Karin Maschler, Chairfrom 27Aug 2021|
||Patrick McKenna, Treasurer until 11 Aug 2021
(retired 12 Oct 2021)|
||Leo Zawadzki, Treasurer from 12 Aug 2021|
||(appointed 11 May 2021)|
||Megan Cowley (appointed 11 May2021)
SafiaJama (appointed 1 Oct2020)|
||Sabiha Khanam (appointed 1 Oct 2020)|
||Alison White|
|Senior Management:|Ms Catherine Bavage, Chief Executive|
|Auditors:|Myrus Smith Chartered Accountants|
||Norman House|
||8 Burnell Road|
||Sutton|
||Surrey|
||SM1 4BW|
|Bankers:|The Co-operative Bank PLC|
||PO Box 250|
||Delf House|
||Skelmersdale,WN86WT|
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
## STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
## Period of Account
The period of account is from 1 October 2020 to 30 September 2021.
Governing Document The organisation is a charitable company, limited by guarantee, incorporated on 4 July 2008, and registered as a charity on 29 December 2008.
The company was established under a Memorandum of Association, which established the objects and powers of the charitable company, and is governed under those Articles.
## Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees
The process for appointing the charity’s trustees is set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association. As VCTH is a charitable company, trustees also act as company directors. The minimum number of trustees is three, with no maximum.
One third of trustees must retire (but may stand for re-election) each year. Trustees are appointed annually, for a maximum of seven consecutive years, at which point they must retire. Trustees who have served seven years are eligible for re-election, but only one year after the date of their retirement. Trustees may only hold the same Honorary Officer role for a maximum of five years.
The Board of Trustees may appoint any person willing and fit to act as a trustee and director, subject to the provisions of the Articles of Association.
The charity conducts regular skills, experience and diversity audits of trustees. These audits identify gaps in skills, or under-representation of particular groups or communities, and are fundamental to the recruitment process. Vacancies are advertised widely and potential trustees are invited to complete an application form, outlining their relevant skills and experience. Shortlisted applicants meet with a selection panel, comprising the Chair of Trustees, one other trustee and the Chief Executive. If successful at interview, applicants are invited to observe a Board meeting and meet other existing trustees. If all parties agree to proceed, the applicant is either co-opted or nominated for election at the next AGM.
## Trustee Induction and Training
Trustee Induction and Training — Trustees are provided with a role description, outlining their statutory and additional governance responsibilities. On joining the Board, trustees are introduced to other Board members and paid staff, and provided with a comprehensive induction. Trustees are expected to attend bi-monthly Board meetings and an annual Away Day. They are asked to acquaint themselves with VCTH’s policies and procedures, strategic plans, budgets, and governing document. Trustees are prompted to take up relevant learning and development opportunities to help them fulfil their role and responsibilities to VCTH throughout their term of office.
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
## Risk Management
Our Risk Register identifies risks and their potential impact in 5 areas: governance, operational, financial, environmental/external, and compliance. It describes the steps needed to mitigate risks. The trustees have considered all the major risks to which the charity is exposed and are satisfied that systems or procedures are established to mitigate those risks. Trustees agreed to carry out a comprehensive review of the Risk Register in 2022-2023, and this has since been carried out in early 2022. An Action Plan to further mitigate risks has also been developed and implemented. The charity has numerous policies and procedures that trustees, staff and volunteers must observe. During the year trustees asked Bright HR, our HR support service, to conduct a review of 16 employment-related policies to ensure legal compliance. As a result, 5 policies and procedures were updated in November 2020: Problem Solving Procedure for Volunteers, Handling Allegations Procedure, Working Hours Policy, Volunteer Policy, and the Redundancy & Redeployment Policy. Trustees began a review of the Reserves Policy, which concluded in October 2021.
To ensure that VCTH implements best practice as employers we maintained our contract with Bright HR, who provide the trustees and Chief Executive with employment advice. We purchased and launched Bright HR’s Employee Assistance Programme, giving our staff and volunteers access to a range of health and wellbeing support, including a 24-hour helpline, one-to-one counselling sessions and online resources.
Throughout the year (months 8 to 20 of the COVID pandemic) all staff continued to work from home for their own and our clients’ protection. Staff were provided with the necessary equipment and paid Working At Home Allowances, in line with HMRC guidance. In April 2021, trustees decided not to renew the office lease, which was due to expire. This decision prioritises our commitment to sustaining services and staffing over fixed accommodation costs. It will enable the charity to make considerable savings on core costs in 2022, and adopt a more climate-friendly model. We anticipate remaining office-free for the foreseeable future.
We continued to use the professional services of Adrian Hull as our management accountant, and Creative Payroll Services for our payroll needs. In October 2020 we migrated our accounts to an updated version of QuickBooks Online Plus, to provide a better fit with remote working and minimise paper usage and storage.
A comprehensive CaSE Charity insurance policy was in place throughout the year covering; employer’s liability (£10m), public liability (5m), products liability (£5m), business interruption, executive risks including trustee indemnity and directors’ liability, professional indemnity, cyber loss recovery, fidelity guarantee, property and business equipment, money and personal accident assault, group personal accident, goods in transit, and legal expenses. This year we also purchased commercial legal expenses insurance through Bright HR to indemnify VCTH against legal costs and compensatory awards associated with employment disputes.
Between 1 November 2020 and 14 June 2021 VCTH made use of the Government's Job Retention Scheme to furlough one member of staff. VCTH supplemented the Job
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
Retention Scheme allowance of 80% of salary with a further 20% to ensure that our furloughed worker received full pay throughout.
All trustees were encouraged to take up training opportunities to enable them to discharge their governance duties. During 2020-2021, six trustees completed an online “Roles and Duties of Trustees” course with the Foundation for Social Improvement. Robust succession planning was in place, with the outgoing Chair and Treasurer providing thorough, timely handovers and guidance to their incoming successors. VCTH has a Conflict of Interest Policy. All trustees and staff are required to declare any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest. In January 2021 all trustees updated their declarations. These are kept under review at Board meetings.
In recognition of our limited reserves, we negotiated advance funding with funders, wherever possible. This arrangement ensured positive cash flow throughout the year.
The ongoing pandemic created unprecedented fundraising challenges. Charities fought to secure sufficient funds to respond to the urgent needs in their communities. The demand for volunteers and for support from volunteering infrastructure remained high. Although VCTH was successful in securing new funding, our income fell by 17% from to £233,200 in 2019-2020 to £193,267 in 2020-2021, although this was still higher than our pre-pandemic income of £184,115 in 2018-2019.
We took our commitment to protecting individuals’ personal data seriously. During the year, the Volunteer Centre re-registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office. Staff and volunteers are aware of their responsibilities not to disclose the personal or sensitive data of our service users.
Only suitably qualified and experienced staff are recruited to work at VCTH. Ongoing professional development for staff is essential for retention, ensures that skills and knowledge are updated, and reduces our exposure to risk. In 2020-2021, we reintroduced personal training budgets, enabling staff to take up learning and development opportunities in areas such as project management, training facilitation, presentation skills and use of IT software.
## Organisational Structure
Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets has a Board of Trustees, which meets bi-monthly, and is responsible for the strategic direction and governance of the charity. The charity's Chief Executive attends Board meetings as an advisor, but has no voting rights.
During the year, eight individuals were involved as charity trustees. Two trustees were Tower Hamlets residents, ensuring community involvement and local knowledge within our Board. Four trustees worked for local Voluntary and Community Sector organisations, and the other four worked in the private sector.
VCTH appointed four new trustees this year. Safia Jama and Sabiha Khanam joined the Board on 1 October 2020, following a recruitment exercise, which targeted residents and VCS workers, and looked to strengthen and diversify our trustee cohort. We used
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
ELBA’s BoardMatch service to attract trustees with financial skills, and appointed Leo Zawadzki and Megan Cowley to the Board on 27 April 2021.
In August 2021, Alice Sims stood down as Chair, and was succeeded by Karin Maschler, who vacated the role of Vice Chair. After five years as Treasurer, Patrick McKenna retired from the Board in October 2021, and Leo Zawadzki filled this position.
Responsibility for operational management was delegated to the Chief Executive, Catherine Bavage. The Chief Executive is responsible for HR, finance, fundraising, and managing service delivery. She ensures that the charity delivers high quality, responsive services to meet the targets and outcomes set out in grants and contracts.
Staff hours fluctuated throughout the year. Part-time staff who had worked full-time, or who had increased their hours during the height of the pandemic, were able to reduce their hours from November. At 30 September 2021, the charity employed 6 part-time paid staff - 4.2 full-time equivalents. One member of staff was on either parental leave or furlough for the whole year.
The Board of Trustees appoints all staff, including key management personnel, on a grade within the pay scale agreed by the National Joint Council (NJC) for Local Government Services employees. It awards annual pay rises, set nationally by the NJC, taking into account the charity's financial position. In February 2021 the Board awarded staff the NJC pay rise of 2.75%, backdated to 1 April 2020, and in March 2022 the Board awarded the NJC pay rise of 1.75%, backdated to 1 April 2021. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES FOR PUBLIC BENEFIT Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets (VCTH) is the recognised volunteering infrastructure agency in the London Borough of Tower Tower Hamlets. Our charity’s objects are: The promotion of any charitable purpose for the benefit of the community of Towerof Hamlets, Greater London, in particularthe relief of those in need by reason youth, age, ill-health, disability or other social or economic disadvantage. The promotion and advancement of voluntary work for charitable purposes for the benefit of the community, predominantly in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, but additionally promotion and advancement of voluntary work subregionally, regionally and nationally.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES FOR PUBLIC BENEFIT Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets (VCTH) is the recognised volunteering infrastructure agency in the London Borough of Tower Tower Hamlets. Our charity’s objects are:
In forming our objectives, the trustees confirm that they have complied with the requirements of section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard for the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission.
## Mission
Our mission is to provide a comprehensive volunteering infrastructure service to nonprofit groups and communities in Tower Hamlets, to increase the quality, quantity and impact of volunteering in the borough.
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
## Core Functions
Our 5 core functions are:
- e Brokerage — ensuring that the general public and all sectors are better informed about and have access to an effective and efficient brokerage service
- e Good Practice Development — helping organisations to improve or attain positive consistency in their volunteering programmes
- e Developing Volunteering Opportunities -— increasing and improving the quantity, quality, and diversity of volunteering locally
- e Voice of Volunteering — creating an increased awareness of issues impacting volunteering
**----- Start of picture text -----**
.
**----- End of picture text -----**
- e Strategic Development of Volunteering — engagement with local networks and decision-makers to create a positive environment in which volunteering is flourishing.
We also host the Voluntary Sector Children and Youth Forum (VSCYF), supporting voluntary and community sector organisations that provide services to children and young people in Tower Hamlets. Most of these organisations involve volunteers in their work.
## ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets was established in July 2008 as an independent charitable company by a team of four committed volunteers, who became its initial trustee board and founder Chief Executive. The charity marked its thirteenth full operational year on 30 September 2021.
The Volunteer Centre holds Volunteer Centre Quality Accreditation (VCQA) - the widely recognised quality mark for volunteering infrastructure organisations, assessed and awarded by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO). It demonstrates that we are fit-for-purpose and deliver the five core Volunteer Centre services to a consistently high standard. Ownership of the VCQA quality mark has transferred to NAVCA who have confirmed that our award is valid until July 2023.
## 1. Volunteer Brokerage
Volunteering brokerage is all about making volunteering happen — linking potential volunteers to not-for-profit organisations that need their help. We continued to provide a brokerage service for people aged 15 and over, providing information about volunteering roles and encouraging applications from people who lived, worked or studied in Tower Hamlets.
Throughout 2020-2021 VCTH continued to run the Tower Hamlets COVID-19 Volunteering Hub, first launched in March 2019, and funded by Tower Hamlets Council. The Hub sourced local volunteers who could respond to the needs in our community created by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This year we referred volunteers to 81 VCS organisations, as well as public sector bodies
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
## Volunteer Numbers
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Between 1 October 2020 and 30 September 2021, a total of 1,051 new volunteers
registered. This was considerably fewer (down 61%) than the unprecedented 2,696
registrations in 2019-2020, which occurred in the emergency phase of the pandemic.
However, it is worth noting that the registration numbers in 2020-2021 were 46% higher
than those in the pre-pandemic year of 2018-2019, when we registered 719 new
volunteers. 1,051 registrations is an average of 88 new volunteers per month.
Registrations
2,194
lll Bes as ee io
18/19 19/20 COVID FIRST 3 20/21
MONTHS
**----- End of picture text -----**
## Client Demographics
We aimed to provide an inclusive brokerage service to a wide range of potential volunteers, reflecting the diverse communities in Tower Hamlets. We requested equalities data at the point of registration, but many volunteers elected to withhold some personal information. This means that our data on volunteer demographics is incomplete, but analysis provides a reasonable indication of the people using our services and of shifting patterns.
## Age
Tower Hamlets has an unusually large younger population, with 46% of residents aged 20 to 39. In terms of volunteer age, the largest groups registering with VCTH were 26 year-olds (47 registrations) and 30 year-olds (46 registrations). In 2019-2020, the largest age groups were 30 and 31 year-olds, so there wasa slight downward trend in the age of people registering to volunteer. Two thirds of the volunteers that provided their date of birth in 2020-2021 were 33 or younger. The eldest volunteer that registered was 75, and the youngest 14.
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VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
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## Gender
This year, 66% of all volunteers that disclosed their gender defined themselves as female (65% in 2019-2020). Men represented 33% of volunteers registering (34% in 2020-2021) and were therefore considerably under-represented compared to the demographics of Tower Hamlets (ONS estimate 2019: 52% male). As per the previous year, 1% of volunteers chose not to disclose their gender, or defined as non-binary.
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
## Volunteers by Gender - 2021
## Volunteers by Gender - 2020
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**----- End of picture text -----**
## Sexual Orientation
Of the 1,051 volunteer registering, 481 skipped the question about sexual orientation. In terms of volunteers providing data, 83 (15%) chose not to disclose information on their sexuality, while 71% defined as heterosexual. We continued to see a modest, but welcome upward trend in the percentage of volunteers identifying as Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual - 13% in 2020-2021 (11% in 2019-2020, and 7% in 2018-2019). The Local Authority's best estimate is that 4.3% of the borough’s population defines as Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual.
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
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Volunteers by Sexual Orientation 2021
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**----- Start of picture text -----**
1%
= Bisexual =Heterosexual =Lesbian/Gay =Notdisclosed = Unknown
Volunteers by Sexual Orientation - 2020
1% | [16%][ 5%]
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**----- End of picture text -----**
## Ethnicity
Of all volunteers registering in 2020-2021, more than a third (38%) chose not to provide any data on their ethnicity. It is likely that many of these people were from minoritised ethnic communities. 42% of volunteers who provided information about their ethnicity were from minoritised ethnic communities (other than White British).
Available Local Authority data suggests that 69% of the population is from a minoritised ethnic community. Around a third of the population (31.2%) is White British and around a third (32%) is Bangladeshi. The White Other population is the next largest group at 12.4%, and the Somali community is estimated to be between 2% and 3% of the population.
The 3 largest ethnic groups of volunteers registering with VCTH were “White British” at 18%, followed by “Other White” at 16.5%, and “Asian /Asian British Bangladeshi” at 10%.
11
In the last year, the percentage of White British volunteers halved from 36% in 2019/2020 to 18%, similar to pre-pandemic levels (23% in 2018/1 9). We saw a 2.5% decline in Other White volunteers (19% in 2019-2020) but this number was still higher than in the pre-pandemic year of 2018-2019 (11%). We began to see an increase in the percentage of Bangladeshi volunteers, up 3% from 2019-2020 (7%), but this was still well below pre-pandemic numbers (25% in 2018-2019).
**----- Start of picture text -----**
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
## Disability
This year the number of volunteers that disclosed they had a disability remained unchanged at 5%. This remains lower than in the pre-pandemic year of 2018-2019 (10%). We saw an increase in the number of volunteers prepared to provide information on disability, with the number of people withholding this data reducing from 46% to 31%.
Of all volunteers that stated they had a disability, 25% identified their disability as “mental health”. The next largest group (5%) stated that their disability related to “something else”.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Disability 2020 Disability 2021 s»
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64% | MNot specified 46%
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**----- End of picture text -----**
## Employment Status
The number of employed volunteers decreased to 37% in 2020-2021 (58% in 20192020). Volunteers in full-time employment fell to 28% in 2021 from 43% in 2020. This change might reflect a fall in the number of workers registering to volunteer while furloughed.
The percentage of volunteers who were unemployed remained unchanged at 8%.
We saw a marked increase in the number of volunteers telling us they were in full-time education (9% in 2020-2021, compared to 5% in 2019-2020).
13
.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
VOLUNTEERS BY EMPLOYMENT STATUS 2021
## Volunteers
500 444
450 :
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- 350 302
& 300 Y YY
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Volunteers by Employment Status - 2020
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## Faith
Volunteers from all major faiths, and of no religion, used our brokerage service. Of the 967 people who disclosed data about their religion, volunteers of “no faith” were the largest group, followed by Muslims, Christians and those who preferred not to say.
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Volunteers by Faith - 2021
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## Tracking
Throughout 2020-2021 we continued to provide brokerage support online or by telephone, rather than in person, in order to keep volunteers and our staff safe.
We tracked the number of applications made by volunteers for specific volunteer roles. We received 2,767 applications, which is just 45% of the 6,165 applications we received in the previous year at the height of the pandemic. However, this is more than double the 1,136 applications we received in 2018-2019 before the pandemic.
Details of each application were passed to the relevant Volunteer Manager, and volunteers were also provided with contact details for the organisations they wished to support. This was to facilitate contacts and ensure applications were not overlooked.
Towards the end of 2021, we began an unprecedented wide scale tracking exercise, asking Volunteer Managers how many of the volunteers VCTH had referred to them had volunteers started in roles, whether they continued to volunteer, and the duration of their volunteering. We also requested information on why volunteers may not have started, and reasons for ceasing volunteering. As well as enabling us to gather better data on volunteer starters, this research should provide valuable information on volunteer attrition rates, and identify where organisations are not contacting volunteers, and the reasons for this. The results of the tracking exercise will be finalised during 2022.
## 2. Good Practice Development
We continued to deliver activities to support and build the capacity of Volunteer Involving Organisations (VIOs) to implement good practice in volunteer management. Tower Hamlets Council funded this work via a Local Community Fund Infrastructure and Capacity Building Grant.
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
## Volunteer Managers’ Training
Between 1 October 2020 and 30 September 2021 we delivered six, half-day training courses for Volunteer Managers (the same number as in 2019-2020). All six sessions were delivered online on Zoom. A total of 106 Volunteer Managers attended our training, which was an average of 17 per course. This represented a considerable increase of 6 additional trainees per course compared to 2019-2020, demonstrating an ongoing appetite for online training.
## Training Attendance 2021
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77% of participants completed an evaluation survey. 100% of respondents (up 3%) rated our training as useful, with 38% rating it as ‘excellent/extremely useful’, 60% as ‘good/very useful’ and 2% as ‘average/fairly useful’.
91% of respondents progressed in terms of knowledge (an increase of 3% compared to the previous year). 97% committed to making a change within their organisation, or taking an action as a result of the training.
Peer Learning Sessions for Volunteer Managers We ran four Peer Learning sessions, which also proved extremely popular. A total of 63 participants attended - an average of 16 per session (1 less per session than the previous year). The sessions provided a blend of professional development and learning opportunities for people who manage volunteers. They included guest speakers and opportunities for peer support. During the ongoing pandemic, Volunteer Managers valued these sessions as a space to come together and support each other.
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Peer Learning Attendance 2021
VolunteeringIssues and During COVID-19:Learning for RecoveryCurrent mae
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**----- End of picture text -----**
## Bespoke Advice on Volunteer Programmes
We delivered 54 free, one-to-one advice sessions to 27 organisations (5 more sessions and 1 more organisation than in 2019-2020).
Thirteen organisations (48%) completed our survey to assess the longer-term impact of our advice. We are delighted to report that 100% of respondents found VCTH’s advice service useful. Of these, 7 found it “very useful” (54%) and 6 found it “extremely useful” (46%). An impressive 100% reported improvements to the quality of their volunteering practices following our advice. All 13 respondents (100%) said they would recommend VCTH’s advice service to other voluntary and community sector groups.
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
## Organisations reported improvements in the following areas:
|Managing your volunteer programme during the |69%
COVID-19 pandemic|
|---|
|Recruiting
volunteers
(scaling
up,
more|54%|
|appropriately
skilled, more diverse, more local|
|Staff feeling more confident/skilled at involving |46%
and managing volunteers|
|Volunteer induction/training|
|Volunteer support and supervision|
|Policies and procedures (eg Volunteer Policy, |38%
Volunteer Problem Solving Procedure, Code of|
|Conduct|
|Managing risks related to volunteers|
|Dealing with difficult situations with volunteers|
|Documentation, forms, templates
(eg Volunteer |31%
Handbook,
Volunteer
Application
Form,
Staff|
|HandbookonManagingVolunteers|
## Factsheets
We researched and developed factsheets to provide an accessible and reliable resource for busy Volunteer Managers. Factsheets were e-mailed directly to registered organisations, and subsequently made available to download, free-of-charge, from our website. Our Factsheets were accessed a total of 6,545 times during the year, up 51% on the previous year (4,323 downloads), showing a significant demand for this service. We have not been able to comprehensively track the two most recent factsheets we produced in 2019-2020, as the tracking code for Google Analytics became out-dated. The factsheets titles were “Safeguarding and Volunteer DBS Checks During the Coronavirus Pandemic” and “Which Coronavirus Roles Require a DBS Check?”. Tracking will be resolved when the new VCTH website goes live, with the deployment of Google Tag Manager. In the meantime, we have provided a best estimate of the downloads of these 2 factsheets, using an average based on the months that we were able to track.
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
|Factsheets which remained|Downloads|Downloads|
|---|---|---|
|available on website|Oct 20-Sep 21|Oct 19-Sep 20|
|Recruiting and Retaining|7|23|
|Volunteers Aged 50+|||
|Creating an Inclusive Environment||7|7|
|for LGBT+ Volunteers|||
|Data Protection, GDPR and|22|47|
|Volunteers|||
|Volunteering in Tower Hamlets—|11|7|
|Key Trends|||
|Supporting Volunteers Towards||1|
|Employment|||
|Virtual
& Online Induction/Training||13|18|
|for Volunteers|||
|Promoting Volunteering||12|
|Opportunities|||
|Involving Volunteers who have|||
|Limited Time|||
|Safeguarding and Volunteer DBS|[2,290|1,521|
|Checks During the Coronavirus|||
|Pandemic|||
|Which Coronavirus Roles Require|4,024|2,497|
|a DBS Check?|||
|Total downloads of all|||
|factsheets|||
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
## Good Practice Tips
In our monthly e-bulletin, we occasionally include bite-sized advice on volunteer management issues, either in the form of answering a particular question - the ‘Ask Evelyn’ column - or as a ‘Top Tip’. Some examples of these are:
- e October 2020: Top Tip - Making Video Meetings More Inclusive e August 2021: Ask Evelyn - Now that most mandatory government restrictions are being lifted, what should we do to keep our volunteers safe?
- e July 2021: Ask Evelyn - Can we require volunteers to have had both COVID vaccinations before they resume face-to-face volunteering with clients, or come onto our premises? Should we even ask volunteers if they have had the vaccine?
## 3. Developing Volunteering Opportunities
An integral part of developing new volunteering opportunities is registering the Volunteer Involving Organisations (VIOs) that offer them. We only register not-for-profit organisations - charities, community groups, social enterprises and public sector bodies. They must be based in, or provide services to residents in the borough of Tower Hamlets. On application, we conduct a health check with each new organisation, via an in-depth telephone meeting, to ensure that the volunteer roles offered are meaningful and appealing, and that volunteers will be supported in a safe environment. This year we year we we registered 26 new VIOs VIOs (4 fewer than fewer than than the previous year). This brought the the total number of organisations registered with VCTH at 30 September 2021 to 495 — a net increase of 26 26 organisations in 12 months. New organisations registered with VCTH were: Arnhem Wharf Primary School Serious Bangabandhu Primary School Solace Women's Aid Centre 404 St George in the East Church City of London Police Museum St Katharine’s Trust Cyril Jackson Primary School St Matthews Bethnal Green Eden Care UK (13 Rivers Trust) St Paul's Way Trust School English National Ballet Stepney All Saints School Eye Heroes The Feast Youth Project Free to Be Kids The Felix Project Globe Primary School The UK Sapphire Foundation Morpeth School Norton - Tower Hamlets GP Care Group CIC Reach Folgate Almshouse Charities Trapped in Zone One Aid Trust William Davis School
This year we year we we registered 26 new VIOs VIOs (4 fewer than fewer than than the previous year). This brought the the total number of organisations registered with VCTH at 30 September 2021 to 495 — a net increase of 26 26 organisations in 12 months.
## New organisations registered with VCTH were:
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
Throughout the year our work was very much driven by our response to the pandemic, as the second national lockdown was announced in November 2020. We continued to work at pace with organisations in the borough that were delivering vital services to some of the most vulnerable members of our community. We systematically contacted organisations registered with us to ask about their essential volunteer requirements and helped them develop diverse, appealing opportunities for volunteers.
In December 2020, we worked with organisations to develop a range of volunteering opportunities over the festive period such as Christmas Elves who packed hampers, delivery volunteers, Christmas Day drivers and Christmas foodbank volunteers.
As restrictions started to ease in August 2021, we worked with organisations that were re-opening their services to develop new volunteering opportunities. We advertised both remote and in-person roles, ensuring they were in line with the COVID-19 government guidelines.
We developed and promoted 307 volunteering roles over the entire year (compared to 450 roles in 2019-2020). Of these, 54 were entirely new roles. Most roles required multiple volunteers. Many roles were flexible, short-term or one-off, enabling time-poor volunteers to get involved.
We advertised volunteer roles for an initial period of up to 3 months, or until organisations told us they no longer needed volunteers. We alerted Volunteer Managers once the required number of volunteers had been referred, and invited them to renew their adverts for a further 3 months, or de-activate roles. This process enabled us to maintain an accurate database of volunteering roles, giving us confidence that roles published on our website were current vacancies.
We saw a continued trend of recruitment for many traditional volunteering roles being paused by organisations, due to the pandemic. However, we saw a surge in demand for critical roles responding to urgent needs in our community. These included Vaccination Site Marshals to support the vaccination programme in Tower Hamlets, COVID-19 Community Champions to empower and support residents to stay up-to-date with public health information, and roles supporting Afghan refugees newly arrived in the borough.
Examples of roles advertised during the year include; community contact tracer (COVID19), food preparation, packing and delivery volunteers, cycle ride leaders and route planners, charity shop volunteers, gardening volunteers, Mandarin or Cantonese speaking support volunteers (home-based), ESOL teachers (both face-to-face and home-based), research and administration volunteers, vaccination escort volunteers, and volunteers to meet, greet and feed refugees.
We also saw a sustained increase in demand for skilled volunteering roles such as podcast producer, coding workshop volunteers, online workshop facilitators, graphic designers and art gallery installation volunteers.
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
## 4. Voice of Volunteering
One of the Volunteer Centre’s core functions is to be the local voice of volunteering - increasing awareness of the issues affecting volunteers and Volunteer Involving Organisations. We campaign for a volunteer-friendly climate, where volunteering is a key element of a democratic civil society, and everyone can participate. Weé strive to educate and influence key decision-makers and funders about the value of volunteering to communities and of the benefits to individuals. We advocate for greater recognition of the cost of well-run volunteering programmes, and the importance of effective volunteer management. We disseminate policy, information and Statistics, encourage organisations to think about how policies affect their volunteer programmes, and urge them to join relevant campaigns.
## E-bulletins
VCTH produced monthly e-bulletins for Volunteer Managers. These included information about training, funding for volunteering programmes, policy developments, updates on campaigns, facts and trends, and volunteer management job adverts. E- bulletins regularly included a “Top Tip”, promoting an area of good practice. This year we included a dedicated funding section for small organisations.
Our e-bulletin was emailed monthly to an average of 682 contacts each month, a decrease in our audience of 3 from the previous year. This was due to Cleansing data to remove out-of-date contacts. Our engagement statistics were Virtually identical to last year: we had a 19.5% opening rate, compared to 19.6% in 2019-2020. This is broadly in line with the average open rate across all industries (21%).
Campaigning and Informing Throughout the year, we kept 495 registered organisations informed (up from 469 in 2020-2021) and raised awareness of issues affecting them:
- e In October 2020 we promoted the Mayor of London’s Volunteering Awards and kept organisations informed about how to re-open services safely.
- e In November we promoted national Trustees’ Week and published the Government's new guidelines on volunteering during the pandemic.
- e In December we raised awareness of the Home Office Windrush Compensation Scheme.
- e In March 2021 we promoted the government’s scheme Offering free COVID lateral flow tests for charitable organisations.
- e We also sent a detailed submission in response to NCVO’s call for evidence on the recommendations of the Kruger Report. In it we voiced our concern regarding the proposal for a national “volunteering passport’ and yet another national volunteering portal, neither of which would benefit the vast majority of (smaller) local charities, or poorer, marginalised communities. We rejected the call for a national reserve or “volunteer army” and a proposed change for trustees to be paid for their time.
- e In April, we published GPs’ and Public Health Leads’ advice to support Muslims eligible for vaccination during Ramadan.
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
- e In May we promoted the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS). e In July we celebrated Women's Inclusive Team (a VCTH registered organisation) receiving the QAVS. We also took part in the Council’s “Thank You Day” campaign, releasing a video of our Chief Executive thanking volunteers and the local community for all their work during the pandemic
## Website
This year our website attracted 3,125 page views per month, down from 4,082 in 20192020. The average time on page was 1:20, similar to 2019-2020. Our new website will provide better, more accurate tracking.
Links from our website to Simply Connect Volunteering helped visitors browse our current volunteer roles and/or register their interest online. The “search volunteer roles” button was clicked 4,222 times, 13% down on 2019-2020, and the “register your interest/login” button received 474 hits, showing a 30% decrease.
In 2021 our Marketing and Communications Officer resumed working on the development and design of a brand new website for VCTH. This was subsequently launched in early February 2022: httos://www.vcth.org.uk/
## Digital Channels
In 2020-2021, the likes on VCTH’s Facebook page reached 1,177 — a 19% increase (190) on the 987 likes in 2019-2020. This marks an important milestone, as Facebook Insights get more accurate on pages exceeding 1,000 likes. We used our Facebook page to engage with local residents to promote our latest volunteer roles.
By the end of September 2021 we had 2,330 followers on Twitter - 59 new net followers. We used Twitter to engage with other organisations and to communicate with Volunteer Managers.
When the COVID-19 Volunteering Hub was launched back in 2019, we began sending out regular alerts to a mailing list of people who had registered their interest with us in volunteering. By the end of September 2021, our mailing list included 3,244 contacts (down from 3,586 contacts in 2020). We built this list by adding all of the volunteers on our Volunteer Bank prior to 19 March 2020, then including every volunteer who registered on Simply Connect after 19 March 2020. The slightly smaller mailing list is a sign of older contacts, who were no longer interested in volunteering, unsubscribing, and new contacts signing up. This is a likely indicator of a fresher, more-engaged audience. A sizeable 40% of the subscribers on the mailing list are highly engaged and often open and click the emails we send. Our mailing list was used to send more than 50 alerts about new volunteer roles available each week, as well as focused alerts promoting Christmas roles, drivers, and Vaccination Site Marshals.
## Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June 2021)
Volunteers’ Week was rather different to previous years. COVID-19 restrictions prohibited gatherings of more than 6 people outdoors, and all indoor events. The usual award ceremonies and celebrations were unable to proceed. Instead, VCTH focused on marking Volunteers’ Week online, and encouraged other organisations to do the same.
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
During Volunteers’ Week we sent out a targeted alert to our Volunteer Bank with a thank you message from the Mayor of Tower Hamlets, John Biggs.
Our June e-bulletin for Volunteer Managers included our message encouraging organisations to thank volunteers for the work carried during the pandemic.
Throughout Volunteers’ Week we were particularly active on Facebook, publishing a new post daily with a link to a highlighted volunteer role. Our post on 6 June was very popular, reaching organically 3.8k users, 272 clicks and 61 reactions.
On Twitter we published content every day. We started with a thank you message to local organisations and Volunteer Managers that generated 2.8k impressions (the number of people who saw our Tweet). Our daily posts included thank you messages from local organisations to their volunteers. The best performing post, a thank you from VCTH staff and trustees, generated 4.8k impressions and 31 engagement activities (shares and comments).
## 5. Strategic Development of Volunteering
As the volunteering infrastructure agency for Tower Hamlets, VCTH is widely recognised as the local volunteering expert in the borough, and we are regularly consulted on volunteering matters by local decision-makers. The profile of volunteering was heightened throughout the pandemic. Volunteer Involving Organisations and other partners across Tower Hamlets looked to us for guidance, input and leadership on volunteering issues. We sought to represent their interests and concerns at borough and pan-London levels, and nationally.
## Working with Tower Hamlets Council
Tower Hamlets Council continued to fund VCTH to run the COVID-19 Volunteering Hub for the borough. As well as the Hub providing volunteer brokerage services to VCS organisations, we also sourced volunteers for a range of Council services and teams, such as Tackling Poverty, Public Health, Children’s Centres, Youth Justice, and several local schools. We guided Council staff, who were often new to volunteer management, on developing volunteer roles, and updated volunteer management training and guidance for Council workers.
We attended regular VCS Conference Calls with John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, alongside other key representatives from voluntary, community and faith sectors, keeping the Mayor informed about the local volunteer response to the pandemic and recovery.
## LBTH Public Health
During the year we cemented relationships with staff at LBTH Public Health. Our Chief Executive participated in regular meetings of the Outbreak Health Protection Board and the Safe Individuals Bronze Group, advising where volunteers might add value and support the delivery of public health services to residents.
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
- We assisted LBTH Public Health to think through and design volunteer involvement and to recruit volunteers for a range of roles including; e COVID-19 Community Champions, who disseminated messages to residents e Community Insight Volunteers, who gathered views from residents on vaccine hesitancy, shielding, mental health, and attitudes towards COVID testing
- e Vaccination Site Marshals for Council-led pop up Clinics.
## Co-Operate and the VCS Strategy
VCTH’s Chief Executive and the VSCYF Co-ordinator both continued as members of Co-Operate — a joint strategic body of not-for-profit sector representatives. Co-Operate aims to transform how organisations work together to enhance the lives of local people. Between us, we represented the interests of Volunteer Involving Organisations and organisations providing services to children and young people.
In October 2020, VCTH provided a case study on the COVID-19 Volunteering Hub for inclusion in the refreshed Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Strategy 2020-2024. This was accompanied by a quote from the Chief Executive of Women’s Inclusive Team, an award-winning local organisation, about what our support meant to them;
"We want to thank Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets for the invaluable support they have provided in recruiting volunteers for our projects at Women’s Inclusive Team. The team provided amazing help and dealt with our last-minute requests efficiently. They went above and beyond to send us really high quality volunteers to support our COVID-19 response. We simply wouldn’t have been able to get through the past few months without their help, and we look forward to continuing this fantastic relationship. WIT has grown so much, due to the support of VCTH".
Ourstaff joined a number of strategic-level Task and Finish Groups to progress actions in the VCS Strategy including groups on Volunteering, External Funding and Consultation & Engagement. The Volunteering Task and Finish Group facilitated better understanding and closer co-operation between major volunteering providers, including ELBA, Queen Mary University, LBTH, New City College and Barts NHS Trust. Partnering with Tower Hamlets CVS Throughout 2020-2021 we strengthened our key relationship with Tower Hamlets Council for Voluntary Service (THCVS), ensuring that we avoided duplication of services and were representing the broadest possible range of local Voluntary and Community Sector organisations at strategic level. The Chief Executives of both organisations worked very closely together to support the local voluntary and community sector.
We delivered the second year of the Local Community Fund Infrastructure and Capacity Building programme in partnership with THCVS. VCTH also joined a consortium, led by THCVS, which was successful in attracting Cornerstone Fund money to develop an equalities assessment impact project that will hopefully be funded to commence in 2022.
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## National and Regional Bodies
We remained a member of two strategic volunteering bodies - London Plus, and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO). Our Chief Executive attended London Plus Volunteer Centre Network meetings, engaging with staff in other London Volunteer Centres to share challenges and successes of facilitating volunteering in response to the pandemic across the Capital. Our Training and Best Practice Manager attended regular NCVO webinars to keep up-to-date with policy developments and changes in the volunteering landscape nationally.
## 6. Voluntary Sector Children and Youth Forum (VSCYF)
VCTH facilitated the Voluntary Sector Children and Youth Forum (VSCYF) for a thirteenth successive year. The Forum is a conduit between voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations that provide services to children, young people and their families, and Tower Hamlets Council and other Statutory partners. VCTH employs a part-time Co-ordinator, who liaises with all of these parties to ensure sharing of information and effective communication.
The Voluntary Sector Children and Youth Forum met 4 times during 2020-2021, with average attendance of 17 organisations per meeting (a slightly higher attendance level than in 2019-2020). All meetings were held on Zoom, due to the ongoing pandemic. Forum meetings during this time included sections to support VSCYF members to deliver their services, to share concerns and suggestions.
- The meetings covered a variety of subjects: e funding, commissioning and grants, including LBTH’s Youth Services commissioning and the Holiday Activities and Food Programme
- e partnership working e safeguarding e mental health e SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability) provision e holiday hunger e social prescribing e healthy childhood weight e working with schools e play in Tower Hamlets e supporting refugee families in Tower Hamlets e The impact of COVID-19 on children, families and organisations e COVID recovery and bouncing back
VSCYF members continued to benefit from the briefing sessions given by senior representatives from LBTH Children’s Services and Culture Directorate.
We compiled and issued quarterly VSCYF e-bulletins, covering Forum and Tower Hamlets news, funding and training opportunities, and events for children, young people or organisations that support them.
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
The database of VSCYF members shows that 7 new organisations joined the Forum during the year, bringing the total membership to 279 organisations — a net increase of 3 from the previous year. The total number of voluntary sector professionals on our database stood at 385 — a net increase of 19 individuals on the previous year.
Facilitating voluntary sector representation continued to be a key focus of the VSCYF Coordinator’s work. Two voluntary sector representatives and the Chair met regularly to ensure good representation for all VSCYF members. Between them the VSCYF Coordinator and representatives ensured that each statutory sector steering group/board had at least one voluntary sector representative at every meeting. The VSCYF Coordinator is a representative herself, and attended several partnership boards and steering groups on behalf of Forum members.
As well as ensuring strong sector representation, the VSCYF Co-ordinator delivered practical services for Forum members. She assisted 6 member organisations with funding applications, or helped them decide whether to apply (6 fewer than in 20192020). In addition, she supported 8 organisations with reviewing and developing their safeguarding policies and procedures (one more than in the previous year).
During the year, we organised 4 training workshops for VSCYF members (one more than in 2019-2020). Average trainee numbers (5) were similar to those per course in the previous year, with 21 attendees across the year.
|Course title
[Dates
Trainees
Identifying Realistic Outcomes and Targets for | 2 December 2020
3|Course title
[Dates
Trainees
Identifying Realistic Outcomes and Targets for | 2 December 2020
3|Course title
[Dates
Trainees
Identifying Realistic Outcomes and Targets for | 2 December 2020
3|
|---|---|---|
|Funding Applications and Tenders|||
|Online Safety, what can we do?|16 December 2020||
|Online Safety, what can we do?|26 March 2021||
|Identifying Realistic Outcomes and Targets for |22 and 23 July|||
|FundingApplicationsandTenders|||
The Forum is funded undera contract from Tower Hamlets Council’s Children’s Services and Culture Directorate. In February 2021, VCTH submitted a competitive tender to continue to run the Forum for a further 2 years until March 2023, and our bid was successful.
## 7. Consultancy Work, Income Generation and Short-term Projects
We undertook several pieces of consultancy work and short-term projects this year. As well as enabling staff to use their expertise and deliver additional services for the community, these projects enabled us to diversify our funding base and generate reserves.
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
## Everyone’s Business
We continued to work with East London Business Alliance (ELBA) to support a network of grassroots organisations working to prevent or respond to Serious Youth Violence. The project, called “Everyone’s Business”, was funded through the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime’s (MOPAC) Violence Reduction Unit. It aimed to explore the impact of business support, provided by corporate volunteers, on strengthening small organisations’ capacity to support children and young people at risk of serious youth violence across 4 East London boroughs — Tower Hamlets, Newham, Waltham Forest, and Barking & Dagenham.
Our VSCYF Coordinator convened 9 grassroots organisations working in Tower Hamlets in the field of serious youth violence, to form the Tower Hamlets Everyone’s Business Network. The pilot project was extended into a second year from April 2021, and 5 network meetings were held between November 2020 and October 2021.
Training sessions arranged for Everyone’s Business members included safeguarding and trauma-informed practice. Opportunities for 1:1 mentoring support from corporate volunteers were also offered and taken up. Each member organisation completed a refreshed needs assessment to help plan the second year’s support, which continued to include mentoring and training to respond to identified needs.
Vaccination Site Marshals - Tower Hamlets GP Care Group The national COVID vaccination programme began in the winter of 2020. Tower Hamlets GP Care Group delivered the majority of vaccinations in Tower Hamlets. Keen to support our communities being vaccinated, VCTH liaised with the GP Care Group to develop a Vaccination Site Marshal volunteer role, in which volunteers could assist with non-clinical tasks at primary care sites and community-based clinics.
We conducted 5 rounds of recruitment for marshals between January 2020 and September 2021, which received a gratifying response. In 9 months we recruited and referred a total of 215 volunteer marshals. This included a team of volunteers to help at the weekly community clinic at the London Muslim Centre. Since the end of the year, VCTH went on to recruit a further 99 Vaccination Site Marshals, bringing the total number of volunteers recruited for this role to 314.
These volunteers undoubtedly played a significant part in the delivery of vaccinations to local communities, easing the pressure on clinical staff and providing a welcoming and reassuring presence at clinics across the borough. The Tower Hamlets GP Care Group kindly provided a small financial contribution in recognition of the support VCTH provided.
## ELBA Christmas Toy Appeal
Each year, East London Business Alliance (ELBA) runs a Toy Appeal, asking employees of ELBA member companies to donate and wrap Christmas gifts for local children living in low income households. However, this year many of these employees, usually based at Canary Wharf, were working from home outside Tower Hamlets. In November 2020, with COVID restrictions in force, ELBA was determined that their Toy Appeal would go ahead. They asked VCTH to help recruit a team of local residents to
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volunteer as Christmas Elves in their grotto. VCTH recruited 37 willing helpers and, in the fortnight before Christmas, the volunteers sorted and wrapped presents, and encouraged passers-by to make further donations. This ensured that local children experiencing hardship received Christmas gifts as usual.
## Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme
The Holiday Activities Fund (HAF) programme provides targeted support for children from low-income households, who are eligible for free school meals, to ensure that they do not go hungry during the school holidays. For a second year we worked in partnership with the LBTH Tackling Poverty Team to deliver the local HAF programme.
During the first week of the Easter holidays (March 2021) the Council arranged for food boxes to be delivered to schools, who then distributed them to families eligible for Free School Meals. We supported the Council and four schools by developing and recruiting for food distribution and delivery volunteer roles.
During the half term holiday in May 2021, the summer school holidays and Christmas holiday period, we continued to work with the schools and local charities. Volunteers were recruited to help them deliver a range of free activities for children and young people, including sports, arts and crafts, and play schemes, all of which included a free lunch.
We facilitated two “Introduction to Volunteer Management’ training sessions in July 2021 for local organisations funded through the HAF programme. A total of 17 participants from 15 organisations attended this training (2 more trainees and 3 more organisations than in 2019-2020). Many trainees were new to managing volunteers. The content covered; developing meaningful volunteer roles and role descriptions, recruiting and vetting volunteers, managing risks and safeguarding, supporting volunteers and retention, and legal obligations, including data protection and complying with COVID-19 guidance.
## Centre 70
Towards the end of 2019-2020, we had been contracted to provide volunteer management consultancy support to Centre 70, a voluntary sector organisation based in Lambeth that supports adults facing social, mental, financial or other personal difficulties. The support was provided via Zoom and email in 2020-2021, and included reviewing their volunteer documentation, providing sample templates, and practising negotiation and assertiveness skills.
## Income from Training
To support local organisations during the pandemic we continued to suspend charges for all training and peer learning sessions. However, so that training places were not wasted, and to ensure fair access to this service, we charged non-attendance fees.
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
## To our staff
The trustees wish to extend our sincere thanks to the staff team. The ongoing COVID19 pandemic created professional and personal challenges for everyone. We are immensely proud of the passion, flexibility, resilience and determination of our staff. These qualities enabled us to provide valuable services to our communities in times need. Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets was at the very heart of the local volunteer response to the pandemic, ensuring that our community's most vulnerable residents were supported through an unprecedented health emergency. Our thanks to:
- e Catherine Bavage, Chief Executive e Zahanar Begum, Administrator & Brokerage Advisor
- e Alex Nelson, Voluntary Sector Children & Youth Forum Co-ordinator e Peppe Rella, Marketing & Communications Officer e Evelyn Rodrigues, Training & Best Practice Manager
- e Krithika Kalpathi Subramanian, Volunteering Advisor
## To retired trustees
A special thank you to Patrick McKenna, who retired from VCTH’s Board of Trustees on 12 October 2021 after five and a half years’ service. Patrick was first introduced to us at a VCTH trustee matching event in October 2015, and became a trustee with us in February 2016. For the majority of his trusteeship, Patrick was our Treasurer. He provided valuable oversight and guidance to trustees on financial issues with unstinting patience, professionalism and good humour.
## To our funders
We are extremely grateful for the money and confidence that our funders have invested in Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets. During 2012-2021 they were:
- e City Bridge Trust Cornerstone Fund
- e East London Business Alliance (MOPAC Violence Reduction Unit) e London Borough of Tower Hamlets
- e London Plus (formerly Greater London Volunteering) e Tower Hamlets GP Care Group
## PLANS FOR FUTURE PERIODS
For a second year, it was not possible to bring the staff and trustee teams together for our usual strategic planning Away Day. Given the rapidly changing environment created by the ongoing COVID pandemic, trustees agreed a number of shorter term strategic priorities, which will be reviewed throughout 2022. For the period 1 January to 30 September 2022 they are:
1. Recruit, develop and retain the right people (staff and trustees) to deliver VCTH’s mission and prioritise the well-being of our staff and trustees
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
2. Effectively deliver VCTH’s core functions
3. Monitor, evaluate and adapt projects, as needed, so that they are accessible to and represent the diversity of the community we serve
4. Prioritise fundraising, diversifying funding sources and the financial stability of VCTH
5. Manage the workplace environment
6. Ensure regulatory compliance
In 2021-2022 we intend to:
- e Keep our office-free working model under review and continue to consult staff about their working preferences and needs.
- e Plan a staff and trustee Away Day and introduce regular in-person team get togethers.
- e Update our Strategic Plan and develop a new Funding Strategy to ensure sufficient income is available.
- e Secure further funding for the Volunteering Hub so that we can continue to lead the local volunteering response to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and be ready to respond to future outbreaks of any new variants or other emergencies.
- e Launch our new website, making it more accessible and giving it a fresher feel.
- e Secure funding, develop and commence delivery of a new training and matching programme for people from minoritised ethnic communities interested in becoming charity trustees. This programme will contribute towards the goal of ensuring that more people from minoritised ethnic communities move into governance and leadership roles in the voluntary and community sector.
- e Continue to offer volunteering solutions to the most pressing issues in our community, such as responding to the refugee crisis.
- e Complete the comprehensive tracking exercise, which began in 2020-2021. By analysing volunteer starter rates, along with feedback from VCTH beneficiary organisations, we will better understand our impact and identify areas for improvement.
- e Review the demographics of volunteers registering with VCTH and develop strategies for increasing participation among under-represented communities.
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## FINANCIAL REVIEW
VCTH started the year with a budget that projected a deficit (in-year fundraising target) of £26,799. By the end of the year, this figure was reduced to a deficit of £16,743, which was covered by unrestricted reserves.
Net current assets (working capital) held at 30 September 2021 amounted to £45,385.
## Reserves Policy
At the end of the charity’s thirteenth operational year at 30 September 2021, our total reserves had reduced by 27% from £62,128 to £45,385. Of these reserves, £43,885 (95%) were unrestricted and £2,250 were restricted funds.
In early 2021 trustees set a target reserves range of £35,787 to £45,000. This range was calculated using a risk-based approach to cover liabilities and winding up costs in the event of the charity's closure, and which would enable the charity to Carry on its day-to-day business in terms of cash flow. The majority of the liabilities relate to statutory redundancy payments to staff. However, trustees committed to reviewing the charity’s approach to reserves later in the year to ensure that it was fit-for-purpose.
In summer 2021 trustees established a sub-group of the Board, led by the Treasurer, and it conducted comprehensive research on approaches to reserves in similar-sized charities, as well as reviewing the best practice guidance from the Charity Commission and NCVO._ The sub-group identified growing redundancy liabilities associated with long-serving staff, and the need to include the cost of consultation and notice periods in the event of redundancies, as VCTH’s major liability. It was agreed that our approach to reserves should change.
A new Reserves Policy was agreed on 11 August 2021. This states that trustees will aim to maintain free reserves at a level which covers at least three months’ running costs, but does not exceed that level plus the redundancy obligations the charity would have in the event of a wind up. The trustees agree this level is the most prudent and would enable to charity to continue to operate in the event of an emergency, or a sudden cut to funding. Trustees acknowledge that this level of reserves may be aspirational in a challenging funding environment. They agreed that while VCTH should strive to maintain this level of reserves, this should not be achieved at the detriment of VCTH’s core values and long-term viability.
On completion of the annual budget, trustees and the Chief Executive will identify the target range for free reserves. VCTH trustees will monitor the level of reserves regularly. The main mechanism for monitoring will be scrutiny of management accounts and cash flows presented quarterly at trustee board meetings. This will ensure that trustees are aware of any build-up of excess reserves, or of reserves being depleted unexpectedly or rapidly. The Reserves Policy will be reviewed bi-annually (every 2 years), and whenever there is a significant change in VCTH’s liabilities.
VCTH's current target reserves range, as of March 2022, is set at between £48,106 and £80,083.
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## Trustees’ Responsibilities Statement
The trustees (who are also Directors of VCTH for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company Law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period.
In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
- e select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- e observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP 2019 (FRS 102); e make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- e state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
- e prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis, unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose, with reasonable accuracy, at any time, the financial position of the charitable company, and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company, and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
In so far as the trustees are aware:
- ° there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company’s auditor is unaware;
- e the trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditor is aware of that information.
The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charity's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.
## Auditors
In 2020-2021, the trustees re-appointed Myrus Smith Chartered Accountants as the charitable company’s auditors.
This report has been prepared in accordance with 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 January 2019) and in accordance with the
33
## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
Special provisions relating to companies subject to the small companies regime within part 15 of the Companies Act 2006.
Approved by the Board of Trustees on 21 June 2022 and signed on its behalf by:
## Karin Maschler, Chair and Trustee
34
## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
## Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets
## Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets (the ‘charitable company’) for the year ended 30 September 2021 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
In our opinion the financial statements:
- e give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 30 September 2021, and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;
- e have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
- e have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
## Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
## Conclusions relating to going concern
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the ISAs (UK) require us to report to you where:
- e the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is not appropriate; or
- e the trustees have not disclosed in the financial statements any identified material uncertainties that may cast significant doubt about the charitable company’s ability to continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting for a period of at least twelve months from the date when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets .../Cont'd
## Other information
The trustees are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the Report of the Trustees, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
## We have nothing to report in this regard.
## Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
- e the information given in the trustees’ report (incorporating the directors’ report) for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
- e the directors’ report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
## Matters on which we are required to report by exception
In the light of our knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors’ report.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
- e adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
- e the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
- e certain disclosures of directors’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or e we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit;or
- e the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies’ regime and take advantage of the small companies’ exemptions in preparing the directors’ report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report.
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
## Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets .../Cont’d
## Responsibilities of trustees
As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement (set out on page 33), the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
## Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council's website at: www. frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.
## Use of our report
This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
Stéfihen Jones FCA (Senior Statutory Auditor) For and on behalf of Myrus Smith Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors Norman House 8 Burnell Road Sutton, Surrey SM1 4BW
21 June 2022
Sf.
,
## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
Statement of Financial Activities (including Income and Expenditure Account) for the year ended 30 September 2021
|||Unrestricted|Restricted|Restricted|Total|Total|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||Funds||Funds|2021|2020|
||Note|£||£|£|£|
|Income from:|||||||
|Charitable activities|2|126,517|~—|66,750|193,267|233,200|
|Total Income||126,517||66,750|193,267|233,200|
|||||||||
|Expenditure on:|||||||
|Charitable expenditure|3|133,759||76,251|210,010|197,528|
|Total Expenditure||133,759||76,251|210,010|197,528|
|Net income/(expenditure)|7|(7,242)||(9,501)|(16,743)|35,672|
|Transfers between funds|13|(480)||480|-|-|
|Netmovement infunds||(7,722)||(9,021)|(16,743)|35,672|
|Funds brought forward|13|50,857||11,271|62,128|26,456|
|Totalfundscarriedforward|13|£43,135||£2,250|£45,385|£62,128|
All income and expenditure is derived from continuing activities.
The SOFA includes all gains and losses recognised during the year.
The notes form part of these accounts.
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Balance Sheet
As at 30 September 2021
**----- End of picture text -----**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
|||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|2021|2020|
|Notes|£|£|
|Current|assets|
|Debtors|9|19,591|9,747|
|Cash|at|Bank|53,549|80,063|
|||
|73,140|89,810|
|Creditors:|amounts|falling|
|due|within|one|year|10|(27,755)|(27,682)|
|Net|current|assets|45,385|62,128|
|Net assets|11|£45,385|£62,128|
|Funds:|
|Unrestricted|funds|
|-|General|fund|13|43,135|50,857|
|Restricted|Funds|13|2|aow|T1271|
|Total|funds|£45,385|'|£62,128|
|These|accounts|have|been|prepared|in|accordance|with|the|special|provisions|relating|
|to|small|companies|within|Part|15|of the|Companies|Act 2006.|
**----- End of picture text -----**
Approved by the directors and trustees on 21 June 2022 and signed on their behalf:
**----- Start of picture text -----**
x
Leo Zawadzki
Treasurer and Trustee
**----- End of picture text -----**
The notes form part of these accounts.
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
## Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 30 September 2021
1. Accounting policies
## General information and basis of preparation
Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets is a private company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales. In the event of the charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the charity. The address of the registered office is given in the “Reference and Administrative Information” on page 3 of these financial statements.
The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with 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) issued in October 2019, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006 and UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice.
The financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis under the historical cost convention. The financial statements are presented in sterling which is the functional currency of the charity.
The significant accounting policies applied in the preparation of these financial statements are set out below. These policies have been consistently applied to all years presented unless otherwise stated.
## Income recognition
- Items of income are recognised in the financial statements when all of the following criteria are met: e The charity has entitlement to the funds; ¢ any performance conditions have been met or are fully within the control of the charity; e there is sufficient certainty that receipt of the income is considered probable; and e the amount can be measured reliably.
- Income from performance related grants and contracts is recognised as the charity earns the right to consideration through delivery of the specified services. Expenditure recognition
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount can be measured reliably. Expenditure includes all irrecoverable VAT which is included as part of the relevant cost. Expenditure on charitable activities comprises those costs associated with the delivery of the various activities and services for the charity’s beneficiaries. Expenditure includes those costs of a direct nature which can be allocated to a specific activity and also includes indirect costs, including governance costs that do not relate to a specific activity but are necessary to support those activities. Support costs are apportioned to each activity on the basis of staff time.
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
## Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 30 September 2021
## 1. Accounting policies/contd...
## Fund accounting
Unrestricted general funds are freely available for use in furtherance of the objects of the charity and which have not been designated for specific purposes.
Designated funds are unrestricted funds set aside by the trustees for particular purposes.
Restricted funds are funds which can only be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by the donor or which have been raised for a particular purpose.
## Tangible fixed assets and depreciation
Tangible assets costing more than £1,500 are capitalised and are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation.
## Leases
Operating lease rentals are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight line basis over the period of the lease.
## Pensions
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the charity’s pension scheme are charged in the Statement of Financial Activities in the year to which they relate. The charity has no liability under these schemes other than for the payment of those contributions.
## Debtors and creditors
Debtors and creditors with no stated interest rate and which are receivable or payable within one year are recorded at transaction price. Any losses arising from impairment are recognised in expenditure.
4]
## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
## Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 30 September 2021
## 2. Income from Charitable activities
||Unrestricted|Restricted|2021|2020|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|LB Tower Hamlets:|£|£|£|£|
|Voluntary Sector Children &
Youth Forum (Third Sector Co-|41,240|-|41,240|39,989|
|ordinator)|||||
|Infrastructure and Capacity|||||
|Building Grant
COVID 19Volunteering Hub
DiscretionarySBRR grant
Holiday Activities and Food
Programme|~
49,520
-
1,000|63,000
-
=
-|63,000
49,520
-
1,000|63,000
46,251
5,000
1,300|
|Total LBTower Hamlets|91,760|63,000|154,760|155,540|
|London Plus (Greater|||||
|London Volunteering)
City Bridge Trust Cornerstone
Fund|-
-|750
3,000|750
3,000|3,750
-|
|City Bridge Trust - London|||||
|Community Response Fund
East London Business Alliance|-|-|-|24,307|
|(MOPAC)
Greater London Volunteering|22,000|-|22,000|8,000|
|- Big Volunteer
National Lottery Community|-|=|-|15,240|
|Fund -|||||
|Awards ForAll
Tower Hamlets GP Care Group
Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation
Other Consultancy Income
Training, Room Hireand Other
Income|-
6,000
-
118
6,639|x
-
-
-
-|~
6,000
-
118
6,639|9,991
-
5,000
6,945
4,427|
|Total|£126,517|£66,750|£193,267|£233,200|
Section 37 Statement: During the period, the grants receivable from LB Tower Hamlets were expended on various projects for the purposes for which they were given.
Of the LB Tower Hamlets income of £155,540 recognised in 2020, £92,540 related to unrestricted funds and £63,000 to restricted funds.
The remainder of the charitable activities income of £77,660 recognised in 2020 related to unrestricted funds of £39,612 and restricted funds of £38,048.
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
## Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 30 September 2021
## 3. Cost of charitable activities
**----- Start of picture text -----**
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Direct|Support|Total|Total|
|Costs|Costs|2021|2020|
|Volunteering|services|£178,502|£31,508|£210,010|£197,528|
**----- End of picture text -----**
Of the £210,010 (2020 - £197,528) expenditure recognised in 2021, £133,759 (2020 - £107,628) was charged to unrestricted funds and £76,251 (2020 - £89,900) was charged to restricted funds.
## 4. Analysis of direct costs of direct costs direct costs costs
**----- Start of picture text -----**
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Analysis of direct costs of direct costs direct costs costs|Total|Total|
|2021|2020|
|=|£|
|Wages|and|salaries|177,632|157,463|
|Activity|costs|180|1,972|
|Staff and|volunteer|training|and|recruitment|444|485|
|Travel|costs|201|294|
|Volunteer|expenses|45|138|
|£178,502|£160,352|
**----- End of picture text -----**
## 5. Analysis of support costs of support costs support costs costs
**----- Start of picture text -----**
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Analysis of support costs of support costs support costs costs|Total|Total|
|2021|2020|
|4|£|
|Office|costs|4,579|6,524|
|Premises|costs|17,826|16,950|
|IT|support|2,261|1,832|
|Computer|and|website|costs|555|5,428|
|Other|costs|1,148|625|
|Governance|costs|(note|7)|5,139|5,817|
|£31,508|£37,176|
|Governance|costs|
|Total|Total|
|2021|2020|
|£|£|
|Audit|and|accountancy|fees|4,995|5,709|
|AGM/Annual|review|-|108|
|Trustee|meetings|and|training|144|ws|
|£5,139|£5,817|
**----- End of picture text -----**
6. Governance costs
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VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
## Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 30 September 2021
## 7. Net income/(expenditure)
The net income/(expenditure) for the year is stated after charging:
||||2021||2020|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||Auditors’ remuneration—Audit
Operating lease rentals||£2,220
£12,312|£2,478
£16,656||
|8.|Staffcosts|2021||2020||
|||£||£||
||Wagesand salaries
Social Security costs
Pension Costs|161,387
10,948
5,297||142,180
10,129
5,154||
|||£177,632|£157,463|||
No employee received total employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) of more than £60,000 in either year.
The total employee benefits received by Key Management amounted to £52,344 (2020: £49,713). Under FRS 102, employee benefits include gross salary, employer’s NIC, employer's pension contributions and benefits in kind. The average number of employees during the period, calculated on the basis of full time equivalents was 4.2 (2020: 3.5). The average monthly number of employees was 6 (2020: §.3).
|9.|Debtors
Due within oneyear|2021
e|2020
£|
|---|---|---|---|
||Prepayments
Other Debtors|3,497
16,094|5,685
4,062|
|||£19,591|£9,747|
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 30 September 2021
|10.|Creditors:|2021|2020|
|---|---|---|---|
||Amounts falling due within one year:|£|£|
||Deferred income|21,305|22,054|
||Accruals|6,450|5,628|
|||£27,755|£27,682|
All of the £22,054 deferred income brought forward from 30 September 2020 was released to income in the year ended 30 September 2021. Deferred income relates to funding received but for which the performance conditions will be met in the next accounting period.
11. Analysis of net assets between funds
||Unrestricted|Restricted|Total|
|---|---|---|---|
||£|£|£|
|Current assets|70,890|2,250|73,140|
|Current liabilities|(27,755)|-|(27,755)|
|At30September2021|£43,135|£2,250|£45,385|
Comparative information for the analysis of net assets between funds is as follows:
||Unrestricted|Restricted|Total|
|---|---|---|---|
||£|£|z|
|Current assets|78,539|11,271|89,810|
|Current liabilities|(27,682)|-|(27,682)|
|At30September2020|£50,857|£11,271|£62,128|
12. Operating Lease Commitments
At 30 September 2021 the total minimum lease commitments due under noncancellable operating leases was as follows:
||||2021|2020|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|Within|one|year|£-|£11,903|
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
## Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 30 September 2021
## 13. Movement in funds
**----- Start of picture text -----**
|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|1|At|Transfers|At|
|Restricted|Oct|Incoming|Outgoing|between|30 Sept|
|Funds|2020|funds|2021|
|£|£|£|£|£|
|LBTH-|Infrastructure|-|63,000|(63,395)|395|-|
|Cornerstone|-|3,000|(1,500)|-|1,500|
|London|Plus —|laptops|-|750|~|-|750|
|CBT/LF — Covid|19|1,280|-|(1,365)|85|-|
|National|Lottery|—- A4A|9,991|-|(9,991)|-|¥|
|Total|restricted|funds|11,271|66,750|(76,251)|480|2,250|
|Unrestricted|funds|
|General|funds|50,857|126,517|(133,759)|(480)|43,135|
|Total|unrestricted|funds|50,857|126,517|(133,759)|(480)|43,135|
|Total funds|£62,128|£193,267|£(210,010)|ENil|£45,385|
**----- End of picture text -----**
A description of each restricted fund is given in the Trustees Annual Report, where relevant .
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## VOLUNTEER CENTRE TOWER HAMLETS
## Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 30 September 2021
## 13. Movement in funds.../cont’d
Comparative information for the net movement in funds is as follows:
|||At|||Transfers|At|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||1 Oct|Incoming|Outgoing|between|30 Sept|
||Restricted Funds|2019|||funds|2020|
|||=|£|gE|£|£|
||LBTH-Infrastructure|-|63,000|(63,123)|123|-|
||London Plus - Laptops
CBT/LF—Covid 19|-
-|3,780
24,307|(3,750)
(23,027)|-
-|-
1,280|
|’|National Lottery —-A4A|-|9,991|-|-|9,991|
||Total restricted funds|-|101,048|(89,900)|123|11,271|
||Unrestricted funds||||||
||General funds|26,456|132,82|(107,628)|(123)|50,857|
||Total unrestricted funds|26,456|132,152|(107,628)|(123)|50,857|
||Totalfunds|£26,456|£233,200|£(197,528)|ENil|£62,128|
## 14. Taxation
As a registered charity, Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets is not liable to tax on its charitable activities.
## 15. Related Party Transactions
Refreshments and training costs amounting to £144 (2020: £108) were paid on behalf of 6 (2020 : 6) trustees.
The trustees received no remuneration in 2021 or 2020.
There were no other related party transactions in 2021 or 2020.
47