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2021-03-31-accounts

YARL’S WOOD BEFRIENDERS

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

Registered charity number 1143160 Registered company number 07652500

GENERAL INFORMATION

FULL NAME Yarl’s Wood Befrienders (also known as YWB) CHARITY NUMBER 1143160 COMPANY NUMBER 07652500 PRINCIPAL ADDRESS 43 Bromham Road, Bedford, MK40 2AA TRUSTEES Belal Bunian – Treasurer (appointed July 2020) Barbara Conridge – Chair (resigned November 2020) Jivan Dempsey (appointed November 2020) Sarah Grahame – Chair (from November 2020) Angela Huddart Joan McDowall (resigned August 2020) Pauline Panter (resigned July 2020) Robina Pelham Burn Stella Shyanguya (appointed November 2020) Isabelle Sykes (appointed November 2020)

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Rob Baxter, Retired Life Member, Chartered Institute of Public, Finance and Accountancy

BANKERS HSBC 12 Allhallows Bedford MK40 1LJ

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES

The Trustees, who are Directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act, submit their annual report and income and expenditure accounts for the year ended 31 March 2021.

GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and registered with the Charity Commission. In 2020–21 it operated under the rules of its memorandum and articles of association dated 3 May 2011. It has no share capital and the liability of each member in the event of windingup is limited to £10.

Trustees are appointed on the basis of the skills and expertise they can contribute, their commitment to the aims of the organisation, and their willingness to devote their time and talents to the cause. All Trustees are appointed by a vote at Trustees’ meetings.

The Trustees of Yarl’s Wood Befrienders (YWB) have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit when making decisions about the charity’s activities and when exercising any powers or duties to which the guidance is relevant.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

In 2020–21, the charity’s objectives were specifically restricted to the charitable relief of those detained in, or leaving, Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre (YWIRC).

CORE ACTIVITIES

  1. To recruit, train and support a volunteer force.

  2. To research, initiate and facilitate one-to-one befriending between volunteers and people detained within YWIRC and in the community, post-detention.

  3. To plan and deliver activities within YWIRC for the people detained there, including weekly face-to-face drop-in workshops and events to tie in with public holidays and religious festivals.

  4. To support, practically and emotionally, the welfare and mental well-being of people detained in YWIRC and as they leave.

  5. To liaise with the management of YWIRC about the charity’s security and activities.

  6. To network and lesson-share with other organisations who work in the detention estate in the UK to build a wider partnership, benefit from lessons learnt and share best practices of supporting people in detention and those released from detention.

  7. To research services and refer people to other organisations who may be better placed than Yarl’s Wood Befrienders to service their needs.

  8. To run online courses to rebuild confidence and restore dignity for people post-detention.

  9. To provide access to technology and data to support digital inclusion and reduce isolation for people after detention.

  10. To raise awareness and broaden understanding in Bedford and the UK of the impact of immigration detention and reduce hostility towards people who are navigating the UK’s immigration system.

VOLUNTEERS

Our volunteers are at the heart of our organisation and are involved in every area of our work. In 2020–21, they provided practical and emotional support to people inside Yarl’s Wood IRC through one-to-one befriending and group drop-in sessions; they supported people remotely, by telephone, listening to their needs and directing them to sources of help in their area; they helped to create a Digital Device Bank, upcycling and renovating digital devices for redistribution to people living in the community post-detention; and they helped to establish our new online courses.

In 2020–21 we expanded our volunteer base to 67 volunteers with 27 languages. Our information sessions in 2020–21 were attended by 39 people, with 26 attending the subsequent training day and 12 people joining us as volunteers.

PEOPLE WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE OF IMMIGRATION DETENTION

Recognising the need for the charity to better reflect those we work with, in 2020–21 we recruited more people with lived experience to our board, to our staff and to our body of volunteers. This is something we continue to work on.

ACHIEVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE

Covid-19

For more than eighteen years, the charity’s sole activity was to support women and families held within Yarl’s Wood IRC. In March 2020 YWIRC closed to visitors for much of the year. In response, we reacted creatively to the changes brought about by the pandemic and to the frequent changes in Home Office and Serco policy, and we diversified. We began to give remote support to people who had been released from detention, which opened our eyes to the challenges of life after detention as people wait for settled status, and, for the first time, we supported men as well as women.

When it was suggested that Yarl’s Wood IRC might become a men-only centre, we included a session at our annual conference to ensure that our volunteers understood the issues faced by vulnerable men. We also provided training for staff and volunteers to ensure we were trauma-informed, and rewrote our safeguarding policy and code of conduct in response to the expansion of our activities.

Our diversification brought us closer to the other organisations that work in the detention estate and we began to meet weekly with coordinators from IRC visitor groups around the country. We shared information about the detention estate in general, as well as individual IRCs. Staff received training on: providing suicide support, both face-to-face and remotely;

safeguarding; understanding, recognising and reporting human trafficking; remote telephone befriending; post-detention support; and on the changes to our legal system that, among other things, allow prisons to hold people under immigration powers. Members of staff then ran training sessions for volunteers to pass on what they had learnt.

It was a challenging time, but it also strengthened us as an organisation, leading us to rethink what we do and how we do it, to listen more closely to those with lived experience of immigration detention, and to widen our offering.

Inside Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre

Held under lock and key, people in immigration detention feel criminalised and their mental health suffers. This is exacerbated by their being in limbo, with no idea of how long they will be held and whether they will be deported. When Covid-19 struck, Yarl’s Wood IRC closed to visitors and all but emptied, leaving those women who remained at the centre in an almost deserted setting.

For those women who were still in the IRC, we continued to provide befriending support by phone; we also sent in clothes, pamper packs and art packs. By keeping in touch and supporting them in practical ways whenever possible, our volunteers played a crucial role in reminding the women that they had not been forgotten by the outside world. In June 2020 we were able to hold an event in the centre for Refugee Week, using the Rocket Man video produced by the Iranian refugee Majid Adin to stimulate discussion. Unfortunately, we were unable to visit the centre again until October 2020, when we were able to visit five times before the centre again locked down due to Covid outbreaks.

From August to October the number of people crossing the Channel by boat increased exponentially and YWIRC was turned, unofficially, into a short-term holding facility (STHF) for men. More than 1,700 men were processed at the centre amid chaotic scenes. We set up a Freephone line and disseminated information at the STHF about the organisations in the UK that could help the new arrivals.

To promote our befriending service and to help people navigate the multiple challenges of arriving in the UK, including, for example, the importance of legal advice, we developed an animated video and leaflet to be distributed to new arrivals. This was shared with partner organisations operating in other detention centres, such as the Jesuit Refugee Service in Penally, Wales, and Samphire at Napier Barracks in Kent.

In December 2020 we were told that the Home Office was setting up 200 portakabins in the grounds of YWIRC to provide emergency initial accommodation for 200 men. To prepare for this, we liaised with the NGOs working at the time in Penally and at Napier Barracks and brought together five charities in Bedford and London to provide a range of services that included counselling, clothes and boots, ESOL lessons (English for Speakers of Other Languages), bike rental, boxing and football training to complement our own provision. When in March the Home Office did a U-turn and dismantled the 200 portakabins, we had

established strong relationships with organisations in and around Bedford and built a solid footing for future collaboration.

Post-detention support

As YWIRC emptied, we diversified our provision to give remote support to people released from detention to 40 locations in the UK, many of whom had no access to digital technology to stay connected to the outside world and no one to turn to for support.

The staff and volunteers of the charity had to learn how to provide support remotely, and how to deal over the phone with reports of suicidal thoughts and desperate recollections of violence and rape from people with no support beyond phone calls from their Befriender. In each location, Befrienders, with the help of one of our coordinators, would work to source accommodation, clothing, food banks, furniture, baby items, physical and mental healthcare and Covid test kits. Volunteers also referred the person they were befriending to other national charities that might be able to help, such as ASAN (the Asylum Support Advice Network), Migrant Help, Refugee Action, Medical Justice, the Scottish Refugee Council, the Samaritans and Unseen, and to local community initiatives in their location, such as Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network and Manchester Refugee Support Network.

Working with the Bedford-based King’s Arms Project, we set up an emergency

accommodation facility for women who had been forced into inappropriate accommodation and we supported these women for nine months until they were able to find alternative safe accommodation.

In 2020–21 we provided 156 Covid support grants and vouchers: 84 cash grants and 72 supermarket vouchers. We also provided 39 £50 Tesco vouchers to people living in the community post-detention to spend at Christmas.

100% of people we surveyed said receiving supermarket vouchers helped them to cope with the challenges of isolation.

100% of people we surveyed said receiving supermarket vouchers helped them cope during lockdown.

“ It makes a big, big difference, I really appreciate it without you I would be on a different planet, no one else helps, you make a big, big difference. Thank you so much. ”

“ I feel like crying, such a relief to have some money, god bless you, thank you so much. ”

“ [It] helped me in every possible way, it is like a million dollars. ”

“ I would not be able to cope without it, it means everything to me, I am very appreciative. ”

“ Thank you very much for all your help to us. This can make us survive and make our Christmas a bit meaningful for we have food to eat especially for this kind of occasion.

Praying that God will bring back to you all the blessings that you shared to others. Thank you sooo much and take care. God bless you and all the Befrienders people. ”

With a grant from Freedom from Torture, we were able to support 13 people with grants of £40. These are some of the responses:

“ I buy chicken and fish with my money, I only get tinned goods from the food bank, I need to get rice and flour, potatoes, normally can't afford anything like this, soap, shaving cream and stuff like that. Certain little things that I can't afford. ”

“ My body is so weary, not eating the way I need to be eating, so when I get these little bits of money, I'm so grateful, I put chicken and fish in the freezer so I can have it when I need it. ”

Phone credit and digital inclusion

Being able to phone loved ones, lawyers and other key people, to access services and to be connected to the outside world was more important than ever during the pandemic. In 2020–21, we provided 232 £10 phone credit vouchers, 72 in detention and 160 postdetention. Having assessed people’s needs and the most cost-efficient option, we supplied phone contracts to 11 people who were living in the community post-detention to give them unlimited access to data and we provided one person with a broadband contract.

In 2020–21, we provided 27 digital devices to people living in the community postdetention: 3 smartphones; 9 laptops/notebooks; 4 Facebook portals; 9 tablets; 2 wi-fi routers.

“The phone and the internet is my only link with the outside world, it means I can speak to people. The laptop is a lifeline and the writing course is a connection with people with a shared interest. You guys are a lifeline.”

As we supported people post-detention, it became clear that digital exclusion was a major problem. Even if people had smartphones, they often had no data or access to wi-fi to enable them to communicate with the outside world, and many had no devices at all.

To combat this, we set up a digital inclusion programme, working with a local school, whose students volunteered to create a Digital Device Bank, upcycling and renovating donated devices so that they could be redistributed to the people we support. The students also raised awareness among peers, teachers, support staff and alumni about the plight of people who suffer detention and debunked some of the myths surrounding immigration detention.

Online courses

Another post-detention programme was the creation of remote courses to empower people released into the community. People waiting for settled status are in a state of limbo until the Home Office decides their case, unable to work or enrol as students. This, coupled with

a lack of fitness, poor English-language skills and isolation, is a significant cause of depression and poor mental health.

During our six-month pilot in 2020–21, we offered five different courses run by trained professionals in Art Therapy, Creative Writing, Fitness for Men, Fitness for Women, and Practical ESOL. We supported 47 people on these courses with digital devices, technical support and materials such as art notepads, stationery and sports equipment. Having observed the benefits of the peer-to-peer support the courses generated, we set up a Friendship Group for those who have experienced immigration detention in the UK. The online courses restored a sense of dignity and self-respect to participants and integrated the participants into a community with others where they could find human interaction and laughter.

73% of people surveyed found their course very useful.

90% of people surveyed said the classes helped them to cope with their current situation.

100% enjoyed their class.

“ It’s really good for my mental health. Can go home and relax, I’m knackered now! It’s really beneficial for me. I always sleep better after this. ”

“ It's very practical to learn new skills, I think it will support me a great deal in future professional life and as I'm not mentally doing really well, this course will help me divert my attention into something productive. ”

“ It’s good for my mental health and my body and my mind and everything. I really like it. ”

“ For me it's very important I improve my English to interact with school for my daughters, talk to the GP and integrate into society. Highly important. ”

Other befriending statistics and feedback

100% of people we surveyed said receiving clothing made them feel more supported and cared for.

75% of people we surveyed said receiving clothing improved their self-esteem.

“ I love you all Befrienders, I never have boots like this, they are so good, you are all so nice, you make me so happy. ”

87% of people surveyed said phone calls from their Befriender made them feel less lonely and isolated.

“ She is the only one who understands what I'm going through. She was my backbone in Yarl’s Wood for 8 months, she is truly wonderful. ”

83% of people surveyed said phone calls from their Befriender improved their self-esteem and emotional well-being.

“ My Befriender, she is so lovely. Before I had no confidence in myself and she makes me feel so good about myself. ”

83% of people surveyed said phone calls from their Befriender helped them to cope with the current situation.

“ People asking me how am I surviving, it’s not the mental doctors who keep me sane, it’s the human beings who are there for me … Befrienders, who keep me sane. ”

Raising awareness

In 2020, changes to the immigration system, changes within YWIRC and the drafting of the New Immigration Plan made raising awareness a priority for the charity. We had more contact with policy makers, lobbying local MP Richard Fuller and attending meetings with the Immigration Minister Chris Phelps and two other MPs, and we provided content and interviews for BBC Look East, Channel 4, ITN, Bedford Independent and freelance journalists.

We also supported academics from the University of Oxford, Goldsmith’s University and the University of Westminster, helping them to gather evidence of the impact of detention by putting them in touch with people with lived experience of immigration detention.

Rebranding and new website

Having extended our remit from working solely within YWIRC to also supporting people outside it, we decided to rebrand so that our name reflected our new arc of care. Work began on a new website that would reflect our extended remit, focus more on the people we work with and less on the charity itself, and serve as a platform from which people in detention could tell their stories and make their voices heard.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Income and expenditure summary

In 2020–21, incoming resources were £236,568 (2020: £148,369) and resources expended were £176,952 (2020: £154,246), giving a net income of £59,616 (2020: -£5,878). Funds carried forward at 31 March 2021 totalled £132,149 (2020: £72,532).

Funding

The charity received grants and donations totalling £236,568, of which £193,733 were

unrestricted funds and £42,835 were restricted funds. Principal funding sources were the Big Lottery, the Gale Family Trust, the Bromley Trust, the Sebba Trust, the Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation, the House of Industry and CAF.

Reserves policy statement

The charity aims to hold reserves equivalent to six months’ running costs. Against an actual spend of circa £177k in 2020–21, the reserves carried forward of circa £132k more than meet the organisation’s criteria.

Within the reserves there are provisions of £20,000 against closure costs, £10,000 against redundancy costs and £40,000 against running costs.

RISK ANALYSIS

Never has it been more difficult to predict government policy on detention. There is uncertainty about which immigration removal centres will be kept open and which will close, and about the functions of the centres. In October 2021, Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre, which is the focus of the charity’s activities, became a holding facility primarily for men, with a small number of women. The future role of the IRC – whether it will be a long-term holding facility or a short-term one – has not been confirmed.

After the Windrush scandal and the advent of Covid, the numbers of women in YWIRC fell dramatically, and we had to act nimbly and creatively. As has been described above, this involved capitalising on any invitation to help the people held within the IRC, preparing for a predominantly male intake, and diversifying to support people outside YWIRC, postdetention, as well as within the IRC, in what we term our arc of care.

The principal risk facing the charity arises from the uncertainty surrounding immigration policy and practice in the UK and what the Home Office will do with YWIRC, though our diversification has to some extent offset that risk. Our current challenge, as YWIRC becomes a holding facility for men and we change how we befriend, is to retain our body of volunteers, who have worked primarily with women for the past twenty years; to recruit new volunteers, in particular more men and those with lived experience of immigration detention; and to continue to appeal to funders.

Financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Company number 07652500, Charity number 1143160

Page Contents

Yarl’s Wood Befrienders Directors’ report (incorporating the Trustees’ Annual Report) for the year ended 31 March 2021

The Trustees, who are also Directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act, submit their annual report and the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2021.

Full Name Yarl’s Wood Befrienders (YWB)

Registered charity number 1143160

Registered company number 07652500

Principal address 43 Bromham Road Bedford MK40 2AA

Directors (Trustees)

Belal Bunian – Treasurer (appointed July 2020) Barbara Conridge (resigned November 2020) Jivan Dempsey (appointed November 2020) Sarah Grahame – acting Chair Angela Huddart Joan McDowall (resigned August 2020) Pauline Panter (resigned July 2020) Robina Pelham Burn Stella Shyanguya (appointed November 2020) Isabelle Sykes (appointed November 2020)

Independent examiner

Rob Baxter Retired Life Member, Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy

Governance and management

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and registered with the Charity Commission. It is operated under the rules of its memorandum and articles of association dated 3 May 2011. It has no share capital and the liability of each member in the event of winding-up is limited to £10.

Trustees are appointed on the basis of their commitment to the aims of the organisation and their willingness to devote both their time and talents to the cause. All trustees are appointed by a vote at Trustees’ Meetings.

Yarl’s Wood Befrienders (YWB) is completely reliant on its volunteer Befrienders, many of whom have full-time jobs or family responsibilities but somehow manage to find that extra time to support those held in or leaving Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre (YWIRC).

Aims and objectives

The charity’s objects (“Objects”) are specifically restricted to the charitable relief of those detained in, or leaving, Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre (YWIRC).

Funds held for third parties

No funds are held for third parties.

Exemptions

The trustees have taken advantage of the exemptions available to small companies, including the audit exemption (see statement in inspection report).

Responsibilities of the trustees

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 charity at the end of the year and of the surplus or deficiency for the year then ended.

In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to: select suitable accounting policies, as described on pages 8–9, and then apply them on a consistent basis, making judgements and estimates that are prudent and reasonable. The members of the committee must also prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose, with reasonable accuracy at any time, the financial position of the charity, and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. The trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud or other irregularities.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:

Signed: __

Sarah Grahame, Chair

Date: ____

Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Yarl’s Wood Befrienders for the year ended 31 March 2021

I report on the accounts of the charity, which are set out on pages 4 to 8.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

Basis of independent examiner’s report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the general directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

Independent examiner’s statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

  1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:

  2. to keep accounting records in accordance with section 386 of the Companies Act 2006; and

  3. to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 and with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities have not been met; or

  4. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed: Date: 10[th] September 2021

Rob Baxter, Independent Examiner

Retired Life Member, Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy

Statement of financial activities Income and expenditure account for the year ended 31 March 2021

2020
Total
Funds
£
147,958.00
111.52
299.09
0.00
148,368.61
102,872.31
0.00
179.00
3,324.19
7,032.00
1,574.01
0.00
31,203.08
0.00
3,510.75
2,712.49
415.39
0.00
1,423.00
0.00
154,246.22
-5,877.61
78,410.00
72,532.39		 2021
Unrestricted
Restricted
Total
Funds
Funds
Funds
£
£
£
Incoming Resources
Grants & Donations
193,704.98
42,834.65
236,539.63
Bank Interest
28.30
28.30
Fundraising Events
0.00
0.00
Building Capabilities
0.00
0.00
Total Incoming Resources
193,733.28
42,834.65
236,567.93
Resources Expended
Wages, NI & Pensions
94,939.16
13,500.00
108,439.16
Redundancy Costs
15,178.16
15,178.16
Personnel/DBS Costs
560.00
560.00
Office Expenses
4,858.70
9,527.25
14,385.95
Rent & rates
6,446.00
6,446.00
Marketing & Publicity
0
0.00
Covid-19 Expenses
7,989.00
8,153.00
16,142.00
Detainee Support
398.19
7,454.40
7,852.59
Grants
0.00
800.00
800.00
Volunteer expenses
26.72
26.72
Training
1,504.25
1,504.25
Insurance
420.19
420.19
Building Capabilities
803.49
3,400.00
4,203.49
Professional Fees
993.00
993.00
Provision – Closure costs
0.00
0.00
Total Resources Expended
134,116.86
42,834.65
176,951.51
Net Income/(-) expenditure
59,616.42
0.00
59,616.42
Total Funds brought forward
72,532.39
0.00
72,532.39
Total Funds carried forward
132,148.81
0.00
132,148.81

Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2021

2020
£
74,517.76
0.00
0.00
74,517.76

606.00
307.21
0.00
1,072.16
0.00
1,985.37
72,532.39
52,532.39
0.00
20,000.00
0.00
0.00
72,532.39		 2021
£
Current Assets
Bank
173,492.74
Petty Cash
0.00
Accounts Receivable
1,524.19
Total Current Assets
175,016.93
Current Liabilities
Accounts Payable
4,918.12
Accruals
-545.00
Income in Advance
38,495.00
Pensions Payable
0.00
Wages Payable – Payroll
0.00
Total Current Liabilities

42,868.12
Net Current assets
132,148.81
The funds of the Charity

Unrestricted Income funds
62,148.81
Restricted Income funds
0.00
Provision – Closure costs
20,000.00
Provision – Runningcost
40,000.00
Provision – Redundancies reserve
10,000.00
Total Funds
132,148.81

The trustees declare that they have approved the accounts above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:

Signed_______ Date: Sarah Grahame, Acting Chair

Grants and Donations 2020–21

Big Lottery-Covid-19 – Ex-Detainee Support
House of Industry
Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation (BLCF)
Freedom From Torture
Big Lottery
Gale Family Trust officially
Bromley Trust
Sebba Trust
CAF
The Cathedral & Abbey Church of St Albans
Other donations
Online donations
Interest income
Total		 Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Total Funds
£
£
£
32,500.00
32,500.00
4,981.65
4,981.65
4,553.00
4,553.00
800.00
800.00
142,507.00
142,507.00
20,000.00
20,000.00
15,000.00
15,000.00
5,000.00
5,000.00
4,775.00
4,775.00
1,000.00
1,000.00
4,323.02
4,323.02
1,099.96
1,099.96
28.30
28.30
193,733.28
42,834.65
236,567.93

Yarl’s Wood Befrienders Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2021

1. Accounting policies

Basis of the preparation of the accounts

These financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities – Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP revised 2005), the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (effective April 2008) and the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime under the Companies Act 2006.

Incoming resources

All material incoming resources have been included on a receivable basis – i.e. they are included if the date receivable falls within the period covered by these accounts.

Pension costs

As from January 2017 the charity began a defined contribution pension scheme with the National Employment Savings Trust. All appropriate costs are allocated in these accounts.

Resources expended

These have been analysed using a classification appropriate to the activities of the organisation.

Depreciation

Depreciation is calculated to write down the cost or valuation, less estimated residual value, of all tangible fixed assets over their expected useful lives on a straight-line basis.

2. Staff costs and numbers

taff costs and numbers
2021 2020
Wages (inc NI & Pension Contributions) £108,439 £102,872

No employee received emoluments of more than £60,000.

The average weekly number of employees during the year fell from 4.2 fte in March 2020 to 3.9fte in March 2021, which included a member of staff being furloughed, additional part time contractors and a maternity return.

3. Trustees’ remuneration, benefits and expenses

The Trustees received no remuneration or expenses in the year. A number of trustees are also Befrienders and can claim expenses relevant to those activities.

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Notes to the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2021

4. Related party transactions

There were no related party transactions in the year.

5. Independent examination and accountancy services

During the period, the cost of the examination and accountancy services was £180.

6. Annual commitments under operating leases

The organisation leases one room in 43 Bromham Road, Bedford, MK40 2AA for office premises, the notice period being six months.

7. Glossary of terms

Restricted funds: These are funds given to the charity, subject to specific restrictions set by the donor, but still within the general objects of the charity.

8. The charity’s policy on reserves

The charity aims to have reserves equivalent to six months’ running costs. Against actual spend of circa £177k this year, the current reserves of circa £132k more than meets the organisation’s criteria. Within the reserves, there are provisions of £20k against closure costs, £10k against redundancy payments and £40k against running costs.

9. Funds position

The impact of Covid19 has had a major impact on the Yarl’s Wood Befrienders accounts in 2020–21. Because of this, comparisons between specific income and expenditure lines between 2020 and 2021 are largely meaningless. However, it is good news that the organisation operated at a profit of some £60k in 2020–21, with much of this surplus now being held as specific reserves.

8