WRAP Annual report 2022 – 2023
Unit 4 Wolsey Business Park WRAPwatfordscrap@gmail.com http://wrapwatfordscrap.wixsite.com/wrap
Registered Charity No 1155251
Chairs report, Rupesh Shah
I am pleased to share with you the annual report for WRAP 2022-2023.
All change
This has been another one of the years at WRAP where we’ve had to shuffle the pack. Having been given notice from Ryefield House in September 2022, we began a search for a new premises where we could viably operate.
The committee set themselves a tight deadline within which to find a new property. The offer of a site in a former school block in Watford was made by the team who had housed us in Ryefield. We visited the site a few times and tried to work out whether the move would make sense.
With a lack of time and alternatives to shutting down we decided to go for the move and so in November 2023 we moved to our new base in Tolpits Lane.
There were two main issues in making the move – firstly the considerable down-sizing effort and secondly, being co-located with a number of other charities. The down-sizing was facilitated by a considerable clear out of WRAP stock and by the purchase of two 20 foot shipping containers. The co-location with other charities has been an ongoing matter – bringing opportunities and challenges and we’ve had to adapt our way of working to fit these new circumstances.
However, this move was not only a farewell but also something of a return! Prior to our move to Northwood, we had been based in various parts of Watford for many years. During the move and since then we have had a lot of people coming to us and saying how glad they were that WRAP was moving back to Watford. However, we have made good connections with the local community around Northwood in the 7 years that we were there, and so we are keen to not lose those links; fortunately, we have volunteers who live in the area and so we hope that link remains.
One thing that does not seem to have changed so much over the years is the WRAP management committee. We have appreciated the fresh pair of eyes that Anna has brought to our committee meetings this year. Roger has stepped back from many of his duties though he remains as one of three trustees, alongside Roxana and I.
My presence as chair of WRAP goes back many years and several moves. I have enjoyed supporting the organisation and value the opportunity to contribute to the local community in this way. However, I am aware that there will be other members of WRAP who would do things differently and, indeed, better. I encourage anyone who is interested in taking on a role in the management committee or even simply has questions about how we govern WRAP to come forward - we are open to change and we can craft a role to suit you and your needs!
Volunteer members
The return to Watford was facilitated by the collective effort and camaraderie of our volunteer members. These members of WRAP have been immense in their support of this and without their work WRAP would not exist at all in its current form.
A big thank you to all of the volunteer members from
the entire committee and indeed membership of WRAP. A report about on the volunteer member is later in this document.
New arrangements
Now that we’ve been in the Tolpits property for almost a year we are slowly settling into the rhythm of the place.
The arrangements in the property are different from our previous situations as we have a lot of other organisations to work alongside. This has required us to be responsive and adaptive in our ways of working – helping members navigate to the building, supporting them in the new operations, updating our communications and ensuring that we have continued with collections.
One of the other changes that we have made during the year is an administrative one. Nominally we have been used to manage operations in the warehouse in light touch way, avoiding a sense that there was someone in charge. However, during the move it became
clear that within the new building we would need a little more organisation to our efforts in the warehouse. So, we have instituted some formal organisation by having Roxana and Anna to undertake some co-ordination on the four days the warehouse is open. There is always a tension for us in doing so as a guiding ethos of WRAP has been around supporting people’s autonomy and freedom to engage with the organisation
as they are able. However, with the new circumstances, we decided that this small amount of organisation was needed to help the volunteers and ease our relationships with other charities.
Collections
Our work to collect scrap is a key part of the WRAP of operations. Getting a quantity and range of supplies is a challenge, increasingly so as organisations dematerialise or move operations out of the country.
Our supplies of material and fabric is as strong as ever. We have also developed some good relationships with a range of organisations associated with the film industry around the Watford area, which provides us with some unexpected materials.
A call to all members – please be on the look out for possible sources of scrap for WRAP.
No scrap, no WRAP!!!!
Finances
You will see from our financial accounts – produced by Sandra - that we continue to be in a healthy financial position.
The main change in costs for the last year were associated with the move; the purchase of the two containers being a significant capital expenditure. There are some new costs that we have to incur in the new building but we remain fortunate that we are not liable for rent for the tenancy. Whilst that remains the case, the structure of WRAP operations remains viable; however, if that were to change we would need to rethink our whole operating model as our costs would outstrip income.
Other financial matters that have been discussed by the committee include decisions about the van and whether to pre-empt a requirement for ULEZ compliance in Watford; one
unintended benefit of moving out of Northwood has worries about our non-compliant van were not as significant.
The committee has also been some early discussions about the structure of membership fees and will be looking more into this in the coming year to ensure that all members are getting best value from WRAP.
Workshops
Aside from the move, we have been running various workshops
and external events during the year including:
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Hosting a team of artists for Open Studios in our glass workshop room
-
Taking part in Chiltern Open Air Museum event
-
Running a Fun Palace at Harrow Arts Centre for a second year
-
Print making workshop for a group of young people at
the Little Grove held in Abbots Langley Baptist church
Each of these events have drawn on the enthusiasm of artists as well as the hard work of volunteers who are able to help out at the events as well as in the scrapstore in preparation. The workshops are an essential part of how we work, giving us a public outwards looking face, and offering what we do to people who might not normally access art making opportunities.
If you have ideas of workshops that could be run then please do get in touch with the committee members.
Thank you
So, thank you all again for your great efforts in keeping WRAP thriving.
Current Committee Members
Anna Ellul Christine Quinlan Fran Vinter Mike Pugsley Roxana Peters (Secretary) Rupesh Shah (Chair) Sandra Michie (Treasurer)
Volunteers members report, Anna Ellul and Roxana Peters
Wrap would not have thrived for such a long period through so much change without the contribution of our volunteer members. These wonderful people persevere through with humour and skill to provide a service to a mostly very appreciative membership who cannot volunteer for whatever reason.
There are a range of ways that our volunteer members support WRAP
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The warehouse is open for 4 sessions a week and we need people there to open the building and ensure the security and safety of our membership as well as stocking the rooms, sorting scrap that comes in and dealing with clearing up. By far most of our volunteering effort goes in running the scrapstore. The volunteers in the warehouse are: Alison, Angie, Ann, Chris, Christina, David, Freya, Jane, Lorraine, Lou, Lucy, Lynda, Brian, Maureen, Monica, Norma, Peter, Rosemary, Sabine, Thelma, Tracey. Two volunteer members in particular lead the coordination of volunteers in the scrapstore: Anna and Roxana.
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The van is driven for collections about 2 or 3 days a week by a dedicated team of drivers and assistants: Mike, Caroline, Traci, Ursula, Peter, Fran, Lou, Veronica, Hilary, Maureen, Neville, Rupesh.
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Our website, social media accounts, such as Facebook and Instagram, are managed more or less continuously throughout the week by Traci with occasional support from others.
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General administration and finances are dealt with by a small team on the management committee. This is mainly done by Sandra who manages our finance and oversees a lot of the administration, such as managing insurance and bills as well as the very important job of maintaining the records of membership and invoicing for payment.
The sessions in the warehouse are run by 30 volunteers in different groups, with each volunteer having a different pattern of work that suits their needs and circumstances. Over the course of a typical month, about 210 hours of volunteer time are recorded. This is remarkably consistent across the year, considering people taking holidays, having other commitments and sickness. In total then that equates to in the region of 10,000 hours.
V Vital, valuable individuals who are essential to the running of WRAP
O. “Outside the box” thinking. Our resources may not always be exactly what a particular member had in mind when they came in, but a volunteer is usually able to come up with an alternative for them, thus happy members.
L “Landfill” - Something we aim to not add to by saving corporate and domestic donations from ending up here
U. Unusual items are often received at wrap from Haberdashery to Hamper Baskets, Cardboard to Costumes, Wadding to Wood, Foam to Fabrics, Stationery to Sewing machines, Modelling clay to Mannequins. We have seen it all and recycled most!!
N Nurture. Particularly lovely for us as volunteers to see our younger members become so enthusiastic over glittery fabrics, beads, foam shapes, feathers etc enabling them to let their creative imagination take over.
T Talented Team – Our volunteers have many skills and all are needed, whether it be organising and collecting donations, processing donations, Welcoming members and Administration, Committee representatives, Running and assisting with workshops and community events, cleaning, hoovering, tidying, tea making(often the most necessary)
E Eager to help fellow volunteers, existing and new members
E Enthusiasm - Always a pleasure to see happy members leave with goods and come back with their creations.
R RECYCLE, REMAKE, REDUCE waste. This is what WRAP is all about!
Thank you, volunteers.
Finance report, Sandra Michie
Our finances are in a healthy condition. Subscriptions received this year were a record £18,807, despite the closure for moving. ( Last year £18,019 ). A total of 544 people either renewed their subscription or joined for the first time (182). Bank interest and donations were also slightly higher, augmented by a £75 gratuity from TSB for the hassles endured, mainly by telephone.
Overall income for 2023 is £19,569 – ( previous year £18,406, discounting the large Boulevard Grant ). Our move to Wolsey Business Park may have something to do with this, particularly as we are now on Google maps and there was considerable media exposure of the move, but I suspect that the post Covid-19 era plus the economic crisis is also affecting all levels of society, including schools, and has raised interest in recyclables.
At present the majority of our income is through either direct bank transfers, or debit/credit card payments. Taking card payments means it has cost us £93 in charges for the use of the credit card system. I suggest that this is a worthwhile cost for the increasingly improved relationships with our members. The multiple direct bank transfers, together with recording the card payments, have exponentially raised the total number of records recorded in the accounts, and the number of email receipts needing regular completion and mailing.
Our refuse collection costs have soared from £32/quarter (Hillingdon) to £106 a month because of changing councils. Roger Kattenhorn worked hard to even achieve that “low” quote for refuse collection in the Watford area.
Having moved to a different council area we also had a Rates refund from Hillingdon council of £1226 and our property maintenance costs have decreased due to the better overall condition of the current premises.
There were a total of 4883 people visits during the year, the highest since 2019. From the chart on the right it can be seen that interesting, perhaps for the first time, the largest majority of our income has come from the many small
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Sources of income from
memberships this year.
40.00%
35.00%
30.00%
25.00%
20.00%
15.00%
10.00%
5.00%
0.00%
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individual membership subscriptions, with the larger school groups a close second.
WRAP Financial statement
| WRAP Financial statement | WRAP Financial statement | WRAP Financial statement | WRAP Financial statement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Financialyear 01 Sep 2022 to |
31 Aug 2023 £ 314.79 £ 447.12 £ 18,807.25 |
||
| INCOME Bank Interest Donations Workshop Grant/Boulevard Membership Fees Renewals £ 12,028.00 New £ 3,878.00 Administrative £ 2,901.25 |
£ 314.79 £ 447.12 £ 18,807.25 |
||
| TOTAL INCOME | £ 19,569.16 | ||
| EXPENSES Bank Charges - Ccards Fees (Affiliation) Office:Equipment Peripherals £ 208.21 Consumables/Printing £ 468.64 Postage £ 23.55 Stationery £ 43.94 Sundries £ 45.83 TOTAL Office Supplies Volunteers:AGM & hospitality Volunteers £ 143.88 Refreshments £ 62.14 Mileage £ 142.40 TOTAL volunteer costs Property costs:P/E liability Insurance £ 478.47 Fire insurance/checks £ 54.00 Rates -£ 1,225.99 Maintenance £ 58.08 TOTAL Property costs Utilities:Electricity / Gas £ Telephone £ 375.06 Refuse collection £ 1,112.15 Water £ TOTAL Utilities Vehicle & collections:Driving £ 1,000.00 Fuel £ 760.00 Road tax & MOT £ 344.85 Insurance / RAC £ 950.83 Maintenance £ 13.79 Other TOTAL Vehicle costs WorkshopsBoulevard £ 3,053.68 Moving costs(Inc. containers) £ 9,746.11 |
£ 208.21 £ 468.64 £ 23.55 £ 43.94 £ 45.83 |
£ 93.27 | Refund from Hillingdon Council Change of council See Note 1 overleaf See note 2 |
| £ 790.17 | |||
| £ 348.42 | |||
| -£ 635.44 - - |
|||
| £ 1,487.21 | |||
| £ 3,069.47 | |||
| £ 12,799.79 | |||
| TOTAL EXPENSES | £ 17,952.89 | ||
| TOTAL General INCOME less EXPENSES 2022/2023 | £ 1,616.27 |
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Bank balance as of 31/8/2022
£
TSB 0143…. 44,572.35
Shawbrook (Savings) £51,394.58
TOTAL Bank
b/f: £95,966.93
Petty Cash b/f: £348.75
Total funds previous year £96,315.68
Bank balance as of 31/8/2023
£
TSB 0143…. 46,035.14
Shawbrook Savings £51,634.37
TOTAL Bank: £97,669.51
£
Petty Cash Cash in hand 31 Aug 2023 262.44
£
(correct with
Net financial worth 31 Aug 2023 books) 97,931.95
Boulevard of Broken
Note 1 Dreams balance in hand from grant at end of year - £6,281.32
Note 2 CapitaL Expenditure Containers £8,070.00
Accounts prepared by Alexandra J.
Michie 09 Nov 2023
Accepted as accurate accounts for Watford Recycling Arts Project:
Name Role Signature
Rupesh Shah Trustee
Roger Kattenhorn Trustee
Roxana M. Peters Trustee
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