## **THE GESHEREU SUPPORT NETWORK** **Registered Charity Number 1157062** ## **ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS** **for the year ended 31[st] December 2020** Registered Address: 21 Maple Street London, W1T 4BE 1 **THE GESHEREU SUPPORT GROUP Trustees’ Annual Report 2020** ## **TRUSTEES** Bernard, Robert Weber, Peter Name withheld by agreement with Charity Commission Re-appointed 11[th] November 2020 Re-appointed 11[th] November 2020 Re-appointed 11[th] November 2020 ## **GOVERNING DOCUMENT** The activities of the Charity are governed by its Constitution dated 4[th] May 2014. ## **STRUCTURE** The Charity commenced activities on 1[st] January 2014 and those involved at the start agreed to formalise the organisation by registering with the UK Charity Commission as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) whose voting members are its charity trustees. The registration was completed on 15[th] May 2014. This is the sixth annual report. ## **APPOINTMENT OF TRUSTEES** Apart from the first charity trustees, every trustee must be appointed by resolution passed at a meeting of the charity trustees. Every trustee so appointed must satisfy the eligibility requirements as set out in the constitution. ## **OBJECTIVES** The objects of the charity set out in the constitution are as follows:- ‘To promote social inclusion for the public benefit by preventing people of all ages who have been raised in or have spent a significant part of their lives in strict closed religious communities (in particular ultraorthodox Jewish communities) and having left their communities, from remaining socially excluded, relieving the needs of those people who are socially excluded and assisting them to integrate into society and to do all such other things as are necessary for the achievement of the objects. For the purpose of this clause 'socially excluded' means being excluded from society, or parts of society, as a result of one or more of the following factors: unemployment; financial hardship; youth or old age; ill health (physical or mental); substance abuse or dependency including alcohol and drugs; discrimination on the grounds of sex, race, disability, ethnic origin, religion, belief, creed, sexual orientation or gender reassignment; poor educational or skills attainment; relationship and family breakdown; poor housing (that is housing that does not meet basic habitable standards); crime (either as a victim of crime or as an offender rehabilitating into society).’ 2 ## **MAIN ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT** The trustees have satisfied themselves that GesherEU’s activities are compliant with law and guidance for charities on public benefit. The charity’s charitable purposes are set out in the ‘OBJECTIVES’ above. In planning our activities for the year we have had regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit at our trustee meetings. The activities described in the section below are focused on: - 1) Rebuilding a community for each individual who has lost contact with family and friends from the community in which he or she grew up. Many of our service users now keep in touch with each other outside meetings. The use of a secure WhatsApp group and ‘private, hidden’ Facebook group both restricted to those who attend GesherEU has continued to be popular and improves communications outside meetings. - 2) Have contact in social settings, with volunteers of all ages, who have not come from a Charedi background. This enables service users to build a network of friends and contacts that do not originate from their old communities and introduces them to cultural “protocols” with which they are not familiar. It also helps them develop colloquial language skills. - 3) Introduce service users to concepts and culture (art, theatre, science, sports etc.) with which they did not grow up. - 4) Supporting service users through the family court system. However, we do not finance legal costs from core funds. - 5) Giving the GesherEU community a voice. Often the above activities overlap or are combined. ## **MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS DURING THE YEAR** GesherEU has continued to operate within its financial means and has been effective in both strengthening the GesherEU community and helping individuals. During the year there has been a 12% increase in the number of individuals using the services of GesherEU. We have 84 service users, 55 of whom we have been in regular contact with throughout the year. They range in age from 20 - 45, with approximately an equal number of men and women. We continue to welcome new service users, some of whom are just starting their journey into the wider community and others who have been living outside of the Charedi community for a number of years. New service users continue to come from across the various Charedi communities with the vast majority now living in Barnet and Harrow. GesherEU has continued to grow in the Manchester and Salford area with their own regular social activities. We continue to encourage service-users to engage with governmental bodies as part of our efforts to give them a voice. We cooperate with other charities where appropriate. Our concerns are primarily with education provision as this is a significant obstacle to our service users exercising their choice to lead a lifestyle of their choosing. 3 During this year, GesherEU continued to benefit from a National Lottery Awards for All grant to fund a community coordinator. We also secured a 3 year restricted grant from Trust for London (£14k/year) to continue this work. The social sessions are a key starting place for service users to make new connections, lost when family and friends break off contact when individuals leave or are forced to leave their communities. We started the year with bi-monthly ‘drop-in’ sessions, weekend visits and Friday night meals. In February we held a very successful community weekend away in Derbyshire with increased input from service-users in its organisation and execution. Following the March lockdown due to COVID-19 our sessions moved online via Zoom. These sessions have been very successful in keeping service-users in touch with each other and have continued to enable us to widen their horizons by welcoming session leaders from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures and professions. From a diplomat to a space scientist and from a Yiddish singer to session on the history of Christianity, the variety of session types has attracted a very good attendance from service-users in London, Manchester, as well as those away at University and who have moved to Israel and the USA. Following a substantial donor commitment we have been able to offer professional counselling to a number of service users from a counsellor who has undertaken training in the impact of leaving high control communities. We have more service users in need of counselling and will be looking to fundraise to help increase the number to whom we can offer counselling. Again this year, we have provided emotional and practical support to a number of individuals as they negotiate the family court system. Our volunteer social worker continues to meet service users and provides invaluable guidance. We have again helped a number of service users with small zero interest loans or bursaries (or a combination) where we have not been able to help them find other sources of support. A number have lost income and employment due to the series of lockdowns and restrictions in place over the year. We prioritise those that will help in earning a living in the short or longer term but also help in emergency situations such as an unexpected cut in or nonpayment of benefits. We see this as replacing the family support our service users no longer enjoy and believe our rapid assessment process has prevented use of high cost alternatives that may be the start of a debt crisis. We see a high adherence to repayment schedules which enables us to help others. Education has been a focus for our support this year. ## **CHALLENGES** The COVID-19 restrictions have made it very difficult to integrate new service-users into the GesherEU community. Zoom is not the best place to get to know new people and make new friends. Some new service users have become regular attendees however we look forward to them cementing relationships when face to face meetings resume. A number of our service users saw their income drop or stop due to the pandemic. We have sought to keep in touch with those impacted, helping where we can. We registered as a referring agency to the local Trussell Trust food bank. As mentioned above, we are supporting in a small way those impacted and have been able, so far, to use core funding not used on curtailed activities. Due to their short history of registered work since leaving their communities, most do not qualify for government help. We are seeing requests for help increase and the likelihood of repayment of advances reduce as the situation drags on. 4 We continue to see service-users struggle to catch up on their education. Although we have relationships with organisations that can give tuition, the need to work in low paid jobs in order to pay high rents leaves little time and energy to catch up some 15 years of missed education. We have seen little real change in the education of service users leaving the community. We are still being contacted by young men with not a single recognised qualification. We need to seek new ways of ensuring that those responsible give all young people emerging from Charedi communities the life skills they require to function in the outside world. ## **POLICY ON RESERVES** The charity does not intend to build up reserves other than those required to ensure that it can meet its day to day expenses and budgeted projects. ## **TRUSTEE APPROVAL** The trustees declare that they approved the trustees’ report above. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees ROBERT BERNARD Trustee 28[th] January 2021 PETER WEBER Trustee – Hon Treasurer 28[th] January 2021 5 THE GESHEREU SUPPORT NEtWORK {Charlty number 1157062} INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE GESHEftEU SUPPORT NmvoRK I report to the Trustees on my examination of the accounts of The GesherEU Support Network Ithe Trustl for the year ended 31" December 2020 which are Set out on pages 7 and 8. Responslbllltles and basls of report As the chariws trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance wlth the requlrements of the Charities Art 20111'the ACYI. I report in respect of my examination of the Trusvs 2c(ounts tarried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carryin8 Out my examination, I have followed all the applitable Dlrertlons Eiven by the Charity Commission under section 1451Sllbl of the Att. Independent eumlnerfs ststement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no materlal matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which give me cause to believe that in any material respect= l. the accounting records were not kept in accordan￿ with sertion 130 of the Act: or 2. the accounts did not accord with the accounting records.. or 3. the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reportsl Regulations 2CX)8 other than any requirement that the accounts give a'true and fairf view whrch is not a matter ¢ansidered as part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come acr055 no other matters in connertion wtth the examination to which attention should be drawn in thi5 report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accoLtnts to be reached. Signed.. Donald Glazer B.A, F.C. 8 Darnhills, Watford Road, RaiJSett. WD7 8LQ Oate= 29 January2021 THE GESHEREU SUPPORT NETWORK Rwstered Charity 1157082 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2030 RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT GENERAL FUNDS DESIGNATED FUN￿$ RESTRtCTED FUNDS TOTAL 2020 FULL YEAR 2019 RECEIPTS Inti)me Irom Choritablo Activlties Loan8 & Ad￿nCeS repaid ncorne frcmn Residential Events Income from othpr Events Sui>Totsl 2.318 830 60 3.208 2,318 830 3.208 7.eo2 Vdurtary InciHnE Sources OanalK)ns Gf8nts recelwj Gift Aid 10.5 e.0 17,034 23,￿0 L4 44,266 1,000 224 14.20D 17,600 1g8 27,269 Sub Total 21.708 21.2 Olher Income Interest 17 12 Total Re¢elpi$ £21.708 E21.200 £44,283 É27,281 PAYMENTS Char*able Aclivitie5 Emer9ewy Support Emergèntry Advances . Eoucatyonal Support Sh8bbal & Festival Dinn￿¥ Couns*ling Support DroplTo& Souals Exp lin¢1 wrt[￿1 w•rts1 Cornrnunty De¥d0pm￿t Project Exwdilure Re¥idenlHI Evertts Exwdilure ￿ othereveTts Sub Total 2,535 3,6CO 3.745 430 3,￿6 4.Y5 125 671 671 7.336 474 393 22.864 7,336 200 2.371 7.196 274 14.278 23.453 Operating Cost$ an￿[anCe T8￿phOne Tra¥d ExpEnse5 Bank 8 Crethl Card charge8 SLts Total 191 73 37 271 37 80 Yrtal PayThnts £271 g14.278 8A86 £fJ.135 £24,0311 Surplts$ lor the Poiiod 1,104 7,430 12.614 21.148 3,246 Cash & Bank Ba￿CeS al 1st January 1.138 9,759 18.1 14.914 8aFarrte$ at 31st Dgcwrthr £2.242 £17.229 E19,837 £39,308 £18.160 STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES 2020 2019 Monetary Assets Bank Current Accwi 8￿k Oeposrt Acc Paypal Accourt Soldo A¢¢tsuni$ 717 16,412 275 816 720 Balances al 31sl Decembev £39 308 THE GESHEREU SUPPORT NETWORK Regsstered Chatity nurnbèr 1167062 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 315t DECEMBER 2020 1. STATEMEpif OF ACCOUPmllG POU¢ES Th¥hnatKI* swement6 of Ihg charty hav• bèan prepar•d on a R4uipls and PAym•nls bas& 4nd llenemlly in acrgrdènco V￿th Ihc CPArilies Statem?nt of Rewnmended PRclKè and The CharilKs Act 2D11 Fund5 Re5eryes G•n•ral fundy lepr￿50￿ thèfund& of thfyth¥tythat ¥ro not suthèctto specr¥i restri¢knns regarding th•iF Use and are avaikblè for app5kali￿) to tho gtnerdl wiposes D￿gnated Funds Are hdd attht disttetwjh rfthe in￿le￿5 andtherèfwe I)nr¢*r1￿ RE7tri¢trd Funds ai• hdd lo be used in the donofs inStrUd￿n$ 2. DESIG•JATED FUP4DS tsaiance 1 J4n 2970 Transf*r% ¢eo Fund RS R&**iv8d irb Paid out ITr 2020 alanca 31 Dec 2020 1 J¥n 2020 2D2 Lottgry ComFn¢mny Dgv Fund TtUs1 lor London Edwatvjnal Fund 7,223 7,223 14.200 13,637 EB,556 E19.827 Stgned ¢Jts beh•ll of tho Trustees Robert 8emard Pelgr Weber 28th January 2)Z1