HARTLEPOOL TOWN PASTORS have again been furloughed for the entire year under review. The reason is obvious – the Covid-19 pandemic and corona rules and restrictions. For most of the year, the night-time economy of Hartlepool has been either closed down or severely restricted and the street presence of the ‘Angels’ in the early hours in the town centre has been missing … now returning cautiously with Hartlepool’s hospitality venues.
Hartlepool Town Pastors aka Street Angels
Annual report to Charity Commissioners for annual review
Police van passes deserted streets near Wilko lights
We moved from empty streets – to a cautious return to duty
WE’RE STILL BASED in Whitby Street on the ground floor of the hostel and home of our friends at Reach Out Ministries. We have found a new store-cupboard to keep some of our unused spare coats and stock, thanks to our pals at Hartlepool Foodbank. We have found a new rest centre for night-time R&R (rest and refreshment, in case you’re wondering) thanks to new friends running a community project in Bovis House at the top end of Victoria Road near York Road. We’ve even got the promise to allow us to meet new recruits – offered last year by Hartlepool Foodbank – by sharing the new Hands Up Hartlepool shop on the gallery in Middleton Grange when it’s able to open again now lockdowns are paused. Thanks to a gallant fundraiser trustee and limited scope to spend the money he has raised for us, our finances are sound.
But all that good news has been parked for most of the last 16 months since the first corona virus lockdown was announced on March 23, 2020. Our small contingent of volunteers is even further reduced – we are down to seven on the roster available for street patrols now we are starting up again – but we’re glad to confirm that we have found a volunteer to take on the role of rota champion from the experienced hand who retired from the frontline to join our trustees. With real sadness we will shortly say farewell to the venture's former project manager and another of our faithful street patrol angels both of whom have been part of the team for years. We hope to celebrate their loyalty and service now we are able to meet again. So, to cover four Saturday nights a month, we need a minimum of 12 volunteers for a rota of three-person patrols, or a more flexible squad of 24 volunteers … or ideally 36 night-walkers to run two three-person patrols each Saturday. With those kind of numbers, it would also be possible to revive Friday-night patrols.
This report may be light on news, incidents and amusing anecdotes. Yet its underlying message is, unsurprisingly, the same as a year ago. Your Street Angels need some extra help just now. Hartlepool Town Pastors is the partner group supported by Hartlepool Borough Council, Cleveland Police, the area street angels group for Cleveland. It has always relied on local churches and their congregations to find, inspire and recruit volunteers needed to take a turn once a month to walk the town centre on a Saturday night, or help behind the scenes to keep our town’s night-time economy safe and get people home safely.
THE LAST COVID- affected annual return appealed for help to project-manage Hartlepool Town Pastors. With the imminent departure now of one of our longest-serving trustees plus a great frontline team member, the trustees have begun a recruitment drive among local churches and a wider community search among likeminded groups to find a project manager, back office helpers, and new night walkers & listeners.
Contact: www.facebook.com/hpooltownpastors
Email: aide.hartlepooltownpastors@outlook.com Empty – Victoria Road during lockdown – busy again come summer 2021? Approved by the Trustees of HTP / 7 September2021
| Hartlepool Town | Pastors | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income from 01/12/2019 to 30/11/2020 | |||||
| Deposit # Stand Order | Petty Cash | Funding | Donations | ||
| 16/12/2019 | 10.00 | 10.00 | |||
| 15/01/2020 | 10.00 | 10.00 | |||
| 17/02/2020 | 10.00 | 10.00 | |||
| 16/03/2020 | 10.00 | 10.00 | |||
| 15/04/2020 | 10.00 | 10.00 | |||
| 15/05/2020 | 10.00 | 10.00 | |||
| 15/06/2020 | 10.00 | 10.00 | |||
| 15/07/2020 | 10.00 | 10.00 | |||
| 17/08/2020 | 10.00 | 10.00 | |||
| 17/08/2020 | 50.00 | ||||
| 15/09/2020 | 10.00 | 10.00 | |||
| 15/10/2020 | 10.00 | 10.00 | |||
| 16/11/2020 | 10.00 | 10.00 | |||
| Totals | 120.00 | 50.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 120.00 |
| 170.00 |
| Hartlepool Town Pastors | Hartlepool Town Pastors | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expenditure | from 01/12/2019 to 30/11/2020 | |||||||
| CHK # | Flip Flops | Supplies | PPE | BNIB | TESCO | PC LOTTERY | ||
| Insurance | ||||||||
| 10/03/2020 | 000027 |
303.99 | 61.08 | 365.07 | 365.07 | |||
| 08/05/2020 | 000028 |
237.64 | 237.64 | |||||
| 01/09/2020 | 000029 |
118.40 | 118.40 | 118.40 | ||||
| 25/11/2020 | 000032 |
99.23 | 99.23 | |||||
| 303.99 | 61.08 | 217.63 | 237.64 | 820.34 | 483.47 | |||
| 820.34 |
| Hartlepool Town Pastors | ||
|---|---|---|
| Income and Expenditure | Summary year from 01/12/2019 to 30/11/2020 | |
| Income | 120.00 | |
| Standing Orders | 0.00 | |
| Donations | ||
| Funding | 50.00 | |
| Petty Cash | ||
| Total Income | 170.00 | |
| Expenditure | ||
| 61.08 | ||
| Supplies | 303.99 | |
| Flip Flops | 237.64 | |
| Insurance PPE | 217.63 | |
| Total Expenditure | ||
| Net income for period | 820.34 | |
| -650.34 | ||
| Opening Bank Balance | ||
| Add Net Income | 6361.67 | - |
| Closing Bank Balance | 650.34 | |
| 5711.33 | ||
| TESCO BID | ||
| POSTCODE LOTTERY BID | 483.47 | |
| 0 | (POSTCODE LOTTERY SPEND IS £402.38 | |
| BUT WILL BE ON 20/21 ACCOUNT) |
CHECKING OF ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR FROM 01/12/2019 TO 30/11/2020 BY EKATERINA VERNER OF MANDELBROT LTD.
Introduction
We were asked to make an independent check of the HTP financial statement for the period from 01/12/2019 to 30/11/2020. We agreed to do this and this is our report. We know the treasurer Keith Milner having conducted the check for the last four years.
The Charity Commission for England and Wales (italics used to quote from their document) Guidance
Charity reporting and accounting: the essentials March 2015 Published 27 March 2015 From - - the government website https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/charity reporting and-accounting-theessentialsmarch-2015-cc15c/charity-reporting-and-accounting-theessentials-march-2015 This is 2015 and we have checked that it remains the same at the date of this report.
1.4 Audit or independent examination?
Except for NHS charities, only those charities with gross income of more than £25,000 in their financial year are required to have their accounts independently examined or audited - below that threshold, an external scrutiny of accounts is only needed if it is required by the charity’s governing document.
Precisely what type of scrutiny is needed depends on the income and assets of the charity. Broadly speaking, an independent examination is needed if gross income is between £25,000 and £1 million and an audit is needed where the gross income exceeds £1 million. An audit will also be needed if total assets (before liabilities) exceed £3.26 million, and the charity’s gross income is more than £250,000.
In this respect, the Hartlepool Town Pastors require neither independent examination nor audit. The checking and report of my checking is based on a brief look by myself as a financially unqualified person. I do however have experience of preparing and checking accounts for both small commercial companies and charities, so am honoured that I should have been asked to perform this voluntary check.
But in addition to my use of my lay experience my colleague Ekaterina Verner has looked closely and checked these accounts. Ekaterina is a qualified and experienced accountant in Russia, and now lives in the UK where she is undertaking British training and qualification. In May of this year (2021) she passed with distinction Level 3 of the Advanced Diploma of Accounting of the Association of Accounting Technicians.
1.3 Types of accounts
Charity accounts may be prepared either on the receipts and payments basis or the accruals basis. Which of these is needed will depend on the income of the charity and whether or not it has been set up as a company.
Receipts and payments
This is the simpler of the two methods of preparation and may be adopted where a non-company charity has a gross income of £250,000 or less during the year. It consists of an account summarising all money received and paid out by the charity in the financial year, and a statement giving details of its assets and liabilities at the end of the year. Charitable companies are not allowed by company law to adopt this method.
Accruals
Non-company charities with gross income of over £250,000 during the financial year, and all charitable companies must prepare their accounts on the accruals basis in accordance with the applicable Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP). The SORP to follow will depend upon the charity’s financial year. They contain a balance sheet, a statement of financial activities and explanatory notes. These accounts are required in accountancy terms to show a ‘true and fair view’.
For Hartlepool Town Pastors having a gross income of less than £250,000 per year it is quite in order that the “Receipts and payments” method be used. This has been the method used.
The Treasurer, Keith Milner
Keith has been the treasurer and a pastor with the Hartlepool Town Pastors from the start (for 11 years) and has prepared these accounts. Ekaterina, he and I have conducted the check by exchanging documents, including images of invoices and bank statements, over email.
In this way we were able to go through the figures for 01/12/2019 to 30/11/2020 together with the supporting documentation and he answered all questions we put to him.
Conclusion
As a result of this examination we are satisfied that this statement of accounts is a fair and accurate record of the financial activities of Hartlepool Town Pastors between 1 December 2019 and 30