2021-12-31-accounts

Tameside East Foodbank

(A Charitable Incorporated Organisation)

Trustees Annual Report

And

Financial Statements

For the Year Ended 31 December 2021

Charity Number 1161048

Legal and Administrative Information

Charity Name Tameside East Foodbank Charity registration number 1161048 Registered Office Holy Trinity & Christ Church 19 Corporation Street STALYBRIDGE SK15 2JS

Board of Trustees

Mr David Carter Mr Peter Devlin Mr Stuart Gosling Mrs Patricia Jarman Mrs Pamela Jeffrey Mr Ian McIlvanney Mr Ian Pickering Mrs Kirsty Gosling

Independent Examiner Rev Christopher Viney	Independent Examiner Rev Christopher Viney
7 Rochester Close
Dukinfield
Cheshire
SK16 5DG
Bank NatWest Bank
20 Melbourne Street
Stalybridge
Cheshire
SK15 2JQ
Partner churches Holy Trinity Stalybridge		0161 304 9308
New Life, Ashton-under-Lyne		0161 339 7924
St John’s, Dukinfield		0161 338 8199
Reach Church, Millbrook
Website www.tamesideeast.org.uk
Contact [e-mail]

Tameside East Foodbank Trustees’ Report for the Year Ended 31 December 2021

Structure, Government & Management

Governing Document/Constitution

Charitable Incorporated Organisation (Foundation) Registered on 24 Mar 2015, amended 20 Oct 2016

Trustee selection method

Election by Trustees

Charity Objectives

The prevention and relief of poverty in the East Tameside area, in particular (but without limitation):

1. By providing emergency food to individuals and families in need and

2. By such other means as the Trustees may from time to time determine, including (but not limited to) the provision of support or signposting to relevant information and other advisory services.

Aims of the Charity

Our aims are to alleviate poverty through the provision of food parcels to those in crisis, in partnership with local care agencies who refer clients in crisis to us. By signposting to care agencies, advice services and other support agencies, we aim to help solve a client’s immediate crisis, which is causing their need to use the Foodbank. Anyone in need can be referred to the Foodbank.

Charitable Activities

Tameside East Foodbank has now been in operation since December 2012 - working initially as a partnership of three local churches: Holy Trinity Church, Stalybridge, St John’s Church, Dukinfield and New Life Church, Ashton under Lyne. In September 2021, we were joined by another local church - Reach Church, Millbrook, Stalybridge – allowing the foodbank to open a fourth distribution centre. We continue to work in partnership with the Trussell Trust and follow their operational procedures.

The Foodbank provides 3 days of emergency food on production of a foodbank voucher. A facility to issue vouchers digitally has been added to our system. Tameside East Foodbank has over 150 agencies in Tameside who supply vouchers to people identified as being in crisis. These agencies vary from national organisations, such as Citizens Advice and the Probation

Service, to small local charities working with specific demographic groups such as victims of domestic violence or homelessness. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most agencies abandoned face-to-face contact with clients during 2021 and referred clients via the digital system.

The social housing group, Jigsaw, continues to support the Foodbank by providing us with one of their properties to use as a warehouse. Donated food is taken to the warehouse to be weighed, sorted, stored and then sent to each of the three distribution centres. For a time during the initial lock down, this model was changed to ensure a COVID safe environment for staff and volunteers.

Achievements and Performance

Overview

Since opening the doors of the Foodbank in 2012, we have received a total of 17,971 vouchers, resulting in the feeding of 39,590 people: 24,804 adults and 14,786 children.

During 2021 we fed a total of 4,965 people: this breaks down to 3,099 adults and 1,866 children (37.6% of those fed were children). This has resulted in the distribution of 39,572 kg of food. The number of people using the foodbank is considerably lower than in previous years and we have attributed this to a combination of lack of face-to-face contact available and the removal of the local authority Covid telephone line.

The main reasons for clients requiring the support of the Foodbank continue to be changes and delays to welfare benefit payments. Other reasons include low income, debt, sickness/ill health, homelessness and domestic abuse.

Stock levels

Having started the year with record stock levels, and the food store having moved to St John’s Centre, there was an urgent need for extra storage. A Strategic Facilities Grant was offered by Trussell Trust and we began negotiations with Tameside MBC to rent a warehouse. These negotiations became very protracted and ultimately proved unsuccessful - the grant offer was therefore withdrawn due to the timeframe being missed.

As the restrictions began to lift, the storage need became critical as St John’s Church needed to use the space we were occupying. During August and September, stock was moved to various locations across the borough. We are grateful to New Life Church, Dukinfield Methodist Church, Selby Marketing and Norcom for their support in providing the necessary space. The need for alternative warehouse space continues to be a priority.

Our thanks go again to local supermarkets who are supporting us by having an in-store collection point, currently these are Tesco, Morrisons, Asda and Sainsburys. We have also continued to have great support from the Community Champions in the stores. Thanks also to Greggs and Tesco who supply the Stalybridge centre with bread and pastries and Sainsburys for donations of bread and fresh vegetables.

Operational Issues

During 2021, restrictions on contact due to Covid regulations remained in place and, for much of the year, client contact was kept to a minimum. Each centre worked within the restrictions relevant to them, due to differences in space and volunteer capacity.

Staff and Volunteers

Foodbank Coordinator

The current Foodbank Coordinator took up post in December 2020. During 2021 she has consolidated her position within the foodbank and in the wider Trussell Trust network, and has played an active role in the local voluntary and faith sector groups. In particular, she was involved in the design of the Tameside Money Advice Tool, which has been rolled out to agencies across the borough.

Warehouse Manager

A new Warehouse Manager took up post in December 2020 and has been active in reorganising the work of the warehouse team, enabling them to work Covid-safely, and in the redistribution of the stock.

Volunteers

As covid restrictions have lifted, many of our volunteers have returned to support the foodbank, whilst others took the opportunity to retire from the work and we are grateful to the work they have put in over the years, wishing them a long and happy retirement. Several new volunteers have joined us as the centres have re-opened. The volunteer coordinators continue to assess prospective volunteers and support the centre managers and warehouse manager in placing suitable volunteers.

Financial Review

Summary of financial position

2021 was a challenging year for everyone, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, despite that, the supporters of Tameside East Foodbank have shown themselves to be extremely generous in their giving. This year we have seen an increase in the number of individuals choosing to give regular financial donations. Donations of food to our collection points in supermarkets have also been well supported.

We are enormously grateful for all this support. Without this generosity we would find it increasingly difficult to provide help to those in our local community who need to access the service.

Total receipts on unrestricted funds in 2021 were £35,620 (£68,813 in 2020). Of this total, £28,300 were unrestricted voluntary donations (£39,082 in 2020). Donations from organisations were almost £15,000 lower this year than last. A further £2,457 was tax

recovered under Gift Aid (£837 in 2020) and Tesco and Asda ‘Top up’ payments amounted to £4,268 (£2,894 in 2020).

£26,405 was spent from unrestricted funds in 2021, compared with £21,966 in 2020. This increase was mainly due to higher staff costs and the cost of storing and moving additional food stocks. The net result for 2021 was a surplus of £9,200, leaving over £85,200 in unrestricted reserves.

The Foodbank had £1,000 of Restricted Funds on 31 December 2021. £600 of this amount relates to a grant from The Neighbourly Foundation (Sainsbury).

Reserves policy

As noted above the charity’s reserves increased again during 2021 and amounted to over £85,000 at 31 December 2021. The Trustees are mindful of the need to carry a sufficient reserve to enable the charity to weather emergency situations and to smooth out cash flow fluctuations. A reserve of £10,000 has been designated by Trustees for food purchases.

At the same time, Trustees are conscious that funds donated to the Foodbank are intended for use in connection with the charity’s objectives. As mentioned earlier in this report, we have benefited from the generosity of Jigsaw Housing Group, who have allowed us free use of one of their properties for warehousing purposes. However, as noted in last year’s report, it has become apparent that this facility is now too small for our needs. Despite being unable to locate suitable alternative premises in 2021, the Trustees are still looking. It is likely that any warehousing secured will attract a commercial rent, which will obviously start to reduce reserves in the coming years. The Trustees will keep the charity’s reserves position under regular review.

Donors and Partners

We are privileged to receive donations from many individuals within the community, along with a number of local organisations and businesses. In 2021, these included HSB Engineering, E Foods Ltd, Bread of Life Community Group, Denton Golf Club, Stalybridge and Dukinfield ward councillors, CSL, St Georges Church Stalybridge, St James Community Group, Albion Brass Band, Electricity North West and St Johns Church Dukinfield.

And finally

Our vision is to provide emergency food and support to local people in crisis and we will continue to promote the Foodbank within the local community and beyond. We will also continue to forge links with local businesses, employers, community groups and strategic agencies.

Again, this year we have been so encouraged and blessed with the support given to us from across the local community.

Approved by the Trustees on 26 April 2022 and signed on their behalf by Ian McIlvanney (Chair) on 26 April 2022.

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Categories UnYestrtr¢ted Restricted funds to ng&rp5t£ ne1311s Endowment ndg to nearÈ5tÈ to ￿reSt£ 81 Cash fvnds 1.012 Total cash funds 1.012 fvnd5 Details tD near￿£ Detalls Fund b)tNKh C¥rrentvalue B3 Invostment assets Detail Futhl tOTthkh Currpntvaluo B4 Assets retained for the charity's own u88 Detsils FthbSto*thi¢h AAnountdue When due B5 Llabilitios by Or￿ ort￿￿ Irustees on b8haff of all the trustees S•JnaturÈ Print Name Dale of roval CCXX R2 accourts ISSI 25104r2022

Report of the Independent Examiner to the Trustees of Tameside East Foodbank in respect of the Accounts for the year ended 31[st] December 2021.

I have completed my examination and can confirm that no matters have come to my attention which give me cause to believe that in any material respect:

• Accounting records were not kept in accordance with relevant legislation, or

• The accounts did not accord with the accounting records, or

• The accounts did not comply with the provisions set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008, other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view, this not being part of the purpose of the examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no matters in connection with my examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed…………………………………………………………………………………………….. Date ………………………………………..

Christopher William Viney

7 Rochester Close, Dukinfield, Cheshire. SK16 5DG