Race Equality North Somerset (previously North Somerset Black and Minority Ethnic Network)
Annual Report and Financial Statements
For the Year Ended 31 March 2024
Charity Registered in England and Wales Number: 1162483
Race Equality North Somerset Reference and Administrative Details For the Year Ended 31 March 2024
I Noah (Chair) S Ahmed Y Clark K Roberts
Trustees I Noah (Chair) S Ahmed Y Clark K Roberts Registered Office The Other Place 81-83 Meadow Street Weston-super-Mare BS23 1QL Independent Examiner Michelle Ferris BSc (Hons) FCA DChA Albert Goodman LLP Goodwood House Blackbrook Park Avenue Taunton Somerset TA1 2PX
Race Equality North Somerset Trustees’ Report For the Year Ended 31 March 2024
Race Equality North Somerset (“RENS”) (previously North Somerset Black and Minority Ethnic Network) is a registered charity. The trustees present their Report, together with the Financial Statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2024, which have been prepared in accordance with the current statutory requirements, and its governing documents.
Constitution
Race Equality North Somerset is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, number 1162483, controlled and managed by the trustees, under a governing document dated 1 July 2015 and amended 6 June 2024. The name of the charity was North Somerset Black and Minority Ethnic Network until 6 June 2024, when the charity changed it’s name to Race Equality North Somerset.
Trustees
The following were Trustees during the year and since the year end:
I Noah (Chair) S Ahmed Y Clark K Roberts
Trustees are appointed by the current board, based on their expertise and experience of the charity. New trustees receive a copy of the charity’s constitution, accounts and major policies on appointment. It is anticipated that any new trustees are likely to already be aware of the charity’s operations but full briefing will be given by existing trustees if required.
The charity is run on a day to day basis by its trustees. All trustees are volunteers and practically the operations are carried out by volunteers, both trustees and others. The charity does not have any paid staff.
The trustees consider the major risks to the charity at every meeting and what is being done to manage them.
Principal Activities and Objectives
The objects of the CIO as set out in the governing document are: “ To promote the social inclusion for the public benefit by working with people in North Somerset who are socially excluded on the grounds of their ethnic origin and to relieve the needs of such people and assist them to integrate into society and to promote racial harmony, in particular but not exclusively by all or any of the following means:
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The advancement of education, social and economic inclusion and good race relations by eliminating discrimination on the grounds of race and encouraging equality of opportunity between the racial groups in the area of benefit;
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Assisting in the development of voluntary sector organisations representing those persons referred to above;
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Promoting the efficient application of resources for charitable purposes by charities and voluntary organisations working for the benefit of or for the furtherance of the minority ethnic voluntary sector in the area of benefit.
Race Equality North Somerset Trustees’ Report For the Year Ended 31 March 2024
Achievements and Performance
During this financial year, RENS continued to redefine and consolidate its important role in the community. Our philosophy of Race Equality is distinguished by a deliberately inclusive, complexityinformed approach that recognises equity, diversity and the importance of belonging for (the well-being of everyone in) our wider community.
As the changes taking place in the Public Sector, post-Covid, gathered speed, there was (and continues to be) a substantial increase in demand for engagement with the VCSE sector with an increased focus on inequalities in Public Health and Community Wellbeing in particular.
One of the notable changes was the growing number of research and community engagement initiatives seeking to understand the changes needed to address these deeply embedded societal inequalities. The consequent impact on the operations and activities of RENS was significant and required an agile but appropriate response that would be sustainable within this new context.
Alongside these changes, at a time when national, mainstream narratives were increasingly focussing on migration as a problem, the population in North Somerset was becoming rapidly and visibly more diverse than at the time of the recent census in 2021. This, and the growth in far-right sympathies and activities, made tackling racism, at institutional and individual levels, ever more urgent.
While particular funded projects had their own quantitative and qualitative measures, the majority of our work for the year was focussed on:
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Continuing to develop strong and inclusive distributed systems to enable individuals and communities to take action.
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Engagement at a strategic level to influence the development of policy and more equitable ways of working.
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Gaining a deeper understanding of the changes in progress and how to work effectively within new systems.
To help ensure that the operational approach of RENS remained focused within the rapidly changing context of unprecedented levels of demand from other organisations, work began on creating new internal structures. We also developed our Theory of Change (supported by Black South West Network and Ubele’s Phoenix Way funding) which crystalised our four interrelated areas of work – Racial Justice, Cultural Justice, Social Justice and Systems Change – as described below.
Racial Justice
Tackling Racism in all its forms is at the core of the work of RENS. Much of our focus in this area is on education, and we recognise the importance of working collaboratively with other major organisations and stakeholders in order to tackle institutional racism as well as social and individual incidents. However, racism, as a wicked (complex social problem), is notoriously solution resistant. To help provide an initial focus, we prioritised the following:
- Supporting initiatives that help to challenge narratives of hate, that build understanding and awareness of how racism manifests in different contexts, and that highlight the importance of being anti-racist, rather than merely non-racist.
Race Equality North Somerset Trustees’ Report For the Year Ended 31 March 2024
- Promoting individual and collective action to help North Somerset become visibly anti-racist and to build a community culture of inclusion and belonging.
Key activities included:
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Promotion of national initiatives that provide a focal point to energise collaborative action through events and activities such as Black Inclusion Week, Gypsy Roma & Traveller History Month, Refugee Week, Black History Month, National Hate Crime Awareness Week, Islamophobia Awareness Month, Holocaust Memorial Day, and Race Equality Week.
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Launching our charity’s ‘Anti-Racism: Make It Visible’ initiative, which builds on the findings of our ‘Time for Change: Developing an Anti-Racism Strategy for Weston’ (published by RENS in 2022).
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Providing three Anti-Racism Training Workshops for North Somerset Council’s Children’s Services directorate, which attracted over 200 attendees.
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Supporting Avon & Somerset Police on initiatives aimed at tackling institutional racism (which they publicly acknowledged in 2023) and helping to build trust in racially minoritised communities.
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Strengthening relationships by partnering with regional and national organisations on public presentations and events tackling narratives of hate, including discrimination against asylum seekers and the rise of Islamophobia.
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Providing support at times of crisis for local communities impacted by national events, such as the crisis in the Middle East and promoting humanitarian approaches through public events.
Cultural Justice
As North Somerset becomes increasingly diverse in its demography, there is an urgent need for initiatives that reflect and support the growth of an inclusive community where everyone can feel that they belong. To help achieve this, we adopted the following considered approaches:
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Exploring and supporting the needs of the diverse communities living and working within North Somerset, to make it easier for all communities to be able to celebrate and share their culture, and simply 'be themselves'.
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Normalising difference and developing connections between cultures to build community cohesion and wider cultural competency.
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Supporting and promoting national initiatives aimed at celebrating cultural diversity to help build a culture of inclusion and belonging.
Key activities included:
- Continuing to advocate a ‘By Us and For Us’ approach to all activities and events, building relationships with local cultural organisations, and supporting community-led events and activities, from Indian dance classes to Black History Month film events.
Race Equality North Somerset Trustees’ Report For the Year Ended 31 March 2024
- Developing local partnerships and regional partnerships through active collaboration, including a local school’s Festival of Culture, the UnMuseum project (developed by Black South West Network) and the Diverse Artist Network’s Diaspora Festival.
Social Justice
Social justice is a concept that encompasses fairness, equality, and the pursuit of a just society. It is recognised as having five main principles: Access to resources, Equity, Participation, Diversity, and Human Rights. Focus areas include housing, food security, health, education, employment and the legal system. These are very challenging areas across all sectors of society, but issues of disproportionality need serious and careful consideration. In addressing social justice in the context of our work and our community, our priorities are currently:
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To better understand local needs and issues through research.
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To develop improved engagement methodologies - especially with those seldom heard.
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To support and participate in wider initiatives that help address social justice issues in our community.
Key activities included:
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Supporting a wide range of initiatives led by local organisations through facilitation at The Other Place, outreach work to ensure engagement with frequently marginalised communities, and participation at other events held locally. Focus areas included Health and Wellbeing, Climate Emergency, Sustainability, Business and Equalities.
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Collaborating on research projects with partners including the Council, VANS, organisations within the NHS Integrated Care System and University-led research projects.
Systems Change
We recognise that Racial, Cultural and Social Justice cannot be properly addressed without changing the underlying structures that create inequality. Institutional racism is deeply embedded in many of the systems in daily use and is often hard to identify. It is made invisible by being normalised and taken for granted because of the ubiquity of practices which maintain the status quo. We are exploring ways to challenge and reframe established ways of working that are steeped, however unintentionally, in separation and control.
Our work included:
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Understanding the ways in which inequality is deeply embedded in accepted ways of working.
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Developing a new knowledge ecosystem based on meaning and what matters, one that is open, transparent and actively collaborative.
Race Equality North Somerset Trustees’ Report For the Year Ended 31 March 2024
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Highlighting the issue of power dynamics and surfacing differences and conflicts of interest in carefully managed ways.
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Collaborating with local partners to create the Equalities Alliance as a support framework for small, local front-line organisations addressing inequalities.
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Presenting our report ‘Delivering Anti-Racism Systems Change at a Local Level’ in an international Community of Practice webinar, convened by Wicked Lab.
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Considering ways to build a more secure and sustainable community-ecosystem. In particular, we began work on ways to build a community asset base, to provide an income stream to crosssubsidise front-line community spaces.
THE OTHER PLACE
The Other Place (RENS innovative, inclusive and collaborative space for community-led activities and experimentation) continued to provide an important strategic anchor and public window for the work of RENS; building connections and creating opportunities for active project-based collaboration. As a place-based initiative, embedded in local communities, it also proved invaluable in informing RENS ongoing strategic work with North Somerset Council, Weston Town Council, partners within the NHS Integrated Care System and other VCSE organisations.
Our inclusive ‘Friends and Family’ approach (a non-’service-led’ approach that focuses on relationship building) has continued to support the emergence and development of community-led activities, as well as other organisation-led activities in the community. We supported over 30 organisations and individuals in delivering a wide range of targeted and public, regular and project-based activities over the year.
Our public-living room (a local partner of the national Camerados network), the variety of our activities and the many communities involved have increasingly generated fresh opportunities for rich interactions between groups and individuals, creating multiple community ripple effects and benefits beyond RENS. We also provided hot desking space for organisations and individuals, and support for people struggling with digital exclusion.
The success of our approach was well demonstrated by ‘family’ events that brought people together at times of celebration and need, including grief gatherings following the unexpected deaths of two of our much-valued core team members.
Notable events also included:
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The very positive response to our case study, ‘The Other Place’, which was presented at Northumbria University’s Towards Relational Public Services conference.
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Receiving the Mayor’s Award which is given “...to people or organisations who make an outstanding contribution to the local community and add significantly to the quality of life of those around them… and is in recognition of their inspirational and dedicated work to Weston-super-Mare”.
Race Equality North Somerset Trustees’ Report For the Year Ended 31 March 2024
Conclusion
Through the year, our impact was most visibly demonstrated through the growth in requests for collaboration and/or support from a wide range of organisations who are active in the local ecosystem, and the increase in the number and variety of requests for use of The Other Place – both for regular activities and projects seeking to reach frequently marginalised members of the community.
Our most significant challenge continues to be the speed of change in relationships between the Public and VCSE sector and the increase in demand for engagement. In addition to the need to build robust internal systems to help manage this demand, we also became increasingly aware of the need for appropriate ways to measure and evaluate social impact at a systems level. This will form an important part of our work over the coming year.
The Trustees confirm that they have paid due consideration to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit, as described in our charitable objects. As the oldest and most experienced locally based charity run for and by racially minoritised groups and the only such charity working across all levels of the community, we are aware of our special status and the responsibility we carry. Our dedication to promoting racial equality is widely recognised and with a continuing, successful record of careful innovation, strategic impact and community-wide engagement, we continue to ensure that the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit is appropriately fulfilled.
We are grateful for the support of all our funders (including Black South West Network, National Grid, North Somerset Council, Sirona Foundation and Voluntary Action North Somerset) and also for the support of our Patron, the Deputy Lieutenant Denis Burn as well as the High Sheriff of Somerset; North Somerset Council, the Mayor and Town Council of Weston-super-Mare, and the many other statutory, business and VCSE organisations and individuals with whom we work, locally, regionally and nationally, and who generously provide us with their time, experience and expertise.
Thank you to everyone who has, and who continues to, support our work.
Race Equality North Somerset Trustees’ Report For the Year Ended 31 March 2024
Financial Review
The income of the charity fell by £78,338 in the year to 31 March 2024, to £98,138 (2023 - £176,476). This was due mostly due to the final receipt of Community Renewal Funding from North Somerset Council being received last year (2023 - £164,677). Associated expenditure also fell from £202,140 to £38,785, meaning that the charity generated a surplus for the year of £59,353 (2023 – deficit of £25,664). This is entirely due to the cessation of spending from the Community Renewal Funding which was brought forward from the prior year. The project was completed in November 2022, and the fund was fully spent, with a management charge being shown as a transfer between funds. No more restricted funds have been received since.
Overall, the funds of the charity carried forward totalled £89,001 (2023 - £29,648), entirely made up of unrestricted funds.
Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities
The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards relevant to smaller charities preparing their accounts on the receipts and payments basis.
The law applicable to charities in England & Wales 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 and of the income and expenditure of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
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select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
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state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements, and
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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 maintaining 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 Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the trust deed/constitution. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Approved by the board on 30 January 2025 and signed on their behalf by:
I Noah
Trustee
Race Equality North Somerset Independent Examiners’ Report For the Year Ended 31 March 2024
Independent examiners report to the Trustees of Race Equality North Somerset
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Race Equality North Somerset (“the charity”) for the year ended 31 March 2024.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity’s trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the 2011 Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
Independent examiner’s statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the 2011 Act; or
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the accounts do not comply with these records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Michelle Ferris BSc (Hons) FCA DChA
Albert Goodman LLP Goodwood House Blackbrook Park Avenue Taunton Somerset TA1 2PX
Date: 30 January 2025
Charity Name North Somerset Black and Minority Ethic Network |
Charity Name North Somerset Black and Minority Ethic Network |
Charity Name North Somerset Black and Minority Ethic Network |
No (if any) 1162483 |
No (if any) 1162483 |
CC16a | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For the period from |
Period start date 01/04/2023 |
To | Period end date 31/03/2024 |
|||
| Section A Receipts and payments | ||||||
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 96,000 1,450 688 98,138 - - 98,138 11,100 9,000 5,421 3,352 2,928 2,001 1,359 1,274 1,235 1,038 815 693 686 608 464 460 298 120 56 35 18 (4,176) - - - - - - - 38,785 - - 38,785 59,353 29,648 89,001 |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Total funds to the nearest £ 96,000 1,450 688 98,138 |
Last year to the nearest £ |
|
| Grants received | 96,000 | 174,677 | ||||
| Donations | 1,450 | 800 | ||||
| Other Income | 688 | 999 | ||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) |
98,138 |
176,476 | ||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
||||||
| - | - | - | ||||
| Sub total | - | - | - | |||
| Total receipts A3 Payments |
||||||
| 176,476 | ||||||
Rent |
11,100 | 3,300 | ||||
| Grantspaid | 9,000 | - | ||||
| Consulting | 5,421 | - | ||||
| Utilities | 3,352 | 12,466 | ||||
| General Consumables | 2,928 | - | ||||
| Accountancy | 2,001 | 3,523 | ||||
| IT software and Consumables | 1,359 | - | ||||
| Volunteer expenses | 1,274 | - | ||||
| Insurance | 1,235 | 408 | ||||
| Donations | 1,038 | 4,650 | ||||
| Telephone Charges | 815 | 490 | ||||
| Repairs and maintenance | 693 | - | ||||
| Events | 686 | 80,647 | ||||
| General expenses TOP | 608 | - | ||||
| TrainingCourses and classes | 464 | 15,432 | ||||
| Printingand Stationery | 460 | - | ||||
| Advertisingand marketing | 298 | 7,300 | ||||
| Bank Charges | 120 | 405 | ||||
| General expenses RENS | 56 | - | ||||
| Subscriptions | 35 | - | ||||
| Resources | 18 | - | ||||
| Rates | (4,176) | 6,779 | ||||
| Projects & Equipment | - | 34,747 | ||||
| The Other Place | - | 8,405 | ||||
| LGBT forum | - | 7,513 | ||||
| Other expenditure | - | 7,214 | ||||
| Kitchen expenses | - | 5,315 | ||||
| Renewproject | - | 2,123 | ||||
| Mileage | - | 1,423 | ||||
| Sub total | 38,785 | 202,140 | ||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases (see table) |
||||||
| , | - | - | ||||
| Sub total | - | - | - | |||
| Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end |
||||||
| 202,140 | ||||||
| 59,353 | - | 59,353 | (25,664) | |||
| - | - | |||||
| 29,648 | 29,648 | 55,312 | ||||
| 89,001 | - | 89,001 | 29,648 |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
30/01/2025
1
| Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at | Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at | the end of the period | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Categories Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B5 Liabilities B3 Investment assets B2 Other monetary assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B1 Cash funds |
Details Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Cash at bank and in hand Details Details Details Accountancy Signature I Noah |
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 89,001 - - - - - 89,001 - OK OK Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) Unrestricted 1,380 - - - - Print Name I Noah |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| OK | |||
| Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| When due (optional) |
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| Date of approval |
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| I Noah | I Noah | 30/01/2025 | |
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
30/01/2025
2