2021-03-31-accounts

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE EMERGENCY RESPONSE CORPS

Annual General Meeting Chair's Annual Report

Introduction

It is a great honour to present to the member organisations of Northamptonshire Emergency Response Corps our first annual report as a registered Charity.

2020 has been a very challenging year for individuals, communities, businesses and organisations, who have found themselves under the pressure of a deadly pandemic, national lockdowns and tragic loss of life. However, it has also been a year of renewed community spirit, selfless civic spirit and extraordinary acts of solidarity.

The first national lockdown brought together a number of local organisations and groups who have stepped up to the challenge and provided fantastic, varied and sustained support to the - people of Northamptonshire. It also re ignited the passion of member organisations for working together and building on each other’s strengths and expertise. As a result, a number - of member organisations agreed to re instate the group as a registered Charity.

The Northamptonshire Emergency Response Corps is a voluntary, inclusive body which exists in order to provide a forum for local representatives of the local welfare organisations and emergency planning professionals. It works to improve working practices and relationships between welfare organisations, emergency planning agencies and the utility companies in relation to emergencies and incidents that have implications for the local, regional and wider communities and is recognised as integral to the Local Resilience Forum’s emergency planning arrangements. The Northamptonshire Emergency Response Corps draws together in active partnership various organisations, and its ambition is to create a network of passionate members who support each other and build on each other’s strengths and capability for the provision of proportionate, effective and timely responses to community emergencies.

Our vision

The vision of the charitable organisation is to make Northamptonshire a more resilient place for all, by working together to empower our whole community to be better prepared for dealing with emergencies.

By bringing together a large number of community groups and organisations, the charity will facilitate the access of member organisations to resources (funding, expert input, resources), the widespread publication of the groups’ activity and achievements (social media presence, publicity and advocacy through sponsors and patrons) and the mutual support of members through an infrastructure which makes it easier for everyone to contribute.

The Charity status allows access to varied sources of funding, unique opportunities and offers from various corporations and also gives structure to a very strong community presence in the county.

Our activity to date

This has been a year of great achievements for the voluntary and community organisations of the county, with intense activity carried out throughout the lockdown periods, and beyond:

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• Response to Safe and Well checks to vulnerable and self isolating residents;

• Coordinated response to Covid 19 measures (financial support, access to resources and -

• distribution networks, county wide communications);

• Access to finances, by securing a portion of the DEfRA grant for the county;

• Re instated bank accounts for effective and transparent financial transactions;

• Development of plans for the Cadet Awards to recognise the work and achievements of cadets in various cadet groups in the county;

• Development of the NERC coordinator job description and role scope;

• Start of work on development of a database and public website for the Charity and members;

• Re socialisation of the logo and brand, to increase visibility and exposure of the group.

Our objectives

As per the revised Constitution, the Charity’s objectives are:

For the public benefit to preserve and protect human life and property and animal life in particular in the community of Northamptonshire by:

• Supporting the development of community emergency plans;

• Assisting local councils, emergency services and category 1 and 2 responders with their emergency planning, response and recovery activities;

• Providing practical assistance, advice and information to local residents, groups and businesses;

• Encouraging more people to become engaged with their community and voluntary response.

Our desired outcomes

The Charity and each of its member organisations share a vision and approach which will see the achievement of the following outcomes:

More People are better prepared

Public engagement is important not only in responding to emergencies but also in helping prevent them in the first place. Offering information and encouragement to the public to prepare in advance means that they’ll be in the best position to help themselves, their families and their community if an emergency happens to allow responders to focus on the most vulnerable.

More people engaged with community and voluntary response We need to engage with the community to not only make sure that they are better prepared but that they also engage with their community and are encouraged to join and support their local voluntary organisations.

Better access to stronger and more diverse voluntary capabilities

During an emergency, we rely heavily on voluntary organisations. We need to make sure that we are continually seeking out new organisations that may support the welfare response and that these teams have access to relevant training packages for their role and know what to do if asked to respond.

People who are affected by emergencies cope better and recover quicker In the aftermath of any major emergency, there is enormous distress for survivors, family and friends of those involved, the wider community, and the responders. The experiences of those people in the aftermath can significantly influence how they cope with the consequences of the major incident and how quickly a community is restored to normality.

Maintain a professional and dedicated membership to the Northamptonshire Emergency Response Corps and support the Northamptonshire Local Resilience Forum to continually learn and improve arrangements. As a group, we need to learn from our experiences and continually improve our response.

To validate community resilience and welfare arrangements by holding relevant exercises To complete the circle of learning, the group should regularly hold - exercises to test all aspects of the response, whether this is a table top or a field exercise.

Our ambition for the future

A number of plans and activities are already underway to support the achievement of the vision and outcomes above. However, we want to make the next 18 months a success by working in partnership to:

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• Set up a shared modern and secure database;

• Create a public website to share information with member organisations and the public; ;

• Develop a fundraising strategy and encouraging contributions the Charity, monetary or otherwise;

Identify and train a volunteer NERC Coordinator;

• Run a survey to gather the views of members about the priorities of the Charity, their organisation’s strengths and challenges etc. to inform the development of the Business Plan for the Charity;

• Increase the range of number of member organisations;

• Increase the coverage, distribution and frequency of the Volunteer Newsletter;

• Identify and engage high profile patrons who can act as advocates for the Charity and increase its reputation and exposure.

Closing remarks

It is a real joy to be involved with such an inspirational group of organisations and to support the creation of a network of passionate people and organisations which have their heart a shared vision and a unique goal: to help the people of Northamptonshire through local emergencies.

NERC STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS April 2020 to April 2021

31/03/20
20	19/20			End of fnancial year 19/20 balance		£0.00	£0.00
27/10/20		Aut			£50,000.
20	20/21	Credit	NCC		00		£50,000.00
16/11/20
20	20/21	DD	Go Cardless			£185.00	£49,815.00
16/11/20
20	20/21	DD	Go Cardless			£183.00	£49,632.00
12/01/20		Aut			£9,390.0
21	20/21	Credit	NCC		0		£59,022.00
15/01/20
21	20/21	DD	Go Cardless			£183.00	£58,839.00
15/02/20
21	20/21	DD	Go Cardless			£183.00	£58,656.00
11/03/20
21	20/21	DD	123 register			£143.88	£58,512.12
15/03/20
21	20/21	DD	Go Cardless			£183.00	£58,329.12
17/03/20						£2,000.0
21	20/21	DD	Huggg Limited			0	£56,329.12
16/03/20						£8,111.7
21	20/21	DD	British Red Cross			6	£48,217.36

Direct debit payments to Fare share for food supplies

Credits from DEFRA to support food poverty

HUGGG vouchers for Groceries to beneficiaries

Red Cross payment to reimburse for food bought

NERC STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS April 2020 to April 2021

31/03/20
20	19/20			End of fnancial year 19/20 balance		£0.00	£0.00
27/10/20		Aut			£50,000.
20	20/21	Credit	NCC		00		£50,000.00
16/11/20
20	20/21	DD	Go Cardless			£185.00	£49,815.00
16/11/20
20	20/21	DD	Go Cardless			£183.00	£49,632.00
12/01/20		Aut			£9,390.0
21	20/21	Credit	NCC		0		£59,022.00
15/01/20
21	20/21	DD	Go Cardless			£183.00	£58,839.00
15/02/20
21	20/21	DD	Go Cardless			£183.00	£58,656.00
11/03/20
21	20/21	DD	123 register			£143.88	£58,512.12
15/03/20
21	20/21	DD	Go Cardless			£183.00	£58,329.12
17/03/20						£2,000.0
21	20/21	DD	Huggg Limited			0	£56,329.12
16/03/20						£8,111.7
21	20/21	DD	British Red Cross			6	£48,217.36

Direct debit payments to Fare share for food supplies

Credits from DEFRA to support food poverty

HUGGG vouchers for Groceries to beneficiaries

Red Cross payment to reimburse for food bought