2023-03-31-accounts

Rivers LPC Trustees Report Year Ended 31 March 2023

Rivers LPC

TRUSTEES

Miss Evanjalin Vivekanandarajah Mrs Jocelyn Chirimamanga Miss Jeredyne Stanley

Bankers:

HSBC Bank 9 The Boulevard Crawley RH10 1UT

Registered Office:

PRESENCE Bewbush Centre Dorsten Square Crawley West Sussex RH11 8XW

Telephone: [phone] or 07539 995328

Email: [e-mail]

Website: www.riverslpc.org

The charity is a registered charity: Registered Number 1164574

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Rivers LPC

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES

MISSION STATEMENT

The charity’s mission is to promote Learning for women, Empowerment for Women and Connections for Women.

We work towards empowering women to take up new challenges in life. We support women who may feel isolated and may not be able to find assistance from other organisations, or who simply need help without the involvement of formal authorities.

The objectives of the charity are:

• The relief of poverty and unemployment and the advancement of education amongst women in Crawley and the surrounding area.

• The promotion of social inclusion among women in Crawley and the surrounding area, who are excluded from society, or parts of society, due to their social and economic position by the provision of education and training, information and support.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing document

The charity is governed by its Constitution.

The management of the charity is designated to the Trustees.

Objectives

1. The relief of poverty and unemployment and the advancement of education amongst women in Crawley and the surrounding area.

2. The promotion of social inclusion among women in Crawley and the surrounding area, who are excluded from society, or parts of society, due to their social and economic position by the provision of education and training, information and support.

ACTIVITIES - usual but paused due to the COVID19 outbreak and subsequent lockdown periods and yet to fully recover due to financial constraints

LEARNING PROGRAMME

We engage in community awareness sessions, which include, healthy eating, English Language, community awareness, volunteering and several employment schemes mini projects. This is open to all women and suitable for all ages and abilities. (Term-time only, no lessons during school holidays).

SPACE PROGRAMME

The Rivers Resource SPACE for Women is both a facilitator and organiser of resources to benefit women who need non-judgmental and impartial support and/or guidance. The aim of SPACE is to connect local women with already established local public services, support services, charities, and commercial and voluntary organisations.

PRESENCE PROGRAMME

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Rivers LPC

Rivers has a user-led women’s only space which provides resources, information, and signposting about other organisations for women in a safe, female only space. The Centre is also home to Rivers LPC and Rivers-SPACE.

EMPLOYABILITY SCHEME

As part of Rivers LPC we also have an employability support scheme. For this scheme, we provide free and practical employment skills training for women who may have been out of work for a long period of time, or for those who have little or no experience of employment due to low or no educational attainments.

@PRESENCE WOMEN’S COFFEE MORNING

The Coffee Group meets every Wednesday (term-time only) at PRESENCE, for those wanting to meet and socialise with women from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. This group provides a safe and central location for women to meet and socialise, especially those who are socially isolated and alone.

The aims of the @PRESENCE group include:

• Encouraging integration amongst women from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, especially women who have migrated to the area from outside of the UK

• Allowing an opportunity for local women and organisations alike to have a platform from which they can engage with a cross-section of the local community, in a neutral, safe, and less informal environment.

VALIDATING VOICES PROGRAMME

The Validating Voices programme aims to identify women from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic groups in the local community, and people living in areas of economic poverty who may have a stigma/barrier with accessing mental health support services.

Validating Voices is about giving women the resources and tools to speak for themselves within their homes, communities to overcome barriers and improve their health & wellbeing. We carried out Combat Anxiety & Loneliness (C.A.L.M.) meetings. We also make ourselves available when someone needs to speak to us with regards to their mental well being. (We were not able to organised formal classes but still supported women on a one to one basis).

Outbreak of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

The effect of the outbreak of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) impacted the work of Rivers LPC and the financial funding position. Sadly, as a charity, we have not been able to recover financially.

CHRYSALIS PROJECT

Rivers has always acknowledged and worked to alleviate poverty, problems and difficulties, discomforts surrounding local women; women who would not first go to local authorities for assistance, care or information.

During the period of COVID19 crisis, with unusual disruptions, confusion and uncertain times, Rivers CHRYSALIS offered to support vulnerable women and their families.

Rivers CHRYSALIS supported, advocated for and encouraged as many vulnerable local women and families and most importantly women who are likely to be affected by ‘food insecurity’. Rivers is still approached for food but we are now able to refer clients to one of the local food banks for food support that are available locally.

Effect of COVID19 crisis

The charity still focuses on providing support during the recovery stage and to support families to get back to full employment, social life and have more involvement in the community.

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Rivers LPC

Rivers will focus on mental health and wellbeing sessions, back to work sessions, more IT based courses for women in the community, including short courses on confidence building, English Language courses and continue to raise awareness of domestic abuse, physical, mental and financial.

The demography we work with will and do take longer to recover from the effect of COVID-19 pandemic.

- Our Response to COVID 19 pandemic.

We quickly identified that the main two issues that were going to be of concern for the women and families we support was financial assistant and food insecurity. We therefore formed a temporary sub-group for support around COVID-19 known as Rivers CHRYSALIS.

With funding awarded Rivers CHRYSALIS was set-up and delivered the following support:

1. Set-up and worked from a temporary base (a local church, New Life Church Crawley) to co-ordinate food delivery and collections, which included continuing with and increasing the number of food provision collections as part of the FareShare Go scheme:

• Clients supported from all 15 neighbourhoods within the Crawley area.

2. The funding received also went towards supporting Rivers’ work with the FareShare scheme.

3. The people reached:

• Most of them received food parcels and food vouchers

• Majority of clients were from low-income backgrounds and had low paid or zero-hour contract jobs (cleaning, catering, hospitality etc.) and had either been furloughed or made redundant.

• Many were from marginalised groups and did not have the knowledge or language skills to access support on their own.

• Many of the clients were therefore signposted to us for support through word of mouth and/or us contacting clients directly from our previous community projects and engagement work.

• The majority of households from one particular ethnic background had three generations in the household.

• Since the end of ‘lockdown’ the majority of the clients are from BAME backgrounds. These include people who have since lost their jobs and are now not sure what happens next.

4. Recruited more local volunteers, especially for the delivery of food provisions to households with food insecurity:

5. Supported those who were financially vulnerable and not able to seek formal government financial assistance:

• Bulk food purchases and divided into food parcels

• Using gift vouchers/sent out for use as food voucher, with a photo of the receipt requested, as no alcohol or tobacco is allowed

• food parcels are dropped off at the clients' houses by volunteers;

6. Provided female hygiene/care packages:

7. Provided over the phone support/signposting for the vulnerable:

This included:

• Mental health and low-level emotional support

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Rivers LPC

• Financial related anxieties

• Complaints of domestic abuse

8. Worked with other local organisations and where appropriate made onward referrals.

• Take excess food to Crawley Open House

• Referrals to Police, Victim Support and Safe in Sussex

• Referrals to Carers Support West Sussex

9. Provided the Outdoor storage & Community stove for New Life Church, Crawley.

Future Plans

The charity aims to get more funding in and get involved different projects so as to receive the necessary financial support.

The charity will focus on providing more support during the recovery stage and to support families to get back to full employment and social life and more involvement back into the community.

Rivers will focus on mental health and wellbeing sessions, back to work sessions, more IT based courses for women in the community, including short courses on confidence building, English Language courses and continue to raise awareness of domestic abuse.

DISCLOSURE OF RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

None of the trustees have received monies for their role as trustees.

Signed: Jeredyne Stanley 31[st] January 2024

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Rivers LPC Income & Expenditure Accounts for the year ending 3tst Marth 2023 Note5 2OW23 Incomlng resour¢e$ Incoming resources from External 5our¢es Charltable actlvlties and other income Loan T￿al lncomkni resour￿3 1.200.00 Resources expended Mana8ement and Con5ultsrKy Hire/Lea5e of Community space Telephone & Internet Service5 Event Insurance Other expenses Totsl Resoui¢es expended 346.40 222.19 1,680.38 1,046.98 242.63 2.144.01 S,681S9 Surplusloeficlt {4.481591 Rlvers LPC Balance Sheet as at 31rt March 2023 Notes 2022123 8ank Cash {Floatl 497.71 497.71 Opening Balance Surplus 4.980.30 14,482.591 497.71

Rivers LPC Notes to the Accounts 20W23 Notes I MANAGEMENT APIO CONSULTANCY Management fees Wage5 Website con5ultancv Bank charges TOTAL MANAGÉMENT AND CONSULTANCYCOST 220.00 126.40 346.40 Notes 2 TEIEPHONE & INTERNETSERVICE5 Telephone Computer accessories IT software 845.74 635.92 198.72 TOTAL TELEPHONE & IIITERNET SERVICES 1,680.38 Notes3 EVENTS Fuel 238.10 Other travel expense5 Stationery Community5upport Food 389.09 350.19 Volunteer TOTAL EVENT COST 1.046.98 Notes 4 OTHER EXPENSES Office cost 431.03 Other cost 1,563.27 149.71 Event cost TOTAL OTHER EXPENSES 2,144.01 Note 5 aoslng Bank balance Account No I (No. 50891 A¢￿Unt No 2 (No. 21001 206.25 291.46 497.71 Note 6 Openlng Banlt balance Account No I (No. 5089) Account No 2 (No. 21(0) 4,822.71 157.59 4,980.30 Signed-. Dale.. "1202+