2023-12-31-accounts

Kittiwake Trust

(Registered Charity Number: 1165318 )

Financial Statements for the year ended 31st December 2023

JFS Torbitt

Chartered Certified Accountants 58 Durham Road Birtley Co Durham DH3 2QJ

Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone] Email: [e-mail]

The Kittiwake Trust Annual Report 2023

Trustees: Mandy Maxwell (Chair until 23 April) Pamela Gibson (Treasurer), Kate Sinclair-Gibson (Secretary), Rosie Jenkins, Sjaak van Rijn, Jola Olafimihan, Amina Marix Evans (acting Chair fromApril, Project Development)

2023 was another year of changes and expansion. Mandy Maxwell had to step down as Chair for personal reasons

Borderline Books hit record levels of books going to those in need, both locally and in prisons up and down the UK. The Multilingual Library finally opened again and we welcomed more volunteers in both projects.

Grants:

Sadly, our sponsor at the Network for Social Change, Norman Franklin, died in January. The application he had started was honoured, but will probably be the last from that funder. We cannot thank Norman enough for his many years of support, through his own charity, the Jill Franklin Trust, and the Network for Social Change.

Network for Social Change – for Multilingual Library staff salary	£17,500.00
Aldo Trust – for books for prisoners – BB Prison Project	£ 1,000.00
SJP Trust – for Literacy Arc – Borderline Books	£ 2,500.00
Hadrian Trust – for Borderline Books Prison Project	£ 1,000.00
James Knott Trust – for Borderline Books 2ndof 3 year funding	£ 5,000.00
The Shears Foundation – for Borderline Books Prison Project	£ 5,500.00
Gateshead Council – for Warm Spaces (Library)	£ 500.00
	___
	£33,000.00

Borderline Books

The Literacy Arc – led by Kirstie McAlpine works with schools, holiday projects, women’s refuges, food banks, refugee groups, community groups and other local charities to make sure children have access to books and families have books in the house. Kirstie has been with us since 2020 and has increased our reach enormously. Her report follows:

The work in the Literacy Arc project has continued to develop strong working relationships with all of its partnership agencies. We have been successful in targeting areas of most need and making sure that the highest quality donations land where they will have the most impact.

Having made a large number of live contacts in 2022, we have worked to consolidate our relationships further with teaching staff and schools to prioritise our core aims of developing book

rich households and encouraging a love of reading outside of the school environment. Our aim was to move past an initial donation of books to a more tailored relationship with each provider so that our offer could reach those who need it most. We have done this through targeted and continuing conversations, visits to Borderline Books by key staff and children. Though limited at times by the number of quality books that we could offer (as many were in high demand), we have engaged creatively to build a variety of different opportunities for children and families to encounter and choose books. We have helped plan book sleepovers where children stay overnight in school and collectively read (and then take home) books. We have given schools large collections of books for both parents and children which have formed the core of book sharing schemes in schools. This is the best result for us, when schools take on agency to build and promote book sharing on site. We have seen at least three schools successfully import the Borderline Books model into their own practice.

In the community, we have continued to offer books to support all holiday clubs and those returning to us have reported that the choosing of books has been a highlight of each session. Our work in community groups has developed well with regular large donations to food banks in different locations including activity books to keep children occupied whilst the parents source the food. Our books have been received with enthusiasm to the point that delivery of books to the food bank generates a lot of positive comment and anticipation of what might be in the boxes from users as we are taking them through the doors.

We have worked with local agencies to meet the needs of families in different community groups with a growing engagement from local family hubs and nurseries both at the point of delivery and higher up the management chain. We have key staff members in Early Years provision coming to select books to support the training they give to key workers and to develop items like story sacks which promote a love of reading through play. We have been successful in donating large numbers of books to nursery providers on both sides of the river.

We have started to explore the possibility of supporting families who are home educating their children as these students have often fallen out of the school system for a number of different reasons including anxiety and neurodiversity. We are aware that a lot of these families are also living in poverty and are aiming to develop this still further over time. We know a number of families who have taken exam resources and are building contacts with tutors.

In local colleges and sixth forms, we have been able to donate large numbers of books to create book swapping areas and libraries. The feedback has been that these have always been well used in each provision and staff come to regularly replenish stocks. We have also been able to donate books to offset poverty of experience for students living in poverty who are making applications to higher status universities. We have been able to supply reading lists for students making Oxbridge applications who would not be able to access this material otherwise. These texts have been invaluable in building confidence and agency for students preparing for interviews and have been highly valued.

KMcA

Prison Project

In 2023 we increased from around 500-600 books per month donated to prisons to well over 1000, more than doubling our overall annual total compared to 2022. This was accomplished in several ways: first, refining the process of responding to requests to make it as efficient as possible. This involved several volunteers over the course of the year, but also enabled me to keep up the same pace when volunteers were unavailable. Second, reducing turnaround time on requests which led to more repeat requests, and more positive ongoing connections with individuals. Third, building connections with prison staff to support projects such as wing libraries and workshop reading corners. We had visits from prison staff to collect books throughout the year, including a visit from a Governor keen to increase reading across his prison. At HMP Thameside requests to Borderline Books were integrated into their regular wellbeing survey, leading to 50+ requests at a time. Overall a very successful year of sustainable growth and connection!

Here is some of the feedback we received:

“I’ve just returned from the library, where [the librarian] presented me with your wonderful gifts. WOW!! ‘Thank you’ feels inadequate for such thoughtful, considered choices, I can’t thank you enough. Your kindness is honestly the nicest thing I’ve experienced in my six months behind bars.” HMP Leeds 10/6/23 “Thank you so much for the bundle of books. Already made good use of the dictionary writing to my sister which I’ve not done in a very long time.”

HMP Stafford 3/8/23 “I do a lot of crosswords and puzzles and sometimes (often) have nowhere to turn for missing answers. Until you! Every single day I use these books and I’d guess I’ve gone from a 40% completion rate to an 80% completion rate and that has been brilliant! Not only completing but time killing searching for the

answers. I am forever greatful for you and your services, you are a lifeline, truly. I have not been on suicide prevention measures during this time – thank you!” 5/10/23 HMP Edinburgh

“Once again, thank you for your help in keeping our library running, a legacy that I am hopeful will last for many years and help hundreds if not thousands of men in prison.” 1/11/23 HMP Bure (Wing Librarian)

“Those free books definitely help free my mind.” 29/9/23 HMP Littlehey

AK

Total donations Prison Project: 15,642 books went to 1400+ people in 105 prisons.

Total donations Literacy Arc: 13,644 books

Other Borderline Books donations: 770

Year’s total for Borderline Books donations: 30,056

Multilingual Library

Gateshead Council gave us the former Gloucester pub in June 2022, but things seemed to go very slowly on their side after that. Darius painted the entire space, with beautiful decorations in what would be the children’s area. Graham ripped out all the old pub seating and did all manner of small jobs while language students and a variety of newcomers to the area unpacked the books and we started organising the shelving and general design of the space. By June most things were more or less in place and we took on Joe Anderson to run the library. At the end of June we had a big meeting for as many of the volunteers as we could get together to thank them for their work and explain what the plans were. At that meeting we became aware that the school holidays would be starting at the end of July. At that point we contacted the Council to tell them that whatever jobs they felt ought to be done before opening, needed doing without delay as we planned to open on 1 August. Miraculously, this happened, with a team of men in the car park at 7pm on 31 July, painting the lines for parking spaces.

And on 1 August we opened.

Things quickly developed as new volunteers came and suggested holding various classes. The Spanish English language exchange on Saturdays has been a great success. Italian classes and an English conversation group established themselves well, with regular attendees.

Joe also suggested we sign up as a ‘warm space’ in the winter, giving local people somewhere to come and sit in the warm and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and play games like chess, Go, draughts, dominoes or jigsaw puzzles – all things which are known around the world and which do not require a shared language. A small grant from Gateshead Council allowed us to make sure there was always tea, coffee, and biscuits available for any of our visitors. This meant that many local people who would not normally visit a library came to see what we were up to – particularly the many who remembered coming in when it was a pub.

By the end of the year we had signed up just short of 300 new members and had the pleasure of welcoming back a number of old members – many of whom were bringing back books they had looked after for two years, since our forced move.

We have four rooms in what used to be the owner’s flat upstairs. One is set up as a classroom/meeting room, one as a quiet space where people can go if they need to be alone for a short while, or to do their prayers. One room is still full of boxes that are slowly coming downstairs, and the last room is a more informal meeting room, with lower comfy chairs, that has been used by a neighbouring organisation when they want to meet with survivors of domestic abuse in a quiet, private space.

We are building up partnerships with several local refugee groups and with other local organisations and educational bodies including other Libraries of Sanctuary and with the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art. We look forward to setting up more events with them and being able to offer more and more opportunities to the local community.

Outlook for the Future

Borderline Books will continue to grow in both the local and prisons areas, with more volunteers coming in to ensure that we can manage increased demand.

More and more publishers, authors and agencies offer us books in a variety of languages. We sort these and put one copy of each in the library and offer the rest to prisons, schools, community groups and to other multilingual libraries. This is already proving very popular – particularly in prisons where, for instance, Chinese prisoners rarely have access to books in their own language and are delighted if we send them some. Local family hubs have also been pleased to be able to offer children’s books in the home language of their parents.

The library grows of its own accord, with an increasing number of people discovering us through word of mouth and from events we hold. Of course being a ‘Warm Space’ (being renamed as Warm Welcome) we have visitors who may not be particularly interested in books, but who make friends with people they might not otherwise encounter.

We are very much aware that our contract for the building is for a limited time while Gateshead plans for new much-needed housing. By the end of our tenure we need to have found a new location and be able to move in such a way that we are not closed for any longer than absolutely necessary. Although this is some years away we are keeping an eye on developments and watching for opportunities to work with the Council or other possible partners to ensure a seamless transition.

Kittiwake Trust

(Registered Charity Number: 1165318 )

Independent Examiners Report

Year ended 31st December 2023

I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Kittiwake Trust ('the charity') for the year ended 31st December 2023

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity's trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ("the Act")

I report in repsect of my examination of the Trust's accounts 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 Act.

Independent examiner's statement

I am qualified to undertake the examination by being a qualified member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

• the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or

• the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or

• the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true & fair' view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

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.

Jane Freeman

FCCA 58 Durham Road Birtley Co Durham DH3 2QJ

Independent Examiner

Kittiwake Trust

Statement of Financial Activities

Year ended 31st December 2023

Notes Incoming Resources Fundraiser Library Income: Donations Memberships Use of Verb Other Donations received - Borderline Books Refunded postage Gifts received Grants Other income Total Income Resources Expended Kittiwake Trust - General: Advertising and Promotion Kittiwake Trust - General: Bookfairs & Conferences Kittiwake Trust - General: Insurance Kittiwake Trust - General: Office Kittiwake Trust - General: Other Expenses Kittiwake Trust - General: Postage Kittiwake Trust - General: Legal & Prof fees Kittiwake Trust - General: Training Kittiwake Trust - General: Parking Kittiwake Trust - General: Travel Kittiwake Trust - General: COVID donations & purchases Kittiwake Trust - General: Bank charges Kittiwake Trust - General: Website sundry Borderline Books: Literacy Borderline Books: Website Borderline Books: Business Rates Borderline Books: Insurance Borderline Books: Freight Borderline Books: Utilities Borderline Books: Household Borderline Books: Office Supplies Borderline Books: Postage Borderline Books: Printing & Publicity Borderline Books: Prison Work Borderline Books: Prison Work Salaries Borderline Books: Repairs & Maint Borderline Books: Salary Borderline Books: Telephone & Internet Borderline Books: Volunteers Expenses Multilingual Library:Books Multilingual Library: Furnishings Multilingual Library: Household Multilingual Library: Salary Multilingual Library: Office Multilingual Library: Printing Multilingual Library: Repairs Multilingual Library: Library Supplies Multilingual Library: Storage Multilingual Library: Subscriptions Multilingual Library: Telephone Multilingual Library: Utilities Multilingual Library: Transport Multilingual Library: Website Multilingual Library: Volunteers Net Surplus Adjustment Funds brought forward Funds carried forward	Unrestricted Restricted Total this Total last funds funds year year - - - 542 - 542 669 544 - 544 - - - - - 6,668 0 6,668 2,479 400 - 400 340 - 0 0 488 - 488 700 33,000 33,000 16,475 - 0 0
	8,641 33,000 41,641 20,663 - - - - - - - - - - - - 148 - 148 149 110 - 110 - - - - 231 93 - 93 490 - - - - - - - - 374 - 374 10 - - - 0 10 - 10 2 226 - 226 - - - - 88 - - - 99 54 - 54 94 2,132 - 2,132 2,550 274 2,500 2,774 469 - - - - - - - (59) 232 - 232 883 100 - 100 179 - - - 461 - - - 79 - 6,337 6,337 4,012 - 7,959 7,959 7,967 - - - 4 0.00 6,016 6,016 6,747 286 - 286 346 550 - 550 254 88 - 88 72 728 - 728 278 375 - 375 241 - 6,879 6,879 0 - - - 40 - - - - 11,236 627 11,863 222 - 413 413 - - - - 5,500 - - - - 242 - 242 20 - - - 72 1,280 - 1,280 1,167 25 - 25 260 305 - 305 5
	18,868 30,730 49,598 32,931 (10,227) 2,270 (7,957) (12,268) 0 0 54,523 19,655 74,178 86,446
	44,296 21,925 66,221 74,178

Kittiwake Trust

Balance Sheet

Year ended 31st December 2023

Notes Current Assets Debtors Cash at bank and in hand Total current assets Current Liabilities Amounts falling due in one year Wages control PAYE Pension control Net Assets Capital Funds Restricted Funds Unrestricted Funds Total Funds	Unrestricted Total this Total last funds year year 237 237 108 65,985 65,985 74,070
	66,221 66,221 74,178 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
	0 0 0
	66,221 66,221 74,178
	21,925 21,925 19,655 44,296 44,296 54,523
	66,221 66,221 74,178

These financial statements were approved by the board and authorised for issued on 8/10/2024 , and are signed on behalf of the board by:

A J Marix Evans

A J Marix Evans (Oct 8, 2024 19:54 GMT+1)

Amina Marix Evans Trustee

JFS Torbitt 58 Durham Road Birtley Co Durham DH3 2QJ

Dear JFS Torbitt,

The following representations are made on the basis of enquiries of management and staff with relevant knowledge and experience such as we consider necessary in connection with your independent examination of the charity’s financial statements for the year ended 31[st ] December 2023. These enquiries have included inspection of supporting documentation where appropriate and are sufficient to satisfy ourselves that we can make each of the following representations. All representations are made to the best of our knowledge and belief.

General

• 1 We acknowledge that the work performed by you is substantially less in scope than an audit performed in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) and that you do not express an audit opinion.

• 2 We confirm that the charity was entitled to exemption under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 the requirement to have its financial statements for the financial year ended 31[st] December 2023 audited.

• 3 We have fulfilled our responsibilities as trustees as set out in the terms of your engagement letter, under the Charities Act 2011 for preparing financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice), for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view and for making accurate representations to you.

• 4 All the transactions undertaken by the charity have been properly reflected and recorded in the accounting records.

• 5 All the accounting records have been made available to you for the purpose of your independent examination. We have provided you with unrestricted access to all appropriate persons within the charity, and with all other records and related information requested, including minutes of all management and trustee meetings and correspondence with The Charity Commission.

• 6 The financial statements are free of material misstatements, including omissions.

Assets and liabilities

• 7 The charity has satisfactory title to all assets and there are no liens or encumbrances on the charity’s assets, except for those that are disclosed in the notes to the financial statements.

• 8 All actual liabilities, contingent liabilities and guarantees given to third parties have been recorded or disclosed as appropriate.

• 9 We have no plans or intentions that may materially alter the carrying value and where relevant the fair value measurements or classification of assets and liabilities reflected in the financial statements.

Accounting estimates

• 10 The methods, data and significant assumptions used by us in making accounting estimates, and their related disclosures, are appropriate to achieve recognition, measurement and disclosure that is reasonable in the context of the applicable financial reporting framework.

Loans and arrangements

11 The charity has not granted any advances or credits to, or made guarantees on behalf of, trustees.

Legal claims

• 12 We have disclosed to you all claims in connection with litigation that have been, or are expected to be, received and such matters, as appropriate, have been properly accounted for and disclosed in the financial statements.

Laws and regulations

• 13 We have disclosed to you all known instances of non-compliance or suspected non-compliance with laws and regulations whose effects should be considered when preparing the financial statements.

Related parties

• 14 We are not aware of any related party matters which require disclosure in order to comply with legislative and accounting standards requirements.

Subsequent events

• 15 All events subsequent to the date of the financial statements which require adjustment or disclosure have been properly accounted for and disclosed.

Going concern

• 16 We believe that the charity's financial statements should be prepared on a going concern basis on the grounds that current and future sources of funding or support will be more than adequate for the charity's needs. We have considered a period of twelve months from the date of approval of the financial statements. We believe that no further disclosures relating to the charity's ability to continue as a going concern need to be made in the financial statements.

Grants and donations

• 17 All grants, donations and other income, the receipt of which is subject to specific terms or conditions, have been notified to you. There have been no breaches of terms or conditions in the application of such income.

18 Restricted grants and donations received in during the year are as follows:

• Network for Social NSCCT

• Aldo Trust

• SJP CH Foundation

• Hadrian Trust

• J Knott Trust

• The Shears Foundation

• GMBC – Warm Spaces

Yours faithfully

A J Marix Evans

A J Marix Evans (Oct 8, 2024 19:54 GMT+1).............................................................................................................................. Signed on behalf of the board of trustees

Amina Marix Evans

Date: 8 October 2024

3846 KittiwakeTrust 31.12.23 Final

Final Audit Report

2024-10-09

Created: 2024-10-08 By: Kay Walker ([e-mail]) Status: Signed Transaction ID: CBJCHBCAABAAX18P2BiEUjh0wqo67jcFNzXQH8xk2M3Z

"3846 KittiwakeTrust 31.12.23 Final" History

Document created by Kay Walker ([e-mail]) 2024-10-08 - 09:47:26 GMT

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