## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period**
**From April 1[ st ] 2020 To March 31[ st ] 2021**
## **Charity name: Herts for Refugees**
## **Charity registration number: 1167716**
## **Objectives and Activities**
||SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|We collect vital aid to support asylum
seekers and refugees wherever there is
need. We undertake fundraising activities
to support these vulnerable people and to
provide donations to grass roots
organisations working on the ground with
asylum seekers, primarily in France,
Greece, Lebanon and Syria or wherever
there is need.|
|Summary of the main
activities in relation to those
purposes for the public
benefit, in particular, the
activities, projects or
services identified in the
accounts.|Para 1.17 and
1.19|Activities during 2020-2021 were adversely
affected by the global Covid-19 pandemic.
Collections and all in-person activities were
suspended for a period of time and only
re-started in line with government
guidelines and rules.
Collection of items donated for asylum
seekers and refugees (clothing, shoes,
hygiene products, sleeping bags, tents and
other items as required.
Shipment of donated items to grass roots
organisations.
Production of hand-made face coverings to
send to volunteers in refugee camps in
Greece (due to global shortage of PPE
during the Covid-19 pandemic).
Distribution of clothing, shoes, hygiene
products and other items as required to
residents of initial accommodation in
Hertfordshire (asylum seekers).
Collaborative work with other refugee
supporting charities on a local and national
basis.|
|Statement confirming
whether the trustees have
had regard to the guidance
issued by the Charity
Commission on public
benefit|Para 1.18|Trustees have been reminded of and read
the Charity Commission guidance on public
benefit.|
|---|---|---|
**Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
||SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Policy on grant making|Para 1.38|n/a|
|Policy on social investment
including program related
investment|Para 1.38|n/a|
|Contribution made by
volunteers|Para 1.38|All trustees and supporters of Herts for
Refugees are volunteers.
Our volunteers contribute in the following
ways:
-
Sharing and building awareness
through social media
-
Helping at online and in person
events
-
Collecting donations
-
Delivering aid to initial
accommodation
-
Organising shipments to other
countries
-
Attending meetings
-
Developing and running fundraising
events
-
Sorting donations into boxes prior to
shipment
-
Accounts
-
Attending Refugee Charity Network
meetings
-
Attending multi-disciplinary
meetings regarding support of
asylum seekers in initial
accommodation|
|Other|||
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## **Achievements and Performance**
||SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Summary of the main
achievements of the charity,
identifying the difference the
charity’s work has made to
the circumstances of its
beneficiaries and any wider
benefits to society as a
whole.|Para 1.20|The year 2020-2021 started with the UK in
the middle of a national lockdown, in order
to reduce the spread of Covid-19.
Therefore, many activities were curtailed or
cancelled.
Innovations included a project to make
hand-made face coverings to send to those
supporting in refugee camps in Greece
(Masks for Refugees). It was very difficult
at this time to procure PPE and that which
was available was prioritised for healthcare
staff and other essential workers. Over
1200 face coverings were made and
delivered. This allowed volunteers on the
ground to continue to support refugees and
ensure they were following Greek Covid-19
regulations.
Fundraising events had to be moved online
e.g. online quiz nights.
Fortunately, the year-long transition
following the UK’s departure from the EU
meant that shipments could be sent using
existing systems. Shipments included 72
pallets of water, 12 pallets of baby food,
clothing, and shoes.
In the summer and autumn, we were able
to undertake more activities such as a
market stall to raise awareness of the plight
of refugees and also to raise funds. Our
usual festival salvage season which
provides us with many tents and sleeping
bags for refugees in Northern France, did
not go ahead. A national ‘No events = no
tents’ campaign requested donations of
tents or money instead.
In October and November, Herts for
Refugees was one of the main collection
points and logistics lead, for north east &
southern England, for a hugely successful
national campaign to collect hygiene
products to be sent to grass roots
organisations in Europe. We organised
haulage, loading and delivery of 2 x 40ft
trailers & 1 x 40ft shipping containers.|
In October 2020 we began support work in a local hotel which was housing asylum seekers from a range of locations. Many had only the clothes they arrived in and we were able to provide clothing, shoes, hygiene products, as well as a friendly face and support with accessing online English lessons provided by another organisation. January 2021 brought in another national lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19. We continued to take part in collaborative collections of aid with a focus on winter clothing and were able to continue our work in the initial accommodation hotel, following strict social distancing rules, as prescribed by the company, which runs the contract to house new arrivals. Despite a difficult year for the entire world, we are proud of the amount of aid we managed to deliver and that we were able to respond to the needs of newly arrived people to our area. We continued to fundraise and raise awareness of the difficulties that refugees face throughout the world.
**Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
||||
|---|---|---|
|Achievements against
objectives set|Para 1.41||
|Performance of fundraising
activities against objectives
set|Para 1.41||
|Investment performance
against objectives|Para 1.41||
|Other|||
||||
## **Financial Review**
|**Financial Review**|||
|---|---|---|
|Review of the charity’s
financial position at the end
of theperiod|Para 1.21|Funds raised during the year: £17,804.
Spending during the year: £12,188.|
|Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
statingwhytheyare held|Para 1.22|We retain funds in order to be able to
respond to emergency requirements. We
aim to keep£1,000 in reserve.|
|Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|£8,478|
|Reasons for holding zero
reserves|Para 1.22|N/A|
|Details of fund materially in
deficit|Para 1.24|N/A|
|Explanation of any
uncertainties about the
charity continuing as a going
concern|Para 1.23||
## **Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
|The charity’s principal
sources of funds (including
any fundraising)|Para 1.47|Donations through JustGiving, Facebook,
Paypal and our bank account (as
advertised on our website).
Fundraising activities – Online quiz, Pop up
for Refugee Week,market stall.|
|---|---|---|
|Investment policy and
objectives including any
social investment policy
adopted|Para 1.46||
|A description of the principal
risks facing the charity|Para 1.46|Difficulties created by the departure from
the European Union with regard to the
shipment of aid to Europe.
Dependency on CEO (trustee) for logistics
and day-to-dayrunningof charity.|
|Other|||
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## **Structure, Governance and Management**
|Description of charity’s
trusts:|||
|---|---|---|
|Type of governing document
(trust deed,royal charter)|Para 1.25|CIO foundation as registered on 20thJune
2016.|
|How is the charity
constituted?
(e.g unincorporated
association,CIO)|Para 1.25|CIO|
|Trustee selection methods
including details of any
constitutional provisions e.g.
election to post or name of
any person or body entitled
to appoint one or more
trustees|Para 1.25|Discussion amongst trustees and noted in
the trustee minutes that agreement had
been reached.|
|**Additional information (optional)**
You maychoose to include further statements where relevant about:|||
|Policies and procedures
adopted for the induction
and training of trustees|Para 1.51||
|The charity’s organisational
structure and any wider
network with which the
charity works|Para 1.51|The charity has a horizontal hierarchy. All
strategic decisions are discussed and
agreed by trustees.
The charity collaborates with and is part of
the Refugee Charity Network, which is a
national network of similar charities. The
aim is to pool resources and expertise and
to increase awareness of the plight and
needs of refugees and maximise
effectiveness of fundraisingand aid.|
|Relationship with any
related parties|Para 1.51||
|Other|||
## **Reference and Administrative details**
|Charityname|Herts for Refugees|
|---|---|
|Other name the charityuses||
|Registered charitynumber|1167716|
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|---|---|---|---|
||Charity’s principal address|178 Bishops Rise||
|||Hatfield||
|||Herts||
|||AL10 9QY||
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**Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity**
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20|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole**
**year**
**Nam**
**e of**
**pers**
**on**
**(or**
**bod**
**y)**
**entit**
**led**
**to**
**app**
**oint**
**trust**
**ee**
**(if**
**any)**|
|---|---|---|---|
||Laura Hussey|Chair of Trustees||
||
Angus Clark|CEO (day to day
operation of the
charity)||
||Sue Billington|Safeguardinglead||
||Helen Furse|Treasurer||
||Mark Lampert|Merchandising and
Salvage lead||
||Linda Hinds|||
||Salma Khanum||15thMarch 2021|
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Corporate trustees – names of the directors at the date the report was approved
**Director name**
Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity
**Trustee name Dates acted if not for whole year**
## **Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others**
Description of the assets held in this capacity Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets
## **Additional information (optional) Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**
|**Additional information (optional)**
**Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**|**Additional information (optional)**
**Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**|**Additional information (optional)**
**Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**|**Additional information (optional)**
**Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**|
|---|---|---|---|
|**Type of**
**adviser**
**Name**
**Address**||||
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|**Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)**||||
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## **Exemptions from disclosure**
Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details
## **Other optional information**
## **Declarations**
## **The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.**
**Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees**
**Signature(s)** L Hussey **Full name(s)** Laura Hussey **Position (eg Secretary,** Chair **Chair, etc)**
**Date** 10.1.22