## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period**
**From: 1st of April 2023 Period start date To: 31st March 2024 Period end date**
## **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,
Ukraine and neighbouring countries,
Lebanon 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|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..
Information sharing with local schools to
support their fundraising and learning with
regard to the refugees. Educational
activities relating to the wider refugee
situation globally.
Festival salvage program: During the
summer months, we work with large music
festivals to recover some of the enormous
amount of camping equipment that is
abandoned after the events have ended.
From May to August we collected from
festivals across England and in September,
we delivered around 5,000 tents and
sleeping bags to partner organisations in
northern France. The program is a major
logistical challenge and requires us to work
with festival organisers, partner
organisations in France and the UK and local
charities and support groups. We continue to
build these relationships and we are now the|
|||largest organisation collecting from some of
the festival sites. We rely heavily on
volunteers to help collect the equipment with
some events requiring over 100 people to do
the work. We work hard to engage the local
communities at each event which we see as
a great opportunity to help not just refugees
but also local groups and charities who
benefit from collecting for their own needs
while helping us. The impact on the
environment is also significant as the
thousands of items we collect would
otherwise go to landfill or be incinerated. We
estimate the number of refugees who benefit
from the equipment we provide to be
between 10,000 & 15,000. This is based on
feedback from our partners who distribute
the items. In winter, this aid can be
life-saving.
Volunteer trips: We make several trips to
Calais throughout the year with volunteers to
help them gain an understanding of the
reality of the situation for displaced people in
northern France. We work with partner
organisations such as Refugee Community
Kitchen, who provide hot food to people and
the Calais Woodyard, who process, pack
and supply firewood for warmth and cooking.
We feel it’s important for people to get a
‘hands-on’ experience as it provides the best
way to understand the situation and be
better able to help. The trips are very popular
and we have many people returning multiple
times.|
|---|---|---|
|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|We continue to be a charity run by trustees &
volunteers who take no salary.
Our volunteers are an invaluable part of our
team with a very large number helping at
festival salvage each summer.
We are also immensely grateful to the
people who give up their time to go to Calais
and Dunkirk to volunteer on the ground
there.
Our volunteers also contribute by:
● Sharing and building awareness
through social media
● Helping at in person
events
● Collecting donations
● Organising shipments to other
countries
● Developing and running fundraising
events
● Sorting donations prior to shipment
● Accounts
● Helping educate people on refugee
issues at school assemblies|
|---|---|---|
|Other|||
## **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|Despite challenging conditions due to the
cost of living crisis, with reduced donations
and volunteer numbers, we continued to
provide our core services.
● Came to an agreement with GAIN UK
to supply us with new training shoes
in bulk for a nominal amount,
enabling us to supply several refugee
support organisations in the UK and
France with hundreds of pairs of new
shoes.
● Expanded our festival salvage
operation to Leeds festival for the first
time and overall, collected 12.5
tonnes of camping equipment that
would otherwise have been disposed
of. The delivery to our partner
organisations in France required a 40
foot articulated truck & two 7.5 tonne
trucks. It was the largest single
delivery ever received and formed|
the bulk of winter stock, without which, vulnerable people would be left without shelter or warmth in winter. ● St Albans Cathedral invited us to their Community Showcase event to bring our work to the attention of the local community. ● We paid for the delivery of two full articulated trucks of aid to Ukraine. ● We collected two tonnes of gravy granules from a major UK food manufacturer. 250kg was delivered locally to a Foodbank who supports refugees, asylum seekers and local people in need in time for Christmas. The remainder was sent out to Ukraine. ● We organised several volunteer trips to France where people could work with Refugee Community Kitchen and other support organisations to better understand the reality of life for refugees in northern France.
It was a difficult year with an increasingly negative narrative around refugees in the media and from politicians. We continue to build on our efforts locally in schools to counter the negativity with facts and positive engagement. We believe this will be even more important going forward.
## **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 the period|Para 1.21|Opening balance: £8,634.33
Income during the year: £26,979.71
Spending during the year: £25,055.23
Closing balance: £10,558.81|
|Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held|Para 1.22|We retain funds in order to be able to
respond to emergency requirements. We
aim to keep a minimum of £5,000 in reserve.|
|
Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|
Closing balance at the end of the financial
year: £10,558.81. Well above the
parameters as set out above.|
|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|N/A|
## **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 directly to our bank account.
Birthday fundraisers on Facebook. A small
number of regular supporters pay nominal
amounts via monthly Direct Debit.
Fundraising activities – JustGiving
campaigns, St Albans Cathedral
-award from congregational giving fund.|
|---|---|---|
|Investment policy and
objectives including any
social investment policy
adopted|Para 1.46|N/A|
|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 continue to be problematic
and expensive to overcome.
The increasing cost of living crisis has
impacted greatly on donations and volunteer
availability.This also affects our partner
organisations who we deliver to and depend
on to distribute the aid we supply.
Finding enough volunteer time to run social
media sites, run campaigns, manage
volunteers.
The deliberate negative narrative
surrounding refugees and asylum seekers is
a growing threat thatmust be challenged. It|
impacts on every level, affecting donations and ability to deliver services. Other
## **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 20th June
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 may choose 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
fundraising and aid.|
|Relationship with any related
parties|Para 1.51|N/A|
|Other|||
## **Reference and Administrative details**
|Charity name|Herts for Refugees|
|---|---|
|
Other name the charity uses||
|Registered charity number|1167716|
|Charity’s principal address|178 Bishops Rise
Hatfield
Herts
AL10 9QY|
## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity**
|1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
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12
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15
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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)**|
|---|---|---|---|
||Angus Clark|CEO (day-to-day
runningof the charity||
||Susan Billington|Chair of Trustees &
SafeguardingLead||
||FelicityPike|||
||Mark Lampert|||
||Salma Khanum|||
||Helen Furse|||
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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)**
|**Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**|**Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**|**Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**|**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)**||||
||Angus Clark|||
## **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) Full name(s)** Susan Billington M.A. C.Q.S.W. Angus Clark ~~es~~ **Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc)** ~~————~~[Chair, Board of Trustees ] Chief Executive **Date** ~~Yl~~
## **- Herts for Refugees Income and Expense Statement to 31.03.24**
|Metro Bank
Paypal
**Total Bank Balance**
**Income**
Subscription
Donation
Campaign Donation
Other Income
**Total Income**
**Expenses**
Gift
Purchases
Expenses
Travel
Training
Rental
Insurance
Branded
Website
Marketing
Just Giving
Facebook
Bank Charge
Miscellaneous
General Currency Conversion
**Total Expenses**|**Opening Balance 01.04.23**
**Closing balance 31.03.24**|**Opening Balance 01.04.23**
**Closing balance 31.03.24**|
|---|---|---|
||8,535.11
10,538.81
99.22
20.00
**8,634.33**
**10,558.81**
**Movement in year**
**1,924.48**||
||1,057.00
6,829.60
19,078.11
15.00||
||26,979.71
14,404.87
115.62
7,555.22
715.12
0.00
142.64
647.94
176.00
0.00
67.99
216.00
10.00
89.23
914.60
0.00
25,055.23||
||**Total Income over Expenses**|**1,924.48**|
_**Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Herts for Refugees (Charity number 1167716)**_
_I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Herts for Refugees for the year ended 31 March 2024_
## _**Responsibilities and basis of report**_
_As the charity trustees of the Charity, Herts for Refugees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’)._
_I report in respect of my examination of the Charity’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 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:_
1. _accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or_
2. _the accounts do not accord with those records; or_
3. _the accounts do 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 and 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._
_Signed:_ Cotw2| _Name: Elizabeth Russell (CIMA) Address: Chouans Barn, Hawridge Lane, Bellingdon HP5 2XX Date:21.01.2025_