Trustees’ Annual Report for the period
From 7 April 2024 Period start date To 6 April 2025 Period end date
Charity name: Kent Kindness
Charity registration number: 1167921
Objectives and Activities
| SORP reference | ||
|---|---|---|
| Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document |
Para 1.17 | Kent Kindness provides education In English language and customs to Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children, UASC, in Kent County Council, KCC, run Reception Centres in West Kent. Our lessons include customs and accepted behaviour, human rights, equality and diversity. |
| 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 |
The charity provides for the relief of children and young people who are unaccompanied asylum seekers and refugees, in particular by the provision of basic educational support including classes in English and life skills, and the provision of recreation and leisure time activities provided in the interest of social welfare, designed to improve their conditions of life. |
| Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit |
Para 1.18 | The Trustees have read the guidance from the Charity Commission and conform with it. |
Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
| SORP reference | ||
|---|---|---|
| Policy on grant making | Para 1.38 | Kent Kindness makes no grants to individuals. The charity uses its money to purchase textbooks to help us with our teaching and the UASC we teach are encouraged to keep these books to aid their language skills when they move into the community. We also purchase teaching aids |
| such as stationary. The charity also funds educational and extracurricular outings for the UASC to enhance their initial experiences in the UK. When funds allow the charity also purchases games for the UASC at the Reception Centres and clothing for the UASC. |
||
|---|---|---|
| Policy on social investment including program related investment |
Para 1.38 | The charity does not make social investments. |
| Contribution made by volunteers |
Para 1.38 | All of the Kent Kindness trustees are also volunteers. We currently have 9 trustees and 30 other volunteers. The trustees are led by the Chair and the Treasurer. All volunteers provide education to the UASC at the Reception Centres, some weekly and some fortnightly. The charity has a set of online teaching resources which volunteers can use and which they are encouraged to add to. |
| Other | N/A |
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 | Until November Kent Kindness was providing lessons on Mondays to Thursdays at the 2 Reception Centres in West Kent. These lessons were aimed at two levels of ability, Beginners and Intermediates, and were always very well received. Due to changes overseen by KCC these lessons were stopped in November, for 2 months. The changes were due to the opening of more Reception Centres throughout Kent and the employment of a Higher-Level Teaching Assistant, HLTA, at each Centre. This was partly because the Reception Centres were all Ofsted Registered and Ofsted expected teaching to be led by KCC employed staff. Much negotiation took place and gradually our volunteers were permitted to return to teaching, but only when there were enough boys in the 2 West Kent centres for |
everyone to teach. Eventually it was agreed the volunteers could teach on 2 mornings a week in the 2 Centres where we had taught all the resident UASC for 12+ years. To ensure some parity between all the Reception Centres in Kent the charity began to finance outings for UASC from all the Reception Centres plus the 2 Children’s Homes which had been opened.
Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
| Achievements against objectives set |
Para 1.41 | Due to the changes shown above the charity was struggling to provide education as per our aims. The staff and UASC were always grateful for those lessons we could provide but these were a lot fewer than our aims. The newly opened Centres were extremely grateful to be included in the charity’s offers of funded outings. These outings were a bonus to the UASC in residence at these Centres. |
|---|---|---|
| Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set |
Para 1.41 | Kent Kindness receives very generous donations from some local charities. We do not seek these donations, rather the charities find us via our website. Some of our volunteers and supporters also make monthly donations. These are sometimes requested via our Newsletter. These donations enable the charity to purchase the textbooks and teaching aids we use when teaching the UASC plus to offer outings for the UASC at all the Centres. These are our main aims. If we find we have what the treasurer considers are excess funds the charity contacts the Centres and offers to buy extra things for the UASC, such as Table Football games or Table Tennis Tables. |
| Investment performance against objectives |
Para 1.41 | The charity has no investments. |
Other NIA
Financial Review
| Financial Review | ||
|---|---|---|
| Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period |
Para 1.21 | Over the year the charity received some very generous donations from the local charities. This enabled the purchase of extra textbooks and extra outings for the UASC. |
| Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held |
Para 1.22 | The charity always holds a reserve so we can always purchase the textbooks which we consider are essential for our lessons. Education is the main aim of the charity. |
| Amount of reserves held | Para 1.22 | The charity always holds £5,000 in reserve. |
| 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 | The changes stated above about the opening of more Reception Centres and the employment of HLTAs is making the future of Kent Kindness less certain. |
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 | The charity’s chief source of funding is from 4 local charities, a local church and a local school. Other funds are from small Direct Debits set up by our volunteers and supporters. |
| Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted |
Para 1.46 | The charity has no investments |
| A description of the principal risks facing the charity |
Para 1.46 | The principal risk would relate to Safeguarding as all the UASC are classed as vulnerable. All volunteers undergo an Enhanced DBS check before they can enter a Reception Centre and the Centres keep a copy of everyone’s DBS Certificate and the charity receives annual checks on all our volunteers. Plus a KCC employed Support Worker is in all our lessons to oversee Safeguarding. Another risk could be misappropriation of funds. There has been no misappropriation of funds since Kent Kindness first began 12+ years ago. The trustees check all income and expenditure at our meetings which usually happen every second month. |
| N/A |
Other
Structure, Governance and Management
| Description of charity’s trusts: |
N/A | |
|---|---|---|
| Type of governing document (trust deed, royal charter) |
Para 1.25 | The charity runs according to its Governance and its Mandate |
| How is the charity constituted? (e.g unincorporated association, CIO) |
Para 1.25 | Kent Kindness is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, 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 | All trustees are elected annually at our AGM. Occasionally a volunteer may be invited to join as a Trustee, for example when a Trustee stands down. They will be voted in at a Trustees' Meeting and verified at the next AGM. |
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 | Trustees are selected for their previous knowledge which will include skills needed to benefit the charity. New trustees are expected to read our policies and online documents. |
| The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works |
Para 1.51 | The charity is run by its elected trustees with the aim to enhance the lives of the UASC we support, both by improving their English and their knowledge of British customs. The trustees also have to agree to the extracurricular outings we offer and any unusual purchase, such as a table football game or sports equipment. |
| Relationship with any related parties |
Para 1.51 | The charity spends the funds donated by local charities according to agreed expenditures. Currently these allow the charity to use all donated funds to purchase textbooks and teaching aids, funded outings and occasional extra purchases. |
| Other | N/A |
Reference and Administrative details
| Charity name | Kent Kindness |
|---|---|
| Other name the charity uses | N/A |
| Registered charity number | 1167921 |
| Charity’s principal address | Jubilee Cottage Frittenden Cranbrook Kent TN17 2EJ |
|---|---|
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 |
Trustee name | Office (if any) | Dates acted if not for whole year |
Nam e of pers on (or body ) entitl ed to appo int trust ee (if any) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jo Taylor | Chair | Wholeyear | ||
| Susan Roeder | Treasurer | Wholeyear | ||
| Henrietta King | Designated SafeguardingLead |
Whole year | ||
| Peter Braggins | Deputy SafeguardingLead |
Whole year | ||
| Lisa Norfolk | Minutes | Wholeyear | ||
| Mina McPhee | Newsletter distributer |
Whole year | ||
| Emma Griffin | Wholeyear | |||
| Viji Kumar | Wholeyear | |||
| Greer Harris | Wholeyear | |||
| 20 |
– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved
Director name None
Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity
| Trustee name | **Dates acted if not for whole year ** | |
|---|---|---|
| None | ||
Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others
| Description of the assets held in this capacity |
None |
|---|---|
| Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects |
N/A |
| Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets |
N/A |
Additional information (optional)
Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
| Type of adviser Name Address |
Type of adviser Name Address |
Type of adviser Name Address |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information) | |||
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) Susan Felicity Roeder Full name(s) Josephine Anne Taylor Position (eg Secretary, Chair Treasurer Chair, etc) ~~ee~~ Date 30 September 2025 ~~: ee PF~~
Registered Charity No. 1167921 Receipts and Payments Annual Accounts
07.04.24 – 06.04.25
| Total Receipts | Total Payments | Balance in Bank at 06.04.25 |
|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted funds: Local charities 23800 Other charities 1914 Schools 2100 Private donations 3667 General donations 740 Bank interest 441 Total receipts 32662 |
Total receipts 32662 1. Gifts 12434 2. Outings and recreation 6530 3. Books 5813 4. Stationery + teaching aids 585 5. PR 850 6. Ins, website, IT, Zoom, DBS 673 Payments 1-626885 |
25037 |
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF KENT KINDNESS (Charity No: 1167921) I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 6 April 2025. Responsibilities and basis of report As the trustees of the Charity 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 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all 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. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Andr w Thurburn FCA Andrew Thurburn & Co Chartered Accountants 38 Tamworth Road Croydon CRO 1XU 17 December 2025