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2021-03-31-accounts

Report and Accounts of Bromley Borough Foodbank

For the period 1[st] April 2020 to 31[st] March 2021

c/o Orpington Baptist Church Station Road Orpington Kent BR6 0RZ www.bromleyborough.foodbank.org.uk

Registered Charity No. 1167961

Contents

Page
Chair of Trustees’ Report 3
Objectives and activities 5
Achievements and Covid-19 response 6
Event Pictures 9
Pandemic support from organisations 10
Strategic Alliances 11
Public benefit 13
Stories/Testimonies 14
Structure, governance, management 15
Trustee details 16
Financial review 17
Accounts 18
Independent examiner’s report 21

2

Chair of Trustees’ Statement

What a year! No-one, as we started our last year, thought that over a year later we would still be dealing with the effects of the Covid pandemic. If we had known, I wonder whether we would have panicked more than we did. As it was, at BBF we took matters one step at a time, adapting to the changing situation and Government regulations without taking much time to think where we would end up. Well, we have got through it all and it has forced change on us and other foodbanks which is likely to be beneficial long term.

We have become a lot more technical in the way we operate, with electronic vouchers rather than paper ones and increased use of IT equipment such as laptops, phones, tablets. For our volunteers this has been a significant development as it has meant learning new skills and thankfully, they have been keen to learn.

On top of all this, we had appointed a new Project Manager, Amanda Stone, just as the pandemic hit and to say she hit the road running would be an understatement. Amanda did not get the chance to see the foodbank operating in normal mode, but in a way this helped because she had no preconceived ideas about how things should be done. Trussell Trust as usual provided considerable support and gave us encouragement.

It has been a bit of a revelation to see the support we received from all around the Borough. Not just extra food and money but help in terms of drivers and new volunteers. Supermarkets were very generous in their allocation of food to us and many organisations that had not had any link to us before came up trumps. Whatever you think about Bromley Borough, I can confirm that people respond incredibly well to calls for help. Without this response, we could not have carried on with our service to our clients. So thank you Bromley!

The supermarkets donated tonnes of foodstuff that we were able to take with our large warehouse. This also meant we were able to pass large amounts to other food banks when we had sufficient surplus. We can assure you that no good food or other items were wasted.

A number of sole traders gave us monies they had earned through their work, children passed over their pocket money, people ran sponsored events and organisations put us to the top of their list of charity donations. Not to mention schools, Rotary Clubs, sports groups, shops and of course churches around the Borough.

The Trustees, Robin, Norman, Eileen and Andy had to take decisions without having a lot of information on which to act and having to meet virtually just made the situation more stressful. We were forced at times to move out of our comfort zone and a lot of learning went on. Contacts with other TT foodbanks also proved to be very valuable.

3

So there were some “ups”, rather more “downs”, and bad hair days, but everyone worked hard to keep the teams cheerful. Our volunteers, as always, worked hard although many of the older members were themselves having to isolate so they were not able to offer their usual service. Going the extra mile became the norm. We also had to close our distribution centres for most of the year and deliver by car to clients. This may sound OK but put a lot more stress on our teams and created a new requirement for drivers. So going back to having the centres open for receiving clients could not come soon enough.

The big sadness came in December when our Chair of Trustees, Robin Ware died suddenly. This hit us all as he had been there at the beginning of BBF and he was highly regarded in the foodbank networks. He was passionate about the aim of Trussell Trust to see a “Hunger Free Future”, by “creating a UK without the need for foodbanks”. The current trustees will hold his legacy dear.

We were delighted that the then Mayor of Bromley, Hannah Gray, was so supportive of our work and visited our warehouse to present Amanda with the Borough of Bromley’s Certificate of Commendation. Then in October, the MP for Orpington, Gareth Bacon, also visited our warehouse and recognised the unfortunate need for foodbanks and was thankful for the work of BBF. So we are not working in isolation.

What about the future? We have seen some big swings in the number of clients we serve but see an upward trend that we anticipate continuing for some time with the fallout from job losses and financial pressures. We are confident we are in a good position to meet the challenges ahead and at least we are more used to adapting to changing conditions. Developing communications and data handling, within the constraints GDPR, will be an important part of this and this signals a very interesting future.

A particular challenge in the new year is the move to a new warehouse, necessitated by the Council’s redevelopment of the current site location. There is some logistics work to make the move but the main challenge is the financial impact. The Council has been generous letting us use an empty building in the Stockwell Park complex free but our new warehouse is going to cost us some £30,000pa in lease fees. It was very difficult to find new premises and we were horrified by the costs involved, so we have taken a relatively small building on a long lease. Fortunately, the money raised over the past year gives us the ability to feel relatively secure as long as financial support for our work stays at a high level.

On behalf of my fellow Trustees, staff, volunteers and most importantly, our clients I want to thank all those within the Borough and beyond who continue to walk with us in our journey. It is absolutely true that we could not meet our objectives without you.

Simon Lees

Chair of Trustees & Accounts Manager

4

Objectives and Activities

Bromley Borough Foodbank (BBF) is formed and shaped by Christian principles, in response to Jesus’ command to “Love your neighbour as yourself” Math 22:39, and is linked to many churches in the Borough. It is a member of the Trussell Trust (TT) franchise that has as its vision “a UK without the need for foodbanks”, thus ending hunger resulting from poverty. BBF pursues this within the London Borough of Bromley.

Underpinning this vision is the BBF objective to relieve hardship amongst people in the Borough and surrounding area by, in particular, but not exclusively:

The charity’s affiliation to TT provides it with many tools, processes, supply sources and in addition, TT has developed strategic links to a variety of organisations that enables a wide range of grants to be made available. Critically, anonymous client information is sent to TT that enables it to build a date-base across the UK, which it uses to inform and challenge Government and Local Council policy.

The main activities that BBF undertakes include:

5

Achievements and Performance

In one sense, the dominant feature of this year has been the pandemic, Covid-19. Government regulations and specifically lockdowns necessitated a number of significant changes to the way we operate. Some of these were difficult to implement and quick decisions forced upon us created uncertainties for staff, volunteers and our clients. It was only through the commitment and long working hours of all involved that we were able to continue servicing our clients in a safe way. More on this is included in the Covid-19 section.

However, it would be better to highlight the plight of the many families who were suffering food poverty while caught in the restrictions caused by Covid-19. This had serious knock on effects for the availability of food supplies and the number of clients needing help.

We had recruited a new Project Manager in March 2020 and extended the role of the Schools Liaison Officer to cover Community Liaison. The resulting additional hours of paid staff provided a stronger team for managing and developing the activities of the foodbank. Alongside these staff, we have a wonderful large pool of volunteers who are willing to take on a varied range of tasks and are enthusiastic about our objectives.

In October, we took on 2 part-time interns to help with a significant increase in activity which would have been hard to cover with volunteers. We were delighted that we have been able to provide this sort of opportunity for these interns.

Clients continue to be so thankful for the service we provide, which not only carries them through difficult times but also can help them to see a way out of their problematic situation.

During the year, we fed around 6,600 people in the Borough with some 2,800 being children. About a third of the adults are single or single parents. These numbers are stark reminders of a problem that exists even within our local community and must not be ignored or swept under the table.

Furthermore, at harvest time, many schools, churches and other organisations gave very generously even though restrictions were in place that limited meetings. However, our traditional food collections outside Tesco at Christmas were cancelled because of the ongoing health situation but we were still able to supply Christmas hampers to over 500 families. The normal event of providing lunches during the summer holidays was another casualty of Covid–19m restrictions.

In total, we were able to give out about 132,000Kg of stock to families and also supply some 20,000Kg to other foodbanks due to our receiving large deliveries from various supermarkets.

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The reasons people visit foodbanks are very varied, including the universal credit system, mental health problems, dysfunctional families, homelessness and job loss. We provide the emergency supplies they need and through signposting to appropriate help agencies, try to improve their chances of moving to a more sustainable situation. Clients that visit us once they are back on their feet give us the reassurance that BBF does make a big difference.

Our volunteers who normally run the distribution centres and have the main contact with our clients, were not able to operate the centres but many were involved at the warehouse or delivering to clients. Clearly, without them the work of the foodbank would be greatly restricted. Clients come to us from over 150 referral agencies and when appropriate, send clients to them for help with underlying issues that have led to a food crisis. As most agents had their offices closed for the year, this activity was rather frustrated.

Covid-19 response

It started in the second half of March 2020, only 2 weeks after employing a new Project Manager who had to hit the road running. Suddenly all ways of working had to be revaluated and changes had to be made, often on a weekly basis. While this was a very stressful time, it is interesting to note that a number of the changes we had to make have actually strengthened us for the future.

Food distribution

Voucher system & referral agents

Volunteer database

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However, it now works well and can be accessed by volunteers to ensure their data is current and greatly improves our ability to react to new requirements.

Team organisation

Extra food deliveries

Incoming funds

Extra expenditure

Links to Citizen Advice Bureau

8

Event Pictures

Visit by Bromley Mayor, Hannah Gray, presenting the Borough of Bromley’s Certificate of Commendation to Amanda Stone, Project Manager - July 2020

Visit by the MP for Orpington, Gareth Bacon - October 2020

9

Organisations that helped/supported BBF during the Pandemic

Thousands of individuals regularly support our work by donating food or other supplies and money. During the worst periods of the pandemic, many more recognised the importance of what we do and got involved in a variety of ways. In addition, we link to dozens of member churches within the Borough which budget to fund our work and provide a conduit for food and other donations. Many were able to increase their commitment over the difficult Covid period even though they had their own problems to manage.

Such generosity was particularly important as the various lockdowns and restrictions that became necessary threatened to limit our effectiveness. Through campaigns and publicity of various kinds, the profile of the Trussell Trust Foodbanks was significantly enhanced and helped us to continue serving our clients when they most needed us.

Moreover, it was extremely encouraging that many companies and other organisations offered us real help through funds, extra food deliveries, free or reduced cost services and linking with us. Here is a list, and apologies to any that have been missed, of those that walked with us through the dark days of the pandemic.

Access Storage Anna Moody Photo Antonio Carluccio

Foundation Ardent Recruitment Bickley Park School Bromley & Sheppards Bromley College Bromley Lions Club Bromley Metal Bromley Scrap Cannon Cars Cernoch Energy Chislehurst & Sidcup School Claxton Associates Coppards Crofton Bakery Crofton Residents Deva Yoga Explosive Alan

Faulkner House Forsters solicitors Harris Academy Hayes Conference Howdens Joinery Ipipeline TCP Keniston Housing Kurios Integrated KY Wells Ltd London Resea Lund Trust Maidstone Pallet

Company Masonic Charity Maurice Fry Morrisons National Education Union Nexus Education SC Norris Skips NW Kent Graduate Women

Octopus Energy Orpington FC PRA Group Property World Rotary Beckenham Rotary Chislehurst Rotary Crofton Rotary Langley Park Rotary Orpington Rotary Ravensbourne Rotary West Wickham SafeStore

Soroptimist Tangent Club Tesco The Grand Charity The Reinventory Co TKMaxx Waitrose West Midlands Crate and Dolly Company

10

Strategic Alliances

BBF does not operate in isolation. Over the years we have forged relationships with various organisations to support our work and particularly provide direct help to our clients. Three particular such links are with The Citizens’ Advise Bureau, The Fuel Bank and Christians Against Poverty.

The Citizens’ Advise Bureau (CAB) is a long established public body that is able to work alongside people to help them understand how to access appropriate help and in many cases, extra funds. They give people the knowledge and confidence they need to find their way forward - whoever they are, and whatever their problem. This national charity and network of local charities offer confidential advice online, over the phone, and in person, all for free.

We have always used CAB as a referral agent as they are a focal point for many in difficulties. In 2020, we agreed to fund the secondment of a full time CAB employee who is available to our clients for advice. During lockdown this has mainly been via telephone contact but the intention is this will involve CAB being located at our distribution centres once they reopen. Clients will then be able to be put in contact with this representative when they visit to receive their food supplies.

Since this secondment began, CAB has worked with 84 clients and helped them gain over £22,000 in income or reduced debt. These clients represent a wide range of circumstances and ages, most with unsupportable debts.

An illustrative case study:

A client came to Citizens Advice via Bromley Borough foodbank – a direct referral. He had used foodbanks previously; in fact a 3rd time in a 6- month period. He had a full time that he lost after the first lockdown in 2020 and has had irregular work since then. While on Universal Credit, he has been struggling, partly as home schooling had resulted in higher energy consumption.

He was issued with a food and fuel voucher as well as information on Council Tax Support that he would be eligible for but had not made a claim. He was also advised about applying for school dinner assistance for when his children went back to school; which he applied for and received.

The client was empowered to request suspension of car finance payments until his income increased, and the lease company granted this. He cancelled his broadband service as he was paying excess amounts per month for this, but still being in contract, he was empowered to request this early cancellation and it was granted. He was informed about the fact that grants for energy and water are available and

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that he could apply for these. Finally, he was also given information on doing a benefits check to ensure all financial support available was being received.

The client was very grateful for the food and fuel vouchers and was left feeling better about the family’s situation and felt encouraged to contact both the loan company and broadband provider to request relief. He was pleased that assistance with school meals for the children was granted. Overall he was feeling much better about their situation and had made contact with an agency about some work which was looking very promising. He felt that things were improving.

As follow up he was made aware of Bromley Well’s number for additional help if required and he thanked the advisor for holistic advice, guidance and support and found the service invaluable.

The Fuel Bank is a relatively new organisation and probably not that well known. It has as its vision “a UK where everyone has access to energy for heating and eating.” The Foundation was set up to develop sustainable solutions to support homes in fuel crisis, unable to top up their prepayment meters. Fuel Bank is currently available in selected foodbanks and advice agencies across Great Britain and provides a top up voucher that provides approximately two weeks’ worth of fuel to clients who use a prepayment meter to heat their home and to cook with , and who have been deemed as in crisis need by an independent referrer.

Many of the families seeking help from foodbanks are often also in fuel crisis and have to make the choice between heating or eating. People shouldn’t have to make this choice and this is why the Fuel Bank movement was set up.

In 2020, BBF agreed an alliance with the Fuel Bank whereby vouchers are given to clients who are in fuel crisis and they can then receive the necessary help. So far, 64 vouchers have been approved and this means 64 families did not have to manage without heating. In support of this BBF has committed to providing funds to the Fuel Bank. In order to be able to do this we have been able to use a grant made by DEFRA.

Christians’ Against Poverty (CAP) is a national network of local groups that work with people in debt and has been providing free professional debt help through local churches since 1996. CAP also runs community groups offering help with money management, life skills, breaking habits and finding work. Thousands become debt free every year through the services of CAP and many more empowered to move forward in life. As many in food poverty are there because of pressures of debt, it has been strategically important for BBF to link with the local CAP group, London Bromley, and at the same time CAP operates as a referral agent for BBF. This is an important part of signposting by the foodbank to ensure clients have a route out of food poverty.

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Public benefit

The Borough of Bromley is relatively wealthy; however, there still exists a significant number of people and families within the Borough who are in need of emergency supplies of food and other essential items. Analysis shows that the main causes of this are low income, benefit delays & changes, debt, no recourse to public funds and sickness. During 2020 the pandemic helped to raise the profile of foodbanks as the public saw for themselves how people could be suddenly put in a position of need. They also observed the failure of national governments and local councils to respond sufficiently. Without foodbanks such as BBF there would be no help for those finding themselves in food poverty, a direct consequence of financial poverty.

The BBF centres are set up to provide a whole range of food items and other supplies that are carefully packaged into appropriate parcels. There are standards that specify the best mix of foods to provide nutritious meals for individuals and families of different sizes. These take account of dietary needs as well as ages and number of children. In addition, various household goods are provided where needed to help with hygiene.

All the items distributed by BBF are donated by a wide range of individuals and organisations around the Borough. These donors and others often also make financial gifts to ensure BBF is financially secure. In addition, various grants are available from grant organisations or others, e.g. supermarkets.

Provisions are only given out on the basis of foodbank vouchers which, in order to provide the most appropriate help, are obtained from local agencies. If the agent feels someone is struggling to put food on the table due to financial hardship, they will issue them with a foodbank voucher. The local agency can also provide long-term support if needed to help address some of the issues behind the reasons for the crisis.

BBF works with a number of different agencies, such as Citizens Advice, children’s centres, housing associations, Christians Against Poverty, schools, social services, Hestia, health visitors and many others. They help identify the cause of the crisis, offering practical guidance and allow BBF to prepare suitable emergency food for the right number of people.

We also support a Community Fridge organisation in the Borough that is able to give out foodstuffs, not part of our remit, eg fresh fruit or vegetable.

We were delighted by the enthusiasm for our work shown by the current Mayor of Bromley, who has visited our warehouse and been an encouragement to our teams.

From this, it is clear that the BBF is providing extremely valuable public benefits.

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Stories/Testimonies

“I lost my job in September and have now got to the point where I'm on my last legs so I rang Bromley Foodbank. Within a couple of days I had three big bags of food delivered by a lovely, smiley man which included porridge, tins of soup/vegetables/fruit/rice pudding, a box of tea, some toothpaste etc. and there was even a little box of Celebrations and a packet of chocolate digestives - my fave! I was so happy - it felt like Christmas! The people I spoke to on the phone and via e-mail were so very kind and helpful and it was so easy to arrange so thank you again, very much." – from client helped in Feb 2021

“Bromley Foodbank has literally been my lifeline since the pandemic started, having three young children and not working has hit us all hard like many families. All the staff are very efficient and helpful. Received the food parcel, which was amazing my kids thought Christmas has come early seeing the cupboards full. Also, some weeks I can manage to fill the cupboards but never have enough to top the gas and electric up, the fuel voucher scheme is soo good. It helps me so much and it’s one less worry at the moment. Can’t praise this system enough!!” – from client helped in March 2021

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Matt from Citizens Advice Bromley has been superb. I’m totally overwhelmed with the food parcel. I was expecting one bag. I got four. The Christmas hamper is divine. I now have stuffing, pickles and even chocolate treats for Christmas day. Nearly everything is items I would buy myself and needed. It will keep me going into the New Year. To everyone involved, my sincere thanks.” – from client who received a Christmas hamper in 2020

“My 18-year-old son lives in a semi-independent accommodation as he is on the autistic spectrum with adhd. He is in receipt of universal credit and this isn’t a lot to live on and tough to budget for. It was a week before my son’s next payment and he had run out of funds and food 4 days prior, I too was struggling. I reached out to the food bank, with anticipation, and embarrassment that I could not help my son.

I will never forget the response from Holly; friendly, helpful, non-judgemental, she was lovely and all my worries changed to relief, she quickly arranged a call to my son. The lady he spoke to could not have been better at speaking to Joe and he too was happy. Later that day the most wonderful food package was delivered, Joe sent me a photo and was over the moon and I was genuinely touched by the thoughtfulness; toilet roll, toothpaste, some Nutella and some treats as well as lots of things to make meals, the things that make you feel human not someone who is begging for food, I felt that this was recognised. I think the biggest thing I can say is the dignity that we experienced meant a lot.” – from client helped in March 2021

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Structure, Governance and Management

Bromley Borough Foodbank is governed by an agreed governance document and overseen by 6 Trustees.

It is part of a nationwide franchise network of foodbanks operating under the umbrella of the Trussell Trust.

There were 4 distribution centres operating within the Borough and run by the BBF:

Central Orpington Anerley The Goodmead Centre Christ Church 36 Chislehurst Rd Anerley Road Orpington SE20 8ER BR6 0DG

Orpington Central Bromley Oak Community Church United Reformed Church 345 Chipperfield Road Widmore Road St Paul’s Cray Bromley BR5 2LJ BR1 1RY

All these facilities are offered to BBF cost free.

In addition, a warehouse is operated from a Council owned building in the Stockwell Centre in Bromley (provided free), which is used to collect donated goods that are then weighed and recorded. This warehouse distributes items to the 4 distribution centres and is now a key part of our operations. We have enjoyed the use of this facility on a relatively short lease, although this has been extended a couple of times. However, we know we will have to vacate it in mid-2021, so have been seeking a new site which will not be free of charge.

2 self-storage units are used for long dated stock and supplied to BBF for free.

BBF operates with a salaried Project Manager and a part time Community Liaison Officer as well as using the services of a warehouse contractor. For support during the pandemic 2 interns were contracted part time to cover a range of necessary developments. In addition, there are many volunteers who run the various distribution centres and warehouse.

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Trustees Details

Mr Robin Ware – Chairman, sadly died in December 2020

Rev Norman Dix

Mrs Eileen Childs

Mr Andy Clare

Andy Clare has a focus for the warehouse.

Eileen Childs manages the Orpington Centre.

New trustees are being sought and should be appointed in April 2021.

New Trustees are provided with information about UK foodbanks, the Trussell Trust that supports BBF and introduced to the various BBF distribution centres and warehouse. They are made aware of any legislation that is relevant to charities and foodbanks, including training where appropriate. Trussell trust provides a wide range of documentation relevant to trustees’ responsibilities. There is no requirement for the Trustees to have DBS checks.

No trustee has received any remuneration or benefit from their position within the charity.

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Financial Review

It is amazing how the local population responded to the call for help once the pandemic became established. Indeed, the first call went out just at the end of the last financial period and immediately we started to see the number of donations increase rapidly. Some months we received over 300 donations on top of our regular contributors. Accompanying the donations, we also received messages of hope and encouragement.

Especially moving were a number of people donating from their personal businesses and even children collecting sponsorship. Businesses and charitable organisations were also extremely generous, responding to increased publicity for foodbanks, in some cases their donations amounted to £000s. With this level of income we ended the year with a bank balance of some £465,00O, something we could not have imagined a year ago.

This has put us in a position where we are able to cover not only the general running costs of BBF but also purchases of items that become in short supply. It has in addition enabled us to set up a separate fund in anticipation of the need to begin paying substantial rent on a new warehouse when we are obliged to vacate our current premises. As we expect the effects of Covid–19 will play out over a long period and create many more families unable to afford food, being secure in a warehouse will be a critical element of our future operations.

TT continued to make available some generous grants in partnership with a variety organisations and we were successful in acquiring funds through this route. While we cannot rely on grants for general running costs as they are not guaranteed for the future, we understand there will be considerable amounts for the foreseeable future.

The number of regular, monthly donations stands at about 150, a big increase over the previous year, and we expect this to continue although some donors might need to review their giving. Churches around the borough were also very generous at a time when they themselves were going through a hard time with no physical services and therefore few opportunities to collect offerings. We have expanded the number of channels available for funding and this has made it easier for the public to support our work.

Gift aid was claimed on all giving by individuals who have provided a confirmation of their appropriate tax situation and we claimed under the Government’s small gifts scheme. Many who provided one-off donations for the first time during the year didn’t make any gift aid declarations so we may not have captured as much tax refund as might be possible.

The main operating costs relate to the Project Manager, the Community Liaison Officer and the contract with the warehouse manager. We had to spend various amounts to ensure the safety of our staff during the Covid-19 pandemic as well as some electronic equipment, laptops and phones in order to improve communications among our staff and volunteers.

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Receipts and Payments Accounts

For the period from 1st April 2020 to 31st March 2021

note
Receipts
Donations
1
Gift Aid
2
Church funding
3
Grants
4
Fund raising
Sub total
Payments
Staff
Contractor
5
Vehicle costs
7
Other
8
Sub total		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
£
£
307,589 1250
44,762
0
24,348
0
48,713
52,147
742
0		 Total funds
£
308,839
44,762
24,348
100,860
742
479,551
52,647
16,606
2,428
27,045
98,726		 Last year
£
67,933
5,206
10,351
19,431
1,110
426,154
53,397
45,040
7,607
16,606
0
2,428
0
26,295
750		 104,031
28,761
14,630
3,245
16,462
90,369
8,357		 63,098
Net of receipts/
(payments)		 335,786
45,040		 380,825 40,933
Opening cash funds
Closing cash funds		 77,433
7,738
413,218
52,778		 85,171
465,996		 52,498
85,171

Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period

Cash funds Bank 465,996 Total Cash 465,996

Signed on behalf of the trustees Signature

Date of approval

Mr S Lees

17[th ] September 2021

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Accounting Policies

a) Basis of preparation. The accounts have been prepared on a Cash Receipts and Payments basis.

b) Grants receivable. Grant monies are only included once the funds have been received. Where grants given are linked to specific activities or expenditure, they are accounted for as Restricted Funds.

c) Fixed assets. The charity does not hold any material fixed assets.

d) Reserves targets. The general reserve level has been uplifted to £20,000 in recognition of increased commitments for staff and contractual charges. This policy will be kept under review.

e) Warehouse Lease Fund. In anticipation of a need to lease a new warehouse facility in early 2021 as our current location is due for redevelopment, we have set up a new Fund. We are likely to have to commit to 5 years rental for the new warehouse at a cost of about £30,000 per annum. To be prudent we have set this new fund at a level of £150,000.

Notes to the Accounts

  1. Individual donations, some from companies, increased very significantly when Covid19 became a pandemic and continued to grow throughout the year. The number of regular donors went up from some 70 to 130 while we received gifts from over 240 people. In addition, many organisations donated funds ranging from £10s to £10,000, in a lot of cases companies which had not been involved with BBF before.

  2. Gift aid has been claimed for everyone who has confirmed their eligibility for such tax refunds as well as anonymous gifts under the HRMC small gift scheme. The big increase over last year reflected the large increase of individual donations.

  3. Church funding remains an important underpinning of our activities, with levels of support growing during the year despite many churches suffering loss of income due to their forced closure due to Covid-19.

  4. A number of grants were received during the year. Through Trussell Trust we received £29,206 toward funding a CAB secondee and £15,000 for use against expenditure on our new warehouse. ASDA gave their 2[nd] year contribution to cover some staff costs. A DEFRA grant of £41,000 was obtained as a non-restricted contribution.

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  1. We covered a full year’s cost of a Project Manager, a Community Liaison Officer and 2 part time interns.

  2. Various purchases were made during the year, mainly in relation to protection from Covid-19 plus £4,000 for new storage crates.

  3. Our closing funds show a very substantial increase over the previous year and means we are in a secure position as we move forward, especially as it is expected that donations are likely to be affected by the ongoing economic situation.

Benefits not included in the financial report.

-Some 80 volunteers undertook 4 hours per week free of charge providing a benefit of at least £160,000.

-Various premises were again provided free of charge to be used as distribution centres and this is a further benefit of at least £15,000.

-Generally, all items given out to clients are donated free to the Foodbank, although occasionally emergency purchases are undertaken. During the year, 132,000Kgs were distributed with an assumed value of £230,000.

Restricted funds - £

Restricted funds - £
Opening Incoming Outgoing Closing
Strategic facilities 0 15,000
0		 15,000
TT CAB support 0 29,206 0 29,206
ASDA
 7,608 7,942 7,608 7,942
Soroptomists
 0 750 750 0
Rotary Club 0 500 0 500
LDF
 130 0 0 130

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l ￿pOrt on the accounts of the Bromley Borough Foodbank for the year ended 31° March 2021. The charlty's trustees are responslble for the preparation of the accounts. The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not requlred for this year (under settlon 43 (2) of the Charities Art Ithe 1993 Att) and that an independent examlnatlon Is needed. It 15 my responsibility to Examine the accounts (under settlon 43 (3) {a) of the 1993 Act). To follow procedure laid down in the General Dlrections glven by the Charity Commi55ion (under section 43 {7) (b) of the 1993 Artl,. and To state whether particular matters have come to my attention. My examlnatlon was carded out in accordance with the General Direttions given by the Charlty Commission. An examination Includes a revlew of the accounting records kept by the chority and a comparison of the aCCOL¢nts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual Items or dlsclosures in the accounts, and seeklng explanatlons from you as trustees Con￿rning any such matters. The procedure5 undertaken Oo not provide all the eviden￿ that would be required in an audit, and conseouently I do not express an audlt opinlon on the vlew given by the accounts. In connectlon wlth my examination, no matter has come to my attention.. l. which give5 me reasonable cause to belleve that any material respert the requirements to keep accounting ￿cordS In accordance with section 41 of the 1993 Act, and to prepare accounts whlch accord with the accounting records and comply wlth the accounting requirements of the 1993 Att have not been met, or 2. to which, In my oplnion, attention should be drawn In order to enable a proper understandlng of the accounts to be reached. Slgned: Name.. Catherine Emma Gower Melia Non-serving Elder, The Temple Unlted Reformed Church, Hlgh Street, St Mary Cray, Kent, BR5 4AX Address.. 34 Lee Church Street Lewlsham London SE13 5SF Date.. IO. August 2021 21