2022-03-31-accounts

Report and Accounts of Bromley Borough Foodbank

For the period 1[st] April 2021 to 31[st] March 2022

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 & performance	6
Strategic Alliances	7
Public benefit	8
Newspaper articles	9
Structure, governance, management	10
Trustee details	11
Financial review	12
Accounts	13
Independent examiner’s report	16

2

Chair of Trustees’ Statement

Did you know there are some 4-5,000 foodbanks in the UK, with about 1,400 being part of the Trussell Trust (TT) franchise? To use some words from a recent Prime Minister, Liz Truss “this is disgraceful”. The vision of TT, which we fully support, is a UK without the need for foodbanks. How are we at BBF helping to achieve this?

We believe that the TT way of operating is far better than just providing a source of free food. So what makes Bromley Borough Foodbank (BBF) and other TT foodbanks special? We describe ourselves as “a community led charity, helping local people to get back on their feet and improve their financial independence”. Of course, we are passionate about helping those in food poverty and providing them with suitable food items. From the Bible, James 2: 15/16 ‘If you know someone who doesn’t have any clothes or food, you shouldn’t just say “I hope all goes well for you. I hope you will be warm and have plenty to eat” what good is it to say this, unless you do something to help’.

However, we do not want people to be left reliant all the time on charity. It is much better to help them access all the different forms of assistance available to them, including benefits, job opportunities, mental health assistance etc. This helps them help themselves. This why we have a close relationship with CAB, Bromley Well and other key help agencies.

What we also hope is that people recognise that bringing families out of food poverty actually generates value to society in many ways, including reduced use of medical and mental health facilities.

Looking back over the last year, we saw that during the second year of the pandemic we began to experience a certain amount of stability in our operations but by no means, business as usual. It was not really until towards the end of the year that we could say all our activities were working as normal. A sigh of relief. We then had the task of moving to our new warehouse, which was welcome, as we have found a good home for the next few years.

And , we have made changes to our teams. A whole new Trustee Board, new staff including a new Operations Coordinator and Volunteer Coordinator and many additions to our pool of eager volunteers. Such a regeneration has both benefits and stresses but we are getting there.

Now , with all the economic pressures that we face over the next year or so, we are exploring ways we should develop and change how we support clients. Is the model we have followed over the last years still the best or are there new opportunities? In particular, we were very fortunate to receive a big boost to our funds over the pandemic period and we want to ensure we use these monies wisely and effectively. We need to be ready to accept and embrace new paradigms.

3

And lastly , the people of Bromley Borough continue to surprise and delight us with their generosity from the very young to the not so young. Donations of food, other products, money and time give us real encouragement.

In conclusion, my thanks go out to all who work for, within, around and in support of BBF. If it wasn’t for you, there would many 000’s of hungry and despondent people and families around with little help to become financially independent.

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. Underpinning this vision is the BBF objective, within the Borough of Bromley, to relieve hardship amongst people by, in particular, but not exclusively:

• a) Providing emergency food and essential toiletries to individuals and families in need;

• b) Using such other means including the provision of support or signposting to relevant information and other advisory services supported by the churches in the Borough.

The clear aim of b) is to move our clients away from the need to use the services of a foodbank. We see this as fundamental to all we do.

The charity’s affiliation to TT provides it with many tools, 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 so it can build a database across the UK in order to inform and challenge Government policy.

The main activities of BBF include:

• Running a number of distribution centres which are opened at different times during the week depending on the availability of the premises and volunteers

• Operating a warehouse for collecting, recording, sorting and organising distribution to the various centres

• Ensuring the supplies given out are appropriate to the people receiving them

• Linking with agencies which are entrusted to provide food vouchers to clients

• Working with schools which recommend families needing BBF support

• Liaising with supermarkets which provide food or financial support

• Developing relationships with churches and schools which commit to providing harvest festival supplies to the foodbank

• Gaining funding through presentations to a range of organisations, making collections, applying for grants and running fund raising events

5

Achievements and Performance

How do you measure the success of BBF?

Is it the number of people for whom we have provided food packages? If so, the number was 6,500.

Is it the amount of goods we have given out? If so, the number was 96 tonnes.

If it is the number of hours our volunteers have given to help our clients? If so, it was 13,000.

Is it our ability to stir up donors to give products and funds? If so, we received over 100 tonnes of product and £200,000.

What we really want to see is the number of clients reduce because they have managed to move into a situation where they no longer need our services. Unfortunately, this has not been achieved as we are seeing the number of clients increase.

So what has been happening to create this situation? Interestingly, as time has gone on, the issues around the roll out of Universal Credit have begun to recede as the process beds down. What has happened however, is that clients are finding that UC just doesn’t provide enough funding for families and so they are suffering from low levels of income. At the same time, the number of people in employment who earn very small amounts has risen, often due to zero-hours contracts or poor wage levels. Low income is fast becoming the main reason for the need for our services.

This is a challenge to the Government, the local Council and Society as a whole. Unless society takes note of the unacceptability of having people in work or on benefits being unable to afford basic living costs, there will be insufficient pressure on central and regional governments. BBF plays a role in this by engaging locally in an appropriate way and providing data to TT that can then educate central government on the extent of the problem.

We will continue to do all we can to meet the immediate needs of our clients as well as signposting them to other help agencies, often CAB but also other agencies such as MIND. A prime part of this is the strength of our staff team, the enthusiasm of our volunteer force and the skills of the Trustee board. When it comes down to it, it’s our people that are key to the success of our organisation.

6

Strategic Alliances

Our strategic alliance partners continue to play a critical role in our ability to provide our clients with more than just food. They help us to provide direct help to our clients, with the main links being; The Citizens’ Advise Bureau in conjunction with Bromley Well and The Fuel Bank.

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. It gives 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 offers confidential advice all 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.

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.

We also link to debt recovery agents where appropriate, although this is usually managed through CAB.

7

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 changes, debt, no recourse to public funds and sickness. Much of this situation could be alleviated if national governments and local councils saw this as a priority and responded appropiately. 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, 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.

If we receive fresh fruit or vegetable, which we are unable to store, we can pass these items onto other food agencies.

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

8

Newspaper Articles

BBF appeared in a number of newspaper articles highlighting the challenges and successes of foodbanks across the UK. One such article appeared in the London News online - extract

Ukrainian refugee who fled war with three children now volunteering at food bank

A Ukrainian woman forced to flee her country with young children is now a regular volunteer at BBF, which supported her family when they first arrived in South London.

She arrived in the UK with her husband, two young daughters and stepson to live with extended family in Orpington. With no means to support themselves in the UK, she sought out the nearest branch of the BBF and received an emergency food parcel to help feed her young family.

On that first visit, she offered her services as a volunteer, just weeks after arriving in the UK. She saw it as a way to improve her English and give back to the community that, she says, has been so welcoming. “Lots of people have helped us – they really have been unbelievably supportive – so this was my opportunity to do something in return,” she said.

She is able to act as an interpreter for other Ukrainian refugees and is in an ideal position to advise them, having arrived in the UK so recently herself. There are a number of Ukrainian refugees in the Bromley area so this is a valuable service.

The family are eligible for Universal Credit, which means that they only had to resort to using the foodbank once when they first arrived in Orpington.

The couple made the decision to flee when Russian troops came within 1km of their home. It took more than 12 hours to reach Poland on a packed train. As soon as the war ends, it is their intention to go back to Ukraine, although they have no idea when that might be. All three children have settled well in Bromley schools despite the language barrier.

9

Structure, Governance and Management

Bromley Borough Foodbank is governed by an agreed governance document and overseen by 5 Trustees.

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

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

Central Orpington Penge Unit 7-9 The Salvation Army Walnuts Shopping Centre 172-176 Maple Road Orpington High Street London Orpington SE20 8JB BR6 0TW

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 premises in Ashgrove Industrial Estate, Bromley, which is leased to us. It is used to collect donated goods that are then weighed and recorded. This warehouse distributes items to the 4 distribution centres and is a key part of our operations. To facilitate this, we run a delivery van.

We also have access to the basement of the old Orpington Library, which is used for storing long dated stock.

BBF operates with a salaried Chief Operating Officer, 2 Warehouse Coordinators, Operations Coordinator and Volunteer Coordinator. Some of these roles are part time. In addition, there are over 120 volunteers who run the various distribution centres and work within the warehouse.

Early in 2022 we introduced a new Trustee Sub-Committee structure in order to expedite decision making where trustees are involved and provide a clear framework for the Chief Operating Officer to work within.

10

Trustees Details

Mr Simon Lees – chair

Mr Stephen Walsh – secretary

Mr Duncan Aitkins

Mr Toby Reid

Mrs Jasmin Sen – from March 2022

Mrs Basak Aziz – from March 2022

Mrs Eileen Childs – until March 2022

Mr Andy Clare – until October 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.

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

The Trustee Board meets every 2 months and is supported by, as Minute Secretary, Andy Goddard.

11

Financial Review

Despite the continuation of the pandemic, the people of the Borough maintained their support for BBF and this meant we were able to cover all our cost and still save some money for future use. In fact, we ended the year with £567,000 in the bank, which is a great position to be in as the financial outlook for 2022/23 is deteriorating. We anticipate a reduction in donations, whereas much of our expenditure is fixed, or at least driven by the number and complexity of client needs. Having a good level of reserve secures our ability to serve our clients for as long as we are needed.

With this healthy funds position, we recognised that the FCA regulations only protects bank holdings up to £85,000. Therefore, we investigated a strategy for providing protection for our current cash holdings, while offering some interest. To this end, we contracted with Flagstone, an FCA regulated organisation that facilitates splitting funds into smaller amounts, located in individual bank accounts. It also offers interest that more than covers their fees. This contract began towards the end of the financial year so only £90,000 had been managed this way by the end of the financial year.

TT continued to make available some generous grants in partnership with a variety of 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 are likely to be a regular range of grants available for the foreseeable future and we will bid for these when appropriate.

Gift aid remains an important funding resource and we always encourage donors to fill in a Gift Aid declaration no matter which channel they use to send funds to us.

The main operating costs relate to the employment of the salaried staff plus the long-term commitment for the warehouse lease costs, which we need to keep in mind when we allocate funds. We have taken the opportunity to upgrade a number of pieces of equipment, including IT items, so we can work more efficiently and effectively in supporting our clients.

12

Receipts and Payments Accounts

For the period from 1st April 2021 to 31st March 2022

note Receipts Donations 1 Gift Aid 2 Church funding 3 Grants 4 Fund raising Sub total Payments Staff Contractor 5 Vehicle costs Property 6 CAB secondment 7 Other 8 Sub total	Unrestricted funds Restricted funds £ £ 186,027 0 25,830 0 10,747 0 14,372 65,140 492 0	Unrestricted funds Restricted funds £ £ 186,027 0 25,830 0 10,747 0 14,372 65,140 492 0	Total funds £ 186,027 25,830 10,747 79,512 492 302,608 62,500 6,758 4,434 36,002 45,393 46,269 201,356	Last year £ 308,839 44,762 24,348 100,860 742
	237,468 65,140 45,492 17,008 6,758 0 4,434 0 13,780 22,222 7,074 38,319 46,269 0			479,551 52,647 16,606 2,428 0 0 27,045
	123,807 77,549			98,726
Net of receipts/ (payments)	113,661 -12,409		101,252	380,825
Opening cash funds 413,218 52,778 Closing cash funds 526,879 40,369 Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Cash funds Banks NatWest 477,248 Barclays 90,000 Total Cash 567,248			465,996 567,248	85,171 465,996
		567,248

• No guarantees have been given whereby any potential liability is outstanding

• There are no debts outstanding secured by an express charge on assets

Mr S Lees

14[th] September 2022

13

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 £60,000 in recognition of advice from Trussell Trust and also Charity Commission expectations. This policy will be kept under review. £5,000 has also being set aside for a future vehicle purchase.

e) Warehouse Lease Fund. We are committed for a minimum of 5 years rental for the new warehouse at a cost of about £30,000 per annum. Acting prudently, we have set a reserve of £150,000 to cover this 5 year period.

Notes to the Accounts

1. Individual donations, some from companies, have maintained at a high level although down on the extraordinary giving during the height of the pandemic. The number of regular donors, both as standing orders and online giving, is close to 300 per month.

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 and reflects the general level of donations.

3. Church funding remains an important underpinning of our activities but there has been a fall off, mainly we believe, as churches have suffered reduced levels of giving.

4. A number of grants were received during the year. Through Trussell Trust we received £30,353 as further funding for a CAB secondee, £15,000 for use against expenditure on our new warehouse and £19,787 to help pay for our newly appointed Volunteers’ Coordinator and mental health training for volunteers.

5. The contractor position has now converted to a staff member.

6. Property costs relate to the new warehouse lease payments and a number of items that had to be purchased to ready the building for operations.

14

1. A member of the Citizen’s Advice Bureau has been seconded to work in our centres, ready to engage directly with clients as needed. This has proved extremely valuable and we have secured funds from TT in order to support this work.

2. The main areas of expenditure included in the “other” category are; fuel & Christmas vouchers, centre rental, IT equipment, warehouse lift, new boiler, crates, set up costs.

Benefits not included in the financial report.

-Some 80 volunteers undertook 4 hours per week free of charge providing a benefit of at least £180,000.

-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, 96,000Kgs of food were distributed with an assumed value of £180,000.

Restricted funds - £

Restricted funds - £
	Opening	Incoming	Outgoing	Closing
Strategic facilities	15,000	15,000	22,222	7,778
TT CAB support	29,206	30,353	38,319	21,240
TT Volunteers support	0	19,787	9,066	10,721
ASDA	7,941	0	7,941	0
Rotary Club	500	0	0	500
LDF	130	0	0	130

15

I report on the accounts of the Bromley 8orough Foodbank for the year ended 31" March 2022. The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity's trustees consider that an audSt Is not required for this year (under section 43 (2) of the Charities Act (the 1993 Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to Examlne the accounts (under sertion 43 13) (a) of the 1993 Act). To follow procedure laid down in the General Direttions given by the Charity Commission (under section 43 17) Ib) of the 1993 Att}. and To state whether particular matters have come to my attention. My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Direth"ons given by the Charity Commission. An examination indudes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disdosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concernlng any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audlt opinion on the vlew glven by the accounts. In connettion with my examination, no matter has come to my attentlon.. l. which gives rne reasonable cause to believe that any material respect the reouirements to keep accounting ￿cordS in accC$rdan￿ wlth sectlon 41 of the 1993 Att, and to p￿pare accounts which accord with the aecounting records and comply wlth the accounting requlrements of the 1993 Act have not been met, or 2. to whlch. In my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a prO￿r understanding of the accounts to be reached. Slgned.. Name: Catherine Emma Gower Melia Non-serving Elder, The Temple Unlted Refomied Church, Hlgh Street. st Mary Crayi Kent, BR5 4AX Address.. 34 Lee Church Street Lewisham London SE13 5SF Date.. 4" July 2022 16