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2022-03-31-accounts

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Lewisham, Greenwich
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Annual Report 2021-22
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Contents

Our vision, mission and values 2
Director’s Report 3
What we do 4
Outreach 5
Network Rail partnership 6
Finance Report and Accounts 7
Our Donors 11
Our Trustees 11
Work in Prisons 11
Why I volunteer 12
Fundraising 14

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Lewisham, Greenwich
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Annual Report 2021-22
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Our vision, mission and values

Samaritans’ vision is that fewer people die by suicide

We do this by:

Making sure there’s someone there for anyone who needs someone

24 hours a day to anyone who calls for help via our unique 24-hour listening service, email, letter, face-toface, online-chat and our Welsh language service.

Giving people ways to cope and the skills to be there for others

We encourage, promote and celebrate those moments of connection between people, that can protect and even save lives.

To do this we work in schools, prisons, workplaces and communities, and in partnership with organisations like Network Rail.

We campaign to make suicide prevention a national and local priority

We campaign locally and in partnership with other Samaritan branches to raise awareness and influence decision-makers.

Our Values:

We are committed to the following values:

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Lewisham, Greenwich
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Annual Report 2021-22
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Director’s Report

Hello Everyone, Volunteers, Supporters and friends of our Branch.

Welcome to our 2021-22 Annual Report.

I became Director at the end of June this year, less than 3 months ago, and hope to continue for the full 3- year term. Thank you to all volunteers who suggested me for this post. I feel honoured by your confidence in me and look forward to your support going forward. Thank you to those who have agreed to take on senior roles in the branch and to all our support volunteers, I know we can’t do it without you. And a big thank you to Adam, our previous Director, who kept us all going throughout Covid.

After more than 3 years we are very excited to be able to offer this report at our AGM in branch, after all meetings being on Zoom for so long.

Our volunteers did continue to come to the branch to offer emotional support via telephone and email throughout the pandemic, albeit with increased distancing and cleaning of workstations. And we continued our support to prisons throughout the lockdown.

Now we are once again training new volunteers inside the branch, in our training room, so much easier and more helpful for trainees and trainers, alongside on-line training modules which trainees complete at home between sessions.

And we have restarted our Outreach work, initially with Network Rail awareness sessions at local stations and now attending events across the boroughs.

But we still have a lot more to do. We lost many volunteers, who had been shielding throughout Covid and have not yet returned. We need to grow our pool of volunteers, thorough increased selection and training,

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to ensure all shifts are covered. And we need volunteers to support branch maintenance, fundraising and our IT and telephony service.

I must give a special farewell to two brilliant volunteers we sadly lost during the last year. Andy 988, who joined our branch in 2008 and we sadly lost on 23 September last year. Andy was instrumental in keeping our branch in good repair, a long-time listening volunteer and previous chair of trustees.

Anne 1123 died suddenly on 2 July this year. Anne joined the branch in 2013 and was tireless as our administrator, listening volunteer, leader, and trainer. We miss you both.

Finally, a very special thank you to all our supporters who generously donate to our branch, especially in these difficult times. Without you we would not be able to keep the branch running.

Jean 996

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Jean, and Maxwell 1403 on the
Samaritans stall at People’s
Day Lewisham
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What we do

Our volunteers support people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those which may lead to thoughts of suicide, by offering emotional support via telephone, email or face to face contact.

Our branch has over 80 dedicated listening volunteers from diverse and varied backgrounds who all sharing the same common values: they are non-judgemental, caring and genuinely want to support whoever calls, emails or visits the branch. We

also have a team of 12 support volunteers who share these values but prefer to give time to support the smooth-running of the branch.

In the year from April 2021 to March 2022 we had an average of 76 volunteers answering telephone calls and emails each month. Over the year, they answered 13,236 calls and 3,253 emails.

Between April and June 2022 our average number of active volunteers dropped to 70, and we spoke to a further 2880 callers and answered 420 emails.

Since May we have welcomed eight new volunteers, and in September we hope to start training nine more, which should greatly increase our capacity to support callers.

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Outreach – Nathan 1417

Over the past 15 months, managing outreach has been complicated by Covid-19 restrictions, particularly face to face meetings with organisations and members of the public. From September 2021, opportunities for face-to-face outreach have expanded. Now with lockdown restrictions removed, LGS Samaritans is now in the position of being able to plan the next year of outreach activities without worry.

Highlights

Despite changes to lockdown across the year, we have managed to have a significant presence across the three boroughs. Some of the highlights include:

HSBC World Mental Health Day Workshops Lewisham Police Station Lewisham College Freshers’ Fair Events Lewisham People’s Day Festival The Moonshot Centre Community Day Women of the World Festival St Mungo’s Community Day Event Always and Forever Covid Memorial Service

In February, we carried out our first in-house training session on Emotional Support Outside the Branch (ESOB) since the Covid lock-down. 14 people attended, in person or via video link. Further sessions will be planned to increase outreach capacity within the branch.

Referrals and Partnerships

A significant amount of community engagement has taken place to explore how we create new partnerships and reinvigorate old ones. Previous work connecting with IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) services in Southwark, Lewisham and Greenwich haven’t reaped the benefits we’ve hoped for; we will be re-evaluating our effects there and exploring other opportunities to support people within the mental health pathway.

Our Outreach is now focussing on education and homelessness and investigating opportunities to work with foodbanks. The Lewisham Greenwich Southwark Branch has been collaborating with Central London Samaritans around education; working collaboratively on University Outreach, (e.g., where an institution may have multiple campuses) and providing LGS volunteers the experience of being an Education volunteer in secondary schools. We also plan to return to the 999 Club, a local charity that provides advocacy, shelter and activities for people who are homeless in Lewisham, offering regular outreach shifts there.

Campaigning

Over the past year, our branch has increased its efforts around campaigning and influencing. We are a member of the Lewisham, Greenwich and Southwark Suicide Prevention Boards and the Community

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Southwark and the Community Southwark Safeguarding Network. Internally, the branch is a member of the National Charity’s Influencing and Campaigning Group.

Network Rail Partnership – Marita 306 reports

We have delivered outreach sessions at railway stations in our area, as part of our partnership with Network Rail for more than ten years now. This was paused during the Covid lockdowns, but since January 2022, we have been able be there in person, and have gradually restored our monthly sessions at stations. These sessions are crucial in raising our profile with the public, and spreading the word about the Samaritan service, the fact that we are available locally, and the importance of listening to friends, family and colleagues for everyone.

We attend a station during the morning rush-hour, wearing high-viz Samaritan tabards, and handing out contact cards, and information about listening techniques. Sometimes travellers want to take bundles of cards for their workplace, and sometimes they want to talk about their own feelings and experiences. We are there to support them too.

So far this year we have visited and delivered our early morning outreach sessions at: Hither Green Denmark Hill twice Peckham Rye New Cross twice

New Cross is the station closest to our Centre, but although we went there once in 2016 in response to a fatal incident, we haven't managed attend for a while, mainly due to extensive building work there. This year we have developed stronger links there, particularly with station staff and managers, which should help with ongoing planning. We also joined two of Govia Thameslink Railway's Day of Action outreach events. Their Rail Enforcement Officers have a high profile on these days, and the sessions included joining them as they interact with passengers on trains. The first of these, in February, was based at Bellingham station. It was a new experience, and we were pleased to be invited to join in GTR's next planned Day of Action at Denmark Hill in May. This too was a success. In a London-wide event on Monday 17 January, LGS Samaritans took part in the high-profile Brew Monday outreach day at Waterloo station, co-ordinated by the team at Central London Samaritans, linked with the "Blue Monday" idea, which sees the third Monday of January as being a date for high levels of sadness and depression.

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Lewisham, Greenwich
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Annual Report 2021-22
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Finance report and Accounts

Income
Restricted funds
Unrestricted funds
Total
2021/22
2020/21
2021/22
2020/21
2021/22
2020/21
Donations
-
-
8,594
10,206
8,594
10,206
Funds raised
-
-
2,494
23,237
2,494
23,237
Grants
-
-
22,165
13,575
22,165
13,575
Room-hire
-
-
-
0
-
0
Bank deposit interest
-
-
10
25
10
25
Misc Income
-
-
470
417
470
417
Total
0
0
33,634
47,460
33,634
47,460
xpenditure
notes
Restricted funds
Unrestricted funds
Total
2021/22
2020/21
2021/22
2020/21
2021/22
2020/21
Premises overheads
1
-
11,778
10,657
11,778
10,657
Direct
charitable
expenditure
2,5
-
1,795
5,866
5,688
5,866
7,483
Fundraising
&
publicity
-
-
216
216
216
216
Management
&
administration
3
-
-
6,869
6,812
6,869
6,812
Community Outreach
Activity
4
-
-
15,240
9,542
15,240
9,542
Total
0
£1,795
(£6,334)
£32,915
(£6,334)
£34,710		 Restricted funds
Unrestricted funds
Total
2021/22
2020/21
2021/22
2020/21
2021/22
2020/21		 Restricted funds
Unrestricted funds
Total
2021/22
2020/21
2021/22
2020/21
2021/22
2020/21
-
-
8,594
10,206
8,594
10,206
-
-
2,494
23,237
2,494
23,237
-
-
22,165
13,575
22,165
13,575
-
-
-
0
-
0
-
-
10
25
10
25
-
-
470
417
470
417
0
0
33,634
47,460
33,634
47,460
Restricted funds
Unrestricted funds
Total
2021/22
2020/21
2021/22
2020/21
2021/22
2020/21
-
11,778
10,657
11,778
10,657
-
1,795
5,866
5,688
5,866
7,483
-
-
216
216
216
216
-
-
6,869
6,812
6,869
6,812
-
-
15,240
9,542
15,240
9,542
0
£1,795
(£6,334)
£32,915
(£6,334)
£34,710

Expenditure

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Restricted Funds Unrestricted Funds Total 2021-22 2020-21 2021-22 2020-21 2021-22 2020-21 (Deficit)/Surplus 0 (£1,795) (£6,334) £14,546 (£6,334) £12,750

Statement of Assets and Liabilities at the end of the period

2021/22 2020/21

Cash balance brought forward from prior year £65,834 £53,084 Surplus/(Deficit) for the year (£6,334) £12,750 Carried forward to next year £59,500 £65,834

Fixed Assets

Leasehold improvements brought forward 6 £96,393 £102,063 Depreciation charge for the year 7 £5,670 £5,670 Carried forward £90,723 £96,393

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Note 1 £ Note 2 £
Premises overheads Direct Charitable Expenditure
Insurance and Bank charges 1,355 Telephone and internet 2,606
Utilities 7,356 Volunteer travel 2,413
Housekeeping 3,067 Prison expenses (see note 5 below) 847
Total £11,778 Total £5,866
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Note 3 Management & £ Note 4 Community outreach £
administration activity
Administrative support 3,144 Community outreach - salary 13,249
IT software and stationery 2,285 Community outreach - pension 850
Petty cash 1,440 Community outreach – PAYE 1,141
Total 6,869 Total 15,240
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Note 5 Prison expenditure

Prison expenses, recorded within Note 2 – Direct Charitable Expenditure above, have been reimbursed through a grant from Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) which is captured within Miscellaneous Income.

Note 6 – Building Leasehold Improvements

The Branch acquired a 30-year lease for 1, Angus Street London SE1 6LU from the London Borough of Lewisham for a peppercorn rent. Refurbishment work started in November 2008 and the Branch moved in and started operating there in April 2009. Funds spent on the refurbishment of the building have been shown as a capitalised asset. The depreciation for the refurbishment is deducted annually on a straightline basis.

Note 7 – Depreciation Charge

B/f Leasehold value £96,393 Depreciation (£5,670) Total £90,723

Note 8 – Payments to Trustees

No payments have been made to Trustees except to reimburse purchases made for the Charity or expenses in the usual course of volunteering

Note 9 – Reserves

The Charity seeks to maintain its reserves at the equivalent of nine months’ normal running costs.

Approved: Jean Gilardi, Director, 12 September 2022 Approved Rachel Aistrop, Treasurer, 12 September 2022

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Independent Examiner’s report

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the Trustees/Members of Lewisham, Greenwich and Southwark Samaritans

Registered Charity Number 1167963 on Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2022 as set out on pages seven to nine of this report.

As the charity trustees of the Trust, 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 Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

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.

* Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.

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Signed:
13 September 2022
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Maureen Day, 18 Ferney Road, East Barnet, EN4 8LF

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Thank you

We very much want to thank the London Borough of Lewisham, for our building in New Cross.

We also want to thank our donors:

Co-Op Local Community Fund

London Borough of Lewisham

Metropolitan Police Lewisham

And those generous individuals who support our branch, but who prefer to remain anonymous.

We could not do what we do without you.

Our Trustees

Our Trustees 2021-22 Rachel Aistrop Michael O’Kane (until Jan 2022) Adam Campbell ( until Jun 2022 ) John Sabine Ruth Driscoll Paul Spencer Jean Gilardi Hazel Wright Co-opted in 2022 Deb Dowdall John Shipp Will Skinner - Secretary

Our work in Prisons

It has been a challenging time in prisons, post Covid. But we are back supporting Listeners again, on a weekly basis in Belmarsh and fortnightly in Thameside. Due to ongoing Covid safety considerations our training groups have been restricted in numbers meaning we have had to run more sessions than normal to keep Listener numbers up. So far this calendar year we have run four training groups in Belmarsh with a total of 20 new Listeners and one training group at Thameside with nine new Listeners.

We also were able to support our first Listener Family Day since before Covid. It was a very enjoyable relaxed day with Listeners, their families and our volunteers having a very enjoyable day.

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The team of volunteers from the three branches, Lewisham, Greenwich and Southwark, Bexley and Dartford and Bromley and Orpington, has remained relatively static with a strong core of volunteers supporting our Listeners.

The work we do in prisons is immensely rewarding and we are always on the lookout for volunteers who might like to think about joining the team. We also offer the opportunity to visit one of our prisons to give an insight into the reality of prison life rather than the sensationalist portrayal by some of the media.

If nothing else a visit to a prison can help when taking calls in branch from people in prison.

Our relationship with prison staff in Belmarsh continues to be very positive and we enjoy an exceptional level of support. The situation at Thameside continues to be very challenging, despite the best efforts of the BPSO, a volunteer from Bexley and Dartford.

Our volunteers come from all walks of life. Without their time, enthusiasm and dedication, we would have no Samaritan Branch. Susan, Teresa and Ed are just three of around 90 volunteers who make Lewisham Greenwich and Southwark Samaritans work.

Why I volunteer…

Susan

My name is Susan Yau, by day I am a Senior Manager in Internal Audit in Banking and by night (and at weekends) I am a Samaritans volunteer. I have been volunteering with the Lewisham Branch for 4 years and I wouldn’t change it for the World.

I volunteer because it is simultaneously the most heart-breaking and the most rewarding role that I know of. My best moment is when my Samaritans experience helped change the Banking Industry for the better, leading to the publication of my story to The Female Lead Women in Finance series.

I started volunteering to give a little back and be closer to the community. I stayed because the community needs the Samaritans, whether it’s someone facing their darkest hour, or someone feeling so trapped they can’t remember the last time they were themselves, I listen because they deserve to be heard.

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Teresa

I was very happy to be asked to write a few words about how it feels to be a Samaritan. I do not exactly go back to when Chad was with us, but I do remember a lot of procedures, callers and volunteers come and go over my 30 years.

The decision to become a Samaritan and give something back to the Community came to me when I first lived in London after seeking a new life. I did not really know what to expect. After training, I discovered it was not what you say rather what you do not say. I found it was so hard to listen rather than talk.

After a short while I wanted to become more involved and volunteered for extra tasks. I may go down in the Branch’s history as the person who physically destroyed the “Pink Cards”! For those who joined us after we were computerised the cards were how we used to briefly identify our regular callers. Then we had no national phone number. Most of our calls were from local callers and we got to know them quite well. Destruction of the Pink Cards did not go down too well with many volunteers and for a while I was the dragon lady. Computerisation changed our way of doing things in many ways, for me the main change would be the way we book our shifts – no longer a Rota on a large piece of paper pinned to the phone room’s wall, with each volunteer writing their name on a vacant shift.

Arriving at the present, I have met so many interesting people namely the volunteers who all have a wealth of different interests and vocations. Many I consider great friends; all have my utmost respect.

In conclusion, being a Samaritan has become a way of life for me and I wouldn’t even consider not volunteering. Sometimes I wonder what the true reason is I volunteer? Is it because the callers need me or do I need the Samaritans? I know ‘enjoy’ is the wrong word for volunteering, but I do get a vastly satisfying feeling when I close the front door of the Branch after a shift.

Ed

I joined Samaritans in 2018 when I was looking for a way to get involved in my community and knew I wanted this to focus on wellbeing. I had just gone through my own experience of coping with a period of poor mental health and the Samaritans' values really spoke to me.

I found meeting the listening volunteers pretty inspiring and felt that there is something really valuable in knowing there are people out there just willing to listen and be there with us when we feel desperate. I would always say that the Samaritan's induction was one of the most comprehensive I’ve been through, but during the training, I was still almost sceptical of what impact I would actually have.

Since taking calls, I’ve come to recognise the privilege I have in picking up the phone and being with another person while they need it. Speaking with someone at 2 in the morning, when they’ve felt like there is little

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else to turn to and then thanking them for being able to reach out, is really genuine. It still surprises me how personal every call will feel, and I think that’s what has kept me volunteering. Each time I take a call I learn something new about how to be there for a caller. These skills and a broader understanding of different life experiences, continue to enrich my personal life outside of being a volunteer.

Fundraising

We are hugely grateful to those supporters who regularly give to Lewisham Greenwich and Southwark Samaritans. We are particularly grateful to anyone who takes on a sponsored challenge to raise funds for us, most recently in The Big Half, (Ben Kirby and Jon King, pictured right) and the London Marathon.

LGS Samaritans is a registered charity, affiliated to, but not funded by the Samaritans national charity. This means we have to raise all our funds each year.

How you can support us:

Thank you again to all our supporters and grant givers.

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