WRP Trustees !" Annual Report 01 September 2021 - 31 August 2022
Charity name: Wycombe Refugee Partnership
Charity registration number: 1168176 Charity!s principal address:
All Saints Parish Office
8 Castle Street High Wycombe HP13 6RF
Charity Trustees: Dr Michael Bowker Chairman
Dr Stephanie Rybak Vice-chair Dr Saleema Burney Dr Tanveer Choudhary Dr Nasheeda Mariyam Mr Razwan Baig Treasurer Mrs Sue Butler Revd Hugh Ellis Retired July 2022
Objects of the Charitable Incorporated Organisation:
To prevent and relieve poverty among refugees and asylum seekers and people granted humanitarian or discretionary leave to remain, together with their dependents by providing advice / access to: interpreting, translating, advocacy, health, housing, employment and education in the High Wycombe area.
Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit:
This year the covid pandemic controls were lifted but continued to impact our activities which were mainly in support of the asylum seekers within High Wycombe.
We continued to collaborate with local organisations to ensure that they received enough food and issued monthly supermarket vouchers to supplement their meagre Home Office allowances.
Our UK government funded basic accommodation for all who were destitute during Covid times but that funding through local authorities came to an end. The housing plans for Afghan refugees meant that many were marooned in hotels. We collaborated with Buckinghamshire Council finding landlords willing to let at local housing rates for two Afghan families. Another family originally from Afghanistan, having settled in Ukraine, was similarly housed by a generous landlord.
We accommodated three new refugee families: one from Afghanistan, another originally from Syria and one Palestinian couple in our half-way house. However, we also supported 39 refugees with leave to remain, with their 30 children, and 20 persons seeking asylum with 20 children.
We continued to receive grants and donations to sustain this new work and confirm that the Trustees have had regard to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit.
Contributions made by volunteers continued to provide wrap around support. 80 active volunteers continued teaching English, often through Zoom, being befrienders and supporting those facing form filling in matters of health, welfare and housing. We provided school uniforms and a range of goods from furniture to textbooks in response to people!s needs.
The part-time paid administrator took adoption leave from July that year so more devolved on our volunteers.
Main achievements
In August 2022 we were presented with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service by Lady Howe, Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire, for providing wrap around support to resettle refugee families and assist asylum seekers in High Wycombe.
We worked in partnership with 26 other organisations to optimise support for our 109 beneficiaries, continuing to support refugees , asylum seekers and their families in rebuilding their lives.
The best outcome can be stated in this letter dated February 2022 from one of our young adult beneficiaries who now (June 2023) is completing her first year medicine course.
Quote from Sanctuary Scholarship supported student:
Having these vouchers has honestly been such a help and relief, as it has been one less thing that I need to think about over these past few months, so I really owe both you and the organisation a lot for that.
I do want to let you know, that the help I have received from you has really allowed me to focus on my studies a bit more so I am very thankful for that - as a result, I have achieved a first-class in all of my modules that I have been assessed on so far - this includes my exams that just ended last week, which went very well as well, so I am very pleased about. I also did go through an interview for the University's medicine course,
I have also started volunteering at a scheme that supports adults with learning disabilities and got involved in both a Global Health and Raise and Give charity to help them with organising fundraising events, as well as am playing basketball. It has been a great experience so far.
Policy on grant making remains that funds are designated for the benefit of our local beneficiaries.
Financial review
We have two streams of monetary funding. One was restricted in use (62%) and second unrestricted (38%). Additionally we are most grateful for #gifts in kind$"to meet our beneficiaries needs.
Reserve Policy level:
The annual unrestricted funds remained above the reserve policy level through the year. Total Cash Funds were 28% above last year which shows a stable sustainability throughout this year. Our reserve policy cover is to hold enough funds to meet six months salaries for our administrators and for at least resettlement costs of three new families a year.
Funds/ Grants:
58% of our receipts were from restricted grants and donations. Expenditure on our support for refugees and asylum-seekers was 8% higher than in the previous year, in particular supermarket vouchers/food, IT equipment and support and bus fares. We received a higher level of grants this year as donors perceived that we could use them efficiently for our beneficiaries who were particularly impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic.
Cashflow Transparency
All monetary funds were held in bank accounts and all expenditure was done through banking systems. This achieves accuracy and a robust audit trail throughout the year.
Structure, Governance and Management
The Charity was registered with a constitution as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in May 2016 with the only voting members being its charity trustees. New trustees are appointed by the existing trustees.
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees!"report above. Signed on behalf of the charity trustees
Dr Michael Bowker Chair of Trustees
CHARITY COMMISSION IOR ENGLAND ANO WAIES ¥VYwbe Rdrye• Pather•hlp 1168176 Receipts and payments accounts CC16a Forthe pwlod 9M121 0131122 Section A Receipt$ and payments Restvktsd fvnd Endo1 lunds lunds Totsi fun L•¥iy•Jv ttstho Al Recelpts Oonabons 8,658 anls 1850 51510 706 2,154 2.667 Srti toial(GKoss incoffle torAR) Wl8 A2 A8tsOt and Invgslment 5as.1 lab1. 250 Sub totsl TO recelpts 7S7 5&116 A3 P•ym8nts 194 41 4M14 110 31, Eio¢Thses Swp)d tui Refree5 &AshJThgeekers Adrnin Sae¥s Exppnsos 41 16.675 14.211 3.1SS 17, Ifisuran 616 616 616 Sub tot 47.213 A4Assfrtond purthasej, 18ofr toblfrl LoansAle CashAl¥an 14108 Sub tot 27.136 4724J 74Ato 47.8X Netofrn¢wplrfpayments? A6 Tra#8fért bewn fund A6 C•sh funds last yoarènd Casb fvnds thls year end 11.130 6347 16,ri 7.511 11.726 16J73 5B,230 74,ÉO7 50.712 Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period R88trl¢t8d funds Endowmè lund5 b) nww•t£ B1 Cash lunds C•6h4t 67,6S4 Total cash funds 5734 16,973 4¢n¥5)J Unr88tri¢t•d Resthcted funthb EndoTnent lundi fvnd¥ onMmtE t•n••r•stE 82 Other momtary assets Chanlabk Lo[ 21214
Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of WRP Trust
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of WRP Trust (‘the Trust’) for the period ending 31 August 2022.
Responsibilities and basis of 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 in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent Examiner’s Statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material aspect:
-
Accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
-
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 this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Ali Mian C.A. I.C.A.S. Membership No: M26670 146 Cressex Road, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP12 4UA
11[th] June 2023