Trustees' Annual Report for the period
From
Period start date Period end date 1 July 2021 30 June 2022
To
Section A Reference and administration details
Charity name LifeLines
- Other names charity is known by
Registered charity number (if any)[1168273]
10 Springfield Terrace Guiseley, Leeds
Postcode LS20 9AW
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
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Trustee name Office (if any) Dates acted if not for Name of person
whole year (or body)
entitled to
appoint trustee
(if any)
Carole Butcher Coordinators
1 Representative
Jan Hall Vice Chair
2
Nichola Glasse Membership
3 Secretary
Beryl Kingsbury
4
Margaret Shepherd Resigned 9 Oct 2021
5
James Mason Treasurer
6
Patrick Ballin Governance
7 Secretary
Susan Drysdale Wing Editor
8
Nikita Mistry
9
Davina Chima
10
Melanie Mitchell Coordinator Care
11
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Edmund Conybeare
Appointed 9 Oct 2021
12
Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)
Name Dates acted if not for whole year Not applicable
Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
Type of adviser Name Address Founder Jan Arriens 17 Castle Street, Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire SY9 5BU
Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)
Not applicable
Section B Structure, governance and management
Description of the charity’s trusts
Type of governing document
Constitution
- (eg. trust deed, constitution)
Charitable Incorporated Organisation How the charity is constituted (eg. trust, association, company)
Co-opted by Trustees, elected by Members Trustee selection methods
- (eg. appointed by, elected by)
Additional governance issues (Optional information)
You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:
-
policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees;
-
the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;
-
relationship with any related parties;
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trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.
LifeLines adheres to a number of internal policies including financial risk, data protection, equality and diversity, fraud, conflicts of interest, health and safety and volunteer management. These are all provided to new Trustees upon joining the LifeLines Committee.
An amendment to the LifeLines Constitution, approving future AGMs to be conducted virtually if required, was approved by members on 9th October 2021.
A Skills Audit of Trustees was completed in June 2022.
The LifeLines Health & Safety Policy was reviewed, and a new version approved in March 2022. Risk Assessments are in the process of being updated in accordance with the new policy.
As of 30 June 2022, the following LifeLines policies were under review and revision:
Conflict of Interest Data Protection Financial Policy
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Fraud Volunteer Management
All Trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no remuneration or benefits.
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Section C Objectives and activities
Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document
For the public benefit, to promote the relief of suffering and distress to those persons who are awaiting execution in any state of the USA by the promotion of friendship by letter writing to such people.
-
Advice and information about the issues likely to arise when writing to prisoners;
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One to one advice and information on making the initial contact with a specific prisoner in the US on death row who has requested friendship, and for the life of the friendship and beyond, in particular when the sentence of death is likely to be carried out;
Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)
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A quarterly publication that allows people to hear the voice of those on death row and deepens their understanding of the US justice system, and the death penalty in particular;
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Advice and assistance to make informed choices about giving financial and other types of support to death row prisoners;
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Conferences that include speakers with personal experience of the justice system, death row, and the impact of violent crime on all those who are affected, with an opportunity to exchange experience and knowledge with other writers.
Consideration is given to “public benefit” when making any decision relevant to the activities above with a specific agenda item included in Board meetings for “Governance” to ensure the objectives and activities satisfy the requirements for public benefit in accordance with Charity Commission guidance.
Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)
You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:
-
policy on grantmaking;
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policy programme related investment;
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contribution made by volunteers.
A significant contribution to the success of Lifelines is made by member volunteers who act as:
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state coordinators corresponding with writers and prisoners
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regional coordinators who offer the facility to members to come together on a regional basis to exchange their experience of writing to prisoners
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editor and distributor of The Wing of Friendship
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manager and administrator of the LifeLines website
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Section D Achievements and performance
Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year
Our Conferences have remained virtual because of the Coronavirus pandemic, although we hope to be able to move to a hybrid format in the next year. We conducted two successful and well attended virtual Conferences in October 2021 and April 2022, with guest speakers from the USA and UK. The October conference was also our Annual General Meeting, which continued to be conducted in line with Charity Commission guidance on virtual meetings.
Eight Regional Groups around the UK continue to meet regularly and during the latter part of the year some of these meetings have resumed in person. The London Regional Group has welcomed several LifeLines members based outside the UK to its virtual meetings.
Membership stood at 1,179 as at 30[th] June 2022. New membership applications have declined during the year and the LifeLines Committee is actively looking at ways to attract new members, in order to serve a continuing high level of requests for pen friends from men and women on Death Row in the USA.
Our members-only LifeLines community on Facebook continues to expand with over 25% of our members participating.
Our income has again exceeded our expenditure through careful attention to costs, and this year there continued to be a surplus of income over expenditure. Significant cost savings continued through having virtual rather than face to face conferences.
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Section E Financial review
Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves
LifeLines holds an Operational Reserve which is sufficient to provide for a 3-month administrative capability for the windingup of the charity in the event of its closure.
The value of the Operational Reserve is reviewed annually.
Details of any funds materially in deficit
Not applicable
Further financial review details (Optional information)
You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about:
- the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising);
The breakdown of income can be seen in the Annual Accounts of LifeLines.
LifeLines does not actively fundraise.
The level of reserves does not warrant a complex investment strategy.
-
how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity;
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investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted.
Section F Other optional information
Not applicable
Section G Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Signature(s) Patrick Ballin Full name(s) Jan Hall Position (eg Secretary, Vice Chair Governance Secretary Chair, etc) Date 17 September 2022
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CHARITY (OMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Sectlon A Independent Examlner's Report Report to the trustees On accounts for the year ended Charity no (if any) 30 TuiiL IG 11 1(6S1 73 Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity ('the Trust") for the year ended ¥ 06 10 ? I As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act") Responsibilities and basis of report 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 all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. Independent rrhe charity's gross income exceeded £250,000 and l am qualified to examiner's statement undertake the examination by being a qualified member of [insert name of applicable listed body]]. Delete [ ] if not applicable. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below ') which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect". the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fair, view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. 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. Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply. Signed: Date: IL Name: IkAt)&efvJ Relevant professional qualification(s) or body IKJSTITure OF cHfiofEQEQ (ICCCUL) IflKJTS SoorLAKJ IER Oct 2018
(if any): Address: e Sii4Q)LÉg, GQ_8HAILI, EKLTEL , Ci¥)i Section B" Disclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners). Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose. IER Oct 2018