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Manchester City of Sanctuary

Annual Report April 2022 – March 2023

CONTENTS

Trustees Report

Statement of Financial Activities (incorporating the income and expenditure account)

Balance sheet

Notes to the financial statements

Independent Examination

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Registered name

Manchester City of Sanctuary

Trustees

Kat Pursall Mark Kingston Jonathan Gilmore Tandrima Mazumdar

Resignations

Paul Hamnett (Resigned August 2023) Mike Waldron (Resigned August 2023)

Staff Liz Hibberd Janet Anderson

Principal Office Registered Address: ℅ Levenshulme Inspire, 747 Stockport Road, Levenshulme, Manchester M19 3AR

Independent Examiner Mark Greeve

Bankers The Co-Operative Bank PLC P O Box 250 Skelmersdale, WN8 6WT

Annual Report: Manchester City of Sanctuary Charity 1168839

Overview

This was another eventful year, with many external challenges adding to the difficult context we often work in. However, with the support of brilliant volunteers, supporters, and partners, we were able to offer a range of activities and events that promoted community cohesion, matched sanctuary seekers to meaningful volunteering opportunities and supported more organisations work towards the Sanctuary Award – altogether creating a culture of welcome for those seeking safety in our city.

In common with the broader charitable sector the funding of our activities, especially in a cost-of-living crisis, is a challenge which we face. In the year in question we have kept our reserves at a level in line with our reserves policy, and we continue to monitor cashflow and associated activities.

Activities

Following the appointment of a Projects and Partnership Coordinator, we had much more capacity to make links to other organisations and to co-deliver projects and sessions that promote positive mental and physical health, encourage relationships with others and improve confidence and self-belief. Through our activities and events, sanctuary seekers are able to meet other people in similar situations, and also meet the local community. By hosting many of these sessions in civic spaces across the city, we open up a range of places that people can access and engage with.

During this year we held 154 activities in the community and 38 in the asylum contingency hotel; totalling 192 (not including Afghan hotel work).

We had 1972 attendances, which breaks down as

Men	315 (in total)	51 Individuals
Women	1657 (in total)	151 Individuals

Sanctuary Seekers told us that as a result of accessing our services:

they felt more welcome in Manchester (77.4% strongly agree, 22.6% agree)
their wellbeing had improved (56.5% strongly agree, 43.5% agree)
- 75% strongly agreed that they felt more confident to take on more opportunities and attend more events because of their involvement with MCoS
they had made more connections with the local community (61.4% strongly agree, 35.5% agree)

When asked if MCoS had had a positive impact on their lives, 100% of those asked said YES!

This year we have continued to deliver activities in both the asylum and Afghan hotels, focusing on women’s wellbeing and children. We have organised facilitators for regular weekly activities, as well as special celebrations for Eid and Christmas. This work has seen fantastic collaboration between organisations and across sectors and has relied on our brilliant volunteers.

MHFA/Thrive Manchester

Ensuring that we are working in a trauma informed way is extremely important to us. Knowing that our activities are delivered in ways which create the safest spaces for sanctuary seekers to be in, avoiding retraumatising people and giving them the best possible opportunity to engage and connect, is vital. As a result we have spent some time this year working with Thrive Manchester to embed more trauma informed practices in our work. To this end, we delivered training to volunteers and partners working in the sector and used some training funds to support 24 people to complete the Mental Health First Aid course. This consisted of library staff, staff from refugee organisations, volunteers and members of the Experts by Experience Group. By doing this, we know that the people we work with will encounter folks who have been trained to support people who may experience mental health challenges. In addition to this work, our Strategic and Partnership Lead contributed to the Manchester Metropolitan University Languages in the Community short course, writing and delivering sessions that covered working with people who had experienced trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences.

Volunteers

Our volunteers remain a key part of our team and allow us to engage with and improve the lives of more people than we could without them. Whether they are making endless cups of tea and coffee, listening as people share their stories, dancing, playing football or sewing, we rely on their generosity of spirit and their dedication and commitment to our work. Thank you to them!

Many of the volunteers have learned new skills or happily share their existing skills and knowledge and run our social media and campaigns, fundraise for us and manage our referral programme. Volunteering with us is varied and busy, but well supported and connects to a range of fabulous people who make a huge difference.

"I started volunteering for Manchester City of Sanctuary 2 months ago, I have been involved in a range of activities with Sanctuary seekers - socials, exercise classes, craft sessions as well as taking part in a fundraising event.

The volunteer team is amazing, so supportive, and I felt well-prepared for my role with the MCoS training package and induction.

Being part of a team of friendly faces giving a warm welcome to Sanctuary Seekers arriving in our City has been a really positive experience for me - the opportunity to connect over shared interests and activities in a welcoming space, to have everyday conversations and

enjoy each other's company, seem like small but significant acts of normality in the upheaval, hardship and trauma that many Sanctuary seekers are dealing with. I would like to feel that we are helping to make good Manchester memories for the new lives they are building here.

I have just volunteered at one of the hotel Christmas Parties, my hair is full of glue and I'm exhausted but I would definitely do it again - it was brilliant to be there to share the fun together with the children and their families at such a busy and joyful gathering."

Volunteer Placement Programme

A real highlight of this year was the pilot and subsequent volunteer placement programme that we set up.

In response to the challenges faced by both sanctuary seekers and VCSE organisations, Manchester City of Sanctuary received funding from The National Lottery Awards for All to launch the Volunteer Placement Project. The project began in June 2022 with the following aims:

To create an effective pathway for sustainable, long-term volunteer placements in Greater Manchester.
To locate volunteer opportunities in each Greater Manchester borough.
To provide opportunities for connection in the local community that are mutually beneficial for volunteers, host organisations and the wider public.

In turn, the project aimed to increase community cohesion, compassion and awareness for sanctuary seekers and ultimately contribute to a warmer and more welcoming society. On an individual level, we hoped that sanctuary seekers would feel less isolated, more confident and develop their skills and experiences in a professional but supportive environment.

Feedback from the volunteers has been overwhelmingly positive; all volunteers said they were enjoying volunteering and would like to continue in the future. In terms of the support provided by the organisation in which they volunteered (travel expenses, communication, guidance) and Manchester City of Sanctuary, all the respondents agreed that they felt supported and knew where to go for help.

Manchester City of Sanctuary’s Volunteer Placement Project was beneficial to both the volunteers and host organisations involved. While the number of sanctuary seekers we successfully matched with long-term voluntary roles was lower than initially proposed, it became clear early on that there was a need for a tailored process that considered the needs and preferences of each individual. This meant the placements had a greater impact on the volunteers and, as indicated by the feedback, was a largely positive experience which has been beneficial in other aspects of their lives. Consequently, all volunteers are keen to continue in their current roles or explore opportunities beyond them (for example, one volunteer is planning to attend college). This demonstrates how the initial support provided by Manchester City of Sanctuary results in sustainable volunteering that can continue when this support ends. The confidence that sanctuary seekers gain during volunteering can demonstrably provide a stepping stone to education, voluntary roles and perhaps in the future, employment.

An important legacy of the project is the growing network of organisations across Greater Manchester connected to Manchester City of Sanctuary. This has not only raised awareness of our important work, but has opened avenues to explore in future for volunteer placements and other activities. We have also found that some organisations who we matched volunteers with at the start of the project now feel comfortable repeating our placement process without the guidance of Manchester City of Sanctuary. This means that once we have discussed needs and preferences with an interested volunteer, we can connect them to existing partner organisations directly. This again points to the sustainability of the project and how it can continue to grow once our support reduces, allowing us to provide opportunities to more sanctuary seekers in Greater Manchester.

Spirit of Manchester Awards.

Back in October 2022 we were invited to the Spirit of Manchester Awards ceremony as we had been shortlisted in the Community Cohesion category. Our team attended the event and it was a lovely evening sharing such positive examples of all the hard work that takes place in the VCSE sector. We were surrounded by inspiring organisations, all doing incredible things to make the world better for those struggling in different ways.

It was a great honour to be shortlisted and we were thrilled to win. This is the third year we have been shortlisted so it meant a lot to finally win. Being voted for by our peers was hugely important and being recognised for the work we do felt particularly meaningful.

A huge thank you to MACC for organising the awards, for everyone who voted for us, our volunteers, supporters and funders.

Sanctuary Awards

During this time, we have seen interest in the Sanctuary Awards increase. This is hugely exciting as it shows a real engagement from public bodies around living their values in action and actively demonstrating their commitment to creating a culture of welcome for those seeking sanctuary. We were very happy to award Chorlton High School, the first high school to receive this award in Manchester. Equally thrilling was Salford Council, being awarded the Local Authority of Sanctuary in March 2023. This was after a lot of hard work pulling together evidence from a range of different departments and collating feedback from surveys and focus groups held with refugees and people seeking asylum in their local area.

Training

We continue to deliver high quality training that encourages people to critically examine the existing narrative around people in the immigration system and provides opportunities to explore negative stereotypes and break them down. This training has been delivered to the library service, galleries and local council staff within GM and Cheshire.

A final word from those we work with:

Being away from the country and family is difficult and uncomfortable for everyone.

I am one of the lucky people who met Liz and her very good team after I arrived in Manchester.

They helped me very well to know the city of Manchester and its beauties and to be an informed citizen.

And by participating in weekly netball classes, I will be happy and have a healthy body.

In addition to being a very capable manager, Liz is also a very good friend to everyone, even to me, who is new, and introduced me to a volunteer job, which was the best thing in my life.

I feel good now, I feel useful, I am happy that I joined my new family

Also, my husband also uses the weekly club and he really enjoys the fact that he is not staying in a hotel.

I hope Liz's management and programs will continue🙌🙌

A - Iran

Our Partners

As always, a huge thanks goes to our partners, without whom we wouldn’t be able to do as much, reach as many people, or have the impact that we do.

GM Step Change Consortium Oxfam Caritas Shrewsbury Manchester Libraries People’s History Museum RSMP The Whitworth Manchester Metropolitan University

Manchester FA

The University of Manchester

Ascension Church

Cross Street Chapel

Afrocats GM Moving Foundation 92 GLL Better Leisure Centres Community Arts by ZK Ibuken Jesusanmi Thrive Manchester MACC Music Action International Host Nation

Our Funders National Lottery Awards for All We Love Manchester Manchester City Council Magic Little Grants Refugee Action Caritas Shrewsbury MACC - Volunteer Expenses Fund

MACC - Spirit of Manchester Fund

Sport England Together Fund/Tackling Inequalities Fund

Asda Community Champions MMU

Thank you to our students from HCRI who supported us with the Impact Assessment Monitoring

Thank you to Trish and Colin who record and collate the attendance to our sessions.

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (INCORPORATING THE INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT)

YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

CHARITY REFERENCE NUMBER:1168839

Incoming Resources Charitable Sources Grants Total Incoming Resources Resources Expended Charitable Activities Venue and Event organising Legal and Professional Fess Wages Traveling & Subsistence Other Admin Costs Total Resources Expended Net Incoming/(Outgoing) Resources Total Funds Brought Forward Total Funds Carried Forward	Restricted Funds 2023 £ Unrestricted Funds 2023 £ Total Funds 2023 £ Total Funds 2022 £ 18,875 18,875 17,815 37,733 4,053 41,786 61,551
	37,733 22,928 60,661 79,366
	22,201 1,083 23,284 21,063 0 480 300 300 240 25,025 22,541 47,566 30,822 723 723 166 2,154 3,675 5,829 2,776
	49,380 28,322 77,702 55,547
	(11,647) (5,394) (17,041) 23,819
	22,310 21,509 43,819 20,000
	10,663 16,115 26,778 43,819

The Statement of Financial Activities includes all gains and losses in the year and therefore a statement of total recognised gains and losses has not been prepared. All of the above amounts relate to continuing activities.

CHARITY REFERENCE NUMBER:1168839

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2023

Assets Debtors Cash at bank and in hand Total Assets Liabilities Creditors due within oneyear Total Liabilities Net Assets Funds Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds Total Funds	Restricted Funds Unrestricted Funds Total Funds Total Funds 2023 £ 2023 £ 2023 £ 2022 £ 1,000 1,000 0 9,663 16,648 26,311 46,562
	10,663 16,648 27,311 46,562 0 (533) (533) (2,743)
	0 (533) (533) (2,743)

	10,663 16,115 26,778 43,819
	16,115 16,115 21,509 10,663 10,663 22,310
	10,663 16,115 26,778 43,819

Charity Reference Number: 1168839

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of accounting

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

Cash flow statement

The trustees have taken advantage of the exemption in Financial Reporting Standard No 1 (revised) from including a cash flow statement in the financial statements on the grounds that the company is small.

Fixed assets

There are no fixed assets currently. Any future fixed assets will initially be recorded at cost.

Depreciation

Depreciation will be calculated so as to write off the cost of an asset, less its estimated residual value, over the useful economic life of that asset as follows:

Equipment	25% WDV
Building work	25% WDV
Motor Vehicles	30% WDV

2. INCOME

	2023	2022
	£	£
Donations
Donations & Gift Aid Repayment	18,875	17,815
Grants	41,786	61,551

Charity Reference Number: 1168839

Manchester City of Sanctuary

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of

Manchester City of Sanctuary Year ended 31 March 2023

I report on the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023, which comprise the statement of financial activities (including income and expenditure account), statement of financial position, statement of cash flows and the related notes.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements. The trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed as the charities turnover exceeded £25,000.

Having satisfied myself that the charity is not subject to audit under company law and is eligible for independent examination, it is my responsibility to:

Examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act;
To follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act; and
To state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of independent examiner’s report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes 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 disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the next statement.

Manchester City of Sanctuary