OpenCharities

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

← Manchester City Of Sanctuary

2024-03-31-accounts

Manchester City of Sanctuary a =. +. so ‘a 2 ae "a oe _ aye = age : FT Annual Report

Table of Contents

ble of Contents
Foreword 3
Reference and Administrative Details 5
Trustees Annual Report 6
Objectives and Activities 7
Finance and Risk 11
Plans for the Future 14
Structure, Governance and Management 16
Financial Statements 20
Independent Examiners Report 24

FOREWORD

“I have learnt a lot of skills. MCoS has brought me close to people. They support travel expenses. I enjoy events and we have happy times together.” - MCoS service user, February 2023

Dear supporters,

Manchester City of Sanctuary is proud of our work and our mission to make Manchester a true city of sanctuary for the diverse communities of this city.

The work we do to advocate for asylum seekers, refugees and migrants is crucial in ensuring their voices are represented within legislation; and our service delivery has been a key part in allowing those we serve to integrate within their communities – often being in high demand and integral to the wellbeing of those we serve.

This has been a challenging period; though our resilience as a charity has allowed us to remain operational with the support of our partners; with big ambitions for the future of our work.

We continued our service delivery, reaching many vulnerable people within the city and successfully engaging volunteers in ensuring it continues to be volunteer-led.

Dehumanising and dangerous government rhetoric, the seekers and crises and the longerterm impacts of COVID continued to impact our work significantly.

Legislation introduced during this period filtered greatly into media, enforcing stigma towards sanctuary seekers through the Rwanda Bill, significantly impacting the wellbeing of those we continue to support.

“I find the support very helpful, and I enjoy all the activities.” - MCoS service user, February 2023

Near the end of this period, we began a period of consolidation. As many in the sector continue to struggle financially with fundraising - we had to make difficult decisions around losing staff members and refocusing our work on redeveloping our strategy so that we could support many more sanctuary seekers and reach even more through our work.

We are redeveloping our strategy to be more expansive, focusing strongly on our Advocacy work in partnership with the Stepchange Consortium; and expanding our streams of sanctuary work to recognise, celebrate and improve on what organisations are already doing to make Manchester inclusive!

Sami Gichki, Chair since September 2024

We thank all our staff, funders, volunteers and the people we serve for their continued support towards our mission and our cause to make Manchester a home for all!

Katya Pursall, Interim Chair 2023-24

Reference and Administrative Details

Manchester City of Sanctuary
Registered Name
1168839
Charity Number
Charitable Incorporated Organisation(CIO)
Legal Structure
Constitution
Governing Document
19th August 2016
Date of Incorporation
Manchester City of Sanctuary, c/o MACC, Swan Buildings, 20
Registered Address		 Manchester City of Sanctuary, c/o MACC, Swan Buildings, 20
Swan Street, Manchester, M5 5JW Swan Street, Manchester, M5 5JW
1st April 2023
Start of Financial Year
31st March 2024
End of Financial Year
Trustees who served during the year and up to the date of this report were as follows:
Chair_(Appointed 15th May 2024)_
Sami Gichki
Trustee
Treasurer
Mark Andrew Kingston
Dr Jonathan Gilmore
Tandrima Mazumdar
(Appointed 23rd October 2024)
Cameron Boyle
(Resigned 20th December 2024)
Dr Katya Pursall
The Cooperative Bank
Bankers
Independent		 Mark Greeve Chartered
PO Box 250
Examiner		 Accountants, 10 Keswick Drive
Skelmersdale Frodsham, Cheshire, WA6 7LU
WN8 6WT
Key Management Personnel
Volunteer Placement Co-Ordinator
Sarah McCarthy
Advocacy and Partnerships Coordinator
Helen Paskins		 (Recruited 18th November 2024)

Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31[st] March 2024

The trustees present their report and audited financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024.

Objectives and Activities

Purpose and Aims

Our charity’s purpose, as set out in the objectives contained in Charity’s Constitution as:

  1. To advance education of the public in general, especially in Manchester about issues relating to refugees and people seeking asylum or sanctuary

  2. To promote health and wellbeing in Manchester amongst refugees, people seeking sanctuary, and people refused asylum in the UK

  3. To provide or assist in the provision of facilities for recreation or other leisure time occupations in the interest of social welfare with the object of improving the conditions of life of those persons who have need of such facilities

  4. To advance the education of the public in particular by the provision of training to those persons who have need of it for their benefit, including refugees, people seeking sanctuary and people refused asylum in the UK

  5. The promotion of equality and diversity for the public benefit by promoting activities to foster understanding and engagement between people from diverse backgrounds.

Our Vision is for every person seeking sanctuary to feel part of a supportive community that understands and welcomes them.

Our Mission is to make Manchester a welcoming place for refugees and asylum seekers.

Our Values

As of year ended 31 March 2024

The Journey

Volunteer Placements

With previous success with the Volunteer Placement Pilot; Manchester City of Sanctuary expanded on the scheme to deliver the service to sanctuary seekers with a more robust system in place.

In January 2024, we recruited a Volunteers Placement Coordinator to directly engage with and support sanctuary seekers into volunteering; often through partnering with organisations locally that have the appetite for this work – providing them with the training and support they also require to ensure that sanctuary seekers are given the right conditions to thrive.

Through this project, Manchester City of Sanctuary’s aim was to address some challenges; these included the need to increase community cohesion , reduce hate crime, support sanctuary seekers with skills development and integration, whilst also supporting their mental health and wellbeing.

This work closely meshed well with the training we provide to increase awareness about sanctuary seekers and the challenges they face when accessing services within the community.

The journey explained (to the right) is a rough guideline, and the nuances of the work change based on the different needs of sanctuary seekers and host organisation; tailored by the Volunteer Placement Coordinator to ensure they remain bespoke.

==> picture [97 x 300] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
1. Express Interest
2. Meeting
3. Taster Session
4. First Month
5. Continuation
6. Evaluation
----- End of picture text -----

Above: Journey of a volunteer placement Below: Above diagram expanded*

Case Stud y

Loai – Wheels For All x Manchester City of Sanctuary

My name is Loai, and I have been recently living in Manchester. I came to the UK from the Yemen where I grew up and went to high school. I moved to Asia to further my English studies. After this I was then able to gain a student visa to come to the UK to continue my studies.

During the summer break of my studies, I found myself with lots of spare time with not much to do. I came across City of sanctuary and their volunteering placements and thought it would be a good thing to get involved with. Through City of Sanctuary Manchester, I was able to access some volunteering opportunities with Wheels for All at their sessions within Debdale Park

"At Manchester City of Sanctuary, we know the demand there is for sanctuary seekers to get into volunteering, and we understand the importance of the impact it has on individuals. Volunteering is proven to promote good mental health. Many of our volunteers also say it helps improve their English skills and helps them integrate into their communities in the UK.

It is fantastic to have a collaboration with Wheels For All - Rhys and Caroline have done a fantastic job of making the volunteer experience as accessible as possible for sanctuary seekers. This is a great example of two organisations working together to create a positive impact for the sanctuary seeking community." Sarah McCarthy Volunteer placement coordinator, City of Sanctuary

I was able to volunteer with the team there for about 10 weeks and really enjoyed my time helping them. It was a friendly environment, in a lovely park setting and an enjoyable way to spend a Tuesday morning. It was a nice opportunity to meet lots of new people, connect with the community and overall, a really great experience!

"Having Loai's help at Debdale has been wonderful!

He is very enthusiastic, always arriving with a smile; and knows his way around a bicycle. His help has been invaluable in the months that he's been with us; always willing to get stuck in and move cycles, gazebos, boxes, or jump on a bike and ride with participants.

He's learned the features of each of the adapted cycles very quickly, and being able to speak Arabic, has helped us to communicate better with some of our participants. We will miss Loai and his smile, and we're very happy that he's doing well."

Caroline Powrie Debdale Park session lead, Wheels for All

I was thankful that Wheels for All were able to reimburse my travel costs straight after a session, I receive £8 a week to live on and wouldn't have been able to cope long without receiving back the £5 bus fare needed to attend.

Whilst volunteering I found out I would be able to stay in the UK to complete my college studies in Liverpool. I feel volunteering really helped me achieve this with my communication skills, speaking to lots of new people in English. I am excited to begin my course in computing as I would like to have a career in cyber security in the future.

I am going to be busy with college studies as this course as quite an intense schedule, but in the holidays, I hope to see what Wheels for All sessions I could get involved with in Liverpool.

"Working with City of Sanctuary in Manchester has been great experience to create a welcoming environment for asylum seekers and refugees, enabling them to contribute to and become active members of their local communities while supporting Wheels for All’s inclusive cycling initiatives. We are keen to explore further opportunities to work with City of Sanctuary UK in additional areas where both organisations operate within" Rhys Phillips

National volunteer manager, Wheels for All

Service Delivery

Manchester City of Sanctuary recognises the need for direct service delivery to sanctuary seekers to help create a welcoming environment and allow them to engage within the community as they settle into their new homes. Over the financial year, we worked directly with partners to provide support to sanctuary seekers, including those residing in hotels.

These encompassed the following:

Sports and physical activity can have a profound impact on the wellbeing. We ran numerous activities, such as walking, ladies football and Tai Chi. These activities also gave sanctuary seekers to connect to one another and their communities, in a safe space.

Our Coffee mornings and Ladies Wellbeing sessions are another point of contact for us to support sanctuary seekers and provide a safe space!

The lives of sanctuary seekers can be turbulent – Manchester City of Sanctuary also provided a space to celebrate together, with our Eid and Christmas Celebration Events

We also provided support to sanctuary seekers living in Manchester Hotels, being a key signposting organisation whilst also providing wellbeing support and offering activities mentioned above to sanctuary seekers.

Finance and Risk For the year ended 31[st] March 2024

INCOME

During 2023/24, our total income increased by 20% to £73k. as we continued to respond to increased need and a challenging external environment and struggled with our fundraising efforts.

The majority of our income (78%) was secured from restricted grants from Trusts and Foundations for our charitable activities. We were able to raise funds to support our core programme of events, as well as secure funding for a volunteer placement programme which we launched in the year.

We are very grateful to longstanding and more recent funders and partners; without whose support our work would be impossible.

EXPENDITURE

The total organisational expenditure was £79k. 64% of the total organisational expenditure was spent on charitable activities with 36% expended to support Manchester City of Sanctuary to achieve its objectives.

Of the total expenditure, 70% was on staffing, our greatest asset. Staff and Volunteers are key in delivering all our services and advocacy offer.

YEAR END POSITION

At the close of the financial year, Manchester City of Sanctuary held total net assets of £20k. Of these funds, £16k are restricted funds to be carried forward, representing funds which Manchester City of Sanctuary received for its charitable activities that have not yet been expended.

The level of unrestricted funds is in line with our policy on cash retention. This amount has been allocated for core running costs in the year 24/25. The total general funds held by Manchester City of Sanctuary at the close of the year were £4k

RESERVES POLICY

The trustees have agreed that the level of free reserves needs to be between three and six months of the ongoing running costs of the charity. This figure was agreed during a process of reviewing our internal and external environment, whilst taking into consideration our future plans and projected expenditure. Our reserves policy follows a ‘risk-based approach’, meaning that our policy is based on an understanding of our income streams and their risk profile.

Reserves are reported monthly in the management accounts created by the Finance and Audit Subcommittee; which are reviewed at board level. Given operational issues, changes in economic circumstances and short-term needs it is possible for reserves to fall outside of the target range. However, it is expected that Leadership will seek to address this to ensure reserves are maintained within range.

PRINCIPLE RISKS AND UNCERTAINITIES

The risks have been exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis, Government policies that affect the asylum system and operational uncertainty within the organisation and challenges with fundraising.

Manchester City of Sanctuary has identified the following headline risks and mitigations:

1. Operational Skills Gap

Risk: Due to change at board level with the lack of a chair, and no necessary
direct exec to manage the teams after redundancies for previous roles;
many of the operational activities in terms of management depend fully on
volunteers. There are also certain gaps in skills within the charity; such as
within the board and operational teams
Mitigation: Gain unrestricted funding to recruit a part-time (or full time) executive to
allow operational consistency in terms of line management. Till this can be
implemented within the organisational structure; open a round of open
recruitment for trustees to allow Manchester City of Sanctuary to maximise
the support of experts in different fields, such as Human Resources and
Operational Acumen to support the next stage of growth for the charity.
Alongside this, develop a training plan for staff and existing trustees to
upskill wherever possible, and ensure this is updated on a frequent basis.

2. Clarity of Strategy

Risk: The organisation risks following certain sources of fundraising that align
with a part of our strategic objectives but do not utilise it entirely. This,
combined with the other risks and not have a formalised strategy; puts at
risk the sustainability of the charity’s activities and the possibility of them
not being in line with our long-term strategic objectives.
Mitigation: Establishing a short-term interim strategy (laid out in the next section),
approved by trustees and doing an internal audit of the organisation, with
trustees, staff, partners and sanctuary seekers to establish a formalised
strategy from 2025-29. Once established, setting out formalised procedures
to ensure that our activities and fundraising efforts align with this strategy to
maximise our impact and ensure we keep on track.

3. Fundraising Capacity

Risk: Manchester City of Sanctuary does not currently have the fundraising
capacity to deliver on its mission and objectives in the long-run; currently
depending on already existing, long-term secured funding. The fundraising
landscape also continues to be challenging and means that applications to
trusts and foundations for future funding would be very competitive.
Mitigation: Formally developing a fundraising and development committee to sit
alongside the board of trustees to bring in individuals with extensive
fundraising acumen. Formally develop a fundraising strategy alongside an
overall strategy to allow a clear routes to funding. Also explore ways of
diversifying fundraising pipelines in alternative ways; such as philanthropy,
corporate partnerships, individual giving, etc

Plans for the Future

Advocacy

We understand the need for organisations such as Manchester City of Sanctuary to take a top-down approach to ensure inclusivity is something embedded within the culture of the city –from councils and services to schools and colleges.

We will do this through:

Streams of Sanctuary – we will continue accrediting 1. organisations that meet our standards and provide them with support on how to be better fitted with supporting asylum seekers and refugees within their processes.

2.

3.

Research and raise awareness around the needs and barriers faced by sanctuary seekers; recommending ways of improving these across sectors.

Service Delivery

We also understand how crucial it can be to provide direct support to those we work with as they navigate the complexities of seeking sanctuary within our city.

We will do this through:

1.

By continuing our service delivery work to support sanctuary seekers in seeking opportunities to develop their skills and have safe spaces to integrate within the community

2.

Playing a key role in signposting sanctuary seekers to other organisations and services, these can include but are not limited to the NHS, other charities and education services.

Structure, Governance & Management For the year ended 31[st] March 2024

APPOINTMENT OF TRUSTEES

Any person who is willing to act as a trustee, and who would not be disqualified under the provision of Article 27 of the Articles of Association, may be appointed to be a trustee by decision of the trustees.

Recruitment of trustees is an open process, with positions advertised through channels and networks where we can attract a range of diverse candidates

The interview panel consists of two trustees assigned to the role by the board and either a volunteer or someone from the management team ( a minimum of one person on the panel must have lived experience of being a sanctuary seeker ). Alongside this, all candidates will have an informal conversation with the Chair to ensure they understand the roles and responsibilities of being a trustee and have any of their questions answered

As per our constitution; trustees shall retire after each term of four years. Retiring trustees may be re-appointed but a trustee who has served for three consecutive terms must take a break from office for a minimum of one year.

TRUSTEE INDUCTION AND TRAINING

The trustees have a wide range of skills pertinent to the charity. They include professionals from finance, governance, safeguarding, policy influencing, fundraising, legal, and international development.

Their knowledge is kept up to date by technical reading, sharing of knowledge and training courses. New developments are discussed at meeting of the trustees. All trustees will undertake training on finance, governance and safeguarding.

The operational plan, risk register, fundraising targets, safeguarding, staff and volunteer wellbeing and finances are regularly reviewed. We have a Finance and Audit Committee that meets quarterly to have oversight of our finances. It is our policy that all trustees are DBS checked.

Our Fundraising and Development Committee, chaired by a trustee and attended by other trustee representatives, meets quarterly. Our Resources and Personnel Committee convenes on an ad hoc basis, chaired by a trustee on behalf of the full board, and other members such as staff and volunteers as and when necessary for recruitment or other personal related items, We are also committed to our mission, and are striving to set up a Strategy and Innovation Subcommittee

RELATED PARTIES AND RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER ORGANISATIONS

The trustees have declared that there are no conflicts of interest with any related parties. Manchester City of Sanctuary holds a register of interests which is reviewed annually

REMUNERATION POLICY FOR KEY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL

The trustees delegate the day to day running of the charity to Finance and Audit Committee, chaired by our Treasurer.

There is an agreed scheme of delegation which outlines respective responsibilities following a robust autonomous structure. The pay of Manchester City of Sanctuary staff is set by the board of trustees in line with the Living Wage Standards

FUNDRAISING PRACTICE STATEMENT

All of Manchester City of Sanctuary’s fundraising is carried out by our Fundraising and Development Subcommittee. Manchester City of Sanctuary is not currently subscribed to the Fundraising Regulator.

In March 2024, All of our income generated through grants were carefully regulated. We abide by the Fundraising Regulator’s Code of Practice for all our community, events, corporate and individual fundraising activities. Manchester City of Sanctuary has never received any complaints about fundraising activities which we’ve undertaken.

STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES OF TRUSTEES

The trustees are responsible for preparing the trustees’ annual report including the strategic report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Charity law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to: select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently (1), observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP (2), make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent (3), state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements(4), prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation (5)

The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy, at any time, the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with relevant legislation.

They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. In so far as the trustees are aware: there is no relevant audit information of which the charity’s auditor is unaware. The trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditor is aware of that information

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charity’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions. Members of the charity guarantee to contribute an amount not exceeding £1 to the assets of the charity in the event of winding up.

The trustees are members of the charity, but this entitles them only to voting rights. The trustees have no beneficial interest in the charity.

Independent Examiner

Mark Greeve Chartered Accountants were re-appointed as the independent examiners to the charity during the year and have expressed their willingness to continue in that capacity.

Approved by the trustees on 29[th] January 2025 and signed on their behalf by

Sami Gichki Chair

Mark Kingston Treasurer

Financial Statements For the year ended 31[st] March 2024

Statement of Financial Activities (Incorporating the Income and Expenditure Account) Year Ended 31 March 2024

Restricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Total Total
Funds Funds Funds Funds
2024 2024 2024 2023
(£) (£) (£) (£)
Charitable Sources 16,284 16,284 18,875
Grants 56,419 56,419 41,786
Total Incoming Resources 56,419 16,284 72,703 60,661
Resources Expended
Charitable Activities 16,319 577 16,916 23,284
The Statement of Financial Activities includes all gains and losses in
667
Legal and Professional Fees		 The Statement of Financial Activities includes all gains and losses in
300
667
the year and therefore a statement of total recognised gains and
losses has not been prepared. All of the above amounts relate to
47,566
55,281
20,499
34,782
Wages
continuing activities.
Travelling and Subsistence		 855 855 723
Other Admin Costs 5,708 5,708 5,829
Total Resources Expended 51,120 28,306 79,427 77,702
Net Incoming/ (Outgoing) 5,298 (12,022) (6,723) (17,041)
Resources
Total Funds Brought 10,663 16,115 26,778 43,819
Forward
Total Funds Carried 15,961 4,094 20,055 26,778
Forward

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.

Balance Sheet As At 31 March 2024

Restricted Unrestricted Total Total
Funds Funds Funds Funds
2024 2024 2024 2023
(£) (£) (£) (£)
Assets
Debtors 1,000
Cash in bank and in hand 15,961 4,094 20,055 26,311
Total Assets 15,961 4,094 20,055 27,311
Liabilities
Creditors due within one (533)
year
Total Liabilities 0 0 0 (533)
Net Assets 15,961 4,094 20,055 26,778
Funds
Unrestricted Funds 4,094 4,094 16,115
Restricted Funds 15,961 15,961 10,663
Total Funds 10,663 16,115 26,778 26,778

Notes to the accounts

Accounting Policies for the 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 Ireland(FRS 102) (effective 1[st] January 2015) – (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard Applicable in the UK and Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act

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 accounts on the grounds that the company is too small.

Fixed Assets

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

Depreciation

Depreciation will be calculated 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% WDA Building Works 25% WDA Motor Vehicles 30% WDA

Income

Donations 2024
(£)		 2023
(£)
Donations and Gift Aid
Repayments		 16,284 18,875
Grants 56,419 41,786

Independent Examiners Report

For the year ended 31[st] March 2024

I report on the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 202, 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 charity’s 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:

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.

Independent examiner’s statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:1.Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:

• To prepare accounts that accord with the accounting records, comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 and with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities

Have not been met ,or

  1. To which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Mark Greeve Independent Examiner

Dated 30[th] January 2025

Manchester City of Sanctuary is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation(CIO) registered with the Charity Commission England and Wales (Charity Number 1168839)