## **Wallingford Emergency Food Bank Charity Reg. No. 1169402 Trustees Report to the Charity Commission for the year October 2020 – September 2021** The following report is a summary of the report presented to and approved by the Trustees at the AGM on 3 November 2021. As this is my last year as Chairman, Jean’s last year as Manager and Eileen’s last year as Deputy Manager, permit me to reflect on the ten years since we started as well as reporting on the current year. During my tenure as Chairman of Churches Together Wallingford Area (CTWA) in 2010 it was decided to investigate the need for a Food Bank in Wallingford. My wife, Jean, was keen to be involved and along with Eileen Whitehorn they soon discovered there was an urgent need for food for a number of people in our area. With the approval of CTWA and modelling itself on a formula used by Didcot Food Bank one was established in the Bullcroft Park Recreation Rooms in 2011, courtesy of the Town Council. We could not have imagined how the work would grow into the organisation it is today. **----- Start of picture text -----**
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In that first year we provided about 400 food parcels. In the last year the number was 2,300, an increase of 15% on the previous year and making a grand total of just under 13,000 over the ten years. The big jump in 2018 we think was due to various austerity measures introduced by the government. The recent rise is probably due to employment problems caused by the coronavirus. As well as those parcels collected by our clients we have delivered to Drayton, Benson, Berinsfield, Stadhapton, Chiselhampton, Ewelme, Watlington, Chalgrove, Kidmore End, Sonning Common, Woodcote, Goring, Streatley, Cholsey, Ipsden and Blewbury. We have printed off some 5,500 vouchers and a similar number of Food Allocation Forms. I have written and sent 458 letters. Then there are the annual accounts. About £4,500 donated in the first year rising to £49,000 this year. The increasing turnover required us to register with the Charity Commission, which we did, as a Charity Incorporated Organisation (CIO) in 2016, with additional Trustees drawn from the local churches. With about 200 items of donation or expenditure in a year this is no small job. Jean’s service to the local community was recognised by the High Sheriff of Oxford with a certificate awarded at a ceremony in 2016. It was further recognised in the award of a British Empire Medal (BEM) in 2019, somewhat reluctantly accepted by Jean who believed that it really belonged to the whole team and the donators who all contribute to making the Food Bank work. It is 2 years since we were obliged to move to our present location at 22 St Mary’s Street, having been evicted from the Bullcroft then occupying a temporary Portakabin in Lidl’s car park. Ridgeway Community Church came to the rescue with the offer of the former Creche Room just in time for Christmas 2019. We have a Memorandum of Understanding with the Church, effective for 10 years, extendable by mutual agreement. This has been examined by both parties and a solicitor and is due to be signed shortly. It exists to clarify the arrangements between us but we hope that any issues would be resolved in a true spirit of cooperation. The Memorandum includes an agreement concerning the project that has become known as Grandma’s Kitchen. Meeting some of our clients and delivering to their homes has made us aware that several parents have had very little training in basic cooking skills. We wanted to do something about that and had the idea of providing training for small groups in cooking healthy economic meals, involving cooking a meal then eating it together to build up social confidence as well as cooking skills. To this end we agreed to part fund the creation of a new kitchen at the Ridgeway Centre, known now as The Fountain Community Hub. An additional donation was received to specifically further this project. Jean wishes to remain a Trustee with special responsibility for this project. It remains for me to thank all those who have contributed to the work of the Food Bank over the years and particularly in this last year when we have had to cope with lock downs and various other restrictions. It is particularly important to recognise the way that Alice Penney and David Tole especially have willingly taken on responsibilities and will continue to do so as the original team steps down. I wish them well. _Neville Burt (Chairman)_ _on behalf of the Trustees October 2021_ CHARIIY COMVd5510N FOI l￿D IND WAlf5 V411IA f. d E ei and ments accounts lo/f /21 CC16• To Soclion A Recoipls and payments Al ARP 4371£ 4*716 Sub •)tsi Seclioi) B Slaleiiiei)l of a%8ols aii(I Iiahilili?.s Ai tlie end of the period UNostilct•d Detsii9 lund# ndA 3128 fvnd• Dmal cHAR￿y COMMISSION F(Mi ENGLAND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts SectFon A Independent Examiner s Reporl R•port to th• Irust•MI rn•mb•rs of On •C￿u￿ts for th• y￿1 | ended I lo lyfr*th4 S•1 out on p•p• 2•xi Ch•rrty no Ilf any> Ilg1402 •r4 Lc I£L (IP4g¢J) o Irie JWE n Jnit- I report to the trustees cfft rny examinatson of the accounts of thè abothry thwrty (kn Trusfi fw tM y￿r ervjed l• /•8 /x oil As the charrt￿5 trustees. you are respon￿ble for the preparati(￿ of thE g¢¢ount8 In accordance %wth the wuirement8 of the Charrtie8 Acl 2011 I'U* Aeri. R￿pOnSIbl11tiQj b•919 of report I report in cl my èxaminati￿ of the Trust's account$ ¢arr*l ¢xrt under Stdion 145 of the 2011 Act and in earryiry out my exam￿ation, I havè followad all the applicable DirectbDns givan by th• Chgrity Cornmiswc urnlor 14515Kbl of the Acl. Indgpondont tThe chwity's gross Inc(rfD• exceoded £250,OCQ and l am gualif*d lo •xamin•trs •l•tement undèrtakè the examinat￿ by t*"ng a quall￿d of linwrt n¥m8 01 aOicatAe listed t>Jdyll. Delele I l rfnc4 ap*￿aN8. I have crAnrknd my examinatth. I confirrn ltr￿t no matwial have come to my 8ttentw Tn cwinethon ¥￿th the examinabon lots than that disclcaed bekyw ') wh￿h gwe5 me cause to believe Ihat in, any material the ¥e¢L￿￿tIng r•¢Nth ww• not kw in *cordI￿* *ilh 8•Ction 1x1 of tho Char((ies Ad.. or the accounts did accord with the accountiTrJ records.. or the ￿￿O￿￿t5 did ￿11 com￿Y with the Bpplicabbp requirements )cerning the lom content ol 8ccounls Set wt in the Charrt IAccounis aThJ R•Fx*lsl Regulat￿nts 2C*)8 Olher Ihan any requ￿*￿nI Ih8t the ac¢ourts give a Iru8 and fair, vlew whKh 18 nol a matlor ¢M$kIe￿￿ as part of an Ind￿ndant examination. I have no concems and have com& auos$ r•) Olh*r mattws ￿ c￿nectIon with the •xamination lo attention should te drawn in this rawt in ordor io •n•tAa • prcyr uThl8rstanding of the accounts to be rethd. ' Please dgletg Ihe words in th8 I￿0t8 tf thvy ￿ not Signed: 14-3-2 N•m•: R￿0¥¥Tht woftssk*no1 qu•111katlon(sl or body IER Oct 2018 111 any): Addr••s: W,. Il¢gltrpè Section B Oisclosure Only compleie If the oxaminer needs lo highlight rnaterial mattors of concern (s•• CG32, Indep8￿1 exarninats￿ ol chw* ￿￿UnIs." thredion8 ar)d gU￿ance for examiner3). Gfv• h•rn bri•f d•tsil¥ of •ny i¢•ms th•t th• •x•minof to IER Oct 2018