Trustees Report
Period ended 31 March 2022
Charity Registration No. 1169544
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Contents
Legal and Administrative Information ................................................................................................................... 3 Objectives and activities ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Structure, governance and management ................................................................................................................. 5 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 6 About GRACE ........................................................................................................................................................ 6 Achievements and performance ............................................................................................................................. 6 The Way Forward ................................................................................................................................................... 7 Fundraising and Donations Gratitude ..................................................................................................................... 8
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Legal and Administrative Information
| Trustees | Claire Papazidis Andreas Papazidis (Chair) Faten Bizzari (Treasurer) Jennifer Foster |
Appointed 30 October 2015 Appointed 1 September 2016 Appointed 3 July 2017 Appointed 5 June 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Charity number | 1169544 | |
| Principal office | 18 Leegate, Lewisham London SE12 8SS |
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| Bank | Metro Bank 72 – 76 High Street Bromley BR1 1EG |
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Objectives and activities
The Charity's objects (''Objects'') are:
1) For the public benefit to relieve and assist the victims of war, conflict or natural disaster throughout the world, in particular by the provision of volunteers, funds, food, medical aid, accommodation, access to water and sanitation and other humanitarian assistance;
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2) The prevention or relief of poverty or financial hardship including, but without limitation to, providing persons in need with grants or money or by providing or paying for services, items or facilities;
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3) Such other purposes which are charitable under the laws of England and Wales as the trustees, from time to time, determine.
The charity in the coming months will make every effort to identify new income streams that will enable them to discharge their duties and meet their objectives.
The Trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake and to its guidance on public benefit.
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Structure, governance and management
The charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) established in England and Wales on 10/10/16.
It was established using the model constitution for a CIO and its procedures and rules are those in the model constitution for a CIO whose only voting members are its charity trustees.
The charity was successful in obtaining charitable status from the Charity Commission and was formally registered as a charity on 10/10/2016 with charity number 1169544.
The Trustees who served during the year were:
Claire Papazidis Appointed 30 October 2015 Andreas Papazidis (Chair) Appointed 1 September 2016 Faten Bizzari (Treasurer) Appointed 3 July 2017 Jennifer Foster Appointed 5 June 2021
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Executive Summary
About GRACE
We help those who have lost everything to rebuild their life from scratch. We aim to provide the essential items needed for individuals and families to get back on their feet again.
Since 2015, GRACE charity has maintained a firm presence in South East London. We are immensely proud of our achievements, highlighted below, and the leading role we play in harnessing the compassion of our local communities to support those in need.
Achievements and performance
Local community activities:
Through our friendly, innovative, community shop, GRACEaid provides basic items such as clothing, toiletries and small household items to those who need it most. Each client’s dignity and well-being is at the heart of our compassionate service.
We take referrals of individuals and families via other UK charities and grassroots groups. Clients shop at our store by choosing a set number of items under a cashless system.
During 2021, over 500 clients were directly assisted in the shop. Nearly 40% of that client base were children. Our principal clients were newly arrived asylum seekers, people fleeing domestic abuse and victims of trafficking and modern slavery, as well as vulnerable new mothers.
Our retail shop is open to the wider community providing an affordable community service, and thousands come through our doors each year.
We pride ourselves on our community presence and ability to recycle any surplus-to-requirement items. GRACE is well-known to many charities who turn to us to request bulk supplies for their clients.
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International activities:
Over the past six years, some 3,000 boxes of donated aid have been sorted and packed by volunteers, for shipment to refugee camps in Europe and the Middle East.
GRACEaid partners have traditionally transported our goods via land in convoys of lorries. COVID19 and then Brexit forced change upon that model. Beginning in 2020, direct shipment of donated items was no longer the most effective way of channelling aid. In light of these changes, GRACEaid shipped its final overseas load of donations in 2021 – almost 60 banana boxes filled with children’s and adult clothing, along with baby buggies, nappies, sanitary pads, and other items. The donations were delivered to Essex-based Hope and Aid Direct, to form part of a larger shipment sent to refugee camps in Greece.
The Way Forward
2021/22 marks a new phase of GRACE’s direct support for people in vulnerable circumstances. The physical goods provided to our charity will be used locally to support forcibly displaced people who arrive in our community, as well as families displaced due to other reasons such as domestic violence and being trafficked.
Years of sorting donations and logistics expertise, along with solid procedural practices are coming together nicely. Our Community Referral Shop is now a core part of what we do as a charity and we continue to expand our outreach.
We welcomed new charitable partners referring clients and began to build relationships with retail donors that wish to give goods at scale. Looking ahead, we hope to further opportunities for local partnerships that have a need for our service.
Looking forward to this year, money raised in GRACE’s charity shop will be used to support refugees in Greece, and other overseas locations, by purchasing essential items close to where those people are arriving. We will be working with existing partners on the ground but also welcome discussions with grassroots aid groups and small organisations for manageable grants.
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Fundraising and Donations Gratitude
We always get a tremendous response to any ‘shout-outs’ for goods and find that these donations come from all over South London. Every item donated to GRACE – whether clothing, household items, toys, books or other goods – will continue to benefit those in need. It will either be given out locally to asylum seekers, refugees, and others in Lewisham and neighbouring boroughs who are being supported by the Council and local aid charities, or else sold in GRACE’s charity shop, with the money used to support refugees abroad.
We remain ever grateful to the incredible individual and grassroots support we have received from our local community. Parents, staff and students in Lewisham and Greenwich schools continue to support us with their donations of clothing and other items, as do local individual donors and religious groups.
With COVID restrictions easing, we witnessed individuals using joyful, unique and innovative ways to raise funds or awareness about GRACE, from the sale of handmade cards, upcycled vintage clothing and front yard sales, to handmade T-shirts and generous individual donations. Examples of incredible and touching assistance include:
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Ms Nona making scented bags to sell, with the assistance of volunteers harvesting their lavender for her.
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Handmade T-shirts from @LuluSummers for refugee children.
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Cambridge Nursing Home for several rounds of generous donations of clothing accumulated by residents and their loved ones.
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Dame Primary School, Plumstead, for donating puzzles and toys.
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The Bridge in East Greenwich’s community who gathered lots of toiletries for men, women and children, along with childrens’ stationery.
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@MammaKind for their huge donation of brand new tracksuits.
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The Greek Orthodox Church of Christ the Saviour for gathering and sorting several rounds of donations on our behalf.
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Mr Space for several rounds of brilliant small homeware and furnishings.
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To Gill for all her upcycled items from pre-loved clothes.
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Christ Church in Anerley knitters, Penge for all their baby hand-knitted blankets and cardigans.
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Sister Susan and Sister Chris from Sisters of Mary in Eltham for their regular donations of items.
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Anastasia for her bric-a-brac sale amongst neighbours and friends.
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Generous donations made by private individuals.
We are grateful to all of you who came to help us, and hope the list above inspires those reading it to get involved in any way they like.
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We also thank our wonderful and consistent team of volunteers without whom none of this would be possible.
Acknowledgements:
This year saw a generous response from grant-givers towards running the community referral shop. As a growing charity, the ongoing availability of grants or commercial scale retail donations (shoes, clothes and toiletries) has become an important part of our strategy.
If you are a retail entity seeking to give goods away or make donations please do reach out to us.
We give special thanks to the following organisations:
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GREENWICH REFUGEE AID AND COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE (GRACE)
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES
(INCLUDING THE INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
| Income and Endowments: Donations Charitable Activities Total Income Expenditure: Charitable Activities 2 Total Expenditure Net Income/Expenditure Total Funds brought forward Total Funds carried forward Note |
Unrestricted Restricted Total 2022 Total 2021 £ £ £ £ 17,006 - 17,006 9,004 50,405 50,405 76,075 |
|---|---|
| 67,411 - 67,411 85,079 |
|
| 38,098 38,098 57,241 |
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| 38,098 - 38,098 57,241 |
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| 29,313 - 29,313 27,838 |
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| 32,291 - 32,291 4,453 |
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| 61,604 - 61,604 32,291 |
|
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GREENWICH REFUGEE AID AND COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE (GRACE)
BALANCE SHEET
AS AT 31 MARCH 2022
| Note | £ £ 2022 |
£ £ 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| CURRENT ASSETS Debtors 4 1,871 1,271 Cash at Bank & In Hand 60,720 40,042 62,591 41,313 CREDITORS:Amounts Falling Due within One Year 5 (987) (9,022) NET CURRENT ASSETS 61,604 32,291 TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 61,604 32,291 FUNDS Unrestricted Funds 6 & 7 61,604 32,291 61,604 32,291 |
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GREENWICH REFUGEE AID AND COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE (GRACE) NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
1. Accounting Policies
1.1 Basis of preparation of Accounts
The financial statements are prepared under the historical cost convention with the exception of investments which are included at market value. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with FRS 102, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (Charities SORP (FRS 102 second edition – effective 1 January 2019)), applicable UK accounting standards and the Companies Act 2006.
1.2 Going concern
The trustees have assessed whether the use of the going concern assumption is appropriate in preparing these financial statements. The trustees have made this assessment in respect to a period of one year from the date of approval of these financial statements.
The trustees of the charity have concluded that there are no material uncertainties related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the ability of the charity to continue as a going concern. The trustees are of the opinion that the charity will have sufficient resources to meet its liabilities as they fall due.
1.3 Incoming resources
Assets for distribution are recognised only when distributed. Assets given for use by the charity are recognised when receivable. Donation, legacies and other forms of voluntary income are recognised as incoming resources when receivable, except insofar as they are incapable of financial measurement.
Grants, where entitlement is not conditional on the delivery of a specific performance by the charity, are recognised when the charity becomes unconditionally entitled to the grant.
All incoming resources are included in the statement of financial activities when the charity is entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income:
Voluntary income and donations are included in incoming resources when they are receivable, except when the donors specify that they must be used in future accounting periods or donors' conditions have not been fulfilled, then the income is deferred. The income for fundraising ventures is shown gross, with the associated costs included in fundraising costs.
Donated assets are included at the value to the charity where these can be quantified.
1.4 Resources expended
Expenditure is recognised on an accrual basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be fully recovered, and is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates.
Charitable expenditure comprised those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them.
Governance costs include those costs associated with meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements of the charity and include the audit fees and costs linked to the strategic management of the charity.
1.5 Charitable funds
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives unless the funds have been designated for other purposes.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the accounts.
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GREENWICH REFUGEE AID AND COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE (GRACE)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
2. CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
| Charitable activities | 2022 2021 Staff Cost Direct Support Total Total £ £ £ £ £ 23,318 14,220 560 38,098 57,241 |
|---|---|
| 23,318 14,220 560 38,098 57,241 |
Included under Support costs are governance costs of £560 (2021: £560).
3. STAFF COSTS AND KEY PERSONNEL
No remuneration was paid to trustees during the year (2021: £nil). Expenses reimbursed to them in their capacity as trustees amounted to £Nil (2021: £nil).
The staff costs of remaining staff were:
| 2022 £ Wages and Salaries 8410 · Grossem CEO payent Agencies 8490 · Misce 23,318 23,318 During the year no staff were paid more than £60,000 (2020: None). The charity employed 3 staff (2021: 3 staff) with a total full time equivalent of 0.7 (2021: 0.7). |
2021 £ 20,307 |
|---|---|
| 20,307 | |
4. DEBTORS
| 5. CREDITORS Trade debtors Trade creditors Loan account |
2022 £ 1,871 1,871 |
2021 £ 1,271 1,271 |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 £ 987 - 987 |
2021 £ 6,085 2,937 |
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| 9,022 |
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GREENWICH REFUGEE AID AND COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE (GRACE)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
6. FUNDS
| General reserves Total reserves |
Balance Incoming Balance B/F Resources Expenditure C/F £ £ £ £ |
|---|---|
| 32,291 67,411 38,098 61,604 |
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| 32,291 67,411 38,098 61,604 |
7. ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS
| Unrestricted Fund | Net Current Assets £ 61,604 |
|---|---|
| 61,604 |
8. TAXATION
The company is a registered charity and no provision is considered necessary for taxation.
9. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
When the charity started the CEO Claire Papazidis loaned the charity £6,337 and has since been repaid. The balance remaining is £nil (2021: £2,937).
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