## **CHARITY REGISTERED NUMBER: 1170393** 

## **EASTBOURNE NETWORX** 

## **TRUSTEES' REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS** 

**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2021** 

**S J PICKUP & CO. CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS LONG ACRE MILTON STREET POLEGATE BN26 5RW** 



## **EASTBOURNE NETWORX** 

## **LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION** 

**Registered Charity Number:** 1170393 **Chief Executive Officer:** A Reid **Treasurer:** B Bird **Trustees:** A Reid B Bird J Mottram A Mottram P Bowley L Craggs **Accountants:** S J Pickup & Co. Chartered Accountants Long Acre Milton Street Polegate BN26 5RW 

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## **EASTBOURNE NETWORX** 

## **TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT** 

## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2021** 

The Trustees present their report and the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 May 2021. The trustees have adopted the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) "Accounting and Reporting by Charities" (FRS102) in preparing the annual report and financial statements of the charity. 

## **Structure, Governance and Management** 

## Governing document 

The charity is governed by its Trust deed dated 28 August 2016 and registered as a CIO on 25 November 2016 with the Charity Commission. 

## Organisation 

A board of trustees of up to 6 members, who meet regularly to administer the charity. 

## Objectives and activities 

A charity that welcomes and supports refugees. We are a voice for those in need, supporting them in housing, education and into employment. 

## **Achievements and performance** 

The charity focus during this last year has turned very much to addressing financial needs via providing food and clothes to the families with whom we work, this has generally been through providing Tesco voucher cards to those in need. £6,000 was spent on vouchers 

The increased numbers of Asylum seekers arriving in Eastbourne now that we are a dispersal town, has also shown up the need for warm winter clothes for the many people who have lost everything on their journey to safety. We have been able to provide £1,800 worth of winter clothes. Sanctuary café provides great support for these individuals. 

Housing remains a key issue which has no easy answer. There are insufficient houses at a viable rent. A small 3- bedroom house in Eastbourne now costs between £1,300 to £1,600 monthly rent which is £600-£900 over the Local Housing Allowance. 

Many landlords have opted to sell their properties whilst the selling price has been so advantageous to the seller with smaller houses approaching half a million pounds. This has reduced the number of available properties to rent and has created problems for several families who have been evicted as the landlord wants to sell. 

We have been pleased to work with the local council and ‘People Matter’ to address the need for employment support for refugees who are ready to work. We are beginning to see some successes as this project becomes established. 

Two new families (Afghans) have been settled into Eastbourne bringing the total of families under the Vulnerable People’s Resettlement Programme, (or similar scheme), to 11. There’s a further 27 refugee/migrant families we support across the town and a further 4 families outside of the town. In addition, the asylum seekers housed in the hotels require things from time to time such as a laptop. Tech Resort provides reconditioned laptops for us at a cost of £10 each. We have provided 26 PC’s/laptops. 

Our work takes us from meeting the individual or family through to having them settled into a home, which we help to furnish; children are at school and learning confidently and we buy school uniforms when needed; the adults are able to communicate in English and are employed and 6 years after arriving they have gained Citizenship. The first three families we supported at the beginning of 2016 have just achieved this. It’s a long journey but very encouraging when it is done. We remain available in the background for these families if other issues crop up. 

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It's been another year of blessing. We have continued to be very well supported by local Churches, especially Victoria Baptist Church and Berwick Benefice. Individual donations have amounted to over £12,000 and Networx has received over £26,000 in grants. This finance enables to deliver all that is mentioned above. We are all volunteers and we do not pay rent for offices. Consequently, all money donated is used to support the foreign families in our town. 

## **Financial review** 

We had a very successful year in applying for and receiving grants totalling £26,686. We spent £22,908 of this in the year leaving a balance of £3,778 to be spent in the next financial year. 

Because of this success we did not need to spend so much of the gifts and donations received in the year as we have had to in previous financial periods. As a result, £5,960 has been added to the General Fund for use in future financial years. 

The balance of grants remaining (£3,778) and the increase in General Fund balances (£5,960) are represented in the receipts and payments statement on page 5 as the surplus for the year. 

Our financial resources at the end of year are healthy and will enable us to deal with future demands placed upon Networx. We are very grateful for the continuing support of donors and grant making bodies. 

## **Plans for future periods** 

The trustees are confident to continue their support of vulnerable families. 

## **Accounting and reporting responsibilities** 

The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). 

The law applicable to charities in England and Wales 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 of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to: 

- select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently; 

- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP; 

- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; 

- state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; 

- prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation. 

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provision of the trust deed. 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. 

Approved by the trustees on 28 March 2022 signed on its behalf by: 


..................................................... A Reid Trustee 

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## **EASTBOURNE NETWORX** 

## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT** 

## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2021** 

I report on the accounts which are set out on pages 5 to 7 

## **Respective responsibilities of the Trustees and examiner** 

The trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. 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. It is my responsibility to: 

Examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act; follow the procedures laid down in the general directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act); and 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 statement below. 

## **Independent examiner's statement** 

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: 

1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or 

2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or 

3. the accounts do 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. 


Dated 28[th] March 2022 

S J Pickup & Co. Chartered Accountants Long Acre Milton Street Polegate BN26 5RW 

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## **EASTBOURNE NETWORX** 

## **RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT : GENERAL FUND** 

## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2021** 

|||**2021**||**2020**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**£**||**£**||
|**INCOME**|||||
|**Donations and legacies**|||||
|Gifts and Donations|12,329||11,994||
|Gift Aid|2,364||3,235||
|Loan Repayments|-||4,035||
|Grants|26,686||-||
||**––––––**||**––––––**||
||41,379||19,264||
||**––––––**||**––––––**||
|**FUNDS FOR ENGLISH LESSONS**|||||
|Grants from Councils|22,777||25,556||
|English Lessons|(22,777)||25,556)||
||**––––––**||**––––––**||
||-||-||
||**––––––**||**––––––**||
|||**––––––**|**––––––**||
|**Total Receipts**||41,379|19,264||
|||**––––––**|**––––––**||
|**Expenditure**|||||
|Administration Costs|852||873||
|Family Support|9,319||4,776||
|Housing Costs|1,779||7,909||
|Loans|-||3,570||
|Training and Education|-||8,685||
|Syrian Suppers|-||619||
|Links Project|-||119||
|English Lessons (in advance of reimbursement)|1,037||820||
|Getting People Back to Work|5,172||-||
|Covid Support<br>|5,615|-|||
|PC’s and Software|3,665|-|||
|Winterisation Kits|1,532||-||
|Loan Cancellation|2,670||-||
||**––––––**||**––––––**||
|||**––––––**|**––––––**||
|**Total expenditure**||31,641|27,371||
|||**––––––**|**––––––**||
|**Surplus/(Deficit) for the Year**||9,738|(8,107)||
|||**––––––**|**––––––**||



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## **EASTBOURNE NETWORX** 

## **STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES** 

## **AS AT 31 MAY 2021** 

|||**2021**||**2020**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|**Monetary assets**|||||
|Loans|3,333||5,210||
|Bank Current Account|25,746||14,131||
||**––––––**||**––––––**||
|**Net current assets**||29,079||19,340|
|||**––––––**||**––––––**|
|**Total assets less liabilities**||29,079||19,340|
|||**––––––**||**––––––**|
|||**£**||**£**|
|**Movement in Funds:**|||||
|General Fund||24,023||14,521|
|Roman Catholic Church Fund||1,278||3,126|
|Links Project||-||900|
|Lockdown Fund||-||723|
|Data Poverty Fund||-||70|
|Getting People Back to Work Fund||928||-|
|Sussex Crisis Fund||2,850||-|
|||**––––––**||**––––––**|
|||29,079||19,340|
|||**––––––**||**––––––**|



Approved by the trustees on 28 March 2022 and signed on its behalf. 


................................................... A Reid 

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## **EASTBOURNE NETWORX** 

## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS** 

## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2021** 

## 1. **English Lessons** 

English Lessons are provided by a business selected solely by Eastbourne Borough Council to deliver tuition to refugees accepted under HM Government’s Vulnerable Persons resettlement Scheme (initially known as the Syrian Vulnerable Person Resettlement Programme)  In an arrangement with Eastbourne Borough Council, Eastbourne Networx pays for the English language tuition services delivered against a list of refugees determined by the Council, and then claims reimbursement in full from the Council. This arrangement has existed since 2017. 

In 2020 Lewes District Council joined this arrangement, with Eastbourne Borough Council continuing to act as the lead authority. 

The English lessons are delivered by a family member of A Reid who has played no part in the selection process nor any decision regarding this project or arising from it. 

## 2. **Loans** 

Trustees made a decision to cancel debts in accordance with Deuteronomy Chapter15 verses 1:11 

## 3. **Loans Movement** 

||**2021**|
|---|---|
||**£**|
|Opening Balance|5,210|
|Loans Granted|3,983|
|Loans Repaid|(3,190)|
|Loans Cancelled|(2,670)|
||**––––––**|
|Closing Balance|3,333|
||**––––––**|



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