2021-03-31-accounts

Charity Number: 1171108

IT’S ALL ABOUT CULTURE

(A Charitable Incorporated Organisation)

Trustees’ Annual Report & Accounts

For the period 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021

It’s All About Culture

c/o The Link 3-5 Palmerston Road Bournemouth Dorset BH1 4HN

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frontispiece

It’s All About Culture

It’s All About Culture (IAAC) is a Boscombe-based local voluntary organisation. dedicated to improving community cohesion, wellbeing, and social inclusion through multicultural arts, food, and music

IAAC became a registered charity in 2017 and promotes equality and diversity by planning, organising, and delivering grassroots, sociable, awareness-raising public events and activities.

These bring different cultures, nationalities, races and backgrounds together to help promote and foster harmony, cohesion, cross-cultural celebration, community volunteering, wellbeing, and mutual respect.

www.itsallaboutculture.org.uk [e-mail]

It’s All About Culture (IAAC), c/o The Link, 3-5 Palmerston Rd, Bournemouth BH1 4HN

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Charity Number 1171108

Introduction

A registered charity since 13 January 2017, It’s All About Culture (IAAC) aims to improve and promote community social cohesion, help raise awareness in equality and diversity, encourage wellbeing, cultivate and foster better relationships and engagement between different ethnic and cultural groups.

IAAC is a small, local grassroots non-profit organisation, led, organised and delivered by volunteers from the multicultural community, bringing varied knowledge, skills, and experience, while reflecting our diverse cultures.

IAAC has strong community awareness, has built up goodwill and credibility, and is valued by other cultural community groups, as well as public and statutory bodies, local universities, neighbourhood small businesses, charities, and other organisations. From early on, this has been strongly reflected by a wide diversity of volunteers, committee, and trustees of varied cultural backgrounds: African, Nepalese, Portuguese, Polish, British, and Afro-Caribbean.

Originally set up in 2013, as a constituted community group, IAAC grew and developed to engage with the varied BME communities in Boscombe and surrounding areas, including Caribbean, Latin American, African, East African, Continental European, Nepali, South Asian, Chinese, and British.

IAAC’s prime, noteworthy, and very welcome achievement last year was the opening of our new Multicultural Centre/Hub , a valuable community resource in the centre of Boscombe. The Multicultural Hub is the first one ever in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole conurbation and we believe the first one in Dorset.

Structure, Governance, and Management

IAAC’s structure is a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO), under the terms of the Charities Act 2006, and is controlled by its governing document, IAAC’s Constitution of 13 January 2017.

The trustees monitor planning and operational matters, community engagement activity, and outputs / outcomes / impacts. They monitor aspects of business, risk, and finance, and follow public benefit guidance and community charitable requirements when making decisions and running our activities.

Most of IAAC’s trustees, in again a voluntary capacity, also fulfil important organisingcommittee, managerial, and operational roles, with the team scoping, planning, and delivering projects, events, and other activities, while engaging within the local community with partners, funders, stakeholders, community assets, and new and existing cultures and groups. The team also carries out the routine day-to-day administration, helps extensively with practical aspects of events and activities, and any other ad hoc functions as required.

In recruiting new trustees, the charity endeavours to fill vacancies through our network of community partners and the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities’ cultural groups, various personal contacts, and direct approaches after discussions amongst existing trustees.

Registered charity number: 1171108 Registered address: c/o The Link, 3-5 Palmerston Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH1 4HN

Trustees: Mrs D Wootten - Chair Mr Lincoln Mundle

Mrs Charmaine Beckles (from 01 November 2020)

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Ms F Ribeiro Mr E Sosseh (to November 2020)

Charitable Objects

IAAC’s charitable objects are: The promotion of equality and diversity for the public benefit by: (1) (a) advancing education and raising awareness in equality and diversity; (b) promoting activities to foster understanding between people from diverse backgrounds; (c) cultivating a sentiment in favour of equality and diversity. (2) The promotion and protection of good health for in particular, but not exclusively, BME communities by arranging and facilitating small community workshops on health.

During this difficult year with COVID, IAAC carried out its objects and achieved outcomes by helping to promote equality and diversity community engagement activity, public events and project activity, as well as working on developing new and existing links, networks and new friendships across the diverse communities, individuals, and groups.

It has helped promote good health by awareness-raising, information-sharing, signposting, while helping with networks and reaching out to some new cultural groups in Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch area, helping to connect with harder-to-reach and often marginalised groups.

IAAC hosted a temporary food bank to make sure the diverse communities we knew did not slip through the net, being unable to access support through the normal routes, and therefore ensured some of our BME communities did not go hungry.

IAAC also held a group for isolated men with and without mental health issues, with a trustee and trained volunteer.

IAAC trustees have complied with their duty to have due regard to the Commission’s public benefit guidance when exercising any powers or duties to which the guidance is relevant.

Achievements and Performance

In IAAC’s fourth year as a CIO, the organisation has continued to establish its community presence, reputation, and partner-working, and further cross-cultural engagement in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and the surrounding area.

IAAC’s prime, noteworthy, and very welcome achievement last year was the establishment of our exciting new Multicultural Hub , a valuable community resource in the centre of Boscombe. The Multicultural Hub is the first of its kind in the Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch conurbation. The Centre is located in a shopping centre in a diverse area of Bournemouth. This year despite the pandemic many communities took part in our reduced activities at the Centre.

IAAC’s team reached out to harder-to-reach and often marginalised cultural groups encouraging community-based volunteering, engagement, and cross-cultural celebration. This year has produced a number of activities despite Coronavirus:

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• It’s All About Chat: male support group for BME men initially, however it was opened out to all men as there was clearly a need and benefitted our wider community.

• Temporary food bank: from November 2020 to March 2021 168 families were fed from the temporary food bank, most of them regularly due to unemployment, mostly from the BME community but not exclusively. Shops and organisations from the BME communities donated food, so the food was culturally appropriate in the main. IAAC trustees and volunteers fed children for free when we could open before lockdowns.

• Black History Month Music: poetry and songs and stories of the exodus of black peoples’ heritage by local people.

• Bulgarian pop-up café: for those in the Bulgarian community to meet 2 Sundays a month.

• Fathers and children group: Caribbean men who meet in the centre’s children’s area with their children.

• Caribbean Art Classes: weekly classes attended by approximately 12 people but tapered off due to the pandemic and were unable to resume during 2020-2021.

• Bollywood Dance Classes: these ran weekly and started just before Covid hit so did not become established but were attended by up to 5 people. It has not been possible to continue these classes as the leader is no longer available.

IAAC representatives and other team members were unable to take part in engagement because of Covid restrictions and lockdowns however the focus was on the feeding of our BME communities who needed it, and lessening isolation, as well as refurbishment of the Community Centre and raising awareness. Except for the food bank and the fathers’ group (who returned to their employment) the other activities are still going in the 2021-2022 year. We also keep an emergency food cupboard for the families and people with mental health issues who are urgently in need of food.

The organisation expanded with social media (i.e. Facebook) as an active and popular local multicultural forum and hub for online communities, while informing, signposting and awareness-raising across the local BME communities.

IAAC has built on existing relationships, adding value and doing more partnership-/jointworking. IAAC continues with developing our trustees, committee members and other volunteers, and recruited new team members offering induction, training and support.

IAAC has achieved its funding and other financial etc. support from a variety of sources. We researched, prepared, and submitted a fair number of grant applications, with both previous and new sources of funding, but these were not as successful as expected. However new and productive sources of funding have appeared, and new community relationships and partnership working has taken place. The trustees, organising committee, and Centre/event volunteers all kindly provide their essential, significant, and highly-valued resources of donated time, energy, skills, knowledge and experience - as match-funding equivalent.

Future

Looking forward to subsequent years, IAAC aims to:

• Continue to maintain its public benefit focus, consolidating existing community/cultural group relationships, while also continuing to reach out to new and diverse groups, individuals, and cultures.

• Build up capacity, at the Multicultural Hub to improve resilience and sustainability, following professional support from specialist consultancy advice and guidance.

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• Continue the productive collaboration with other local organisations, partners, and stakeholders, in order to provide benefit-in-kind in project activity delivery, including community/health workshops.

• Grow the team of keen volunteers and supporters, and access appropriate training as required.

• Continue to research and apply for grants, project funding, and other support, for regular community events, activities, and sharing of affordable community space our diverse communities can use at the Multicultural Hub.

Financial Review

Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves: The Charity does not have a reserves policy.

IAAC has received grants totalling over £25,000 in the year 2020-2021 so financial records have been reviewed by a qualified Independent Examiner. Grant income has helped with the refurbishment of the Centre and the cost of the general running including building the food bank. free food for children and the activities. One restricted grant was received from Dorset Community Foundation to provide food for the foodbank, and culturally appropriate food parcels for vulnerable families as a result of the pandemic, and the funds were used for these purposes. The balance of unrestricted funds provide capacity for initial/developmental spend towards planned community events/activity in the next period, especially while awaiting any future grant funding or other financial, etc. support for projects and activities.

Details of any funds materially in defcit:	n/a
Details of any funds held as a custodian trustee:	n/a

Approved by the Trustees

Mrs D Wootten - Chair of Trustees

Date:

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IT’S ALL ABOUT CULTURE (IAAC)

Charity no. 1171108

Section A: Receipts and Payments for the Period 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021

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Receipts (Income) Unrestric Restricte Total for Last
ted funds d funds year year
Grants & Awards (unrestricted funds) 22,335 22,335 2,560
Grants and Awards (restricted funds) – Dorset Community 4,057 4,057
Foundation
Membership Fees
Donations 247 247 300
General Fundraising
Revenue from Events 1,264 1,264
Sales & Hires 240
Sale or Disposal of any Capital Assets
Miscellany 380 380 150
Sub-total Receipts 24,226 4,057 28,283 3,250
Payments (Expenditure) Unrestric Restricte Total for Last
ted funds d funds year year
Venue Hire (halls, rooms, open spaces, parks/gardens)
Local Authority Event Fees & Licence
Equipment Hire (gazebos, marquees, staging, tables, chairs,
etc.)
Equipment Hire (PA/amp, tech gear, power supply/generator) 110 110
Equipment Hire (temporary event toilets / disabled toilets)
Musicians, Performers, Artists, Trainers, Workshops, etc. 100 100 750
Events Materials (food, ingredients, consumables) 241 4,057 4,298
Events Materials (other small items of expenditure) 110 110
Publicity & Marketing (printing posters, flyers, leaflets, 46 46 75
banners, etc.)
Publicity & Marketing (design & artwork costs) 37
Photography & Videography
Website (design/set-up, updating, registration/hosting fees) 84
Transport & Storage (van hire, delivery, fuel, etc.) 5,372 5,372 115
Training 251 251
Office/Premises Rent
Office/Premises Rates 1,280 1,280 103
Office/Premises Utilities 388 388 43
Office/Premises Cleaning 365 365 120
Office/Premises Other (set up, paint & dec, repairs & 1,324 1,324 926
maintenance)
Administration (stationery, postage, mobile, 377 377 27
telephone/broadband)
Staf
Sessional Workers
Volunteer Expenses 4,962 4,962 161
Professional Services, Fees & Memberships 53 53 135
Insurance 261
Bank Fees & Charges
Equipment, Furniture & Capital Items 1,807 1,807 388
Miscellany 883 883
Sub-total Payments 17,669 4,057 21,726 3,225
Total Income minus Expenditure 6,557 0 6,557 25
Add balance brought forward from previous year 752 0 752 727
Total 7,309 0 7,309 752
Balance carried forward to the next year 7,309 0 7,309 752
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Section B: Statement of Assets and Liabilities at the end of the period

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----- Start of picture text -----
Categories Details Unrestricted Restricted Total for
funds funds year
Cash funds Cash held at bank 7,309 0 7,309
Other monetary assets
Investment assets
Assets retained for charity’s
own use
Liabilities
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During the year the CIO did not have a loan in place and:

• no one agreed to pay a loan if the CIO could not (‘under guarantee’)

• no loan was secured against the CIO’s assets

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