2021-03-31-accounts

Bringing Kinship Families Together

Annual Trustee’s Report for the report period 010420 to 310321

Name of the Charity – Kinfest Registered charity number – 1171491 Registered address - 167 Brompton Farm Road, Strood, Rochester, Kent ME2 3RH Trustees as at 31[st] March 2021 (end of the reporting period) - Vicki O’Leary, Neil Stow, Patsy Riley, Janellen Redington, Mat Bushell, Rob Pitman, Anna Clough.

Charity Structure

Kinfest is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation with 7 trustees and no paid employees. The trustees make all decisions with regard to the management of the charity and Kinfest benefits from volunteer help throughout the year as well as the trustees being involved with the day-to-day practical organisation and management of the charities events and business.

Kinfest recruits new trustees through advertisement on its Facebook Community Page and amongst its beneficiary support groups. All potential trustees are given a formal interview by at least a quorum (4 out of 7) of the current trustees. Potential trustees are given an indication of the work that may be required of them, as roles change as necessary within the charity. Roles that are required to be undertaken are Chairperson, Treasurer and Secretary, however other roles and responsibilities are spread out amongst both trustees and volunteers, using the skills available to the charity at any time.

Bringing Kinship Families Together

Objectives and Activities

Kinfest aims to alleviate isolation within Kinship Families. It does so by organising holidays, events, day trips and fundraising activities for people, and their families, who look after another family or friend’s child(ren).

1. In 2020 the main objective of Kinfest was to be able to fully fund at least one significant event per annual event. Kinfest is pleased to advise that it was able to:

2. a. fully fund a day trip to Flambards Theme Park for over 100 participants

3. b. fully fund a day trip to Lands End including ice-creams and refreshments for all, during the Summer Kinfest to Cornwall;

4. c. fully fund a Fish and Chip supper whilst on the summer Kinfest holiday to Cornwall.

Therefore, allowing more beneficiaries to participate in events designed to promote social inclusion, by alleviating a major obstacle to participation.

1. Kinfest was able to utilise the experience of its trustees to fulfil the Charity Commissions criteria, as well as creating the various procedures and operating practices, including the governing documentation. Kinfest has been able to access funding streams previously not open to not for profit organisations and has been able to use those funds to fund events for beneficiaries.

2. Kinfest uses a number of strategies to achieve their objectives these include but are not limited to:

3. a. Fundraising:-

   • i. from beneficiaries and their friends and family;

   • ii. applying for grants for specific events and/or activities;

   • iii. applying for holiday funding for specific beneficiaries;

   • iv. applying for regular funding for large events.

4. b. Raising awareness by:-

   • i. visiting Local Authority events specifically laid on for ‘Friends and Family’ or ‘Connected Carers’;

   • ii. giving talks to various local clubs, associations and support groups;

   • iii. giving interviews to radio, TV, magazine or newspaper reporters, and university researchers;

   • iv. being involved in debate and live events;

   • v. sharing information via social media and other platforms.

5. c. Supporting beneficiaries by:-

   • i. Running face-to-face peer groups;

   • ii. Administering online peer support groups;

   • iii. Organising meet ups, days out, trips, events and holidays.

6. Kinfest’s three significant activities each year include a 5-day holiday during the second bank holiday week in May, a 7-day holiday during the summer school holidays, and at least two Christmas Parties.

Bringing Kinship Families Together

• a. The 5-day and 7-day holidays aim to get kinship families together for a week of funfilled activities. The objectives are to alleviate the isolation felt by the carers, and children, which can emerge after taking on the care of a family or friends’ child(ren), as well as improving the bond within the family unit, by creating lifelong memories in a non-hostile and inclusive environment.

• b. During the week’s holiday various activities are organised these can include:-

  • i. a Sunday Lunch with children’s entertainer;

  • ii. disco;

  • iii. circus skills workshop;

  • iv. a day trip out to a local tourist attraction;

  • v. a ‘fun day’ with children’s games, mini-fete and BBQ;

  • vi. a fish and chip supper and quiz night;

  • vii. treasure hunts;

  • viii. funded or subsidised entry to local farm or wildlife park.

• c. The Christmas Party enables families to get together with other families in a similar position, who otherwise may not have an opportunity for a ‘family’ get together/party, especially as many kinship families are excluded from their own wider family due to taking on the care of a family member’s child.

• Kinfest’s specific objects as per the Governing Document are:

• a. The promotion of social inclusion for the public benefit, by preventing people becoming socially excluded, children, their carers and the natural children of the carers (sharers), who are excluded from society or parts of society, due to their social and economic position, by the provision of social events, days out and group holidays, to enable kinship families meeting other kinship families, to relieve isolation and to assist bonding within the kinship family.

• b. To advance the education of the public in the subject of Kinship Care.

• Kinfest confirms that it’s Trustees have complied with their duty, having due regard to the guidance on public benefit as published by the Charity Commission in exercising their powers.

Bringing Kinship Families Together

Achievements and Performance

• Due to covid restrictions we were unable to attend mini-Kinfest in May half term.

• Kinfest organised a holiday to Cornwall in August 2020, enabling 12 families, 100 people to enjoy time away from the home, in an inclusive environment, where everyone else understood their challenges and where beneficiaries could talk freely without feeling judged by their audience.

• Kinfest collected and collated items to be presented to beneficiaries as a “Box of Hugs”, these being sent out to families during the main UK Covid lockdowns, the ensure beneficiaries knew they weren’t alone.

• Kinfest arranged, compiled and ran ‘virtual’ family quiz nights and sent out prizes for winning families.

• Kinfest arranged and hosted ‘virtual’ support group meetings via zoom.

• Kinfest fulfilled the purchase and delivery of Christmas presents to beneficiary families as a replacement for the Christmas Parties that could not go ahead due to Covid.

• Kinfest was able to arrange and implement the ‘Kinfest Big Picnic’ in September, a number of picnics were able to be held across the country.

Bringing Kinship Families Together

Financial Review

At the end of the reporting period, 1[st] April 2020 to 31[st] March 2021, Kinfest’s unrestricted reserves totalled £4,041. Restricted reserves totalled £10,643.

1. Kinfest’s principal funding sources in this reporting period have been:

   • i. Corporate Donations - £1,000 of which £0 was for specific purposes

   • ii. Fundraising activities - £807 of which £0 was for specific purposes

   • iii. Personal Donations - £1,906 which was all unrestricted

2. Kinfest’s policy on reserves is as follows:

3. a. Restricted reserves are those monies received from beneficiaries to specifically purchase, reserve or otherwise secure their participation in Kinfest events, and other funds that are received for a specific project or purpose. These funds are restricted for the use according to the funding agreements of donors’ instructions.

4. b. Unrestricted reserves are made up of the Charity’s activities for generating funds, investment income (as appropriate) and other donations which are expendable at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance to achieve the objectives of the Charity.

The Trustees have determined that the appropriate level of reserves to be held for non-earmarked expenditure should equate to 10% of total funds to provide sufficient working capital to cover delays in the spending and receipt of grants/funding and to provide a cushion for unexpected emergencies.

1. At the end of the accounting period Kinfest held £4,041 in unrestricted reserves, this represents 24% of total income. This is more than the determined appropriate amount of 10%. This was due to having more than the designated unrestricted reserves at the end of the previous accounting year which have remained unspent in the year, this was in part due to acquiring grant funding for events that would otherwise have been paid out of the unrestricted reserves, and other events, due to take place in 2020 and 2021, being cancelled or delayed due to the COVID-19 global pandemic and UK lockdowns.

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