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← Herts Welcomes Refugees

2024-12-31-accounts

“ ” 4“?yEelCOme th _Welcoming and Supporting Refugees in Hertfordshire*_ ‘ ~~I&a~~ https://www.hertswelcomes.org.uk/ ~~™~~ Patron: Robert Voss CBE CStJ HM Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire

Herts Welcomes Refugees Trustee Report and Accounts January - December 2024

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Herts Welcomes Refugees - A Charitable Incorporated Organisation - Registered charity No 1172687 Registered Address: 3 Newmarket Court, Goldsmith Way, St Albans, AL3 5LN

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2024 was another extremely busy year for Herts Welcomes Refugees (HWR) as we have responded to an increase in the number of refugees and asylum seekers we support and consequent increase in demand for our services, and fresh challenges presented by the significant and welcome increase in the rate of asylum seekers being granted leave to remain. The Trustees hope that this report will provide an insight into the work of HWR over the last year and inform you about our priorities and the challenges we envisage for 2025.

TRUSTEES

The Trustees met formally eight times in the year. We are pleased to have recruited a new Trustee, Amani Al Sharaf, who brings invaluable insight as someone with a professional background in the humanitarian sector who successfully applied for asylum in the UK and is now settling in the county. The other Trustees are Irene Austin (Chair), Adrian Ball (Treasurer), John Borton, Veronica Raymond, Kate Scott and Andy Gregg.

Veronica Raymond will stand down as a Trustee at the 2025 AGM. Veronica has been a trustee since 2019 and we are very grateful for her support to the charity in this role. She will continue as the Area Convenor for North Herts and Stevenage. Samah Alrahabi has moved away from Hertfordshire and is no longer a Trustee.

In accordance with our constitution at the AGM we will ask you to endorse Amani Al Sharaf as a Trustee. John Borton and Adrian Ball will stand down but have offered themselves for re- election.

At Trustees’ meetings, we consider matters of policy in line with the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit, receive financial reports and take decisions regarding the strategic direction of the

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Charity according to the constitution, objectives for the year and the need to adapt as new challenges arise. Given the rapid development of the Charity in the last three years, the Trustees have decided to undertake a period of reflection on how we have developed so far and to consider the direction and sustainability of the Charity. To assist with that, we applied to Lloyds Bank Foundation Operational Development Programme. We are pleased to have been given a place on the Programme and started the process in January 2025.

We are aiming to recruit new Trustees during 2025.

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

The Management Committee is made up of Area Convenor team members and key role holders (comms, evaluations, Volunteer Coordinator). Please see the above structure chart. They meet monthly to discuss and be updated on finances, safeguarding, training and developments as they arise.

We are pleased to announce that in December, we recruited a new Safeguarding Lead, Chichi Ezeh, following the resignation of Lucile Bertolaso as Lead. We thank Lucile for her contribution as Lead and for remaining part of the safeguarding team. Chichi brings experience and expertise from her professional role in Social Services and we are already seeing the benefit of her joining us.

Our Volunteer Coordinator gave in her resignation in December and left the charity in January 2025. We are considering how the administrative team might be restructured to meet the charity’s needs.

The Management Committee and the Trustees have been on a steep learning curve over the last few years, much of it has been knowledge acquired to meet challenges as they arise. We have benefited from formal training such as that delivered by Right to Remain which gave us a better overview of the asylum system and made us aware of the valuable resources that are available to us through them. We have also benefited from media training by IMIX and taken advantage of other training opportunities.

SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN OPERATIONAL SUPPORT NEEDS DURING 2024

The context in which the Charity operates, and the needs of the refugees and asylum seekers it seeks to support, are constantly changing and evolving. Compared to previous years there were five significant developments during 2024 that are highlighted here and described in greater detail in later sections.

Increase in the number of Afghan families arriving under resettlement schemes: 2024 saw the arrival of another 22 Afghan families made up of 95 individuals under the two resettlement schemes for Afghan nationals. We are now supporting 58 resettled Afghan families (287 individuals) in total. This group have full entitlement to benefits, to work and further education on arrival. They move into furnished accommodation. The primary caseworkers for this group in most areas of the county are the Refugee Council and, in Dacorum, the Humanitarian team at Dacorum Borough Council, with HWR volunteers providing befriending support to arriving families across the county.

Accelerated processing of asylum claims leading to greater “churn” in the system: the charity is providing support in six of the nine contingency asylum sites (mostly hotels) in the county and to some asylum seekers living in dispersed (self-catering) accommodation. Asylum seekers receive minimal subsistence and little practical support, have no right to benefits or to work and can only access government-funded ESOL and other types of further education after six months. There has always been some turnover or “churn” in asylum seekers living in contingency accommodation as

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people were moved, often at short notice, to dispersed accommodation or other sites in the Home Office contracted estate. The welcome increase in positive decisions during the year has significantly increased the churn as this group (referred to as ‘positive move-ons' by local and national authorities) move out of asylum accommodation and into the community, creating space for new arrivals. Any vacancies in the contingency asylum sites are quickly filled by new arrivals to the country, or by people transferred from other sites that have been closed as part of efforts to reduce the number of sites and overall expenditure. In some contingency sites, the Charity has seen a churn rate of more than 80%.

An increase in the number of asylum seekers being housed in dispersed accommodation: 2024 also saw an increase in the numbers of dispersed asylum seekers in the county. This change has several implications for HWR and its volunteers. Communicating with asylum seekers in dispersed accommodation is difficult because HWR is rarely informed about where they are located, when they arrive or leave, and we are not able to communicate with them to offer support until they find their way to us.

Changes in the demographic makeup of asylum seekers being supported: whereas previously the residents in the hotels supported by HWR volunteers were, for the most part, families, 2024 saw the arrival of significant numbers of single men as a result of the closure of hotels housing single males in other areas of the country. This has created challenges for HWR and its volunteers as the needs of single men are significantly different from those of families with children. Volunteers who may have joined the charity to support homework clubs, have found it challenging to adjust to the changed pattern of needs and the altered dynamics in the communal spaces in the hotels.

These changes, especially the increased churn within the system, make it challenging to put a figure on the number of asylum seekers supported by HWR during 2024. We consider that 1900 is a conservative view of the number of asylum seekers to whom HWR provided some form of support during 2024.

A significant increase in the number of ‘positive move-ons' requiring support after leaving contingency accommodation: the faster processing of asylum claims has resulted in a significant increase in the numbers given Leave to Remain and having to leave the contingency accommodation and establish themselves in the community . During 2024 HWR significantly developed the support provided to this group. These people have several essential tasks to deal with (including finding accommodation, claiming benefits, searching for work) within a short time frame. Apart from their legal obligation to prevent homelessness among families with children under 18 and those with health issues, county and district authorities owe no duties to this group in addition to those owed to other people facing homelessness, nor is there any tailored support to help them to settle in their communities. Part of the national increase in number of homeless and rough-sleepers has been attributed to the increase in the numbers being granted Leave to Remain.

Varying approaches have been adopted by district authorities in Hertfordshire to provide support to this group. Dacorum Borough Council has had to cope with a high number of positive move-on cases and its staff have worked hard to avoid homelessness and rough-sleeping by working creatively with private landlords and collaborating closely with the HWR Dacorum team which provides information about positive decisions and eviction dates, liaises with the Dacorum Borough Council team and those with positive decisions with the aim of making what is often a very difficult transitional stage easier to understand. The HWR team also provides practical support through the provision of donated and purchased households items.

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We are also supporting refugees who have been placed in housing in the county by local authorities from outside the county, and some Ukrainian refugees, who find us by word of mouth, through our website or by referral from other organisations.

Overall, the increase in numbers and the addition of the new positive move on group of people have required significant additional resources in terms of volunteer time, diversification of support and funding. We have coped well with addressing increased and changing needs but we envisage that we need to adapt further, particularly with regard to collaborating with other organisations to develop more drop ins rather than providing support in contingency accommodation so that we can continue to support those who have received leave to remain and provide more accessible support to dispersed asylum seekers and refugees from other communities.

ADVISORY GROUP

HWR’s Advisory Group is made up of 15 refugees and asylum seekers of 7 different nationalities living in different areas of Hertfordshire. Advisory Group members meet regularly with Trustees to discuss issues and ensure that the voice of ‘users’ of HWR services are included in decisions about the planning and delivery of support, and in the development of the Charity.

2024 was the Advisory Group’s first full year of operation following its establishment in October 2023. As part of the Advisory Group’s development and refinement, Terms of Reference were approved in April 2024 and the two-way flow of information established between its meetings and the monthly Management Committee. To encourage exchange and discussion by members between their meetings with trustees, a ‘members-only’ WhatsApp group was set up in October 2024.

Five Advisory Group meetings were held during 2024 – four on Zoom and one face-to-face. The physical meeting took place in April, immediately prior to the AGM. This was the first occasion on which members had met each other in-person and it was a happy, positive occasion. As part of the AGM, a panel of Advisory Group members spoke about themselves and the challenges they face. Advisory Group members also participated in the social event for volunteers in December 2024 and so were able to meet HWR volunteers from other areas as well as those they already knew from their own areas.

Issues raised by Advisory Group members led directly to a range of actions and follow-up by the Charity, some of which are summarised below.

An October 2023 request by an Advisory Group member for help in finding legal aid-funded immigration and asylum lawyers prompted analysis by HWR that revealed the absence of any such providers in the whole of Hertfordshire. HWR then identified legal aid-funded lawyers with capacity for new clients in Luton. Starting in November 2023 HWR began introducing, and in many cases taking, clients to Luton. In this way 50 asylum-seeking clients from Dacorum, St Albans and Welwyn Hatfield were provided with legal support between November 2023 and December 2024. The results of the October 2023 analysis were shared with Herts County Council (HCC) and contributed to their contracting Citizens Advice Stevenage to provide immigration and asylum advice in Hertfordshire starting in mid-2024.

Coping with the ‘cost of living crisis’ and the need to support refugees to find employment were recurring themes in the Advisory Group meetings and led to actions including:

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The churn in asylum seekers also has an impact on the Advisory Group, with some being transferred at short notice to accommodation in other parts of the country and others being granted Leave to Remain (LTR) and so crossing to the ‘refugee member’ category. Consequently, it is necessary to regularly recruit new members to ‘refresh’ the asylum-seeking members. During the year we were delighted that two members received their LTR. Unfortunately, one (who had been moved to west London after the Advisory Group was established) has been rough sleeping in London since October 2024 whilst working shifts as a barista. HWR continues its efforts to link him to other charities and housing groups and continues to provide limited support during this period of hardship.

The Trustees are very grateful to the members of the Advisory Group for their contribution.

OUR VOLUNTEERS

We continue to be very definitely a volunteer-led organisation. The Trustees do not envisage that changing. We now have more than 160 volunteers. There is of course a turnover of volunteers as some leave the area and circumstances change for others, but we are encouraged that many of our volunteers have been with us for several years and we were able to recruit 51 new volunteers in 2024. We are constantly amazed by our volunteers’ commitment, enthusiasm and compassion. The wider use of Monday.com helps the Trustees to evidence and celebrate this.

Notwithstanding the strength of our volunteer force, we cannot offer the same level of support across the county and the need for support is growing. We are supporting more refugees and asylum seekers. We are diversifying the support we offer as we adapt to support those who have received Leave To Remain and are settling in the county. We need to recruit more volunteers, if we are to provide a comparable range of support across the county.

The Trustees are conscious that some of the support we provide places an emotional strain on our volunteers and that some volunteers, particularly those who are Area Convenor Team members, are contributing amounts of time to the charity which, coupled with the challenges of trying to meet complex and increasing needs, is placing them under an unsustainable burden. The Trustees are actively trying to address these issues by providing more training opportunities, clarifying our expectations of our volunteers, explaining the boundaries within which volunteers must work, providing more opportunities for volunteers to share experiences and raise concerns through

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informal “Table Talk” sessions and training. The Trustees are confident that the work they are undertaking with the Lloyds Bank Development Programme will contribute to this process.

We were delighted that our Trustee and Area Convenor Veronica Raymond won the Caring category of the North Herts Local Hero award in March. The short film made by North Herts Council was an opportunity to showcase the role of volunteers generally and featured a Syrian refugee who is on our Advisory Board.

We are proud to report that the Refugee Council has nominated us for the King’s Award for Voluntary Service. We hope that we will be successful in recognition of all the amazing work our volunteers do.

DIRECT SUPPORT PROVIDED BY OUR VOLUNTEERS

The support we provide aims to address the needs of different groups and reflects the context in which we provide support and the availability of resources. Our website and social media record many of the activities and events organised by the Charity.

Resettled refugees

We continue to offer befriending support to refugees who arrive under the resettlement schemes, supplementing the support they receive from their caseworkers. This support ranges from language support, to help with sourcing additional household goods, school related support, providing opportunities for people to get together and to meet people from their wider communities. Most befriending support is provided in refugees’ homes, but this year has seen the development of drop in sessions hosted by the Refugee Council and, in the case of Dacorum Borough Council, a women’s group. Our volunteers provide support to these initiatives.

Many of the Syrian families whom we have supported are thriving and no longer need any, or the same level of, support from HWR. We are pleased to report that significant numbers of them have obtained British citizenship. We continue to support some families and volunteers remain in contact in many cases. Our primary focus now is on supporting Afghan resettled families.

Several members of the Advisory Group are drawn from the resettled Syrian families that HWR has supported and we are pleased that they want to contribute to the development of the Charity.

Asylum seekers

The range of support provided by HWR to asylum seekers in contingency accommodation varies according to the availability of local volunteers and the willingness of the accommodation managers to engage with the Charity. We offer at some but not all locations:

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Positive move-ons

In some locations we operate through drop ins rather than in the asylum accommodation. In those locations, positive move ons can continue to access the same support as asylum seekers. The increase in the numbers of positive move-ons, most of whom cannot access HWR support once they leave the contingency accommodation is causing us to consider how to develop the drop in model elsewhere, working in partnership with other organisations.

This group face significant challenges regarding housing and adjusting to all the practicalities of integrating into their communities. In some cases, people move into unfurnished or partially furnished accommodation and do not have the financial resources to buy essentials such as beds and white goods, or find the bureaucracy associated with being a tenant difficult to understand. HWR is adapting to try to address this group’s needs. This requires more funding and more effort on the part of our volunteers. In 2024 we helped in the region of 150 people move into accommodation – sourcing and organising white goods, household items and furniture, making and supporting applications to grant making bodies for individuals/families, helping to navigate the benefits system, obtain eVisas, open bank accounts, deal with Council Tax, utilities, school and college changes.

Collaborative working

HWR collaborates with other organisations that can support refugees and asylum seekers to ensure that they are aware of their needs, and where support is offered, acts as a bridge between providers and those who would benefit from that support, by virtue of our first-hand relationships. Here are some examples of collaborative working:

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Young People; the Employability for Overseas Nationals Programme and the DENS employment team. The Fair enabled local providers to explain what they offer to refugees and asylum seekers and gave them access to people they sometimes struggle to engage with. Among the follow up actions was a course provided by Hart Learning and Development, which led to a recognised qualification in Work Skills.

The year saw many examples of refugees and asylum seekers helping each other and supporting the Charity:

A list of the organisations we work with is provided at the end of this report.

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Bike scheme

In 2024 we received, repaired and delivered over 100 bikes across Hertfordshire as well as repairing countless others. We always give out a helmet, USB rechargeable lights and a lock with each bike. Over 50 of these bikes went to asylum seekers in hotels, some hotels are in remote locations and asylum seekers cannot access public transport. With regret, we decided part way through the year to stop providing bikes to asylum seekers in hotels. The churn in asylum seekers makes it too difficult to meet demand so we now focus on providing bikes to those with refugee status.

Providing bikes has a positive impact on physical and mental wellbeing, makes getting to school and work easier, and opens up access to local amenities.

INDIRECT SUPPORT

Some volunteers, primarily the Trustees and Management Committee, work behind the scenes for the benefit of refugees and asylum seekers. This takes a variety of forms, some of which are explained below.

Advocacy

We see it as a fundamental part of our role to advocate for refugees and asylum seekers. To that end, Trustees and members of the Management Committee attend meetings at local, county and regional level with the purpose of bringing the issues facing refugees and asylum seekers to their attention.

We have also established relationships that allow us to provide feedback to the Home Office and Clearsprings, the contracted providers of asylum accommodation and other limited support in Hertfordshire. By way of example, the introduction of eVisas in place of Biometric Residence Permits as the primary means for those with refugee status has been problematic, particularly for those in the positive move on process because it impacts on their ability to open bank accounts, claim benefits, prove right to rent and to employment. We see these issues first hand as people come to us asking for support, often with issues relating to the instability of the eVisa system or lack of follow through with other government departments, errors in the generation of eVisas or lack of familiarity with the changes on the part of other services such as Department of Work and Pensions and banks. HWR is well placed to flag these issues.

We consider that the Charity’s standing with other organisations which is built on our practical interactions with refugees and asylum seekers is particularly important: those who are making decisions about these groups are often remote from them and do not have the hands-on involvement and understanding that we have. We were pleased to be invited by Herts County Council to take part in their conference focusing on refugees and asylum seekers. One of our volunteers facilitated a discussion with a panel of people who have been granted Leave To Remain. They shared their experiences of the challenges they faced as asylum seekers and are facing as they settle in their communities.

Our Area Convenor teams wrote to all 12 Hertfordshire MPs asking them to sign up to the Fair Begins Here Parliamentary Promise and this resulted in some extra meetings, to complement those that had already been initiated. David Taylor MP for Dacorum, Kevin Bonavia MP for Stevenage and Daisy Cooper MP for St Albans are engaging directly with the charity.

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In November we published the report Forced to Flee : testimonies of young refugees in Hertfordshire. This was the result of interviews conducted by Dr Marianne Coleman with 35 young male asylum seekers about how they came to the UK. The report dispels the myth that young men arriving on our shores are just economic migrants, our report has found that young male asylum seekers arriving in Hertfordshire fled their homeland because of ill treatment and fear of persecution. The report attracted positive attention, was featured in a news clip on regional Heart Radio and there was a full length interview on Mix FM.

Gathering information and evaluating our work

Over the last year we have continued to strengthen the methods we use to evaluate the difference the Charity is making. We have now rolled out across the Charity the use of a database called Monday.com, as a tool to measure how much work the volunteers are doing each and every day. This data also demonstrates what the focus of our work is. The results are staggering: for example, during January and February 2025, our volunteers gave 2684 hours of their time (direct work 2110 hours, indirect work 574 hours). 31% of the time was spent in providing ESOL/language support. Generally, this strand of support takes up a third of our volunteers’ time each month. There are various contributory factors to this figure. Asylum seekers cannot access college for the first six months after they arrive. Many ESOL courses have a once a year start date in September. Colleges only offer between two and a half and five hours a week ESOL and many asylum seekers continue to attend our classes even when studying at college. 10% of volunteer time was spent on sourcing and providing goods. 8% was spent on supporting those with positive decisions to move into accommodation and 10% was spent on listening and advice, which includes advice given to those granted leave to remain relating to transitional arrangements.

Recording volunteer activity is invaluable in several ways. It gives the Trustees a clear picture of the amount and range of support provided; it allows us to acknowledge and celebrate that support; and it gives us information that is useful when we apply for funding or other forms of recognition.

We undertook our first volunteer survey in September. Over one third of our volunteers responded and provided really useful feedback. 93% of volunteers who responded told us that they were very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with their experience of volunteering with HWR. 85% said they were very likely to continue to volunteer with HWR. The volunteer survey showed that, overall, volunteers are satisfied with the charity and their role in it. A small group has been established to review the findings and ensure the feedback was considered and acted on where appropriate. As a result, we have revitalised our training programme and are sending monthly updates to volunteers to advertise new volunteer opportunities and provide more information about what is happening across the county.

We have been piloting an ESOL survey with some of our ESOL teachers and their students to find out how they feel about the classes. The aim for the forthcoming year is to roll this survey out across the whole of the County.

We continue to collate case studies from those we support which provide powerful testimonies to the difference the work of our volunteers makes to people's lives.

Communications

The Comms team aims to raise awareness of our work and the situation of asylum seekers and refugees, to encourage donations and recruit more volunteers. 2024 has seen developments that

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have made our external facing presence more accessible and effective and our internal processes more robust.

Here are some highlights:

PRIORITIES

The priorities set for 2024 were:

Our priorities for 2025 are:

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WORKING WITH OTHER ORGANISATIONS

We continue to work with many organisations in Hertfordshire and some outside

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TREASURER’S REPORT

2024 was a record year for HWR in terms of both receipts and payments. The year saw a significant increase in our activity in support of asylum seekers, and in support of those receiving leave to remain and setting up their new homes. These programmes are reflected in our large charitable payments for the year for clothing, household goods and financial support. Our overall payments for the year were £122,427 (2023: £96,612), with charitable payments of £86,908 (2023: £61,678) and core salary and related costs of £33,445 (2023: £31,295.)

Our receipts for the year were £162,035, a very significant increase by comparison with £70,679 in 2023. The restricted receipts included new grants of £52,231 to meet core costs over both 2024 and 2025, with almost half of that total being carried forward at the end of the year. We received restricted grants of £62,749 to fund charitable payments and used almost all of these funds over the year. Our unrestricted receipts from local authorities were significantly higher than in 2023, and included reimbursement of previous charitable payments by Hertfordshire County Council under the Household Support Fund, and funding from Dacorum Borough Council for our furniture storage costs and for the premises for one of the weekly drop-in centres.

Much of our volunteer activity does not involve charitable payments and is not reflected in our financial results except by the increase in the cost of volunteer coordination and administration. We rely on the time, effort and expertise given so generously by our volunteers, including the management group. This generosity is fundamental to the Charity’s character and operations, and we do not believe it is appropriate to assign a monetary value to it for the purposes of the accounts.

Support from the broader community is also fundamental to HWR, both from our members and registered supporters and from the general public. This includes significant financial support, and we would particularly like to thank all those who have contributed to our appeals and donated so generously in 2024. We receive many direct individual donations as well as donations from congregations and members of community organisations and contributions through fundraising events. This generosity has helped us to finish the year with increased unrestricted reserves: excluding the unrestricted grant received for salary costs, unrestricted reserves at the end of the year were £39,489 (2023: £27,148.)

2024 Payments

a) Charitable payments (71% of total payments)

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We are very grateful to all the organisations and individual donors who have provided funds for 2024 to support our charitable payments:

b) Payments for volunteer coordination and administrative support, including salaries and related costs (27% of total payments)

These core costs were funded in 2024 principally from five grants, and we are grateful to these institutions for their support:

The volunteer coordinator and administrator are employed through Community Development Agency Hertfordshire, and we maintain a reserve with CDA for this purpose.

c) General administration (2% of total payments)

General administration and governance costs were £2,074 in 2023 (2022: £3,639). These include the cost of the AGM which we were again able to hold as a live meeting with a strong social element. We are very grateful for the time and effort given so generously by the unpaid volunteers in our management group.

Reserves Policy

Our policy is to have a minimum level of available reserves equal to three months’ operating costs for the Charity.

The Annual Accounts for 2024 and the Examiner’s letter are attached. We are very grateful to Sean Good, our examiner who has succeeded Geoff Harper, for his support and professional expertise.

On behalf of all the Trustees of Herts Welcomes Refugees we would like to thank you all for your continued support.

Irene Austin Adrian Ball Chair Treasurer

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CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of Herts Welcomes Refugees On accounts for the year ended 31 December 2024 Charty no (if any) 1172687 Set out on pages 1to3 I report to the trustees on my examinatirm of the accounts of the above charity ("the Trust.) for the year ended Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust. you are restK)nsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Acr). I retK)rt in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act arKI in carying out my examination. I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5){b) of the Act I have completed my examination. I confirm that rm) material matters have come to my attenlion ") in connection with the examinab'on which gives me cause to believe that in. any rnaterial respecL" accounting records were not kept in accordance with ￿t￿)n 130 of the Act the accckjnts (k) r￿)t acccKd with the accounting recorts Independent examinerfs statement I have no concems a￿1 have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. ' Please delete words in the brackets rfthey do rn)t appty. 1810312025 Signed: Date: Name: Sean Gocx Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (rf any): Retired chartered Accountant Address: 22 Stanhope Road St Albans Herts AL15BL Section B Disclosure Only complete rf the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examinalK)n of charity accounts: directions arKI guidance for eXam1r￿rSj. IER October 2018

Herts Welcomes Refugees

Receipts and payments accounts for the period 1 January to 31 December 2024

Receipts
Private donations
Charitable trusts and other organisations
Local authority and other
Total receipts
Payments
Note 1
Charitable payments
Note 2
Volunteer coordination and administrative support,
including salaries and related costs
Note 3
General administration
Total payments
Cash funds
Net receipts/ (payments)
Transfers between funds
Cash funds at 1 January
Note 4
Cash funds at 31 December		 Unrestricted
27,633
7,287
12,135
47,055
24,556
3,331
2,074
29,961
17,095
(6)
29,400
46,489		 £
Restricted
81,702
33,278
114,980
62,352
30,114
92,466
22,514
6
9,876
32,396		 Total 2024
27,633
88,989
45,413
162,035
86,908
33,445
2,074
122,427
39,609
39,276
78,885		 Total 2023
29,837
36,328
4,514
70,679
61,678
31,295
3,639
96,612
(25,933)
65,209
39,276

Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period

Cash funds
Cash at bank
Balance at CDA
Total cash funds
Other monetary assets
Gift aid due		 Unrestricted
46,489
46,489
95		 £
Restricted
30,753
1,643
32,396		 Total 2024
77,242
1,643
78,885		 Total 2023
37,633
1,643
39,276
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Signed: Irene Austin Adrian Ball Chair Treasurer 18th March 2025

Note 1 Charitable payments from all funds by category

Category
Clothing
Household goods and furniture
Bike scheme
Activities
Financial support
Storage
TV and licences
Computers
Phones
Support for asylum seeker applications
Transport
Arabic school
Educational support
Volunteer mileage
Driving lessons
Festival gifts
Sports
Other
Total		 £
2024
36,772
17,600
8,080
5,630
4,745
4,016
2,561
1,768
1,649
1,197
1,050
700
577
463
100
86,908		 2023
5,578
2,973
10,507
6,398
11,978
4,903
1,373
3,588
908
1,693
3,257
214
549
100
7,270
289
100
61,678

Note 2 Volunteer coordination and administration

Payments for volunteer coordinator, administrator and related activities

Category
Payments to CDA for salaries and related costs
DBS costs
Travel
Training
Utilities
Office equipment and supplies
Total		 £
2024
31,353
1,116
401
290
233
52
33,445		 2023
28,700
885
577
624
373
137
21,884

Note 3 General administration

General administration costs from Unrestricted funds

Category
Insurance
Website and publications
Website and publications
prior years
Other
Subscriptions and courses
Safeguarding membership
Office equipment and supplies
Professional fees
Total		 £
2024
755
461
315
312
145
86
2,074		 2023
707
457
747
444
270
145
369
500
3,639

Note 4 Table of Restricted funds, Designated unrestricted funds and CDA reserve

£
Opening balance Receipts Payments Net Transfer Closing balance
Restricted funds for core costs
HCF Salary 8,672 8,672
HCC Expansion grant 20,000 12,986 7,014 7,014
Postcode Lottery 2022 grant 3,422 3,422
Postcode Lottery 2024 grant 23,559 5,400 18,159 18,159
Total restricted funds for core costs 3,422 52,231 30,480 25,173 25,173
Restricted funds for charitable payments
Church of Latter Day Saints 45,575 44,646 929 929
HCC Household support grant 12,778 12,778
Rotary Laptops 1,646 918 728 728
Herts Mind project 1,601 1,250 1,891 961 961
DF Foundation 1,000 1,000 1,000
HCC Winter Event 500 175 325 325
HWR Ukraine appeal 1,397 179 1,218 1,218
Arabic School COSARAF 738 738
HCC locality bike scheme 450 456 (6) 6
Library 517 98 419 419
Redmill Solutions Education Fund 108 108
Total restricted funds for charitable payments 4,811 62,749 61,986 5,574 6 5,580
Total all restricted funds 8,233 114,980 92,466 30,747 6 30,753
Designated unrestricted funds Opening balance Receipts £
Payments		 Net Closing balance
Hilden Charitable Fund grant 2023 2,253 2,253
Hilden Charitable Fund grant 2024 7,000 7,000 7,000
HWR Warm Welcome appeal 2,210 1,135 2,309 1,036 1,036
Dacorum Christmas appeal 130 165 295
HWR Bike scheme 651 258 514 395 395
Total designated unrestricted funds 5,244 8,558 5,370 8,431 8,431

Designated unrestricted funds are included in the total Unrestricted funds at 31 December of £46,489

CDA reserve: the balance held with CDA for payroll management at 31 December 2024 was £1,643 (2023: £1,643)