2022-03-31-accounts - Southend-On-Sea Samaritans

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Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2022

SOUTHEND-ON-SEA SAMARITANS Registered Charity No. 1173715

Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts

Contents
Charitable Objectives of Southend-on-Sea Samaritans ....................................... 3
Letter from the Director ........................................................................................... 4
Strategic Report ....................................................................................................... 6
Tackling Suicide Together		7
Our Values		10
Key achievements by our volunteers		11
How we did as a Branch in 2021 in Numbers		11
Recruitment and Selection		12
Training		12
Leaders and Mentors		13
Volunteer Care		14
Health & Safety		14
Outreach and Publicity		15
Community Partnerships		17
Southend Samaritans Shop		18
2021-22: Samaritans’ Year at a Glance		19
Financial Review		20
Fundraising Activities Statement		22
Our Aims	Error! Bookmark not defined.
Special Thanks		23
Reserves Policy		24
Ongoing Concern		24
Risks and Uncertainties		25
Governance Report ................................................................................................ 26
Our Structure and Governance		26
Our Governance		26
Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities		26
Accounts for the Year Ended 31 March 2022 ....................................................... 28
Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 March 2022		29
Balance Sheet for the Year Ended 31 March 2022		30
Notes for the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2022		31
Reference and Administrative Details .................................................................. 45

Charitable Objectives of Southend-on-Sea Samaritans

To enable persons in Southend-on-Sea and the surrounding area as well as elsewhere who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those who may be at risk of suicide, to receive confidential emotional support at any time of the day or night in order to improve their emotional health and to reduce the incidence of suicide; to promote a better understanding in society of suicide, suicidal behaviour and the value of expressing feelings which may otherwise lead to suicide or impaired emotional health; and to collaborate with and support Samaritans central charity and its affiliated branches in fulfilling these objects.

In setting objectives and planning for activities, the Trustees have given due consideration to general guidance published by the Charity Commission relating to public benefit, including the guidance 'Public benefit: running a charity (PB2)’.

Registered Charity Number: 1173715

Letter from the Director

2021 has seen a year of change, and challenges, along with new exciting possibilities for developing and growing our service with raised awareness of what we can offer.

At Southend Samaritans we recognised that in order for us to be more visible and accessible to our local community, as well as a drive to increase our volunteer numbers, we needed to relocate the branch.

In April 2021, after many years at York Road the branch successfully moved to Beaumont Court, Victoria Ave.

The branch had to close during this time for approx.6 weeks whilst necessary building work was carried out, and made safe for the volunteers.

The result has been a purpose built bright modern airy premises, an operations room with 4 workstations.

We have added an On-line Chat room for up to 3-4 volunteers. This is a really significant development that means we can be there for more people who need immediate support but who don't feel they can pick up the phone.

A priority for the coming year, we hope to build this capacity so it becomes part of our overall 24/7 service.

We’re needed now, more than ever

A new Face-to-Face room has also been created so that we will be able to resume this service cancelled during the Pandemic. This was also a factor identified as one we wanted to develop by moving closer to the town and services so that our community would have more raised awareness of our service.

The move to Beaumont court was also seen as a factor for attracting new volunteers to join us in an area that felt safer, and more amenable.

Comfortable breakout areas, and a large meeting room equipped to facilitate training and branch meetings all resulted in a fresh approach to encourage volunteers to join, stay and feel part of a new phase within Southend Samaritans.

At our Annual General Meeting in September, we welcomed along with invited guests & donors, our new CEO Julie Bentley to officially open the Branch.

Julie joined Samaritans in November 2020. She was particularly impressed with the number of younger volunteers the branch has attracted and who attended on the day.

Going forward for the future, we will continue to seek out and focus on target age groups, and minority groups, with a focus on our surrounding communities raising awareness within our Equity, Diversity, Inclusion strategy to reach out to as many people as possible.

We must make sure that anyone struggling with difficult and overwhelming emotions knows that our volunteers are here, ready to listen.

The power of human connection.

Southend Samaritans answered 11,503 calls in 2021.

We’re here every day and night of the year for anyone struggling to cope. We Make sure people have somewhere to turn and support where they need it most. We work with communities to let people know we’re here for them and we campaign to make suicide prevention a priority.

I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank my Leadership team, and all my amazing volunteers.

A Branch is only as good as its team and its members. In both, I am truly blessed.

And lastly:

A huge thank you from all of us at Southend Samaritans to everyone who has supported us over the last year. Your financial, and generous donations have helped immensely to enable us to be there supporting callers experiencing emotional distress.

Thank you!

Together we can make change that saves lives.

Sharon Gatland Branch Director

Director Southend Samaritans

Strategic Report

Southend Branch continues to support the strategy set out by the Central Charity, to meet Samaritans pledges in the four priority areas set out in the 2015-2021 strategy Working together to reduce suicide .

Service: We will continue to improve the quality and consistency of our service. Mandatory Safe-guarding training was delivered to all volunteers including support volunteers. This was to align the service with other organisations to support young people and adults at risk safely and effectively.

Access: Thanks to our move to new premises, we are now able to offer 4 phone lines

Capacity to deliver 3 on-line chat desks to support callers who prefer to contact us this way. particularly younger callers.

At present we also deliver service via email from the branch as well as via the Email hub.

Influence: Awareness that we need to be supporting our local communities. Community partnerships are embedded and actively identified.

As the restrictions have eased, we are looking to target “high risk” age groups to raise awareness.

Including growing our workplace training programme-led by branches

A recognition that we need to keep growing our relationship with supporters.

Evidence: During 2021/2022 we have completed a Quality Review to provide evidence-based outcomes of how we deliver our service safely.

During April-July 2021, over 2,200 volunteers and staff and external stakeholders completed a national survey or online poll, and 300+ volunteers and staff took part in strategy workshops, including good representation from our branch.

Participants shared their views on who they felt we should be here for, what services or activities we should provide and how they thought we should offer support.

Between October 2021 and January 2022, further feedback was sought from volunteers and staff via 8 strategy-themed workshops which were opened to everyone.

In January, there were a series of key strategy questions in our 2022 Volunteer Voice Survey (which 3,800 volunteers took part in). Feedback was gathered from staff via a separate strategy “pulse” survey.

At the same time, questions relating to emerging themes in key groups were shared on Workplace, allowing our branch to participate in online discussions between volunteers and staff.

Workshops were attended by Southend branch to actively engage with our Lived Experience Advisory Group, as well as our new EDI Steering Group.

Tackling Suicide Together

How we’ve developed this new strategy

Providing a safe space in uncertain times.

The world has become for many, a very worrying place with people’s mental wellbeing affected by growing concerns:

So what where the key themes:

Increasing access to our services

Key concerns about capacity of branches and hubs to meet demand for everyone who needs us and the particular challenge of night shifts

Widespread support for greater collaboration across branches, regions and all parts of Samaritans to help tackle the challenge together

Support to rollout the online chat pilot further

Reaching those in greatest need

Support for making improvements to accessibility of our services and branches

Improving understanding of groups less likely to contact Samaritans

Desire to improve our understanding of diversity

Strong support for more partnerships and collaborations

How we may explore Outreach

Raising our collective voices

Awareness of our influencing with governments and local authorities was relatively low, but branches wanting to support this more at local and community level.

Expansion of our work in Industries to help us target more “high risk” professions

Including growing our workplace training programme-led by branches

A recognition that we need to keep growing our relationship with supporters.

Strengthening our community

Training and development reviewing volunteer needs, more training for nonlisteners and leadership roles

A feeling that capacity for key roles was unsustainable

collaboration better around big changes

Volunteers and staff keen to be more joined up to strengthen our sense of community

Widespread recognition that we need to be more diverse as an organisation if everyone is to feel involved

Our five strategic priorities Access Reach Impact Capacity Sustainability

Our seven strategic principles:

Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) Personal experience Safety and quality Evidence-based Vocal and visible Innovation and technology Environmental responsibility

Southend Samaritans looks forward to being part of this new strategy as the foundation year begins in 2022/2023

Our Values

These are Samaritans’ shared values, which shape everything we do:

Listening

Exploring feelings alleviates distress and helps people to reach a better understanding of their situation and the options open to them.

Confidentiality

If people feel safe, they are more likely to be open about their feelings.

Non-judgemental

We want people to be able to talk to us without fear of prejudice or rejection.

People making their own decisions wherever possible

We believe that people have the right to find their own solution and that telling people what to do takes responsibility away from them.

Human contact

Giving people time, undivided attention and empathy meets a fundamental emotional need and reduces distress and despair.

Key achievements by our volunteers

How we did as a Branch in 2021 in Numbers

----- Start of picture text -----
11,503 Calls answered
3,178 Hours on the phone
325 Emails sent
55 Outbound calls
11,883 Total contacts
Ave. No. of ALV's No. of Shifts Completed
71 1029
57.5
986
Apr 20 - '21 Apr 21 - '22 Apr 20 - '21 Apr 21 - '22
Hours of calls Hours of Calls per ALV
3306
57
46.5
3275
Apr 20 - '21 Apr 21 - '22
Apr 20 - '21 Apr 21 - '22
No. of Calls per ALV
209
171
Apr 20 - '21 Apr 21 - '22
----- End of picture text -----

What we did: Dan – Deputy Director Recruitment and Selection

The number of applications from potential volunteers reduced in the period of April 2021 to 31st March 2022 with 135 enquiries compared to 207 the previous year (53% reduction) This is an average of 11 applications per month , with the majority coming directly through the Samaritans website

The Branch Management Tool was fully implemented within the branch during this year and has supported to streamline the onboarding of all new volunteers.

Flexible Recruitment

During the pandemic in 2020/21 all recruitment was conducted via Zoom due to the implementation of Coronavirus restrictions and resulting safety measures put in place within the Branch. Due to the success of zoom interviews during this period, last year Southend Branch has introduced a hybrid approach to recruitment with interview slots now available both face to face and via zoom.

We aimed to implement a new recruitment journey for volunteers.

This new journey will be quicker, easier, and more flexible by allowing potential local volunteers to:

review comprehensive online information,
book an interview online - in person, over the phone or via video call, and
receive support throughout the process from Southend Branch’s recruitment team, who have a new online tool to manage applications.

What we did: Pete – Deputy Director Training

With the easing of Covid restrictions for Face-toFace meetings. We reintroduced Core as well as Embedding training once again into the branch. We were also able to offer Emotional support outside of the branch. This enabled us to be present once again at Outreach events as well as Network Rail. As a branch we are committed to training new volunteers to the highest quality. Our aim is to continue to grow and develop our volunteer numbers to be able to have more listeners able to support our callers.

We also welcomed new support volunteers to work in the shop as well as in other areas of the branch providing training as appropriate for them.

We have also been able to deliver Mandatory training in Safeguarding to all volunteers this year.

More future planned events and support to services and organisations approaching us to ask for support within their organisations where they see Samaritans training and listening skills, as being key to help support their staff and colleagues’ mental health are also a priority for us.

What we did: Debbie and Judith – Deputy Directors Leaders and Mentors

We aimed to continue supporting the wellbeing of our volunteers

Volunteers are supported by a Leader and Deputy Director on shift. They are also available for advice, guidance and when required permissions at times should the volunteer need it.

Listening volunteers also undertake a verbal debrief with their Shift Leader once their duties are completed; Leaders are there to support the volunteers’ mental wellbeing, discuss any difficulties that may have arisen. Thanking them for being there for our callers.

We continued to develop our volunteers as they become more experienced by offering the opportunity to become leaders and mentors through a planned programme of workshops offered by Debbie and Judith.

These continuous development opportunities mean that volunteers that wish to take on any additional roles within the branch can further support newer trainee Samaritans to gain confidence and experience to support callers reaching out for our services.

What we did: Karen – Deputy Director Volunteer Care

The year continued to throw up challenges, with some volunteers self-isolating due to the everchanging situation with Covid. The support bubbles remained in place. The volunteer support team continued to work hard to ensure support was available to all volunteers especially those who were self-isolating or on a break. Southend Branch strives to provide on-going wellbeing support to all our volunteers, including our support volunteers that give up their time either in our Shop or in other support roles like IT

In September the branch celebrated our AGM with a visit from Julie Bentley the CEO of Samaritans. This was the first time many of us had come together socially for a long time, and it was very well attended.

We aimed to keep our volunteers safe and well.

As the year has progressed, we have abided by changing government guidance on Covid safety measures.

What we did: Adam - Health & Safety

In April we successfully moved to Beaumont Court in Victoria Ave. Challenges resulted in the temporary closure of the branch for approx. 6 weeks.

The move has proved to be a very positive thing for the branch and in a recent survey, the feedback from the volunteers was overwhelmingly positive.

The building can now welcome safely all volunteers and visitors that may require additional support,

including a ramp and coloured regulation support rails on entering and exiting the premises, to facilitate easy access. Our thanks go to those donors who helped fund this essential work.

There have been no reported accidents, incidents or near misses during this year.

Operations room Entrance into the branch

What we did: Outreach and Publicity

Outreach and Fundraising have been able to resume slowly.

As the year has progressed and we have slowly emerged from the pandemic we have started to become more visible again within our community.

In December 2021, James Duddridge MP Southend East ran the London Marathon for Southend Samaritans, raising a staggering £1,591.

Southend Samaritans have also been present fundraising at Winter Pride in February and at Sarah Millican's tour held at the Cliffs pavilion in March, raising £880.

The website (samaritans.org/branches/southendonsea/)

The website has been updated to include a recent news section, a personalised version of the legacy video produced by Head Office and an embedded link to the Donr donation page.

Social media: Our Twitter Handle

In line with Head Office policy, we have been posting at least three or four times weekly. This comprises a blend of material supplied by Samaritans Brand Centre and original posts of local events or news. We currently have 726 followers, a significant year on year increase.

Our top tweet, which had 2,806 views:

Remember, whatever you’re going through, a Samaritan will face it with you, 116 123

What we did: Colin – Community Partnerships Officer

Community Partnerships and Influence

As the restrictions have eased, we are looking to target “high risk” age groups to raise awareness.

How does this relate to Southend Branch?

We also aim to forge strong relationships with local organisations to further our vision of fewer people dying from suicide.

Coming out of the pandemic has provided us with an opportunity to rekindle many of the relationships we had and to forge new ones.

Prior to the pandemic, we had representation at the following organisations. Southend, Essex and Thurrock (SET) Suicide Prevention Strategy Group

Meanwhile, Southend Suicide Prevention Network has been formed . It is a multiagency group whose aims are to help reduce the risk of suicide in Southend, and provide a networking opportunity for multi-agency working at strategic and operational levels. Facilitated by Southend Council, attendees included BTP, Essex Mind, Andy Man’s Club, Trustlinks, DWP and representatives from Southend Council & NHS.

Workshops were delivered to One Love Project (homeless charity) on our approach to listening.

Southend Samaritans Shop

Shop Report

We are delighted to report that Covid has had far less impact on our activity this year than last. We are proud to have retained the essence and principle of the shop being stocked entirely with pre-loved items and staffed solely with volunteers. We now use additional marketing streams such as e-Bay, Marketplace, Ziffit and Vinted.

We continue to maintain the property by refreshing the interior décor. We have used the Charity Retail Association materials to educate ourselves in good practice and become more actively involved in the local community to raise our profile.

None of this could be achieved without our amazing support volunteers.

2021-22: Samaritans’ Year at a Glance

We answered over 360,000 calls from people in prison and our Listeners in prisons provided face to face support over 26,000 times .

We engaged with politicians and policy-makers more than 1,300 times , encouraging them to take action to help reduce suicides across the UK and Ireland.

We reached 3,658 employees of 128 organisations through online workplace training .

We answered 20,000 calls from NHS and social care workers .

More than 50,000 people signed up to use our self-help app .

We are grateful to 89,400 supporters who have generously raised income for Samaritans-you’ve made it possible for us to be there for anyone who needs us.

Financial Review

Overview

During this year, our funding streams largely returned to the pre-Covid situation as the majority of the income was from the shop. We should however note that the sale of the York Road property last year has resulted in no rental income for the year. So the charity is now reliant on fewer income streams, including shop income, legacies, and fundraising. The ‘Fundraising Activities Statement’ below provides more details.

Having now had almost twelve months in the current building, we can report that our outgoings on essential overheads have reduced significantly and we will continue to monitor this.

Income (For the Year Ended 31 March 2022)

----- Start of picture text -----
Total: £177,637
£6,448
4%
£57,177
32%
£113,933
64%
£79
0% (0.04%)
Donations Shop sales and events Investment income Grants
----- End of picture text -----

Expenditure (For the Year Ended 31 March 2022)

Total: £59,305

----- Start of picture text -----
£5, 95 0 40
£4,296 10%
19%
£53,401£43,128
90% 71%
----- End of picture text -----

Fundraising expensesRaising fundsActivities undertaken directlyCharitable activities Support costs

Fundraising Activities Statement

Southend Samaritans Annual Report – Fundraising

A massive thank you from all of us at Southend-on-Sea Samaritans to everyone who has supported us over the last year. Your financial and in-kind donations have helped immensely in our work and have ensured that the core costs required in running the branch can be met for the forthcoming year.

Table 1 provides a breakdown of the specific sources of income we have received through our fundraising over 2021/2022:

TABLE 1

----- Start of picture text -----
Southend-on-Sea Samaritans
Specific Fundraising Sources 2022
Ref Income Source Amount
1 Essex Community Fund £7,195
2 ROSCA Trust £3,932
3 James Duddridge (London Marathon) £1,814
4 Pears Foundation & DCMS £1,670
5 Berg Family £1,000
6 Samarathon £924
7 Sarah Millican Concert Collection Tins £890
----- End of picture text -----

Our Aims:

----- Start of picture text -----
Raise 10% of the
branch’s required
funds through
increased
fundraising activity
THRIVE
Raise awareness Increase
of branch volunteer
campaigns involvement
----- End of picture text -----

Over the current financial year, we aim to expand our fundraising activities as a means of raising more funding to support the Southend-on-Sea branch of Samaritans. Examples of this include:

In 2022, we aim to seek new income streams, which will be integral to a new fundraising strategy.

Monthly Donations received via Direct Debit: We’d like to raise more awareness about how people can further support us by making monthly donations via direct debit, social media and outreach events. A planned programme using social media to further raise money by monthly donations received via direct debit, will be considered and encouraged. £2,500 this year rising to between £4,000-£5,000 in subsequent years by this means.
Fundraising via Text/online Retail: This includes platforms such as Donr, Easyfundraising & Just Giving. At this time, it is difficult to estimate how much this will realise due to the random nature of the donations. As a consequence, money raised via these routes will not be factored into our projections until July 2022. We are nonetheless hopeful of raising around £200 per month once fully established.
Sponsorship: We plan to maximise our sponsorship income by becoming more adept in the use of fundraising platforms.
Retail Charities: We will apply for the opportunity to raise funds and awareness from a variety of retail charity initiatives.
Buckets and tins: We are aiming to further fundraise and raise awareness by ‘ shaking and rattling ’ wherever the opportunity presents, including local banks, GP surgeries, libraries and retail outlets.
In-memorium: Other areas of consideration for possible income generation is through In-memoriam giving (via funeral directors) and legacies (wills).

Special Thanks

The Branch extends special thanks to:

Essex Community Fund
ROSCA Trust
James Duddridge
Pears Foundation
Department for Media, Culture and Sport
Berg Family
Samarathon participants
Sarah Millican

All our volunteers and supporters!

The support from our donors and the effort volunteers have put into raising funds for Southend-on-Sea Samaritans has enabled our phone lines to stay connected, the lights on and the heat running; it has also aided volunteer care and has contributed to the possibility of the branch thriving in the future. Most importantly the funds have supported the continued provision of the vital services we provide our local and national communities.

Reserves Policy

The Trustees have set a policy of retaining an 18-month reserve. Being still fairly new to the current property the cost of overheads and service utility costs are still an estimate.

Within these considerations, the Trustees had previously set a target range, free reserves are calculated as total unrestricted reserves less designated funds.

For 2020/23 the Board of Trustees approved a balanced core budget of £65,117.50

In setting the reserves policy, the Board of Trustees considers the need to provide against any future income shortfall, fulfil working capital requirements and allow funds to be available to support service developments. This is balanced against the need to spend reserves now to deliver services to meet beneficiary needs.

The reserves policy will continue to be reviewed on an annual basis.

Ongoing Concern

After due consideration and endorsed by the Accountant the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the Charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future.

Risks and Uncertainties

How we manage risk

The Board of Trustees is ultimately responsible for risk management, it reviews key risks and the adequacy of actions being taken to address those risks, on a regular basis.

The ability of our branch to respond quickly and effectively to unanticipated risks and new developments has been evident along with our response to the Coronavirus pandemic. As well as our recent relocation to Beaumont Court

Service : Changes to our core service to protect the critical function and development of new volunteers and how we can continue to develop, train, and increase numbers of volunteers vitally needed to continue our service. We have introduced robust new Mandatory training around Safeguarding for children and vulnerable adults accessing our service. with a focus on developing our mature safeguarding culture on service and structure, quality improvements, investigations, policies and procedures and governance.

People : Prioritising and ensuring the safety, wellbeing, engagement, and commitment of volunteers.

Governance Report

Our Structure and Governance

Southend Samaritans is an affiliated branch of our Central charitable company limited by guarantee. We were founded by Prebendary Dr Chad Varah CH CBE MA in 1953 and incorporated in 1963.

A. Constitution

The charity was incorporated on 7[th] July 2017 and commenced trading on that date. The principal object of the charity is to provide confidential, non-judgmental emotional support to those in distress, despair or feeling suicidal.

B. Methods of appointment or election of trustees

The management of the charity is the responsibility of the Trustees who are elected or co-opted under the terms of the Samaritan Branch Model Constitution.

C. Financial risk management

The trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed, in particular those related to the operations and finances of the charity and are satisfied that systems and procedures are in place to mitigate our exposure to the major risks.

Our Governance

As a learning organisation we are always keen to develop and adapt our ways of working in the interests of our beneficiaries and volunteers.

Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities

The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees' 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 & 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 its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
observe the methods and principles of the Charities SORP (FRS 102);
make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards (FRS 102) have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;

prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Charity will continue in business.

The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the Charity's transactions and 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 provisions of the Constitution. 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 order of the members of the board of Trustees and signed on their behalf by

Sharon Gatland Branch Director and Chair of Trustees Date: 11[th] October 2022

SOUTHEND-ON-SEA SAMARITANS

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Southend-on-Sea Samaritans (‘the Charity’)

I report to the charity Trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Charity for the year ended 31 March 2022.

Responsibilities and Basis of Report

As the Trustees of the Charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the 2011 Act').

I report in respect of my examination of the Charity's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent Examiner's Statement

Your attention is drawn to the fact that the Charity has prepared the accounts in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) in preference to the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice issued on 1 April 2005 which is referred to in the extant regulations but has been withdrawn.

I understand that this has been done in order for the accounts to provide a true and fair view in accordance with the Generally Accepted Accounting Practice effective for reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2015.

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

accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 130 of the 2011 Act; or
the accounts do not accord with those records; or
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.

This report is made solely to the Charity's Trustees, as a body, in accordance with Part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. My work has been undertaken so that I might state to the Charity's Trustees those matters I am required to state to them in an Independent Examiner's Report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, I do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the Charity and the Charity's Trustees as a body, for my work or for this report.

Signed: Dated: 17 October 2022

Stuart Harrison FCA Venthams Chartered Accountants Millhouse 32 - 38 East Street Rochford Essex SS4 1DB

SOUTHEND-ON-SEA SAMARITANS

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 March 2022

Unrestricted funds 2022 £	Restricted funds 2022 £	Total funds 2022 £	Total funds 2021 £
6,448	-	6,448	46,106

57,177	-	57,177	16,214

79	-	79	8,131

1,208	112,725	113,933	62,089

			132,540
64,912	112,725	177,637

5,904	-	5,904	5,500

48,169	5,232	53,401	47,424

			52,924
54,073	5,232	59,305

10,839	107,493	118,332	79,616

3,417	(3,417)	-	-

			79,616
14,256	104,076	118,332
17,000	-	17,000	-

			79,616
31,256	104,076	135,332

787,509	3,151	790,660	711,044

31,256	104,076	135,332	79,616

			790,660
818,765	107,227	925,992

SOUTHEND-ON-SEA SAMARITANS

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Balance Sheet for the Year Ended 31 March 2022

	2022 £	2021 £
	664,328	704,848
	664,328
		704,848

2,165	1,540
272,012	87,431
	88,971

274,177
(12,513)	(3,159)


	261,664	85,812
	925,992
		790,660
	925,992	790,660
	107,227	3,151
	818,765	787,509
	925,992	790,660

The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by:

................................................ Sharon Gatland

Date: 11[th] October 2022

SOUTHEND-ON-SEA SAMARITANS

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Notes for the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2022

1. General Information

Southend-on-Sea Samaritans is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered in England and Wales. Its principal office address is Beaumont Court, 61-71 Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS2 6EB.

2. Accounting policies

2.1 Basis of preparation of financial statements

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) - Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011.

The financial statements have been prepared to give a 'true and fair' view and have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a 'true and fair' view. This departure has involved following the Charities SORP (FRS 102) published on 16 July 2014 rather than the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice effective from 1 April 2005 which has since been withdrawn.

Southend-on-Sea Samaritans meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy.

SOUTHEND-ON-SEA SAMARITANS

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

2. Accounting policies (continued)

2.2 Income

All income is recognised once the Charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount of income receivable can be measured reliably.

The recognition of income from legacies is dependent on establishing entitlement, the probability of receipt and the ability to estimate with sufficient accuracy the amount receivable. Evidence of entitlement to a legacy exists when the Charity has sufficient evidence that a gift has been left to them (through knowledge of the existence of a valid will and the death of the benefactor) and the executor is satisfied that the property in question will not be required to satisfy claims in the estate. Receipt of a legacy must be recognised when it is probable that it will be received and the fair value of the amount receivable, which will generally be the expected cash amount to be distributed to the Charity, can be reliably measured.

Grants are included in the Statement of Financial Activities on a receivable basis. The balance of income received for specific purposes but not expended during the period is shown in the relevant funds on the Balance Sheet. Where income is received in advance of entitlement of receipt, its recognition is deferred and included in creditors as deferred income. Where entitlement occurs before income is received, the income is accrued.

Where the donated good is a fixed asset, it is measured at fair value, unless it is impractical to measure this reliably, in which case the cost of the item to the donor should be used. The gain is recognised as income from donations and a corresponding amount is included in the appropriate fixed asset class and depreciated over the useful economic life in accordance with the Charity's accounting policies.

On receipt, donated professional services and facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the Charity which is the amount it would have been willing to pay to obtain services or facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open market; a corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of receipt.

Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.

Income tax recoverable in relation to investment income is recognised at the time the investment income is receivable.

Other income is recognised in the period in which it is receivable and to the extent the goods have been provided or on completion of the service.

2.3 Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.

Expenditure on raising funds includes all expenditure incurred by the Charity to raise funds for its charitable purposes and includes costs of all fundraising activities events and non-charitable trading.

SOUTHEND-ON-SEA SAMARITANS

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

2. Accounting policies (continued)

2.3 Expenditure (continued)

Expenditure on charitable activities is incurred on directly undertaking the activities which further the Charity's objectives, as well as any associated support costs.

All expenditure is inclusive of irrecoverable VAT.

2.4 Interest receivable

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the Charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the institution with whom the funds are deposited.

2.5 Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

Tangible fixed assets costing £500 or more are capitalised and recognised when future economic benefits are probable and the cost or value of the asset can be measured reliably.

Tangible fixed assets are initially recognised at cost. After recognition, under the cost model, tangible fixed assets are measured at cost less accumulated depreciation and any accumulated impairment losses. All costs incurred to bring a tangible fixed asset into its intended working condition should be included in the measurement of cost.

Depreciation is charged so as to allocate the cost of tangible fixed assets less their residual value over their estimated useful lives, on a reducing balance basis.

Depreciation is provided on the following basis:

Office equipment 25% reducing balance

2.6 Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

2.7 Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and in hand includes cash and short-term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

2.8 Liabilities and provisions

Liabilities are recognised when there is an obligation at the Balance Sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefit will be required in settlement, and the amount of the settlement can be estimated reliably.

Liabilities are recognised at the amount that the Charity anticipates it will pay to settle the debt or the amount it has received as advanced payments for the goods or services it must provide.

Provisions are measured at the best estimate of the amounts required to settle the obligation. Where the effect of the time value of money is material, the provision is based on the present value of those amounts, discounted at the pre-tax discount rate that reflects the risks specific to the liability. The unwinding of the discount is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities as a finance cost.

SOUTHEND-ON-SEA SAMARITANS

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

2.9 Financial instruments

The Charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

2.10 Fund accounting

General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the Charity and which have not been designated for other purposes.

Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the Trustees for particular purposes. The aim and use of each designated fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the Charity for particular purposes. The costs of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Investment income, gains and losses are allocated to the appropriate fund.

3. Income from donations and legacies

Donations Donations Legacies	Unrestricted funds 2022 £	Total funds 2022 £
	6,448	6,448

	Unrestricted funds 2021 £	Total funds 2021 £
	19,920	19,920

	26,186	26,186

		46,106
	46,106

SOUTHEND-ON-SEA SAMARITANS

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

4. Income from other trading activities

Income from fundraising events

Revenue from shop sales and events Revenue from shop sales and events Investment income Investment income - local investment properties Investment income - local cash Investment income - local investment properties Investment income - local cash	Unrestricted funds 2022 £	Total funds 2022 £
	57,177	57,177

	Unrestricted funds 2021 £	Total funds 2021 £
	16,214	16,214

	Unrestricted funds 2022 £	Total funds 2022 £
	63	63

	16	16

		79 Total funds 2021 £
	79
	Unrestricted funds 2021 £
	8,129	8,129

	2	2

		8,131
	8,131

5. Investment income

SOUTHEND-ON-SEA SAMARITANS

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

6. Other incoming resources

Unrestricted funds 2022 £	Restricted funds 2022 £	Total funds 2022 £
1,208	112,725	113,933

Unrestricted funds 2021 £	Restricted funds 2021 £	Total funds 2021 £
5,000	22,936	27,936

34,153	-	34,153

		62,089
39,153	22,936

7. Expenditure on raising funds

Fundraising trading expenses

Utilities, rent and rates Housekeeping Administration Building maintenance	Unrestricted funds 2022 £	Total funds 2022 £
	3,286	3,286

	1,469	1,469

	236	236

	913	913

		5,904
	5,904

SOUTHEND-ON-SEA SAMARITANS

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

7. Fundraising trading expenses (continued)

Utilities, rent and rates Housekeeping Administration Building maintenance	Unrestricted funds 2021 £	Total funds 2021 £
	1,681	1,681

	1,054	1,054

	222	222

	2,543	2,543

		5,500
	5,500

SOUTHEND-ON-SEA SAMARITANS

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Activities undertaken directly 2022 Support costs 2022 £ £	Activities undertaken directly 2022 Support costs 2022 £ £	Total funds 2022 £
42,215	11,186	53,401

Activities undertaken directly 2021 Support costs 2021 £ £		Total funds 2021 £
43,128	4,296	47,424

Supporting activities 2022 Total funds 2022 £ £ 238 238 2,374 2,374 2,882 2,882 130 130 1,716 1,716 2,669 2,669 2,332 2,332 3,568 3,568 1,552 1,552 1,660 1,660 7,003 7,003 272 272 300 300 (540) (540) 1,198 1,198 7,824 7,824 2,420 2,420 4,617 4,617 42,215 42,215

SOUTHEND-ON-SEA SAMARITANS

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

8. Analysis of direct costs (continued) Supporting activities 2021 £ Rates 449 Insurance 1,742 Light and heat 2,936 Running costs of flat 2,910 Housekeeping 2,969 Cleaner 2,350 Repairs and renewals 6,099 Computer running costs 3,405 Travelling 1,474 Contributions to Samaritans 1,629 Legal and professional 77 Fundraising expenses 42 Publicity and advertising 4,484 Telephone and internet 2,364 Volunteer care 1,730 Interest payable 2,297 Relocation costs 6,171 43,128 Analysis of support costs Supporting activities 2022 £ Depreciation 7,040 Legal and professional 1,608 Administration, printing, postage and stationery 2,538 11,186	Supporting activities 2021 £	Total funds 2021 £
	449	449

	1,742	1,742

	2,936	2,936

	2,910	2,910

	2,969	2,969

	2,350	2,350

	6,099	6,099

	3,405	3,405

	1,474	1,474

	1,629	1,629

	77	77

	42	42

	4,484	4,484

	2,364	2,364

	1,730	1,730

	2,297	2,297

	6,171	6,171

		43,128 Total funds 2022 £
	43,128
	7,040	7,040

	1,608	1,608

	2,538	2,538

		11,186
	11,186

SOUTHEND-ON-SEA SAMARITANS

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

8. Analysis of support costs (continued)

Depreciation Legal and professional Administration, printing, postage and stationery 9. Independent examiner's remuneration Fees payable to the Charity's independent examiner for the independent examination of the Charity's annual accounts	Supporting activities 2021 £	Total funds 2021 £
	861	861

	1,522	1,522

	1,913	1,913

		4,296 2021 £
	4,296
	2022 £
	1,608	1,522

10. Trustees' remuneration and expenses

During the year, no Trustees received any remuneration or other benefits (2021 - £NIL-) .

During the year ended 31 March 2022, expenses totalling £ 464 were reimbursed or paid directly to 2 Trustees (2021 - £45 to 1 Trustee) .

11. Tangible fixed assets

Freehold property £	Office equipment £	Total £
695,000	15,401	710,401
	13,178	566,520
553,342
(600,000)		(600,000)
		676,921
648,342	28,579

-	5,553	5,553
-	7,040	7,040
		12,593
-	12,593

648,342	15,986	664,328
695,000	9,848	704,848

SOUTHEND-ON-SEA SAMARITANS

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

12. Debtors

Due within one year Trade debtors Prepayments and accrued income 13. Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year Trade creditors Other creditors Accruals and deferred income	2022 £	2021 £
	-	(63)
	2,165	1,603
		1,540 2021 £
	2,165
	2022 £
		-
	2.273
	8,632
		1,629
	1,608	1,530
		3,159
	12,513

SOUTHEND-ON-SEA SAMARITANS

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

14. Statement of funds

Statement of funds - current year Balance at 1 April 2021 £ Income £ Unrestricted funds Designated funds Property fund 695,000 - General funds General fund 92,509 64,912 Total Unrestricted funds 787,509 64,912 Restricted funds Sam Pears Foundation 90 1,580 Essex Community Foundation 3,061 7,195 ROSCA Trust - 3,950 St Saviours Housing Trust - 100,000 3,151 112,725	Statement of funds - current year Balance at 1 April 2021 £ Income £ Unrestricted funds Designated funds Property fund 695,000 - General funds General fund 92,509 64,912 Total Unrestricted funds 787,509 64,912 Restricted funds Sam Pears Foundation 90 1,580 Essex Community Foundation 3,061 7,195 ROSCA Trust - 3,950 St Saviours Housing Trust - 100,000 3,151 112,725	Expenditure £	Transfers in/out £	Gains/ (Losses) £	Balance at 31 March 2022 £


695,000	-	-	(46,658)	-	648,342



92,509	64,912	(54,073)	50,075	17,000	170,423

787,509	64,912	(54,073)	3,417	17,000	818,765

90	1,580	-	-	-	1,670

3,061	7,195	(4,699)	-	-	5,557

-	3,950	(533)	(3,417)	-	-

-	100,000	-	-	-	100,000

					107,227
3,151	112,725	(5,232)	(3,417)	-

Total of funds

790,660 177,637 (59,305)

17,000 925,992

SOUTHEND-ON-SEA SAMARITANS

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Statement of funds - prior year Balance at 1 April 2020 £ Unrestricted funds Designated funds Property fund 695,000 General funds General fund 16,044 Total Unrestricted funds 711,044 Restricted funds Sam Pears Foundation - Essex Community Foundation - - Total of funds 711,044	Income £	Expenditure £	Transfers in/out £	Balance at 31 March 2021 £


695,000	-	-	-	695,000



16,044	109,604	(42,740)	9,601	92,509

711,044	109,604	(42,740)	9,601	787,509

-	15,936	(6,245)	(9,601)	90

-	7,000	(3,939)	-	3,061

				3,151 790,660
-	22,936	(10,184)	(9,601)
711,044	132,540	(52,924)	-

SOUTHEND-ON-SEA SAMARITANS

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

15. Analysis of net assets between funds

Analysis of net assets between funds - current year

Unrestricted funds 2022 £	Restricted funds 2022 £	Total funds 2022 £
664,328	-	664,328

166,950	107,227	274,177

(12,513)	-	(12,513)

		925,992
818,765	107,227

Analysis of net assets between funds - prior year

Unrestricted funds 2021 £	Restricted funds 2021 £	Total funds 2021 £
704,848	-	704,848

85,820	3,151	88,971

(3,159)	-	(3,159)

		790,660
787,509	3,151

16. Related party transactions

The Charity has not entered into any related party transaction during the year, nor are there any outstanding balances owing between related parties and the Charity at 31 March 2022.

Reference and Administrative Details

Registered address:

61-71 Beaumont Court Victoria Ave Southend on Sea Essex SS2 6EB

Registered charity: 1173715

Website: samaritans.org/southendonsea

Board of Trustees

Sharon Gatland (Chair) Anne Hawkins (Secretary & Governance) Judith Bailey Diane Smith (Treasurer) Tony Jefford John Bryant Pete Thomas Caroline Jennings (Fundraising/Grants)

Southend Samaritans Senior Staff

Bankers:

National Westminster Bank plc Accountants: 132 High Street Venthams Chartered Accountants Southend -on-Sea Millhouse Essex 32-38 East Street SS1 1JX Rochford Essex Solicitors: SS4 1DB

Solicitors:

Jeffries Solicitors 3[rd] Floor Dencora Court Tylers Avenue Southend-on Sea Essex SS1 2BA

We would like to thank all our donors and supporters including those who wish to remain anonymous.

Along with all our volunteers!

We're here to listen Cdlfr•• dayu n11 on 116 123 Emom lo@samarltans.org W•b samarltans.org/southendonsea Beaumont Court, 61-n Vlctorla Ave Southend-on-sea SS2 6E8 SAMARITANS