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TONBRIDGE WELCOMES REFUGEES
Trustees, Annual Report
for the Financial Year
I" April 2022- 31" March 2023

TONBRIDGE WELCOMES REFUGEES
Trustees, Annual Report
forthe Financial Year from I, April 2022 to 31, March 2023
Referen￿ and administration detsils
Tonbridge Welcomes Refugees
c/0 Burns & Co
2a Bank Street
Tonbridge TN9 IBL
Registered charity number.. 1173758
Trustees
Jane Blessley Ichairl
Temilsl of office
January 2019-January 2022
January 2022
July 2017-July 2020
July 2020-
July 2017-July 2020
July 2020-
December 2018- December 2021
January 2022
January 2020- December 2022
January 2023
August 2020-
Fiona O'Brien
Ruth Connelly
N icky McGregor
Jan Lloyd
Lee Mead ITrea5urerl
Sarah Pratten
July 2022-
Structure, governance and management
Tonbridge Welcomes Refugees was registered with the Charity Commission as a CIO
Icharitable Incorporated Organisationl on I l July 2017. Our governing document is our
constitution (foundation model).
Appointment of trustees
Trustees are appointed by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the
charity's trustees, for a term of th ree years. In selecting individuals for appointment as
trustees, the Trustees have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the
effective administration of the charity.
During the year Jane Ble551ey and Jan Lloyd were reappointed as trustees and Sarah Pratten
was a ppointed as a new trustee
There are currently seven trustees.

Objectives and Activities
Our charity's objects, as set out in our constitution, are as follows..
l. For the relief of those granted refugee status and their dependants, or those seeking
asylum living (temporarily or permanently) in Kent.
The relief of financial hardship,.
The preservation and protection of their physical and mental health,.
The advancement of their education and training 50 as to advance them in life and a551St
them to adapt within a new community.
2. To advance the education of the pu blic in general about the rights and needs of
refugees and asyl um seekers.
Overview- Objective I: To provide relief for refugees
Most of the refLJgees SLJpported by the charity have reached the UK under one of the
Government's Resettlement Schemes. At 31st March 2023, Tonbridge Welcomes Refugees
was supporting..
ten farrilies living in Tonbridge and Malling and Maidstone who had arrived under
the Syrian Vulnerable Persons, Resettlement Scheme ISVPRSI and its replacement,
the UK Resettlement Scheme 2021 IUKRSI. 9 families were from Syria and a further
one from Sudan. The charity a Iso supported two Syrian families who had claimed
asylum and a further Syrian fami ly who had reached the end of the five-year period
under the SVPRS and had indefinite leave to remain.
three Afghan families who arrived in Tonbridge and Mal ling and Maid5tone lin
December 2021 and FebrLJary and May 20221 who had been evacuated from
Afghanistan under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy 2021 IARAPI.
Homes for U kraine Scheme, under this Scheme the charity supports approximately
200 individuals. Because of the role of hosts, the model of support differs for
U krainian refugees and they are dealt with separately below.
The total number of individuals supported on 31, March 2023 is approximately 287.
TWR works closely with Kent County Council IKCCI and Tonbridge and Marling Borough
Council ITMBCI and staff from KCC'S appointed social care provider, Clarion, to support
refugees resettled under the SVPRS, the UKRS and the ARAP in our area of Kent. As
Maid5tone doe5 not have a Welcome5 Refugees Group, we have a group of volunteers
working to support families within the Maidstone Borough Council area. Our Maidstone
volunteers also work with some of our SVPRS families in TMBC, as sometimes their location is
closer to Maidstone. The Maidstone team of volunteers complete their DBS with us. We also
work closely with our sister charities, Tunbridge Wells Welcomes Refugees ITWWRI and
Sevenoaks Welcomes Refugees ISWRI.

Support provided for refugees under UKRS
Befriending. Each refugee fami ly arriving under the Resettlement Schemes or ARAP is
assigned a small team of volunteers to assist them on arrival. Whilstthe Clarion
Support Officers manage applications to schools, to GP registers, to the Home Off ice
and to the DWP for benefits, the volunteer teams make welcoming and befriending
Vlsits. The support is tailor-made to the family, but often includes such matter5 as
explaining the transport services locally, explaining how the NHS operates or the
ref use and recycl ing system. Families are often taken out to Vlslt local attractions or to
be shown the shopping facilities. Bef riending volunteers can appeal by means of
WhatsApp groups for household items needed by the families or apply to the trustees
for funding for an item, if a suitable donation ca nnot be found.
English teaching. In addition to befriending support, there is an experienced and
dedicated team of teachers who su pplement the English lessons provided under the
various Resettlement Scheme5 by loca l adult education providers. Often the 5rna11
group teaching or individual coaching TWR provides is more successful, especially
with those who have limited experience of education or who are illiterate in their first
language.
In addition to the classes provided for adults, there is a very active team of teacher5
who volunteer in local schools to SLJpport Syrian, SLJdanese and Afghan children.
Currently two Afghan, two Syrian and two Sudanese children benef it from this
support.
In March 2023, KCC started to undertake a review of the provision of ESOL under the
various Schemes and TWR volunteers are participating in this review in the hopes of
improving the provision especially for those refugees who are illiterate in Language l.
Transport. It is often diff icult for the charity'5 beneficiarie5 to get to medical or dental
appointments or to soci81 gatherings held by the charity by using public transport.
TWR maintains a WhatsApp group of volunteers who are willing to provide lift5 for
these appointments or occasions. The charity also provides bicycles and related safety
equipment for beneficiaries where this is needed and, for some beneficiaries, the
trustees have agreed to provide some assistance to f und driving lessons. This is so
expensive that it has been li mited to cases where the beneficiary needs to drive in
order to work or where the benef iciary is already a driver and only needs a few
refresher classes to enable a UK driving test to be taken. In suitable cases, young
person'5 orfamily railcards are provided.
Social Support. TWR has undertaken several new initiatives in 2022 to 2023. A grant
was obtained to provide activity courses in the school holidays in addition to the
after-school clubs for children of school age already funded. The funding was
provided by Clifford Chance London Foundation with a requirement that TWR match
the spending with £4000 of charity f unds. Courses have been attended both by the
original cohort underthe Resettlement Scheme5 but also by many Ukrainian school
children too. Such courses aid social integration and provide children with a chance to

escape for a while from the anxieties of their position as ref ugees. The courses have
been of all types - trampolining, gymnastics, climbing, drumming, Arts and crafts,
football, badminton and the charity has placed about twenty children into swimming
lessons at Tonbridge Town Pool. It has never been possible to f und swimming before
because of the high cost and the initiative has been very successful indeed.
In May 2022, TWR was able once again to hold a picnic to celebrate Eid al Fitr at the
end of Ramadan with a picnic held on 8 May at St Philip's Church Hall in north
Tonbridge. All Muslim refugees from Maidstone, Tonbridge and Malling were invited
and Syrian, Afghan 3 nd Sudanese families attended with volunteers from Maidstone
offering transport. Each family brought a dish to share and volunteers also
contributed vegetarian a nd sweet items. There was football on the field outside, a
seed planting activity, a face painter and a craft activity. Both families and volunteers
enjoyed a sunny afternoon and the chance to renew f riendships after so long apart
and to meet new arrivals.
Support provided for Ukrainian refugees under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme
Refugees arriving under this Scheme are placed with British hosts and they perform many of
the befriending activities which would otherwise be provided by TWR befriending teams or
by support workers f rom Cla rion.
TWR set up a small committee of volunteers in April 2022 to coordinate the 5UPPOrt given to
arriving refugees. The trustees decided that they had neither the manpower nor the
expertise to act as a matching service for potential host5 and ref ugees. Instead, the
committee provided information for both hosts and refugees and gave logistical help for
example to ena ble ref ugees to acce55 free sim card5 from Vodafone and to distribute laptOP5
provided by West Kent M ind. The tea m shared a toolkit with hosts and provided frequent
newsletters full of information on things to do and practical support. There was a lot of
coordination between hosts and refugees too. TWR not only distributed laptops provided by
MIN D, but also f unded laptops for refugees including those in areas normally just outside
ours where there was no similar support.
Shortly after the Scheme started, Tonbridge School decided to support refugees by offering a
space for refugees to meet each other every Tuesday evening for two hours. TWR has acted
as a partner providing information to Tonbridge School. Two volunteers attend at each of the
Tonbridge School gatherings to gather information about the su pport needs of arriving
families or families leaving hosts to live independently. Such questions 8 re then followed up
by volunteers.
Further emotional and soci81 support was provided to both hosts and Ukrainian refugees by a
volunteer holding a coffee evening on a fortnightly basis for hosts and refugees separately to
enable them to air any difficultie5 and learn from others in a Similar position.

The most urgent need for arriving U krainians was the provision of English lessons. Using
premises provided by Tonbridge School, TWR'S English coordinator for adults set up a
programme for the Ukrainian students. Classes were run throughout the school 5urn mer
holidays and have continLJed throughout the rest of our TWR financial year. There have been
six classes a week, led by TWR volunteer teachers using course and practice books funded by
TWR. At the start, there were too many students so a waiting list was needed. To ena ble
those on that list to progress whilst waiting for classes, a system of conversation buddies was
started. This entailed a refugee being matched with a volunteer with the intention that they
should meet so as to give an added opportunity for practice in Engl ish. This has proved very
successf ul and those volunteers have often become friend5 Wlth the refugees and have
extended support when the refugees have moved into homes independent of the original
host.
Local schools saw an influx of Ukrainian children too. The level of English of these refugees
was widelyvariable. The coordinator of English forchildren organi5ed support forchildren in
five local schools. The numbers of Ukrainian children have varied as some have returned to
U kraine, others have rroved to different parts of the UK and in one case a school recruited a
TEFL qualified Ukrainian as 8 teaching assistant. At the end of March 2023, 11 Ukrainian
students were receiving help.
Using WhatsApp groups, TWR has been able to assist U krainian families to equip their new
homes when they leave their origina I hosts.
The Ukrainian families have also benefited from the activities, courses during school holidays
and after school clubs lincluding swimmingl provided thanks to the London Foundation grant.
Overview- Objective 2: To advance the education of the public about the position and needs
of refugees and asylum seekers
The Chair and several volunteers were involved in a campaign with Citizens, UK to
persuade MPS to support an initiative to regularise the position of undocumented
migrants. The aim is to protect them f rom modern slavery and exploitation and allow
them to take a proper place in the workforce benefiting f rom the protection of
employment laws. It provides a societal benefit too because of tax and National
Insurance payments and by f illing jobs in those sectors now suffering manpower
Shortages, such as agriculture or care sectors.
The campaign culminated in a meeting with Conservative M P for Tonbridge and
Malling, Tom Tugendhat, in September 2022 at which these arguments were put
forward and he accepted the idea in theory, but had concerns about its practicality
because of the danger of creating a 'pull factor, which might encourage further
migrants to come to the U K using the dangerous small boat crossings.

Several presentations have been given at meetings of local organisations - PROBUS
Crowborough men's club and Hilden Ladies, PROBUS. Donations have been made to
ourfunds from these clubs.
TWR took part in various public events where we had stalls with activities for children,
we explained our role in caring forfamilies arriving in our area and raised public
awareness by handing out our newly redrafted information leaflets. These were..
l. Bishop Chavasse School Fair
2. Tonbridge Calling at which we had very popular pig racing and hoopla
activities which also raised funds
3. Dragon Boat Race. This was very successful and raised £2220 in sponsorship
and £532 on the dayforfunds aswell as seeing us crowned as the best
dressed crew, though not the best rower5. Again, the racing pigs proved very
popular as did the Treasure Island lovingly crafted over a month by the same
volunteer who designed the costumes.
4. The Maidstone Mela. Our Maidstone volunteers organised this with an
activity to raise awarene55 of the choices faced by refugees when deciding
what to carry with them when they are forced to flee. There were many
visitors to the stal I to whom we were a ble to give information a nd leaflets.
Management and dayto day running of the charity
The Trustees normally hold a monthly trustees, meeting and in this financial year these were
online. Several times a year, there is an Open Meeting for the charity's supporters. Reports of
the charity's activities were given and supporters i nvited to ask questions. In months where
there is an Open meeting, a tru5tees' meeting is not a Iways held. The AGM was held on 15,
December 2022.
At the AGM, it was reported that in future the AGM would be held shortly after the end of
the financial year, in the summer. The December meeting would, in f uture, be a social with
an update from the trustees.
There are no employees and all the support given to beneficiaries and the adrninistration of
the charity is carried out by volunteers. Volunteers ca n reclaim expenses and a mileage
allowance, but many volunteers simply carry those expenses themselves.
There were seven trustees at the 31" March 2023. In addition, there were approximately 75
volunteers including trustees and further supporters and donors of household items. Any
volunteer who has direct contact with refugee families through befriending, teaching or
giving l ifts follows a recruitment process I nvolving an application form, an interview with two
trustees and the taking up of two references. They must also have an enhanced DBS
certificate to cover both vulnerable adults and children a nd agree to the confidentiality, data
protection and safeguarding policies.
Family teams deal directly with the benef iciary families, but report regularly to the trustees
on what Is needed. The two teaching coordinators also report back to the trustees on a
regular basis. This is made easier because many of the trustees are themselves on family
teams or are teachers.

Financial Reviewforthe year ended 31 March 2022
The Accounts are attached and show income of £32,008. Of this, £27,891 was received in the
form of donations from individua15 and institution5. £4,068 was received in the forrn of a
single grant.
Total expenditure for the year was £35,396. The Cha rity's running costs amounted to £1,099.
Costs relating to insurance and safeguarding training accounted for almost half of these
Costs. A total of £22,419 was paid direct to, or for the benefit of, refugees as resettlement
costs. This figure Included £11,505 used to support refugees in f urther education from
donated f unds restricted for this purpose. Other resettlement expenditure incl uded
payments for IT equipment, driving lessons, assistance for paying household bills, clothes,
furniture, hardsh ip payments and travel costs for such things as Fam ily or Young Person
Railcards. £10,158 was paid for clubs and activities for school children and £1,720 for
educational resources, as part of the English teaching programme.
Payments made f rom the bank account a re usually input by the Treasurer, but can be input
by one of three other Trustees appointed to th is task. Once input, payments must then be
authorised by one of the appointed Trustees other than the inputter. Spending proposals
origi nating from volunteers or refugees below £50 must be pre-approved by at least one
Trustee. Such proposals above £50 must be approved by a second Trustee.
TWR does not have any outstanding guarantees to any other person or organisation. It does
not have any debts secured by a charge on property. None of the trustees or persons related
to them receive remuneration in any form and there are no transactions with any trustee or
related parties. The trustees aim to retain a reserve of six months, average expenditure in the
bank, and this was adhered to in the f inancial year 1st April 2022 to 31st March 2023.
Achievements and Performan
I. TWR was able quickly to respond to the needs of refugees arriving from Afghanistan
and Ukraine. The number of its beneficiaries rose f rom about 80 to 280 within a very
short period, but the charity expanded its English teaching rapidly, both for adults and
children, to address the need.
2. In response to the increase in numbers of adult students, the charity introduced a
new conversation buddy scheme for Ukrainians, but this is now being expanded to
ref ugees f rom other nationalities.
3. The charity developed a toolkit for hosts of Ukrainian families and supported refugee
families and hosts by assisting at Tonbridge School gatherings and a volunteer also
offered coffee evenings for Ukrainian ref ugees and their hosts separately to provide
social and emotion81 su pport
4. The charity managed to obtain grant funding for activity courses in the school
holidays. This enabled children to have fun and integrate with other children on the
courses.

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|SectionA|SectionA|and||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||Unrestricted<br>funds|Restricted<br>funds||Endowment<br>.funds|Total|funds|Lastyear|
||||to the ncarest|to|thenearestf|tothenearestt|totheneareat€tothenearestg|||
||||e|||||||
|A,||||||||||
|One offdonations(inc||fundraising)|21,126||2,049|||23,175|25,072|
|Requlargiving|||4,716|||||4,716|4,027|
|Sales|(qreetingcards)||||||||55|
|Grants|||||4,068|||4,068|2,000|
|lnterest|||4S|||||49||
||fotal(Grossincomefor<br>AR)||2s,891|&|6,1'17|tir*,!li||32,006|31,154|
|||rotatreceiptsl%r'l||l-T'fi]||l--1|||ez,ooal|f-'ilil]|
|||||||||{,099|,l,6{I|
||||||11,505<br>4,068|||22,419<br>10,158|6,028<br>40|
|||||||||1,720|385|
||||||15,573|||35,396|8,464|
|rotatpay mertr|...@<br>Netofreceipts/(payments)l-d6E4<br>fl"'g:[']]I]il,t1:]..,F#fl||||f.Ts,sft-l<br>f--ffiI<br> f-4||l-1<br>l-1<br> f-|f-3$'g6I<br>l-;l<br>Fr#||lrc]<br>l-d66E<br> ru|





|||Unrestricted|Unrestricted|Restricted|Endowment|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||funds|funds|funds|
|BlCashfunds|Cashat<br>Totalcashtunds||tonearestE|tonearest €<br>r-__;;l<br>r----l<br>------r-l<br>l-JI<br>r,rzoI|tonearest f,<br>r-_-l<br>F----r-l<br>H|
||(agree balances with receiptsardpayments|||||
||aclount(s))|||||
|||'|Unrestric{ed<br> <br>funds|Restricted<br>funds|Endowment<br>funds|
||Details||tonearestt|tonearestt|tonearest f,|
|82 Othermonetary assets||||||
||Details|||Cost (optional)||
|83 lnvestment assets||||||
||Details||Fund towhich|Cost (optional)|Gurrentvalue|
|84 Assetsretainedfor the||||||
|charity's ownuse||||||
||||Fundto which|Amountdue||
||Details|||||
|85Liabilities||||||
|Signed by one ortwo trustees on<br>behalf of all thetrustees|Signature||PrintName|||
||||Lee|Mead||
|||||le||