**Annual report** and **accounts** | 2022/23 **Dignity knows no borders**
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INTRODUCTIONS
## **Contents**
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INTRODUCTIONS 4-5
WHERE WE HAVE HELPED 6
1 Consolidated our foundational support in Cyprus 6
2 Set up a large and ongoing Centre in Moldova 7
3 Emergency response to the Türkiye earthquake 8
4 Successfully resettled a family in Birmingham 9
5 Handing over a fully operational Dignity Centre in Ioannina Greece 10
ADVOCACY AND CAMPAIGNS 11
Measuring our impact: When is a shop not a shop? 11
Volunteering as a selfishly altruistic act 12
Spreading the word through other channels 12
OUR TEAM 13
Big changes to the Board 13
Trustees Team 15
Our other Trustees 15
Rock for Ukraine 16
Coordinators and volunteers 16
Building the management team 17
Refugee Support Europe Team 18
ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 19
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Refugee Support Europe Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 Dignity and Solidarity
**3**
This year has been one of huge growth and change. Our emergency visit to Moldova became our largest ever operation, we responded immediately to the Türkiye earthquake and never served so many people in such a short space of time, and we maintained our critical service in Cyprus.
The war in Ukraine triggered an enormous outpouring of support which enabled us to
begin fulfilling our plan to help more people in more places. We took the decision to focus on emergency needs so were happy to find such a good partner in Greece who could take over our Dignity Centre Ioannina. And that gave us the flexibility to make a real difference in the chaotic aftermath of the disaster in Türkiye. This increase in operations needed more robust management systems, so we were delighted to welcome so many new trustees and expand our team of regular volunteers. As the year ends, it feels like we have all the pieces in place to create a world where refugees can lead a life with dignity. The challenge for the coming year is how—as their needs increase, Europe becomes increasingly hostile, and donors feel the cost-of-living squeeze—we can continue to fund it all.
## **Paul Hutchings** | **Chief Executive**
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4 Refugee Support Europe Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 Dignity and Solidarity
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This year showcased everything that Refugee Support represents and clearly delivered on our strategic goals. The doubling of our revenue highlights the fact that our community is committed, active and reacts positively when called upon. During this year, this community reaction was due to horrendous incidents including the war in Ukraine and the earthquake
in Türkiye. These incidents showed again that our dynamic approach to emergency relief is not only fast and efficient but also financially viable and built upon strong systems and processes. There is no doubt that we are operating in extremely tough times. However, we continue to operate effectively with admin costs accounting for a little over 10% of our revenue. This, combined with our nimble, dynamic approach to both fundraising & operations means we can look forward positively to 2024.
## **Chris Goodson** | **Chair of Trustees**
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5 Refugee Support Europe Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 Dignity and Solidarity
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## **WHERE WE HAVE HELPED**
## ~~**1**~~ **Consolidated our foundational support in Cyprus**
We began our fourth year operating in **Cyprus** firmly established as one of the core services offering support to new arrivals to the island. All asylum seekers have to register at the Pournara refugee camp before finding somewhere to live and getting a job. We helped between 100-200 new people every week to navigate this heavily bureaucratic process, with practical help and reassurance. We also ensured they
did not go hungry by providing four to five weeks’ worth of food support from our unique Dignity Market.
People are invited to register for the shop and issued with a shopping card, which has their Dignity Centre membership number and expiry date, for using the shop. Every item in the shop is priced in points
where €1 = 100 points. We give every adult 840 points to spend each week (and every child in the family is allocated 420 points).
It’s dignified, offers choice and allows for a little normality. The food is critical, but what we are really doing is feeding spirits. Fundamentally, people are given choices, and they have agency.
People are happier and chat more to volunteers. They’re not there just to pick up some supplies. They appreciate efforts to make the shop look the best it can. It’s
community. All items stocked in the shop are sourced from local businesses.
From April 2022 to March 2023, we served 16,098 adults and 1,793 children with a shopping basket of food and hygiene items chosen by them. They were from
**6** Refugee Support Europe Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 Dignity and Solidarity
44 different nationalities—primarily Nigeria, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Iraq and Somalia. We also completed 2,877 Labour Cards, 687 CVs and 602 haircuts to help people get a job.
## ~~**2**~~ **Set up a large and ongoing Centre in Moldova**
Less than one month after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we arrived in Moldova to help where the need was greatest. Once again, we went with the knowledge that we could help and the understanding that our offering would be shaped by the specific local needs and context. By connecting with other good people, listening carefully and thinking hard about how best to help and then acting quickly, it all came together.
In just two weeks, we **created a beautiful Dignity Market** , supporting 1,200 Ukrainian refugees—more than half of them children— every week, with essential food and hygiene items. We work in partnership with a local organisation, **Moldova for Peace** , which refers people to our centre.
Our community of donors funded our operations there until September 2022, and then we worked as a delivery partner of **Action Against Hunger** , which secured
funding from the Disasters Emergency Committee. Since we set up in March 2022, we have served over 50,000 Ukrainians at our Dignity Centre in Chisinau, Moldova.
Then, in March 2023, we also started serving vulnerable Moldovan households identified by the Chisinau Social Services Department. Even before the war, Moldova was struggling economically—that’s one of the reasons we went to help there. Since the war the country has faced increased **security threats** ; the
arrival of almost **800,000 refugees, of whom 100,000 have remained** ; trade disruptions; an inflation rate of over 30% in 2022; and a severe energy crisis. The cost of all this has fallen most heavily on poor Moldovan households.
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## ~~**3**~~ **Emergency response to the Türkiye earthquake**
The earthquake on 6th February in Southern Türkiye was truly devastating. More than 50,000 died and two million people were forced to move into temporary shelters. It was an area where many displaced people were already living—in Gaziantep and Hatay, about 20% of the population were refugees from the war in Syria, and many Afghan refugees also lived in the area.
When we arrived, we saw endless rows of collapsed and crumbling buildings, emergency services and people on the move. And everywhere there were tents. Nowhere was it worse than in Hatay province: the whole city of Antakya was laid to waste, entire blocks exposed or destroyed. Amid mountains of rubble were field kitchens, security forces, heavy machinery and a huge number of Turkish workers and volunteers.
After an initial exploration and rapid needs assessment, we set to work.
One of the most pressing problems was the lack of available toilets and showers. Poor sanitation was causing serious infectious diseases to spread, putting vulnerable people at even greater risk.
Within two weeks of arriving, we partnered with local organisations and started **delivering essential hygiene items to those in greatest need** . We relied heavily on our
local coordinators, Ibrahim, Hatim, Lina and Rami, who worked tirelessly in the most difficult circumstances.
What we achieved in **Türkiye** surpassed all our expectations. We served over 10,000 people in just four weeks, distributing a more than 38,000 much-needed food and hygiene items to some of the worst affected communities in both urban and remote areas. At the same time, our new local partners became lifelong friends.
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## ~~**4**~~ **Successfully resettled a family in Birmingham**
In June 2021, under the **Community Sponsorship Scheme** , we welcomed a family a family of six, originally from South Sudan, to the UK, direct from a refugee camp in Jordan. This is one of the ‘safe and legal routes’ the government talks about. It is a great scheme, but in six years it has only managed to settle 169 families – a pitifully low number.
It took a lot of preparation and, thanks to a team of volunteers led by our cofounder John Sloan, they moved into a comfortable house in Birmingham with three good sized bedrooms at an affordable rent. Then the hard work started of getting the three oldest children into school, both parents into college to start learning English, opening a bank account, applying for Universal Credit, registering with GPs, getting Covid vaccinations, and all the small but significant parts of rebuilding a life.
The difficulties did not end there. The family faced the same challenges as so many others in the UK: the impact of Covid on everyone’s mental health, the limited options for getting work, the increase in the cost of living, dealing with an unsympathetic Universal Credit system, and a private landlord who would not invest to resolve a severe black mould problem.
One year later, **our responsibility** for supporting the family has ended as they move into the
next stage: an independent life with links forged in their local community. While it has been rewarding to witness the family settling into a new life in the UK, away from the dead end of a refugee camp, we are also acutely aware of how difficult it has been for them, and will continue to be.
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## **[Handing over a fully operational Dignity Centre ]** ~~**5**~~ **in Ioannina Greece**
When we returned to **Ioannina** in October 2021, it was clear that life was tough for a large number of refugees in the area. So, when we located a former Community Centre, we thought it was too good an opportunity to miss. It was empty and
run-down, but had huge potential as a hub in the city centre. We spent 2 months renovating it, and Refugee Support’s Dignity Centre Ioannina was born.
Since then, we had **1800 visits to our Dignity Market and served a total of 5,000 people with an essential basket of items that they chose for themselves** . They also had a place where they would be welcome and the opportunity to access other
services like sports activities and language learning. Half were from Afghanistan, a third from the Middle East and the rest from 15 other nations.
In June 2022, we transferred management of the Dignity Centre and all the services it offers to another organisation, **Be Aware and Share (BAAS)** .
Our strengths as an organisation are in building new projects and providing short-term, emergency support. We invested a huge amount of time and energy in converting that run-down shell of a building into a vibrant and welcoming community place for the refugee community in the city once again. We were happy to hand it over.
Our plan was to run a Dignity Market offering food and hygiene at its heart and to have other services delivered by other organisations. That was beginning to work out but, since March 2022, a lot of our key resources were being taken up responding to the emergency in **Ukraine** . The needs of the local refugee population in Ioannina were also changing, increasingly focused on services to help them integrate or move on.
In humanitarian work, you need to stay flexible and take advantage of great opportunities when they come along. We were so impressed with BAAS’s professionalism, communications and dedication to helping refugees. As expected, the Dignity Centre has been in good hands with them.
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## **ADVOCACY AND CAMPAIGNS**
## **Measuring our impact: When is a shop not a shop?**
We collect a large amount of data on what we give and how we serve, and this year, with the help of anthropologist Jonathan Newman, we sought to understand more about our impact on the ground.
Jonathan concluded that we help refugees foster resilience in their daily lives. His finding is backed by **abundant research** which demonstrates that people who become refugees are better able to adjust to their new environment and develop resilience when given opportunities to practice familiar daily routines among community, where they can be proactive players in their transformed lives, making choices that fit their own needs and meeting people with similar and relatable life experiences.
Building resilience has different pillars, including economic and social support, which helps people maintain a **sense of identity and belonging** . Addressing the loss of resources and control, which define much of a refugee’s experience, is a
key intervention to support **resilience** and **adaptation** . A **2020 study** defined resilience as the, “…aesthetics of life-making in the everyday, requiring the employment of those micro-strategies which help one to live with the present despite an uncertain future.”
**The Dignity Centre offers a safe place for people to help support each other not just with material things like food, but also with warmth, compassion, respect and a sense of solidarity.**
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## **Volunteering as a selfishly altruistic act**
We advocate for the benefits of volunteering and are always careful to give people the opportunity to show solidarity without undermining refugees’ independence.
Volunteering is a deeply fulfilling experience, and to optimize its impact for all involved, we have clear codes of conduct. We carry out training and education to change the perspectives
of those who might see themselves as ‘saviours’ or in a position to impose what they think is best.
We spread that message through our podcast series, **The Selfsh Altruist** , which features insightful reflections from volunteers about their experiences. We published nine episodes, which are available through all the main channels.
## **Spreading the word through other channels**
**Hannah Kleine** volunteered in Cyprus last year and then gave Chief Executive, Paul Hutchings, the opportunity to talk about our work on the **European Student Think Tank** podcast. We were also
really happy to show journalists
**Giacomo Sini** and **Dario Antonelli** what
we do at Nicosia’s Dignity Centre—they came to Cyprus in October to report on the situation and published an article in Swiss publication, Echo Magazine.
Tastes and Tales: From a Distant Homeland is our unique cookbook created by two amazing volunteers
who worked with us in Katsikas camp in northern Greece. This year we gave out or sold over 200 copies. It’s a wonderful collection of authentic recipes, inspiring thoughts and heartfelt stories from refugees from the Middle East and Africa, featuring the dishes that they miss from home.
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## **OUR TEAM**
## **Big changes to the Board**
This year saw big changes to the board of trustees. We said goodbye to three trustees:
**Alan Strang** , our Chair for two and a half years, together with his wife Katherine, helped steer Refugee Support Europe through some of its most challenging times with Covid-19, promoting and then sunsetting our sewing cooperative Refumade, and supporting asylum seekers stuck in substandard accommodation in **Birmingham** . We are still selling their fantastic recipe book **Tastes & Tales from a Distant Homeland** .
**Bethan Edwards** helped take our **volunteer operation** to a new level. With her hard work and sound guidance, we created an improved feedback programme, aftercare support and our team of **Ambassadors** . She could also always be counted on to ask probing questions about our accountability and be a friendly, helpful support to our Chief Executive.
**Amanda Solomon** was a trustee for Refugee Support Europe for two years, helping us to build a strong and united volunteer community. She put together a fantastic **Volunteer Handbook** for volunteers and supports, which detailed the need for our projects, and how people can get involved and build a strong movement.
_And in order to drive our development, we substantially increased the strength of our trustee team with these six new trustees:_
**Chris Goodson** has been part of the Refugee Support family since 2016, volunteering and coordinating across various camps on five occasions. He was part of the small team who set up The Dignity Centre in Moldova, aiding Ukrainian refugees—we talk about that difficult and rewarding experience here. Every time he’s volunteered,
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he has completely immersed himself into the role, raised large sums of money and helped us strive for improvement. As our new Chair of Trustees, Chris brings brilliant leadership skills and critical experience as founder and MD of a **successful recruitment business** with offices across the UK.
**Mohammed Nour** , a former member of the **White Helmets** , first became a member of the Refugee Support community when we met him in a camp in Greece in 2016, where he was living with his family after fleeing Aleppo in Syria. We saw almost immediately that Mohammed was a compassionate leader, always eager to get involved and help where he could. Mohammed and his family now live in Switzerland and their story is one of resilience, determination and compassion.
**Serra Cinar** , originally from **Türkiye** , has a breadth of knowledge and experience with all things Finance, having worked for 15 years in various roles with large multinational corporations. This year saw a substantial increase in our revenue and spending, so Serra introduced more rigorous processes to improve our accountability, transparency and financial control. With her contacts in Türkiye, she was instrumental in guiding us to our support there in February.
**Dina Nayeri** is a multi-award-winning author, who regularly writes about refugee experiences and actively works to build a better understanding of migration in public discourse through her writing, sharing her story at events and speaking in schools. She was born during the Iranian revolution and lived as a refugee or two years before being granted asylum in the United States. Dina has been a part of our movement since she travelled to Greece with Refugee Support in 2017 and 2018, her first visit to a refugee camp since living in one as a child. The experience was transformative and inspiring. She wrote about it in **The Ungrateful Refugee** and has been writing and speaking about Refugee Support since then.
**Michael Thompson** was born in Malawi and has worked in and visited over 70 countries. He is a biochemist with an MBA and a day job as Managing Director of **Enchange** , an international supply chain and route to market consultancy firm. He’s worked with well over 100 organisations and led several 100’s of projects, many of which have been transformational.
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**Alison Behrens** has a strong business and marketing background. From our very first days she has been central to our growth and development. A key advisor to the team, Alison gathered feedback from returning volunteers and was part of our volunteer interviewing team. She has also walked many, many miles to raise funds!
## **Our other Trustees**
**Gulwali Passarlay** is author of **The Lightless Sky** and a tireless campaigner for refugee rights. This year he visited our Dignity Centre in Chisinau. He said: “It was lovely visiting [our centre] and spending time with the volunteers. I saw dignity in action with the way people receiving help were treated with kindness and respect. This was a humanising experience for me to see refugees provided with agency and choice of what they need and want without being judged. I enjoyed my visit and time here in Moldova”.
**Eve Linieres** organises our flagship fundraising event, **Dignify** , and for the third year running we had 300 people fill **The Bedford** . This year we raised an incredible £58,800! Eve’s organising committee of Philippa Brown, Nick Kidney and Tony Moore secured generous sponsors such as **Talon Outdoor** , and three brilliant floor-filling acts who gave their time for free to raise money for the cause: **My Fine Companions** , **Yardlander** and **Police Dog Hogan** . For something a little different, they were joined by incomparable and outrageous drag act Boss and Tamara, and the night was rounded off in style with Glastonbury veteran DJ **Rob Mello** .
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## **Rock for Ukraine**
The financial planning community also organised an event to support our work and raised over £45,000. Following on from the **PFS** and the **Lang Cat** conferences which each raised over £4,000, the organisers once again rallied
the community to mark the **one year anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine** with a brilliant night of song, dance and auctioneering. The band Consumer Duty played two sets of floor fillers. With any event of this scale, there are a huge number of people involved in helping: Phil Billingham, David Crozier and Mark Polson were instrumental in organising it, Ruth Sturkey was our MC, Kate Shaw collected
pledges on the night, Mark Locke ran around raising sponsorship, Tom Baigrie facilitated the fantastic auction, and Carmen Reichman was photographer.
The people who came along dug into their pockets on the night and we had solid sponsorship support from Nucleus, Novia, Morningstar, M&G Wealth, Quilter, Transact, the Lang Cat, Threesixty, Abrdn, The Yardstick Agency, and Lifesearch.
## **Our major supporters**
And special thanks to these particularly generous individuals and organisations who were instrumental in helping during the year:
Individuals Giles Palmer, Peter Nagle, Eugene Tsyrklevich
- Fundraisers Gerry Clancy, Cathie Amin, Barry Kenny, Jen and Mohan Dsouza, Scott Nadler, Gerard Garnica, Anne Baker, Jodie Brookes, Andrew Smith, Ashley Stockwell, Chris Goodson, Clemmie Linieres, Stephen Summers, Josie Mossman, Peter Greenburg, Tony Conn, Kay Haytch and many more
The Lyceum School
- Trusts and foundations JP McManus, LDS Charities, Aid for People Affected by War, Souter Charitable Trust, Humanity Now, Carry the Future, CAMCrag, Share and Herts for Refugees
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## **Coordinators and volunteers**
Critical to our operations are the talented Coordinators, who support our members, manage volunteers and ensure the Centres run efficiently. This year, **Paula Tamarit** , who has played a critical role in our success and development,
completed three years at the heart of RSE. She’s a true gem who always goes the extra mile and prioritises the needs, thoughts and feelings of refugees above all else, while remaining fair and compassionate to volunteers and considerate of all our stakeholders.
We’re tremendously lucky at RSE that we’ve had so many superstar coordinators over the years. This year the team included Summer Koplin, Maggie Duff, Abi Izzard, Maria Marga and Anna Lyttle.
They have been supported by 201 volunteers from 23 countries who freely gave a total of 3,790 days. They even paid for their own travel, accommodation and food, and raised money to help fund our activities.
## **Building the management team**
In May, we welcomed Hannah Phillips to run head office and improve our
admin systems. Then, in January, we welcomed friend of Refugee Support, **Natalie Holmes** , as our Fundraising and Communications Manager to help fund all our important work.
The organisation relies on a huge
team of 50 people who perform the critical job of keeping everything running smoothly. Here they all are (as of the end of the year):
**17** Refugee Support Europe Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 Dignity and Solidarity
## **Refugee Support Europe**
## THE TEAM **[04/23]** |
TRUSTEES Oversight and Governance Chris Goodson Chair Dina Nayeri Advocacy Michael Thompson Development Eve Linieres Events Gulwali Passarlay Advocacy Alison Behrens Volunteers Mohammed Nour Advocacy
PATRON Glamour Ian Shaw Musician Vacancies!
AMBASSADORS Support and Promotion Alison Behrens Bob Maddams Cathie Amin Gerry Clancy Natalie Holmes Desiree Birinci Dan Ransom Maddie Holder Leslie Lunga Bea Shrewsbury Maggie Duff Frederica Cerqueira Andrew Robillard Ian McAuslane Tony Conn Mel Hughes Bella Aquilina PAID EMPLOYEES Office Paul Hutchings Rachel Ellis Natalie Holmes Chief Exec Office Manager Fundraiser OPERATIONS IN MOLDOVA, CYPRUS AND TURKIYE Operations Coordinators Paula Tamarit Operations Director Summer Koplin Senior Coordinator Anna Lyttle Centre Coordinator Abi Izzard Centre Coordinator Maria Marga Centre Coordinator UNPAID VOLUNTEERS
3-5 people for 2-4 weeks in each location
|INTERVIEWING TEAM Volunteer recruitment|INTERVIEWING TEAM Volunteer recruitment||
|---|---|---|
|Ian McAuslane|Ellie Kostick|Leslie Lunga|
|Cressida Stanley Williams|Alison Behrens|Elisabeth Mailhac|
|Frederica Cerqueira|Cathie Amin|Marina Malthouse|
|Qusay Salama|Bea Shrewsbury||
||||
|DIGNIFY Annual music festival fundraiser|||
|Eve LinieresOrganiser|Nick KidneyMusic|Jen StobartVolunteers|
|Philippa BrownOrganiser|Tony MooreMusic and venue||
||||
|COMMUNICATIONS Getting the message out|||
|Maria NuñezInstagram & Podcast|Andy MattockDesign|Natalie HolmesBook store|
|Rachel EllisTwitter|Emily WetherbyContent|Louise SharaFundraising|
|Benny BruceSocial Media|Bob MaddamsFilm and stories||
|Tim LaySocial Media|Tony ConnFilm||
||||
|ORGANISATION DEVELOPMENT Growth and efciency|||
|Alison BehrensResearch|Jef RodriguesStrategy|Shane KayeAuditor|
|Jonathan NewmanResearch|Tom BamfordIT Support|Lisa BarnardCounsellor|
## **ANNUAL ACCOUNTS**
## **Financial note**
The Financial year ending 31st March 2023 saw a doubling of our income over the previous year to just over £700,000. The most noteworthy increases came from a 13x increase in grant income, a near 4x increase in fundraising event income and a 64% increase in individual donations reflecting the amazing generosity of all involved.
The increase in income meant that we were able to help more people by supporting more wonderful projects. 89p in every £1 raised was spent directly on projects that directly helped refugees in a dignified manner, as described in the rest of the report.
As we were unable to help directly with the aftermath of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan we donated nearly £50,000 to a charity that could via direct donations for that cause.
We completed the year with a healthy reserve of over £200,000.
## **Brenda Shrewsbury** | **Trustee for Finance**
Refugee Support Europe Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 Dignity and Solidarity
**19**
## **Profit and Loss**
## **Refugee Support Europe CIO For the year ended 31 March 2023**
|**Profit and Loss**
**Refugee Support Europe CIO**
**For the year ended 31 March 2023**|||
|---|---|---|
||**2023**|**2022**|
|**Income**|||
|Company Donations|28,926|123,332|
|Grant Income|206,358|15,457|
|Gift Aid from HMRC|25,647|7,750|
|Volunteer and Individual donations (after cost)|353,019|215,344|
|Non-Financial Donations|1,014|-|
|Fundraising Profit (loss)|88,361|23,569|
|on-line sales Profit (loss)|469|(3,190)|
|Interest Income|413|8|
|**Total Income**|**704,207**|**382,271**|
|**Cost of Refugee Projects**|||
|Cost of Country Specific Personel|63,149|37,926|
|Cost of Dignity Centres and Warehousing|68,247|58,015|
|Childrens activities Materials|18|273|
|Cost of Clothing for Refugees|-|122|
|Cost of Food Purchased|369,934|83,786|
|Cost of Misc. Activities for Refugees|14,592|12,467|
|Cost of Misc. Items for for Refugees|57,354|8,985|
|Sewing Room Materials - not for items to be sold|-|18|
|Donation to another Charity|48,481|-|
|Project Office Printing & Stationery (not HO)|1,398|-|
|Project Phone, mobile and internet (not HQ)|971|-|
|**Total Cost of Refugee Projects**|**624,146**|**201,590**|
|**Surplus (Deficit) after Direct Costs**|**80,061**|**180,680**|
|**Less Operating Expenses**|||
|Salaried Staff|77,919|31,395|
|Insurance|503|96|
|Legal expenses|329|23|
|General Head Office Costs|9,858|9,569|
|Depreciation|965|18|
|Banking Costs|1,902|1,937|
|**Total Less Operating Expenses**|**91,477**|**43,039**|
|**Surplus after all Costs**|**(11,416)**|**137,642**|
|**Surplus (Deficit) Carried Forward**|**(11,416)**|**137,642**|
Published Profit and Loss for RSE (YE 2023)
Refugee Support Europe CIO
## **Balance Sheet**
## **Refugee Support Europe CIO As at 31 March 2023**
|**Balance Sheet**
**Refugee Support Europe CIO**
**As at 31 March 2023**|||
|---|---|---|
||**31 MAR 2023**|**31 MAR 2022**|
|**Fixed Assets**|||
|Tangible Assets|1,707|1,780|
|**Total Fixed Assets**|**1,707**|**1,780**|
|**Current Assets**|||
|Cash at bank and in hand|190,662|204,591|
|Prepayments and accrued income|681|681|
|Accounts Receivable|34,100|21,243|
|Employee Loan (Cycle to work)|980|1,491|
|Stock to resell|2,000|2,000|
|**Total Current Assets**|**228,423**|**230,006**|
|**Creditors: amounts falling due withinone year**|||
|Creditors including credit card and cash accounts|13,887|8,137|
|Salaries and HMRC Payable|9,238|5,227|
|**Total Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**|**23,124**|**13,364**|
|**Net Current Assets (Liabilities)**|**205,299**|**216,642**|
|**Total Assets less Current Liabilities**|**207,006**|**218,422**|
|**Net Assets**|**207,006**|**218,422**|
|**Capital and Reserves**|||
|Retained Income account|218,422|80,780|
|Current Year Earnings|(11,416)|137,642|
|**Total Capital and Reserves**|**207,006**|**218,422**|
Refugee Support Europe CIO
Published Balance Sheet 2023
## **Refugee Support Europe**
14 Hollingbury Park Avenue, Brighton, BN1 7JF
Registered with the Charity Commission of England & Wales No 1174070
report design: **bn3design.co.uk**
**Annual report** and **accounts** | 2022/23 **Dignity knows no borders**
I¥¥T•I
INTRODUCTIONS
## **Contents**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
INTRODUCTIONS 4-5
WHERE WE HAVE HELPED 6
1 Consolidated our foundational support in Cyprus 6
2 Set up a large and ongoing Centre in Moldova 7
3 Emergency response to the Türkiye earthquake 8
4 Successfully resettled a family in Birmingham 9
5 Handing over a fully operational Dignity Centre in Ioannina Greece 10
ADVOCACY AND CAMPAIGNS 11
Measuring our impact: When is a shop not a shop? 11
Volunteering as a selfishly altruistic act 12
Spreading the word through other channels 12
OUR TEAM 13
Big changes to the Board 13
Trustees Team 15
Our other Trustees 15
Rock for Ukraine 16
Coordinators and volunteers 16
Building the management team 17
Refugee Support Europe Team 18
ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 19
**----- End of picture text -----**
Refugee Support Europe Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 Dignity and Solidarity
**3**
This year has been one of huge growth and change. Our emergency visit to Moldova became our largest ever operation, we responded immediately to the Türkiye earthquake and never served so many people in such a short space of time, and we maintained our critical service in Cyprus.
The war in Ukraine triggered an enormous outpouring of support which enabled us to
begin fulfilling our plan to help more people in more places. We took the decision to focus on emergency needs so were happy to find such a good partner in Greece who could take over our Dignity Centre Ioannina. And that gave us the flexibility to make a real difference in the chaotic aftermath of the disaster in Türkiye. This increase in operations needed more robust management systems, so we were delighted to welcome so many new trustees and expand our team of regular volunteers. As the year ends, it feels like we have all the pieces in place to create a world where refugees can lead a life with dignity. The challenge for the coming year is how—as their needs increase, Europe becomes increasingly hostile, and donors feel the cost-of-living squeeze—we can continue to fund it all.
## **Paul Hutchings** | **Chief Executive**
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4 Refugee Support Europe Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 Dignity and Solidarity
**----- End of picture text -----**
This year showcased everything that Refugee Support represents and clearly delivered on our strategic goals. The doubling of our revenue highlights the fact that our community is committed, active and reacts positively when called upon. During this year, this community reaction was due to horrendous incidents including the war in Ukraine and the earthquake
in Türkiye. These incidents showed again that our dynamic approach to emergency relief is not only fast and efficient but also financially viable and built upon strong systems and processes. There is no doubt that we are operating in extremely tough times. However, we continue to operate effectively with admin costs accounting for a little over 10% of our revenue. This, combined with our nimble, dynamic approach to both fundraising & operations means we can look forward positively to 2024.
## **Chris Goodson** | **Chair of Trustees**
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5 Refugee Support Europe Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 Dignity and Solidarity
**----- End of picture text -----**
## **WHERE WE HAVE HELPED**
## ~~**1**~~ **Consolidated our foundational support in Cyprus**
We began our fourth year operating in **Cyprus** firmly established as one of the core services offering support to new arrivals to the island. All asylum seekers have to register at the Pournara refugee camp before finding somewhere to live and getting a job. We helped between 100-200 new people every week to navigate this heavily bureaucratic process, with practical help and reassurance. We also ensured they
did not go hungry by providing four to five weeks’ worth of food support from our unique Dignity Market.
People are invited to register for the shop and issued with a shopping card, which has their Dignity Centre membership number and expiry date, for using the shop. Every item in the shop is priced in points
where €1 = 100 points. We give every adult 840 points to spend each week (and every child in the family is allocated 420 points).
It’s dignified, offers choice and allows for a little normality. The food is critical, but what we are really doing is feeding spirits. Fundamentally, people are given choices, and they have agency.
People are happier and chat more to volunteers. They’re not there just to pick up some supplies. They appreciate efforts to make the shop look the best it can. It’s
community. All items stocked in the shop are sourced from local businesses.
From April 2022 to March 2023, we served 16,098 adults and 1,793 children with a shopping basket of food and hygiene items chosen by them. They were from
**6** Refugee Support Europe Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 Dignity and Solidarity
44 different nationalities—primarily Nigeria, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Iraq and Somalia. We also completed 2,877 Labour Cards, 687 CVs and 602 haircuts to help people get a job.
## ~~**2**~~ **Set up a large and ongoing Centre in Moldova**
Less than one month after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we arrived in Moldova to help where the need was greatest. Once again, we went with the knowledge that we could help and the understanding that our offering would be shaped by the specific local needs and context. By connecting with other good people, listening carefully and thinking hard about how best to help and then acting quickly, it all came together.
In just two weeks, we **created a beautiful Dignity Market** , supporting 1,200 Ukrainian refugees—more than half of them children— every week, with essential food and hygiene items. We work in partnership with a local organisation, **Moldova for Peace** , which refers people to our centre.
Our community of donors funded our operations there until September 2022, and then we worked as a delivery partner of **Action Against Hunger** , which secured
funding from the Disasters Emergency Committee. Since we set up in March 2022, we have served over 50,000 Ukrainians at our Dignity Centre in Chisinau, Moldova.
Then, in March 2023, we also started serving vulnerable Moldovan households identified by the Chisinau Social Services Department. Even before the war, Moldova was struggling economically—that’s one of the reasons we went to help there. Since the war the country has faced increased **security threats** ; the
arrival of almost **800,000 refugees, of whom 100,000 have remained** ; trade disruptions; an inflation rate of over 30% in 2022; and a severe energy crisis. The cost of all this has fallen most heavily on poor Moldovan households.
**7** Refugee Support Europe Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 Dignity and Solidarity
## ~~**3**~~ **Emergency response to the Türkiye earthquake**
The earthquake on 6th February in Southern Türkiye was truly devastating. More than 50,000 died and two million people were forced to move into temporary shelters. It was an area where many displaced people were already living—in Gaziantep and Hatay, about 20% of the population were refugees from the war in Syria, and many Afghan refugees also lived in the area.
When we arrived, we saw endless rows of collapsed and crumbling buildings, emergency services and people on the move. And everywhere there were tents. Nowhere was it worse than in Hatay province: the whole city of Antakya was laid to waste, entire blocks exposed or destroyed. Amid mountains of rubble were field kitchens, security forces, heavy machinery and a huge number of Turkish workers and volunteers.
After an initial exploration and rapid needs assessment, we set to work.
One of the most pressing problems was the lack of available toilets and showers. Poor sanitation was causing serious infectious diseases to spread, putting vulnerable people at even greater risk.
Within two weeks of arriving, we partnered with local organisations and started **delivering essential hygiene items to those in greatest need** . We relied heavily on our
local coordinators, Ibrahim, Hatim, Lina and Rami, who worked tirelessly in the most difficult circumstances.
What we achieved in **Türkiye** surpassed all our expectations. We served over 10,000 people in just four weeks, distributing a more than 38,000 much-needed food and hygiene items to some of the worst affected communities in both urban and remote areas. At the same time, our new local partners became lifelong friends.
**8** Refugee Support Europe Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 Dignity and Solidarity
## ~~**4**~~ **Successfully resettled a family in Birmingham**
In June 2021, under the **Community Sponsorship Scheme** , we welcomed a family a family of six, originally from South Sudan, to the UK, direct from a refugee camp in Jordan. This is one of the ‘safe and legal routes’ the government talks about. It is a great scheme, but in six years it has only managed to settle 169 families – a pitifully low number.
It took a lot of preparation and, thanks to a team of volunteers led by our cofounder John Sloan, they moved into a comfortable house in Birmingham with three good sized bedrooms at an affordable rent. Then the hard work started of getting the three oldest children into school, both parents into college to start learning English, opening a bank account, applying for Universal Credit, registering with GPs, getting Covid vaccinations, and all the small but significant parts of rebuilding a life.
The difficulties did not end there. The family faced the same challenges as so many others in the UK: the impact of Covid on everyone’s mental health, the limited options for getting work, the increase in the cost of living, dealing with an unsympathetic Universal Credit system, and a private landlord who would not invest to resolve a severe black mould problem.
One year later, **our responsibility** for supporting the family has ended as they move into the
next stage: an independent life with links forged in their local community. While it has been rewarding to witness the family settling into a new life in the UK, away from the dead end of a refugee camp, we are also acutely aware of how difficult it has been for them, and will continue to be.
**9** Refugee Support Europe Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 Dignity and Solidarity
## **[Handing over a fully operational Dignity Centre ]** ~~**5**~~ **in Ioannina Greece**
When we returned to **Ioannina** in October 2021, it was clear that life was tough for a large number of refugees in the area. So, when we located a former Community Centre, we thought it was too good an opportunity to miss. It was empty and
run-down, but had huge potential as a hub in the city centre. We spent 2 months renovating it, and Refugee Support’s Dignity Centre Ioannina was born.
Since then, we had **1800 visits to our Dignity Market and served a total of 5,000 people with an essential basket of items that they chose for themselves** . They also had a place where they would be welcome and the opportunity to access other
services like sports activities and language learning. Half were from Afghanistan, a third from the Middle East and the rest from 15 other nations.
In June 2022, we transferred management of the Dignity Centre and all the services it offers to another organisation, **Be Aware and Share (BAAS)** .
Our strengths as an organisation are in building new projects and providing short-term, emergency support. We invested a huge amount of time and energy in converting that run-down shell of a building into a vibrant and welcoming community place for the refugee community in the city once again. We were happy to hand it over.
Our plan was to run a Dignity Market offering food and hygiene at its heart and to have other services delivered by other organisations. That was beginning to work out but, since March 2022, a lot of our key resources were being taken up responding to the emergency in **Ukraine** . The needs of the local refugee population in Ioannina were also changing, increasingly focused on services to help them integrate or move on.
In humanitarian work, you need to stay flexible and take advantage of great opportunities when they come along. We were so impressed with BAAS’s professionalism, communications and dedication to helping refugees. As expected, the Dignity Centre has been in good hands with them.
**10** Refugee Support Europe Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 Dignity and Solidarity
## **ADVOCACY AND CAMPAIGNS**
## **Measuring our impact: When is a shop not a shop?**
We collect a large amount of data on what we give and how we serve, and this year, with the help of anthropologist Jonathan Newman, we sought to understand more about our impact on the ground.
Jonathan concluded that we help refugees foster resilience in their daily lives. His finding is backed by **abundant research** which demonstrates that people who become refugees are better able to adjust to their new environment and develop resilience when given opportunities to practice familiar daily routines among community, where they can be proactive players in their transformed lives, making choices that fit their own needs and meeting people with similar and relatable life experiences.
Building resilience has different pillars, including economic and social support, which helps people maintain a **sense of identity and belonging** . Addressing the loss of resources and control, which define much of a refugee’s experience, is a
key intervention to support **resilience** and **adaptation** . A **2020 study** defined resilience as the, “…aesthetics of life-making in the everyday, requiring the employment of those micro-strategies which help one to live with the present despite an uncertain future.”
**The Dignity Centre offers a safe place for people to help support each other not just with material things like food, but also with warmth, compassion, respect and a sense of solidarity.**
**11** Refugee Support Europe Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 Dignity and Solidarity
## **Volunteering as a selfishly altruistic act**
We advocate for the benefits of volunteering and are always careful to give people the opportunity to show solidarity without undermining refugees’ independence.
Volunteering is a deeply fulfilling experience, and to optimize its impact for all involved, we have clear codes of conduct. We carry out training and education to change the perspectives
of those who might see themselves as ‘saviours’ or in a position to impose what they think is best.
We spread that message through our podcast series, **The Selfsh Altruist** , which features insightful reflections from volunteers about their experiences. We published nine episodes, which are available through all the main channels.
## **Spreading the word through other channels**
**Hannah Kleine** volunteered in Cyprus last year and then gave Chief Executive, Paul Hutchings, the opportunity to talk about our work on the **European Student Think Tank** podcast. We were also
really happy to show journalists
**Giacomo Sini** and **Dario Antonelli** what
we do at Nicosia’s Dignity Centre—they came to Cyprus in October to report on the situation and published an article in Swiss publication, Echo Magazine.
Tastes and Tales: From a Distant Homeland is our unique cookbook created by two amazing volunteers
who worked with us in Katsikas camp in northern Greece. This year we gave out or sold over 200 copies. It’s a wonderful collection of authentic recipes, inspiring thoughts and heartfelt stories from refugees from the Middle East and Africa, featuring the dishes that they miss from home.
**12** Refugee Support Europe Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 Dignity and Solidarity
## **OUR TEAM**
## **Big changes to the Board**
This year saw big changes to the board of trustees. We said goodbye to three trustees:
**Alan Strang** , our Chair for two and a half years, together with his wife Katherine, helped steer Refugee Support Europe through some of its most challenging times with Covid-19, promoting and then sunsetting our sewing cooperative Refumade, and supporting asylum seekers stuck in substandard accommodation in **Birmingham** . We are still selling their fantastic recipe book **Tastes & Tales from a Distant Homeland** .
**Bethan Edwards** helped take our **volunteer operation** to a new level. With her hard work and sound guidance, we created an improved feedback programme, aftercare support and our team of **Ambassadors** . She could also always be counted on to ask probing questions about our accountability and be a friendly, helpful support to our Chief Executive.
**Amanda Solomon** was a trustee for Refugee Support Europe for two years, helping us to build a strong and united volunteer community. She put together a fantastic **Volunteer Handbook** for volunteers and supports, which detailed the need for our projects, and how people can get involved and build a strong movement.
_And in order to drive our development, we substantially increased the strength of our trustee team with these six new trustees:_
**Chris Goodson** has been part of the Refugee Support family since 2016, volunteering and coordinating across various camps on five occasions. He was part of the small team who set up The Dignity Centre in Moldova, aiding Ukrainian refugees—we talk about that difficult and rewarding experience here. Every time he’s volunteered,
**13** Refugee Support Europe Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 Dignity and Solidarity
he has completely immersed himself into the role, raised large sums of money and helped us strive for improvement. As our new Chair of Trustees, Chris brings brilliant leadership skills and critical experience as founder and MD of a **successful recruitment business** with offices across the UK.
**Mohammed Nour** , a former member of the **White Helmets** , first became a member of the Refugee Support community when we met him in a camp in Greece in 2016, where he was living with his family after fleeing Aleppo in Syria. We saw almost immediately that Mohammed was a compassionate leader, always eager to get involved and help where he could. Mohammed and his family now live in Switzerland and their story is one of resilience, determination and compassion.
**Serra Cinar** , originally from **Türkiye** , has a breadth of knowledge and experience with all things Finance, having worked for 15 years in various roles with large multinational corporations. This year saw a substantial increase in our revenue and spending, so Serra introduced more rigorous processes to improve our accountability, transparency and financial control. With her contacts in Türkiye, she was instrumental in guiding us to our support there in February.
**Dina Nayeri** is a multi-award-winning author, who regularly writes about refugee experiences and actively works to build a better understanding of migration in public discourse through her writing, sharing her story at events and speaking in schools. She was born during the Iranian revolution and lived as a refugee or two years before being granted asylum in the United States. Dina has been a part of our movement since she travelled to Greece with Refugee Support in 2017 and 2018, her first visit to a refugee camp since living in one as a child. The experience was transformative and inspiring. She wrote about it in **The Ungrateful Refugee** and has been writing and speaking about Refugee Support since then.
**Michael Thompson** was born in Malawi and has worked in and visited over 70 countries. He is a biochemist with an MBA and a day job as Managing Director of **Enchange** , an international supply chain and route to market consultancy firm. He’s worked with well over 100 organisations and led several 100’s of projects, many of which have been transformational.
**14** Refugee Support Europe Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 Dignity and Solidarity
**Alison Behrens** has a strong business and marketing background. From our very first days she has been central to our growth and development. A key advisor to the team, Alison gathered feedback from returning volunteers and was part of our volunteer interviewing team. She has also walked many, many miles to raise funds!
## **Our other Trustees**
**Gulwali Passarlay** is author of **The Lightless Sky** and a tireless campaigner for refugee rights. This year he visited our Dignity Centre in Chisinau. He said: “It was lovely visiting [our centre] and spending time with the volunteers. I saw dignity in action with the way people receiving help were treated with kindness and respect. This was a humanising experience for me to see refugees provided with agency and choice of what they need and want without being judged. I enjoyed my visit and time here in Moldova”.
**Eve Linieres** organises our flagship fundraising event, **Dignify** , and for the third year running we had 300 people fill **The Bedford** . This year we raised an incredible £58,800! Eve’s organising committee of Philippa Brown, Nick Kidney and Tony Moore secured generous sponsors such as **Talon Outdoor** , and three brilliant floor-filling acts who gave their time for free to raise money for the cause: **My Fine Companions** , **Yardlander** and **Police Dog Hogan** . For something a little different, they were joined by incomparable and outrageous drag act Boss and Tamara, and the night was rounded off in style with Glastonbury veteran DJ **Rob Mello** .
**15** Refugee Support Europe Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 Dignity and Solidarity
## **Rock for Ukraine**
The financial planning community also organised an event to support our work and raised over £45,000. Following on from the **PFS** and the **Lang Cat** conferences which each raised over £4,000, the organisers once again rallied
the community to mark the **one year anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine** with a brilliant night of song, dance and auctioneering. The band Consumer Duty played two sets of floor fillers. With any event of this scale, there are a huge number of people involved in helping: Phil Billingham, David Crozier and Mark Polson were instrumental in organising it, Ruth Sturkey was our MC, Kate Shaw collected
pledges on the night, Mark Locke ran around raising sponsorship, Tom Baigrie facilitated the fantastic auction, and Carmen Reichman was photographer.
The people who came along dug into their pockets on the night and we had solid sponsorship support from Nucleus, Novia, Morningstar, M&G Wealth, Quilter, Transact, the Lang Cat, Threesixty, Abrdn, The Yardstick Agency, and Lifesearch.
## **Our major supporters**
And special thanks to these particularly generous individuals and organisations who were instrumental in helping during the year:
Individuals Giles Palmer, Peter Nagle, Eugene Tsyrklevich
- Fundraisers Gerry Clancy, Cathie Amin, Barry Kenny, Jen and Mohan Dsouza, Scott Nadler, Gerard Garnica, Anne Baker, Jodie Brookes, Andrew Smith, Ashley Stockwell, Chris Goodson, Clemmie Linieres, Stephen Summers, Josie Mossman, Peter Greenburg, Tony Conn, Kay Haytch and many more
The Lyceum School
- Trusts and foundations JP McManus, LDS Charities, Aid for People Affected by War, Souter Charitable Trust, Humanity Now, Carry the Future, CAMCrag, Share and Herts for Refugees
**16** Refugee Support Europe Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 Dignity and Solidarity
## **Coordinators and volunteers**
Critical to our operations are the talented Coordinators, who support our members, manage volunteers and ensure the Centres run efficiently. This year, **Paula Tamarit** , who has played a critical role in our success and development,
completed three years at the heart of RSE. She’s a true gem who always goes the extra mile and prioritises the needs, thoughts and feelings of refugees above all else, while remaining fair and compassionate to volunteers and considerate of all our stakeholders.
We’re tremendously lucky at RSE that we’ve had so many superstar coordinators over the years. This year the team included Summer Koplin, Maggie Duff, Abi Izzard, Maria Marga and Anna Lyttle.
They have been supported by 201 volunteers from 23 countries who freely gave a total of 3,790 days. They even paid for their own travel, accommodation and food, and raised money to help fund our activities.
## **Building the management team**
In May, we welcomed Hannah Phillips to run head office and improve our
admin systems. Then, in January, we welcomed friend of Refugee Support, **Natalie Holmes** , as our Fundraising and Communications Manager to help fund all our important work.
The organisation relies on a huge
team of 50 people who perform the critical job of keeping everything running smoothly. Here they all are (as of the end of the year):
**17** Refugee Support Europe Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 Dignity and Solidarity
## **Refugee Support Europe**
## THE TEAM **[04/23]** |
TRUSTEES Oversight and Governance Chris Goodson Chair Dina Nayeri Advocacy Michael Thompson Development Eve Linieres Events Gulwali Passarlay Advocacy Alison Behrens Volunteers Mohammed Nour Advocacy
PATRON Glamour Ian Shaw Musician Vacancies!
AMBASSADORS Support and Promotion Alison Behrens Bob Maddams Cathie Amin Gerry Clancy Natalie Holmes Desiree Birinci Dan Ransom Maddie Holder Leslie Lunga Bea Shrewsbury Maggie Duff Frederica Cerqueira Andrew Robillard Ian McAuslane Tony Conn Mel Hughes Bella Aquilina PAID EMPLOYEES Office Paul Hutchings Rachel Ellis Natalie Holmes Chief Exec Office Manager Fundraiser OPERATIONS IN MOLDOVA, CYPRUS AND TURKIYE Operations Coordinators Paula Tamarit Operations Director Summer Koplin Senior Coordinator Anna Lyttle Centre Coordinator Abi Izzard Centre Coordinator Maria Marga Centre Coordinator UNPAID VOLUNTEERS
3-5 people for 2-4 weeks in each location
|INTERVIEWING TEAM Volunteer recruitment|INTERVIEWING TEAM Volunteer recruitment||
|---|---|---|
|Ian McAuslane|Ellie Kostick|Leslie Lunga|
|Cressida Stanley Williams|Alison Behrens|Elisabeth Mailhac|
|Frederica Cerqueira|Cathie Amin|Marina Malthouse|
|Qusay Salama|Bea Shrewsbury||
||||
|DIGNIFY Annual music festival fundraiser|||
|Eve LinieresOrganiser|Nick KidneyMusic|Jen StobartVolunteers|
|Philippa BrownOrganiser|Tony MooreMusic and venue||
||||
|COMMUNICATIONS Getting the message out|||
|Maria NuñezInstagram & Podcast|Andy MattockDesign|Natalie HolmesBook store|
|Rachel EllisTwitter|Emily WetherbyContent|Louise SharaFundraising|
|Benny BruceSocial Media|Bob MaddamsFilm and stories||
|Tim LaySocial Media|Tony ConnFilm||
||||
|ORGANISATION DEVELOPMENT Growth and efciency|||
|Alison BehrensResearch|Jef RodriguesStrategy|Shane KayeAuditor|
|Jonathan NewmanResearch|Tom BamfordIT Support|Lisa BarnardCounsellor|
## **ANNUAL ACCOUNTS**
## **Financial note**
The Financial year ending 31st March 2023 saw a doubling of our income over the previous year to just over £700,000. The most noteworthy increases came from a 13x increase in grant income, a near 4x increase in fundraising event income and a 64% increase in individual donations reflecting the amazing generosity of all involved.
The increase in income meant that we were able to help more people by supporting more wonderful projects. 89p in every £1 raised was spent directly on projects that directly helped refugees in a dignified manner, as described in the rest of the report.
As we were unable to help directly with the aftermath of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan we donated nearly £50,000 to a charity that could via direct donations for that cause.
We completed the year with a healthy reserve of over £200,000.
## **Brenda Shrewsbury** | **Trustee for Finance**
Refugee Support Europe Annual Report and Accounts 2022/23 Dignity and Solidarity
**19**
## **Profit and Loss**
## **Refugee Support Europe CIO For the year ended 31 March 2023**
|**Profit and Loss**
**Refugee Support Europe CIO**
**For the year ended 31 March 2023**|||
|---|---|---|
||**2023**|**2022**|
|**Income**|||
|Company Donations|28,926|123,332|
|Grant Income|206,358|15,457|
|Gift Aid from HMRC|25,647|7,750|
|Volunteer and Individual donations (after cost)|353,019|215,344|
|Non-Financial Donations|1,014|-|
|Fundraising Profit (loss)|88,361|23,569|
|on-line sales Profit (loss)|469|(3,190)|
|Interest Income|413|8|
|**Total Income**|**704,207**|**382,271**|
|**Cost of Refugee Projects**|||
|Cost of Country Specific Personel|63,149|37,926|
|Cost of Dignity Centres and Warehousing|68,247|58,015|
|Childrens activities Materials|18|273|
|Cost of Clothing for Refugees|-|122|
|Cost of Food Purchased|369,934|83,786|
|Cost of Misc. Activities for Refugees|14,592|12,467|
|Cost of Misc. Items for for Refugees|57,354|8,985|
|Sewing Room Materials - not for items to be sold|-|18|
|Donation to another Charity|48,481|-|
|Project Office Printing & Stationery (not HO)|1,398|-|
|Project Phone, mobile and internet (not HQ)|971|-|
|**Total Cost of Refugee Projects**|**624,146**|**201,590**|
|**Surplus (Deficit) after Direct Costs**|**80,061**|**180,680**|
|**Less Operating Expenses**|||
|Salaried Staff|77,919|31,395|
|Insurance|503|96|
|Legal expenses|329|23|
|General Head Office Costs|9,858|9,569|
|Depreciation|965|18|
|Banking Costs|1,902|1,937|
|**Total Less Operating Expenses**|**91,477**|**43,039**|
|**Surplus after all Costs**|**(11,416)**|**137,642**|
|**Surplus (Deficit) Carried Forward**|**(11,416)**|**137,642**|
Published Profit and Loss for RSE (YE 2023)
Refugee Support Europe CIO
## **Balance Sheet**
## **Refugee Support Europe CIO As at 31 March 2023**
|**Balance Sheet**
**Refugee Support Europe CIO**
**As at 31 March 2023**|||
|---|---|---|
||**31 MAR 2023**|**31 MAR 2022**|
|**Fixed Assets**|||
|Tangible Assets|1,707|1,780|
|**Total Fixed Assets**|**1,707**|**1,780**|
|**Current Assets**|||
|Cash at bank and in hand|190,662|204,591|
|Prepayments and accrued income|681|681|
|Accounts Receivable|34,100|21,243|
|Employee Loan (Cycle to work)|980|1,491|
|Stock to resell|2,000|2,000|
|**Total Current Assets**|**228,423**|**230,006**|
|**Creditors: amounts falling due withinone year**|||
|Creditors including credit card and cash accounts|13,887|8,137|
|Salaries and HMRC Payable|9,238|5,227|
|**Total Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**|**23,124**|**13,364**|
|**Net Current Assets (Liabilities)**|**205,299**|**216,642**|
|**Total Assets less Current Liabilities**|**207,006**|**218,422**|
|**Net Assets**|**207,006**|**218,422**|
|**Capital and Reserves**|||
|Retained Income account|218,422|80,780|
|Current Year Earnings|(11,416)|137,642|
|**Total Capital and Reserves**|**207,006**|**218,422**|
Refugee Support Europe CIO
Published Balance Sheet 2023
## **Refugee Support Europe**
14 Hollingbury Park Avenue, Brighton, BN1 7JF
Registered with the Charity Commission of England & Wales No 1174070
report design: **bn3design.co.uk**
CHARITY COMMISSION
FOR ENGLAND AND WALES
+•+
Independent examiner's report
on the accounts
Section A
Independent Examiner's Report
Report to the trusteesl
members of
Refugee Support Europe CIO
On accounts for the year
ended
March 2023
Charity no
if any)
1174070
Set out on pages
I report lo the Iruslees on my examination of the accounts of the above
Charity {°the Trust") for Ihe year ended 3110312023.
Responsibilities and As the charity trustees. you are responsible for the preparation of the
basis of report accounts in accordance with the Charities Act 20111"the Act").
I report in respect of my examinalion of the Trusl's accounts carried out
under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in cairying out my examination. I
have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission
under section 145{51(b) of the Act.
Independent IThe charily's gross income exceeded £250,000 and l am qualified to
examiner's statement undertake the examination by being a qualified member of Chartered
Institute of Management Accountants
I have completed my examination. I confirm Ihal no material matters have
come lo my allenlion in connection with the examination which gives me
cause lo believe that in, any Tnalerial respect,.
the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130
of the Act., or
the accoLJnts did not aord with the accounting records,. or
the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements
Conrning the form and conlenl 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 15 not a matter
considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no con¢ems 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 lo be reached.
Signed:
Date:
L3.
Name:
Shane Kaye
Chartered Inslilule of Management Accountants
Member No.. 1-H3FT
Relevant professional
qualificationlsl or body
lif any):
IER
October 2018
Address..
6 Hangleton Manor Close
Hove, East Sussex
BN3 8AJ
Section B
Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight mallers of concern (see CC32,
Independent examination of charity account5.' directions and guidance for
examiners).
Give here details of any
items that the examiner
wlshes to dls¢lose.
IER
October 2018