One to One – AGM
2023 Annual Report
Tuesday the 24[th] January 2023
1. Introduction
This report covers the period from the 25[th] of January 2022 to the 24[th] of January 2023.
- 1.1 This year has seen us getting back to normal albeit slowly. There have been problems around the safety of our clients, some were desperate to get back to their daily routines and some were being extra cautious and not wanting any outside contact at all. Clients, carers and social workers have been getting in touch to restart befriending at a steady pace, in some cases and due to various reasons, mainly mental health matters, the pace has been slower but Josie, our co-ordinator kept in touch with everyone over the period by email and telephone so that we could be prepared and ready for any eventuality including phased return to befriending where it was requested. Our one volunteer, Edward, is still cautious about re joining in what we would think of as a normal routine. He is still active in producing his activity sheets from home and this year he’s typed up a client’s prodigious amounts of poetry and drawings so that we can consider using binders to produce them in book form.
2. Funding/income
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2.1 Following on from issues with Unity Trust Bank, as reported at our last AGM, our funding bid from the National Lottery Community Fund was put on hold by the lottery, this was because our old charity number was still on our statements and cheque books. The problem dragged on until I received an email from Unity that none of us in the office could understand, we decided that we would ring the bank to clear it up. This was Thursday the 3[rd] February 2022, we were determined to stay on the phone to Unity Trust and for 5 hours we got them to sort the situation out. As a result of this, on Monday 7[th ] of February 2022 Unity Trust sent us a letter confirming that our new account numbers would be on all relevant paperwork. We forwarded this to the lottery who accepted it and gave us a grant start date of March the 1[st] 2022.
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2.2 This year we had to provide workplace pensions for three befrienders as they were earning over £10,000 pa. We are now registered with NEST the pension providers. Alan, our accountant has been very supportive in sorting the details out with us.
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- 2.3 The Baily Thomas fund requested a report on the £20,000 grant we received from them, this was completed and accepted. They advised that we were welcome to reapply if we wanted to.
3. Service Users.
- 3.1 As mentioned in the introduction we are on track in getting befrienders back out with their clients. One area of concern has been the recruitment of befrienders for the new referrals we are receiving from social services. Where once we would advertise and send out around 175 application packs and getting two or three new befrienders, we now only get around five or six requests for application packs and getting no new befrienders. Fortunately, we have recruited form word of mouth but the lack of response from our usual methods is a concern.
4. Office staff, befrienders and trustees.
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4.1 Office staff are now in the office as usual and are basically getting back to doing the job.
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4.2 Befrienders: 4 befrienders have no clients, mainly due to the after effects of covid. In one instance the befrienders family was so badly affected that they are reluctant to make decisions of any kind at the present time.
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4.3 Trustees: Despite trying various avenues to recruit new trustees we have not been successful. The search will continue in this new year.
Mike Russell
Manager
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ONF. TOONE l. Independent Examincrs Report 2. A¢oounting Sraiement 3. Staiernent of Asseis aiid Liabilities Pag¢ 6
County Durham DL14 OHS Section B Disclosure Only complete if the examlner needs to highligl)I materlal matters of concern (see CC32. Independent examination of charity accounts.. directions and guidance for examiners). Glve here brief detalls of any items that the examiner wishes to dlsclose. IER 2018 Oct