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2023-12-31-accounts

CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 1175945

We Stand Together CIO Financial Statements

31 December 2023

We Stand Together CIO

Financial Statements and Annual Report

Year ended 31 December 2023

Page
Trustees' annual report 1
Statement of financial activities 9
Statement of financial position 10
Notes to the financial statements 11
Independent examiner`s report 12

We Stand Together CIO

Trustees' Annual Report (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2023

The trustees present their report and financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2023.

Reference and administrative details

Registered charity name We Stand Together CIO Charity registration number 1175945 Principal office C/O Crumpsall Community Hall Cleveland Rd Manchester M8 4QU The trustees Dr Erinma Bell MBE, DL The Very Reverend Rogers Morgan Govender Sir Peter Fahy Mohammed Rehman Ullah Nidhi Sinha Minocha Anne-Marie Marshall (from May 2023) Damian Peter Carr (from May 2023) Mohammed Ali Qaisra Shahraz Mandip Singh Atwal

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We Stand Together CIO

Trustees' Annual Report (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2023

Structure, governance and management

We Stand Together is constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). The CIO was registered with the Charity Commission on 27th November 2017 with its charity number being 1175945.

The CIO is governed by a board of trustees. Trustees meet at least once per calendar year. They are elected and opted under the terms of the Articles of Association. A third of the trustees retire at each Annual General Meeting and are eligible for re-election at that time. Overall responsibility for the management of We Stand Together rests with the board of trustees.

There is no chief executive officer. The day to day affairs are delegated to a Steering Group and Mr Jonny Wineberg, Director of Operations, under the direction of Dr Bell on behalf of the trustees. All major decisions are taken collectively by the trustees and all the trustees give of their time freely. The trustees are unpaid and details of any related party transactions are disclosed as applicable in the notes to the accounts. The arrangement for setting the pay for the charity’s employees are the sole domain of the trustees.

Risk review

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

Report back and review procedures strengthen these safeguards to ensure public benefit is achieved from all grants.

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We Stand Together CIO

Trustees' Annual Report (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2023

The objects of the charity are:

The promotion of equality and diversity for the public benefit by:

We Stand Together’s Mission is to:

Our vision is for the UK to act as one nation where people from all communities and backgrounds feel included and valued and hatred has no place, worth or relevance.

Our work is underpinned by the following values:

Public benefit

The trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity's aims and objectives and in planning future activities and setting grant making policy for the year.

Grant making policy

The charity is funded by donations and grants. The charity gives out grants in the form of awards to affiliated organisations in line with the above objects where applicable.

The application of the funds is normally by way of direct charitable activity and supporting the activity of affiliated organisations.

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We Stand Together CIO

Trustees' Annual Report (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2023

Achievements and performance

The trustees of We Stand Together are of the belief that understanding ultimately only really comes from people of different backgrounds coming together and talking to one another. This is enabled by events which bring people of different backgrounds together, by work in schools and other places of education and by our series of Difficult Dialogues, which create the opportunities for issues which can cause division to be openly discussed and debated.

There is a danger that community cohesion can be oversimplified and used for events and initiatives which, whilst really important in themselves, do not address issues of difference and division or bring together people who are already committed to the cause and entirely comfortable in multi-cultural, diverse or multi-faith settings. There is a need to go beyond the ‘usual suspects’ and, in particular, to go beyond people of influence and leadership in communities so that members of those communities get the same opportunities to build understanding and address their prejudices at the local level.

A key aim of the trustees has been to get We Stand Together as the overall campaign to promote community cohesion in Greater Manchester and beyond. We look for our philosophy to be incorporated into the day to day work on community cohesion of statutory agencies and thousands of voluntary, community and faith sector groups. We Stand Together does not want to be the sole community cohesion initiative in Greater Manchester and indeed encourages and tries to support the many other initiatives and events which are a positive sign of the commitment of many to promoting understanding. We have been fortunate to use ARIS (Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme) funding to encourage this and many organisations have affiliated to us as part of furthering their community cohesion work. A significant part of the ARIS funding was used to make awards to these affiliates, both recognising their positive work and enabling them to pursue future cohesion work.

The year 2023 has presented We Stand Together with notable challenges, influenced by significant international developments that have affected our community workshops, partnerships, and grant distribution. Despite these difficulties, the Trustees and the entire organisation remain steadfast in our commitment to promoting inclusion, understanding, and community cohesion across Greater Manchester and beyond.

Achievements over the past year have included:

1. Conference & Awards Evening

The #WeStandTogether Conference and Awards Dinner took place on 31 May 2023 at the Manchester Communications Academy. This was held in partnership with Carisma and included the OSBAs (Outstanding Social Behaviour Awards).

The conference was a great success with 100 attendees. The Mayors of Manchester, Salford, Wigan Trafford and Rochdale were present to hand out many of the awards. Table top discussions were lively and elicited new ideas for activities whilst reinforcing the need to collaborate, educate, bring diverse communities together, and speak out where we see issues.

There were many highlights of the evening including celebrating the outstanding work and achievements of our affiliates with awards. The top award of £2,500 went to North Manchester Community Partnership. The £1000 winners were Become United, Better Things & Manchester Sikh Foundation (FeedMyCity). The winners of the £500 were Culture Bridge, Flowhesion, JAMH, Bury Active Women's Centre and KYSO.

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We Stand Together CIO

Trustees' Annual Report (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2023

Thanks were given to our sponsors: Greater Manchester Police, GMVCO (10GM), Community Futures Trust CIC, Solopress, #SBH Charitable Trust, and MuPrint.

Above – participants at our 2023 #WeStandTogether Conference & Awards

Below – top award winners, North Manchester Community Partnership

2. Affiliates

Our affiliate model, informed by MBA student recommendations, has been very successful in progressing work across Greater Manchester. We now have 50 affiliated organisations, primarily based in Greater Manchester, and have been able to give out over £20,000 in grant awards to affiliates in the last 2 years.

During the year we were able to deliver presentations and workshops as part of several events run by affiliates. These included Communities 4 All, Bury Active Women’s Centre, Rainbow Surprise, Manchester Sikh Foundation, Khush Amdid, and Saheli. We will continue our development in this direction in progressing our work.

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We Stand Together CIO

Trustees' Annual Report (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2023

Above – Robin Graham (Steering Group Co-Chair) with Ayesha Arif, Director of Bury Active Women’s Centre, at their community cohesion & cultural food festival

3. Workshops

We have continued to offer workshop sessions to schools, colleges, youth and community groups on discrimination and diversity, though demand overall has decreased. Positive outcomes from the workshops include:

Our workshops also elicit many positive comments, one indicative being: "I really loved the interactive aspect of the workshop. I'm glad I was able to interact with others and discuss answers with them. This time, I wasn't quite active, but surely next time I will because I've become more confident."

Above – Anti-discrimination Workshop at Burnage Academy for Boys.

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We Stand Together CIO

Trustees' Annual Report (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2023

4. Partnerships and Representation

We are working closely as a named partner in two Reaching Communities funded projects: North Manchester Community Partnership and Feed My City . This includes us helping deliver cohesion events and advise on wider aspects of cohesion work.

We continued our involvement in various community and government forums, including:

5. Training

We delivered several training workshops during the year, including:

Our outcomes included:

There were many positive comments including:

“Enlightening my 'taken for granted' on anti-discrimination and what key dominating issues are.”

“It’s about having the space to have a dialogue and discussion in a safe space, ask questions rather than assume or tell.”

We also ran ‘Not Part of My Job’ training as part of Wigan’s taxi driver training programme, building understanding, ability and confidence on how to respond to discriminatory abuse using positive communication to de-escalate tension. This also emphasised the importance of reporting hate crime.

6. Other Initiatives

We had five #WeStandTogether columns in the Manchester Evening News on community cohesion issues during the year. The columns cover many cohesion issues and appear online at www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/tag/westandtogether.

We continue to support #WeStandTogether Cricket Club, which plays in the Greater Manchester Amateur Cricket League. We also linked with Rainbow Surprise and Lancashire CC to run Cricket Training for young people.

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We Stand Together CIO

Trustees' Annual Report (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2023

Financial review

The charity received £4,971 in donations, £1,005 in sales, £400 for carrying out training and £25,454 as a grant during the year. £16,304 was paid out by way of direct charitable activity and support costs, mainly using grants received in this financial year.

This expenditure was made in line with the stated objects of the charity and was for the promotion of equality and diversity for the public benefit. Costs incurred include payments for staff, insurances and the CIO’s Conference and Awards event.

The trustees wish to thank all their benefactors and specifically Greater Manchester Police for their generosity without which the charity simply would not have been able to provide its vital services.

The charity has low governance costs comprising professional fees.

There were no material fundraising costs during the year.

There were no related party transactions in the reporting period.

Reserves policy

The Unrestricted Fund represents the unrestricted funds arising from past operating results. The Trustees are working towards increasing the balance of this Fund through increasing donations.

The Trustees are satisfied that the overall balance of the Fund is an acceptable level of reserves given the nature of receipts against expenditure on charitable activity.

In considering the financial obligations of the charity, the trustees have resolved to maintain a reserve equal to at least six months charity expenditure.

The trustees are delighted to have made many valuable contributions to the community and hope to be able to do so for many years to come.

The reserves stand at £18,382 of which £11,861 relates to the restricted fund and £6,521 the unrestricted fund.

The trustees' annual report was approved on 30 October 2024 and signed on behalf of the board of trustees by:

Erinma Bell

Chair of Trustees

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We Stand Together CIO

Statement of Financial Activities

Year ended 31 December 2023

Year to 31 Dec 2023 to 31 Dec 2023
Unrestricted Restricted Total funds Total funds
funds funds 2023 2022
Note £ £ £ £
Income and endowments
Donations, grants and legacies 1 4,971 25,454 30,425 2,521
Others 2 1,405 0 1,405 0
----------------------- ---------------------------- ---------------------------- ----------------------------
Total income 6,376 25,454 31,830 2,521
======================= ============================ ============================ ============================
Expenditure
Expenditure on charitable activities 3 2,247 14,057 16,304 21,230
----------------------- ---------------------------- ---------------------------- ----------------------------
Total expenditure 2,247 14,057 16,304 21,230
======================= ============================ ============================ ============================
----------------------- ---------------------------- ---------------------------- ----------------------------
Net income and net movement in funds 4,129 11,397 15,526 -18,709
======================= ============================ ============================ ============================
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward 2,392 464 2,856 21,565
----------------------- ---------------------------- ---------------------------- ----------------------------
Total funds carried forward 6,521 11,861 18,382 2,856
======================= ============================ ============================ ============================

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.

All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.

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We Stand Together CIO

Statement of Financial Position

Year ended 31 December 2023

2023 2022
Note £ £ £
Current assets
Cash at bank and in hand 18,382 2,856
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 0 0
----------------------------
Net current assets 18,382 2,856
----------------------- -----------------------
Total assets less current liabilities 18,382 2,856
----------------------- -----------------------
Net assets 18,382 2,856
======================= =======================
Funds of the charity
Restricted funds 11,861 464
Unrestricted funds 6,521 2,392
----------------------- -----------------------
Total charity funds 18,382
=======================		 2,856
=======================

These financial statements were approved by the board of trustees and authorised for issue on 30th October 2024, and are signed on behalf of the board by:

M Atwal Trustee

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We Stand Together CIO

Notes to the Financial Statements

Year ended 31 December 2023

1. Donations, grants and legacies

Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds
Funds Funds 2023
£ £ £
Donations
Donations 4,971 – 4,971
Grants
Grants receivable – 25,454 25,454
2. Others
Sales 1,005 1,005
Training 400 – 400
----------------------- ---------------------------- ----------------------------
6,376 25,454 31,830
======================= ============================ ============================

3. Expenditure on charitable activities by activity type

Activities undertaken
directly 2023
£
Refreshments
Stationery, Postage, Printing
Publicity
Computing
Donations
Awards		 13
279
410
184
7,000
1,349
Staffing
Governance costs		 7,069
-
----------------------------
16,304
============================

No salaries, wages or expenses have been paid to the trustees during the period. There have been no related party transactions in the year.

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Independent examiner`s report to the trustees of We Stand Together CIO Charity Registration Number: 1175945

I report to the charity`s trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31[st] December 2023 which are set out on pages 9 to 11.

Respective Responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner

The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011(the 2011 Act.)

It is my responsibility to:

Basis of Independent Examiners Report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a "true and fair view" and the report is limited to those matters set out below.

Independent Examiner's Statement

In connection with my examination, other than listed below, no matter has come to my attention:

(1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:

have not been met; or

(2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed: Date: 30[th] October 2024

Sugra Akbar FCCA Association of Chartered Certified Accountants Accountex Pro 16 Cestrian Street Bolton BL3 2BD

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