## **ANNUAL REPORT 2024** ## **Wolverhampton City of Sanctuary** enquiries@wolvescofs.com C/O Beckminster Methodist Church wolverhampton.cityofsanctuary.org Birches Barn Road WOLVERHAMPTON WV3 7BQ ## **Names of trustees who manage the charity** Gillian Kelly Served for entire period Chris O’Brien Served from October 2023 Khady Noufe Served for entire period Khady Noufe George Reiss Served for entire period Jojofana Mengue Owona Served for entire period Laura Onions Served from October 2024 Merylen Pearce Served for the entire period Linda Gilson Served for the entire period The Board of Trustees are responsible for appointing additional trustees ## **Officers** Chair Gillian Kelly Vice-Chair George Reiss Secretary Laura Onions ## **Type of Governing Document** Constitution dated 29[th] .June 2022 The Charity is constituted as a CIO Registered Charity No. 1176101 **In January 2024 we moved to a new venue – St. Chad’s and St.Mark’s Church. The** **move was unexpected but we had outgrown our previous home and now found** **ourselves with much more space and the possibility of working in partnership with the Church** ## **Summary of main activities 2024** _The Wednesday Drop-In_ continued to grow in popularity during 2024 even though we had to move the venue to St. Chad’s and St. Mark’s Church, which is situated outside the city centre and is not as central as our previous homes. The growing and committed group of volunteers, coordinated with huge enthusiasm and creativity by AB, continued to provide a wide range of activities to complement the simple pleasures of a shared cup of coffee and a chat, reliably provided by PR. These activities were: - The sewing group, which has become a regular fixture, valued by volunteers and visitors alike. - GR’s team of volunteers continue to deliver 2 language sessions every week, except during the school holidays. - We offer children’s activities during school holidays, facilitated by another team of volunteers led by CC. - The cooking group has really benefitted from the new catering standard kitchen and works much more as a team to cook for our 90+ visitors, many of whom welcome the tasty change of diet from the meals provided in asylum hotels. _The WhatsApp group_ continues to be cornerstone of our communication with each other and numbers in the region of 200 members. It is used to publicise events, advertise available donated items and simply for keeping in touch and supporting each other. _Practical and financial support_ has been provided by way of: - Data cards for phones to help people maintain their support networks. These cards are donated by a charity - Donations which are now managed via the WhatsApp group. These are coordinated by a very efficient volunteer, AS, who accesses an amazing array of household items - At Christmas, toys were provided to the parents of people in hotels and Asylum Seekers to give to their children. We have again been able to organise a range of _social activities for adults, children and families,_ notably: - Trip to Newcastle on Clun, hosted by Clun Valley Quakers, providing a lovely day in rural surroundings for about 70 members of our community - Day trip to Telford, hosted by Telford Quakers - Family activity days at the Wildside Activity Centre and the Kingswood Centre - Day visits to the Cambrian Wildwood near Machynlleth, plus an overnight camp there - 3 residential trips to the Gelliwig Residential Centre, Porthmadog organised in collaboration with Wolverhampton Quakers **Our volunteer community has continued to grow and to begin to shape the services we offer. Steps are being taken to involve more people with lived experience in decision-making** ## **Development of our community** During the year more longstanding members of our community obtained their Leave to Remain. Many have become active volunteers, supporting others on similar journeys; their experience is invaluable. With the confidence that comes from their increased stability, they have rediscovered their skills and are beginning to shape the services that we can offer. The group of local volunteers grew and we also recruited more volunteers from the asylum-seeking and refugee community. A need was identified to provide more training for our volunteers to develop knowledge, build a sense of team work and deliver the range of activities more efficiently. Training sessions were provided on a roughly quarterly basis. To operate more efficiently we identified specific teams (Welcome, Sewing and Crafting, Refreshments and cooking, ESOL Teaching, and Children’s Activities). The trustees also undertook a review of roles and responsibilities of both Trustees and Volunteers, with a view to establishing an Operational Committee which would be authorised to take more routine decisions regarding the provision of services at the Dropin THE JOYS OF 2024 **In a challenging economic climate we have experienced an increasing demand from the Asylum-seeking and Refugee community for advice and practical support to help them settle in Wolverhampton** ## **Supporting members of our community in need** _Kenny’s Fund_ continued to support asylum seekers facing destitution and others experiencing extreme economic hardship. The Terms of Reference of the committee have been revised this year in light of experience and the evolving nature of the problems being experienced by asylum seekers and refugees. We were especially concerned to assist those who are trying to find accommodation and set up their first home after being given their Leave to Remain. During 2024, 9 individuals were referred to the committee. Of these, 2 are currently receiving ongoing financial assistance, including gym subscriptions and subsistence payments whilst their prolonged asylum applications are being processed. Kenny’s Fund has also agreed to contribute to the funding of specialist reports. These individuals are being supported by members of Kenny’s Fund Committee and their situations are reviewed at each committee meeting. At least 1 other person has moved out of the area but keeps in touch with Committee members for continuing emotional/moral support. The remaining 6 people have been introduced to Kenny’s Fund via volunteers or Committee Members and, after an assessment, we have been able to either give one-off payments to assist people in setting up their first home and/or to bridge a gap until such time as individuals are receiving money from elsewhere. We have also been able to access practical support through our partner groups (e.g. RMC, Elias Mattu Foundation, Hope into Action Black Country Area, Hope Projects, Good Shepherd and Wolverhampton Quakers). During the year Kenny’s Fund issued grants totalling £4773.34. We have also set up a _Special Needs Fund_ to assist people in immediate need but who do not fit the Kenny’s Fund criteria. ## **Partnerships** ## _Schools of Sanctuary_ There are now a total of 11 such schools in Wolverhampton. Many more schools are interested. We work with Lead Advisory Teacher in the Citizenship, Language and Learning Team at City of Wolverhampton Council in assessing and supporting these schools. We have continued to build _productive partnerships_ with several organisations, including: - The Church of St. Chad and St. Mark - Quaker meetings in Wolverhampton, Clun Valley and Telford - Wildside Activity Centre - Cambrian Wildwood _We have promoted the cause of asylum seekers and refugees_ through individual letters to local MPs and submissions from the organisation regarding immigration legislation. ## **Finances** Having deliberately set a budget deficit, our unrestricted reserves at the year end stood at £8260.30, compared to £13,975 at the previous year end. ## **Policy on Reserves** The Trustees’ Policy is to maintain unrestricted reserves amounting to between 3-6 months’ total unrestricted expenditure in the previous financial yearill Gill Kelly Date 30[th] . September 2025 Chair ## **Wolverhampton City of Sanctuary Receipts and Payments Accounts for the year ended 31st December 2024** |**Receipts**
Donations
Gift Aid
Fund Raising
Grants
Other Income
**Total Receipts**
**Payments**
**_Charitable Activities_**
Destitution Support (Kenny's Fund)
Gift Vouchers / Christmas Gifts
Travel Costs
Drop-in Costs
Adult Opportunity
Cooking Expenses
Events M&M etc
Flexible Response
Public Awareness
Raising Funds
Social Needs
Summer Trips/Visits Expenses
Training
Volunteers Expenses
Young people's IT and Education
**_Administration and Governance_**
Financial & General Admin Costs
Governance/Insurance
**Total Expenditure**
Surplus (Deficit)
Cash Funds Last Year End
Cash Funds This Year End
**Represented by:**
**Co-operative Bank**
**Petty Cash**
**Total**|**2024**|**2024**|**2024**|| |---|---|---|---|---| ||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**|**2023 Total**| ||7177
5656
12833
12,373
575
260
835
1,453
390
390
140
1000
1000
7,200
106
61
167
80|||| ||**8,248**
**6,977**
**15,225**
**21,246**|||| ||6637
6637
4,773
1473
1473
194
434
2416
2850
794
799
2936
3735
6,793
183
183
177
301
1461
1762
2,407
212
212
362
226
226
371
142
142
500
94
94
2648
2648
575
903
903
1,082
524
100
624
70
70
182
125
125
1,286
886
886
1,820
271
271
244|||| ||**7,818**
**15,022**
**22,840**
**21,559**|||| ||431
-8,046
-7,615
-313
8,260
11,590
19,850
20,163|||| ||**8,691**
**3,544**
**12,235**
**19,850**|||| ||12078
157
**12,235**||||