## **Charity Registration No: 1178936** **Trustees' Report and audited Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2022** **LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION** **Trustees** Sheila Ngunga Chair Patience Chigumira Jesuina Diogo ## 1178936 **Charity number** **Registered Office** 14 Westborough Grove Stockton-On-Tees TS18 5PW **Operating address** RHEMA HOUSE 2 PORTRACK LANE TS18 2HG. **Independent examiner** Akondaawo John Kumpalume **(** ACCA, MSc, Bsc) 6 Coatham Road Stockton on Tees, TS19 8QY **Bankers** Barclays Bank 49 High Street Stockton- On- Tees TS18 1AG 2 **LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION** ## Table of Contents **TRUSTEES' REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31MARCH 2022 .................................................................. 4** **OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................................................................................... 4 ACTIVITIES .............................................................................................................................................................. 4 OUR VISION ............................................................................................................................................................ 5 SUCCESSES AND ACCOMPLISHMENT ...................................................................................................................... 5 ESOL CLASSES AND SEWING PROJECT ................................................................................................................. 5 RHEMA HOUSE (OPERATING CENTRE) ................................................................................................................... 6 FUNDRAISING ......................................................................................................................................................... 6 FINANCIAL REVIEW ................................................................................................................................................. 6 PLANS FOR FUTURE PERIODS ................................................................................................................................. 6 STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES' RESPONSIBILITIES ....................................................................................................... 6 RESPONSIBILITIES AND BASIS OF REPORT .............................................................................................................. 6** **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT, TO THE TRUSTEES OF ONE COMMUNITY LINK ..................... 8 STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31MARCH 2021 ................................................................................................................. 9** 3 ## **LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION** TRUSTEES' REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31MARCH 2022 The Trustees of the charity for the purposes of the Charities Act 2011 regarding the keeping of accounting records, to the preparation and scrutiny of statements of account, and to the preparation of annual reports and returns, here present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2022. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK. The statements of account, reports and returns must be sent to the Charity Commission, regardless of the income of the CIO, within 10 months of the financial year end. ## Objectives ## The object of the CIO is: To promote social inclusion for the public benefit by working with people in the Tees Valley who are socially excluded on the grounds of their ethnic origin, religion, belief, or creed to relieve the needs of such people and assist them to integrate into society, by: 1. providing a local network group that encourages and enables members of the BAME community to participate more effectively with the wider community. 2. increasing, or coordinating, opportunities for members of the BAME community to engage with service providers, to enable those providers to adapt services to better meet the needs of that community. ## Activities 1. To promote social integration by raising awareness about hate crime and empowering BAME to report 2. To promote social integration and personal development through the provision of ESOL English and sewing classes. 3. To provide psychosocial community-based intervention through various social activities. 4. To enable and provide volunteer opportunities for the use of skills and to encourage mutual community participation. 5. To support social engagement among asylum seekers and refugees. 6. To target and address the issues that BAME people experience when accessing services 7. To support asylum seekers and refugees in accessing housing, employment, immigration information and other mainstream services 8. To deliver workshops on perceptions and myths about refugees and asylum seekers 9. To raise awareness about hate crime. 10. We work in partnership to design workshops, talks and events to challenge structural racism in schools and institutions. 11. Increase skills, knowledge, pride, confidence, sense of belonging in BAME people in Tees valley. 12. Increase knowledge of perpetrators of hate crime, to decrease it and build positive - relationships 13. To improve understanding around immigration, asylum seekers and refugees to decrease xenophobia. 4 ## **LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION** ## Our Vision Our vision is to have a society which is free from hate crime by challenging racism, upholding justice, empowering, and promoting integration by providing a safe and welcoming space for the BAME community. ## Successes and accomplishment One Community Link partnership funding with All in Youth Project has been awarded another 3-year grant from National lottery Community Fund. The grant is enabling the organisation to empower the community to independently report hate crime, challenge racism in schools and institutions. Despite the pandemic and lockdown, we have resiliently continued to support the community and youths’ programmes through virtual zoom meetings. The weekly adult sessions of between 30-50 attendees per week who live across the Tees valley moved to virtual workshops during lockdown. Adults come together decreasing isolation and gaining support for a range of issues including housing, issues with poverty, experiences of racism at work, how to report hate crime and how to support their children in school. These sessions decrease frustration, increase confidence and support people to feel part of their communities in the Tees valley. We have become a referral service for Mear’s housing, which oversee the welfare of the asylum seeker/ refugee. We have successfully supported families to be reunited and be moved to better accommodation. We have also begun a working group with asylum seekers and refugees to collate information about their experiences and what services are needed to become more inclusive. This work will expand because of our work with Mears and the local authority in Stockton, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool and Redcar and Cleveland. We have been awarded Queen Platinum Jubilee from Sports England and we are engaging BAME community in group walks, running and physical exercises. ## ESOL classes and Sewing project We had funding for ESOL and core costs from Lloyds Bank Foundation. While uptake was affected by Covid and renovations to the building, we had a lot of interest in our ESOL provision. Learners were assessed according to levels from Pre-Entry to Entry 3. We also had provision prepared for higher levels when needed. Our numbers are steadily increasing, and we expect to have at least 20 students per session as we relocate to a bigger space within the building soon. We are excited about the future of our ESOL provision. We intend to expand to holding enrichment sessions such as cooking sessions in English to further develop our learner’s English. In addition, we hope to expand to 2 sessions a week. We’re also growing strong ties with other organisations in the community such as housing agencies and the local college to offer a more holistic approach to our service users. Just Sew project, of sewing and crafts, has provided an opportunity of newly arrived asylum seekers to socially integrate with members of the community building social support networks that helping to reduce social isolation. The importance of providing enough psychosocial support has enabled sanctuary seekers to rebuild support structures that help mitigate post- migratory risk factors to mental health and that compliment other psychological therapeutic outcomes. This psychosocial intervention is a cost-effective approach. This invites 20 sanctuary seekers each week and is positively impacting the daily lives and mental health and well-being of newly arrived asylum seekers as well as the wider population of asylum seekers and refugees. The project is supporting families and individuals who are going through bereavement. It provides a sense of community enabling members to have a belonging. The funding has enabled and provide volunteer opportunities for the use of skills and to encourage mutual community participation. With the funding we provided traditional hot meal once every month to support social engagement among asylum seekers, refugees, BAME community and the wider community. BAME people do not normally visit local restaurants and pubs because of cultural 5 ## **LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION** barriers for example the type of food, the environment. This helped to reduce anxiety, cultural shock, reduce stress and trauma and create an atmosphere to provide support to access help. Catalyst Stockton supported us with BAME covid small grants. With the funding we encouraged consistent covid-19 testing, providing testing kits to service users. We distributed test kits to about 50 families every week. This work will continue as we learn to live with Covid and adapt to the new normal. ## Rhema house (Operating Centre) So far, we have made exceptional progress at the premises of Rhema House with flooring of the main hall and carpeting throughout the arc hall. Toilets have been fitted to accommodate those with disabilities. We are looking to open the space to hold community sessions this October. Fundraising We foresee increased opportunities to fundraise due to the centre expansion plans. We expect to safely hold 60 participants per fundraising event. We are staying up to date with developments in charity regulation, data protection and to make sure we are legally compliant and adhering to all guidelines. ## Financial review The finances were used for the achievement for the operational activities and meeting the objectives of the charity. Plans for future periods With the new space, we are looking forward to being able to accommodate many service users during our various activities. The outcome from this will be significant as the community have their own community space to deliver activities, take part in workshops, training, and events. The funding we received has enabled us to fulfil our objectives, but we aim to create fundraising activities to sustain and expand. The community space will increase session capacity and a greater space for physical activities. Statement of Trustees' responsibilities The charity trustees may from time to time make such reasonable and proper rules or byelaws as they may deem necessary or expedient for the proper conduct and management of the CIO, but such rules or bye laws must not be inconsistent with any provision of this constitution. Copies of any such rules or bye laws currently in force must be made available to any member of the CIO on request. Responsibilities and basis of report In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation. The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. 6 ## **LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION** The Trustees’ report was approved by the board of trustees Sheila Ngunga Chair of Trustee Dated: 12 October 2022. 7 **LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION** INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT, TO THE TRUSTEES OF ONE COMMUNITY LINK 8 **LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION** ## **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31MARCH 2021** ||| |---|---| |**Income and Expenditure**|| |One Community Link|| |For the year ended 31 March 2022|| ||| |**Account**|**2022**| ||| |**Income**|| |Opening Balance|24,221.85| |Donations|0.00| |Grant|63,685.75| |**Total Income**|**63,685.75**| ||| |**Available Funds**|**87,907.60**| ||| |**Expenditure**|| |Advertising& Marketing|728.88| |Audit & Accountancyfees|150.00| |ESOL|1,540.00| |Hot Meals|3,164.25| |Insurance|1,193.80| |IT Software and Consumables|1,400.85| |Light,Power,Heating|2,050.00| |Payroll/Bookkeeping|520.00| |Pensions Costs|899.54| |Printing& Stationery|57.24| |Salaries|37,818.19| |Telephone & Internet|1,500.00| |Volunteer- Reimbursements|1,929.32| |**Total Expenditure**|**52,952.07**| ||| |OpeningBalance|24,221.85| |Total Income|63,685.75| |Total Expenditure|(52,952.07)| |Surplus|10,733.68| |**Total**|**34,955.53**| ||| |**Assets**|| |Office Furniture|3,041.56| |**Closing Balance**|**37,997.09**| 9