OCL
ONE COMMUNITY LINK
Charit Re
istration No: 1178936
**LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION**
## **Trustees' Report and audited Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2023**
## **Trustees**
Sheila Ngunga - Chair
Patience Chigumira. Jesuina Diogo. Shazia Noor.
1178936 **Charity number.**
**Registered Office** 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
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**LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION CONTENTS.**
_**TRUSTEES' REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31MARCH 2023. .................................................. 4 Objectives ............................................................................................................................................. 4**_ **CHARITY OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES ................................................................................................... 4** _**Our Vision ............................................................................................................................................. 5 Successes and accomplishments. .................................................................................................... 5**_ **Financial review ............................................................................................................................................... 7 Plans for future periods. ................................................................................................................................ 7** _**Statement of Trustees' responsibilities ............................................................................................ 7**_ **Responsibilities and basis of report ............................................................................................................ 7** _**Independent Examiner’s report to the trustees of OCL ................................................................. 9 STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES ACCOUNT ................................................................... 10 FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 ....................................................................................... 10**_
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**LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION TRUSTEES' REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31MARCH 2023.**
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 2023. 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.
## **CHARITY OBJECTIVES AND 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.
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**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 accomplishments.**
One Community Link in partnership funding with All in Youth Project still has a 3-year grant from National Lottery Community Fund. The grant is enabling the organisation to host workshops and drop ins, to empower the community to independently report hate crime and challenge racism in schools and institutions. We have resiliently continued to support the community and youth programmes. 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. In February 2023 as part of our “Living While Black” series, we held a workshop with Kehinde Andrews, renowned author and professor of Black Studies at Birmingham University.
We received an unrestricted grant from Lloyd’s Bank foundation. The grant has enabled us to hire a new part time worker, as well as our volunteers’ expenses such as travel to and from the centre. The Lloyd’s grant helps us to pay for our rentals, utilities, hot meals , weekly ESOL sessions and well-being activities. In addition to the grant from Lloyd’s Bank, we have received guidance and support from a Lloyd’s enhancement worker, who has helped us with our governance and fundraising ideas, enabling us to have a more solid and structured plan with regards to the growth of the charity. We receive support from MVDA (Middlesbrough Voluntary Development Agency), who continue to help us with our governance and how to remain sustainable.
We continue to be a referral service for Stockton Riverside College, Stockton Borough Council and 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 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.
Sports England kindly awarded us the ESC Queen Platinum Jubilee grant and we engaged the BAME community in group walks, running and physical exercises. This helps strengthen both their physical and mental health. Exercise of course is known to be good for maintaining health and fitness, but our sessions help our service user’s mental health, by bringing people together and reducing social isolation.
In June of the year 2023, we took part in Refugee Week at the Arc in Stockton. Refugee Week celebrates the accomplishments and contributions of the refugee and asylum-seeking community and is held every year in June. Our services users held a fashion show showcasing pieces they had sewed and crocheted themselves at our centre Rhema House. Being able to not only make and produce garments by themselves but then to be able to dress up and showcase their work, really boosted the confidence of those who took part, and some have now gone on to expand on this skill by making and selling their own creations or offering tailoring services, enabling them to have some form of income.
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## **LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION**
In December, we started hosting a weekly coffee morning on Tuesdays for ladies, to have a safe space to come and network and receive support and advice, in a judgement free zone. This is a new session, and around 15 ladies have attended, however we are expecting this to grow in number now that the Christmas period is over, and Spring is approaching. The coffee morning sessions allow us to signpost our service users to other relevant services in the area where they can also get help and support, depending on the issues they are facing. We provide coffee, tea, light refreshments, and a warm space.
Finally, this year we held the first of what we hope will be an annual Christmas end of year party. We wanted to bring our service users together, for a time of food, fun, and fellowship. Christmas can be a difficult time of year for some of our service users who may be here without their family, so it was important to us to mark the occasion and have a celebration for those who would otherwise be alone or not financially able to celebrate. We had a range of cultural dishes, many of which were cooked and provided by our trustees. Local DJ Ishmael Adams provided entertainment in the form of cultural and contemporary music, as well as a dance performance from All in. We handed out over 120 gifts to children and families who attended the event, from educational toys to toiletries, depending on the age of the children. The event was a big success, and we look forward to hosting it again for our community.
## **ESOL CLASSES**
Learners are assessed according to levels from Pre-Entry to Entry 3. We have provision prepared for higher levels when needed. Our numbers are steadily increasing, and we usually have at least 25 students per session. We are excited about the future of our ESOL provision, as we continue to receive new students and also welcomed a new volunteer teacher this year to assist our existing ESOL teacher. 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 30 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, mental issues, and social isolation. 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 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.
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**LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION**
## **Rhema House**
Rhema House is now fully functional and operational and can hold large numbers of people comfortably. We can hold around 120 people, which we did at our first annual Christmas party this year. When we have our hot meals, we hold around 100 people.
## **Funding**
We foresee increased opportunities to fundraise due to the centre expansion plans. We expect to safely hold 100 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. We continue to receive support with regards to our fundraising from our enhancement worker and partners. We extend our deepest gratitude to all our funders including National Lottery Community Fund, Lloyd’s Bank Foundation, Sports England (platinum Jubilee) and EMD UK Fund.
## **Financial review**
Our finances have increased significantly due to growing demand of our services and the ever-rising cost of living. Total income for the year 2023 amounted to £73,558 (in 2022 £63,686). Expenditure for the year 2023 was £72,228 (in 2022 £52962). The trustees are satisfied with the financial position of the organisation at 31 March 2023 and are confident that the strategies in place will lead to the organisation being able to fulfil its growth objectives.
## **Plans for future periods.**
With the new space, we are looking forward to be 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 most of 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
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## **LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION**
for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The Trustees’ report was approved by the board of trustees.
Sheila Ngunga
Chair of Trustee
Dated: 28 January 2024
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**LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION**
**Independent Examiner’s report to the trustees of OCL**
## **ONE COMMUNITY LINK**
## **Independent E xaminer’s Report to the Trustees of ONE COMMUNITY LINK Year Ended 31 March 2023**
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of ONE COMMUNITY LINK (“the Charity”) for the year ended 31 March 2023.
## **Responsibilities and basis of report**
As the trustees of the Charity, you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the Charity ’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
## **Independent examiner’s statement**
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
2. the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
3. the financial statements do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content 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 is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns 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 financial statements to be reached.
Akondaawo John Kumpalume: AFA MIPA, Msc, BSc (Director) IFA Member No. 283127,
6 Coatham Road, Stockton on Tees, TS19 8QY
> 28 January 2024
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**LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION**
## **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES ACCOUNT**
## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023**
|**2023**||
|---|---|
|**INCOME**
Opening Balance
Donations
Grants
**Total Income**
**EXPENDITURE**
Advertising & Marketing
Audit & Accountancy fee
Legal & Professional fees
ESOL
Hot Meals
Dance and Exercise
Insurance
IT Expenses
Light, Power and Heating
Pension costs
Salaries
Printing & Stationery
Telephone & Internet
Volunteer expenses
Travel expenses
Cleaning
Depreciation
**Total expenses**
**Surplus funds**|**2023**
**2022**
**£**
**£**
34956
24222
0
0
**73558**
63686|
||**108514**
**87908**
357
729
928
670
953
2558
1540
5015
3164
6924
1200
1194
1035
1401
2250
2050
365
900
45028
37818
53
57
864
1500
2160
1929
194
136
2208|
||**72228**
**52952**|
||**36286**
**34956**|
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**LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION**
## **AS AT 31 MARCH 2023**
|**AS AT 31 MARCH 2023**||
|---|---|
|**Fixed Assets**|**2023**
**2022**
**£**
**£**
7961
2971
2208
616|
|Equipment||
|Depreciation||
|**Total Fixed Assets**
**Current assets**
Cash & Bank
**Total Assets**
Current Liability
**Net Assets**
**Funded by**
Charity funds|**5753**
**2355**
31641
34956|
||**37394**
**37311**
2315
6219|
||**35079**
**31092**|
|||
||**35079**
**31092**|
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime.
For the year ending 31 March 2023 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.
Directors’ responsibilities:
- The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476;
- The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts.
The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Board on 28 January 2024
Signed on behalf of the Board of Directors
28 January 2024 Chair of Trustee
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