New Neighbours Together www.nnthurnl•y.org ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH 2024 I klkj I XM CMARTERED ACCOUNfANTS New Noighbours Together CIO Rèference and administrative inforniation Charity Numbor 1179812 Charity Status Foundation CIO Trusteos Julie Sidhu (appointed 03109124) Maureen Butler (appointed 1113124) Huriyah Hussain Susan Ryan Robert Hewitt Lynn Middleton Principal office Northbridge House Elm St Burnley 8810 1PD Bankers Santander Independent Examiner Mark Heaton FCCA FCIE KM, Chartered Accountants 1st Floor, Block C, The INharf Manchester Rd, Burnley BB11 1JG New Neighbourn Together CIO Trusts•8 Annual Report ft>r the year ended 31st March 2024 The Trustees present their report on the activities of the charity. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES The objects as sel out in the conskn'tulion are: The promotion of social inclusion for the public benefft among people who are asylum seekers and refugees, who are socially excluded on the grounds of their social and economic position, by providing: 1) education and training in the English language and vocational skills. 2) social and recrealional facilities and events involving the local cxjrnmunty. To relieve poverty (or financial hardship) among asylum seekers, refugees and their dependants living in Bumley and neighbouring areas by providing: interpreting, translating, advocacy, health, housing advice and education. 3) To advance the education of the public in general about the i8SL&S relating to refugees and those Seeking asylum. Ststi8tic8 & Re rtsonk• activitie• 1. Advlc•&Advocacy Average figures of 30 client inlerventions weekly across our 3 opening days up to late 23. Mainly walk ins as appointrnent system has proved difficult to establish and is not well used by clients. Individual client records on Advice Pro established. 2. Houslng n•eds T•am Since October 2023 we have seen an average of 25 clients every week helping them find and maintain permanent housing in Burnley and have 26 clients are now being supported by our team in permanent housing. 3. ESOL Average weekty attendances Mondays.. Working wrth EMEL TUTORS in partnership ESOL leading to accredited certificate of attainment from Gloucester College, with average attendances of 15 + Tuesdays.. and skills for life- average of 15 Men Thursdays am.. Mixed conversational ESOL - average 15 mixed attendance. Thursday p.m.: Pre- entry ESOL for Women 10-12 women - with creche 4. Women's Empowernient Course Enabling refugee women to move forward in life goals and employment Successfully completed in June 23- 12 participants and 4 now working as NNT staff or volunteers 5. Social ActivitieslHospitality Since the start of April 2023 we have prOV￿ed 50 40 free hot meals weekly on Tuesdays. Average attendan￿ weekly of 150 enjoying our free cafélsocial space. Hosted a Refugee week event in partnership with LCCI and Bumley Leisure Powerful Womens Course field trip to Manchester Delivered a free pupw theatre show in partnership with Goofus Theatre at Sl Johns. Held a Coronation Paty. Joined a free bike project with New Ground Offered Weekly football sessions in partnership with Burnley Leisure commen￿ a weekly DancelSporVExercise Session for lad￿S at St Peters Centre in partnership with Bumley Leisure COmmen￿d a mixed access Multi sports session on Thursday aftemoons at St Peters with Bumley Leisure Held a women and children Christrnas ￿tebration. Held a Project wide + fn.ends and supporters Christmas event with a Magician. A trip to Frankie & Lolas soft play for preschool children and mums with Byr visit for children and families to BYT theatre perfon￿an￿. Delivered a HAF Children's Holiday Activrty Programme at New Year in partnership with Burnley Leisure for circa 20 children. 6. NHS & Partnership work We hosted 2 monthly NHS outreach dinics Lrfestyle. LCC Children & Family Drop-ln Session running weekly since November 2023 Hosted a fiu and covid vaccinatbon session with GP team. Hosted visrt from Director of Health Inequality for England and NHS Directorate 7. Outreach Members of the team have delivered the following:_ 1 primary school visit 1 visit to poli￿ Communty Team I visit to Bumley East Primary Care group. 2 churches LCC Refugee W￿k conferen￿ Preston 5 more schools sessions teaching year 9 pupils about Asylum Seekers Presentstions to Burnley Bond Holdersl Director of Public Heath Lancashire. 8. Evaluation & Focus Groups Attendance figures re￿rded for all activities. Held 3 focus groups with clients to target sep•ices to women in ESOL and to men in Health and Wellbeing to tsilor the offer appropriately. A further 2 focus groups have been held and services adjusted as per feedback. 1 X Evaluation of Powerful Womens Course 2X Overall client evaluation of SeNi￿S 1 more x overall client satisfaction survey Started a Joumal of Client Testimonials 1 X men's evaluation of Tuesday ESOL lesson lx Google questionnaire for football participants Our resufts demonstrate consistently high levels of satisfaction across the range of our serVi￿S running at a consistent average of 90%+ TBI Hepatttis and Healthy PUBLIC BENEFIT We confirm that the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefrt in undertaking our activities. ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE CHARITY The last year has seen continuing growth and expansion of our services in response to the huge growth in client numbers and the challenges in coping with changing acute client needs following the Home offi￿ decision to fast track many outstanding asylum claims. Last yearfs report concluded with the senten￿'manY challenges lie ahead but this has been a year to rememberf and in many ways this surns up our current report but it is perhaps the size and scale of everything that has proved the greatest challenge. Our client base has doubled in size and is now approaching circa 700 registrations- asylum seekers and refugees massively increasing client demand for help and assistan￿. This was our first year of working with Reaching Communities funding, which allowed us some freedom lo swfftly develop and adapt our service response. increasing our Drop Ins to 3 from 2 per week, and to obtain office premises where clients could also be seen by appointment. However, we needed to take further action in order to effectively respond to the unforeseen increased numbers of clients week on week, and the permanent housing availability crisis for single male refUg￿S (previously placed in Burnley as asylum seekers having gained leave to remain in the Fast Track initiative late 2023). We targeted and increased our local partnership work and were successful in obtaining a grant from Bumley Council allowing us to increase our se￿1￿$ and staffing establishment and set up a specialist 'Help to find Housing. team, taking direct referrals from them. As this year draws to a close we now have 5 members of staff providing an establishment of just over 3 whole time equivalents - 3 of whom we are proud to say are fomer clients, with lived experience of asylum, who are in management positions, helping to guide and develop our services. In addttion we have continued to maintain and train our dedicated volunteer team, recruiting many from our client base, to help deliver our services effectively both in cost and perceived client satisfaction levels. This has been our busiest year on recofd. Everyone has worked extremely hard together as we have continued our mission based in our shared values of Welcome& Inclusion, Justice& Equity, Empowerment & Opportunity. We have targeted training and development across the board from trustees to staff to volunteers as we seek to constantly improve and develop the effectiveness of our services. In addition we are proud to report that our Volunteer Donations Manager won the Burnley Volunteer of the yearAward in 2023. This year has truly been a team effort and our work in Burnley is now being recognised locally and further afield as the Third Sector 'Go to, organisation for all things asylum& refugee related in our town. FINANCIAL REVIEW Our end of year accounts show that our charity is in a reasonable position having met all its obligations despite the challenges of rapid growth and demand in our client group and has built up an unrestricted funding balance of £22,321 to carry forward giving us 2 months + of funding in reserve. This must be balanced against the fact that demand continues to increase at an unforeseen rate for our services and this will present us with challenges in maintaining our current activity and intervention levels going forward. Our staffing budget will continue to grow as increased client numbers exert their upward demands on our service budgets. Our charity is based in community and responds to need at grass roots level. We have little or no control over either the numbers of clients arriving or the changes in the make up of the client group which the Home Office relocate to Burnley. This makes planning and delivering the right type and level of servI￿s, on a consistent continuous basis, difficult and causes financial uncertainty as budgets. particularly staffing, are stretched, going fonvard. Our main funding comes from Reaching Communities and Burnley Council together with smaller funds and donations throughout the year and we are building up our community partnership work to support and improve both services and outcomes for our clients. As we go forward into our next year our Charity will be exploring ways of increasing our earned income and building a larger regular small donor base as well as exploring what other larger funding sources may be available for us to apply to. In conclusion, as always, our charity would like to close this report by thanking all our funders and supporters, large and small, who have walked the path with us during this year. Together with all these individuals and organisations here in our community in our town of Burnley, vrfe look forward to continuing to work with them to a build a culture of welcome and unity founded in respect and mutual understanding as we move into the next year of being New Neighbours Together here in Burnley. STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT The charity is a Foundation Charitable Incorporated Organisation governed by its constitution dated 5th September 2018. All Trustees must be appointed for a term of 3 years by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees. In selecting individuals for appointment as charty trustees, the existing charity trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO. The trustees assess the risks facing the charty on an ongoing basis. Trusteo changes Slnco 1Bt Aprll 2023 to dat• Kristen Smith (resigned 02102124) Julie Sidhu (appointed 03109124) Maureen Butler (appointed 1113124) Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf on 6th January 2025 by.. Trustee