Annual report for Suvai Deaf East Community 2020/21 Charity Name: Suvai Deaf East Community (SDEC) Charity Number: 1180055 Address: 124 Horns Road, Essex, IG2 6BL Period: 01/04/2020 to 31/03/2021 ## Structure SDEC was set up and registered as a charity in September 2018. Prior to this, it was a community cafe but it was struggling as a business and we believe that by setting up as a charity, it enabled us to access more funding and also to set up more community focused activities such as clubs and workshops, and utilising volunteers. We did struggle to access funding when we first started as a charity. ## Charity’s Aims Social inclusion for deaf people, education and encouraging and instilling confidence in our users. We aim to reduce the isolation felt by members of the deaf community and improve mental health and wellbeing. SDEC is run by four trustees and some paid staff, working together with BSL interpreters. This is our second set of accounts. ## Vision To support and empower the deaf community, improve their quality of life, reduce isolation and improve mental health and wellbeing. Encourage positive attitudes and aspire to a positive future. ## What we do We opened the charity to offer education and training as well as social clubs and fitness activities, for deaf women and men. Our services are available to all deaf people, from children to old people and all genders, with a particular emphasis on BME and grassroots deaf people. We do not yet have our own Advice and Advocacy service but we have links with other local organisations where we can signpost beneficiaries if we are unable to cover their support needs. Our main focus is on reducing isolation and setting up social events, outings and clubs for all ages. ## About SDEC The charity really struggled financially in its first year and was severely impacted by Covid-19 restrictions as we had to close between March 2020 and October 2020 so couldn’t run any activities. When we opened back up again in October 2020, we were able to run small events and activities. We still struggled with funding, but our beneficiaries benefited from our activities after lockdown. We organised a Christmas party in Kings Cross where families came at a designated time to meet signing Father Christmas and the Elves, get presents for the children and food hampers for the family. We offered a hot meal collection/delivery service as we were unable to have people in the cafe to eat in due to Covid-19 restrictions. The restrictions affected the older deaf community more, who struggled with accessing services remotely so we were able to provide some support and reassurance when they came in to collect their food, or else signpost to other appropriate organisations. In 2021 there was another lockdown and again we struggled to keep providing services to our beneficiaries due to restrictions. We couldn’t really offer many activities as we were restricted on meeting people face to face but we tried our best to keep going and to maintain links with the deaf community. We were able to provide food parcels to 40 families who were struggling and we set up a walking club (outdoors so we were able to have a larger group) and also signposting elsewhere if we weren’t able to help directly. ## Vision/Beliefs Our services are aimed at the deaf community with the overarching aim to improve the quality of life of members of this community. With all our staff and trustees being deaf, we have lived experience of the barriers and issues facing our beneficiaries and share a common connection with them. Our work is aimed at the deaf community, but we also work with hearing communities to forge links and break down barriers. We aim to provide access to opportunities, encourage, motivate and inspire deaf people. We encourage independence and empowerment in the deaf community, instil a sense of community, pride and working together, to reduce isolation, stress and mental health struggles. ## How we coped during lockdown It was really hard during lockdown, as a new charity, with limited experience and limited funds, we struggled greatly. We utilised the furlough scheme so our paid staff would be looked after financially for about 6 months, from April to September 2020, with 80% of pay provided by the Government. This was a huge relief. When we re-opened in October 2020, we came back to service slowly and fortunately were awarded funding from Award for All, Big Lottery, Voice4Change, Mayor of London and several other small grants. These grants allowed us to run a few new projects, as well as have our rent and staff costs covered which was a big relief. We applied to Trust for London but found the funding process to be very difficult. We are awaiting a decision on this and, if successful, this will fund activities for three years, including deaf club and social club. We really hope to be successful with this funding application. ## Covid-19 lockdown and re-opening in October 2020 This was an extremely worrying time for us and we worried about our clients and staff. Trustees kept in regular contact with staff via video calling, which reassured them. We also kept in regular contact with clients, also via video calling, to check in on them and make sure they were ok, offering signposting where needed. When we returned to service, we had to come up with new strategies of working and keep abreast of the ever changing Covid-19 rules. We slowly started to build back up our services then were hit with another lockdown in December 2020. In this second lockdown though, we were able to keep running, using the learning from the first time round. We had to adapt our services and style of work accordingly as well as adapt our funded projects. We openly communicated with funders and worked with them to ensure our services still achieved the same/similar outcomes but with a modified method, and to ensure we were still in line with their funding criteria. Future plans, for 2021/22 We will endeavour to apply for more funding, to enable us to provide more services. We are hopeful that we will be awarded funding from Trust for London which will enable us to run activities for three years. If successful, this project will focus on setting up and running clubs for the deaf community, such as older people lunch club, over 40s club, kids’ club, family club, women only club, fitness club, walking club and afternoon tea club. We believe that if we are successful with this funding, it will open the doors for further funding opportunities from other funders. Writing funding bids continues to be a struggle for us, as a group of deaf trustees with BSL as our first language, applications focusing on written English are a big barrier for us. To date, the majority of our grants and funding have been for small amounts, but we have worked well with limited funds and used funds wisely to get a lot of value for money - hot meal service, food hampers and walking club for example. We have maintained a connection with the deaf community and they have felt reassured and supported by our presence. We have placed a significant portion of our efforts into the deaf BME community and grassroots deaf people, for whom access is even more difficult than the general deaf population. nd , aw,1'41 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Suval D•af East Cohununlty 1180066 Receipts and payments accounts forth• 9￿0d rnV20 CC16a To Section A Receipts and payments funds En¢fokNTMint Totsl lund5 LAsty•hli l•th• 1 R•o•l Fund r3ts1 Grant$ HMRC 734 71 Sub tOtsl(Grnss intX*mg lor A2As¥•t and tnv•Bkn•nt *•l••. 28,780 28,780 3P• nkc 4nt*ln•nc• 12 1Q 21 Sub tot• IX SJ,12 A4 As¥•t Inv•stm•nt uroh4s•¥ • t•bl• Sub to ¥1120 24,701 Not of r•e•lpts/(p•ym•nts) AS Tr•Mf•rs l>•ts¥••n fvnd Ae C￿h fvnd¥ l*#ty••r •nd Cash funds th1• y••r 27,2 2.02 2,024 2.Q28 Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period C#tBllttri05 Unrestr¢tsd D•tails R•strictsd funds Endowm?nt B1 Cash fund$ 28 27JB6 CCXX Rl a{￿￿￿ ISSI 3￿lf22 Ca*E(•p¥•MrJ ¢wr•&tt ¥•lu• CuN•ffl¥•lu• B4 A8••ts r•tsln•d for th• oharlty'8 ljwn IW• f•*thb Am•urtth Vlhn du• 8$ Uabllltl signgd ty on6 or￿trutte88￿n bth• of lil the I￿￿te•S Prfrrt Nwn? 01.11 L* ItJ-11.L 3W1r22 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ￿￿LAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Se¢tion A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of Suvai Deaf East Community On aocounts lor th• ymr •nd•d 31 March 2021 Charity no (if any} 1180055 S•t out on pa9•S I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of th8 abov• charty fttM Tnffj for the year ended 31KJ312021. R•#pon$lblliti•8 and ba8ls of rnport As thè charity's tr￿. you aye responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordancè with the requiremonts of th8 charit￿ Ad 2011 Ilhe Acr) I report In respo￿ of my examtnation of the Trusvs accounts carrled out undor section 145 of the 2011 Act and in ¢arrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicabk• Diro¢tions given by the Chaiity Commisgion under section 145(5){b) of the Act. Indep•ndont •xamln•rfs statem•nt I have no concems and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn In this report in Order to enable 8 proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Sign•d: Dat•: 3110112022 Nam•: M Waqas Rehman R•l•vant prof•sslonal qualifl¢*tlon(s> or body {If any): ACCA Addr•u: 167 City Road London EC1V 1AW Section B Disclosurè ￿n￿ pomplplg rf tha aYgthmiil•r n••d¢ lo hi9hlighl ma*•riAI rnottoro of c¢n¢orn {see CC32, Independent oxambnation of charity accounts.. direction8 and guidan￿ for examinèrs). IEFI Oot 2018 Give hern brief details of any itsms that the examiner wish¢$ to diseloso. IER QIA 2Q18 (HARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examinerfs Report Report to the trusteesl members of Suvai Deaf East Community On accounts for the year ended 31 March 2021 Charity no (rf any) 1180055 Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my examination of the a¢¢ounts of the above charity ("the Trust") for the year ended 3110312021. R•sponsibiliti•8 and basls of report As the charty's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordan￿ with the requirements of the Charilies Act 2011 (Ihe ACV). I report in respect of my examinatlon of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 ofthe 2011 Act and in carying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by th8 Charrty Commlssion under section 145(51(b) of the Act. Ind•pondont •xamin•rfs stat•m•nt I have no concems and have come across no other matters in conn8Ction with the examination to which attents'on should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding ol the accounts to be reached. 81gn•d: Dats: 3110112022 Nam•: M Waqas Rehman Relevant professional qualificationls) or l)ody Ilf any): ACCA Address: 167 Cty Road London EC1V 1AW ection B Disclosure Only complete if the examinei needs lo highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts.. directions and guidance for examiners). IER Oot 2018 Give here brief details of any items that the examlner wishes to disolose. IER Oct 2018