240project.org.uk CIO 1180267
240Project
Annual Report 2021
240Project Gift Care Package
Vision
Our core work is to find ways to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of our members, who suffer from exclusion, isolation, and are vulnerable to addictions and mental health issues. Our members have spent time homeless, and are usually currently housed in hostels, supported housing, or in precarious living conditions.
Our mission involves dealing with complex issues such as addictions, mental health and psychological issues from depression to destructive self-esteem. The organisation now has considerable experience in the kind of interventions that are possible, realistic, and have the potential to produce lasting improvements in quality of life.
240Project (previously Notting Hill Churches Homeless Concern) has been working for over 23 years to find the most effective way to support excluded and isolated people, and improve their day-to-day quality of life, their lived experience. We have tried many things over these years, and some work better than others. There are however a few essential aspects of our approach. The first and most important one is ‘caring’. This is worth unpacking a little because it goes to the heart of the issue. 240Project is structured to put the members’ needs and desires front and centre of what we do. If there is a choice between doing things that will help the organisation but which are at odds with the members’ experience, we will always opt for the members. For instance, we don’t ask for members' names or addresses. We hope they will provide these in time, but it is not a requirement for participating. Anonymity is allowed. This has very significant consequences to us as an organisation, but it means we do not require anything that a member might experience as a violation of privacy from a member. We want to show from the beginning that we are there for them, to do what they feel is needed as long as that comes from a place of genuine caring and does not hurt them or others. By showing we are ‘on side’ we can set up a harmonious relationship from the beginning. After that, we find that as long as a peaceful and productive atmosphere and ethos are fostered, that most members generally appreciate the rules and boundaries that staff and volunteers put in place and deliver through the code of conduct. This combination of respect, caring, and established rules of conduct means that in practice every day there is a peaceful, low stress supportive social environment where people can concentrate on their favourite activity. By attending daily over time our members are able to create new, healthier habits which lead to a more fulfilled daily experience.
Report on the Year
2021 began with a lockdown, which forced us unfortunately to close for two months. During this time we ran the project virtually, via Zoom meetings, ensuring as full a set of services as possible. These included Arthouse Challenges, Yoga, Nutrition for Immunity, Reading Group, Creative Writing, Virtual Daily Meetup, Emotional Support, and Befriending. We ran a Thursday session of Qi Jong, Meditation and Group Chat, while the Friday Art History/Art Workspace continued to run on Zoom. We also ran long group walks (2-3 hours) on Tuesdays and Thursdays that were very popular. We sent our members care packages and top ups for their phones so they could continue to participate.
When we reopened, it was clear that the project was too important to people’s lives to be allowed to close again, so we changed the system in response. Instead of an open house, we moved to a pre-booked system where members needed to call in or otherwise book their session. We had around 23 tables and each member was designated a table to themselves, with space in between them. We also used UV-C lights to remove any potential Covid build up. We had the maximum possibility of 46 members daily by limiting availability to either a morning or an afternoon session.
Mary working on a large piece
The pandemic, as we all know, was catastrophic for vulnerable people’s mental health. Over the year, mental health issues cropped up for a number of our members, one of whom had no family and was sectioned at St. Charles Hospital. Staff responded by going to visit him, bringing games and painting materials. Other sectioned patients at St. Charles asked to join these
sessions, and they were run for several months. From the success and popularity of this informal group art-class at St. Charles, we discovered that there is a deep need for sectioned patients to be provided with activities.
By summer the new system had stabilised and it was felt to be a huge success. People enjoyed having their own assigned table: it made them feel as if they had a mini studio, and enabled them to concentrate better and create more sustained, long-term artistic projects. This had several effects. One was that the keener artists were more likely to pre-book and come. They welcomed the quieter, more concentrated atmosphere and in effect 240Project began to feel like a large, multiple artists’ studio.
This same system was kept up across the year. More tables were added and by the fall we were able to accomodate a larger number of people who had access to the project throughout opening hours.
Psychologically the feeling of the project changed as well. People felt more connected to their art table, and became more invested in their routines. Overall, their relationship with their work deepened, and the quality of the work improved as a result.
By the end of the year, it was clear that this new system was such a success that we have decided that if at all possible we will continue to deliver the project as a more art-centric space where every member attending is issued with either a whole or half a table as a ‘mini-studio’. Health and other creative activities will continue as before.
Monitoring and Outcomes
The lives of our members are complex, and many of our members face multiple challenges on a weekly basis. Often these are chronic challenges due to mental health issues, addictions or complex behavioural problems. We create a community which is safe, secure, harmonious, respectful and kind. This is our most important work and perhaps the hardest to capture in numbers. For those with chronic health issues or conditions, having stability and a safe place where they are valued for who they are can be life saving.
Over the years, we have come to recognise the importance of supporting project members where they are, not where we or others would like them to be. Often our members' mental or physical state will be deteriorating, sometimes terminally, and it is during this period that we sometimes manage to do our most important work. So our achievements reflect this reality.
Achievements
| Number of Members: 80 | % | |
|---|---|---|
| No. of people reporting improvement in wellbeing or Quality of life due to attendance of project |
100 | |
| No. reporting increase or stability in socialisation | 100 |
| No. regularly participating in a group | 100 | |
|---|---|---|
| No. reporting increase in creativity | 94 | |
| No. Increase in Stability/Routines | 86 | |
| No. reporting increased awareness of personal health | 75 | |
| No. reporting improvement in personal habits | 34 | |
| No. reporting improvement in mental health | 78 | |
| No. selling art works at exhibition | 37 | |
| No. involved in volunteering, training, employment | 22 | |
| No of Activity Sessions provided | 468 | |
| No. of trips/presences provided | 211 |
Financial
The fundraising situation in 2021 was difficult. As many other charities have reported, there are ongoing financial repercussions from the pandemic, and we have not been able to raise as much money as we would like. Therefore we will have lower reserves going into 2022.
Statutory matters
2020 was the third year of 240Project since the Charity Commission registered 240Project as a charity. This report therefore contains the information required of charities under the regulations of the Charities Act 1993. The Trustees of the charity are: Mary Ardant, Ken Bartlett, Geoffrey Murray, Fernanda Eberstadt and Catrin Treadwell.
The governing instrument of the society is:
- A Charity Commission scheme constitution dated January 2019
The address of the society is:
- 116 Bramley Road, London W10 6SU
The aims of the society:
The society seeks to help vulnerable and excluded people in North Kensington and West London by raising public awareness of their situation and by initiating projects to address problems experienced by homeless people.
The activities of the society are organised through Trustees who meet regularly with the Director and take decisions as required on the overall program, funding and future events. The Trustees also consider the effect of local and national developments on homelessness and may make representations to decision and policy makers from time to time.
Along with most other organisations and charities, 2021 was a difficult year for the 240Project. The pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns were a major challenge to our abilities to provide on-site services to our users and our ability to fundraise. We are proud of the resourcefulness and determination with which we managed to work our way around these obstacles and provide continuing classes and care to our members, and to come through the year even stronger as an organisation. This success is largely thanks to our extraordinarily dedicated staff who devised safe and successful ways of working so we could continue to provide an excellent service and ensure our members did not become isolated and suffer unduly from the restrictions imposed upon everyone. We would particularly like to thank all trustees, staff, and the many volunteers who create 240Project, in particular our staff Edward Farrelly, Alexandra Brown, Valeria Nicolucci, Simon Parker, and Richard Todd.
Geoffrey Murray Chair
240 PROJECT (CIO No. 1180267)
Accounts for the year ending
31[st] December 2021
Principle Address:
240 Project 116 Bramley Road London W10 6SU
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240 PROJECT (CIO No. 1180267)
CONTENTS
Page 2 Content Page 3 Statements of Financial Activities Page 4 Balance Sheet Page 5-6 Notes to the Accounts Page 7 Independent Examiners Report
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240 PROJECT (CIO No. 1180267)
| Incoming Resources Grant Income Donations Donations in Kind Interest Received Other Total Incoming Resources Resources Expended Salaries & Wages Centre Activities Centre Programme and Food cost Rent & Room Hire Insurance Office Expenses Bank Charges Professional Fees Total Resources used Net (Outgoing)/Incoming Resources Funds brought forward |
2021 2021 2021 2020 Total Total Unrestricte d Funds Restricte d Funds £ £ £ £ 70,710 10,000 80,710 116,325 3,100 3,100 3,905 - - - - 4 4 - 225 - 225 7,316 |
|---|---|
| 74,039 10,000 84,039 127,54 6 |
|
| 75,240 5,449 80,689 80,915 3,372 - 3,372 2,763 - 4,551 4,551 3,069 6,870 - 6,870 7,316 372 - 372 656 3,615 - 3,615 4,668 8 - 8 27 1,900 - 1,900 1,900 |
|
| 91,377 10,000 101,37 7 101,31 4 |
|
| (17,338) - (17,338 ) 26,232 80,730 - 80,730 54,498 |
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240 PROJECT (CIO No. 1180267)
| Funds carried forward Notes FIXED ASSETS 3 Current Assets Bank Account Petty Cash Other Debtors Liabilities Creditors and Accruals 4 Net Current Assets Net Assets Reserves Restricted funds Unrestricted Funds Total Reserves |
63,392 - 63,392 80,730 |
|
|---|---|---|
| 2021 2020 65,055 82,451 287 229 - - 65,342 82,680 1,950 1,950 1,950 1,950 63,392 80,730 - 63,392 80,730 63,392 80,730 |
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240 PROJECT (CIO No. 1180267)
NOTES TO ACCOUNTS
7. Grant Income
| 7. Grant Income | ||
|---|---|---|
| Swire Charitable Trust Pret Foundation Trust Esmee Fairbairn Foundation Trustee Vassiliou Trust Notting hill Methodist Church Calleva Foundation K & C Foundation RBCK (Grenfell Fund) Albert Hunt Pacificus Foundation Hans and Julia Rausing Foundation Total |
2021 Total £ - 10,000 - 1,220 - 15,000 4,770 20,000 - 9,720 20,000 80,710 |
2020 Total £ 5,000 10,000 5,000 787 6,000 50,000 23,548 9,990 5,000 - 1,000 |
| 116,325 |
NOTES TO ACCOUNTS (CONTINUED)
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240 PROJECT (CIO No. 1180267)
8. Statement of funds
| Unrestricte d funds Restricted Funds Pret Foundation Trust Sub total Total Funds |
Brought Forward £ |
Incoming Resources £ |
Resources Expended £ |
Transfer In/Out £ |
Carried Forward £ |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80,730 | 74,039 | 91,377 | (17,338) | 63,392 | ||
| 10,000 | 10,000 | |||||
| - | 10,000 | 10,000 | - | - | ||
| 80,730 | 84,039 | 101,377 | (17,338) | 63,392 |
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