OKEHAMPTON STREET PASTORS Annual Report – 01 Jan 2021 to 31 Dec 2021
Prepared by Julie Yelland
OKEHAMPTON STREET PASTORS
Annual Report - 2021
Organisation Name :
Charity No :
Okehampton Street Pastors 1181119
Principal Address : 21 Brandize Park, Okehampton, Devon EX20 1EQ
Financial Year : 1[st] January 2021 to 31[st] December 2021
Trustees :
Name Office Mrs Julie Yelland Chairman (appointed 27 July 2016) Mrs Juliana Elizabeth Bailey Secretary (appointed 27 July 2016) Mrs Barbara Lynne Fortnam Treasurer (appointed 27 July 2016) Mrs Laura Caroline Bird (appointed 27 July 2016) Ms Susan Ann Eckles (appointed 27 July 2016/Resigned 5 August 2021) Mr Timothy Hooper (appointed 27 July 2016) Mr Barry Stuart Tarr (appointed 17[th] June 2021)
The organisation is controlled by a Board of Trustees who are appointed by a Resolution raised and approved by a majority of the existing Trustees.
Professional Advisers :
Bankers: NatWest Bank, Bedford Square, Tavistock, Devon PL19 0AQ
Report of the Trustees For the year ended 31[st] December 2021
The Board of Trustees present their report and the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2021. Those who served during the year and up to the date of this report are set out above.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in notes to the accounts and comply with the charity’s governing document, the Charities Act 2011 and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities published on 16 July 2014.
History, Objectives and Activities of Okehampton Street Pastors
Okehampton Street Pastors was constituted on 27[th] July 2016 and registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in December 2018. This Annual Report covers the period 1[st] January 2021 to 31[st] December 2021. The Street Pastors are licensed by Ascension Trust, a charity registered in England and Wales, No: 1127204 and company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales, No. 06751712. Ascension Trust is the registered owner of the Street Pastors Trademark and its trading arm, Ascension Commercial Ltd (ACom) No. 7586400, with the registered address of Alpha House, 158 Garth Road, Morden, Surrey, SM4 4TQ. Ascension Trust operates as the umbrella organisation to the Street Pastor Movement.
As a Local Initiative of the Global Street Pastor Movement, our mission is to engage, train and mobilise Christian volunteers from different churches, to be relevant in public life as salt and light addressing issues of vulnerability and social exclusion through the principle of caring, listening and helping people. We work in partnership with the police,
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local authorities and other voluntary organisations to achieve our goals and attain greater social cohesion in our community in line with our objectives.
The objectives of Okehampton Street Pastors are for public benefit, in the geographic area of Okehampton, Devon, England and beyond as the Board of Trustees may from time to time determine in accordance with Charity Law in England and Wales, as follows:
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(1) To advance the Christian Faith in accordance with the Street Pastor Licence Agreement as executed with Ascension Trust in Okehampton as the Board of Trustees may from time to time think fit particularly, but not exclusively, by means of caring, listening and helping people on the streets and at various locations.
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(2) To develop the capacity and skills of socially disadvantaged groups in our community in such a way that they are better able to identify, and help meet, their needs and to participate more fully in society; in particular but not exclusively through raising awareness, promoting, sustaining and increasing individual and collective knowledge, skills and expertise, through the practical development of individual capabilities, competences, skills and understanding through formal training, informal talks and capacity building in voluntary services, according to Christian principles and the Street Pastor Urban Trinity principle of church, police and local government working together for the benefit of the community.
This is being achieved by
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(i) the provision of public pastoral care services to help people on the streets and other public places; giving guidance, support and signposting which assist in preserving public order, avoiding anti-social behaviour, relieving sickness and preserving health and by
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(ii) enlightening others about Christianity through raising awareness and understanding of ecclesiastical relevance to community and public life, mobilising the Church ecumenically to unity of worship and to advance the Christian Faith by carrying out the mission and outreach work of the Gospel for the benefit of the public.
The service offered is available to all regardless of race, gender, disability or religion. The work is developed with regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and the Board of Trustees ensure that all work undertaken is in line with the Organisation’s charitable objectives and aims.
Both the initial donation and additional amounts donated since have been under terms which allow the Board of Trustees to either retain the amounts as capital or to spend them. The governing document gives the Board of Trustees the power to apply the funds in such a manner as they think fit for the benefit of their charitable objective or purpose.
Governance and Management
The Governing Document provides for a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 9 Members on the Trustee Board. Where there is a requirement for new Members, these would be identified and appointed by the remaining Members having due regard to ensuring those with the appropriate skills and knowledge are recruited.
Members of the organisation must subscribe to the mission, goals and values of the Street Pastor Movement, remain active and be willing to participate in and contribute to the work and furtherance of the local Street Pastor initiative.
Being a professing Christian committed to a local Church is a requirement for being a Street Pastor (as permitted under Schedule 9, Part 1 of the Equality Act 2010). Eligibility for Membership is subject to the paragraph above and to a two thirds Christian majority being represented as Members.
The Members are unpaid and details of Member expenses and any related party transactions during the financial year are £0 (2020: £0)
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The Chairman is responsible for the induction of any new Members and will make available to each new Member, on or before their first appointment:
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(a) A copy of the current version of the Constitution; and
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(b) A copy of the organisation’s latest Annual Report and statement of accounts; and
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(c) A copy of the current version of the Ascension Trust Licence Agreement.
Public Benefit
Okehampton Street Pastors acknowledges its requirement to demonstrate clearly that it must have charitable purposes or “aims” that are for the public benefit. Details of how the organisation has achieved this are provided in this Annual Report. The Board of Trustees confirm that it has complied with their duty in section 4 of the Charities Act 2006 to have due regard to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit in exercising their powers and duties.
Risk Assessment
Okehampton Street Pastors is aware that the activities undertaken are subject to significant risks and therefore review these risks on an on-going basis to ensure adequate systems and procedures are in place. If key objectives are to be achieved, the Trustees accept that the management of risk is inevitable. The risks that have been identified are:
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Financial - sufficient funds are available to fulfill the aims of the organization.
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Operational - risks to volunteers
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Achievement - ensuring our aims and objectives and expectations of supporters are met.
In reviewing these risks, the Trustees ensure:
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Close monitoring of cash flow and adherence to agreed budgets
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Regular monitoring of equipment; patrol route; reviewing and implementing training.
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Regular assessment to ensure existing and new projects conform to the overall objectives of the charity.
Achievements and performance of Okehampton Street Pastors
The ability of Okehampton Street Pastors to deliver a service was significantly curtailed due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Decisions of where and when to patrol took into account the national guidelines; level of risk to the volunteers; availability of patrol base and evidence of need. The risk assessment was updated which was circulated to all volunteers.
As the rules relaxed, patrols re-commenced in June 2021 – initially during the later afternoon, and then returning to night time. The volunteers worked over two mixed gender teams and patrolled the town centre twice a month between the hours of 10.00pm and 3.00am on a Saturday night. They continued to build up and strengthen the relationships with the pub door staff, mobile food outlets and taxi drivers who recognise the work and value of Okehampton Street Pastors. We said a sad farewell to two of our volunteers who both left for personal reasons and welcomed a new Street Pastor who transferred in to the team from another area.
During the afternoon patrols, the Street Pastors had opportunity to engage with young people in Simmons Park which was positive. While the team would have liked to have continued to provide the service during the afternoon and night time, there just aren’t enough volunteers currently. It remains an aspiration and there is the potential to recruit specifically for daytime patrols in the future.
There have been 15 patrols during the year. During that time Okehampton Street Pastors spent 267 hours patrolling the streets with Prayer Pastors providing prayer cover. 110 bottles and broken glass have been collected and safely
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disposed of; 179 lollies; 10 pairs of flip flops, 21 bottles of water and 1 space blanket distributed and help offered to a rough sleeper who was referred for homelessness support and two people accompanied to a place of safety.
While details of conversations held are confidential, examples of the impact the team have when on patrol include:
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A conversation with someone who appeared to be homeless. The person was referred into Street Link which is an organisation that exists to help end rough sleeping by enabling members of the public to connect people sleeping rough with the local services that can support them.
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Clearing up where people had gone through bags of clothes that had been donated to one of the charity shops and left outside the front door. The team picked up the clothes, re-bagged them and took them around the back of the building to the backdoor.
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Listening to a man who wished to talk about his views on spirituality and the world.
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Looking after a drunk man who had been abandoned by his friends. The team put a space blanket around his shoulders to keep him warm and stayed with him until someone came to pick him up.
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A taxi driver was concerned about the well-being of a woman and asked the team to talk to her. The lady was very distressed and didn’t want to engage with the team. The volunteers stepped back and radioed the Prayer Pastors for prayer support. After a few minutes, the woman’s husband arrived to take her home.
The local police and the taxi drivers have specifically commented on the peace and calmness that exist on the streets of Okehampton when the Street Pastors are out on patrol. The police have reported that calls to places that are known to attract anti-social behaviour have reduced. This continues to be notable due to the fact that the teams do not deploy every week. The team have had many positive conversations with door staff and members of the public and continue to be warmly welcomed by all.
During the year, Okehampton Street Pastors have directly helped 263 people, have had a positive impact by attending 3 anti-social incidents and been available to help, care for and listen to 530 people.
Members of the Trustee Board have spoken at 2 different events to 40 people highlighting the work of Okehampton Street Pastors. Those who attended expressed considerable interest in gaining an understanding of how the night time economy works and the value that Street Pastors bring in terms of helping; caring and listening to people in a non-judgemental manner.
Under the terms of our Licence Agreement Ascension Trust provide the licence, basic insurance, legal advice and a website. This is funded by the local Street Pastor initiative paying a quarterly fee to Ascension Trust and this was allowed for in our budget.
OSP has its own website: http://streetpastors.org/locations/okehampton/
The service that Okehampton Street Pastors provides is available to all who wish to avail themselves of it. There is a Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults Policy; a General Data Protection Policy; an Equality Policy, a Health & Safety Policy and a Financial Policy together with a Standard Operating Procedure for working with the Police. All policies are reviewed annually and copies are available on request.
Contributions made by volunteers – The Organisation is very grateful to all its volunteers who provide their time and expertise. As of 31[st] December 2021, there are 6 Street Pastors made up of 3 male and 3 female members. They are ably supported by 6 Prayer Pastors made up of 2 male and 4 female members.
Benefit in kind – Storage facilities and a Prayer Base are very kindly provided free of charge by Fairplace Church.
Financial review, investment policy and reserves
Okehampton Street Pastors has no permanent endowment or fixed assets. The net incoming resources for the period 1[st] Jan to 31[st] Dec 2021, after grants and operational expenses of £1,183 (2020: £688) was -£1,051 (2020: - £119). Due to the pandemic, it has not been possible to hold fundraising events or receive enough donations to
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cover our operating costs this year. Okehampton Street Pastors has general reserves which it has drawn down to meet expenditure not covered by restricted funding and has exercised extreme prudence in its spending during the financial year.
Principal sources of funding in 2021:
- Donations for general use
Reserves - The Trustees have set a reserves policy which requires that reserves be maintained at a level which ensures the organisation's core activity could continue during a period of unforeseen difficulty for three months. The reserves are maintained in a readily realisable form. The calculation of the required level of reserves forms an integral part of the organisation's planning, budget and forecast cycle.
It takes into account:
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Risks associated with each stream of income and expenditure being different from that budgeted 2. Planned activity level
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Organisation's commitments
Future plans
Okehampton Street Pastors will continue to fundraise to ensure sustainability of the work; recruit and train volunteers together with raising the profile of the work of Street Pastors.
Annual Report approved by the Board of Trustees at the AGM and signed on its behalf by:
Mrs Julie Yelland (Chairman)
5[th] June 2022 Date
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Statement of Financial Activities for the year to 31st December 2021
| Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds £ £ £132 £0 |
TOTAL 2020 £ £319 £250 132 £22 £7 £97 £413 £149 £0 £0 £0 £0 £0 1,183 -1,051 8,331 7,280 £ 7,280 7,280 0 7,280 |
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|---|---|---|
| RECEIPTS | ||
| General Donations Restricted Funding Total Receipts |
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| 132 0 0 97 252 670 0 149 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 0 0 0 |
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| EXPENDITURE |
Accounts approved by the Board of Trustees at the AGM and signed on its behalf by:
Mrs Julie Yelland (Chairman)
Mrs Barbara Fortnam (Treasurer)
15[th] June 2022 Date
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