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2022-03-31-accounts

End of Year Evaluation Report Trustees’ Annual Report

Samsons Academy Charity (1181882) Impact Report April 2021 to March 2022

Foreword from the Chief Operating Officer

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This has been another fantastic year in the life of Samsons. The board of trustees, delivery partners and volunteers have continued to grow this much needed space for those in the local area who need us. We are continuing to make huge strides into our charitable goals and objectives and thanks to the dedication of everyone involved we are well on our way. Our projects and courses that we have run have proved to be an enormous success for all those who have attended, have surpassed our initial targets and have continued to draw interest above the number of placements currently offered. There have been so many successes with our projects that I am having a tough time singling out any specific achievement. They have all .been fantastic and the results speak for themselves

The space and services that Samsons provides continues to give everyone and anyone who needs a place to discover their true potential as well as continuing in breaking down social exclusion barriers, start conversations, and provide a safe space. Samsons is going from strength to strength and we recently celebrated our fifth birthday, which is a testament not only to our need within the community but to the hard work of everyone involved within Samsons. Here is to another 5 years and beyond for our amazing charity. I, personally, am very proud to be part of this. The Trustees confirm hat they have compiled with the duty in Section 17 (5) of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard o the guidance published by the Charity .Commission

Dorian NR Alexis

………………………………………………

Dorian NR Alexis Chief Operating Officer

Chair of Trustees Report Author Christopher J Duncan

Report Au
Ch
air of Trustees		 thor Christopher J Du thor Christopher J Du ncan
Lead Community Engagement Anita Powell Contributions from
Advocate
Niki Kell
Forensic Psychologist
Counsellor/Director Meaningful Clare Copleston
Education/Tutor
Lead Boxing Coach
Bedfordshire Elite Boxing		 Avi Kalyan
Academy
Project Co-ordinator Sports in Schools Claire Ovenell
Lead Coach McGowan Muay Thai Dan McGowan
Lead Counsellor/Director Therapy With../Tutor Po Chan
Naz Ahmed
Lead Tutor SIA
Dorian Alexis
COO/Psychologist
CSE Tutor & Programme Zenah Ahmed
Manager/Advocate
samsons-academy.org Website
Facebook
Samsons Academy UK

Samsons Academy Charity, Unit 1, 1 Shuttleworth Road, Elms Farm Ind, Address Bedford MK41 0EN

Samsons Academy Charity, Unit 1, 1 Shuttleworth Road, Elms Farm Ind,
Bedford
MK41 0EN		 Samsons Academy Charity, Unit 1, 1 Shuttleworth Road, Elms Farm Ind,
Bedford
MK41 0EN		 Samsons Academy Charity, Unit 1, 1 Shuttleworth Road, Elms Farm Ind,
Bedford
MK41 0EN		 Samsons Academy Charity, Unit 1, 1 Shuttleworth Road, Elms Farm Ind,
Bedford
MK41 0EN
Current Trustees 2022/2024
Commenced
Mr CJ Duncan
Chair
April 22, 2022
Dr Lianna B Valerio
Trustee
February 05, 2018
April 22, 2022 Chair
February 05, 2018 Trustee
Trustee
February 05, 2018		 Ms Maggie Constable
Mrs J Hudson-Lett
Trustee (Resigned)
February 05, 2018
Mr R Aghera
Trustee
February 05, 2018
Mr Ashley Nahar
Trustee
February 05, 2018
Mr G Moliterno
Trustee
October 01, 2022
Trustee
February 05, 2018
Trustee
October 01, 2022

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Trustee
April 17,
2022		 Ms K Dubarry
Mrs Melanie Stratton
Trustee
August 27, 2022
Ms Sabrina D’Almeio
Trustee
February 05, 2018
Mr Yusuf Pickstock
Trustee
February 05, 2018
Executive Summary

We have been delivering combative sports for 6 years at Samsons Academy Charity. Our boxing coaches have been working with young people around Bedfordshire who have been experiencing issues and problems around accessing educations, employment and training. We came second in Project of the Year with the National Lottery in 2021 and have continued to build our relationship with the NLF. We remain in talks with them about funding three of the below projects for a two year period, this will enable us to build stronger foundations within the community around our delivery. This will also enable to organisation to build capacity so we are not caught up in chasing funding instead of building community resilience. Our coverage this year has been vastly increased from the projects we delivered in the middle of a global pandemic. This year alone, we have worked with 2,400 people across Bed, Herts and Bucks. We .have not included the Herts/Cambs based project in this report

and 2022 have been telling years for the academy. Insomuch we have grown in the 2021 number of community based projects we have been involved with. But also, the number of people we have worked with or come into contact with. We have excelled in our men’s health projects seeing the BBC reach out to us about the initiative work we have been carrying out and delivering around Bedfordshire. We have started to reach funders who are prepared to work with us on projects not yet carried out in Bedford. The number of young disenfranchised people we work with has grown to an extent we have allocated a dedicated Engagement Co.ordinator to oversee some of the satellite projects we deliver

We hope the intervention we have established over the past few years will show you that we are determined to continue to attain our charitable aims and goals. We hope to continue to grow in such a way we maintain a holistic and therapeutic approach to our delivery and always .have at the forefront of our minds why we do what we do

Current Course ran between January 2021 and April 2022

This project tends to work with larger groups of young people who have been identified as belonging to or have had contact and exposure to gang related activity. Bedford has had a growing number of young people who have some form of gang affiliation or .membership/association

This course (Time2Train, Resolution & CSE Weekend Programme) are ran for 12 weeks where the cohorts are taught lessons around timekeeping, following instructions, health and safety, marketing and many other themes you will find in the work-place, team work, leadership and role responsibilities. We were able to run this for a further 6 weeks (Time2Train and Resolution) due to an extension in the funding we received. Stronger Souls Boxing has been based now at Samsons Academy for the past 16 weeks, moving away from Boxing Saves Lives they have branched out and provide bespoke sessions within schools focusing on behaviours, concentration, self-esteem, confidence and self-control. The cohorts we work with are normally referred to from parents, schools and also self-referrals at times. Some of them undertake this course prior to joining Bedfordshire Elite Boxing Academy which is also based at Samsons .Academy. This is where they learn the fundamental skills around boxing and control

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? Were the projects completed as planned

.Yes, the projects were started and completed on time and all within the allocated budgets

We haven’t had any concerns with any of the other projects we are and have ran and the rest of the delivered projects are due to end on time, within the given parameters of service .delivery

A couple of the projects are due to start, such as The Cassandra Project which looks at many of the issues young women and young females have to encounter. Sanitary Towel Poverty (STP) is a real thing. With many young females of school age unable to purchase sanitary towels. We were approached by Kotex to ease the issue of STP in some schools around Bedfordshire. This project will be headed up by Anita Powell, Lead Community Engagement Advocate (part time .post funded by the Harpur Trust)

The CSE project was potentially the hardest one to engage young females onto. So, we had a change of thought and decided to educate the males as part of the programme delivery. So far to date, we have delivered 10 weekends of self-defense and classes directed to the young women we work with a further 4 weekends where we have had an all male cohort group. We have seen an increase across Bedfordshire of young females needing additional support from .some harder to reach communities

What were the achievements in relation to the aims and objectives of the ? projects

When setting up the goals with the young people who are involved with this project, they are asked what type of goals do they want to achieve. Each young person is treated as an individual, all goals and learning objectives are also individual insomuch that each learner learns at different rates. To ensure they do not feel different from not picking something at a .different speed to the others each young person has individual goals to achieve

LDW is a 17 year old male from Bedford, he was mentored throughout his college course after becoming statutorily homeless for a period. He managed to maintain his college placement, attend and sit all of his assessments as well as passing his course with Distinctions. He was given a mentor so that he could meet with them once a week. All young people are paired off with a mentor which comes under the 100 Men/Women Mentor Project and some under a Band .of Brothers Men tal Heal th

With Band of Brothers Mental Health, we exceeded our operational and delivery expectations. One of the project outcomes was to train up 100 Men in Bedford. This project has fortunately surpassed our expectations where we have to date trained owe 2000 people across Beds, Herts and Bucks using at the Zero Suicide Alliance Programme and ASIST [Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training]

https://www.facebook.com/101814055524932/posts/pfbid0342caph9KsmgTaaw2sfoyxAMLFTgZaQJ6PUuJpw3dukKDS9Y DxU7QbEvkFUrd3A3ul/?app=fbl

We carried out a successful comedy night on the 13th August 2022, Stand Up To Suicide hosted 3 comedians. Curtis Walker, Annette Fagon and Rudi Lickwood performed for the above mention cause. All 3 have offered to become Ambassadors for SUTS Band of Brothers Mental Health Project. The night was about suicide intervention and prevention awareness training. We signed off a further 58 people that evening alone, with others completing the course that

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weekend. One audience member said “It was such an emotional night dealt with exceptional ”dignity and tact. Thank you for such a wonderful and informative funny evening

https://www.facebook.com/101814055524932/posts/pfbid033AVC7fmkjSF36hmnwu7QX8GUM7tjYBvjLDKrseoqC8FKZjw RNoUhJdpg73bLF7Wl/?app=fbl

The boxing academy continues to meet 3 times a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday’s at 7pm until 9pm. Between 40 and 52 young people between the ages of 9 years of age and 30 years of age. Both male and female athletes train together under the responsibility of Avi & .Man Kalyan (L3 Coaches) and Len Fuller (L4) who are All England Boxing Coaches

The club recently celebrated having two All England Champions in the club wining their titles over a month of boxing competitions around the country. Both come from harder to reach communities and are now lined up to turn semi-pro at the end of 2023. They have been .supported with their studies as well as receiving support by one of the counselling team

Jennifer Stoute recently came on board as an Ambassador for The Cassandra Project. Jennie is an ex Olympic sprinter and medalist, tv personality (Rebel on ITV’s Gladiators) and model. She also runs a successful sports agency in London with her business partner John Regis, also ex Olympic sprinter and medalist. Jennie came on board after meeting Anita Powell, Lead Community Engagement Advocate, at Magic FM in Manchester where they were both being .interviewed or the Davina McCall series on the menopause with BBC1

Alex Goulding another Ambassador has been working with our young male cohort (15 to 23 .years of age) on several of these projects delivered

Outcomes and Goals

Project: Time2Train

Project: RESOLUTION Dying to Belong

Project: Band of Brothers Mental Health

https://www.facebook.com/100070999033821/posts/pfbid0rhHCdHw7HqheGSDyhaHnyMr6ZQfNxPAXoGQCryrd5j74q2kv Jto6n3jirUqfzh7Bl/?app=fbl https://www.facebook.com/101814055524932/posts/pfbid0piicdTaRbKTqzR27ksipPjWY45azPRm2G2MLhtEH1LgdQCh5T q8qsYhh6kR6p5aQl/?app=fbl https://www.facebook.com/100070999033821/posts/pfbid02c2e94FmGx3EJqe7NXhbPCQ5pH3SryweGSbZwo5PLCrpaYG yttGP4BpXH7LBhSEJHl/?app=fbl

Project: Menopause Alliance

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https://www.facebook.com/100070999033821/posts/pfbid0QZLK3bBJv6JHLazfEHbfCkA7Jm9d4Y9F4fDYtCbtms1T5XZW1 Uvew27o2Lp3amzxl/?app=fbl https://www.facebook.com/100070999033821/posts/pfbid08M2zXrYsVdGJgbyo7s8LibqNGMaRVEyRz2MTt7ukYLrMqJ3av UeFvHQbchv2mKGml/?app=fbl

https://www.facebook.com/101814055524932/posts/pfbid07o36oi41KSzPqmsWzoWsYkRnciukJxKW69MKq6uGtdzT4kHa H5tGsTxUZmEiaakNl/?app=fbl

Project: Bedfordshire Elite Boxing Academy

https://www.facebook.com/101814055524932/posts/pfbid02UP91VDnWqmdBYEHWZ4FA9Fh1gg1LVkGsy9nfjEWUbBCAo 4EC49kLURnncGDwJwaMl/?app=fbl

Project: Covid Support in the BME Community

https://www.facebook.com/101814055524932/posts/pfbid05jzp7ZkZZNrDXbDhZRaZpdy1ZS73Zw2RpXwpeC2Gpr7cyxj2

FbDPeBZJ1mRLh4Mil/?app=fbl

https://www.facebook.com/101814055524932/posts/pfbid0EVVn1N1Fh74gA7u29rvo5YbAR8aMjvxzXYBswjr7S8Jh2pRim 7txw9zTDa3HD6JNl/?app=fbl

Project: SIA Training & Development

https://www.facebook.com/100070999033821/posts/pfbid0jdXJueXcDEt3VPgABqY7atMoeNUJwe4aKYDSAwEaDBBK65tsusJeDjnYJ EzPkAqel/?app=fbl

Project: The Cassandra Sports Empowerment Project

https://www.facebook.com/101814055524932/posts/pfbid02zrV9QzfJePq9NoCPMUKe9L3Kb82CSFKPGwfzn5NyJ2G8XqX wsm7nqLBRsQ4BMdecl/?app=fbl

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https://www.facebook.com/101814055524932/posts/pfbid02BqHr1yRKQD8QfsyS6fCxQABvfhET27tF6Pb9rJyPyv3e9bsYe 7vM8vvCniCqN3kJl/?app=fbl

Project: 100 Men/Women Mentor

https://www.facebook.com/101814055524932/posts/pfbid02dMdjw8rPT1zkZydw1rUDUcerx7hDUtC7ry4bYGqDdkT8fAAJ eSn24FPuriY6a1cFl/?app=fbl

? What the barriers or challenges did you face in implementing the projects

During the delivery of the course, we found that over 70% of the cohort had attendance which exceeded 60%. We had 3 young people whose attendance was less than the pass rate for the course. We had to work with them to increase their attendance and adherence to the course aims. Some of the other barriers encountered were peer pressure not to conform, missing sessions or not completing their personal journals as agreed. This was made easier for some who stated that their literacy skills were not sufficient enough for them to carry out this part of the course. They were all encouraged to make video diaries of their journey through the project which were then shared with their permission with our in-house counselling and therapy .service

Many of the cohort come from areas where they belong to a gang a group etc. many people hear the word gang and automatically associate the negative connotation of this. Many hang out with likeminded individuals that do not perpetuate the generic stereotypical ‘gang’. With the current cost of living crisis which is sweeping the country, many young people who are not in secure home establishments are turning to criminal activity to be able to live. We have seen .the number of young people turning to shoplifting and youth criminality on the increase

What were the apparent strengths and weaknesses of each stage of the ? intervention

None were made apparent at the time of review of the course. However, with time we expect .that more weaknesses and strengths will become clear with time

One which I suspect is the following, when funding projects is kept to small amounts instead of fully funding higher levels of continued intervention, progress and setbacks can sometimes be endemic. The intervention the academy implements is a programme of learning each stage cannot be separated, which could be considered a weakness. It is carried out this way so that all of the cohort move through the course together. Each individual learning plan is set to the .ability of the individual

Many of the cohort come from areas where they belong to a gang a group etc. Many people hear the word gang and automatically associate the negative connotation of this. Many hang out with likeminded individuals that do not perpetuate the generic stereotypical ‘gang’. With the current cost of living dilemma which is sweeping the country, many young people who are not in secure home establishments are turning to criminal activity to be able to live. This was gleaned from data which was compiled through the use of questionnaires and direct .conversations during activity sessions and counselling sessions

? Did the community understand the intervention

The community are aware of some of the courses we run. Some we do not for reasons of security, confidentiality, privacy, and safeguarding. For the following reasons, breaches in trust

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and confidentiality could transpire if the public were aware of the full extent of some of the courses. Time2Train and RESOLUTION being two of those courses which might attract some trouble as you are fundamentally getting groups of young people together who may have had some form of disagreement together and having to work through the issues there and then. The element that touches on CSE is not known so that any young person accessing this is not .put at risk, ‘patterning’ or ridicule

Whereas, with Band of Brothers is all about exposure and desensitisation and being able to talk about suicide. To date, we have engaged with just under 900 people in the community. Our social media over the months the BBC production team were filming at the academy rose substantially. We saw a wider proportion of the community contacting the engagement team .regarding on-going projects

Each month we are receiving more and more emails, requests and enquiries about some of our services. We have to be very culturally aware of the CSE project as some of the content they are exposed to and some of the content they bring to the group can be upsetting. This is why .we have now bought in a specialist Co-ordinator to manage this area of our delivery

Were resources available to sustain project activities, and how will the ? project be sustained

All resources needed are available at the Academy already. We are fortunate enough to be one of only a handful of charities in Bedford that has their own premises. We have some equipment due to securing funding from the National Lottery previously to purchase boxing equipment, boxing ring, matts, punch bags, gym equipment, skipping ropes etc. and other vital things. We still had to cover lunches, and refreshments as a large majority of the young people who access these courses do not have much disposable income to provide additional lunches and meals outside the home environment. For longevity and sustainability funding needs to be planned earlier on with a schedule of delivery for each project. Some

? What was the wider impact of the project for younger people/communities

The impact the project has had on younger people in the community gives them the security of belonging to a group which covers a large geographical area of Bedfordshire. They become ‘friends’ with others on the course they may never have spoken to previously. They start to recognise the similarities they face with others, their backgrounds, families etc. Within the communities, they start to understand how their behaviours affect others around them. They become more aware of what is deemed as anti-social, they learn about restorative justice and .recidivism

We have seen more parents emailing the Academy asking for information about the boxing academy and if it will be branching out to their schools over the next academic terms. There has been an increase in the number of referral from the harder to reach communities around the interventions we can offer as well as support for young people needing additional .educational and emotional support

Why is this not taught in schools seeing as most of us have access to the internet on ” our phones

“

How come pregnancy in Europe for young people our age is much lower than the UK “ ?” of consent is much lower in some parts of Europe where the age

We have had reports/conversations of some young people using dating apps such as Tinder, Plenty More Fish and Grindr where some state their friends use it/them to get gifts, money and .alcohol from guys that like them

? What key publicity was undertaken

We put posts out on our social media platforms as we do with all our projects. In addition, we

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worked with BBC1 for 3 months on the band of Brothers Project which will be aired in September 2022. This was for a programme called WE ARE ENGLAND . We have also had 6 articles in at the Bedford Independent newspaper reporting on the work we have been carrying out in the wider community. Our lead on community engagement has also appeared as a guest on BBC Morning Breakfast, was interviewed for Magic FM in Manchester and was also asked to be a lay panelist on ITV. She has been on 3 Counties Radio more times than I care to recall and .has a growing following of people on twitter and follow her blogs on the menopause

The Senior Management team were invited recently to present a lecture to the Home Office last year and have been invited to present to their High Impact Engagement team again this year coming year. We have also been working more closely with the VERU Village preferred providers across Bedfordshire. They have been responsible for a large number of projects .delivered in schools and colleges

? What are your overall comments about the projects experience

The young people who accessed the course stated in the feedback that they could see the benefits of the course. They said it would be better if this was offered in schools from the age of 10 upwards. To stop things spiralling out of control, intervention and early intervention are paramount to reducing the number of suspensions, expulsions and young people just not engaging with education. (Time2Train and RESOLUTION)

Other students stated the courses where they had direct contact with the tutors was invaluable. The SIA course has a 98% pass rate, with a take-up on employment being 80%. This course is directed towards 18 year old plus. A large percentage of the cohort are from BME backgrounds (76%). We have also seen an increase in the number of females applying to undertake the SIA course. The impact of this is as followed, we will be allowing Anita Powell to .train as a tutor to assist in the delivery of the SIA course. (SIA Training and Development)

GM, a father of one of the people who took their own life in 2021 stated

,

If he had undertaken the suicide awareness on-line training he believes his son would today. He feels he would have been more aware of his son’s battle with still be alive . mental illness (Band of Brothers Mental Health Project)

With an increase to 683 people including women who have also completed this. We have been targeting barbers in the 3 counties to have someone, if not all of them use the on-line training as it has been observed in recent studies that men tend to speak more freely in male orientated spaces. This has involved monthly meetings on a Saturday night at Samsons Academy where the Band of Brothers members meet up. (Band of Brothers Project)

The Governance Process

We have meetings with the Community Engagement team every Monday at 9.30am for 2 hours, this is attended by the COO, Head of Finance, Course Leaders and the 3 Comms Engagement Advocate, Outreach and Administrator. This is followed by a Finance meeting with KWY, myself and one of the Trustees. This normally takes an hour where we look at current .applications etc. and funds we have secured

All course facilitators are expected to convene a review process after each full week of a courses delivery. This takes place with two representatives from the course, namely young people or an older adult. This is then fed into a monthly meeting with all facilitators and course .leaders/instructors

Part of this model is the Advisory Model where parts of the courses or projects we put on are led by professionals who come in to deliver the course on our behalf. Part of it is the

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Management Team Model and some the Policy Board Model. We ensure our governance is up to date and totally transparent. While the board is accountable for oversight of the governance process, management is responsible for implementing the policies and procedures through which governance occurs within the organisation. The board is responsible for understanding— and for advising management on—the processes through which governance occurs within the .organisation, and is accountable for the results of those processes

Management is responsible for the governance processes and their workings, and for their results. A governance operating model may assist the board and management in fulfilling their governance roles. Such a model is likely to enable the board and the executive leadership to organise the governance structure and the mechanisms by which governance is implemented. By the same token, the lack of a governance operating model may lead to an incomplete or faulty governance structure, or to inconsistencies, overlaps, and gaps among governance mechanisms. Such inadequacies may lead to failure to enact governance policies that the board and management have put in place. We try and ensure this is not the case with regular .reviews and by using the guidance provided by the Charities Commission

We carry out an evaluation with them by conducting a series of questionnaires before they commence a course or project with us. They also have to attend a meeting at the start of any project we deliver and also at the end as well. Only recently we met with 44 young people from 3 different projects we delivered and 31 older hardly reached adults in the month of February. We also ask the participants what outcomes they want to achieve or aim for, along with the objectives we believe or the funders would like us to look out for. Our Safeguarding is fairly robust, we have access to a LADO and IRO, Independent Reviewing Officer from Sussex Social .Services

Bringing People Together and building strong relationships in and across the communities

We continue to bring people together utilising the projects and the community participation we engage in. With the introduction of the Community Engagement Advocate and the Community Engagement Outreach Worker (x2) with the continued work of the Community Fund Officer(s) we are able to reach a large population of the local and wider community. The work carried out by the team enables the organisations to plan what we are doing periodically and consistently. We hold regular meetings with groups based around Bedford to consult on issues our charity works towards combatting, for example, the work we carry out and deliver around CSE. We were successful in attaining a grant from the House of Industry only this year after another organisation had applied for the same grant. We were able to demonstrate that due to our links in the community and our constant engagement from community members and leaders, we were able to show a stronger form of understanding and cohesion as some of our beneficiaries .and delivery partners come directly from these communities

We intend on improving the space we currently occupy at Elms Farm Industrial estate in Bedford. The academy is a safe space many have come to use of the 4 years and a space that many more over the national lockdown have started to use. Even when the Afghan refugee crisis started last August we as an organisation were able to implement a crisis plan we had already had to put in place around refugee support. We were able to get aid out to Calais with the support of Stand Up To Racism and Care 4 Calais, two organisation we had not previously worked with until the lockdown. We then were able again to implement the refugee plan more recently with the Ukraine and Russia conflict. We started working with three other organisations in the local area to support people fleeing conflict. This can be seen on our website and social .media platform about the wider links we are forging in the wider community

Previously, we had never worked with these organisations until one of our Trustees had a chance meeting with a worker from one of the newer organisations we started partnering with. One of the comments that they made when we invited them to a stakeholders meeting was, ‘they never knew we existed’. They now use our space to undertake some of their humanitarian work and we are happy to work with them. We need to renovate some the space we currently inhabit which will make our overall efficacy far improved and a space that others .can use more accessible

Supporting people to reach their potential has always been a key performance indicator within

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Samsons. By tracking where our cohorts start out and mapping their journey with regular periodic checks/reviews, we have been able to maintain a longer more transactional relationship with them. They are able to tangibly see where they are heading and more importantly where they have come from. Being able to access they

counsellors/therapists/tutors/mentors and facilitators through the current programs we have ran, it enables us as a team to support and address concerns at the earliest possible .opportunity

The Impact Your Proposal will have and the difference it will make/Delivery Plan

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6pm 45 to 60 young/people/adults come together for Bedfordshire Elite Boxing Academy. There they are taught the skills of competitive All England Boxing and train together. Most of these young people have been involved in some form of youth criminality or gang affiliation. Some have been bullied at school and college and want to be able to look after themselves. Some want to increase their skills in the ring to compete. What they all have in common is they all belong to a family, that family being a club where they get continual emotional support, psychological support, peer support and friendship. Positive relationships where they are able to notice when something in their lives may be maladaptive or toxic. The ability to be able to communicate when something in their lives is going wrong and seek solutions which will keep them safe or less vulnerable. Instead of having to run separate projects which only take them so far we want to be able to support them longer .with more longevity

Getting as many of the young people and young adults into further education or employment or training is paramount. Getting them to recognise they have other choices in life other than following down the route of siblings or sometimes parents into criminal activity is an option, an option that they will get support from unconditionally. We have seen so many young males from many backgrounds who are labelled aggressive or hard to reach growing. Young people .who are considered unreachable or simply not worth it

Yes, we are a BAME/BME led organisation but are inclusive to all that need advocacy, assistance and support. We are our community and we are the ones that need to help fix some of the problems our community are facing. We cannot rely on Government handouts or wait for the next major disaster to manifest. Being a proactive and progressive charity, we have seen some of the societal problems we are facing and started work on these years back. With the closure of any youth and special educational needs services, day centres, sports centres and clubs closed because of lack of funding, this have perpetuated the growing number of issues we are now encountering. To date we have helped and supported through various projects over 2.4k .people across Bedfordshire

Weekends we have CSE classes for those at risk, we even sometimes see parents come in who are concerned about their young people with regards to being groomed or facing sexual exploitation. We have instructors who are specifically trained in this line of work and support around 100 young people over 10 weekends. Most of the work we undertake take place at Samsons Academy, Unit 1, 1 Shuttleworth Road Bedford MK41 0HS. Some of the work we undertake takes place at Samsons Fitness (SF2 Bedford) such as the Release on Temporary License with Bedford Prison and Hertfordshire & Cambridge Probation Service as the prison is located in closer proximity to Samsons Fitness. They have a similar name however we are different companies now with different Directors. They are one of many partners we are now .working with

We are aware the projects we run are the right approach due to the uptake, the referral and more importantly the outcomes we achieve with them. We have a structured team of professionals we work with all our cohorts on varying projects. Some of the summer activities (sports related) may take place at a different venue. We have recently started working with Sports Traider who provide all the sports kits, boots, balls etc. for a program we support in Luton schools, where females from the harder to reach communities get to play in a football tournament with other harder to reach females over summer. Last year during lockdown we had 68 young females, this year we are expecting 100. When we test the robustness of our projects we also test the vulnerability and weak points. When one is identified, we try and meet to discuss what has come to light. Failing this, an email correspondence is sent to the Lead of

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Engagement and also the relevant Trustees who then bring the issue to the next Board of .trustees meetings. These take place every other month now

We intend on developing the academy where classes can be run every day and throughout the day. We plan on making it a mega-hub where people are able to come in or just drop in to see someone regarding their Childs education needs/support due to being excluded. Which we are seeing more and more with white working class males and young males from the BME .community

Continuing to deliver the service past the funding period

Because some projects are no longer being funded we will not be running them again unless they are funded again to do so. Expectations to deliver a project or to continue it requires capital funding to make the project viable. You still have all the same costs and expenditure to cover after your funding ceases. We have been successful in attaining funding from the National Lottery for the period of 2022 to 2023/24. We will continue to deliver projects in two main areas of social deprivation from the funding we received from the Harpur Trust/The VERU/Home Office and ward funding from local Government. Queens Park, Kingsbrook and Caudwell wards in Bedford have historically been areas where infrastructural funding has been limited and reduced. This has caused increased raises in youth criminality, increased truancy, .low social and academic engagement as well as sporadic employment

With the support of the different projects and contact from the engagement staff we have .maintained contact and positive youth engagement

Working Partners & Contributions made by volunteers

The working partners we are currently engaged with in active projects is slowly growing. We work with the Harpur Trust on a couple of projects as well as the National Lottery Fund, The VERU and OPCC of Bedfordshire Police. We also work with Children’s Services for Bedford Borough Council and a number of projects such as Just Purple Presents and Sports Traider, Dan .Gaze Education and BLMK CCG

This concludes the last year for Samsons Academy, we would like to thank all the funders who have worked with the academy team and other organisations that have seen the changes we have made and supported through our work. We would also like to thank all the community who have entrusted us to work with some of the hardest to reach people countywide. This also .includes all the volunteers who support all of our projects during 2021 and 2022

Our volunteers have continued to work with the academy on different projects over the past year. They were an integral part of Band of Brothers MENtal HEALth where they supported the .audience to complete their ZSA suicide awareness training on-line during the intervals

Signed

Chris J Duncan

……………………………… Christopher J Duncan Chair of Trustees February 2022 5

12 Page 12 of

Receipts and Payments Account

Samsons Academy

For the year ended 31 March 2022

Samsons Academy
For the year ended 31 March 2022
2022
Receipts
Arnold Clarke - Grant income 1,000.00
Bedford BC - Grant Income 27,223.00
Garfield Weston - Grant Income 20,000.00
Harpur Trust - Grant Income 22,516.00
House of Industry - Grant Income 8,278.00
Interest Income 0.95
Police Crime Commissioners - Grant Income 2,500.00
Sales - Classroom / Office Rental 120.00
Sales - Gym Rental 300.00
Sales - Gym Subscriptions 945.00
NHS - Grant Income 4,864.60
Job Retention Scheme 4,037.11
Total Receipts 91,784.66
Payments
Audit & Accountancy fees 2,198.20
Bank Fees 121.00
Building Expenses 14,418.44
Charitable and Political Donations 500.00
Cleaning 3,711.77
Depreciation Expense 440.00
Digital Media Officer 2,541.99
Entertainment - 0% 79.04
Entertainment-100% business 61.56
Fundraising Expenses 462.00
General Expenses 670.44
Insurance 2,146.49
IT Software and Consumables 233.50
Legal Expenses 1,949.99
Light, Power, Heating 2,880.00
Printing & Stationery 1,367.26
Project Costs - Other 306.00
Project Costs - Subsistence 105.54
Rates 965.19
Refuse Collection 480.00
Rent 36,000.00
Salaries 33,666.75
Staff Training 200.00
Telephone & Internet 2,382.00
Travel - National 249.95
Videographer 3,000.00

Payments and Receipts

Samsons Academy

Receipts and Payments Account

2022
Facilitator 8,860.60
Project Manager 1,500.00
Therapist 2,000.00
Yoga Instructor 230.00
Total Payments 123,727.71
Balance (31,943.05)
Balance after Taxation (31,943.05)

Payments and Receipts

Samsons Academy

Receipts and Payments Account

Samsons Academy

For the year ended 31 March 2022

Samsons Academy
For the year ended 31 March 2022
2022
Receipts
Arnold Clarke - Grant income 1,000.00
Bedford BC - Grant Income 27,223.00
Garfield Weston - Grant Income 20,000.00
Harpur Trust - Grant Income 22,516.00
House of Industry - Grant Income 8,278.00
Interest Income 0.95
Police Crime Commissioners - Grant Income 2,500.00
Sales - Classroom / Office Rental 120.00
Sales - Gym Rental 300.00
Sales - Gym Subscriptions 945.00
NHS - Grant Income 4,864.60
Job Retention Scheme 4,037.11
Total Receipts 91,784.66
Payments
Audit & Accountancy fees 2,198.20
Bank Fees 121.00
Building Expenses 14,418.44
Charitable and Political Donations 500.00
Cleaning 3,711.77
Depreciation Expense 440.00
Digital Media Officer 2,541.99
Entertainment - 0% 79.04
Entertainment-100% business 61.56
Fundraising Expenses 462.00
General Expenses 670.44
Insurance 2,146.49
IT Software and Consumables 233.50
Legal Expenses 1,949.99
Light, Power, Heating 2,880.00
Printing & Stationery 1,367.26
Project Costs - Other 306.00
Project Costs - Subsistence 105.54
Rates 965.19
Refuse Collection 480.00
Rent 36,000.00
Salaries 33,666.75
Staff Training 200.00
Telephone & Internet 2,382.00
Travel - National 249.95
Videographer 3,000.00

Payments and Receipts

Samsons Academy

Receipts and Payments Account

2022
Facilitator 8,860.60
Project Manager 1,500.00
Therapist 2,000.00
Yoga Instructor 230.00
Total Payments 123,727.71
Balance (31,943.05)
Balance after Taxation (31,943.05)

Payments and Receipts

Samsons Academy