Registered charity number: 11�2123 6 Park Road, Esher, KT10 �NP ## **TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER ����** ## **Li�� �f T����ee� d��i�g �he fi�a�cia� �ea� a�d �e�� �f �ffice�** - Anne Emmins - Simon Rogers (Chair) (Re-appointed Feb 2022) - Sherry Secker ## **G��e��a�ce ad�i�i���a�i���** The Besom in Esher is a CIO constituted in the CIO foundation Constitution dated 1� Feb 201�. ## **H�� i�� �����ee� a�e a���i��ed a�d ��ai�ed** Trustees are appointed by existing trustees at the Board Meetings. ## **H�� �he cha�i���� deci�i����a�i�g ���ce��e� �����** The Besom in Esher hold quarterly meetings where main decisions are discussed and agreed. ## **Ob�ec�i�e�** The objects of the CIO are the relief of poverty, financial and other hardship to persons in the Borough of Elmbridge through the distribution of gifts of household items, and the carrying out of decorating and gardening projects to meet their needs. ## **S���a�� �f �he �ai� ac�i�i�ie� ��de��a�e� f�� �he ��b�ic be�efi�** The organisation exists to provide a bridge between those who want to give time, money, skills or possessions and those in need. It is focused on doing this in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey. Those in need are frequently referred by social workers in Elmbridge and Surrey and these needs are then matched with those willing to give. In organising and carrying out the work of the charity the Trustees have read the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit. The Trustees are confident that the work of the Charity fulfills these requirements. ## **Mai� achie�e�e��� �h���gh �he �ea��** With the third National Covid lockdown and tiered restrictions continuing in the first six months of 2021 the adapted and flexible responses to individual and family needs in the Borough we developed in 2020 continued successfully. As in 2020, our level of support remained high: we aided 53 individuals and families with furniture, white goods and household items during the year. Our van runs ran weekly even through the lockdown. We enjoyed strong trusting relationships with many Social Workers working under very challenging circumstances. Sadly, there was little appetite from churches to participate in projects, perhaps due to their own needs to get up and running again after the extensive lockdown closures they endured. Our annual Christmas Hamper project went ahead with increased time-givers involved in doorstep deliveries. The distribution of �0 luxury food hampers to all the recipients we worked with in the year plus those that were still on our waiting lists for help was achieved by many more individuals from local churches giving their time to deliver directly. This outpouring of generosity was the highest we have ever seen. A supporter church, Holy Trinity Claygate, provided us with temporary space to store items in a dry and warm room - perfect for the increased supply of beds, bed linens and curtains, and for preparing kitchen starter packs. It also gave increased visibility to our charitable work to parishioners who attended the church venues during the week. It also gave rise to new time-givers volunteering from that congregation. In particular, for nine months we had an extra member on the core team who worked on our weekly operations. This enabled us to fulfill more referrals with increased matching of donated goods. In the autumn, with the National Lockdown over, the core team was reduced in size and the temporary room handed back to the Church for its own purposes again. The Trustees and Core Team decided to put weekly activities on a temporary ‘pause’ whilst it revisited the need to secure more permanent premises to reach its objectives. With the help of local MP, Rt Hon Dominic Raab, making introductions to Surrey County Council and Elmbridge County Council, some potential premises in Hersham were identified and the process of negotiations started, aided by a new time-giver with expertise in the Property/Surveying field. Implementation of a Safeguarding Policy remains ongoing. All Besom’s activity is underpinned by a strong commitment to weekly prayer by the core team and other supporters (mainly on Zoom). Sharing testimonials of answered prayers is key to spreading the Besom Vision to enable Christians to put their faith into practical action through generous giving to meet the needs of the poor and vulnerable. Use of social media channels was adopted to tell stories and broaden our readership of the bi-monthly E-News newsletter. ## **FINANCIAL REVIEW** The Besom in Esher relies on donations from individuals and churches and its activity levels are determined to a large extent by the availability of the funding and time given by volunteers. Overall income remained similar to 2021, albeit the balance changed with increased giving from Individuals higher, with contributions from local churches reduced compared to 2020. Direct Giving Costs were similar to 2020 with continued need, especially for White Goods. Administration costs were down slightly on 2020 mainly due to less maintenance required to the Van in 2021. An extraordinary contribution was made to The Besom Network towards the ongoing works of the support provided to Local Besoms and the development of the network and The Besom Vision. ## **Fi�a�cia� S���a�� � Ja� ���� � �� Dec �����** |Recei��� (U��e���ic�ed F��d�)|| |---|---| |D��a�i��� f��� ch��che�|�5,174.00| |D��a�i��� f��� i�di�id�a��|�7,260| |T��a� Recei���|�12,434.00| ||| |Pa��e���|| |Di�ec� C����|�5,605.43| |O�e�head�|�3,626.63| |C����ib��i�� �� Ne����� C����|�5,000.00| |T��a� E��e�di���e|�14,232.06| ||| |A��e��|| |Total Assets and Reserves|�15,254.43| ## **Sig�ed �� beha�f �f �he cha�i���� �����ee�** ## **Si��� R�ge��**