## **EPPING FOREST FOODBANK**
**Charity Registration Number: 1182270**
**Annual Report and Accounts 31 December 2020**
## **EPPING FOREST FOODBANK**
## **Annual Report and Accounts 2020 Contents**
||**Page**|
|---|---|
|**Legal & Administrative Information**|**2**|
|**Annual Report of the Trustees**|**3**|
|**Independent Examiner’s Report**|**6**|
|**Receipts & Payments Account**|**7**|
|**Statement of Assets & Liabilities**|**8**|
|**Notes to the Accounts**|**9**|
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## **EPPING FOREST FOODBANK**
## **Legal & Administrative Information For the year ended 31 December 2020**
|**Charity Name**|Epping Forest Foodbank.|Epping Forest Foodbank.|
|---|---|---|
|**Principal Address**|38c Chigwell Lane,|Loughton, IG10 3NY.|
|**Charity Registration**|1182270. The charity was registered with the Charity Commission on 28 February 2019.||
|**The Governing Document**|CIO Foundation||
|**Objects**|To relieve persons in Epping Forest district and surrounding areas that are in financial||
||hardship in such ways as the trustees from time to time think fit, in particular but not||
||exclusively by:||
||A) providing emergency food, essential toiletries, and household items to individuals and||
||families in need and/or distribution by charities or other organizations working to||
||prevent or relieve poverty.||
||B) such other means, including (but not limited to) the provision of support, or||
||signposting to|relevant information and other advisory service, or through 'more than|
||food' projects|which remain consistent with the primary objective of the charity and|
||to provide such services with a Christian ethos, supported by churches in Epping||
||Forest district.||
|**Trustees**|The Trustees who served during the year or who were serving at the date of this report||
||were:||
||Caroline Jane Macdonald||
||Charlotte Elizabeth Prosser||
||Christopher Russell Blackham||
||Claire Elizabeth Moles||
||Jenny Ann Thompson||
||Zach Cook|(appointed 26 February 2020)|
|**Bankers**|CAF Bank Ltd||
||25 Kings Hill Avenue||
||Kings Hill||
||West Malling||
||Kent, ME19 4JQ||
|**Independent Examiner**|John Helm ACA||
||Simply Churches Limited||
||17 Heathville Road||
||London N19 3AL||
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## **EPPING FOREST FOODBANK**
## **Trustees Report For the year ended 31 December 2020**
The Trustees submit their annual report and accounts of Epping Forest Foodbank (“the Charity”) for the year ended 31 December 2020. The legal and administrative information set out earlier in this document forms part of this report.
## **1. Structure, Governance & Management**
There are six trustees who meet monthly.
## **2. Activities**
The Trustees have given due regard to the Charity Commissions’ guidance on public benefit. During the year the Charity carried out the following activities in the local neighbourhood and to benefit the community:
- The Charity operates in the Epping Forest District and surrounding areas. Of those referred, the majority are residents within 27 Epping Forest wards with many others being supported in 21 wards outside the District and those with no fixed address.
- Customers are referred by statutory, charity and community organisations based in the advice, criminal justice, DWP, educational, faith, health and mental health, local government and social welfare sectors.
- • Under usual circumstances the foodbank operates weekly distribution centres at The Box in Epping, St. Mary’s Church in Loughton and St Johns on the Broadway in Debden. During 2020, owing to Covid restrictions, food parcels have been delivered to customers’ homes by volunteers.
- Customers receive a parcel of non-perishable food which is designed to provide for either 3 or 7 days emergency rations. Additional fresh food is offered in partnership with FareShare, local supermarkets and bakeries.
- As well as providing food the Charity in partnership with statutory and other agencies offers ‘signposting’ to direct customers to the appropriate agencies and resources to assist with their longer-term needs, and also offers spiritual support.
- Surplus food is donated to Norway House, the district’s homeless shelter or offered to other foodbanks in the surrounding areas.
- Packaging and food which is damaged or out of date when received are recycled.
- The charity has one part-time member of staff and services are provided by over 100 volunteers.
## **3. Achievements & Performance**
The work of the charity has increased substantially during 2020. We now partner with over 150 referral agencies and over the year we received 846 referrals, up from 637 in 2019 and provided over 25,000 meals for 2,483 people, up from 1,831 in 2019, with particularly high levels during the lockdown periods in the spring and towards the end of the year when demand was 100% higher than last year.
The increased demand was met by significantly increased donations. Gifts of food from supermarkets, local businesses, community groups, churches and individuals in 2020 totalled 37.7 tonnes, a 77% increase over last year. Supplies of unsold fruit, vegetables and bakery items provided by local supermarkets and bakeries allowed us to supplement nutritionally balanced emergency parcels with fresh food items. In addition to food the charity also purchases and supplies items such as cleaning products and nappies where these are required by the customer.
The coronavirus pandemic has impacted the work of the charity in several ways. Redundancies, business closures, sickness, furlough and short hours have led to significantly increased demand, while lockdowns, social distancing and other restrictions have required changes to working practices and the service provided. Customer referrals are now notified electronically rather than by provision of paper vouchers; distribution centres have been temporarily closed and it has been necessary to recruit volunteer drivers to deliver food packages direct to the customers’ doorsteps; social distancing and increased demand have made it necessary to move to more spacious premises and to restrict access to the office and warehouse. The plans to open a distribution centre in Waltham Abbey were delayed because of lockdown and eventually cancelled because the premises were no longer available. In April 2021 we will be opening a new
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## **EPPING FOREST FOODBANK**
## **Trustees Report For the year ended 31 December 2020**
distribution centre at St Martins Church Rooms in Ongar and hope to open at least one and possibly two more during the year.
Providing a continuous service through these difficult times has required a magnificent effort particularly by our project managers, warehouse volunteers, packers and delivery drivers.
Thanks are due to The Box, Epping, St. John’s and St. Mary’s Churches, Loughton who host our distribution centres when this is possible at no cost to us and to Epping Forest District Council and Loughton Town Council and Mayor for their financial support and encouragement and to Tesco’s for collecting food and to Gail’s Bakery and Morrison’s and Marks & Spencer for providing unsold fresh goods. Thanks are also due to the many individuals, local churches, businesses and schools who generously donate financially and in kind.
We would like to recognise the following organisations from which we have received financial and moral support during the year:
Schools:
Lambourne Primary, Alderton Hill Infants
Churches:
St John’s, St Mary’s and Restore Community Church, Loughton, Loughton Baptist, Loughton Methodist, Woodford Green URC, Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception, Epping, St John’s, Buckhurst Hill, St Mary’s and All Saints, Chigwell, St Alban the Martyr, Coopersale, Theydon Parishes
Community Organisations: Loughton 41 Club, Moreton & District WI, Roding Rotary, Epping WI, Loughton Rotary, Chigwell Parish Residents Assoc., Epping Forest Rotary
Businesses:
Standard Chartered, Coca Cola, Bank of England, Debden, Capital Space, The Tea Hut, High Beech, Robert Woodland & Sons, Jackson & Jackson, Accountants, Waitrose, Brookes Hairdressers
Trusts and Foundations:
Charles S French Charitable Trust, Joseph and Lilian Sully Foundation, Neighbourly Community Fund
Local Government:
Epping Forest District Council, Loughton Town Council, Chigwell Parish Council.
## **4. Financial Review**
## **4.1 Financial Activity and Financial Position**
The charity is funded by donations and grants, with the majority coming from individuals whose response to the pandemic fuelled increase in demand has been remarkable in its generosity.
In 2020 we received £11,000 in grants from local authorities and £12,500 from charitable trusts, nearly £11,900 was received in donations from churches, £24,000 from corporations and local businesses, £9,900 from community groups and £84,700 from individuals. At the end of the year, we had 92 regular donors giving £2,263 per month. As the majority of our community work is to distribute donated food the majority of our expenses are taken up with the costs of storage and organisation. Warehouse rental costs amounted to £24,300 and employment costs for one part time employee were £17,113 out of total expenditure of £51,043.
In 2021 we will have additional expenses equipping at least two new distribution centres and we will be spending more on supplementary food and household essentials in support of ‘Holiday Hunger’ campaigns for children who receive free school meals.
The Charity’s cash resources increased by £101,337 during the year to £135,046.
_4_
## **EPPING FOREST FOODBANK**
## **Trustees Report For the year ended 31 December 2020**
## **4.2 Reserves Policy**
The Trustees consider that, given the nature of the charity’s work, free reserves should be equivalent to approximately 6 months’ routine general fund expenditure, plus committed future expenditure on other projects, where funds permit. The Trustees are of the opinion that this provides sufficient flexibility to cover temporary shortfalls in incoming resources and will allow the Charity to cope and respond to unforeseen emergencies whilst specific action plans are implemented. At 31 December 2020 the Charity had net free reserves of £133,840 (2019: £31,760).
|**Total reserves**
Less: restricted funds
**Free reserves**
**Free reserves requirement:**
6 month’s budgeted routine expenditure|**2020**|**2019**|
|---|---|---|
||**£**|**£**|
||||
||**135,046**|**31,920**|
||(1206)|(160)|
||||
||**133,840**|**31,760**|
||||
||||
||**40,000**|**10,000**|
||||
## **5. Responsibilities of Trustees for the Accounts**
Charity law requires the Trustees to prepare accounts for each accounting year which record the receipts and payments of the charity for the year. The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable us to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011. The Trustees also have a responsibility to safeguard the assets of the charity and to take reasonable steps to prevent fraud or any other irregularities.
## **6. Approval**
The report of the Trustees was approved by the Trustees on 24 March 2021 and signed on its behalf by:
## **Christopher Blackham Chair of Trustees**
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## **EPPING FOREST FOODBANK**
## **Independent Examiner’s Report For the year ended 31 December 2020**
I report on the accounts of Epping Forest Foodbank for the year ended 31 December 2020, set out on pages 7 to 10.
This report is made solely to the Trustees in accordance with section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Act). My independent examination has been undertaken so that I might state to the Trustees those matters I am required to state to them in an independent examiner’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by the law, I do not accept responsibility to anyone other than the Trustees for my independent examination, for this report, or the opinions I have formed.
## **RESPECTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE TRUSTEES AND EXAMINER**
The Trustees consider that an audit is not required for this period (under section 144(2) of the Act) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:
- Examine the accounts (under section 145 of the Act);
- To follow the procedures laid down in the General Direction given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Act); and
- To state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
## **BASIS OF INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S STATEMENT**
My examination was carried out in accordance with General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the Trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts.
## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S STATEMENT**
In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or
3. the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view’ which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns 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 a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
**John Helm ACA 24 March 2021**
_6_
## **EPPING FOREST FOODBANK**
## **Receipts & Payments Account For the year ended 31 December 2020**
|**Note**
**Receipts**
Donations
Grants
Bank interest
**Total Receipts**
**Payments**
Raising funds
2
Charitable activities
3
**Total Payments**
**Surplus of payments over receipts**
Total cash funds brought forward
**Total cash funds carried forward**|**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**2020**
**£**
128,964
23,500
48
**152,512**
50
50,382
**50,432**
**102,080**
31,760
**133,840**||**Restricted**
**Funds**
**2020**
**£**
1,705
100
-
**1,805**
-
759
**759**
**1,046**
160
**1,206**|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||**Total**|**Total**|
|||||**2020**|**2019**|
|||||**£**|**£**|
|||||||
|||||130,669|25,276|
|||||23,500|32,300|
|||||48|15|
|||||||
|||||||
|||||**154,217**|**57,591**|
|||||||
|||||||
|||||||
|||||50|78|
|||||51,041|25,593|
|||||||
|||||||
|||||||
|||||**51,091**|**25,671**|
|||||||
|||||||
|||||**103,126**|**31,920**|
|||||||
|||||31,920|-|
|||||||
|||||||
|||||||
|||||**135,046**|**31,920**|
|||||||
_7_
## **EPPING FOREST FOODBANK**
## **Statement of Assets & Liabilities As at 31 December 2020**
|**Assets**
Tangible Assets
Debtors
Cash At Bank And In Hand
**Liabilities**
**Total Assets Less Liabilities**|**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**2020**
**£**
-
-
133,840
133,840
600
**133,240**|**Restricted**
**Funds**
**2020**
**£**
-
-
1,206
1,206
-
**1,206**|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
||||**Total**|**Total**|
||||**2020**|**2019**|
||||**£**|**£**|
||||||
||||-||
||||||
||||135,046|31,920|
||||||
||||||
||||135,046|31,920|
||||||
||||600|600|
||||||
||||**134,446**|**31,320**|
||||||
The Accounts were approved by the Trustees on 24 March 2021 and signed on its behalf by:
## **Christopher Blackham Chair of Trustees**
**Zachary Cook Trustee - Treasurer**
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**EPPING FOREST FOODBANK**
## **Notes to the Accounts For the year ended 31 December 2020**
## **1. Accounting Policies**
The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis with a statement of assets and liabilities.
## **2. Payments – Raising Funds**
|**2. Payments – Raising Funds**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bank fees
Marketing|**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**2020**
**£**
-
50
**50**|**Restricted**
**Funds**
**2020**
**£**
-
-
**0**||**Total**
**2019**
**£**|
||||**Total**||
||||**2020**||
||||**£**||
||||||
||||-|28|
||||50|50|
||||||
||||**50**|**78**|
||||||
## **3. Payments – Charitable Activities**
|Staff costs
Net salary & PAYE
Pension contributions
Training
Foodbank
Food Purchases
Travel/transport
Refreshments
Epping Forest Winter Warmer scheme
Project
Office Costs
Insurance
Telephone, broadband
Bank charges
Professional subscriptions
Hardware & software
Office supplies
Buildings and facilities
Heat, light & water
Rent & rates
Recycling
Governance
Independent examination
|**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**2020**
**£**
15,997
1,093
23
**17,113**
-
132
8
-
2,101
**2,241**
359
795
60
395
909
1,514
**4,032**
393
25,569
310
**26,272**
624
**50,282**|**Restricted**
**Funds**
**2020**
**£**
-
-
-
**0**
639
-
-
120
-
**759**
-
-
-
-
-
-
**0**
-
-
-
**0**
-
**759**|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
||||**Total**|**Total**|
||||**2020**|**2019**|
||||**£**|**£**|
||||||
||||15,997|11,392|
||||1,093|512|
||||23|3|
||||||
||||**17,113**|**11,907**|
||||||
||||639|514|
||||132|83|
||||8|11|
||||120|440|
||||2,101|-|
||||||
||||**3,000**|**1,048**|
||||||
||||359|357|
||||795|382|
||||60|76|
||||395|412|
||||909|-|
||||1,514|626|
||||||
||||**4,032**|**1,853**|
||||||
||||393|210|
||||25,569|10,575|
||||310||
||||||
||||**26,272**|**10,785**|
||||||
||||624|-|
||||||
||||**51,041**|**25,593**|
||||||
_9_
**EPPING FOREST FOODBANK**
## **Notes to the Accounts For the year ended 31 December 2020**
## **4. Restricted Funds**
|**4. Restricted Funds**|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Voluntary Action Epping Forest Winter
Warmer scheme
Food/essentials||**At 1**
**January**
**2020**
**£**
160||**Income**
**£**
**Expenditure**
**£**
**Transfers**
**£**
100
(120)
-|||**At 31**||
||||||||**December**||
|||||||||**2020**|
|||||||||**£**|
||||||||||
||||||||||
|||||||||140|
|||-||1,705|(639)|-||1,066|
||||||||||
|||**160**||**1,805**|**( 759)**|**0**||**1,206**|
||||||||||
Voluntary Action Epping Forest Winter has a scheme (Winter Warmer) for giving credit for pre-payment meters for people in need. The process is that VAEF makes a grant to a partner organisation. A volunteer accompanies the client to top up a prepayment key.
## **5. Related Party Transactions**
There were no related party transactions.
_10_