OpenCharities

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

2022-03-31-accounts

Neath Port Talbot Black Minority Ethnic Community Association

Annual Report 2021 - 2022

2

Contents

Page 3 - Introduction Page 4 - Trustees who Served and Wider Association Meetings Page 5 - Comic Relief Project Page 6 - Chai and Chat Page 7 - BME Recruitment Day Page 8 - Allergen Information and Natasha’s Law Webinar and Black History Month Workshop Page 9 - Ysgol Cwm Brombil BME Parents Network Group and Women's Sunday Funday Page 10 - Mayor's Interfaith Afternoon Tea and Funding Page 11 - Financial Report

3

Introduction

It gives me great pleasure to present the annual report of the Neath Port Talbot Black Minority Ethnic Community Association for the year 2021-2022.

The situation over the past few years has made our activities and work very challenging. Nevertheless, we have made good progress, which I have highlighted in this report.

I would like to thank Neath Port Talbot Council, which makes the work of the Association possible through its third sector grant and to Neath Port Talbot CVS for its

The Association welcomes Sheridan Barrell, our new Community Cohesion Officer, who is working very closely with the Association and its members and has already established a good relationship with members of the BME communities in Neath Port Talbot.

The arrangement between the council’s Community Cohesion post and the BME Association is working well, and we anticipate that the partnership agreement will remain in place to help further develop the Association.

I take this opportunity to thank the Trustees of the Association for their time, dedication, and commitment in helping govern and direct the work of the Association.

Thanks go to all our other funders, strategic organisations and partners in the third sector, without whom we would not be able to deliver as an Association.

Thanks also to all those friends and partners that have attended and made contributions to the wider Association through remotely held meetings, workshops, training and awareness sessions, and the chai and chat sessions.

The Association said goodbye to Mohamad Khatib, one of our Trustees, who is now pursuing his higher education at Swansea University. We wish him the very best and thank him for his service to the Association.

Thanks also to all our other volunteers who work closely with the Association. They all have busy lives and, like all great volunteers, give of their time freely and with no expectation of return.

Farida Patel, Chair

4

Trustees who Served

Lara Griffiths

Wider Association Meetings Meetings of the wider Association have continued to take place remotely.

The meetings have good attendance rates and provide an opportunity for all those who share an interest in the work of the Association to meet partner organisations and other support groups and agencies to discuss matters concerning BME communities.

Some of the guests and speakers at the wider Association meetings have included:

Neath Port Talbot Council HR Team

5

Comic Relief Project

The Association has been successful in its grant application to the Comic Relief Community Fund in Wales. This means that it has received funding to carry out a range of activities with the focus on promoting health and wellbeing for BME communities in Neath Port Talbot. The Association has recruited 10 volunteers who have all received volunteer training to help plan and roll out these activities.

The Association has held several meetings to discuss the project and what activities we think would benefit those within the community. Following these joint discussions, a range of different activities were planned and delivered by our volunteers including:

6

Chai and Chat

In partnership with Swansea Bay University Health Board and the Diverse Communities Outreach Officer at Neath Port Talbot CVS, the Association has set up weekly women’s Chai and Chat sessions, which take place every Tuesday morning at Port Talbot Library.

These sessions give attendees an opportunity to meet and chat with others, while having a hot drink and something to eat. It has been a great opportunity to meet others from the area and to discuss important topics led by speakers from Neath Port Talbot Mind, South Wales Police, the College, and many others.

To mark the success of the Chai and Chat sessions, a celebratory event was held in December 2022 at St Paul's Centre, Aberafan, where all those who have participated in the sessions were invited and presented with a certificate and thanked for all their efforts and enthusiasm.

As a result of the Chai and Chat sessions, our volunteers have organised regular ESOL classes in partnership with the College, which are being held on a weekly basis.

7

BME Recruitment Day

Following from our first meeting with the council’s HR Team, the Association planned a BME Recruitment Day event which took place at the Princess Royal Theatre in Port Talbot.

Alongside the council, which provided employment opportunities and advice, there were also other organisations in attendance such as Careers Wales, Workways Plus, Communities for Work Plus, EYST, Neath Port Talbot CVS and DWP, who were all able to provide information and advice on careers, volunteering, and support with CV writing tips. The event received over 50 attendees and was a great success.

The Association will continue to work in partnership with Neath Port Talbot Council on this initiative by helping enable more members of the BME communities to feel comfortable and confident in working for the council. Here are some quotes from the press release issued by the council following the event:

Diane Hopkins, Principal HR Manager at Neath Port Talbot Council said: “It was a great opportunity for the council to partner with the NPT BME Community

Association at this event, to showcase the diverse jobs we have available and to provide guidance and advice on how to apply. We also had employees from our Ethnic Minority Employee Network at the event so they could share their experience of working for the Council with potential applicants.”

Sheenagh Rees, Head of People and Organisational Development added: “The Council is an inclusive employer and we are delighted to be

strengthening our links with the NPT BME Community Association and other networks to encourage people to work for us who wouldn’t have previously considered a career with the Council."

8

Allergen Information and Natasha’s Law Webinar

In October 2022, alongside Trading Standards, we held a Webinar for BME food businesses in Neath Port Talbot on Allergen Information and Natasha’s Law. The session provided in depth information on Natasha’s Law and what food businesses are legally required to do when it comes to allergen information and how this is displayed.

The webinar had 17 attendees from ethnic backgrounds who are either working or owned a catering/food business within Neath Port Talbot. Attendees interacted and engaged well at the webinar. Following on from the success and interest shown at the webinar, we are now planning an in-person session with both Trading Standards and Food Hygiene.

Black History Month Workshop

To mark Black History Month in October 2022, together with the Vulnerable Learners’ Service in Neath Port Talbot, the Association helped organise a workshop in Ysgol Carreg Hir Primary School in Briton Ferry.

Jessica Dunrod, who is Wales’s first Black children’s author, led the workshop, which was based on one of her books. Jessica talked to the children about the importance of not judging somebody by what they look like and where they are from, and how they can do anything that they set their mind to regardless of their backgrounds. It was a very interactive session which all the children enjoyed.

9

Ysgol Cwm Brombil BME Parents Network Group

The Association has been working with Ysgol Cwm Brombil in partnership with Swansea Bay University Health Board and Neath Port Talbot CVS, to arrange regular BME Parent Network meetings in order to exchange knowledge and information about the diverse culture and traditions in the local community.

The first session was led by Ashraf Ali Lorgat, Imam from Port Talbot Mosque who delivered a presentation on Ramadan. In attendance were parents, teachers, pupils, and individuals who are keen on promoting culture and diversity at the school. All participants found the session very informative and gave positive feedback on how they have learnt more about Ramadan.

Planned sessions include topics such as Disability Awareness, Food, Faith and Culture, Hinduism, and Community Culture.

Women's Sunday Fun Day

On Sunday 17th July 2022, the Association held a Women’s Health and Wellbeing Day at St Theodore's Church Hall in Port Talbot for women and children from the Black Minority Ethnic Community.

The event was aimed at promoting better health awareness with different activities and other wellbeing tips and advice. NPT Mind attended to provide advice on projects and activities that are available locally. It focused on well-being and gave the opportunity for attendees to socialise and meet with others following the pandemic.

The event received 40 attendees and included activities such as henna painting, face painting, chair yoga, musical chairs as well as colouring and a bouncy castle for the children. Neath Port Talbot CVS, Swansea Bay University Health Board and other council services were also in attendance to provide support and advice on the day.

All the feedback from the attendees was positive, with all of them saying that they enjoyed the event and that they would like to see similar events held in the future.

10

Mayor’s Interfaith Afternoon Tea

The Association assisted the Mayor of Neath Port Talbot to organise and plan the first ever Mayor’s Interfaith Afternoon Tea, which took place on Thursday the 23rd February 2023 at The Margam Orangery.

The event took place to celebrate the diversity and culture that exists within the faith communities in Neath Port Talbot, where attendees were all encouraged to wear traditional dress.

The event had 150 attendees where the Mayor and other key speakers highlighted the importance of the Faith, Spiritual and Religious groups in Neath Port Talbot and how the part that they play in community cohesion is vital.

The event was an opportunity to bring everybody together to meet and to celebrate the work that those from our local faith communities do.

Funding

The Association was successful in obtaining funding from Neath Port Talbot Council’s Third Sector Grant, which has enabled it to continue sharing the cost of the Community Cohesion Officer to help deliver our projects, meetings, and engagement activity, and to undertake other organisational related work.

The funding also enabled us to secure administration support from Neath Port Talbot CVS. In addition, we received funding from the Comic Relief Community Fund in Wales Grant.

11

Financial Report

Financial Report 2021 - 2022

Accounts for the year ended 31st March 2022

Income Receipts

Donations

Grants NPTCBC: £15,000 Total receipts £15,000

Reports and accounts for the year ended 31st March 2022 Staff Costs £6,130

Other expenditure Computer Equipment: £1,605 Postage & Stationery: £35 Event and activity costs: £150 Insurance: £428 Miscellaneous: - £2,218

Total Payments: £ 8,348

Net surplus/deficit for the year: £6,652

Net Assets: £28, 170

The Board of Trustees has approved the above Statement and Account as making up the annual accounts for the charity for the year to 31st March 2022, which the Trustees have elected to prepare under section 42(3) of the Charities Act 1993 in accordance with the provisions of that section.

Farida Patel Chair

Neath Port Talbot Black Minority Ethnic Community Association