Neath Port Talbot Black Minority Ethnic Community Association
Annual Report 2024
Registered Charity Number: 1182825
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Contents
Page 3: Introduction Page 4: Trustees who served Page 5: Digital Heroes Training, Chai & Chat Page 6: YCB Parent Network Meetings Page 7: World Refugee Week Celebration Page 8: Windrush Day Celebration Event Page 9: Black History Wales 365 Page 10: Birmingham University Educational Visit Page 11: New Website, Citizens Advice Project Pages 12-13: Financial Report
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Introduction
As Chair of the Association, it is with pride that I present our Annual Report. The Association has remained focussed on its mission to provide support, build a sense of belonging, and amplify the voices of Black, Minority and Ethnic communities within Neath Port Talbot. In these challenging times, it is more important than ever to support and advocate for social justice, equality, and the celebration of our rich cultural heritage.
This report provides an overview of what has been achieved, a look at our financial standing, and an assessment of how our activities have positively impacted the lives of many in our community. I hope you enjoy reading about some of the things we have done.
I would like to thank Neath Port Talbot Council, which has made the work of the Association possible through its third sector grant. The arrangement between the Council’s Community Cohesion post and the Association has continued to have a positive impact in taking forward important elements of the Association’s work. Also, to the Police, Health Board, and all our third sector friends that have funded or contributed in other ways to the Association. We also thank Neath Port Talbot CVS for its administrative support, advice, and guidance. Special thanks to the wider community which has attended and made contributions to the range of activities, meetings, workshops, training, and chai and chat sessions.
Your collective dedication and commitment to our shared vision makes all the difference to the work we do.
The Association welcomed one new Trustee, Mavis Thompson, who joined the Association during the year. I take this opportunity to thank all our Trustees for their time, dedication, and commitment in governing and directing the work of the Association. Thanks also to our other volunteers who work with the Association. They all have busy lives and, like all volunteers, give of their time freely with no expectation of return.
As we reflect on the challenges of the past year and those that lay ahead, we come together to use this learning as we look forward to the future and what we need to do next to achieve our mission.
Farida Patel, Chair Neath Port Talbot Black Minority Ethnic Community Association
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Trustees who Served
Lara Griffiths (until September 2024) Ashra Khanom (Treasurer) Shahjan Mohammed Suvithraa Paramasivarasa Farida Yusuf Patel (Chair) Saifur Rahaman (Secretary) Ziaur Rahman Julius Shalders Muhammed Usman Mavis Thompson (from February 2024)
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Digital Heroes Training
Back in March 2024, the association and CVS arranged a Digital Heroes training session for the young people of Neath Port Talbot.
This session took place at Neath Port Talbot CVS and was for young people between the ages of seven and nineteen. The session was delivered by Digital Communities Wales and provided the young people with the skills to teach their elderly relatives how to use technology safely and to its full potential.
After the session, the young people who took part were all awarded with a certificate and the title of Digital Hero.
Chai and Chat
The Neath Chai & Chat group continue to meet on a weekly basis at Neath library. The group welcomes ladies from diverse communities and backgrounds within Neath Port Talbot.
These sessions provide a safe space for individuals to come along, have a hot drink and to socialise with one another.
The group welcomes a guest speaker each week who will speak to the group about important topics. In the last few weeks, a range of guest speakers have been welcomed including the Swansea Bay University Health Board team, CRUSE Bereavement, The Tackling Poverty team and more.
The group have also completed a Health and Nutrition course to highlight the importance and benefits of healthy eating and exercise.
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Ysgol Cwm Brombil Parent Network Meetings
The Association continues to work closely with Ysgol Cwm Brombil for their BME Parent Network Meetings. The purpose of these meetings is to strengthen the relationship between the parents and the school, to promote diversity within the school and to provide a safe space to discuss important issues within the school.
Over the past year, the sessions have focused on topics like the GCSE curriculum, Halal food in the school and World Refugee week.
In the last meeting, we were joined by the Race Equality First team who provided a talk on their free Anti-Racism workshops for schools and the other training opportunities that they offer.
A questionnaire has recently been circulated with parents of children in Ysgol Cwm Brombil to gain feedback on the BME Parent Network Meetings and what attendees would like to see moving forward. We have received some very positive feedback on these meetings with attendees stating that it has improved trust and confidence between the parents and teachers at the school.
We are looking forward to continuing our working relationship with Ysgol Cwm Brombil.
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World Refugee Week Celebration
Back in June, the Association supported Ysgol Cwm Brombil with their World Refugee Day Celebration.
The purpose of this event was to recognise and celebrate the contributions that the Refugees in Neath Port Talbot have made for our communities.
Ysgol Cwm Brombil is a very diverse school and has many students who are Refugees and from diverse backgrounds in general.
The event took place at the school and involved fantastic performances from the refugee students. There was a variety of performances ranging from musical instrument recitals, poems, dance routines and singing.
This event provided an opportunity to hear the personal stories from the refugee students and to recognise the valuable contributions that they bring to our community.
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Windrush Day Celebration Event
In August, we supported the planning and delivery of the Neath Port Talbot Windrush Day Celebration Event.
This event took place at the Princess Royal Theatre in Port Talbot and was very well attended by members of the community as well as organisations with information stalls.
The band Swansea Bay Reggae played background Caribbean music while guests arrived and there were information displays that guests could look at which included biographies of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd generations who settled in Port Talbot, the journey of HMT Empire Windrush to the UK and the contributions that the Windrush generation have made to our society.
This event was packed with musical performances, poem recitals, guest speakers, videos, Caribbean food and more!
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Black History Wales 365
Back in October, the Association supported the NPT Black History Wales 365 Event.
This event took place in The Castle Hotel in Neath and was very well attended. Partner agencies were present with their own stalls to show support for this initiative.
The event included Guest Speakers, Caribbean Music and Information Displays. The event ended with an educational Black History talk.
This event was a great way of educating attendees on Black History and to recognise and celebrate the contributions that Black History has had to our community of Neath Port Talbot. It was also an opportunity to network with other organisations in preparation for future events.
The feedback received from this event has been very positive and many attendees have stated that they would like to see similar events held in the future.
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Birmingham University Educational Visit
In June 2024, a group of 49 men, women, children, and young people went on a cultural exposure visit to Birmingham. The visit, involving community members and asylum seekers, increased their understanding of British culture and history by providing insight into higher education options and pathways.
The Association firmly believes that visits like this significantly enrich the lives of asylum seekers by broadening their horizons and supporting their integration into the community.
The visit included a yoga session and a visit to Lapworth Museum of Geology, where the participants enjoyed viewing the rocks, fossils, volcanoes, and earthquakes! Dinosaurs captured the imagination of all visitors as they explored life over the past 3.5 billion years.
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New Website
The Association is in the process of creating a new and improved website where all news and upcoming projects and events can be broadcasted.
We are planning to have a personalised section on our Trustees so that people can get to know us and the structure of the association a bit better. The new website should be up and running in early 2025.
Citizens Advice Project
The Association continues to work in partnership with Citizens Advice Swansea Neath Port Talbot.
We are able to provide support to those from ethnic backgrounds within Neath Port Talbot by referring them to Citizens Advice for anything from general advice to advice on benefit and debt issues.
Over the past year, we have made several referrals and have been able to help these individuals get their issues resolved.
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Financial Report
Reports and accounts for the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024 Charity Registration Number 1182825
Opening Balance £40,129.33
Income Receipts
Donations
Grants: NPTCBC: £10,048.08 Unison: £250 Big Lottery - Health and Wellbeing: £1,000 Total: £11,298.08
Reports and accounts for the year ended 31st March 2024 Staff Costs: £6,129
Other expenditure
Comic Relief - Room Hire for Community Celebration: £327 Comic Relief - Volunteers: £69.57 Comic Relief - Botanical Gardens: £955.20 Comic Relief - St Fagans: £375 Comic Relief - Art Workshop & Refreshments: £237.94 Comic Relief - Zumba Instructor & Room Hire: £300 Comic Relief - Bikeability: £117 Comic Relief - Boxing: £110 First Aid Kit: £27.59 First Aid Training: £241.20 Community Event - Henna Artist: £50 Black History Month - Room Hire & Food: £712 Black History Month - Speaker: £100 Big Lottery - Yoga Instructor & Room Hire: £510 Staff Training: £10 Community Art Workshop - Children: £120 Website Domain: £74.10 Insurance: £443.01 YMCA Meeting Room Hire and Lunch: £547.40 Total: £5,327.01
Total Payments: £11,456.01
Net surplus/deficit for the year: £157.93
Net Assets: £39,971.40
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Statement of Assets and Liabilities at 31st March 2024
Monetary Assets Bank and Cash Balance
Bank Current Account: £39, 971.40 Debtors: £0 Cash in Hand: £0 Net Assets: £39, 971.40
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 2024 which the Trustees have elected to prepare under section 42(3) of the Charities Act 1993 in accordance with the provisions of that section.
Muhammed Usman Neath Port Talbot Black Minority Ethnic Community Association