Helping the homeless and vulnerable to find their next meal
ANNUAL REPORT
For year ending 5 April 2022.
Charity Name : Next Meal Registration Number : 1183114 Address : Muswell Hill Baptist Church, Dukes Avenue, Muswell Hill, London N10 Trustees : Asam Ali Benjamin Woodhead Catherine Jane Barrett (secretary) Jonathan Charles Ashley-Norman KC Olalekan Oyewale Omiteru (treasurer) Bankers : Metro Bank
Muswell Hill Baptist Church, Dukes Avenue, Muswell Hill London N10 2PT Charity Registration Number 1183114 | Chief Executive Martin Stone www.nextmeal.co.uk
Next Meal : An Introduction.
Next Meal grew out of Muswell Hill Soup Kitchen in North London. Volunteers at the soup kitchen realised that just as smart phone technology can help users find their way to a cinema or a restaurant, so it might be adapted to direct the user to the nearest centre providing help and a hot meal. Out of this simple idea, Next Meal was born. A database was created into a website containing the locations of soup kitchens all around the UK and increasingly in cities outside the UK too. A simple card was produced signposting the website. The intention was to encourage a different conversation between a street homeless person, and the person who might otherwise be a passer-by. Using the website and a smart phone, directions to a place where help and food might be provided, alongside or instead of a coffee or a sandwich. Next Meal might also help the conversation between the street homeless and professionals whose work brings them into contact with them, for example the police, or council employees, medical professionals or people who run traffic infrastructure or other places where the street homeless might be encountered.
The database and the website were already well advanced when charitable status was achieved on 29 April 2019. During the first year the board of Trustees was established, and a funding partnership was achieved through Next Meal’s major funders, city stockbrokers, Peel Hunt. The charity sought to establish its vision and long term plans, including seeking and finding support amongst concerned politicians.
A launch was planned to take place in the Houses of Parliament, but was delayed by the December 2019 General Election. A fresh date was fixed and a fantastic launch took place in February 2020, just before the UK onset of the Covid 19 pandemic.
As the pandemic took hold, the UK government arranged for most street homeless people to be evacuated from the streets and into temporary accommodation. There were far fewer people on the street, both homeless and pedestrians. Many soup kitchens closed. Next Meal has had to adapt to meet these challenges, has been refining its plans, enhancing its website, and focusing on how it might further its charitable objects in the aftermath of the pandemic. Members of the
Muswell Hill Baptist Church, Dukes Avenue, Muswell Hill London N10 2PT Charity Registration Number 1183114 | Chief Executive Martin Stone www.nextmeal.co.uk
Executive have focused also on direct assistance to the homeless extended by Muswell Hill Soup Kitchen.
During the year to April 2022, Martin Stone in his Next Meal capacity, but also in co-operation with the Muswell Hill Soup Kitchen developed connections with various charitable provision in Burnley, delivering principally food but also other necessaries to Burnley.
This work, and developing connections in the Burnley area, enabled Martin to identify and explore the possibility of using geo-thermal heating technology to provide heating via the extensive network of disused mines under Burnley. Neal Meal resolved to permit Martin to continue geo-thermal community exploratory work in Burley on behalf of Next Meal, recognising that though on the fringes of its constitutional charitable objects, the activity was within the general scope of the public benefit and the relief of poverty of the financially disadvantaged.
Charity Structure :
The charity functions are divided between the Trustees and the Executive. As at 5 April 2022, the Trustees are the above named and their functions included the oversight and support of the functions of the Executive. The Executive comprise Martin Stone (Chief Executive), Marie Audemard, Ralph Hinton and Oli Roxburgh, Melvin Simpson stepping back from his previous semi-formal involvement. The role of the Executive is to execute the charity activities decided upon by the Trustees in consultation with the Executive. Occasional meetings were held to this end during the year to April 2022.
Martin Stone is in day to day charge of the operations of Next Meal, and is supported in that by the other members of the Executive. Oli Roxburgh, the originator of the website, has a particular role in the provision of on-line support, and Ralph Hinton and Marie Audemard with the maintenance of and communications with the soup kitchens represented on the database.
Through the populating of the website database, it came to be appreciated that many people running soup kitchens all round the country appreciated becoming a part of the Next Meal network. A
Muswell Hill Baptist Church, Dukes Avenue, Muswell Hill London N10 2PT Charity Registration Number 1183114 | Chief Executive Martin Stone www.nextmeal.co.uk
regular newsletter and blog were established for the purposes of supporting soup kitchens, and spreading experience and learning. Connections with various soup kitchens around the country have been established and nurtured, Next Meal considering the support of soup kitchens a way in which it might further its charitable purposes. Connections have also been developed with soup kitchens around the world, and through the pandemic this developed into a regular International Zoom meeting with attendees from all around the world sharing experience and encouragement.
Financial Review :
Next Meal has filed a Form CC16a recording the receipts and payments accounts for the year ending 5 April 2022. These reflected receipts in the total sum of £4113.83, comprising principally gifts and sponsorship from Peel Hunt, which has continued to be very supportive of Next Meal’s efforts. Expenditure continues to be modest. Next Meal remains unable to offer members of its Executive a salary or other form of regular remuneration. Next Meal has however made occasional gratuity payments to members of the Executive by way of thank you and in order to demonstrate Next Meal’s appreciation for the extensive work undertaken. The total payments in the year to 5 April 2022 was £7897.83.
At the end of the year the cash funds held were £17,053.38.
No funds were held as a custodian trustee.
For and on behalf of the Board of Trustees
Jonathan Ashley-Norman KC
17 February 2023.
Muswell Hill Baptist Church, Dukes Avenue, Muswell Hill London N10 2PT Charity Registration Number 1183114 | Chief Executive Martin Stone www.nextmeal.co.uk
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLIND ANO WALES ci".-rf. Noxt Meal Recelpts and payments accounts CC16a For thB rI( To Section A Receipts and payments Unrestrict•d R•8trfct•d fund• funds toll* n1¥ £ lo lh• n•Tht£ l•th• r•w••tt &)th• rn•r••te th• n•¥••t£ Endowm•nt fvnd• Total fuTxI• L•¥tor Al R•c•l ARJ 4114 4114 l••• tabl•l. Tot•1 r•c•lpts 4114 A3Pa W•ge818Athrf8819rnt0$ ENpèni•i. trnv•l •tc Sub tot•1 A4 Au•t #nd InNwtm•nt Sub tot•1 Net of recelptS/(Wn8nts) A5 Tran•hrn b•twwn funds A6 Ca•h funds la¥t •nd Cash funds thls yearend CCXX R1 ¥mnts ISSI 17023
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period unremnctou fvnds C8tegorles Rostrlct•d funds Endowm•nt funds Detal.:5 B1 Cash fund• 17,053 Total c•sh funds 17m53 lunds fund• to n•u•¥l£ fund• to htrarmt e D•tail$ D•tall• Currtht lu• B3 Inv•stm•nt O•tsil• Fund t•Twhl •M•t brI cLWr•rtIU C••tlopvtywt) B4 Abs•ts rat•Sn for th• ¢harlty'8 own u•0 Fundttt1h D•tall• B5 Liabllltl•• Sljned byong trustw5 on boifofal th8 truslees Sbnatsye Prlnl Name VYk CCXX R2 acwjnts ISSI 17102r2023