Annual Report & Financial Statement for Year Ending May 31, 2021
Registered Charity No. 1183261
Contents
| Charity Details | 3 |
|---|---|
| Message from our Chair | 4 |
| Director’s Report | 5 |
| Poetry by our Patron | 6 |
| Report of the Trustees | 7 |
| Report of the Independent Examiner | 14 |
| Receipts and Payments Accounts | 15 |
| Statement of Assets and Liabilities | 16 |
| Notes to the Accounts | 17 |
“I spent six years in London without any help and was feeling very alone. In the three years I have been coming to the centre I feel I have more than just help and support, I feel I belong somewhere, like part of a family and community. I am very proud and happy to be volunteering now at West London Welcome and give back to a place I love.”
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2020/2021
Charity Details
Trustees
Mohammed Reza Beyad (Chair) Rupesh Chatwani Joanna Sarah Farquharson Seema Alibhai Savraj Kaur
Executive Director Joanne MacInnes
Deputy Director
Leyla Williams
Registered Address
PO Box 78236, London W14 4HQ
Charity Number
1183261
Independent Examiner
Carole Hunt P & C Services (Gatwick) Ltd 4 Picketts Picketts Lane Salfords Surrey RH1 5RG
Bankers
Metro Bank PLC
“I was grateful to get food from the foodbank throughout the pandemic – it was difficult for me to buy food, and West London Welcome offered a weekly foodbank and during the lockdown delivered food to my house.”
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2020/2021
Message from our Chair
It has been another difficult year. But it has also been a year in which we have witnessed the best of humanity amongst people. The WLW team, under the leadership of the everdynamic and energetic Director, Joanne MacInnes, has proven once again that we can, and indeed should, help restore the dignity and hope of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants that come to this city and country.
We all undertake our own journeys in life; sometimes in selfish pursuits and at other times for the goodness of humanity. I am humbled when I see what the staff and volunteers of WLW have achieved, and how tirelessly they continue to work towards our mission of creating a safe and supportive community. Each one of them works for a better world, and each one of them is an inspiration to me. I applaud and thank them for their continued contributions to our community.
Reza Beyad Chair
“Right now everything is perfect, you are working hard to make sure that we are safe and to make us feel happy and caring. We are beyond blessed to be part of the West London Welcome family.”
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2020/2021
Director’s Report
This financial year took place entirely over the Covid-19 pandemic and yet it was a time of significant growth for West London Welcome. We took on our first full-time paid staff, opened satellite groups, started a free clothing shop, grew our advice team, and supported a record number of people.
I am immensely proud of what we have achieved this year thanks to our incredibly dedicated staff and volunteers who give huge amounts of time and always go the extra mile. We believe strongly in creating a community where people can bump into each other in the streets, explore the neighbourhood together, and enjoy the benefits of local people and businesses willing to make contributions of all kinds. 90% of our staff, Trustees and volunteers live within walking distance of our centre and 75% of our beneficiaries do as well. This creates a wonderful sense of belonging and being rooted, which for people new to the area, who have spent so much time in transit, is of extreme importance. Our neighbours, politicians, faith groups, and businesses have all joined in our efforts to make our newly arrived friends feel welcome and become part of a strong local community.
Spending time together is the highlight of our weeks, and we all agree that the best thing about WLW is that we are “a family”.
When everything else was slowing and closing down due to the pandemic, West London Welcome stayed open to meet the urgent needs of the growing number of asylum-seeking people placed in local hotels. We provided essential in-person support for these extremely isolated newcomers whilst operating safely within public health guidelines, opening every week without a single Covid outbreak. Staying open enabled us to run an educational programme on the benefits of Covid vaccinations and testing, and organise early vaccination clinics at our centre with local NHS staff. Thanks to our generous hosts the Hammersmith Quakers, St Nicolas’ Church Chiswick and St Paul’s Church Hammersmith, we were able to continue running our core activities including our foodbank, hot lunches, English classes and advice.
Joanne MacInnes Director
“We have a great time with this lovely community as a family together.”
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2020/2021
Poem by our Patron
In 2018 the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights was 70 years old. To mark the anniversary a group of us was brought together by film director and friend of WLW, Phyllida Lloyd, to write a poem for each of the articles listed in the Declaration. The aim was partly to bring them up to date, partly to see which of these rights were being upheld, and which still aren’t being respected. Sadly Article 14 which states that “Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution” is more relevant than ever, and I wrote this poem in response.
Asylum by Dame Harriet Walter
I didn’t start the trouble That has turned my home to rubble And I didn’t start the fight That keeps me up all night
You tell me to go home What home?
My life was good before I had doctorates galore I didn’t choose to risk my life Lose my children and my wife In a dinghy on the ocean
Can you get around that notion? Can you follow your emotion? Why not put my skills to use ‘Stead of dealing out abuse
What is Britain for If it won’t open the door To the victims of a war You send your own to fight?
All I’m asking you to do Is imagine I am you And it’s your boat that is rocking And that War could come a’ knocking -like I’m knocking- at your door
“They gave me the amazing opportunity to be a volunteer and that was very important to me and my integration to the community.”
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2020/2021
Report of the Trustees for the Year Ending 31st May 2021
The Trustees of West London Welcome present their report and independently-examined financial statements for the year ending 31st May 2021.
Status
The charity’s constitution is its governing document. The charity was registered on 7th May 2019 as a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) and took over all assets, liabilities, and operations from the unincorporated association of the same name.
Charity’s Objectives
West London Welcome is a daytime drop-in service based in Hammersmith for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.
The objectives are threefold: to create community/ encourage integration, advance education and relieve financial hardship amongst asylum seekers, refugees, and other migrants with the provision of advice, training, and support.
Annual Review
West London Welcome continued to open in Hammersmith every Thursday in term times but as of this year our new satellite group in Chiswick also opened on Tuesdays. Our free clothing shop opened two days a week and outings took place on other days and weekends. We continued our regular trips to Kew Gardens, museums and London sites when these were permitted during the pandemic. Our key partnerships continued with the Felix Project which provides us with our essential foodbank, donations from Gail’s bakery and Pret, and immense support from our local politicians. Our partnership with Citizens Advice meant we could meet the huge level of need of the increasing number of people placed within a mile of our centres. We are forever indebted to St Paul’s Church Hammersmith for stepping in at our hour of need and hosting our centre for most of the year without charge. We continued to support our members with essentials like free laptops, phones, phone credit, bikes, furniture and travel expenses.
Based on these objectives, the charity has developed a set of broader strategic aims: to reach local refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants who need our support within the borough and wider London area; to help people to make positive transitions in their lives by overcoming practical barriers; to help people overcome the language barriers preventing them gaining employment, accessing education and integrating into the community; to provide immediate relief from poverty, hunger, isolation and health issues; and to support people to feel connected to the community and the local community to be supportive to refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants.
“West London Welcome helped me, giving me a laptop so I can get online English classes in lockdown.”
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2020/2021
Launching a Chiswick satellite group
In September our Chiswick satellite group began a Tuesday coffee morning in support of asylum-seeking families in a local hotel with a weekly community gathering, where local residents eat together, learn English, make art (including painting with Abundance London), go on trips to Chiswick House, and more. The group’s lead volunteers who all live in the area poured so much energy and love into the project, developing relationships with other local organisations and businesses in order to make their new neighbours feel as welcome and supported as possible.
“I look forward to the session all week. My 2 year old finds it hard in the hotel room. Here she can run around with other children, paint and play with toys while I help cook lunch and chat to friends I’ve made. It makes me feel stronger.”
Advice clinics on immigration and housing
Also commencing in September, we started a partnership with Citizens Advice who joined our Advice Team in supporting our members with urgent immigration and housing advice and legal aid lawyers. Every week we ensure that our members have the advice and support they need to meet their essential needs, from finding lawyers to taking on asylum cases and registering people for GPs and schools, to working with local authorities to ensure people avoid homelessness and challenging the Home Office when accommodation is inadequate.
Campaigning and working with other community groups
Such is the intensity of the hostile environment and the uphill battles faced by our members, the possibility of making real change lies with working with other community groups.
This year we joined hundreds of other groups in opposition to the Nationality and Borders Bill. We also campaigned for the improvement of food in hotels for asylum seekers alongside Care4Calais, Kensington Mutual Aid, and other groups, featuring on Sky News and other outlets, which resulted in improvements in hotel food local to us. The Smile Brigade, UNITED in Hammersmith and Fulham, Fusion Nutrition, and the Barons Court Project helped us to support asylum seekers with alternative food and supermarket vouchers.
We campaigned on the issue of asylum seekers being stranded without any money by the Home Office, alongside other groups like Positive Action In Housing and our MP Andy Slaughter. Finally, we worked with others in forums and the media to repeatedly raise the issue of asylum seekers facing huge housing issues and being moved from one accommodation to the next with no notice. With the housing circumstances of asylum seekers being so unstable, we have built strong relationships with groups who are ready to support people wherever they may be moved to.
“I am here because of caring for my disabled son. For many years I didn’t have any help until WLW started helping me. They have helped me with finding a lawyer and financial help.”
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2020/2021
Early Covid vaccinations
In the Spring we worked with Hammersmith and Fulham Clinical Commissioning Group and Council to organise early first and second Covid vaccination doses for the refugees, asylum seekers and migrants we support locally and all our staff and volunteers, who otherwise would have been waiting for weeks or months.
In the lead-up to the vaccinations we worked closely with local pharmacist Hala Abusin and volunteer translators on multiple educational sessions around the vaccine, which did wonders to help clarify unknowns and dissipate the anxieties of our members, leading to virtually everyone wanting the vaccine. Our members are living in cramped housing conditions, many survive on only £8 a week from the Home Office or nothing at all, and a number have a variety of health conditions. They are especially at risk of Covid, so early vaccinations brought huge relief to them and us.
Opening a free clothing shop for new arrivals
We kicked off 2021 by opening our free clothing shop in partnership with Care4Calais, which had by the end of our financial year now been visited over 2,000 times by newly arriving asylum-seeking people. Our patch of West London has the highest concentration of temporary Home Office accommodations in the country for new arrivals, who arrive with little more than the clothes on their backs, so our shop has been essential. As well as providing clothing, the shop has been vital for those who have recently arrived in the UK to meet their essential needs of finding legal aid lawyers, GPs, and making their first friendships here.
“WLW gave me confidence, feeling accompanied, feeling that we have friends and family, feeling part of something, being visible, feeling like people with rights to be able to dream and feel safe and secure, WLW rescued us from a state of darkness.”
“We had no idea how to get vaccinated, and WLW guided us on how to register for the GP and gave us the vaccine against covid at their centre.”
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2020/2021
Some Key Facts and Figures:
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135 new members joined our Thursday Club
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Over 200 visits to our Tuesday Coffee Mornings in Chiswick
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WLW benefitted from more than 60 active volunteers, 20% of whom are also beneficiaries
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In 5 months we had over 2000 visits to our free shop
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We ran 25 Thursday drop-ins and 50 Foodbanks - meaning we were open 50 weeks in the year for in-person contact
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We have people registered from 53 countries, speaking 32 different
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languages: predominantly Arabic, Farsi, Amharic and Spanish
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75% of our beneficiaries are people seeking asylum
“They helped us by getting schools for our daughters, and uniforms and food benefits in the schools. They also helped us by getting a lawyer to help us with our asylum process.”
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2020/2021
Some key results from our 2021 data collection exercise
Positive Feelings
----- Start of picture text -----
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
I feel confident I feel safe I feel part of the
community
Home/Hotel The Centre
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Negative Feelings
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70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
I feel lonely I feel stressed I feel depressed
and/or isolated
Home/Hotel The Centre
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How much did the centre help you with...
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100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
English language Clothing Food Making friends Getting a COVID Home Office
skills vaccination (immigration help)
----- End of picture text -----
----- Start of picture text -----
Making friends Getting a COVID Home Office
vaccination (immigration help)
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Please tick the statements that apply:
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I couldn’t attend the centre classes and activities without the on-site creche
I feel like I have solved some of my problems since I started coming to WLW
I feel like I am making progress in my life since I started coming to WLW
I have been able to achieve some of my goals since I started coming to WLW
I feel my English skills have improved since I started coming to WLW
It was vital to me that WLW remained open throughout the pandemic
I feel more connected to the community since I started coming to WLW
I feel more confident since I started coming to WLW
I feel emotionally stronger since I started coming to WLW
I feel happier since I started coming to WLW
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
West London Welcome Financial Statement 2020/2021
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West London Welcome Case Studies
Ali Ghaderi from Iran – Winner of Young Leader 2021 in Hammersmith and Fulham
My life in the UK didn’t really get started until I went along to West London Welcome one day.
I came to London by myself at 17. I had no friends and was very unhappy and needed somewhere to live. They found me a host family, helped get me a flat, and introduced me to youth charities where I met friends and became a youth leader. They enrolled me in college to improve my English. Anytime I need help they are there for me and if they can’t help they put me in touch with others who can.
Before my interview with the Home Office I was very anxious, so they sent a nice volunteer with me to the interview and that really made me calm down and relax. Last month I finally got a positive decision on my asylum claim from the Home Office which means I have the right to work and begin my life. I don’t think I could have got refugee status without West London Welcome’s help.
Dori’s Story
When we first met Dori and her two young children during the pandemic, the family was traumatised from their experiences both in their home country of Albania and were extremely isolated in their cramped hotel room where they had barely left their room for four months during the pandemic. The family suddenly had to escape their hometown after threats from gangs and lost everything. Dori was exhausted from
anxiety while struggling to survive on only £8 per week from the Home Office, and her children were subdued and had lost the ability to interact with others. She had no idea that the children had had the option of going to school.
For the past few months we have supported Dori and her family to rebuild their confidence and trust in others, understand their rights as asylum seekers, and find friendship and respite in the West London Welcome community. Our volunteers slowly helped bring Dori’s children out of their shells and learn to laugh again, playing football with them outside and supporting them at our Children’s space. “Before we found WLW my 9 year old son could not make eye contact with anyone and he was very angry. Now he is at school and we have good accommodation and better food, he smiles brightly and that gives me such peace.”
We found the family an experienced legal aid lawyer, helped them to move into better housing and gave them new clothes, and provided them with fresh, nutritious food as they had been struggling to eat the unhealthy food given at the hotel. The children enrolled in school and are thriving, and Dori has bonded with other mothers at our centre and has started taking English classes. Dori has told us that finding West London Welcome was like “finally seeing a light along a very dark and difficult road - thank you very much to all of you.”
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2020/2021
Our Supporters
West London Welcome is grateful for grants from the following: LocalGiving Foundation, Barrow Cadbury Trust, London Community Response Fund, The National Lottery Community Fund, Hammersmith United, London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, Dr Edwards & Bishop Kings Fulham Charity, UNITED in Hammersmith & Fulham, The Earl’s Court West London Grant, Fareshare, St Michael & Angels Church, Tudor Trust, Community Barnet – W12 Together, London Churches, Refugee Fund, Groundwork UK, Fund for Human Need
We also wish to thank the local communities and our many individual donors and volunteers, for their generous contributions and support, specifically to St Paul’s Church Hammersmith for allowing the use of their entire premises from September to July.
The Trustees’ Responsibilities
The Trustees are required under the constitution of the charity to prepare financial statements for each financial year to reflect the state of affairs of the charity and of its results for that period. ln preparing those financial statements the Trustees are required to:
Public Benefit
The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in Section 4 of the Charities Act 2011to have due regard to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit, ‘Charities and Public Benefit’.
lndependent Examiner
Carole Hunt was appointed to carry out an independent examination.
This report was approved by the Trustees on March 18th, 2022 and signed on their behalf by:
Mohammed Reza Beyad (Chair)
a) select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently.
b) make judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and
c) prepare the financial statement on a going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to assume that the charity will continue in business.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity. They are responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2020/2021
Report of the Independent Examiner
Independent examiner’s report to the Trustees of West London Welcome
I report to the charity Trustees on my examination of the accounts of West London Welcome (the Charity) for the Year ended 31st May 2021.
Independent examiner’s statement
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:
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity Trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’) I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
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Accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
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The accounts do not accord with those records; or
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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.
Carole Hunt P & C Services (Gatwick) Ltd 4 Picketts Picketts Lane Salfords Surrey
“My English has improved. They helped with my legal case and I built good friendships.”
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2020/2021
Receipts and Payments Accounts
| For the year ending May 31, 2021 INCOMING RESOURCES Transfer from previous charity Grants Donations TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES RESOURCES EXPENDED Staff costs Hot lunches Client travel costs Hardship client support Hardship Fund - Payments Hardship - Communications Hardship Fund - Housing Hardship Fund - Foodbank/Clothing Bank Hardship - Transport Hardship - Other Total hardship client support Study & Training client support General running costs Website Insurance Audit Fees TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS TOTAL FUNDS BOUGHT FORWARD TOTAL FUNDS CARRY FORWARD |
2021 GBP - 118, 412 77,096 195,508 71,290 5,417 3,286 15,003 11,178 9,350 9,235 461 294 45,520 455 2,665 4,800 762 129 134, 325 61,181 36, 633 97,814 |
2020 GBP 19,728 21,980 31,870 |
|---|---|---|
| 73,578 | ||
| 13,632 4,253 3,294 5,027 - 1,578 1,749 - - 8,353 5,290 1,560 - 562 - |
||
| 36,945 | ||
| 36,633 - |
||
| 36,633 |
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2020/2021
Statement of Assets and Liabilities
| As at May 31, 2021 CURRENT ASSETS Cash at bank & in hand CURRENT LIABILITIES Creditors NET ASSETS NET ASSETS Restricted Unrestricted TOTAL FUNDS |
2021 GBP 101,752 3,938 97,814 36,127 61,687 97,814 |
2020 GBP 36,633 - |
|---|---|---|
| 36,633 | ||
| 14,367 22,266 |
||
| 36,633 |
“I was so lonely and depressed with no hope. WLW supports me a lot. Every week I come to the centre and meet people and find friends and if I have problems I have someone to talk to.”
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2020/2021
Notes to the Accounts
Accounting Policies
Accounting convention
These accounts have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015) – Charities SORP (FRS 102), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006. The accounts are prepared in Pound Sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note(s).
Going concern
At the time of approving the accounts, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus, the Trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the accounts.
Incoming Resources
Grants gratefully received in the financial year are as below:
| Organisations LocalGiving Foundation Barrow Cadbury Trust London Community Response Fund The National Lottery Community Fund Hammersmith United Charities London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham Dr Edwards & Bishop Kings Fulham Charity UNITED in Hammersmith & Fulham The Earls Court West London Grant Fareshare St Michael & Angels Church Tudor Trust Community Barnet – W12 Together London Churches Refugee Fund Groundwork UK Fund for Human Need Total Grants Receieved |
Purpose Restricted Restricted Restricted Restricted Restricted Unrestricted Restricted Restricted Restricted Restricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Restricted Unrestricted Unrestricted |
Amount 29,685 20,000 19,776 10,000 9,550 5,000 5,000 4,800 3,192 2,500 2,479 2,000 1,900 1,750 500 280 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 118,412 |
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2020/2021
Fund Analysis
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives unless the funds have been designated for other purposes.
Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure declared by the donor or through the terms of an appeal.
| Organisations LocalGiving Foundation Barrow Cadbury Trust London Community Response Fund The National Lottery Community Fund Hammersmith United Dr Edwards & Bishop Kings Fulham United in Hammersmith and Fulham The Earls Court West London Grant Fareshare London Churches Refugee Fund Hardship Fund – for relieving fnancial hardship Study & Training Fund – for advancing education Restricted Funds Unrestricted Funds Total Funds |
Opening - - - - - - - - - - 10,788 3,579 |
Income 29,685 20,000 19,776 10,000 9,550 5,000 4,800 3,192 2,500 1,750 14,372 - |
Expend 17,853 20,000 17,997 10,000 6,033 5,000 4,800 2,790 1,530 850 11,557 455 |
Closing 11,832 - 1,779 - 3,517 - - 402 970 900 13,603 3,124 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14,367 120,625 |
98,866 | 36,127 | |||
| 22,266 74,880 |
35,459 | 61,687 | |||
| 36,633 195,506 134,325 |
97,814 |
“I really enjoy the trips because I can see different places in London and being in nature improves my mental health.”
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2020/2021
Administrative and Fundraising costs
The charity incurred £23,556 to support the operations of the charity as below:
| Salaries | 10,176 |
|---|---|
| Staff Therapeutic support | 2,325 |
| Accounting services | 2,828 |
| General running cost | 2,665 |
| Website | 4,800 |
| Insurance | 762 |
| TOTAL | 23,556 |
This represents a total of 12% of income spent on administrative and fundraising and 88% on charitable activities.
Barrow Cadbury Trust
The charity received £20,000 from the Covid-19 Support Fund and expended the grant as below:
| Salary for deputy manager | 8,966 |
|---|---|
| Hardship fund for accommodation | 5,114 |
| Hardship fund for essentials (foodbank) | 4,537 |
| Hot lunches cost | 1,383 |
| TOTAL EXPENDITURES | 20,000 |
“I came to your country alone without relatives or friends and my language is different but WLW help me. I feel very happy at the centre because everyone loves and helps me.”
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2020/2021