Annual Report & Financial Statement for Year Ending 31 May, 2022
Registered Charity No. 1183261
Contents
| Charity Details | 3 |
|---|---|
| Message from our Chair | 4 |
| Executive Director’s Report | 5 |
| Message from our Patron | 6 |
| Report of the Trustees | 8 |
| Report of the Independent Examiner | 21 |
| Statement of Financial Activities | 22 |
| Balance Sheet | 23 |
| Notes to the Accounts | 24 |
“It’s the most wonderful place I have ever attended. All workers help and are concerned about Ukrainians. There is an awesome children’s space with amazing staff. My daughter waits for Tuesday to go there.”
- Ukrainian mother
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Charity Details
Trustees
Joanna Farquharson (Chair) Rupesh Chatwani Seema Alibhai Mohammed Reza Beyad Savraj Kaur Antonia Benfield (appointed 21/11/2022) Efthymia Stratopoulou (appointed 14/12/2022) Coco Campbell (appointed 08/02/2023)
Executive Director
Joanne MacInnes
Deputy Executive Director Leyla Williams
Registered Address
PO Box 78236, London W14 4HQ
Charity Number
1183261
Independent Examiner
Shruti Soni FCCA FCIE Shruti Soni Limited Chartered Certified Accountants 117A St. Johns Hill, Sevenoaks, TN13 3PE
Bankers
Metro Bank PLC
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Message from our Chair
It is with great pleasure that I have taken on the role of Chair of the Board of Trustees of West London Welcome – it is an honour and a responsibility that I am looking forward to embrace. I want to thank Reza Beyad for all his work as Chair, and we are pleased that he is remaining involved in WLW as a trustee.
West London Welcome is a truly special charity. I watch with continuing admiration the work of all our people, in particular our Executive Director, Joanne MacInnes’ and the Deputy Executive Director, Leyla Williams’ seemingly never exhausted supply of dedication, compassion and innovation, alongside their excellent team of executives and volunteers, working tirelessly for the benefit of all the refugee and asylum seekers that come through our doors. It really is a testament to everyone’s hard work when you start to see our members’ trauma begin to diminish and the smiles start to creep back.
Our new centre has been key to this. Jo and her team have created a special space filled with warmth and safety where our members can obtain critical advice to help them with the practicalities of navigating the new environment that they find themselves in. Crucially too, they meet others who have been traumatically wrenched from their old life, and here they can talk, share food, learn English, knit, garden, do yoga, join a book club, take advantage of a creche, join drumming sessions, even go to a disco. In fact, this summer, we had a very special Refugee Day, a fete-cum-sports day, which ended up with everyone dancing in the evening sun! Such is the spirit of community and joy at West London Welcome.
We were delighted to have HM King Charles III (then Prince Charles) visit us in the summer. This show of recognition for our work was incredibly important to us all - staff, volunteers and of course, our members.
Thank you for your continued support of West London Welcome’s work – without the financial and voluntary support we receive from all our partners, none of this essential work would be possible.
Joanna Farquharson
Chair of Trustees
“At West London Welcome I like that everyone is equal and there is no discrimination between anyone. They are all brothers and sisters and friends from any country, nationality and race.
- Salvadoran member
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Executive Director’s Report
It’s amazing how much can change in just a year. Reflecting back on the past year at WLW, change came in the form of a new community centre as well as growth in every area and aspect of what we do. We evolved from the infant stage of our charity into its adolescence. Not in a moody sulky way of course but rather stepping closer to adulthood and all the increasing responsibilities and learning that this stage brings. It was an incredible year of growth as we moved into our first dedicated premises managed and oversaw the building works, organised our first major fundraiser, and trebled the days we open and consequently the number of members we support. We secured funding for a new caseworker and a parttime support staff member, taking us from three to five staff members. We have a wonderful team of gentle yet determined souls, all with different skillsets who get on so well and are extremely supportive of each other. They give immense energy and time and are passionately devoted to the issues faced by our members – all of whom were working voluntarily before becoming paid staff, a testament to their dedication. We also launched our fabulous new website which we are very proud of.
Our community of member beneficiaries has had to navigate an increasingly ‘hostile environment’ at government level. The increased hostility towards those seeking sanctuary or migrating is dangerous and inhumane, condemning those already most vulnerable to high levels of anxiety, fear, upset and despair. It’s painful to witness. The seeming incompetence and indifference exhibited by the Home Office is staggering leaving people who arrive with hope to instead slide into depression and hopelessness as waiting times for interviews and decisions increase while lives are put on hold. Our West
London Welcome community, staff, trustees, volunteers and indefatigable advice team work tirelessly to address this whilst creating a warm, secure and welcoming environment. I feel such pride in our community of dedicated, compassionate volunteers who give me hope for our future and a better world.
I’m immensely grateful to my colleague and Deputy Director Leyla Williams who organises an excellent team of caseworkers, coordinates communications, writes most of our policy and advocacy strategies, as well as our blog and social media posts and is the backbone of the charity making an immeasurable contribution to its health, development, growth and good standing in the sector.
We have a strong and compassionate Board of Trustees who are growing and developing the Governance of our charity and we are deeply grateful to Reza Beyad who stepped down as Chair after three years overseeing our transition from community group to a registered charity in 2019. Our Trustee Joanna Farquharson was voted Chair person and we look forward to the energy and dedication she brings.
One of the wonderful new aspects of having our own building is the sense of ownership it gives our members who take pride in keeping it beautifully both inside and the garden. It has also meant that we are able to increase the number of member-volunteers with so many making a contribution to the everyday running of the centre. We have also seen a significant increase in the number of supporters and volunteers in the community with over 90 active volunteers participating either every week or at least every month. A number of local schools and businesses have also been fundraising, inviting us to speak and collecting donations on our behalf.
At our core, we are first and foremost a community centre and with so much local support that’s what we excel at and are so proud of. We all need community and I’m proud that our charity offers that to everyone involved.
Joanne MacInnes
Executive Director
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Message from our Patron
This has been a challenging year for global asylumseekers and WLW has risen to the local challenges with its customary calm, practicality and compassion. They responded to the Afghan and Ukrainian crisis but never let that overshadow the ongoing crises that our clients from other parts of the world are continuing to struggle with.
with so many volunteers and members, hear their stories and eat their delicious food. They really got a feel for the place and as a result started a relationship with us.
At WLW you enter a place of palpable good will, practical effort, reciprocal learning, friendship and trust. Refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant members of the community often volunteer at the centre so that it is sometimes hard to distinguish between who is being formally supported by WLW. It is a community of friends and WLW endeavours to sustain the contact beyond the building, keeping an eye on people’s housing circumstances, and so on.
If this sounds Pollyanna-ish, it isn’t. It makes sense. The understanding that someone wishes you to feel safe and happy takes you a long way towards feeling safe and happy. Being given tools for survival, advice, language classes etc gives people dignity and self-reliance. And this is a two-way traffic of benefits. We volunteers cannot know what it is like to be in the asylum-seekers’ position so we want and need to listen and learn from them.
I am so proud to have even the slightest connection with them.
Dame Harriet Walter
Patron
Our Friendraising Gala in April created many new and generous friends who all expressed their pleasure at being invited to the premises where WLW works. They also said how great it was to properly meet and mingle
“Because to be here in the UK alone is so hard, I didn’t know that this country has a hostile policy against refugees, but with West London we found help, love and support and that is like a hug. We don’t feel that we are alone here.” - Iraqi father
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Report of the Trustees for the Year Ending 31st May 2022
The Trustees of West London Welcome present their report and independently-examined financial statements for the year ending 31st May 2022.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 of the accounts. They comply with the charity’s governing document, the Charities Act 2011, and the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice (“SORP”), applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland.
Status and Organisational Structure
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.
The trustees are appointed by the Board of Trustees, in consultation with the existing trustees. The constitution requires the Foundation to have a minimum of three trustees each of which has one vote. New trustees are provided with information on trustee guidelines as prepared by the Charity Commission, and information on the charity as appropriate. Briefing discussions are held with the current trustees. Trustees are requested annually to confirm any related party transactions.
The objectives of the charity are (1) to advance education and relieve financial hardship amongst those seeking asylum and those granted refugee status particularly by the provision of legal and other advice (2) to provide or assist with the provision of facilities and other recreation or other leisure time activity for refugees, asylum seekers and their dependents in the interests of social welfare with the object of improving their condition of life and assisting their inclusion into the wider community, in particular but not exclusively by the provision of a drop-in centre.
Based on these objectives, the charity has developed a set of broader strategic aims: to reach local refugees and asylum seekers 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 and asylum.
Public Benefit
The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in Section 4 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit, ‘Charities and Public Benefit’.
Charity’s Objectives
West London Welcome is a daytime drop-in service based in Hammersmith for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.
“We are always happy to visit West London Welcome, where we are greeted by friendly, sincere people. We always feel their support and help. We feel safe there. Thank you very much for everything!”
- Iranian family
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Annual Review of Activities, Achievements and Performance
The year brought real highs - we moved into our first permanent premises in September, and partying together for Refugee Week was an especially joyous time – but it also brought some huge challenges. We were confronted with the ongoing threat of the government’s Rwanda Plan, quickly mobilised to respond to the arrival of many Afghan evacuees, and six months later organised to respond to the needs of many newly-arriving Ukrainians and their complex visa and hosting issues which doubled our casework activities.
West London Welcome is committed to four long-term strategic aims as an organisation and this year is proud to have made considerable progress building community, delivering advice, advocacy, and becoming sustainable.
Building Community
Our first long-term strategic aim at West London Welcome is to build community. We do this primarily through the maintenance and development of our main community centre in Hammersmith and satellite group in Chiswick, in which we provide warm welcome, holistic support, creative and participatory activities and education. This year we put this aim, as we always have, at the heart of our everyday work.
Opening our new community centre
We moved into our first permanent premises in Hammersmith in September 2021, which whilst requiring a substantial amount of building work was transformed into a beautiful space and an amazing garden, largely furnished and equipped by donations from local businesses and plants donated by the Chelsea Flower Show. Having our dedicated space has meant we can now open three full days a week with extra classes and outings on other days.
Our new centre is already much-loved by our community. The Leslie Aldridge Trust have very generously funded our renovations which included a new kitchen, a private quiet room, new windows and patio doors leading to a new decked area. After a number of painting and decorating parties with our members (big thanks to Farrow and Ball for the paint donations and to so many locals for the furniture and lovely furnishings we needed), we opened our doors and immediately felt at home.
Our new home features a large space for English classes and communal dining, offices for our staff and
advice sessions for clients, a chill-out sofa area (looking colourful and awesome thanks to Knit for Peace donations), a children’s play area, storage, a kitchen, and best of all our own garden. We’ve already been making the most of our new spaces by playing cricket outside with Fulham Cricket Club, screen printing t-shirts with volunteers Rachel and Cat, and welcoming in the Flying Seagulls Circus and regular outdoor fitness and yoga classes. It’s a rare and wonderful thing to find a space that fulfils all our needs, but we’ve done it!
We’ve been busy gardening together in our outside spaces thanks to generous donations from Chiswick Community Allotments, Chelsea Flower Show and some wonderful grasses from the legend that is Knoll Gardens. Gardening has been particularly lovely for those in our community who were used to gardening in their home countries. Our kitchen has allowed our chef Aisha and the fabulous kitchen team to cook to their heart’s delight – as well as for asylum-seeking people living in hotels without kitchens to cook for themselves. And on Tuesdays we have members doing a Guest spot in the kitchen and we are enjoying meals from all over the world.
We now open for in-person community days three days a week: on Tuesdays our Outreach Coordinator, Mehri, runs our free clothing shop and social time for asylum-seeking people living in local hotels; Wednesdays we host a variety of creative classes including knitting, yoga, art and fitness; and on Thursdays we continue with our usual day centre where people receive holistic support from legal advice and housing casework to English classes, our foodbank, hot lunch, social time, creative activities and sport.
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Welcoming Afghans and other new arrivals
In September we had the privilege of welcoming newlyarrived Afghans into West London, where hundreds of evacuees are living in bridging hotels while they wait for permanent housing elsewhere. We organised a warm welcome for them, have been working with the council and a variety of local groups including the wonderful parents, teachers and students at Emanuel School to organise donations and support, and have brought Afghan families into our community. Distressingly, by the time our Financial Year ended nine months later, most of the Afghans remain in the hotels and are none the wiser as to when they will be properly housed. Our Director Joanne and our Afghan member Zia spoke about the ongoing uncertainty faced by Afghans on ITV News, and our Deputy Director Leyla spoke about the same issues on the BBC.
Walking with Little Amal
We were unbelievably proud to have been the flagbearers for Little Amal, the giant refugee child puppet who walked across Europe to find her mother and seek sanctuary, as she was welcomed by hundreds of people at St Paul’s Cathedral and around London in October. Our volunteer, Phyllida Lloyd, directed the welcome ceremony brilliantly with hundreds of children singing Consider Yourself from Oliver Twist – hardly a dry eye amongst the
adult crowd of spectators. Our community of refugees, migrants and volunteers will never forget being part of such an inspiring, joyful and moving day. We also partied with Little Amal at the Roundhouse in Camden, and some of our families loved meeting her at the V&A. You can see pictures of our time with Little Amal on Twitter here.
Winning a Civic Honour
In March we were awarded a Civic Honour for Act of Compassion in Hammersmith and Fulham’s Civic Honours, for our work ‘supporting Afghan refugees, including providing a free clothes shop, and working with community and council officers and the NHS to organise covid vaccines for refugees and asylum seekers.’
Jo and Leyla were awarded the honour, but it takes a whole community to put in place long-term compassion, support and solidarity with refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. This award was won by every one of our friends who work so hard with so much dedication and love.
“It is the space where I can be myself, it is a break from being a mother, it is intense being a mother 24/7.”
- Afghan mother
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Partying for Refugee Week
Our Refugee Week party in June gave us all what we needed so much after such a long and difficult pandemic - to come together and dance, drum, eat amazing food, read poetry, get haircuts, have facials, and laugh together. All our members and so many in the local community played a huge part in making the party so special, including our guests, MP Andy Slaughter and Hammersmith and Fulham Mayor, PJ Murphy.
We also marked the week by celebrating every day with different community activities in the sunshine with our asylum-seeking neighbours in temporary hotel accommodation. Our Community Outreach and Operation Manager, Mehri, coordinated picnics and worked in collaboration with our Chiswick satellite group. The Chiswick group and other pop-up communities have been a real lifeline for people and demonstrate the possibilities of what neighbourhoods can achieve together.
Community Childcare
An essential part of our community support, which is rare to find in the refugee sector in London, is weekly childcare for our members. Only 15 hours of free childcare is available to kids aged three and four whose parents have ‘no recourse to public funds’, and even this is difficult to access given lack of places, little information about where to find childcare, and parents not knowing their rights. Since we first opened in 2018, lead childcare volunteers Charlotte Davies, Kim Bussell and Sandra Pfeiffer have been plugging the gap in this lack of childcare by running our warm and wonderful weekly crèche, and long may it continue.
Our Chiswick Satellite Group
Volunteers Harriet and Rachel, along with their asylumseeking member-volunteers including the wonderful Steaysy, continue to take our Chiswick satellite group from strength to strength.
They meet each week, enjoying socialising, creative activities, English classes, delicious food, and more. Cooking has become a celebrated affair, with different members cooking for the group so everyone can sample each other’s cuisines. The group now have a partnership with Chiswick House and Gardens and local artists from Art Jar, who run monthly art sessions (such as silk painting) with the families and individuals the group supports.
“I have been volunteering for two years helping to run the Chiswick drop-in with Harriet Morgan. Watching the news and witnessing first hand the experiences of people seeking asylum and struggling to survive in the current hostile environment is both depressing and frustrating and volunteering with WLW goes someway to negate this - it feels good to be doing something to help on a human level. Following a long and isolating lockdown shielding, joining the vibrant West London Welcome community has been an uplifting and rewarding experience and has had a hugely positive impact on my own mental health and wellbeing. I really look forward to the sessions and I know other volunteers feel the same - it is the highlight of our week.”
- Rachel Le Mesurier, Volunteer
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Access to Advice
Our second long-term strategic aim is to enable access to advice and deliver casework at our centre. This year we responded to a growing need for advice and casework by investing in our advice team and developing partnerships with other organisations.
Advice Team Development
Our advice team continued to take on dozens of cases a week of refugees and people seeking asylum in need of support on housing, the asylum process, benefits, education, health, finances, and more. This year Margaret Magnusson joined us as an advisor from Citizens Advice Hammersmith and Fulham (CAHF) and Sanne van den Bergh joined us as Casework and Development Coordinator.
Supporting Ukrainian New Arrivals
In April we started opening weekly social and advice mornings supporting newly-arriving Ukrainians and their hosts. Our centre is located close to the Ukraine embassy, consulate and social club in Kensington, and nearby Ealing has the second-highest population of Ukrainian citizens in the UK, so we were poised to
expect lots of people in need of support.
Working in partnership with Citizens Advice at our centre, we have been supporting Ukrainians who are homeless or with unstable housing situations with safe local hosting through Refugees at Home, helping people access urgent legal advice via Ukraine Advice Project, food, clothes, English classes, childcare, and all the social activities and friendship that comes with joining our community centre. We are grateful to HF Giving for their appeal collecting donations which allowed us to hire someone to organise the support we give. At the very end of this Financial Year we secured funding from The Daisy Trust to start collaborating with Ukraine Institute to provide local Ukrainians with English classes and we are excited about this commencing shortly.
The needs of local newly-arriving Ukrainians can be complex, and lots of casework and support is needed for them, as well as for their hosts. Some Ukrainians arriving in West London are falling quickly into destitution, either because their hosting arrangements have broken down or because they have arrived without visas. We expect they will need on-going support as hosting arrangements come to an end, and those in need of housing, advice and friendship will continue to be welcome at our centre.
“I have gained confidence and motivation through your help with the advice of a support worker. Belonging to this community has built my self-esteem”
- Syrian teenager
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Advocacy
Our third long-term strategic aim is to advocate for change with and on behalf of our members. In 2021-22 we shared our knowledge and expertise to improve the public narrative on migration through relationship building; participating in local and national networks, training, events, and networking; and gathering evidence through our work to contribute to change locally and nationally.
Building knowledge and understanding
Every week our staff attended forums, meetings and events within the refugee sector, with local authorities, and with a variety of other organisations, to improve our own knowledge of the rights and entitlements of our members; to shine a light on the experiences of our members; and to build knowledge and understanding of the challenges facing members amongst professionals and the public locally and nationally.
Highlighting local issues in the media
We have been supporting our members to amplify their voices and experiences in the media. This year our members, staff and volunteers have featured in the Guardian, BBC News, The Independent, New York Times, ITV News, Daily Express, My London, Hammersmith Today and the Chiswick Calendar. Journalists highlighted our work and interviewed us on issues from missing asylum support payments to Afghan refugee experiences and the first months Ukrainians spent in the UK.
King Charles’ Visit
King Charles visited our centre in April when he was still Prince, meeting many of our members and volunteers.
It was an important opportunity for the stories of our friends most affected by the hostile environment to be heard – he spoke with people who have crossed the Channel to seek safety here, who have been in detention, who have been trafficked, who have been waiting 18 months for an interview on their asylum claim, and who are banned from working and survive on only £8 per week from the Home Office. On his visit he expressed concern and a ‘need to do something’ about the situation of asylum-seeking people.
Rallying against the Nationality and Borders Bill
We joined hundreds of friends and allies for the Refugees Welcome rally against the Nationality and Borders Bill (now the Nationality and Borders Act 2022) at Parliament Square. The Act attacks the 70-year-old Refugee Convention by punishing people by the means of their arrival, creating a two-tier system of treatment of asylum seekers based on whether they travelled here by ‘formal’ or ‘informal’ routes. There are currently no safe or legal routes for people to get here, so people we know have been forced to take very dangerous journeys by boat. We were proud to come together with other groups to defend the right for people to seek safety by any means.
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Sustainability
Our fourth and final long-term strategic aim is to become a sustainable organisation for the long-term, ensuring we have the funding, skills and support for staff to fulfill our mission and meet the needs of our members. The issues and hostile environment facing our community of refugees, migrants and people seeking asylum aren’t going away anytime soon, so we’re working hard to ensure our work and our community are sustainable for the long term.
Hosting our First Friendraiser and the Launch of our Welcome Circle
In April we hosted our first Friendraiser to officially launch our Welcome Circle, a key group of supporters sustaining WLW by giving minimum £2000 annually. We gathered with our patron Dame Harriet Walter and theatre and film director Phyllida Lloyd at our centre, where we had a delicious dinner prepared by our chefs
Aisha and Betul, premiered our new short film produced by Phyllida, and heard from those we support. The evening enrolled 33 Welcome Circle members and the scheme raised £88,990 in this financial year.
Our wonderful group of Welcome Circle members give a minimum of £2000 annually to sustain the charity. We are grateful to them for donating these much-needed funds, which contribute significantly to our core costs including enabling us to hire a new member of staff in our team as Casework and Development Coordinator, giving us the time and expertise to develop our strategic aims on a longer-term basis.
‘Running the knitting group as a volunteer has helped with my confidence and mental health, and being useful makes me happy and gives me hope. It’s also improved my English. When I put my head on my pillow at night I think about our day at the centre and what I and we’ve achieved together.’
- Member-volunteer from Iran
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Some Key Facts and Figures:
We ran 168 drop-in sessions.
The foodbank was open on more than 100 days.
We served at least hot lunches. 8,820
32 Outings to London attractions and the seaside.
Opened 47 weeks in the year for in-person contact.
We have more than 200 visits a week with members registered from 53 countries, speaking 32 different languages: predominantly Arabic, Farsi, Amharic and Spanish.
75% of our beneficiaries are people seeking asylum. The remaining have received refugee status or are migrants.
WLW benefitted from more than 90 active volunteers, 20% of who are also beneficiaries, who collectively gave more than volunteer hours. 20,000
“They help me with food, clothes, a phone, and exploring London and trips like Kew Gardens. I take English classes and they found me a special maths tutor, Johnny. At the centre I meet friends and I even met King Charles. They have really helped me mentally and I am part of the community here. This is the only family I have.”
- Unaccompanied teenager from Nigeria
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Some key results from our 2022 data collection exercise*
----- Start of picture text -----
75%
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said the centre helped them with English classes
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88%
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said the centre helped them with making friends
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89%
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said they feel happier now since they started coming to WLW
86% said the centre helped them with food
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87%
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said they feel more connected to the community since they started coming to WLW
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72%
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said they feel more confident since they started coming to WLW
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
* Note: This survey was conducted in October 2022 with 95 members of West London Welcome.
Case Studies
Ruth’s Story
“I left Eritrea ten years ago to save my life. I had to leave behind everybody I loved, but I had no other choice. As a Pentecostal Christian I was persecuted for my religion and experienced violence, and I knew that if I wanted to stay alive I had to go. I escaped and came to the UK because I thought I would be safe here.
My first few years seeking asylum in the UK were so hard. The Home Office sent me to detention centres many times, where I was terrified that they would deport me to Eritrea and then I would be killed. I felt like nobody believed me when I told them about my life being in danger at home.
Eventually I moved to West London to stay on my friend’s sofa, and that’s when I discovered West London Welcome. For three years they have supported me at the centre to find a support network, study English, have given me clothes and hardship money, and worked with my immigration lawyer to follow up with the Home Office about their many delays and errors with my asylum claim application. Even my MP Andy Slaughter helped me to ask the Home Office why I had been waiting so long to hear back from them.
Last month my lawyer told me I had received refugee status. I still can’t believe it! I’m over the moon. West London Welcome helped me to find a room to rent and supported me to sort out my finances, and now they are helping me to find my first job here. It’s the beginning of my new life. Words can’t express how much they have done for me.”
Ruth got married in the summer of 2022.
Alina’s story
Alina fled Ukraine with her young sons after the February invasion started and soon after started coming to our drop-in dedicated to newly-arriving Ukrainians. She was extremely worried about her husband and extended family who were still in Ukraine, while at the same time trying to settle into a completely new environment, alone with two children.
She was constantly crying: “When I came to London, I was deeply depressed and felt very bad. WLW helped me to relax and feel secure and I feel they care about me. Through them, I met new friends which has made me feel stronger and able to cope. When I wanted to get help with documents and housing, I knew I could turn to WLW. I knew that I was not alone.”
WLW helped Alina to claim Universal Credit, register for schools and when her sponsors through the Homes for Ukraine scheme told her to leave before six months had expired, our caseworker helped to get her onto Housing Benefit to pay for council emergency accommodation in a bed and breakfast. However, as this was only one cramped room for three of them, WLW sought and found that very rare thing - a sympathetic private landlord willing to accept Universal Credit and waive the standard monthly deposit. She moved into a beautiful furnished flat with a garden near her son’s school and nursery. We assisted her to set up a rental agreement and helped to ensure she had everything she needed - from sheets to cooking equipment.
Alina continues to visit WLW at least twice a week for English classes, knitting and other social activities. While she and her kids are much more settled now, she still very much enjoys the social aspect of the drop-ins: “I meet women with similar problems, and we can talk and share ideas and give each other support.”
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Financial review
Income and expenditure
Income during the period under review was £395,963 (2021: £195,505) of which £75,517 was restricted (2021: £120,625) and expenditure was £224,319 (2021: £134,324). Of the total expenditure £51,238 (2021: £98,865) was from restricted grants. The charity had net income during the year of £171,644 (2021: £61,181). This led to an increase in the total funds held at the year end to £269,458 (2021: £97,814) of which funds for restricted purposes were £23,834 (2021: £36,127).
Risk Assessment
The charity has conducted a risk assessment and has established a register, which will be updated annually. The register has appropriate systems and procedures in place to mitigate the risks the charity faces. Such headings are; funding and risks, internal control risks, implementation procedures for transactions and projects, health and safety for staff, volunteers and clients.
Key risk factors include; key staff turnover, Government policy, loss or damage to premises, cash flow.
Reserves policy
The reserves policy is to maintain a cash balance of at least six months of operating expenses. At this financial year end this equates to an amount of £112,160 compared to the unrestricted reserves of £245,624.
Plans for future periods and going concern status
In the trustees’ opinion the charity is a going concern and has sufficient funds to continue its current activities over the next 12-15 months.
Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others
The charity has acted as an agent for the local group Refugees Welcome Hounslow which shares similar aims and objectives. At the year end the charity held funds on behalf of Refugees Welcome Hounslow of £4,063.
Our Supporters and Principal Funding Sources
West London Welcome is grateful for grants from the following: LocalGiving Foundation Michael & Betty Little Trust London Community Response Fund Leslie Aldridge Hammersmith United Charities Choose Love HF Giving The Earls Court West London Grant Network for Social Change London Churches Refugee Fund AB Charitable Trust Inspire Hounslow
We also wish to thank our 33 Welcome Circle Members who contribute a substantial amount of our income and whose commitment to our sustainability and growth is a lifeline.
A very special thanks to St Pauls Hammersmith for hosting our Thursday drop-ins and St Mary’s Church Kensington for allowing us to set up our free shop in their chapel for six months.
And to the following local schools who have fundraised and collected donations on our behalf; Norland Place School Emanuel School Fulham School Lady Margaret School Wendell Park School West London Free School
And finally, to all the lovely local business and members of the public who support us with regular donations.
“My English is getting better, I have discovered I have a creative side, I discovered places around London, I went out a lot and made many friends, and I feel really good.” - Albanian member
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
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:
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.
This report was approved by the Trustees on 8 February 2023 and signed on their behalf by:
Joanna Sarah Farquharson (Chair)
“I’m from a small island and came to England eight years ago and spent the first five years on the streets. My life changed when I started going to the centre at WLW who gave me a chance to rebuild my confidence through volunteering. I’ve had a lot of practical help from WLW but what’s most important is the help and support I get from being a member of the community - as soon as I walk through the door I feel happier and leave my anxieties behind. “
- Member-volunteer from Mauritius
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
N
FS RIFL; 177
Report of the Independent Examiner
Independent examiner’s report to the Trustees of West London Welcome
I report on the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 May 2022 as set out on pages 22 to 33 .
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity’s trustees 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 charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner’s statement
Since the charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of Association of Chartered Certified Accountant, which is one of the listed bodies.
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:
-
accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
-
the accounts do not accord with those records; or
-
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.
Shruti Soni FCCA FCIE Date: 16 March 2023 Shruti Soni Ltd Chartered Certified Accountants 117a St. John’s Hill, Sevenoaks TN13 3PE
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Statement of financial activities (incorporating an income and expenditure account)
For the year ended 31 May 2022
| Income from: Note Donations and grants 2 Investment Income Total income Expenditure on: Raising funds Charitable activities - Hardship Support Total expenditure 3 Net income / (expendi- ture) for the year Transfers between funds Net movement in funds Reconciliation of funds: Total funds brought forward Total funds carried for- ward 13 |
Unrestricted £ 320,357 89 |
Restricted £ 75,517 - |
2022 Total £ 395,874 89 |
Unrestricted £ 74,880 - |
Restricted £ 120,625 - |
2021 Total £ 195,505 - |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 320,446 | 75,517 | 395,963 | 74,880 | 120,625 | 195,505 | |
| 2,453 170,628 |
- 51,238 |
2,453 221,866 |
- 35,459 |
- 98,865 |
- 134,324 |
|
| 173,081 | 51,238 | 224,319 | 35,459 | 98,865 | 134,324 | |
| 147,365 36,572 |
24,279 (36,572) |
171,644 - |
39,421 - |
21,760 - |
61,181 - |
|
| 183,937 61,687 |
(12,293) 36,127 |
171,644 97,814 |
39,421 22,266 |
21,760 14,367 |
61,181 36,633 |
|
| 245,624 | 23,834 | 269,458 | 61,687 | 36,127 | 97,814 | |
All of the above results are derived from continuing activities. There were no other recognised gains or losses other than those stated above. Movements in funds are disclosed in Note 13 to the financial statements.
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Balance Sheet
As at 31 May 2022
| s at 31 May 2022 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed assets: Note Tangible assets 9 Current assets: Debtors 10 Cash at bank and in hand Liabilities: Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 11 Net current assets / (liabilities) Total assets less current liabilities Total net assets / (liabilities) 12 The funds of the charity: 13 Restricted income funds Unrestricted income funds: Designated funds General funds Total unrestricted funds Total charity funds |
£ 23,795 220,945 |
2022 £ 28,710 240,748 |
£ 101,752 |
2021 £ 97,814 |
| 244,740 3,992 |
101,752 3,938 |
|||
| 245,624 | 61,687 | |||
| 269,458 | 97,814 | |||
| 269,458 | 97,814 | |||
| 23,834 245,624 |
36,127 61,687 |
|||
| 269,458 | 97,814 |
These financial statements were approved by the Trustees on 8 February 2023 and signed on their behalf by
..................................................................... Joanna Farquharson, Trustee
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Notes to the Accounts
1 Accounting policies
a) Basis of preparation
The financial statements 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) 2019, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.
Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy or note.
b) Public benefit entity
The charitable company meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102.
c) Going concern
The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern.
There are no key judgements that the charitable company has made which have a significant effect on the accounts.
The trustees do not consider that there are any sources of estimation uncertainty at the reporting date that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next reporting period.
d) Income
Income is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and that the amount can be measured reliably.
Income from government and other grants, whether ‘capital’ grants or ‘revenue’ grants, is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred.
Income received in advance of the provision of a specified service is deferred until the criteria for income recognition are met.
e) Fund accounting
Restricted funds are to be used for specific purposes as laid down by the donor. Expenditure which meets these criteria is charged to the fund.
Unrestricted funds are donations and other incoming resources received or generated for the charitable purposes.
Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the trustees for particular purposes.
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Notes to the Accounts
1 Accounting policies (continued)
f) Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified under the following activity headings:
-
Costs of raising funds relate to the costs incurred by the charitable company in inducing third parties to make voluntary contributions to it, as well as the cost of any activities with a fundraising purpose
-
Expenditure on charitable activities includes the costs of provision of space and services undertaken to further the purposes of the charity and their associated support costs
-
Other expenditure represents those items not falling into any other heading
-
Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.
g) Operating leases
Rental charges are charged on a straight line basis over the term of the lease.
h) Tangible fixed assets
Items of equipment are capitalised. Depreciation costs are allocated to activities on the basis of the use of the related assets in those activities. Assets are reviewed for impairment if circumstances indicate their carrying value may exceed their net realisable value and value in use.
Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write down the cost of each asset to its estimated residual value over its expected useful life. The depreciation rates in use are as follows:
- Leasehold improvements Over lease period ending in July 2024
i) Pensions
Employer contributions to employees defined contribution pension schemes are charged to Statement of Financial Activities during the year.
2 Income from donations and grants
| Income from donations and grants 2022 Unrestricted Restricted Total £ £ £ Donations 210,228 11,342 221,570 Grants 88,000 64,175 152,175 Gift Aid 22,129 - 22,129 320,357 75,517 395,874 f the total income of £195,506 in 2021, £120,625 was restricted and £74,880 was unrestricted |
Unrestricted £ 210,228 88,000 22,129 |
Restricted £ 11,342 64,175 - |
2022 Total £ 221,570 152,175 22,129 |
2021 Total £ 77,094 118,412 - |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 320,357 | 75,517 | 395,874 | 195,506 | |
Of the total income of £195,506 in 2021, £120,625 was restricted and £74,880 was unrestricted
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Notes to the Accounts
3 Analysis of expenditure
| Staf costs (Note 5) Hot Lunches Client Travel costs Hardship Client Support Study and training Client support Fundraising Costs General running costs Rent and Insurance Website cost Depreciation Accounting, admin support and independent examination Fees Total expenditure on charitable activities Support costs Total expenditure 2022 Total expenditure 2021 |
Cost of living funds £ 1,780 - - - - 673 - - - - - 2,453 - 2,453 - |
Charitable activities - Hardship Support £ 134,378 6,544 7,720 26,394 776 - - - - - - 175,812 46,054 221,866 134,325 |
Support costs £ 16,875 - - - - - 6,335 15,793 - 5,521 1,530 46,054 (46,054) - - |
2022 Total £ 153,033 6,544 7,720 26,394 776 673 6,335 15,793 - 5,521 1,530 224,319 - 224,319 134,325 |
2021 Total £ 71,290 5,417 3,286 45,520 455 2,665 763 4,800 - 129 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 134,325 - |
|||||
| 134,325 | |||||
Of the total expenditure, £172,749 was unrestricted (2021: £35,459) and £51,238 was restricted (2021: £98,866). Support costs are costs incurred to facilitate charitable activities of the charity.
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Notes to the Accounts
4 Net incoming resources for the year
This is stated after charging / crediting:
| This is stated after charging / crediting: | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2021 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Depreciation | 5,521 | - |
| Independent examination | 1,530 | 129 |
5 Analysis of staff costs, Trustee remuneration and expenses, and the cost of key management personnel
Staff costs were as follows:
| Salaries and wages Social security costs Employer’s contribution to defned contribution pension schemes Contractors - Wages Therapeutic support staf |
2022 £ 109,522 7,142 2,724 32,790 855 153,033 |
2021 £ 51,873 3,952 1,265 11,875 2,325 |
|---|---|---|
| 71,290 |
No employee earned more than £60,000 during the year (2021: nil).
The total employee benefits including pension contributions of the key management personnel were £89,117 (2021: £51,680)
6 Staff numbers
The average number of employees (head count based on number of staff employed) during the year was as follows:
| Fundraising Charitable activities Support |
2022 No. 0.0 2.6 0.4 3.0 |
2021 No. - 1.9 0.4 |
|---|---|---|
| 2.3 |
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Notes to the Accounts
7 Related party transactions
No related party transactions have taken place in 2022 (2021: nil). No trustees received any remuneration or any other payments for any services provided to the charity (2021: nil). No trustees were reimbursed any expenses incurred during their office as trustee during the year (2021: nil). No donations or other payments
were received from any trustees or related parties that had conditions attached to their use.
8 Taxation
The charitable company is exempt from corporation tax as all its income is charitable and is applied for charitable purposes.
9 Tangible fixed assets
| 9 Tangible fxed assets | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cost or valuation At the start of the year Additions in year At the end of the year Depreciation At the start of the year Charge for the year At the end of the year Net book value At the end of the year At the start of the year |
Leasehold Improvements £ - 34,231 34,231 - 5,521 5,521 28,710 - |
Total £ - 34,231 |
| 34,231 | ||
| - 5,521 |
||
| 5,521 | ||
| 28,710 | ||
| - |
All of the above assets are used for charitable purposes.
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Notes to the Accounts
10 Debtors
| 10 Debtors | ||
|---|---|---|
| Prepayments Accrued income |
2022 £ 1,667 22,129 23,795 |
2021 £ - - |
11 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
| Taxation and social security Pension Accruals |
2022 £ 2,074 538 1,380 3,992 |
2021 £ 3,608 330 - |
|---|---|---|
| 3,938 |
12 Analysis of net assets between funds at the end of year
| Tangible fxed assets Net current assets Net assets at the end of the year |
General unrestricted £ 28,710 216,914 245,624 |
Designated £ - - - |
Restricted Total funds £ £ - 28,710 23,834 240,748 23,834 269,458 |
|---|---|---|---|
Analysis of net assets between funds at the start of year
| Tangible fxed assets Net current assets Net assets at the end of the year |
General unrestricted £ - 61,687 61,687 |
Designated £ - - |
Restricted Total funds £ £ - - 36,127 97,814 36,127 97,814 |
|---|---|---|---|
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Notes to the Accounts
13 Movements in funds
| During the year Restricted funds: LocalGiving Foundation London Community Response Fund Hammersmith United The Earls Court West London Grant Fareshare London Churches Refugee Fund Hardship Fund Study & Training Fund Leslie Aldridge Trust Choose Love Hammersmith and Fulham Giving Inspire Hounslow Total restricted funds Unrestricted funds: General funds Total unrestricted funds Total funds |
At the start of the year £ 11,832 1,779 3,517 402 970 900 13,603 3,124 - - - - 36,127 61,687 61,687 97,814 |
Income & gains £ - - 500 564 - 1,500 11,342 - 34,231 10,000 16,380 1,000 75,517 320,446 320,446 395,963 |
Expenditure & Losses £ (11,839) (1,779) (4,017) (966) (970) (2,400) (7,571) (776) - (10,000) (9,920) (1,000) (51,238) (173,081) (173,081) (224,319) |
Transfers £ 7 - - - - - - (2,348) (34,231) - - - (36,572) 36,572 36,572 - |
At the end of the year £ - - - - - - 17,374 - - - 6,460 - |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23,834 | |||||
| 245,624 | |||||
| 245,624 | |||||
| 269,458 |
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Notes to the Accounts
13 Movements in funds (continued)
| At the start | Income & | Expenditure & | At the end | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| of the year | gains | Losses | Transfers | of the year | |||||
| During previous year | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | ||||
| Restricted funds: | |||||||||
| LocalGiving Foundation | - | 29,685 | (17,853) | - | 11,832 | ||||
| Barrow Cadbury Trust | - | 20,000 | (20,000) | - | - | ||||
| London Community Response Fund | - | 19,776 | (17,997) | - | 1,779 | ||||
| The National Lottery Community Fund |
- | 10,000 | (10,000) | - | - | ||||
| Hammersmith United | - | 9,550 | (6,033) | - | 3,517 | ||||
| Dr Edwards & Bishop Kings Fulham | - | 5,000 | (5,000) | - | - | ||||
| United in Hammersmith and Fulham | - | 4,800 | (4,800) | - | - | ||||
| The Earls Court West London Grant | - | 3,192 | (2,790) | - | 402 | ||||
| Fareshare | - | 2,500 | (1,530) | - | 970 | ||||
| London Churches Refugee Fund | - | 1,750 | (850) | - | 900 | ||||
| Hardship Fund | 10,788 | 14,372 | (11,557) | - | 13,603 | ||||
| Study & Training Fund | 3,579 | - | (455) | - | 3,124 | ||||
| Total restricted funds | 14,367 | 120,625 | (98,865) | - | 36,127 | ||||
| Unrestricted funds | |||||||||
| General funds | 22,266 | 74,880 | (35,459) | - | 61,687 | ||||
| Total unrestricted funds | 22,266 | 74,880 | (35,459) | - | 61,687 | ||||
| Total funds | 36,633 | 195,505 | (134,324) | - | 97,814 |
Transfers
Transfers from Leslie Aldridge Trust represent cost of leasehold improvement works funded by Leslie Aldridge Trust. The grant was fully spent during the year. Transfers from Study & Training Fund represent expenditure in previous years from this fund allocated to general fund.
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Notes to the Accounts
13 Movements in funds (continued)
Purposes of restricted funds
LocalGiving Foundation Payments for general hardship Barrow Cadbury Trust £8,966 salary for deputy manager £9,651 hardship fund £1,383 hot lunches London Community Response Fund Salaries and staff therapeutic support National Lottery Community Fund Salaries Hammersmith United Therapeutic Support for Leyla Williams Edwards & Bishop Kings Fulham Salaries United in Hammersmith and Fulham Hardship fund The Earls Court West London Grant Tables for the centre Fareshare Hardship for Chiswick Hotel clients London Churches Refugee Fund Restricted for client travel expenses Leslie Aldridge Trust Refurbishment work at the centre Choose Love Part payment of case worker from Citizens Advice Bureau Hammersmith and Fulham Giving £6,760 for a caseworker £3,620 food and contingency costs for asylum seeking families and other individuals £6,000 hardship for asylum seekers Inspire Hounslow Chiswick group payments to clients for hardship Small donations For Hardship Support Hardship Fund For relieving financial hardship Study & Training Fund For advancing education
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022
Notes to the Accounts
14 Operating lease commitments
The charity’s total future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases is as follows for each of the following periods
| Less than one year One to two years Two to fve years |
Property 2022 £ 26,000 26,000 4,333 56,333 |
2021 £ - - |
|---|---|---|
15 Funds received as agent
The charity has acted as an agent for the following third-parties, whose aims and objectives are consistent with those of the charity. Funds, held in cash, are administered on the instruction of the principal and recorded within a separate general ledger sub-code and adjusted in financial statements. The movement in funds during the year was:
| Balance at 1 June 2021 Funds received Funds paid out Balance at 31 May 2022 representing cash held |
Refugees Welcome, Hounslow £ - 5,141 (1,078) 4,063 |
Total £ - 5,141 (1,078) |
|---|---|---|
| 4,063 |
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West London Welcome Financial Statement 2021/2022