**Annual Report & Financial Statement** for year ending 31 May, 2025
Registered Charity No. 1183261
## **Contents**
## After a long journey comes friendship
|**Charity Details**|**2**|
|---|---|
|**Report of the Trustees**|**4**|
|**Report of the Independent Examiner**|**20**|
|**Statement of Financial Activities**|**21**|
|**Balance Sheet**|**22**|
|**Statement of Cash Flows**|**23**|
|**Notes to the Accounts**|**25**|
**2 West London Welcome** _Cover Photo by Ernesto Hernandez_ Financial Statement 2024/2025
**1**
**West London Welcome** Financial Statement 2024/2025
## **Charity Details**
## **Trustees**
Joanna Farquharson (Chair) Rupesh Chatwani (resigned Feb 2025) Seema Alibhai Mohammed Reza Beyad Antonia Benfield Efthymia Stathopoulou Coco Campbell Betul Piyade Helen Pickering (appointed 13/02/2025) John Clark (appointed 31/10/2025)
## **Executive Director**
Joanne MacInnes
## **Deputy Executive Director**
Leyla Williams
## **Registered Address**
International House, 109-111 Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8JA
## **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
**2 West London Welcome** Financial Statement 2024/2025
**3**
**West London Welcome** Financial Statement 2024/2025
Vision, Mission, Values and Strategic Aims
## **Report of the Trustees** for the Year Ending 31st May 2025
The Trustees of West London Welcome present their report and independently-examined financial statements for the year ending 31st May 2025.
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.
A trustee is appointed by the Board of Trustees, in consultation with 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. Onboarding discussions are held with the current trustees. Trustees are requested annually to confirm any related party transactions.
Trustee positions are advertised in the public domain and voted in by the Board.
## **Charity’s Objectives**
West London Welcome is a daytime drop-in service based in Hammersmith for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. The objectives of the charity are:
1. To advance education and relieve financial hardship amongst those seeking asylum, those granted refugee status and migrants particularly by the provision of legal and other advice.
2. To provide or assist with the provision of facilities for recreation or other leisure time activities for refugees, asylum seekers, migrants and their dependents in the interests of social welfare with the object of improving their conditions of life and assisting their inclusion into the wider community, in particular but not exclusively by the provision of a drop-in centre.
## **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’.
Ourvision is for all those from refugee and migrant communities to feel welcome and supported by local communities, live in dignity, and be free from injustice.
Ourmission is to work together with local people to provide a safe, positive experience of community to reduce isolation, build inclusion and confidence, challenge injustice, and enable people to access the support, education, advice and advocacy they need. We take a holistic approach to support the needs of our members, from the practical and social to the emotional and playful.
## Values
We are dedicated to the following values:
- Community, welcome and inclusion
- Collaboration with the local neighbourhood
- Building trust and sanctuary
- Migrant justice
- Anti-racism
- Gender equality
## Long-term strategic aims
Based on West London Welcome’s mission, vision, and values, the charity is committed to the following long-term strategic aims:
## _**1. Build community:**_
- Through the maintenance and development of our community centre, providing a warm welcome, holistic support, creative and participatory activities, and education;
- Building inclusion;
- Developing relationships with local people and organisations.
## _**2. Deliver advice:**_
- Advising and delivering casework on housing, benefits, asylum support, health, education, and other issues affecting our members;
- Collaborating with other advice organisations to meet need.
## _**3. Advocate:**_
- Working with our members to understand and feel empowered to access their rights and entitlements;
- Working with our members for justice and change;
- Sharing our knowledge and expertise to improve the public narrative on migration through participating in local and national networks, training, and networking;
- Gathering evidence through our work to contribute to change locally and nationally.
_**4. Become sustainable:**_ Becoming 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.
**4**
**5**
**West London Welcome** Financial Statement 2024/2025
**West London Welcome** Financial Statement 2024/2025
## Annual Review of Activities, Achievements and Performance
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Photo by Farzana Wahidy
**----- End of picture text -----**
4. Working to secure multi-year funding so we can keep our charity running and support our community members into the future.
We are proud to have made considerable progress with our long-term strategic aims this year of **building community, delivering advice, advocacy,** and becoming sustainable.
This year we delivered on four short-term organisational goals within our broader aims:
## 1. Building community
## _**Activities at the centre**_
1. Development of our Lived Experience Advisory Board to strengthen and amplify the voices and roles of our refugee, asylumseeking and migrant community members.
Life in our centre this year was full of joy, challenges and transformation. Many of our community members faced issues of isolation, trauma, poor living conditions, insecure immigration statuses, a ban on working for those seeking asylum, people facing homelessness once they are granted refugee status, and an ever-growing hostile political climate for those seeking asylum. Our centre was open all day, four days a week. We typically receive around 200 visits each week from the community members we support. Over the course of the year, we support more than 500 individual people through a wide range of in-person classes, advice and services.
2. Raising the level of IAA (Immigration Advice Authority) immigration and asylum advice we can give our community, and increasing the capacity of our advice team to provide casework support.
3. Development of our English language education strategy and classes to include everyday transactional communication skills of our community as a core part of our provision, enabling community members to better engage with GPs, the Home Office and its subcontractors, job centres and other services.
With 9730 individual meals served to our community,100% of our members accessed hot meals and groceries at least once a week. Moreover, we had 42 days of creative and wellbeing classes, including yoga, fitness, knitting, book and writing club, and gardening.
- More than **130** (mainly local) regular volunteers, of which a fifth are refugees, people seeking asylum or migrants, supported the running of our activities every week.
- We ran **124** English classes.
- **41** Friday socials were run by people with lived experience of seeking refuge or of migration.
We strived to make people feel welcome, experimented with new ways to increase the confidence of community members; increased our casework support to meet the need; advocated for change; strengthened our relationships with local supporters to ensure we can keep running our essential services into the long-term; highlighted refugee issues in the media; and celebrated our community members’ achievements.
- **2,610** casework appointments were held for community members.
- We held **42** days of creative classes, including yoga, fitness, knitting, gardening, and a book and writing club.
- **9,730** individual meals were served to our community.
- We held **62** outings in and around London
- **132** foodbank sessions were provided in partnership with the Felix Project
## _**In the numbers*:**_
- We provided **28** support sessions for mothers and babies at our centre.
- More than **500** people were supported with a broad range of in-person classes, activities, advice and support, available at our centre 4 days a week.
- _*Based on data from our monitoring and evaluation exercise analysing 2024 data._
_Photo by Farzana Wahidy_
**6**
**7**
**West London Welcome** Financial Statement 2024/2025
**West London Welcome** Financial Statement 2024/2025
taught their fellow students and teachers some basic words and phrases in their first languages. This experimental classroom structure forms part of our ongoing efforts to run our space with our community members in ways that are less topdown.
## _**English teaching development**_
This year our teachers, senior caseworker and other volunteers worked together to create a ‘Fun with Finance’ resource for use in WLW English classes, which enabled community members to learn transactional communication skills in English to deal with their everyday world of letters, bills, taxes, accommodation issues, banks and spotting scams.
## _**Centering those with lived experience**_
Following our commitment last year to develop roles and responsibilities for people with lived experience of refuge or migration at all levels of the organisation, we took the following actions this year:
The local students of Godolphin & Latymer school have been supporting our community members of all ages with their homework across all subjects in our new weekly homework club. Sixth formers have been helping our community members based on their needs, including Maths and English. Asylumseeking children are often new to English and require this extra support for a variety of subjects.
- Four of our nine staff members have lived experience of refuge or migration, and five of our nine Trustees (during the 24/25 financial year) have lived experience of refuge or migration. 130 volunteers support our activities, 20% of whom are community members with lived experience of refuge or migration.
We experimented with a ‘teacher swap’, in which our students took control. To celebrate our multi-lingual community - 45 languages are spoken at the centre - our refugee and asylum-seeking English students
- Our lived experience Advisory Board provides a powerful bridge between our Trustee Board and our community. Comprising 11 members,
many of whom are currently in the asylum system, the group meets quarterly, two weeks before the Board, to provide strategic advisory support. This has been invaluable in providing perspectives and information on a range of issues, including direct experience of homelessness, delays in asylum decisions and racism. One of our Trustees, who we supported through the asylum process, sits on both Boards and acts as a bridge between the two. This year our Advisory Board continued to progress, providing strategic support to staff and Trustees to ensure that current issues and challenges are fully understood. The group’s Terms of Reference were created, and the group developed a structure of quarterly meetings to align with Trustee meetings.
- Our Friday socials continue to be a ‘community member takeover’, in which our community members run the afternoon as they wish.
- Our LGBTQ+ refugee and asylum-seeking community members, staff and volunteers are self-organising and decide as a collective which regular outings they will go on around London to grow their confidence in exploring the city and to develop social bonds between group members.
## _**Trips and events**_
In the past year we have hosted and organised 62 events and outings, including community parties at our centre, workshops, drumming and comedy nights, Welcome Circle donor evenings and lunches, concerts, sightseeing tours, trips to the beach, theatres, Royal Albert Hall, Kew Gardens, football matches, museums, theatre and cinema.
## 2. Delivering advice
## _**Expanding and developing our advice team**_
Our advice team remains dedicated to supporting people to regularise their immigration status, liaise with lawyers, access their rights and entitlements, find safe housing, avoid destitution, access healthcare and education, find employment, and start rebuilding their lives. In the past year, we carried out 124 weekly casework clinics and 2610 casework appointments. 45 community members received refugee status, and upon eviction from their asylum hotels were all housed through the work of our advice team. This year, 100% of people who moved into their first homes were given free household items and/or hardship payments.
## _**Raising our level of immigration and asylum advice**_
Our Senior Caseworker Alison Curtis passed her IAA Level 2 Immigration exam this year, enabling West London Welcome to become accredited to give more complex immigration advice to our community members - a lifeline for those struggling to find lawyers in the midst of an ongoing legal aid crisis. 98% of community members said they felt more confident to cope with challenges after receiving advice and casework support.
**8**
**9**
**West London Welcome** Financial Statement 2024/2025
**West London Welcome** Financial Statement 2024/2025
## Case Study: Samira’s Story
I am a refugee from Eritrea. My heart is still heavy with the trauma of having to flee my home country after my husband was arrested. One day, two men came to our house and told me he had escaped from prison. They turned our home upside down, searching for something, and took some important papers. They warned me that they were watching us and that if my husband tried to contact me, they would arrest me too.
My friends and family feared it was only a matter of time before they came for me as well, so I made the agonizing decision to leave everything behind and escape with my young son Hammoudi. We arrived in England in the summer of 2020 and claimed asylum, hopeful that we would finally find safety.
We were placed in a small room at an asylum hotel in West London, and we waited anxiously for our asylum application to be processed. It was a long and uncertain wait, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, but at least we felt secure for the moment.
Then, in April 2021, my world was turned upside down once more. I discovered a hard lump in my breast that seemed to be growing larger every day. The GP couldn’t see me due to pandemic restrictions, so someone at the hotel advised me to go to the Accident and Emergency department.
At Charing Cross Hospital, the doctors ran tests and delivered the devastating news: I had a very aggressive form of breast cancer. My tumor was already 9 centimeters in size and still growing rapidly.
The following months passed in a blur. I had the surgery. I had to have chemotherapy. I became so weak at this point and couldn’t look after my son who was sharing my small room with me.”
Alison, our West London Welcome Senior Caseworker who was helping Samira through this difficult time, explains:
“It was heartbreaking to see Samira. She had been coming to WLW for a few months before
her diagnosis, but after her treatment started, her situation deteriorated. Samira’s cancer was incredibly aggressive and her difficulties accessing medical care, due to the pandemic and living in a hotel, caused delays to her treatment. The chemotherapy caused Samira to become incredibly unwell. We were so worried about her and about Hammoudi, who was also being bullied at school about his Mum’s cancer. Samira couldn’t cope living in the asylum hotel, she couldn’t eat the hotel food due to nausea, and had no privacy sharing a room with her teenage son. We worked with a law firm who challenged the Home Office to provide Samira and Hammoudi with self-contained accommodation, where she could eat chemo-friendly food and rest when she needed to. We also helped Hammoudi move schools, away from the bullying and into an environment where he could receive support.
During the peak of her treatment, Samira was awarded refugee status, so despite her poor health, she and her son had to move out of asylum accommodation. The council first placed them into a local hotel, where she had to choose between a room where she would share a double bed with her son or not having a fridge to safely store her medication. They were then placed into a flat in Enfield, 2.5 hours away from the hospital where Samira was receiving treatment and from the new school Hammoudi had just settled into. It was complete madness, we were tearing our hair out trying to find better housing for them.
Then, we had a stroke of luck. We were contacted by solicitors representing an older woman who had recently moved into a care home. She had very kindly stipulated that her flat should be offered at a fair rent to a refugee family. Samira was the perfect candidate. She and her son moved in at housing benefit rates and they are still there today. Samira is now in remission and slowly recovering from intense cancer treatment. Her son is now 17 and at college and we still see her every week at the centre where she comes for her English lessons. It’s really a miraculous outcome for her and Hammoudi.
## Our Impact
**Since joining West London Welcome, our community members report the following*:**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
93% 92% 95% 84%
feel part of a feel more confident say their English have developed or
community navigating life in the UK language skills have improved a skill
improved
**----- End of picture text -----**
**84% 88% accessed hot meals better understand their of people with first homes feel supported and groceries at least rights as a refugee, asylumwere given free household to access their once a week seeking person or migrant items and/or hardship healthcare rights payments**
**69% 84% 90% have engaged more with know their local area know who to ask for help arts and culture in the better at the centre about a city than before joining problem and trust they’ll the centre be heard 62% 82% now feel empowered to feel safe to talk about challenge the decisions difficult situations or of authorities they believe emotions are wrong**
*Based on responses in our 2024 survey that ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ with survey questions. This survey was conducted by an independent evaluator.
.
**10 West London Welcome** Financial Statement 2024/2025
**11**
**West London Welcome** Financial Statement 2024/2025
## 3. Advocacy
## _**Educating our community through ‘know your rights’ work and supporting people to advocate for themselves**_
We supported our community to understand their rights and entitlements through one-to-one casework and workshops, enabling participants to understand their rights and entitlements within immigration and asylum, housing, healthcare, education, benefits, and modern slavery protections.
## _**Gathering evidence to challenge unjust systems**_
Behind the everyday frontline work at our centre, we’re using the evidence and stories we hear each day and pushing for change in the policies and practices that affect refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant West Londoners. We continue to participate in weekly discussion, relationship-building, knowledge-sharing and strategy within the refugee sector, including on public forums and meetings. We became part of the Greater London Authority’s Migration Sector Advisory Panel, an expert panel advising on the work of the London Strategic Migration Partnership (LSMP) and the GLA’s Migration Team, and to inform other relevant GLA teams on issues related to migration, asylum and refugees. We assisted with evidence for a number of legal challenges and reports on issues from asylum accommodation to Home Office decision-making delays.
Our Deputy Director Leyla, with other refugee sector leaders, was consulted by the Mayor of London’s team on his new strategy to end street homelessness by 2030. We were pleased to have our voices heard and see a focus on homelessness prevention approaches as many grassroots frontline organisations, including ours, had pushed for.
## _**Setting a positive narrative on migration**_
- Media work: Our Ethiopian elite cyclist Trhas was profiled extensively by the BBC, Guardian and other outlets for her sporting triumphs, invitation to the World Championships and delayed asylum decision. Our asylum-seeking mothers and Deputy Director Leyla Williams were featured on the BBC discussing the toll on children living long-term in asylum hotels.
• Amplifying community voices: We found new ways to amplify the voices of refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants in our community. We continued to publish new stories from our Humans of West London Welcome series, which enables community members to tell their own stories, and we curated a short film called Celebrating our Community, which celebrates and gives a voice to four refugee and asylumseeking members of our community. Shot at our centre by filmmaker Nicola Roper, it highlights the experiences of medical secretary Nastassia, window cleaner Vitali, elite cyclist Trhas, and chef Najeem here in West London, and their love of being part of our community.
_Photo by Farzana Wahidy_
## 4. Becoming sustainable
## _**Fundraising**_
- Welcome Circle: In April over fifty guests gathered at West London Welcome together with our staff, volunteers and community members for our ‘Friendraiser’ dinner hosted by our Patrons Dame Harriet Walter and Phyllida Lloyd, where they heard about the Welcome Circle. Three other events were held during the year for Welcome Circle members, including networking and educational talks on the asylum system. The Welcome Circle now brings in a third of our total income and is an essential part of our funding strategy.
- Working with grant writer and strategist: In order to improve our funding sustainability over the long-term, in Spring 2024 we began working with an experienced grant writer on our funding strategy and bids. We anticipate this will enable us to access the repeat funding we require for our work to be sustainable into the future.
## _**Premises**_
In Spring 2024 West London Welcome executives successfully negotiated to renew our premises agreement, ensuring that our community has a secure space for years to come.
**12 West London Welcome** Financial Statement 2024/2025
**13**
**West London Welcome** Financial Statement 2024/2025
## _**Development of monitoring, evaluation and data-capturing work**_
For the second year running we commissioned an independent evaluator to survey and listen to our community members using a range of methods, including a survey, focus group sessions and member data analysis. From this work emerged our second Impact Report, which evaluated how we have changed the lives of our community members throughout 2024. We applied for and received grant funding to develop our work management programme and casework system Podio. Working with a developer, we listened to the needs of staff, and in particular caseworkers, to develop Podio into a far more flexible, intuitive casework system that allowed for more sophisticated data capture with better security.
## _**Psychological health and wellbeing of staff and community members in an increasingly hostile environment**_
We are conscious that the work of frontline West London Welcome staff is increasingly busy and emotionally challenging in a politically hostile environment for those seeking asylum and migrants. To that end, we worked closely with three psychologists who provided therapeutic clinical supervision for five West London Welcome staff to support them with their boundary-making abilities, potential vicarious trauma, and personal issues that impact on their work. This clinical supervision is open to all staff who opt to take it up. Feedback from staff is that this support is needed and valued, and enabled staff to feel supported at work into the long-term.
## Ariam West London Welcome community member:
_In West London, I found more than a centre. I found West London Welcome — a place that gently filled a space in my heart I thought would remain empty forever. A family that shared warm meals, coffee gatherings, laughter, and simple human presence._
_A garden where I buried my pain in the soil and watched hope grow slowly through gardening activities._
_West London Welcome is not just a place to meet. It is a place to heal._
_People think the refugee struggle ends upon arrival in the UK. But in truth, it begins inside us — in that huge inner emptiness we carry._
_West London Welcome held my hand when I felt lost. It brought warmth to my isolation._
_It reminded me that even after war, even after loss, even after exile — belonging is still possible. And in that belonging, I am slowly finding my way back to myself._
**14 West London Welcome** Financial Statement 2024/2025
**West London Welcome** Financial Statement 2024/2025 **15** _Photo by Ernesto Hernandez_
## Financial review
## **Income and expenditure**
Income during the period under review was £556,070 (2024: £359,836) of which £128,915 was restricted (2024: £43,566) and the remaining £427,155 (2024: £316.270) was unrestricted. Expenditure during the year was £471,767 (2024: £401,755). Of the total expenditure £92,351 (2024: £67,006) was from restricted grants and the remaining £379,416 (2024: £334,749) was unrestricted. The charity had a net surplus during the year of £84,303 (2024: deficit £41,919). This led to an increase in the total funds held at the year end to £406,270 (2024: £321,967) of which funds for restricted purposes were £46,069 (2024: £9,505) and general unrestricted funds were £360,201 (2024: £312,462).
## **Risk Assessment**
The charity has conducted a risk assessment and has established a register, which will be updated annually. The register will have appropriate systems and procedures in place to mitigate the risks the charity faces. Such headings will be 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.
## **Reserves policy**
The reserves policy is to maintain a cash balance of at least eight months of operating expenses. At this financial year end this equates to an amount of £314,511 (2024: £267,836) compared to the unrestricted reserves of £360,201 (2024: £312,462).
**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.
**Our Supporters and Principal Funding Sources**
West London Welcome is most grateful for grants and donations received this year from charitable trusts, family trusts and other grantgiving organisations.
We are indebted to the huge generosity of our Welcome Circle members, who play a vital role sustaining our work and being such an energetic part of our community.
Finally, we would like to thank all those locally and around the world supporting us with regular donations, fundraisers, and efforts through their schools and workplaces. Your support is so valued.
## **The Trustees’ Responsibilities**
The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
The law applicable to charities in England & Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
a) select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently; b) observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
c) make judgments and accounting estimates Type text here that are reasonable and prudent;
d) state whether applicable UK accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
e) prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Trust will continue in operation.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the Trust’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Trust and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Trust and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities
This report was approved by the Trustees on March 16th, 2026 and signed on their behalf by:
Joanna Farquharson, Trustee
**16 West London Welcome** Financial Statement 2024/2025
**17**
**West London Welcome** Financial Statement 2024/2025
**18 West London Welcome** Financial Statement 2023/2024
**----- Start of picture text -----**
West London Welcome Financial Statement 2023/2024 19
**----- End of picture text -----**
## **Report of the Independent Examiner**
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:
## **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 2025 as set out on pages 21 - 33.
1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
## **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’).
2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or
3. 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 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 a member of Association of Chartered Certified Accountant, which is one of the listed bodies
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:** 25/3/2026
Shruti Soni Ltd Chartered Certified Accountants 117a St. John’s Hill, Sevenoaks TN13 3PE
## **Statement of financial activities** (incorporating an income and expenditure account)
## **For the year ended 31 May 2025**
|**Income from:**
Note
Donations and grants
2
Trading activities
3
Investment Income
**Total income**
**Expenditure on:**
Raising funds
Charitable activities -
Hardship Support
**Total expenditure**
4
**Net income / (expendi-**
**ture) for the year**
Transfers between funds
**Net movement in funds**
**Reconciliation of funds:**
Total funds brought for-
ward
**Total funds carried**
**forward**
14|Unrestricted
£
401,488
16,144
9,523||**2025**
**Total**
**£**
**530,403**
**16,144**
**9,523**|Unrestricted
£
309,603
713
5,954|Restricted
£
43,566
-
-|2024
Total
£
353,169
713
5,954|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||Restricted
£
128,915
-
-|||||
||427,155|128,915|**556,070**|316,270|43,566|359,836|
||25,856
353,560|-
92,351|**25,856**
**445,911**|5,325
329,424|-
67,006|5,325
396,430|
||379,416|92,351|**471,767**|334,749|67,006|401,755|
||47,739
-|36,564
-|**84,303**
**-**|(18,479)
2,500|(23,440)
(2,500)|(41,919)
-|
||47,739
312,462|36,564
9,505|**84,303**
**321,967**|(15,979)
328,441|(25,940)
35,445|(41,919)
363,886|
||360,201|46,069|**406,270**|312,462|9,505|321,967|
||||||||
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 14 to the financial statements.
**20 West London Welcome** Financial Statement 2024/2025
**West London Welcome** Financial Statement 2024/2025 **21**
**Statement of cash flows** For the year ended 31 May 2025
## **Balance sheet**
## as at 31 May 2025
|**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:
General funds
Total unrestricted funds
**Total charity funds**|**£**
**4,560**
**390,999**|**2025**
**£**
**16,653**|£
6,800
304,214|2024
£
13,660|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**16,653**
**389,617**||13,660
308,307|
||**395,559**
**5,942**||311,014
2,707||
||**360,201**||312,462||
|||**406,270**||321,967|
||||||
|||**406,270**||321,967|
|||**46,069**
**360,201**||9,505
312,462|
||||||
|||**406,270**||321,967|
|**Cash fows from operating activities**
Note
Net cash provided by / (used in) operating
activities
**Cash fows from investing activities:**
Dividends, interest and rents from investments
Purchase of fxed assets
**Net cash provided by / (used in) investing**
**activities**
**Change in cash and cash equivalents in the**
**year**
**Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning**
**of the year**
**Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the**
**year**|**£**
**9,523**
**(10,815)**|**2025**
**£**
**88,077**
**(1,292)**|£
5,954
(2,499)|2024
£
(43,183)
3,455|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||
|||**86,785**
**304,214**||(39,728)
343,942|
|||**390,999**||304,214|
These financial statements were approved by the Trustees on March 16th, 2026 and signed on their behalf by
..................................................................... Joanna Farquharson, Trustee
**22 West London Welcome** Financial Statement 2024/2025
**23**
**West London Welcome** Notes to the Financial Statement for the year ended 31 May 2025
## **Notes to the financial statements** for the year ended 31 May 2025
## **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.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
24
**----- End of picture text -----**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
West London Welcome Notes to the Financial Statement for the year ended 31 May 2025
**----- End of picture text -----**
**25**
**West London Welcome** Notes to the Financial Statement for the year ended 31 May 2025
## **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
## **3 Income from other trading activities**
||||**2025**|2024|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||Unrestricted|Restricted|**Total**|Total|
||£|£|**£**|£|
|Income from fundraising activities - auction|14,534|-|14,534|-|
|Other Income|1,610|-|1,610|713|
||16,144|-|16,144|713|
- 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 2026
- • Equipment 33.33% SLM
## **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**
|Donations
Grants
Gift Aid|Unrestricted
£
303,803
68,800
28,885|Restricted
£
17,586
107,329
4,000|**2025**
**Total**
**£**
**321,389**
**176,129**
**32,885**|2024
Total
£
181,918
154,367
16,884|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||401,488|128,915|**530,403**|353,169|
||||||
Of the total income of £353,169 in 2024, £43,566 was restricted and £309,603 was unrestricted
## **4 Analysis of expenditure**
|Staf costs (Note 6)
Hot Lunches
Client Travel and events
Hardship Client Support
Study and training Client support
Fundraising
General running costs
Rent and Insurance
Depreciation
Group Expenses
Accounting, admin support and
independent examination Fees
Total expenditure on charitable
activities
Support costs
**Total expenditure 2025**
Total expenditure 2024|Cost of
raising funds
£
7,301
-
-
-
-
18,555
-
-
-
-
25,856
-
**25,856**
**5,325**|Charitable
activities -
Hardship
Support
£
292,112
13,274
9,851
12,389
2,050
-
-
31,204
-
-
-
360,880
85,031
**445,911**
**396,430**|Support costs
£
56,567
-
-
-
-
-
19,166
-
7,822
-
1,476
85,031
(85,031)
**-**
**-**|**2025**
**Total**
**£**
**355,980**
**13,274**
**9,851**
**12,389**
**2,050**
**18,555**
**19,166**
**31,204**
**7,822**
**-**
**1,476**
**471,767**
**-**
**471,767**
**401,755**|2024
Total
£
320,595
6,440
10,247
13,619
3,304
1,257
10,144
27,761
5,324
1,630
1,434|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||401,755
-|
||||||**401,755**|
|||||||
Of the total expenditure, £379,416 was unrestricted (2024: £334,749) and £92,351 was restricted (2024: £67,006). Support costs are costs incurred to facilitate charitable activities of the charity.
**26 West London Welcome** Notes to the Financial Statement for the year ended 31 May 2025
**27**
**West London Welcome** Notes to the Financial Statement for the year ended 31 May 2025
## **5 Net incoming resources for the year**
This is stated after charging / crediting:
|This is stated after charging / crediting:|||
|---|---|---|
||**2025**|2024|
||**£**|£|
|Depreciation|**7,822**|5,324|
|Independent examination|**1,476**|1,434|
## **8 Related party transactions**
No trustees received any remuneration or any other payments for any services provided to the charity (2024: nil). No trustees were reimbursed any expenses incurred during their office as trustee during the year (2024: nil). Donations of £2,600 were received during the year from the trustee, Coco Campbell (2024: nil).
## **9 Taxation**
The charity is exempt from corporation tax as all its income is charitable and is applied for charitable purposes.
## **10 Tangible fixed assets**
## **6 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|**2025**
**£**
**269,557**
**21,319**
**5,974**
**55,804**
**3,326**
**355,980**|2024
£
229,376
17,988
5,428
64,792
3,011|
|---|---|---|
|||320,595|
No employee earned more than £60,000 during the year (2024: nil).
The total employee benefits including pension contributions of the key management personnel were £111,822 (2024: £118,464) Therapeutic support staff, recruitment and training costs include £246 for trustee safeguard training (2024: £299 for trustee recruitment).
## **7 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|**2025**
**No.**
**0.2**
**6.5**
**1.1**
**7.8**|2024
No.
0.1
5.9
1.0|
|---|---|---|
|||7.0|
|**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
All of the above assets are used for charitable
purposes.|Equipment
3,618
955|Leasehold
Improvements
£
34,231
9,860
44,091
23,654
6,501
30,155
13,936
10,577|**Total**
**£**
**37,849**
**10,815**|
|---|---|---|---|
||4,573||**48,664**|
||535
1,321||**24,189**
**7,822**|
||1,856||**32,011**|
||2,717||**16,653**|
||3,083||**13,660**|
|||||
**28 West London Welcome** Notes to the Financial Statement for the year ended 31 May 2025
**29**
**West London Welcome** Notes to the Financial Statement for the year ended 31 May 2025
## **11 Debtors**
|**11 Debtors**|||
|---|---|---|
|Prepayments
Accrued income|**2025**
**£**
**-**
**4,560**
**4,560**|2024
£
150
6,650|
|||6,800|
## **12 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**
|Net Wages
Taxation and social security
Pension
Accruals|**2025**
**£**
**1,504**
**(20)**
**1,235**
**3,223**
**5,942**|2024
£
-
-
1,087
1,620|
|---|---|---|
|||2,707|
## **13 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
£
16,653
343,548
**360,201**|Designated
£
-
-
**-**|Restricted
**Total funds**
£
**£**
-
**16,653**
46,069
**389,617**
**46,069**
**406,270**|
|---|---|---|---|
## **Analysis of net assets between funds at the start of year**
## **14 Movements in funds**
|**During the year**
**Restricted funds:**
Alnur Dhani - Fundraising
Alnur Dhani - Refugee Housing
Choose Love
Disrupt Foundation
Earles Court Community Fund
Enthuse - Mark Norton fundraiser
Friends of Brook Green
Hammersmith United
Hardship Fund
LocalGiving
LocalGiving - Hardship Fund
London Churches Refugee Fund
London Community Fund
Orange Tree Trust
UK Harvest
**Total restricted funds**
**Unrestricted funds:**
General funds
**Total unrestricted funds**
**Total funds**|At the start
of the year
£
-
-
-
-
-
1,118
1,300
-
2,695
3,642
-
750
-
-
-
9,505
312,462
312,462
321,967|Income &
gains
£
20,000
5,000
29,956
9,888
7,323
-
-
14,999
-
1,586
2,163
1,000
25,000
10,000
2,000
128,915
427,155
427,155
556,070|Expenditure &
Losses
£
(9,622)
(1,300)
(29,956)
(5,618)
(7,323)
(1,000)
(1,300)
(14,999)
(2,695)
(3,434)
(1,354)
(1,750)
-
(10,000)
(2,000)
(92,351)
(379,416)
(379,416)
(471,767)|Transfers
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-|**At the end**
**of the year**
**£**
**10,378**
**3,700**
**-**
**4,270**
**-**
**118**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**1,794**
**809**
**-**
**25,000**
**-**
**-**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||**46,069**|
||||||**360,201**|
||||||**360,201**|
||||||**406,270**|
|Tangible fxed assets
Net current assets
**Net assets at the end of the year**|General
unrestricted
£
13,660
298,802
**312,462**|Designated
£
-
-|Restricted
**Total funds**
£
**£**
-
**13,660**
9,505
**308,307**
**9,505**
**321,967**|
|---|---|---|---|
**30 West London Welcome** Notes to the Financial Statement for the year ended 31 May 2025
**31**
**West London Welcome** Notes to the Financial Statement for the year ended 31 May 2025
## **14 Movements in funds (continued)**
|**During previous year**
**Restricted funds:**
Big Give Christmas Appeal
Choose Love
Daisy Trust
Enthuse - Mark Norton fundraiser
Friends of Brook Green
Hammersmith United
Hardship Fund
HF Winter Support Fund
Huguenot
LBHF
LocalGiving
London Churches Refugee
Fund
London Community Response
Fund
SMART
**Total restricted funds**
**Unrestricted funds**
General funds
**Total unrestricted funds**
**Total funds**|At the start
of the year
£
4,946
10,000
-
-
-
2,691
12,808
-
-
-
-
-
5,000
-
35,445
328,441
328,441
363,886|Income &
gains
£
-
-
2,500
2,953
1,300
-
-
15,717
6,000
5,000
6,946
1,650
-
1,500
43,566
316,270
316,270
359,836|Expenditure &
Losses
£
(4,946)
(10,000)
-
(1,835)
-
(2,691)
(10,113)
(15,717)
(6,000)
(5,000)
(3,304)
(900)
(5,000)
(1,500)
(67,006)
(334,749)
(334,749)
(401,755)|Transfers
£
-
-
(2,500)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
(2,500)
2,500
2,500
-|**At the end**
**of the year**
**£**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**1,118**
**1,300**
**-**
**2,695**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**3,642**
**750**
**-**
**-**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||**9,505**|
||||||**312,462**|
||||||**312,462**|
||||||**321,967**|
## **Transfers**
Transfers from Daisy Trust to General Funds is for purchase of oven which has been capitalised as fixed asset. In 2023 transfer from Hardship Fund to general funds is the cost for Hardship Fund initially paid from general funds.
## **14 Movements in funds (continued)**
## **Purposes of restricted funds**
Alnur Dhani - Fundraising Costs of writing grant applications Alnur Dhani - Refugee Housing Housing costs Choose Love Case Worker salary Disrupt Foundation IT projects Earls Court Community Fund Meals and gardening Enthuse - Mark Norton fundraiser School shoes for clients’ children Friends of Brook Green Refugee Day party 2024 Hammersmith United Rent Hardship Fund Hardship LocalGiving Trhas cycling racing costs LocalGiving - Hardship Fund Hardship London Churches Refugee Fund Hardship - transport London Community fund Salary Orange Tree Trust Hot lunches & salaries UK Harvest Hot meals
## **15 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**
**2025**
**£**
**30,000**
**5,000**
**-**
**35,000**|2024
£
29,334
30,000
5,000|
|---|---|---|
|||64,334|
**32 West London Welcome** Notes to the Financial Statement for the year ended 31 May 2025
**33**
**West London Welcome** Notes to the Financial Statement for the year ended 31 May 2025
_We all miss our family, all of us, our country, our life being passed. But if we can share good feeling together. When I’m volunteering I feel better...I feel confident and I’m useful and helpful.”_
- Mia from Iran
**34 West London Welcome** Notes to the Financial Statement for the year ended 31 May 2025
**35**
**West London Welcome** Notes to the Financial Statement for the year ended 31 May 2025
_Photo by Ernesto Hernandez_
**www.westlondonwelcome.com**
Registered Charity No. 1183261