Trustees' Annual Report for the period
Period start date Period end date 1st July 202 T 30[th] June 2023 From 2 o
Section A Reference and administration details
Charity name Kettering Refugee Assistance Other names charity is known by N/A Registered charity number (if any) 1183931 Charity's principal address 8 Hogarth Drive Barton Seagrave Kettering, Northamptonshire Postcode NN15 5UQ
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
Name of person (or body) enDates acted if not Trustee name Office (if any) titled to appoint trustee (if for whole year any) 1[Emily-Rose Fe-] dorowycz
2 Dez Dell
3 Avena Davis
- 4 John Padwick
5 Suhel Dudha
22nd April 2022
Section B Structure, governance and management
Description of the charity’s trusts
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Constitution dated 5th May 2018 as amended on 22nd April with full sup-
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Type of governing document port of both Trustees and Members present.
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(eg. trust deed, constitution) Charitable Incorporated Organisation
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How the charity is constituted
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(eg. trust, association, company) 3 new Trustees were selected at the Kettering Refugee Assistance AGM
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Trustee selection methods which has held on Saturday 2[nd] October 2021.
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(eg. appointed by, elected by) The following were unanimously elected as Trustees for a period of three years: 1. Suhel was elected as a Trustee at the AGM meeting on 22nd April 2022. Proposed by Emily Fedorowycz. Seconded by John Padwick. Approved unanimously.
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The following was also confirmed at this meeting: 1. Sabir Jones is stepping down as Treasurer as confirmed at the AGM on 15th October 2022. Proposed by Sabir Jones, Seconded by John Padwick Approved unanimously.
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- Emily Fedorowycz is stepping down as group leader but has agreed to stand as Deputy Chair. Proposed by Hilary Guy, Seconded by John Padwick. Approved unanimously.
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- Hilary Guy is stepping down as a Trustee 4. Avena Davis has agreed to become standing Chair and will continue her role of Treasurer. Proposed by Emily Fedorowicz, Seconded by John Padwick. Approved in absentia unanimously
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- John Paddock has agreed to remain in his post as Trustee and elected Safeguarding Officer. Proposed by Hilary Guy, Seconded by Emily Fedorowicz. Approved unanimously.
Additional governance issues (Optional information)
You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:
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policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees;
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the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;
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relationship with any related parties;
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trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.
Kettering Refugee Assistance has a comprehensive set of policies and procedures including:
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Constitution
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Role Descriptions
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Risks and Management
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Financial Regulations
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Data Protection
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Policy for Managing Volunteers
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Safeguarding
As of June 2023, Kettering Refugee Assistance has a total of 5 Trustees, with Avena Davis who has the role of Chair and Treasurer, and John Padwick as the dedicated Safeguarding Lead.
The Patrons of the charity are the Bishops of Brixworth (CE) and Northampton (RC) and the Chair of the local Muslim Association.
In addition to this, Kettering Refugee Assistance has a total of 74 members and supporters with the below breakdown:
Members = 12 Supporters = 48
Members support KRA by making a contribution of £10 (or £5 for unwaged) to our cause as an annual membership fee. In this financial year (July 2022 – June 2023) this has generated £135 income for the charity.
Membership of the charity is open to anyone who is interested in furthering its purposes and agrees to accept the duty of members to act in the charity’s best interests. A member may be an individual, a corporate body, or an individual or corporate body representing an organisation which is not incorporated.
Kettering Refugee Assistance is a member of the Kettering Futures Partnership, NCVO and Small Charities Coalition. The charity receives advice from For Refugees on behalf of Reset Communities and Refugees, the Government funded promoter of the Community Sponsorship Scheme.
Contact has been made with similar groups in the region, including:
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Safe Haven
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Hope Into Action
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Refugee Groups in Market Harborough and Oundle
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KCU
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Accommodation Concern
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North Northamptonshire Help for Ukraine
Kettering Refugee Assistance has approved a risk assessment and management measures that will be reviewed annually.
Section C Objectives and activities
| Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public bene- fit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit) |
To provide relief to those granted refugee status in the UK, living in Ket- tering and the surrounding area by the provision of support services so as to advance them in life and assist them with the adaption within a new community, with the objects of: - (1) Preserving and protecting their physical and mental health (2) Advancing their education and training; and (3) Relieving them from financial hardship and unemployment |
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| The initial focus of the charity was to build on the the submission of an application to the Home Office to welcome one family of refugees, in- cluding at least one member classified as vulnerable by the UNHCR. This work has been in the areas of: · accommodation · safeguarding · interpreters · benefits · healthcare services · education · ESOL · volunteering and employment · cultural orientation · finance As part of this preparation the charity are encouraging new Trustees, Members and Volunteers to sign up to Reset online training. The charity has established a website and Facebook page. The Ketter- ing Refugee Assistance page on Facebook has: 496 likes 613 followers In addition to this, KRA responded to the unprecedented conflict in Ukraine, which ultimately became a key focus for our activity in 2022 - 2023. In response to a significant increase in Ukrainian refugees moving to Kettering and surrounding areas, KRA evolved our purpose to support the community and the successful integration of refugees into the local area. This has been in the area of: English classes (ESOL and in person) Co-ordinating volunteering opportunities Planning days out with the local community Supporting accommodation needs Cultural orientation Interpreters Health care services Benefits * Employment support |
This shift in focus led to an increase in volunteers supporting the aims and objectives of KRA. In light of this, KRA, with the advice of John Padwick (Safeguarding Lead) undergone safeguarding training, updated the safeguarding policy and ensured that all volunteers had up to date DBS checks.
By supporting the local community and adapting our aims to support Ukrainian refugees in a capacity outside of our original aims to pursue community sponsorship, the Trustees (with support of our members) revisited our constitution and agreed to change the wording to reflect the growing needs of our refugee and asylum seeker community.
Kettering Refugee Assistance is continuing to pursue community sponsorship; however, we are still waiting for the council to approve our application. In the meantime, we continue to research potential housing options to house a family once our application has been approved/successful.
Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)
You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:
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policy on grantmaking;
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policy programme related investment;
The Charity is entirely run by volunteers and KRA has been fortunate to attract members who are committed to its aims. These include people with relevant skills and experience.
Volunteers have been responsible for all the charity’s fundraising, and supporting our community.
- contribution made by volunteers.
Section D Achievements and performance
Section D Achievements and performance
Summary of the main achieve- During the year the charity has: ments of the charity during the year 1. Induction for new Trustees.
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Induction for new Trustees.
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Shared training for members and volunteers (Reset).
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Ensured that we have sufficient funds available to meet the home office criteria for making an application to become an approved sponsorship group.
| 4. | Continued negotiations with North Northamptonshire Council |
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| (NNC) to obtain their permission to make an application to Home | |
| Office. | |
| 5. | Continued to meet regularly both in person and on Zoom. |
| 6. | Clear distinction of mission statement and constitution – set up to |
| support Kettering AND the local areas of North Northamptonshire, | |
| as well as expanding our support to include those seeking asylum | |
| in addition to refugees. | |
| 7. | Support for local asylum seekers who were housed in 2 local ho- |
| tels. | |
| 8. | Supported Ukrainian refugees, their hosts and the surrounding |
| community to successfully integrate this community into the local | |
| area. | |
| 9. | Worked closely with local councillors to help integrate and support |
| refugees in our community. | |
| 10. | Continued to create a welcoming community for both refugees and |
| asylum seekers, challenging the negative narrative. | |
| 11. | Donate button on facebook page to generate more income for |
| KRA. | |
| 12. | Circulated information on RESET training dates. |
| 13. | DBS checks – all Trustees now have up to date DBS checks and |
| we are in the process of ensuring our volunteers are up to date. | |
| Volunteers who need DBS checks will be paid for by the charity as | |
| agreed by Trustees. | |
| 14. | Agreed to change our bank to Co-Operative bank due to current |
| charges from HSBC. | |
| 15. | Welcome Pack created to welcome Refugees into the local com- |
| munity. This will be a useful resource once our community spon- | |
| sorship application has been approved and our dedicated family | |
| arrive. | |
| 16. | Decision to restrict £14,000 of KRA income for the community |
| sponsorship scheme and additional support the family may require | |
| once settled – agreed by Trustees at our meeting on 26thMarch | |
| 2022. | |
| 17. | Built closer relationship with local Councils Corby and Kettering – |
| support for local refugees. | |
| 18. | Building up momentum by inviting new members and volunteers to |
| a meeting. |
Section E Financial review
| Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves |
The charity seeks to raise sufficient funds to undertake its primary pur- pose of participation in the Community Sponsorship Scheme. It has an in- vestment policy should it ever hold funds in excess of that required for im- mediate use. At the Trustee meeting on 26thMarch 2023 the Trustees agreed to restrict |
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£14,000 of KRA income for the community sponsorship scheme. Funds in excess of this can be used to support our aims and enable KRA to support local refugees living in the area, and re-invested back into the charity.
Further financial review details (Optional information)
You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about:
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the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising);
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how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity;
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investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted.
The charity’s principal sources of funds have been:
- donations by individuals (via membership or donations) · donations by faith and other groups
A breakdown of income generated by KRA can be found in our annual accounts report (see below).
Expenditure by KRA has been spent on the following:
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Local support for refugees e.g clothing, shoes, accessories.
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Charges on account by HSBC (hence reason for switching to Co-Op Bank where we will not be charged)
It was unanimously resolved that individual membership for 2022-23 remain at £10 (waged) and £5 (unwaged) and corporate membership be set at £50 for the year.
Proposed: Avena Davis Seconded: John Padwick
Section F Other optional information
Copies of all or any of the charity’s policies and procedures are available upon request:
Section G Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Signature(s) Full name(s) Avena Davis Position (eg Secretary, Acting Chair and Treasurer Chair, etc) Date 01/12/2023
| KETTERING REFUGEE ASSISTANCE Registered no. 1183931 RECEIPTS & PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS For the period from 1st July 2021 to 30 June 2022 A1 Receipts 2022-2023 2021-2022 Donations £302.35 £807.24 Membership fees £135 £190 Fundraising events Gift Aid Sub total £437.35 £997.24 A2 Asset and Investment Sales - - Total receipts £437.35 £997.24 A3 Payments Charges Refugee Support DBS Checks £65 £198.98 £39.40 £250.00 Sub total £263.98 £412.97 A4 Asset & Investment Pur- chases Website £123.57 Total Payments £263.98 £412.97 Net of receipts/ (payments) £263.98 £584.27 A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end £14,578.55 £13,989.28 Cash funds this year end £14,751.92 £14,578.55 Statement of Assets and Liabilities at the end of the period B1 Cash Funds HSBC Community Account £14,751.92 £14,578.55 Total Cash Funds £14,751.92 £14,578.55 |
KETTERING REFUGEE ASSISTANCE Registered no. 1183931 RECEIPTS & PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS For the period from 1st July 2021 to 30 June 2022 A1 Receipts 2022-2023 2021-2022 Donations £302.35 £807.24 Membership fees £135 £190 Fundraising events Gift Aid Sub total £437.35 £997.24 A2 Asset and Investment Sales - - Total receipts £437.35 £997.24 A3 Payments Charges Refugee Support DBS Checks £65 £198.98 £39.40 £250.00 Sub total £263.98 £412.97 A4 Asset & Investment Pur- chases Website £123.57 Total Payments £263.98 £412.97 Net of receipts/ (payments) £263.98 £584.27 A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end £14,578.55 £13,989.28 Cash funds this year end £14,751.92 £14,578.55 Statement of Assets and Liabilities at the end of the period B1 Cash Funds HSBC Community Account £14,751.92 £14,578.55 Total Cash Funds £14,751.92 £14,578.55 |
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| B1 Cash Funds HSBC Community Account Total Cash Funds |
£14,751.92 £14,751.92 |
B2 Other monetary assets
B3 Investment assets
B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use
B5 Liabilities
Signed on behalf of the Trustees
Avena Davis (Treasurer)
Date of approval 1st December 2023