April 2020 to March 2021
Purposes of the Charity
The prevention or relief of poverty in Coventry and Warwickshire among socially and/or economically disadvantaged families who are unable to provide basic equipment, consumables, food and clothing for babies, particularly but not exclusively those aged under twelve months, by supplying them with such items free of charge
Summary of the main activities
Impact of the pandemic
The impact of the World Health Organisation declaration of a pandemic on 15th March 2020 was considerable for the organisation. Panic buying of consumables cleared the shelves in local shops and demand for nappies and formula milk massively increased. On a single day in March we supported 17 families with these essentials and in March overall because of the lockdown we made 68 donations or double the number for any of the previous months. This trend continued through the year with dips and peaks so from March 2020 to March 30th 2021 576 donations were made compared to 381 in the previous year. Even parents with the funds could not always find baby necessities and many had to self isolate and could not get out to the shops whilst working parents lost wages and sometimes jobs with considerable difficulties in getting timely benefits. Our focus throughout was on the welfare of the babies and keeping them supplied with enough necessities to keep them fed, clean and warm.
1) Acquiring stock of basic equipment consumables food and clothing for free distribution
Local radio stations were interested in how Baby Godiva was responding to the pandemic and once again the Director was interviewed a few times over the year. There were also articles in the local press. Publicity initiatives included setting up a website. However, overall contributions in kind from the public were greatly reduced and those made had to be cleaned and stored before distribution. At the same time there was an increase in cash donations. This helped compensate for the initial lack of donation days at the superstores as consumables were bought directly from them. One donation day at Morrison’s in July helped boost stocks and on that day also a donor came forward who offered to pay for Safestore storage for six months - a generous and much appreciated gesture. In September Asda donated a cash grant in lieu of a donation day which again proved most helpful.
The Director made contact with the city's food banks who were happy to donate surplus
baby formula and baby food to the great relief of many families. The RSPCA donated a large amount of Tommy Tippee items such a bottles and grooming kits, which went into the Start Ready Kits for newborns
All public fund raising events were cancelled during 2020 ( including Baby Godiva's first birthday party ) though the Director was able to obtain grants from a number of specific pandemic grant providing agencies to continue to buy essentials. Some grant applications were not successful so towards the end of the year the Director made contact with Coventry City Council's Charity Resilience Team to obtain assistance with fund raising.
An Amazon wish list was set up and provided an excellent source of new items of equipment and a Just Giving page was allocated in February. The Director continued to work regularly with other charities to ensure that families were assisted appropriately wherever possible. As a result of this combination of approaches stocks were regularly replenished to be consistently available and no valid request for help was denied.
2) Storage
Initially Safestore closed just at the point when we were trying to move to a larger unit to contain all the stock. However, the Director maintained positive contact and in May we were able to take on a bigger unit. to assist with storage and later installed racking with the help of Safestore staff. Despite ups and downs with specific units (and even a mice infestation in the Christmas chocolates) Safestore staff have been consistently helpful and co-operative in solving issues to our satisfaction in providing affordable storage spaces.
With regard to safe handling of goods being handed over the others some specific arrangements had to be made. Thanks to a generous volunteer their garage was cleared and made available for items of equipment to be safely checked and stored from June. This enabled the increased demand in contactless self-referral deliveries to be better met. Any public donations were stored in the garage for a week or more. Most purchased consumables continued to be stored at another volunteer's home where they could be kept safely and from where they could be collected from the doorstep by professionals. There was and is no direct contact between Baby Godiva volunteers and families
During the year the need for a vehicle to transport goods and equipment was identified. One was offered but it was deemed to soon to take that offer forward.
3) Distribution of donations to families in need
Social Services teams, midwives and health visitors continue to advise of families in
need. Specific contact was made with teams dealing with unsupported teenagers and mothers fleeing domestic violence. Health visitors referred families where they found babies and toddlers without separate sleeping spaces or adequate appropriate bedding or clothing whilst midwives identified potential issues pre and post natally, usually requesting full Start Ready kits for the newborn babies.
Mothers to be in homeless accommodation were identified as having a particular need for help, and support staff collected both equipment and consumables to ensure the babies were safe while benefits were applied for and secured. Staff at Family Hubs throughout the city came across families that needed help and were pleased to have a source of assistance for them. Other charities made contact as they recognised the work Baby Godiva was doing and the word continued to spread.
The self-referral form was improved and modified to ensure that women were helped appropriately. Migrants, refugees and asylum seekers were all asked to contact Carriers of Hope for example as they are funded to provide comprehensive support to those groups. having said that, Baby Godiva has occasionally helped out in an emergency when their response has not been a timely one.
People who make contact on their own behalf are asked, or helped, to complete a self-referral form and are then followed up by our trustee who is a qualified social worker. She looks at the circumstances and the financial situation and after discussion with at least one other trustee (with no identifying details being shared) it is decided whether to visit with the items requested or to suggest any other possibilities, including contact with professionals. Every effort is made to find a solution to identified needs, for example, a small school uniform donation event was held in August following requests from some families with older children.
Building on last year, a successful Baby Godiva Santa event, sponsored by a number of organisations and individuals to whom we are most grateful, saw 118 children receiving presents and gifts for their families.
Most public activities have closed down or stopped during the pandemic however when drop-in centres start up again it is planned to have the ability to have pop up events to make contact with more needy local families through an outreach service.
Achievements and performance
As our income has risen through successful grant appeals the number of trustees has grown and we now have a qualified volunteer accountant. This has put the organisation on a firmer base. Though day to day business still relies on too few volunteers we have been fortunate to have extra help with specific initiatives that was and is much appreciated.
Baby Godiva has continued to fill a major gap in local provision for babies and their parents and thereby to promote their wellbeing. Throughout their activities, the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit, ensuring that families who were helped lived in Coventry or Warwickshire, had babies under 12 months of age or were expecting a baby and were not able to afford to provide basic necessities for that baby because of their economic circumstances. Trustees have developed a simple and consistent assessment process to ensure all referrals fall within our stated charitable objectives and public benefit requirements are met.
The Director's intention has been to offer the kind of support that wider family and friends provide to expectant and nursing mothers in normal circumstances. It has brought together mothers as volunteers to help other mothers have the means to keep their babies clean, warm and fed.
Social care, health and welfare professionals have recognised the value of the initiative and been welcoming, and willing to both refer families and collect items for them, whilst individual parents have a means to request and receive help directly with the basics for their babies. Mutually beneficial relationships have been developed with a range of professional and charitable organisations working within the defined area of Coventry and Warwickshire.
Referrals from all sources have continued to grow steadily. We have been able to maintain good levels of appropriate stock despite the pandemic and, as a proactive and communicative organisation, we are able to respond within a week or two to most requests and within a day or two to some. Informed decision making and quick responses have proved reassuring to families and helpful for professionals in social care and health, enabling them to concentrate on other aspects of the situation more appropriate to their skills. In this way Baby Godiva's actions have been of general benefit to the wider public.
Charity Name No (if any) Baby Godiva 1186073 Receipts and payments accounts For the period Period start date Period end date To from 1st June 2020 31st May 2021
CC16a
Section A Receipts and payments
----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment
Total funds Last year
funds funds funds
to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
A1 Receipts
- - - - -
Grants Received 12,641 - - 12,641 2,000
Donations 3,903 - - 3,903 2,619
Other - - - - 455
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
Sub total (Gross income for
16,544 - - 16,544 5,074
AR)
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).
- - - -
- - - - -
Sub total - - - - -
Total receipts 16,544 - - 16,544 5,074
A3 Payments
- - - - -
Storage costs 3,203 - - 3,203 1,780
Telephone costs 308 - - 308 -
Consumables & Equipment 9,379 - - 9,379 1,362
Waste Disposal 520 - - 520 -
Sundries 615 - - 615 429
Mileage 241 - - 241 -
- - - - -
- - - - -
Sub total [ 14,266 ] - - 14,266 3,571
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
- - - -
- - - -
Sub total [ - ] - - - -
Total payments 14,266 - - 14,266 3,571
Net of receipts/(payments) 2,278 - - 2,278 1,504
A5 Transfers between funds - - - - -
A6 Cash funds last year end 1,504 - - 1,504 -
Cash funds this year end 3,782 - - 3,782 1,504
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15/02/2022
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
1
| Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Categories Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B1 Cash funds B2 Other monetary assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B5 Liabilities B3 Investment assets |
Signature Details Details Details Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details |
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 3,782 - - - - - 3,782 - OK OK Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) - - - - - Print Name |
Endowment funds to nearest £ - - - |
| - | |||
| OK | |||
| Endowment funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Current value (optional) - - - - - Current value (optional) - - - - - - - - - When due (optional) Date of approval |
15/02/2022
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
2