## **Annual Report and Accounts of Women with Hope for the Year 2021**
## Foreword from Anthony Wilson: Chair
_Our report for 2021 has to open with 17 January 2022: the death in hospital of our founder and inspiration Rosemary Crawley. She had been increasingly unwell in the course of the year, so even when the Covid regulations allowed for a measure of face-to-face socialising it was still difficult for her to attend the Tuesday sessions in the Selly Oak Quaker meeting house when these resumed for a short period. The momentum which she imparted carried us through the first lockdown in 2020, and the months when shared contact was only feasible through our mobile phones: she made sure that the funds which would have been spent on gatherings were re-directed to covering phone charges, as described in our 2020 report._
_Each of our 50+ members felt that Rosemary was a personal friend, such was the quality of her relationships – which extended to accompanying them to Home Office interviews which could result in detention before removal from this country: many members are 'undocumented', and survivors of minimal public support or 'no recourse to public funds'. Others had been successful in their applications for the right to remain, often after many years of living on the margins; they were able to_ draw on their experience as they supported those still directly subject to the hostile environment which is explicit in government policy towards them.
_The tribute which the trustees paid to Rosemary days after her death is included in this report; although dated this year, withholding it from our 2021 report would be to distort our record and recollection of events which preceded it._
_Rosemary led our trustee body as a team, and I warmly acknowledge their work over the year; this must include the management of our website by Brian Homer (https://womenwithhope.org.uk), where our activities are recorded. My own move with my wife to her care by our family overseas means that I need to stand down (or up?) from our chair: it has been a privilege to serve over the years since our founding,_
_and I wish our members the resilience which I hope our organisation enhances to survive and emerge as secure and settled residents of this country._
_We are rightly concerned for the millions of people being violently_
1
_displaced in Ukraine at this time: their situation exposes the inherent generosity of people in this and other countries in our responses. Let us also remember that there are people seeking asylum here and now in and near to our communities to whom we can extend a hand of practical friendship and welcome._
## **Anthony Wilson Chair**
Women with Hope entered 2021 in good shape. Like everyone else Coronavirus Pandemic affected how we met. The women were delighted to start meeting face to face fortnightly at new base at Selly Oak Quaker Meeting House.
After resuming to meet face to face meeting one of the first events was the annual Picnic trip for the ladies from Birmingham to Lichfield. Also, the women having a lunch with friends of Selly Oak Quakers and arranged meet ups to celebrate the end of lock down and the isolation they felt not meeting each other in person.
2
The closure of _Women with Hope_ and of other charitable groups in the area had a quite devastating effect on the refugee women with whom we are in contact, and in particular on those with no recourse to public funds. Prior to the lockdown many of those women survived solely by making use of several drop in centres across the week in order to gain minimal food and support.
During the lockdown we fund phone top ups from our travel budget and form other sources. Access to a phone is an absolute essential for women within the immigration system. It provides the only means by which claims for asylum can be pursued and it also enables reporting requirements to be fulfilled. In addition, it is the only means by which the women can keep in contact with
3
each other and their families in order to try and reduce their extreme isolation.
As well as phone top ups we have used our food and refreshments budget to support charities that are providing emergency food and other essentials to asylum seekers and refugees in Birmingham.
We have commenced meeting again in Selly Oak and this has been successful for those able to participate. Prior to the lockdown and even throughout it our numbers have steadily increased. The women who join us repeatedly affirm their appreciation of a safe place in which they can share experiences and receive support and affirmation during their lonely and incredibly difficult individual journeys.
Our meetings provide workshops on health, mental and physical. We have also spent time sharing stories, celebrating successes and hearing each other sing, read poetry and much more.
We started this report announcing the death of the founder of the charity Rosemary Crawley and Dorrell Townsend has taken on some of the responsibilities as Secretary to Trustees and Project Co-ordinator. Another change is that of the project Chair Anthony Wilson who steps down as Chair in June 2022, due to family commitments but will act as an advisor to the trustees. Trustees would like to thank Anthony for is hard work and dedication over the years.
4
## **Our thanks go to:**
Brian Homer for all of his ongoing help and support with the website
Barrow Cadbury Charitable Trust for funding phone top ups Liz Clegg & Meena Centre for continued financial support Claire Peat
Lichfield Hope Support Group for continuing Financial support Women for Refugee Women for all of their ongoing support both financial and practical
Jamshed for their support in delivering food parcels
The Roughley Trust and AW60 for their generous funding awards Rhoda Wharton for generously acting as independent examiner of our accounts
## Charity Information
Our charity trustees include women who have had direct experience of the UK asylum system.
Anthony Wilson (Chair), Senait Jones (Treasurer), Agnes Tanoh, Bridget Obi, Judith Tweddle, Barbara Forbes, Rosemary Crawley, Dorrell Townsend
Registered Office: C/o 4 Autumn Drive , Lichfield, Staffordshire,
5
## Charity Number; 1186078
Website: https://womenwithhope.org.uk
## **FINANCIAL ACCOUNT**
1 January – 31 December 2021
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Income and 2021 2020
expenditure
statement 2021
Current Assets £ £
Cash 0 0
Bank 13704.93 14,490.00
Total Assets 13704.93 14,490.00
Creditors 0 270.00
Net Assets 13704.93 14,490.00
Fund 31.12.20 byt 14219.69 9033.68
fwd
Cashbook totals
Total Income 11560.33 12510.13
Total Expenditure 12075.09 7324.12
-514.76 5186.01
Fund c/fwd 31/12/21 13704.93 14219.69
Held in current 10,696.28 11489.56
account
Held in deposit 3008.65 3000.13
account
Cash 0 0
Details of Income
Grants 9800.00 11000.00
Donations 1481.81 1375.00
Interest 8.52 0.13
Other 270.00 135.00
11560.33 12510.13
Details of
expenditure
Travel/Top up 7286.10 3842.00
Refreshments 403.56 900.20
Volunteers 1015.00 552.39
expenditure
**----- End of picture text -----**
6
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Rent & Admin 2002.55 633.88
Entertainment 365.00 817.03
Bank charges 58.48 11.71
*Miscellaneous 944.40 566.91
Total 12075.09 7324.12
**----- End of picture text -----**
## ***Break down of miscellaneous expenditure for WwH - 2021**
|**WwH - 2021**||
|---|---|
|Zoom charge|£143.88|
|Speaker for use with Zoom|£36.99|
|Admin supplies|£206.98|
|Identity checks|£25.50|
|Emergency food during Covid|£255.00|
|Additional support costs|£149.10|
|Annual report|£84.00|
|Gift card|£42.95|
|Total|£944.40|
7