ENFELL T ER TRUST TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT ST 31 DECEMBER 2022
THE JOURNEY TO WELL-BEING AND RECOVERY HAS BEEN PAVED WITH BOTH ADVERSITY AND OPPORTUNITY THIS YEAR
The chairman’s Words
My first words are to those who have supported us throughout the most challenging year as we come to commemorate the Fifth Anniversary of the Grenfell Tower Fire Disaster on the 14[th] June 2022. We can also say that it is although the high level of adversity we have encountered as Next of Kin, bereaved and survivors and local residents, there has also been opportunities for engagement and capacity development of the Grenfell Tower Trust. I have witnessed a high level of ups-and- downs in people anger, anxiety that were triggered by the ending of the Grenfell Public Inquiry and the non- starting of the criminal prosecutions.
The Change of Government and the increase in the cost of living have strongly hit the Grenfell Community and increased the mental health distress of a large number of families. The opportunities for creating the right environment for bereaved families to heal has been a core objective for the 5[th] year. We coordinated many peer- support activities, including resilience training, social outings and get-together that were well attended and appreciated by the bereaved families, in particular as most of them were led to believe that there would be no more support after the 5 years recovery period.
Ensuring there is an adequate support for Grenfell Tower Fire affected bereaved and survivors and residents for the long term will be one of the most important outcomes we would like to get an agreement on from DLUHC, RBKC and NHS for next year and going forward.
My thanks also go to our funders, who without their support we would be not able to carry out this much needed work. I would like also to thank all the Trustees, staff and volunteers for their valuable contributions that enable our organisation to advocate for those muted and unheard voices, especially the next of Kin who feel that while there were grieving many decisions were made in their names without their consent or consultation with them and that their views weren’t considered. A situation we are working diligently to change now and in the future.
Nabil Choucair
Chairman of Grenfell Tower Trust
The Unmuted and Unheard Voices Of The Bereaved And Survivors
Once we passed the 5[th] anniversary mark, all bereaved and survivors have started to really feel overwhelmed by the high-level distress and anxiety that has been accumulated for years. The fact that there are no homogeneous groups that collaborate and advocate for these bereaved and survivors has meant that their voices have been muted as it was already evidenced from the data gathered from the research carried out by Natalie Ohana, Law School, University of Exeter entitled “the The Politics of The Production of Knowledge On Trauma: The Grenfell Tower Inquiry”. The Bereaved and Survivors knowledge of the causes of the fire have been excluded from the Grenfell Public Inquiry. We have worked hard to include the voice of residents in the Inquiry and to reflect the demographics of the area by looking at Institutional Discrimination in the Terms of Reference but to no avail. In such environment, Grenfell Tower Trust has been working extremely hard to ensure that the voices of the next of kin is heard since they have missed out on the initial engagement of early years and feel completely left out of any decision making or consultation. A bereaved said: “As they have been grieving the loss we suffered, it seems other groups have been speaking in our names and on our behalf. Now that we are awake, it is unacceptable.” This awareness has even increased their anger and stress about all the services and provision that were done in their names, be it RBKC or NHS Dedicated service, CNWL, or Grenfell Memorial Commission. It only after 5 years that family who lost 5 members has felt there were listened to in the meeting we organised with Cecil Sinclair and Eleanor Davidson from Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities. This was the fruit of long conversation and collaboration that enabled those most affected to have a psychological safe space to express their feelings and what they have been going through.
Some of the activities we have organised where to instil some trust back in these next of kin, bereaved and survivors through more social activities and getting together to discuss the relevant issues of concern as a group whilst carrying on the specific individual support that each one is dealing with. In
establishing back, the relationship with the community we have organised a big get together just before the 5[th] Anniversary in which about 80 people attended at Al Manar Community centre. It was attended by the Kensington MP Felicity Buchan, as well as the Deputy Mayor of RBKC
Gender Dimension of Disaster
This is on area of focus that GTT would like to bring to the attention of decision makers and service providers. Women have been very much involved in both the co-design and coproduction of our support and activities. Women empowerment and voice is one of the core principles on which the organisation was built from the start. Yet it is only in the last year that
we were able to implement that through the Cultural Competency framework we have co-created with the local NHS. Many of the women who have been impacted with the disaster have suffered a higher level of anxiety and more painful sense of loss and guilt hence finding difficult to come forward and share
those feeling with therapists. It is through many workshops of resilience and trust building activities that these women were able to find their voices again. The psychological safety that the Grenfell Tower Trust has provided has meant that these women have now at last been able to share their experience and work through their intense emotions without been overwhelmed. One of the most impactful experiences on Grenfell affected women is the high level of divorce and separation. The effect is greater on those with children which meant that they must find new ways of managing the new relationship with its triggering nature and a reminder of the disaster. Creating family event created a safety net where both parents can be with their children and and manage the contact and interaction better. One such event is social outing where women can meet other women and talk about their shared experience where went to the movies together.
Children And Young People And Disaster
Whilst this group got some attention at the early years post disaster with a focus on educational support at schools where a lot of funding has been put into it by the council and the Grenfell education programme, it was not very effective or transparent hence the meagre results, the disappointment and frustrations evidence by the poor feedback from families. One of major criticism for such
provision it was not done in consultation with either the children, young people or parents. The concern was further compounded by the art therapies or CNWL lack of clear direction of most of the one to one or group support.
The NHS recovery strategy has not been implemented as there was no clear leadership to enable organisation to cater properly for the Grenfell young people. Although the Local youth centres came in a consortium together to provide the much-needed provision, it is still hasn’t meet the need of those young people’s development needs emotionally and interculturally.
We were very clear that we would never organise any event unless we cater for these children and young people as part of the planning and delivery of the activities. In the different conversations we have had with them we organised specific times and spaces for them to engage with each other in a safe and controlled environment as in our 5[th] year resilience workshops and Dinner. We arranged for a professional entertainer and educator to organise games and education workshops whilst they parents were attending the resilience workshops. We also give them space to express themselves and listen to their views to inform out future events:
At the Grenfell Tower Trust we were determined that the healing and the personal development of these children and young people shall be the priority for the next phase of the recovery hence we have asked both the Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities, the RBKC and NHS to commit to at least another 5 years to ensure that these specific groups reach their full potential and overcome the adversity they has gone through.
Cultural Dimension of Disaster
Whilst most government and non-governmental agencies talk about the importance of inter and cross-cultural communication, It has been completely absent in the public Inquiry, the Memorial Commission engagement and reporting and the strategies developed by the Joint Needs strategic Assessment or the RBKC Engagement program. There has been many attempts and campaigns to reflect the demographics of the bereaved, survivors and local community groups in both the planning and delivery of services but they weren’t listened or included in the recovery strategy.
The only exception to the rule is the work of the NHS North Kensington Health Partners. We have co-created and coproduced a Cultural Reference Framework and a training programme for Local GPs that has been now accredited by the Royal College of General Practitioners. The feedback of the first training sessions to both Doctors and surgery management and reception staff has been very positive. Those who attended the training workshops have made a strong case to roll it out to all NHS staff.
An added value that we have been able to experience is the better engagement with different stakeholders. Those who have been involved in the Cultural Competence training have reported a better communication and understanding among Health Partners and other local organisations working in North Kensington.
Our focus for next year will be on voice and leadership development as we understand the importance of the role of bereaved men, women and children in the design and creation of services that meet their needs and expectations.
We are thankful to also our partners who supported us and we appreciate the collaboration with different stakeholders and made our contribution valuable to our beneficiaries over last year.
We look forward to more collaborative working and partnerships to ensure that we deliver an excellent peer-support and culturally and linguistically appropriate service to befits our vision and objectives.
Grenfell Tower Trust
Income and Expenditure Account for year ended on 31 December 2022
| 2022 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Notes | Restricted Funds Unrestricted Fund |
Total Funds Total Fund |
| £ £ |
£ £ |
|
| INCOMING RESOURCES: | ||
| Voluntary Grants | - | - - |
| Donations and other Income | 2,601.00 29,500.00 |
32,101.00 0.00 |
| ACTIVITIES FOR GENERATING FUNDS: | ||
| Investment Income | ||
| Other Activities | - - |
- - |
| Total IncomingResources | 2,601.00 29,500.00 |
32,101.00 0.00 |
| RESOURCES EXPENDED: | ||
| COST FOR GENERATING FUNDS: |
||
| Charitable Expenses | 450.00 16,501.00 |
16,951.00 8,322.00 |
| Investment Income | - - |
- |
| Other Activities | - - |
|
| 450.00 16,501.00 |
16,951.00 8,322.00 |
|
| CHARITABLE EXPENITURE: | ||
| Restricted Funds | ||
| TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED: | 450.00 16501 |
16,951.00 8,322.00 |
| Net Surplus for the year | 2,151.00 12,999.00 |
15,150.00 -8,322.00 |
| Opening Funds | 1,225.00 904.00 |
2,129.00 10,541.00 |
| Transfer of funds | - | |
| CLOSING FUNDS: | 3,376.00 13,903.00 |
17,279.00 2,219.00 |
| Grenfell | Tower Trust - Balance Sheet | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Charity Number: 1186180 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| Fixed Assets | 922.00 | ||
| Current Assets | |||
| Cash at bank | 16,357.00 | 2,129.00 | |
| Total current assets | 16,357.00 | 2,129.00 | |
| Total Assets | 17,279.00 | 2,129.00 | |
| Financed by | |||
| Restricted | 13,903.00 | 904.00 | |
| Unrestricted | 3,376.00 | 1,225.00 | |
| Total funds | 17,279.00 | 2,129.00 |
Independent examiner’s report to the Trustee of Grenfell Tower Trusts for the year ended on 31[st] December 2022
| December 2022 | December 2022 | December 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Report to the trustees of On accounts for the year ended |
Grenfell Tower Trust | ||
| 31 December 2022 | Charity no | 1186180 |
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner
The charity's trustees have prepared the accounts and determined that this year, under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011, an audit isn't necessary, but an independent examination is. My duty is to inspect the accounts per section 145, follow Charity Commission's general Directions under section 145(5)(b), and report any notable findings.
Basis of independent examiner’s statement
My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
Independent examiner's statement
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention;
-
which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements:
-
to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; and
-
to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act have not been met; or
-
to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed:
Name:
Address:
Date: 25[th] September 2023 Abdullah Mohamud ACMA, CGMA Chartered Management Accountant 12 York Road, Battersea, London, SW11 3QA