ANNUAL REPORT 2023
TRUSTEES, ANNUAL
REPORT AND
ACCOUNTS
5.9.22 - 6.9.23
THECOURTNEY
FOUNDATION
Registered charity number: 1187689 (England and Wales)

Administrative details
Charity name..
Registered charity number..
Principal address..
The Courtney Foundation
1187689 (England and Wales)
126 Five Springs, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU3 3LJ
Structure and governance
Trustees.. Melissa Llewellyn
Ahmed Adde
Ashley Parker
Mohammed Sadiqul Choudhury
Ahmed Aweis Ahmed
3rd Feb 2020- current
3rd Nov 2022- current
3rd Nov 2022- current
3rd Nov 2022- current
5th Mar 2023 - current
Structure.. Charitable Incorporated Organisation
Governing document.. Constitution
New trustees are selected with consideration of their skills, knowledge and experience,
and are appointed by resolution passed by the existing trustees. Trustees must read and
undersland all organisational policies, which reflect statutory and legal requirements and
good praclice procedures.
This year we said goodbye to two truslees, Courtney Cuffy and Husna Rasul. We
welcomed four new members to the truslee board: Sadiqul Choudhury, Ashley Hamza
Parker, Ahmed Adde and Ahmed Aweis. Collectively they bring experience in direct
community engagement, fundraising. coaching and managemenl.
Adopted policles:
Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable
Adults Policy
Code of Conduct and Ethics
Conf lict of Interest Policy
Data Protection Policy
Privacy Policy
Whistleblowing Policy
Challenging Behaviour Policy
Equality, Diversity and Meaningf ul
Inclusion Policy
Complaints Policy
Health and Safety Policy
Volunteer Policy
Volunteer Disciplinary Procedures
Financial Management Policy
Reimbursements of Expenses and
Purchases Policy
Business Ethics and Anti-Bribery Policy
Environmental and Sustainability
Policy
Hardship Projects Policy
Reserves Policy
The Courtney Foundation Trustees. Annual Report and Accounts 2023
Registered charity no. 1187689 (England and Wales)
thecourtneyfoundation.org l info@thecourtneyfoundation.org

Objectives and activities
Charitable objects:
a) To promote social inclusion for the public
benefit by preventing people from becoming socially
excluded, relieving the needs of those people who are
socially excluded and assisting them to integrate into
society
b) The prevention or relief of poverty in England by
providing.. items and services to individuals in need
and/or charities, or other organisations working to
prevent or relieve poverty
We're so grateful to have been able to run several exciting projects this year, and pleased
to see our growing relationships result in impactful collaborative work. We've expanded
our leadership team. launched Lutonkind-Kids in collaboration with Luton Kids/Baby
Bank, and supported hundreds of people with household equipment using funds provided
by Luton Borough Council. Well-attended warm spaces, social activities for people
claiming asylum, a winter coat fundraiser and a free community fun day have made this
year our most versatile yet.
1700+ People 4700+ Clothes, Coats & Shoes
400+ Meals
90+ Baby Equipment Items
1335+ Toys
355 Household Support Packs
Projects
Football
Our first sports project saw 20 young people who were claiming asylum come together
once a week for 5 weeks to play football. We'd been asked about football activities from
those we supported with clothing, and heard directly and from partners about the lack of
activities available and the need to counler the mental health impacts of being restricted
to their accommodation sites with not much else to do. People claiming asylum often
have limited clothing and footwear, and may not have easy access to clothes cleaning
facilities. Funding from Barclays Community Foolball Fund covered the costs of hiring
3G pitch which reduced the risk of dirtying clothes and shoes in mud. This short project
evidenced a greater need for football provision for the refugee community, and our
trustee and coach marked the end of this project by bringing some players to The Big Iftar
thanks to tickets given in-kind by the organisers. We plan to run more football activities
next year.
The Courtney Foundation Trustees. Annual Report and Accounts 2023
Registered charity no. 1187689 (England and Wales)
thecourtneyfoundation.org l info@thecourtneyfoundation.org

Luton Clothing Bank- Pop-ups and Coat Campaign
We've continued to support families and individuals experiencing f inancial difficulty with
free clothes and shoes. The levels of poverty in Luton are high and with significant
numbers of people claiming asylum located in the town, the need for suilable clothing
was huge, especially over winter. This year we surpassed 20,000 items redistributed
through all Luton Clothing Bank projects. Ensuring a free clothes provision means people
can use limited funds on other urgent things like food and bills,. reduces stress, lessening
the risk of poor mental health. and- in some cases, enables people to simply go outside
where they otherwise would not of had the coat or shoes to do so.
Wilh the support of The Raise Up Foundation, Care4Calais, Hope Church Luton, our
dedicated volunteers and clothes donations from the local community, our first Free
Clothes Pop-up was held at Hope Church, with families and individuals browsing and
choosing the items they needed. We saw around 70 people on the day who also enjoyed
food and children's activities.
Our second Free Clothes Pop Up was held at The Raise Up Foundation, with support from
Care4Calais and volunteers which enabled 2000 clothing items and shoes to be
redistributed. Special thanks to Luton schools who shared information about the pop-up
to their familiesl 175 adults, children and babies were able to find clothes on the day.
Fundraising with the support of Discover Islam, we raised over £1000 from the
community with which we purchased 54 good quality, warm winter coats for local people
claiming asylum. These were distributed by Care4Calais along wilh donations of coats
collected by Discover Islam and other partners.
The Courtney Foundation Trustees. Annual Report and Accounts 2023
Registered charity no. 1187689 (England and Wales)
thecourtneyfoundation.org l info@thecourtneyfoundation.org

World Cup and Film nights
With support from Care4Calais, Discover Islam and The Hobson Charity, we showed the
World Cup Final to 30 local people claiming asylum. We brought people from several
different accommodation sites together, enjoyed hot food and gifts of new footballs,
pumps and water bottles. It was a really exciting and friendly atmosphere with six
different languages and cultures coming together over football and food.
We then showed a further handful of films over the following months to the refugee
community.
Warm spaces
We helped launch two warm spaces in January, with Hightown Baptist Church (in High
Town) and The Raise Up Foundation (in Saints). We saw a footfall of over 500 across
bolh locations between January and March, with Hightown being particularly well
attended by local people currently claiming asylum. It regularly saw 40-60 people use the
space and enjoy hot drinks, soup, cake and games. Both locations offered a Winter Pop-
Up with coats, jumpers and winter accessories, supported by donations from Luton
residents.
We supported the distribution of baby food and milk, sourced Ihrough The Raise Up
Foundation, and also put on a toy giveaway. Hightown Bapiist Church maintains their
space as a coffee morning, still supporting local people with free clolhes and small
household goods. Thanks to Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation and The
Albert Hunt Trust for providing funding to support the warm spaces.
The Courtney Foundation Trustees. Annual Report and Accounts 2023
Registered charity no. 1187689 (England and Wales)
thecourtneyfoundation.org l info@thecourtneyfoundation.org

Sunday social space and Ramadhan meal
As part of our Sunday social space for people claiming asylLSm, we hosted a sit-down iftar
meal for 30 people with food provided via Discover Islam. Creating space to get together
and connect is especially important during religiously significant periods as feelings of
loneliness and isolation may feel stronger during these times.
Household Support
Working with 42 Health Visitors, Family Workers and other referrers, we supported 81 low
income households with items they needed. Supporting a total of 320 people wilh 355
packs, we provided..
41 baby packs, including travel cots, nappies and Boots vouchers
90 duvei packs
19 travel systems and buggies
30 white goods
74 small appliances
89 beds and mattresses
12 rugs for households without flooring
£46,530 in funding was provided by Luton Borough Council which supported families and
individuals including people with disabilities, those claiming asylum and elderly people.
Circumstances included a mother and children living in a hotel after a house fire, who
needed furniture when being moved into housing months later,. several heavily pregnant
mums needing essential equipment for the arrival of their babies,. and mums with children
fleeing domestic abuse needing to furnish their new homes.
Without the household support fund I would have
nothing it has been so helpful and very generous to
have been accepted for this. The items I received are
perfect. Such nice things chosen and very useful.
Mum of 2, house fire
The Courtney Foundation Trustees. Annual Report and Accounts 2023
Registered charity no. 1187689 (England and Wales)
thecourtneyfoundation.org l info@thecourtneyfoundation.org

"My family and l are so grateful for everything that we
received from the Luton Council. We will also like to show our
gratitude to The Courtney Foundation. Words cannot describe
how overwhelmed we were when we received the double
buggy on Saturday, we usually walk to and from GP
appointments etc. so the double buggy is going to make life
so much easier to move around with the two kids. We are also
very grateful for the £50 Boots gift card that we received, we
were able to purchase hygiene products for ourselves and for
the children. You guys definitely made us feel loved and cared
for so Thank You Very Much for everything..
Parents of 2, claiming asylum
Lutonkind-Kids
In collaboration with the previous Luton Kids/Baby Bank, we
launched Lutonkind-Kids, a free resource for children of all ages
who are living in poverty in Luton. We provide free baby and
children's clothes, shoes, toys and equipmenl (eg. pushchairs,
cot-beds, bedding) to families in f inancial difficulty. With high
levels of child poverty in the town, we try io help as many
people as we can with good quality donated items.
Kids
Lutonkind
"With the cost-of-living crisis, l am so grateful to have discovered
and used Luton Kind, where the staff are incredibly welcoming
and helpful. Having this service in Luton, means some of our
families who are financially struggling are able to receive items
and feel supported without judgement. Keep up the good work!.
Luton All Women's Centre
The Courtney Foundation Trustees. Annual Report and Accounts 2023
Registered charity no. 1187689 (England and Wales)
thecourtneyfoundation.org l info@thecourtneyfoundation.org

Items are available by referral. We have excellenl relationships
with local professionals- health visitors, family workers, and
charities supporting families f leeing domestic violence, victims
of modern slavery and other vulnerable groups. Families can
visit and choose clothes and loys and arrange for equipment to
be collected or delivered. Having choice over the clothing they
receive is particularly important for teenagers, and makes the
provision a more posilive experience for parents. Spending time
with families also gives us better opportunities for signposting
and identifying additional needs.
Kids
Lutonkind
We are extremely grateful to Stopsley Baptist Church and Bedfordshire and Luton
Community Foundalion for supporting the launch of the Lutonkind-Kids at The
GreenHouse, allowing families to visit and choose the items they need.
Lutonkind-Kids has directly supported 228 babies and children in March - August.
Families received a level of support which met their needs, some receiving clothes,
others receiving clothes, shoes, toys and a pushchair or other equipment.
"Thank you for the lovely sets of clothes you've given
us. It's great to have someone who understands you.
M loves the dolly, it's her favourite toy. Girls loved the
tops all fitted well. Thanks again.
Mum
The Courtney Foundation Trustees. Annual Report and Accounts 2023
Registered charity no. 1187689 (England and Wales)
thecourtneyfoundation.org l info@thecourtneyfoundation.org

Stories from Lutonkind-Kids and the Household Support project
My whole family wanted to express our heartfelt gratitude to you. We
were going through lots of stress as we were not able to arrange the
baby essentials in present time. Thanks to your help, now I can go for
my induction tomorrow without any worries.
Your kindness means a lot for us. Your support and guidance has not
only been financial but also emotional, and we feel incredibly blessed
to have you in our life. Thanks a lot for all the items you arranged for us
and personally came to deliver those items.
Pregnant mum of 1
I would just like to say a big massive thank you to The Courtney
Foundation and especially [staff]. The support I have been given
because of this wonderful scheme after my health visitor referred me
initially for a high chair. I honestly don't know I would have been able
to progress in our new home after fleeing domestic violence and
having to start afresh. Initially [staff] came and dropped me an
emergency kettle, some crockery and cutlery the day we moved in as I
had absolutely nothing initially, a few days later I was provided with a
washing machine, kettle, microwave, travel cot and some sleeping
bags for the baby. I was so very thankful to [staff] for arranging these.
[staff] then brought round a bundle of clothes for the baby along with
some nappies and toys and to my amazement, a voucher for boots
which will be especially helpful as I will use this to purchase baby milk
(unfortunately l am not entitled to the healthy start scheme).
I honestly would not have been able to achieve this without The
Courtney Foundation and feel this service had been an integral part of
helping myself and Ichildl to start our new life.
Once again thank you so much [staff], you are all amazing,
Mum of 1, domestic abuse survivor
The Courtney Foundation Trustees. Annual Report and Accounts 2023
Registered charity no. 1187689 (England and Wales)
thecourtneyfoundation.org l info@thecourtneyfoundation.org

Free Community Fun Day
We welcomed 350 people at our Community Fun Day, which included bouncy castles,
games, free toys, hot food and sweet cones, and a free clothes pop-up. The event was
totally free. for refugeeslpeople claiming asylum and other low income families so they
can enjoy the sense of community, food and games taking place over the Eid al-Fitr
period. A huge thanks to all the individual donors and Training 4 U Services, Shepherd &
Co., 123 Big Bounce, Luton Borough Council, Grow Your Potential, The Raise Up
Foundation, Care4Calais, Tasly s Chicken, Roasty Arabic Grill, Tesco, Arriva, Luton Sixth
Form College and Shri Guru Ravidass Sangat Luton, for their donations of space, time,
food and funds, and lo local schools for promoting the event.
Tralnlng 4 U Servlc•s
Shepherd & Co.
Luton
eARt4
CA￿1$
-f'S ROA$7y TESCO
arriva
Luton
SIXIP4FOAM
11
The Courtney Foundation Trustees. Annual Report and Accounts 2023
Registered charity no. 1187689 (England and Wales)
thecourtneyfoundation.org l info@thecourtneyfoundation.org

Future plans
We're exciled to grow our existing areas of work and expand into new areas. informed by
the needs and views of local people and our partners. We have plans to...
Develop and sustain Lutonkind-Kids,
increasing its capacity to support
children and families across Luton
Restart a provision of Household Support,
providing cookers, beds, baby packs and other
urgent items to those struggling most in Luton
Explore opportunities to offer wider
support for children and young people
Build on our work engaging with
refugees/people claiming asylum and bridge
gaps in local provision, better meeting the
needs of the significant number of people
claiming asylum who live in the town
The Courtney Foundation Trustees. Annual Report and Accounts 2023
Registered charity no. 1187689 (England and Wales)
thecourtneyfoundation.org l info@thecourtneyfoundation.org
10

Financial review
Reserves
Our reserves limit is currently £5000. We aim to only have an amount of reserves that is
proportionate to what is required to continue our existing operations for up to 6 months,
and to respond lo any urgent operational needs that may arise due to unexpected
financial implications. Our reserves limit will be adjusted accordingly as our work
progresses. and this will be reflected in our Reserves Policy. Income from any sources are
principally used to further our charitab5e purposes and benefit those we work with.
Donations from individuals and organisations
Well over £3000 was donated by individuals and organisations to support our work this
year. Thank you to each generous person who contributed towards..
£1030
£920
£710
for winter coats, with
Rise and Shine Nursery
in Luton donating a
massive £500
raised by Sadiqul
Choudhury at the
Love Luton 1 Ok run
raised by Phyl Rainey
for clolhing support
during her 5 x sk
campaign in December
Local organisations donated towards:
Free Communlty Fun Day.. £1 So from Training 4 U Services. £150 from Grow Your
Potential and £50 from Shepherd & Co. Solicitors
Lutonknid-Klds: £150 from Wholesome Hands
In-kind support
A final thanks to the all of the local organisations who've supported our work by offering
their time and giving space in-kind to carry out events and activities, greatly reducing the
cost involved in our efforts to relieve poverty and promote social inclusion..
CARE4
CALAIS
COUR TNEY CUFFY
HBC
Hlghtown Bapt15t Church
è4*nald 5trÈ•L, LL*r*l
HOPE |cHURCH
LUTON
The Courtney Foundation Trustees. Annual Report and Accounts 2023
Registered charity no. 1187689 (England and Wales)
thecourtneyfoundation.org l info@thecourtneyfoundation.org

Grants and contracts
We're extremely grateful for the grants and contracts we've been awarded this year.
We received..
£5500 from Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation for Lutonkind-Kids (with
a second sum of £4500 expected later)
£46530 from Luton Borough Council to support Luton households
£2000 from The Albert Hunt Trust for warm spaces
£1542 from The Hobson Charity for a World Cup event
£500 from Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation for warm spaces
£1000 from Arnold Clark to support clothing provisions
£500 from the Barclays Community Football Fund for football
BL Luton
THE
ALBERT HUNT
lic
T RUST
Arnayld fiurk * BARCLAYS
Notes on the accounts
Numbers have been rounded in accordance wilh standard practice and expectations for
charity accounts. This may result in some numbers not adding up due to rounding.
Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees, report above. Signed on behalf
of the trustees..
Full name:
Signed:
Date:
Melissa Llewellyn
6.9.23
The Courtney Foundation Trustees. Annual Report and Accounts 2023
Registered charity no. 1187689 (England and Wales)
thecourtneyfoundation.org l info@thecourtneyfoundation.org
12

## **Receipts and payments accounts** 

Charity name: The Courtney Foundation Charity number: 1187689 (England and Wales) For the period: 6th September 2022 to 5th September 2023 

## **Receipts and payments** 

|**Receipts and**|**payments**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Receipts**||||||
||**Unrestricted**<br>**funds (£)**|**Restricted**<br>**funds (£)**|**Endowment**<br>**funds (£)**|**Total funds**<br>**(£)**|**Last year (£)**|
|Donations and<br>legacies|0|3586|0|3586|2358|
|Grants and<br>Contracts|0|57572|0|57572|4000|
|Fundraising<br>events|0|0|0|0|0|
|Fees for services|0|0|0|0|0|
|Refunds and<br>Other|40|1047|0|1087|920|
|**Subtotal**|**40**|**62205**|**0**|**62245**|**7278**|
|Sale of fixed<br>assets|0|0|0|0|0|
|Sale of<br>investments|0|0|0|0|0|
|Loans received|0|0|0|0|0|
|**Sub total**|**0**|**0**|**0**|**0**|0|
|**Total receipts**|**40**|**62205**|**0**|**62245**|**7278**|



|**Payments**||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Unrestricted**<br>**funds (£)**|**Restricted**<br>**funds (£)**|**Endowment**<br>**funds (£)**|**Total funds**<br>**(£)**|**Last year (£)**|
|Staff and<br>contractors|0|8608|0|8608|0|
|Rent/hire|607|2771|0|3378|8982|
|Insurances|345|0|0|345|192|
|Telephone and<br>internet|78|0|0|78|78|
|Stationary,||||||
|printing and|0|228|0|228|0|
|office supplies||||||
|Subscriptions,||||||
|including digital<br>and online|59|0|0|59|144|
|packages||||||
|Bank charges|0|0|0|0|0|
|Website costs|0|0|0|0|0|





|Volunteer<br>expenses and<br>purchases|0|860|0|860|0|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Trustee<br>expenses and<br>purchases|0|0|0|0|0|
|Advertising and<br>promotion|0|0|0|0|0|
|Other project<br>costs|15|46213|0|46228|428|
|**Sub total**|**1104**|**58680**|**0**|**59785**|**9825**|
|Purchase of<br>fixed assets|0|0|0|0|0|
|Purchase of<br>investments|0|0|0|0|0|
|Loans repaid|0|0|0|0|0|
|**Sub total**|**0**|**0**|**0**|**0**|**0**|
|**Total**|**1104**|**58680**|**0**|**59785**|**9825**|
|**Net of receipts/**<br>**(payments)**|**-1064**|**3525**|**0**|**2460**|**-2547**|
|**Transfer**<br>**between funds**|**0**|**0**|**0**|**0**|**0**|
|**Cash funds last**<br>**year end**|**1184**|**2119**|**0**|**3302**||
|**Cash funds this**<br>**year end**|**119**|**5643**|**0**|**5762**||
|||||||
|**Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**||||||
||**Details**||**Unrestricted**<br>**funds (£)**|**Restricted**<br>**funds (£)**|**Endowment**<br>**funds (£)**|
|Bank account|-||119|5643|0|
|**Total cash funds**|**-**||**119**|**5643**|**0**|
|Other monetary<br>assets|-||0|0|0|
|Investment<br>assets|-||0|0|0|
|Assets retained<br>for the charity's<br>own use|-||0|0|0|
|Liabilities|-||0|0|0|



|**Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**|**Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**|**Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Details**|**Unrestricted**<br>**funds (£)**|**Restricted**<br>**funds (£)**|**Endowment**<br>**funds (£)**|
|Bank account|-|119|5643|0|
|**Total cash funds**|**-**|**119**|**5643**|**0**|
|Other monetary<br>assets|-|0|0|0|
|Investment<br>assets|-|0|0|0|
|Assets retained|||||
|for the charity's|-|0|0|0|
|own use|||||
|Liabilities|-|0|0|0|



**Print name** MELISSA LLEWELLYN **Signature Date** 06.09.23 



## **Independent Examiner's Report to the trustees of The Courtney Foundation** 

## **on the accounts for the year ended 5th September 2023** 

Charity number: 1187689 (England and Wales) 

## **Responsibilities and basis of report** 

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity for the year ended 05/09/2023. 

As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011. 

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 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** 

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: 

• the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or 

• the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or 

• the accounts did 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 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. 

**Signed** 


**Name Date** 

Jennie Cuffy 16th Sep 2023 

## **Relevant professional qualifications or body (if any)** 

DipGBS ACCA - Revenue Specialist 

## **Address** 

24 Dordans Road Luton Bedfordshire LU4 9BP