2021-10-31-accounts

3 Birkbeck Street, LONDON E2 6JY Tel [phone] [e-mail]

Wise Age Annual Report

Year ending 31[st] October 2021

Wise Age Ltd is a registered charity (charity number 1188629.) Wise Age is the leading specialist 50+ age & employment charity in London This is our second AGM since becoming a registered charity – we were previously a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee.

1 Objectives and Activities

Wise Age’s Objects, as specified in our Articles of Association, are specifically restricted to: The promotion of equality and diversity for public benefit by:

• a) The elimination of discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation and religion.

• b) Advancing education and raising awareness in equality and diversity.

• c) Conducting or commissioning research on equality and diversity issues and publishing the results to the public.

• d) Cultivating a sentiment in favour of equality and diversity.

As a charity with a specific remit on grounds of age, the above Objects all primarily apply to age issues, though we do also aim to ensure that we apply the same criteria to all protected characteristics. Our activities are as follows:

• a) We work to eliminate age discrimination in all aspects of life, particularly employment.

• b) We offer practical support for over 50s looking for employment or self-employment and promote the benefits of employing older workers to employers.

• c) We show employers the benefits of age diversity in the workplace, matching their needs with older working age adults (50+) seeking work. we carry out research and lobby on behalf of older workers drawing on best practice from across the UK and the EU and our own successful experiences.

• d) We also provide best practice training for organisations wanting to develop employment support services for the 50+ or interested in improving the quality of their existing provision.

• e) Wise Age also campaigns for the active involvement of older people in developing age-friendly cities and services and uses a holistic approach to overcome older people’s poverty, social isolation and loneliness, while promoting intergenerational communication and understanding.

Registered Charity Number: 1188629 Registered Company Number: 08277094

3 Birkbeck Street, LONDON E2 6JY Tel [phone] [e-mail]

The Trustees have had regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit.

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During the year under consideration, Wise Age had delivered, or was still delivering, the following projects:

1. Department for Work and Pensions Flexible Support Fund contracts EL061, EL0110, EL111 and EL0112 these contracts cover support for unemployed over 50s in the London Boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham and Hackney (all were so-called Category 2 contracts for those who have been long-term unemployed and need more support to become employable. There were no Category 4 contracts with paid employment outcomes).

2. London Councils/European Social Fund contract for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, to support people who are long-term unemployed of economically inactive towards employability. Delivery of this contract had already ended at the time of the 2020 Annual Report, but as of 31[st] October 2021 we were still awaiting final reconciliations and settlement due to London Councils internal issues.

3. A Grant from City Bridge Trust via London Recovery Board for the provision of IT equipment to digitally excluded clients in the form of loan of relevant devices, as well as online support via our website.

4. A grant from Trust for London to enable delivery of support around employment to over-50s in all London Boroughs, support London businesses in becoming more agefriendly, and improve our website and social media.

5. EQUIP, with funding from ESF via Paddington Development Trust. This is to provide support to over-50s living in Hackney and Tower Hamlets who are looking to move towards and into work and training.

The rest of this page is intentionally blank.

Registered Charity Number: 1188629 Registered Company Number: 08277094

3 Birkbeck Street, LONDON E2 6JY Tel [phone] [e-mail]

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Registered Charity Number: 1188629 Registered Company Number: 08277094

3 Birkbeck Street, LONDON E2 6JY Tel [phone] [e-mail]

2 Achievements and Performance

1 DWP contract SPS ELO61 was successfully delivered and met all specified outcomes, Contracts DPS EL) 110, 111 and 112 were progressing well and were on track to deliver full outcomes by the time of the end of the contracts on January 31[st] , 2022. . In particular we:

• Gave support to 20 clients through one-to-one and group activities during ELO61 – 20 starts and 20 completions. A high proportion of these clients were long-term unemployed and had gaps in skills, experience and work history which made them hard to place into employment. At end of October 2021 the three remaining contracts – for 60 clients (20 in each of the three boroughs of Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Newham – had already registered and was supporting 41 clients.

• We had not formally claimed any completions, although advisors were starting to inform us of clients who had either received all the help we could give or had even been offered jobs.

• Gave considerable support to many other people who were referred to us but were never formally registered as clients on a funded programme, as there were many more referrals than we were able to register on funded projects. This support included working on CVs, applications, etc., and building up their self-confidence, as well as directing them to possible free training and development opportunities.

2 The London Councils/ESF contract was very adversely affected by the COVID pandemic, and the funders first of all extended the contract, then with the second lockdown decided to terminate all ESF activity in the UK early. This made full delivery of the originally specified outcomes impossible, and final determination of the outcomes is still being undertaken by London Councils/ESF. Provisional outcomes are:

• 11 clients enrolled and given one-to-one and group support.

• 5 clients referred on to further training.

There was supposed to be one employment outcomes, and one client did get a job offer, but sadly it was withdrawn when the first lockdown was announced days later

3 City Bridge Trust grant – by end of October 2021 we had purchased 5 laptops and 10 tablets for client use and all the laptops were out on loan; the tablets had proved less popular.

4 Trust for London. As at end of October 2021 this was just getting going. We were making good progress producing the four guides (2 each for employers and 50+ people seeking work) and were in the process of interviewing candidates to deliver the one-to-one support to clients and employers.

5 EQUIP ESF contract – at end of October 2021 we had registered 5 clients, and 2 had found work. None had found training, whereas we had been profiled to get 5 into training by now. We were encountering problems getting people onto this scheme as the onerous

Registered Charity Number: 1188629 Registered Company Number: 08277094

3 Birkbeck Street, LONDON E2 6JY Tel [phone] [e-mail]

requirements regarding evidence of eligibility were a huge obstacle when gathering evidence remotely by electronic means from clients who were mostly either digitally unskilled and/or mistrustful of electronic means of sending copies of e.g., passports, utility bills etc.

By the end of 2022 we are profiled to have enrolled 40 people, and got 20 into training and 6 into jobs, so there was a way to go in order to achieve these targets.

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3 Financial Review

The Company’s last inspected Annual Accounts are appended to this Report. They are made up to end October 2021. They show:

• income of £47,415.67,

• expenditure of £41,855.01, and therefore

• a surplus of £5,560.66

• Net current assets are shown as £10,708.77

Wise Age’s Reserves Policy includes the following commitment:

• The Trustees will aim to maintain the Operating Reserve at the equivalent of three months of average operating costs and will not let it fall below a minimum of two months average operating costs.

4 Structure, Governance and Management

The charity’s governing documents are its Memorandum and Articles of Association. We are a company limited by guarantee, and also a charity registered with the Charities Commission.

The Board of Trustees currently comprises four trustees – it was six at the beginning of the year covered by this report, bud sadly two of our trustees, Donald Weighton and Jane Shenton, died during the 12-month period covered by this annual report... Board Meetings are also attended by the Chief Executive and the Finance Officer.

The procedure for appointing new trustees is that we may, by ordinary resolution, appoint a person who is willing to be a trustee/director and that we may determine the rotation in which any additional trustees/directors are to retire.

5 Reference and Administrative Details

The Trustees delegate day-to-day management of the charity to the Chief Executive and any other consultants engaged by the charity to deliver services on its behalf.

Registered Charity Number: 1188629 Registered Company Number: 08277094

3 Birkbeck Street, LONDON E2 6JY Tel [phone] [e-mail]

The current trustees are Valery Small, Peter Murphy, Tim Whitaker, and Nadeya Zaman. Plans were being made to expand the board by advertising for new trustees, but as at 31[st] October 2021 this had not led to any new appointments.

The Chief Executive is Chris Walsh.

The Finance Officer is Barbara Deason.

The accounts are inspected by William Burke BSc Econ Hons, Member of the Association of Accounting Technicians.

Appendix 1 – Annual Accounts Year End October 31[st] , 2020

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Registered Charity Number: 1188629 Registered Company Number: 08277094

Turnover
LONDON COUNCILSESF TrustforLondon		82,260.2982,260.29 t288.008288.00
Equip	€5,032.50
DWP EAST LONDONE1110, EL111.andEL112	€10,558.54	€10,558.54
DWPELO5B	8t5,L55.27	815,155.27
DWPELO61	f12,800.00	f12,800.00
LondonCommunityResponse Fund(LCRF)		EL,32L.O7EL,32L.O7
GROSSSURPLUS OtherIncome Interest	L43,546.37 f0.00 €0.00	€3,869.36847,415.67 €0,00 t0.00 t0.00 f0.00
	843,546.31	83,869.36847,4L5.67

CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors	€13,358.33
Cashin bankandathand	f27,122.36
	f.40,480.69
CREDITORS
Amountfallingduewithin 6months Income inAdvance	85,320.00 824,451.92
NET CURRENT ASSETS	t1o,709.77
TOTAL ASSETSLESS CURRENTLIABILITIES

Expenditure
RentandRates		80.00	80.00
ConsultancyFees TrainingVenue		f35,299.97 f0.00	f3,601.36838,901.33 f160.00f160.00
Travel		f33.70	E33.70
Phones		8479.46	8479.06
Website/Webmaster		E7.50	87.50
Legal,lnsurance		81,156,65	t108.0081,264,65
Marketing&Officesupplies		E2L4.O5	E2L4.06
Equipment & Software		84L4.94	84L4.94
AgePlatformEurope		8379.77	8379.77
Other		f0.00	f0.00
		f 37,985.65	f3,869.36f41,855.01
Surplus
		85,560.66	t0.00E5,560.65
Total funds from TotalFunds	last year	f5,148.11 ELO,7AB.77	t0.0085,148.11 f0.0081a,708.77

RESERVES
Generalfund(unrestricted)	810,7a8.77
IONDONCOUNCILSESF	f0.00
TrustforLondon	f0.00
LondonCommunityResponseFund
(LcRF)	f 0.00

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF WISE AGE

I report on the accounts for the year ended 31 October 2021.

. Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider an audit is not required for this year (under section 144 2 of the Charities Act 2011 and that an independent examination is required.

It is my responsibility to:

• Examine the accounts under section 145 of the above Act.

• To follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission (under Section 145 5b of the above Act: and

• To state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

. Basis of the independent examiner’s report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the 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 and disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanation from you as trustees concerning 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 examiners statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

• 1) Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that, in any material aspect, the requirements

. to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 130 of the above act and

. to prepare accounts which accords with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the above act

• . have not been met or

• 2) To which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the account to be reached

William Burke BSc Econ Hons

Member of the Association of Accounting Technicians:

Address: 27 Alderton Way, Loughton Essex IG10 3EQ

Date: 5[th] March 2022