## **Trustees' Annual Report for the period**
||Period start date|Period start date|||Period end date|Period end date||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**From**|13|5|2020|**To**|30|4|2021|
## Section A Reference and administration details
**Charity name** The Gathering Place **Other names charity is known by** The Gathering Place UK **Registered charity number (if any)** 1189467 **Charity's principal address** 45 Mansel Street Swansea Wales **Postcode SA1 5SW**
## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity**
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20|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole**
**year **|**Name of person (or body) entitled**
**to appoint trustee (ifany)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||Kenneth Arrington|Director / Chair|||
||Susan Rees||||
||Martyn Greenway||||
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||**Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)**||||
||**Name**||**Dates acted if not for whole year**||
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March **2012**
**TAR**
1
## **Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**
**Type of adviser Name Address**
## **Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)**
## **Section B Structure, governance and management**
## **Description of the charity’s trusts**
Constitution enacted 1 January 2020 Type of governing document
- (eg. trust deed, constitution)
How the charity is constituted
CIO Constitution
- (eg. trust, association, company)
Trustees are appointed for 2 – 4 year terms at end of year returns meeting Trustee selection methods / review
(eg. appointed by, elected by)
## **Additional governance issues (Optional information)**
You **may choose** to include additional information, where relevant, about:
- policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees;
- the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;
- relationship with any related parties;
- trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.
Volunteers and volunteer counsellors are vetted based on experience, education, and agreement with principles set out in all related charity documents, including Wales safeguarding procedures, and additional documentation and statements of belief.
The director oversees day to day aspects and duties of running the charity, including the power to do anything which is calculated to further its objects or is conducive or incidental to doing so. The director moves and works under the auspices of voting trustees and also seeks guidance and views of volunteers in deciding activities to be undertaken and run for the public benefit.
- Safeguarding policies are in place and checks are taken out on those dealing directly 1:1 with the public at large.
- The Gathering Place partners with local associations, churches, help houses, councils, homes for the elderly, mental health wards, and hospitals in order to provide tangible products, care packages, and resources for the betterment of public health.
All trustees and volunteers give their time voluntarily and received no renumeration or other preferential benefits
## **Section C Objectives and activities**
The prevention, relief and support of those trapped in poverty cycles and those in need throughout Swansea / South Wales by providing items, **Summary of the objects of the** resources, and counselling services. We encourage and train volunteers **charity set out in its** and local leaders and network with regional organizations to directly **governing document** impact the local community.
March **2012**
**TAR**
2
In planning our activities for the year, The Gathering Place, its director, trustees, and volunteers kept in mind the Charity Commissions guidance on public benefit at our meetings and within our communications.
The planned activities upon listing as a registered charity were as follows:
- Prevention, relief, and support of those trapped in poverty cycles and those in need by offering free clothing, toiletries, food, drink, and dry goods procured via donations and purchase
- Vehicular delivery of needed goods such as clothing and food to those in need, the hospitalised, isolated, elderly, the disabled, the impoverished, and the general public; as well as to other charities or voluntary bodies
- Offering a safe and warm space for sanctuary at our 45 Mansel Street SA1 5SW location, free teas/coffees/refreshment, recharging of devices, as needed counselling services, and care package pickup – including sleeping bags, tents, shoes, coats, and gear
- **Summary of the main activities undertaken for the** - Free general counselling / weekly meetings across multiple **public benefit in relation to** spectrums provided by approved volunteer counsellors – **these objects (include within** women’s outreach, homeless outreach, general outreach, and **this section the statutory** personal fulfilment **declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance** - To provide free hosted dinners and luncheons for our women’s **issued by the Charity** outreach and homeless outreach, stirring interest through **Commission on public** signposting, social media, and word of mouth. These meetings **benefit)** provide counselling and volunteer opportunities to gauge the needs of the public and provide essential immediate services to those in need
- A bi-weekly programme of adult oriented events, trainings, and activities designed to inspire creativity, music, and art; and provide a safe space and equipment free of charge to do so. We believe it is through discovering one’s creative nature that one can aspire to changing their lives and reality and that anyone that is in need can find hope and companionship through listening ears and willing hearts.
These activities benefit those in need within our community by providing them with essential goods, services, counselling, and training to better their lives, induce self-confidence, and most importantly provide help in times of dire need. These activities also provide opportunities for volunteer and leadership growth, helping volunteers to become leaders, and those receiving services to become volunteers. We serve all people who may need our services regardless of age, gender, religion, or personal circumstances.
## **Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)**
March **2012**
**TAR**
3
We are grateful for the hours that our volunteers have contributed to listening, offering ideas, and taking the weight of the charity upon their shoulders to see objectives through, particularly in the arena of delivering care packages to those in need during this trying season in dealing with the scourge of Covid-19. Without the valuable contribution of our volunteers’ time, creative thinking, energy, and focus we would not have been able to re-adjust and achieve so much in so short a period.
You **may choose** to include further statements, where relevant, about:
- policy on grantmaking;
- policy programme related investment;
- contribution made by volunteers.
## Section D Achievements and performance
March **2012**
**TAR**
4
Section D Achievements and performance
**Summary of the main** 1[st] Quarter (May – July 2020) **achievements of the charity during the year** The 1[st] Quarter of our first year as a registered charity was a growing experience that provided many challenges. Founded as a charity to meet the local needs of the neglected, the isolated, homeless, and those in need of support, the coronavirus pandemic completely turned our operation upside down. Prior to Covid, our outreach programmes were primarily boots on the ground and counselling based, driving interest through sign-posting, word of mouth, referrals, and various bi-weekly gatherings. With the introduction of Covid shutdowns, the delivery of our entire operation changed. Not knowing how long it would be until we could again meet face to face, we immediately switched gears to investing in care packages to deliver them directly to those in need instead. Working with local hotel suppliers whose revenue sources were cut off with the shutdowns, we were able to purchase massive amounts of resources at reduced cost to provide them to those in need. Within weeks of beginning our care package program (care packages consisted of soap, shampoo, body wash, conditioner, deodorant, toilet paper, handkerchiefs, diapers, feminine needs products, brushes/combs, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and when requested, food (dry good breakfasts, lunches, dinners, teas/coffees, snacks, and drinks), and resources to assist those suffering from isolation (books, contact numbers, and apps), we were soon supplying care packages and PPE mass-ordered from China and India to supply Singleton, Princess of Wales, and Royal Glamorgan hospitals necessary items/PPE for their inpatients and staff. We also began a delivery program to nursing homes and mental health wards throughout the region. 2[nd] Quarter (August – October 2020) With the beginning of the easing of restrictions in Wales, in August we began making adjustments to the interior of our 45 Mansel Street location to potentially host small scale events and face to face counselling. We also added a kids’ area on the first floor so children could be occupied while parents received services and counselling. These plans were immediately scrapped when Covid prevention measures were reintroduced on September 11th, limiting gatherings to less than 6 with the reintroduction of compulsory facemasks. On 25[th] of September, measures were introduced barring meeting outside of family bubbles, keeping our doors closed for meetings, counselling, and providing services from our facility. Using this as an opportunity, we converted the primary meeting area of our facility as an assembly line to prepare care packages more quickly for distribution, supplying hundreds of inpatients in South Wales with needed services, and continuing to supply hospital staff with necessary PPE. During this time we also upgraded our care packages to include t-shirts, jumpers, joggers, underwear, socks and other items to ease the experience of patients isolated within hospitals. We also opened a new phone line and email for home delivery of packages for those in need or placed into isolation. We also began our C- Support program, as we were alerted that many people were now living on campgrounds as they had lost their homes or incomes during the pandemic crisis. However, during our first planned food distribution event, the circuit breaker lockdown was instituted on October 23[rd] , suspending our deployment until lockdowns could be lifted. 3[rd] Quarter (November – January 2021)
March **2012**
**TAR**
5
Section D Achievements and performance
In November and December, we were honoured to be recognised as the SA1 Hub of Covid19 Mutual Aid due to our efforts in supplying those in need with necessary items to weather the scourge of Covid. In the month of November alone we supplied over 400 care packages to hospitals, councils, and nursing homes. We were also given letters of appreciation from hospitals and nursing homes throughout South Wales describing the impact of our efforts. Unfortunately, during November and December our funds dipped dramatically, as expected donations and grants did not manifest. However, due to shrewd purchasing decisions and cash infusions from the director, the facility was able to keep the doors open and continue delivering care packages through the holiday season.
In January 2021, we were ecstatic to find that one of our initial funders had been made aware of our relief efforts through multiple channels and made the decision to authorize an annual grant of £20,000 as long as we could demonstrate we are committed to the established aims of our charity. With an infusion of finances, we began to quickly restock our Covid support cabinets and reset our agenda to finish out our first year as a registered charity. 4[th] Quarter (February – April 2021) With lockdown restrictions firmly in place, we continued to commit our funds and resources to supplying local hospitals and homes with care packages, with volunteers delivering care packages as needed. As food banks began to be stretched to the max, calls began to increase for necessary services, including clothing from our homeless / in-needs closet. In many cases, we would deliver packages from our facility direct to door. In March we were able to test launch our C-Support program at a local campground, with 2 volunteers assisting with setup and test delivery. Deemed a success, this is an outreach that will have greater demonstrability during our next year. In March we were also able to finally assemble our volunteers together for the first time in months and recast vision for our upcoming season in how we can best meet the needs of the public, pledging to continue delivering care packages to any and all who needed them, as well as to committing to providing counselling services once again when allowed.
March **2012**
**TAR**
6
## **Section E Financial review**
At close of the day 30/4/2021, cash on hand at the bank was £6,031.92 **Brief statement of the** in unrestricted funds. The main financial risk for the charity was revealed **charity’s policy on reserves** during our low third quarter, where donations dipped considerably due to the second wave of the coronavirus between September 2020 and January of 2021. However, funding stabilised in late January 2021, enabling us to re-target our financial goals for our next fiscal year. Due to the dip in funding in our fiscal 3[rd] Q in 2020, this has caused us to implement a 2-month reserves policy for the next fiscal year to cover potential Covid-19 lockdown risks and other emergency needs that arise. This information will be included in next year’s annual return.
**Details of any funds materially in deficit**
Not applicable
## **Further financial review details (Optional information)**
- Our primary sources of funding this year have been grants and donations
- You **may choose** to include (91%). We use the majority of our general funds towards our outreach
- additional information, where programmes, including our Covid Support program – “Project Heal,”
- relevant about: which includes care package and PPE distribution to NHS hospitals,
- • the charity’s principal mental health wards, and nursing homes throughout South Wales. Each sources of funds (including care package includes soap, shampoo, body wash, conditioner, any fundraising); deodorant, toilet paper, handkerchiefs, diapers, feminine needs products,
- • how expenditure has brushes/combs, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and when requested, food (dry good breakfasts, lunches, dinners, teas/coffees, snacks, and drinks). If
- supported the key objectives requested, we include clothing such as t-shirts and leisure wear for
- of the charity; inpatients during their hospital stays. These items are also available for
- • investment policy and delivery to those in isolation, or anyone that contacts us and needs objectives including any support. The remainder of our general outreach funds go to upfitting our ethical investment policy “in-needs” area which is designed to supply new coats, clothing, hats, adopted. scarves, shoes, and other related resources to those who may need assistance. We also provide teas/coffees/refreshment to anyone who wishes to stop by and come off the streets, as well as counselling and a listening ear.
Our primary funder provides an annual £20,000 grant and has agreed in principle to renew annual funding indefinitely as long as we can demonstrate we are committed to the established aims of our charity. These funds go to the operational costs of the charity (26% of our expenditures during this year in question) and training and resources (6.5%), with the remainder going towards outreach programmes and general support (67%). The remainder of other funds raised (such as through the Lottery foundation) go to further funding of pilot programmes to meet the public benefit and reinforce programmes currently underway.
As we do not have any paid volunteers, staff, or trustees, funds received are maximised for public benefit.
## **Section F Other optional information**
March **2012**
**TAR**
7
Future Plans:
The coming year will see a continued heavy emphasis on the distribution of care packages to hospitals, mental health wards, nursing homes, and to individuals in need of support. We will also work with local operations within Swansea, Neath, Bridgend, RCT, and Cardiff to provide them necessary goods to meet their community needs. The vast majority of our budget will continue to go towards these programs for the public benefit. We also look forward to resuming face to face counselling as soon as allowed.
One of our most exciting new programs is our school backpack program. When children begin school, there are many financial costs associated with their attendance, which puts a large amount of pressure on parents to provide. When provision is difficult, it is well documented that many mothers turn to short-term prostitution and street-work as a means to provide for their children. Yet even short-term prostitution can have terrible lifelong repercussions in the form of shame, stigma, and potential disease. To remove that pressure to provide, we have invested in providing school backpacks for families in need- featuring newly purchased backpacks filled with writing and math activity books, notebooks, file folders, pencil pouches, 4 pencils, pens, highlighters, erasers, rulers, protractors, glue sticks, and children’s sized T-shirts. These bags are available free of charge to any parent and child in need! We are working with local ministries, councils, and schools to distribute these schoolbags to anyone in need, which further helps us to resource other needs they may have!
With the promise of lifted government restrictions due to Covid-19, we again hope to host our bi-weekly programme of outreach events, gatherings, and trainings designed to benefit the public and raise up additional volunteers. However, due to social distancing requirements, we are faced with a number of challenges and opportunities in resuming larger (15+) events. Primarily, our 45 Mansel Street location is greatly limited in how many people we can host at one time with social distancing requirements in place. Before Covid our primary gathering room could handle 30 individuals at one time easily. With social distancing policies in place, we are legally obligated to not hold more than 10 people at one time in our facility. This has necessitated a need to procure a larger meeting space due to ever evolving social distancing measures, which is leading us to relocate our offices elsewhere in 2022.
Once our offices are relocated to a larger space, we will immediately begin holding our bi-weekly public gatherings and outreach dinners once again. We are also desiring to open up a creativity and mixed media lab for the public to use free of charge. This lab will be outfitted with multiple PC’s, monitors, a large scale printer, and ethernet hub and preloaded with software designed to provide those in need with a way to access online documents, services, and other projects. This directly ties into our public benefit mission to positively transform lives and restore hope throughout South Wales.
We are also looking forward to once again allowing our facility to be used by smaller micro-organisations for the public benefit, offering art classes, writing courses, training, and the like.
## **Section G Declaration**
**The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.**
**Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees**
**Signature(s)**
**Full name(s)** Kenneth Arrington **Position (eg Secretary, Chair,** Chair **etc) Date** 14-01-2022
March **2012**
**TAR**
8
**Charity Name No (if any) The Gathering Place 1189467**
## **Recei ts and a ments accounts p p y**
## **CC16a**
||**For the period**
**from**|13/05/2020
Period start date|**To**|30/04/2021
Period end date||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
## **Section A Receipts and payments**
|**A1 Receipts**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**34,503**
**656**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**35,158**|**Restricted funds**
**to the nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**Total funds**
**to the nearest £**
**34,503**
**656**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**35,158**|**Last year**
**to the nearest £**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Grants & Donations|**34,503**|**-**|**-**|**34,503**|**-**|
|Refunds from purchasing public benefit
goods|**656**|**-**|**-**|**656**|**-**|
||**-**|**-**|**-**|**-**|**-**|
||**-**|**-**|**-**|**-**|**-**|
||**-**|**-**|**-**|**-**|**-**|
||**-**|**-**|**-**|**-**|**-**|
||**-**|**-**|**-**|**-**|**-**|
||**-**|**-**|**-**|**-**|**-**|
|**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for AR)_|**35,158**|**-**|**-**|**35,158**|**-**|
||**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for AR)_|**35,158**|||**-**|||**-**|||**35,158**||**-**||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**A2 Asset and investment sales,**||||||||||||||
||**(see table).**||||||||||||||
|||**-**||||**-**|||**-**||**-**||||
|||**-**||||**-**|||**-**||**-**||**-**||
||**_Sub total_**|**-**||||**-**|||**-**||**-**||**-**||
||**_Total receipts_**|**35,158**||||**-**|||**-**||**35,158**||**-**||
||**A3 Payments**||||||||||||||
||Covid Support & General Outreach Costs|**26,149**|||**-**|||**-**|||**26,149**||**-**||
||Training/ Reference Library|**3,251**|||**-**|||**-**|||**3,251**||**-**||
||Payment Remittance|**2,670**|||**-**|||**-**|||**2,670**||**-**||
||Operational Costs(inc utilities)|**7,855**|||**-**|||**-**|||**7,855**||**-**||
|C~~CXX R1 accounts (SS)~~
Office Needs(inc technologyupgrades)||**2,854**||~~1~~
|**-**|||**-**|||**2,854**||~~04/02~~/2022
**-**||
|Fundraising (inc travel fees for conference)|**2,683**||**-**|||**-**|||**2,683**||**-**||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**-**||**-**|||**-**|||**-**||**-**||
||**-**||**-**|||**-**|||**-**||**-**||
||**-**||**-**|||**-**|||**-**||**-**||
|**_Sub total_ **|**45,462**||**-**|||**-**|||**45,462**||**-**||
|**A4 Asset and investment**|||||||||||||
|**purchases, (see table)**|||||||||||||
|**Vehicle**|**2,900**|||**-**|||**-**||**2,900**||||
|Camera & Media Equipment|**1,861**|||**-**|||**-**||**1,861**||||
|**_Sub total_ **|**4,761**|||**-**|||**-**||**4,761**|||**-**|
|**_Total payments_**|**50,223**|||**-**|||**-**||**50,223**|||**-**|
|**_Net of receipts/(payments)_**|**- 15,065**|||**-**|||**-**||**- 15,065**|||**-**|
|**A5 Transfers between funds**|**-**|||**-**||**-**|||**-**|||**-**|
|**A6 Cash funds last year end**|**21,096**|||**-**||**-**|||**21,096**|||**-**|
|**_Cash funds this year end_**|**6,032**|||**-**|||**-**||**6,032**|||**-**|
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
04/02/2022
2
## **Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**
|**Categories**
**B1 Cash funds**
**B2 Other monetary assets**
**B3 Investment assets**|Cash at Bank
**Details**
**Details**
**_Total cash funds_**
(agree balances with receipts and payments account(s))
**Details**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**6,032**
**-**
**-**
**6,032**
OK
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which asset**
**belongs**|**Restricted funds**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
OK
**Restricted funds**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||**-**|
|||||**-**|
|||||**-**|
|||||**-**|
|||||OK|
|||||**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**|
|||||**-**|
|||||**-**|
|||||**-**|
|||||**-**|
|||||**-**|
|||||**-**|
|||||**Current value**
**(optional)**|
||||**-**|**-**|
||||**-**|**-**|
||||**-**|**-**|
||||**-**|**-**|
||||**-**|**-**|
|||**Fund to which asset**|
|---|---|---|
|**Details**|~~3~~|**belongs**|
**Cost (optional)**
**Current value (optional)** 04/02/2022
CCXX R3 accounts (SS)
~~3~~
## **B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use**
## **B5 Liabilities**
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees
||Car||Unrestricted|||**-**||**2,900**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||Computer & Media Equipment||Unrestricted|||**-**||**4,145**|
||Office Furniture - Décor||Unrestricted|||**-**|||
||Clothing - Shelters - Trailer - Toiletries for||Unrestricted|||**-**||**-**|
||~~distribution~~||||||||
||~1,000 clothing items inc shoes, boots,||Unrestricted|||**-**||**-**|
||~~coats womens mens kids~~||||||||
|||||||**-**||**-**|
|||||||**-**||**-**|
|||||||**-**||**-**|
|||||||**-**||**-**|
||||**Fund to which**||**Amount due**|||**When due**|
||**Details**||**liability relates**||**(optional)**|||**(optional)**|
||none|||||**-**|||
|||||||**-**|||
|||||||**-**|||
|||||||**-**|||
|||||||**-**|||
||Signature||Print|Name||||Date of approval|
||||Kenneth RayArrington|||||03/01/2022|
||||||||||
CCXX R4 accounts (SS)
04/02/2022
4
## **Independent examiner's report on the accounts**
## **Section A Independent Examiner’s Report**
**Report to the trustees/** THE GATHERING PLACE **members of On accounts for the year** Period from registration 13 May 2020 to **Charity no** 1189467 **ended** 30 April 2021 **(if any) Set out on page** 1-2
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the period ended 30 April 2021.
- **Responsibilities and** As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation **basis of report** of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
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 the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
**Independent** I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have **examiner's statement** come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
- accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
- the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
**Signed: Date:** 09 February 2022 **Name:** Chaweevan Williams FCCA **Relevant professional** Chartered Certified Accountants **qualification(s) or body : Address:** Verdant Accountants Limited 20-22 Wenlock Road, London N1 7GU