2022-03-31-accounts - York Travellers Trust

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

York Travellers Trust

(A Charitable Incorporated Organisation)

(Charity number: 1189827)

Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements

for the year ended 31 March 2022

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

CONTENTS	*page*
Trustees' Annual Report	1 - 19
Independent Examiner's Report	20
Statement of Financial Activities	21
Balance Sheet	22
Notes to the Accounts	23 - 29

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

The Trustees present their annual report together with the financial statements of the Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) for the year ended 31 March 2022. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with statutory requirements, the CIO’s governing document and the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities (SORP FRS 102).

Reference and Administration Details

Charity Name York Travellers Trust Other Name(s) charity is known by YTT Registered Charity number 1189827 Charity’s principal address 20 Falsgrave Crescent Clifton, York, YO30 7AZ

Names of the charity trustees, who also manage the charity:

Trustee Name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole period
Stephen Pittam Martin Williams Caroline Hunter Dinah Mulvenna Claire Wilton Lorraine Mulvenna Abbie North	Treasurer Secretary Chair	Resigned as Chair and appointed as Treasurer - 8thNovember 2021 Resigned as Treasurer - 8thNovember 2021 Appointed as Chair – 8thNovember 2021 Resigned 1stJune 2021

Name of the Chief Executive or names of senior staff members:

Violet Cannon, Director

Structure, Governance, and Management

Description of the charity’s trust:

Governing Document Constitution How the charity is constituted Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) registered on 8[th] June 2020 Trustee selection methods

Nomination and Co-option

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Objectives and Activities

Summary of the objectives of the charity set out in its governing document

To relieve the needs of the Gypsy/Traveller community in York and the surrounding areas by:

1) the relief of financial hardship, in particular but not exclusively by the provision of advice and information on housing and welfare benefits;
2) the preservation and protection of good physical and mental health;
3) the advancement of education and training of those in the community who are in need thereof so as to advance them in life and assist them to adapt within the wider community;
4) the provision of facilities for recreation and other leisure-time occupation with eh object of improving the conditions of life of those persons who have need of such facilities;
5) providing workshops, forms, advocacy and general support that encourages and enables members of the Gypsy/Traveller community to participate more effectively in the wider community;
6) promoting good race and community relations through providing information and educational opportunities to statutory and voluntary agencies and the public on the history and culture of the Gypsy/Traveller community

Our activities can be divided into 4 areas:

1) We organise education and accredited training. This leads to increased employment opportunities and a more active engagement in community life.
2) We offer advice and advocacy in benefits, housing, money/debt, drug/alcohol abuse, and employment. We also give practical support in letter writing and form filling. These activities address issues of poverty, discrimination and promote social inclusion.
3) We engage with other agencies (both voluntary and statutory) to advocate for the needs of the communities we serve. This strategic level work contributes to the social inclusion of one of York’s most significant ethnic minority communities.
4) We promote an understanding of the Gypsy and Traveller cultures. This work is undertaken first with our clients to increase their confidence, improve their emotional wellbeing and to empower them. Second, we work with other residents and agencies to build bridges and improve community cohesion.

The trustees consider that they have complied with their duties to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission.

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

CHAIR’S INTRODUCTION

It is my pleasure to introduce the Annual Report for 2021-22. I was appointed as Chair at our Trustees meeting on 19 October 2021. I would like to express my gratitude to Stephen Pittam, who preceded me as Chair. Stephen has moved to be Treasurer, allowing Martin Williams to focus on the role of Secretary.

During 2021 and 2022, the Covid pandemic has continued to impact adversely on people’s lives. It has resulted in sustained and new challenges to everyday life with continued lockdowns in early 2021 and the slow reopening of society as we settled into a ‘new normal’ way of living. This exacerbated the already serious impact of Covid on the mental health and wellbeing of many people. Many individuals experienced increasing levels of stress and anxiety based on ever changing guidance and uncertainty around socialising and ‘staying safe’. People were exhausted from the relentless rigours of the previous year and many services were hampered by reductions in staff capacity due to illness and the need to isolate as new variants of Covid prevailed. Reflection on YTT activity during this period, and consultation with YTT staff, revealed that the Trust continued to be a constant presence in the lives of clients, responding to changing needs and requirements.

The delivery of services to meet these needs was impacted by ongoing building works (see below) and staff absences but as this report demonstrates the Trust pulled together as a team to continue to support the community. Individuals felt valued, listened to, and supported in practical ways, as well as by the provision of advice and guidance, signposting, and advocacy. Welfare calls continued and an increased number of services

“It’s the commitment of the team and a shared vision that propels YTT to not just give the community lip service – we follow through on what is said and get things done.” Director, YTT

I want to thank all our staff for their commitment to YTT in this difficult year.

Achievements and Performance

SUMMARY

Throughout the last year, YTT has continued to support and empower people across a broad variety of areas, working flexibly and responsively to:

Engage | Help | Encourage | Offer | Enable

The following summary demonstrates what this support has looked like, while also providing information on other aspects for the work of the Trust.

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Achievements and Performance (continued)

CAPITAL PROJECT

As reported in our 2020-21 Annual Report, in February 2021 YTT became tenant of the whole building at 20 Falsgrave Crescent. The plan was (with the support of our landlords the York Area Quaker Meeting (YAQM)) to undertake some building improvements to make the centre more accessible and welcoming alongside the introduction of a community café space.

There have been delays to the project due in part to VAT complications and the need to source new builders, and ongoing delays due to Covid. However, through 2021-22 we have largely completed the works, that includes a lift to the first floor. Whilst the nature of the capital project (and other building maintenance issues) has proved challenging at times e.g., particularly for office-based activities, we are excited to move into the final (completion) phase in 2022-23 and start delivering on the potential of the refurbished venue.

We would like to acknowledge the generous funding from the Clothworkers Foundation and the National Lottery Community Fund Big that has made these work possible.

Images: floor repair and kitchen renovation

‘BEING THERE’ – AN ALLY AND PROVIDER OF EMOTIONAL AND PRACTICAL SUPPORT

Despite the challenges of building works, the team persevered to keep the building open (or find alternative venues) and managed to remain a constant presence for their clients. Welfare calls continued – checking in with members of the community – addressing isolation and making people feel valued which had an important impact on the sense of self-worth of many clients.

“The welfare calls worked well. Clients stuck with us; they knew we had their best interests at heart. We worked hard to keep in contact with them, trying to include them in anything we did.” YTT Team Member

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Achievements and Performance (continued)

The Trust has continued in its valuable role as ally for members of the GTC (Gypsy & Traveller Community).

“Having us there an as ally - feels a bit more secure for the families.” YTT Team Member

The team feels the benefits of this support will be far-reaching as feedback confirms that clients feel valued by YTT and listened to. Support was provided around practicalities about how systems such as education and other local authority areas work. Support, advice, and guidance were also needed around benefits as the cost of living rose while some income streams remained uncertain.

Catch-up club

Catch-up Club is our longest standing group activity. It is a weekly activity for Traveller women. Attendance has fluctuated over the last year as we have tried to rebuild momentum after the lockdowns. The Club has also been impacted by the building works. In November/ December time we trialled using a private space in a community café five minutes away from our building to host Catch-up Club away from the YTT centre building works, but attendance dropped dramatically. This highlighted to us how much importance our clients place on our building and since then we have continued to run Catch-up Club from the centre, organising activities around the building work. Each week we do different activities including cooking, crafts (e.g., making hampers, cards, fascinators) and bingo and we always have a meal together. These activities allow conversations to happen naturally, and women often share what’s happening in their lives from family frustrations, worries about money, anxieties etc. Individual case work is often picked up from these sessions ranging from support appealing an unfair parking fine to support liaising with social services about the adoption of a grandchild. This year we have had a total of 18 women attend at least one (often more) Catch-up Club.

Images: Catch-up Club in centre grounds and a hamper making activity

IT support

In January 2022 we ran a four-week IT course in partnership with York Learning (https://yorklearning.org.uk/). 11 women started the course and nine completed it. Each completer received a free refurbished laptop at the end of the course and topics covered included: typing and using a mouse, online safety, browsing the internet, setting up and using an email address.

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Achievements and Performance (continued)

Citizens Advice York

In March 2022, we were pleased to offer face-to-face appointments with Citizen’s Advice York at the YTT centre on Wednesday mornings for our community following a long period of absence due to Covid.

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS AND REDUCING STIGMA AROUND MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING

The needs and requirements or our clients include an increase in support for mental health and well-being; with the team recognising that the impact of COVID on the mental health and wellbeing of the community and staff was amplified. Tackling the stigma around mental health and well-being became a priority, with staff continuing to create an environment of openness for clients where it was acceptable to talk about difficulties and seek support. This emotional support was enabled by the team focusing on building relationships which enabled clients to open up because of feeling a sense of trust. Support was also provided in respect of suicide prevention.

Women’s Wellbeing Group

Our Women’s Well-being Group was run as part of the York Mind Activities Programme, and we received funding from Mind (https://www.mind.org.uk/) – a national mental health charity – to pay for materials and a facilitator’s time. We ran two 6-week programmes in September/ October 2021 and February / March 2022. A total of 14 women attended across the two groups, five of which were Travellers. This was our first formal group purposefully open to both GT (Gypsy & Traveller) and non-GT clients and it proved to be a very successful way of opening our centre and building relationships across communities. Feedback from participants included:

“I feel relaxed and at home. Feel very welcomed and that I can just be myself. Like how they go out of their way to meet my needs.” Non-GT participant

“Liked interacting with new people. Would love group to have more sessions.” GT participant

“Lovely to learn about the Travelling community, made to feel very welcome. LOVELY LEADERS and activities very relaxed.” Non-GT participant

The facilitator, Nicole Sky – a trained mental health nurse, did an excellent job at building relationships with the participants and facilitated safe conversations where people were able to learn from each other’s different cultures and discuss their mental health.

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Achievements and Performance (continued)

Research with GT men

Towards the end of the financial year, NIHR: National Institute for Health and Care Research (https://www.nihr.ac.uk/) funded us to carry out some participatory research with GT men to gain insight into their perceptions of mental health. We will report on the outcomes next year’s Annual Report.

Women’s and sexual health

Yorkshire MESMAC (https://www.mesmac.co.uk/) is one of the oldest and largest sexual health organisations in the country. MESMAC funded us that funded us to undertake GT focus groups on women’s and sexual health. In total, 5 women attended 7 focus groups delivered by one of our support workers to have informal conversations with community members including about sexual health topics that are often taboo amongst the community. The group also designed culturally appropriate posters and flyers which will be displayed in the YTT centre once the building work is complete to let people know that they can speak to staff about those subjects if they wish to and to signpost them to other relevant organisations.

DELIVERING A BROADER AND BIGGER OFFER THAT REACHED MORE PEOPLE

Compared to last year, the team was able to be more pro-active and plan more long-term events and activities. Outreach activity was extended to York’s Osbaldwick site in response to the highest need amongst the Community with undiagnosed Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and mental health and wellbeing problems. Two members of staff and a student worked with the clients through the provision of practical support. Having a male staff member, from July 2021, has also enabled YTT to increase the amount of work carried out with men.

“I feel we’ve come on leaps and bounds and provide a lot of different stuff, more support for the community and we’re now spread more widely.” Director, YTT

Events seemed to reach more people, with the weekly Food Stall (see below) continuing to be an effective way of reaching out, including to residents who were just passing by. The ability to host events such as picnics and a BBQ provided a much-needed opportunity for members of the Community to connect and socialise again.

We continued to undertake outreach activities to each of the three traveller sites in York including our sitebased Family Clubs and Youth Clubs:

Water Lane, Clifton
Outgang Lane, Osbaldwick
James Street, York.

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Achievements and Performance (continued)

Food Stall

Since April 2021, we have run 51 food stalls. These are held from 10.30am to 12.30pm every Thursday morning. There’s been a total of 557 visits to the food stall with a group of 13 regulars who come most weeks and then others who come as one-off visits or less regularly. We have noticed a large increase in demand since Christmas and we anticipate it to continue to grow with the escalating cost of living crisis. The food stall is proving to be a good way to bring people into the YTT centre for additional support including emotional support and mental health signposting as well as financial support with benefit applications, applying for pension credits etc.

Images: Food Stall

The food stall has been funded by the Council’s ward fund as part of a Covid response scheme. As this funding is coming to an end, we have reached out to FareShare (https://fareshare.org.uk/) – a charity that redistributes surplus food to charities – so that we can continue to offer our community food stall.

MAKING A HUGE LEAP IN REACHING GTC YOUNG PEOPLE

The work with young people represents a shift for the Trust, with the provision attracting teenagers for the first time in many years. As a GTC organisation, it is very difficult to work with GTC young people and attracting more funding to develop youth work has been identified as a priority for the Trust.

“We have finally done what I’ve been trying to do since we started and that’s having a focus on young people – that has been a real shift. The age bracket we’re reaching has changed, we were attended by 3–10-year-olds but now we’re starting to attract teenagers who are starting to form their relationships so it’s really meaningful stuff.” Director, YTT

The young person focused approach of the Prince’s Trust project (see below) was seen to be a key reason for its success, with young people able to choose what they wanted to do.

“[Child] left school and had no intentions to go back, but he comes here every week, he did the film and now he’s back in school. They [YTT] listen to him and they understand him here and I wish it had been here before when my older kids were younger. It’s a really good opportunity for travelling kids to come here.”

Parent of young person engaging in YTT Prince’s Trust youth project

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Achievements and Performance (continued)

“Young people made it theirs, so they could choose what they really want to do. It’s good for them as it’s only traveller kids that come. They can be themselves here, for example, they don’t feel the pressure to do things a certain way or spell things right.” YTT Team Member

We started running our Prince’s Trust sessions in May 2021(https://www.princes-trust.org.uk/) – the Prince’s Trust believe that every young person should have the chance to embrace exciting opportunities, giving them the tools and confidence they need to try free courses and start careers. In total we had seven young people engage in the group and now have a core group of five who attend weekly. Topics worked towards include Managing Money, Participating in Exercise and Enterprise Project.

Since coming to our Prince’s Trust sessions, one young person has made the decision to return to mainstream education – we supported him to reapply to school and attended meetings about how best he can be supported. He now attends school 4 days a week and comes to us one day a week.

The sessions are now facilitated by the Education Outreach Coordinator at York St John University. The University of York are also recruiting an intern to support the group moving forward.

Film Project

Due to redundancies in our partner organisation, we didn’t have a tutor from October 2021 – January 2022 so during this time we worked on a film project with participatory film company Inspired Youth (https://inspiredyouth.org/). Three young people (and one older Traveller girl who volunteered on the project) created a film about stereotypes and what it’s like to be a young Traveller today. They were encouraged to think about what they wanted people to know about their culture and consider what their aspirations were for the future – all were filmed developing a skill they’re interested in.

The film can be watched here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4pHNA0zJ3o&t=299s

Image: HUMAN – The Voice of Young Travellers title card

The film was premiered at Everyman cinema York and 72 people attended the screening including parents, community members, professionals from a variety of sectors including health & education and interested members of the public.

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Achievements and Performance (continued)

Youth Club

We started our weekly Youth Club in February 2022 with co-funding for activities and food from the Betty & Taylors Group fund. 15 different young people (aged 11-14-years-old) have attended at least one session and we have an average of eight attendees each week. It has been very successful in terms of bringing new families into the centre and engaging young people from the James Street GT site where we historically have less of a connection.

Young people have continued to return each week and enjoy cooking meals for each other as well as playing games, painting their nails and doing craft activities. Of the 15 young people who have engaged only 3 are in mainstream education, 1 is in an alternative provision and 11 are home educated and therefore not used to engaging with professionals or in group settings. This has been a real learning curve for the staff team as we have developed behaviour policies and learnt the best ways to engage the young people and mange challenging behaviour. We are pleased that the young people continue to attend each week and are looking forward to further developing this work.

Images: t-shirt making at Youth Club

Images: cooking and eating at Youth Club

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Achievements and Performance (continued)

STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT

A key focus of the year was on strategic development, the team taking time to think strategically about priorities. The Trust is working towards systematic change, challenging discrimination, and increasing understanding of issues facing the GTC to better meet the community’s needs.

Policing Bill

The policing bill that made its way through UK Parliament this year sparked controversy over its proposals to expand police powers and curb protests. The bill will also have a detrimental impact on GTC with the criminalisation of trespass and additional powers for police to deal with roadside camps.

This bill marks a pivotal moment in the longer-term erosion of the GTC right to nomadism and our local and national work to try and halt / change / clarify the bill has taken up quite a large amount of our time, including engaging with our local MPs. Ultimately, we were unsuccessful in our efforts [the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 was enacted on 28 April 2022], but we have gained valuable allies to continue the fight.

Local Authority

Our work on negotiating stopping nationally allowed us to have a conversation locally. The City of York Council (CYC) do not currently have an unauthorised encampments policy and movement is slow and frustrating on getting them to adopt any policy with a reluctance to change their policies and practices in general. We are still working closely with a strategic group of partners including CYC to challenge and change this. This strategic group has been helpful in providing links to other partners who had previously been unresponsive.

We are on the working group of a consortium of people funded by the local authority to develop an antiracist strategy for York. One of our support workers will be trained up to facilitate a community consultation to understand what areas York’s GT community would like the strategy to focus on and gather ideas about what actions need to be taken to make York an anti-racist city.

The Safe Space Conversations delivered to Local Government Association members, led to us working with several partners to produce some guidance around GTC planning.

York Local Plan

We have continued to engage in the consultation over the York Local Plan and the local planning inquiry. We have continued to employ Michael Hargreaves as our planning consultant to assist us to make sure that the Council’s statutory duty to meet the accommodation needs of the Gypsy & Traveller community are fully complied with. Covid issues resulted in both Phases 2 & 3 of the Inspectors’ hearings being postponed until the next financial year. We will report on the outcomes in our 2022-23 report.

System Change

We joined the Systems Changers Network led by York MCN (Multiple Complex Needs) that provides a space to share experiences, forge links and build trusting relationships that lead to more collaborative actions with an overarching aim to create a fairer society for absolutely everyone (https://www.yorkmcn.org/).

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Achievements and Performance (continued)

Image: systems thinker concept

Joining the Network has led to many fruitful conversations with partners. We keep in contact and make each other aware of how we can support each other across sectors and specialisms. It also led to our work forming the ‘Together with Young People’ (TWYP) group. TWYP is a group of 3[rd] sector organisations who work with the most disengaged young people, and we are keen to ensure they have a voice that is heard within York.

We have also spoken at several events discussing equality and discrimination, that went much wider than GTC. As with the System Changers Network, these events have given us a wider group of allies, such as York Speak Up Diversity (https://speakupdiversity.org/) and an invite from Lankelly Chase Foundation (https://lankellychase.org.uk/) to apply for funding.

Education

Through our partnership working with FutureHY – whose aim is to support young people to make wellinformed decisions about their future education (https://www.futurehy.co.uk/) – we have been linked in with both York St John University and The University of York.

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Achievements and Performance (continued)

We have had multiple conversations with York St John University who are currently in the process of creating a Social Work module. We have been involved in very early conversations around what it should include from a GT perspective and what the placements should look like.

We met with Helen Snelson, PGCE Subject Area Leader for History at the University of York, who is keen to ensure that GTC history is included on the curriculum in a real and meaningful way. This is a long-term project and is in its infancy at this stage.

To ensure sustainability of the Prince’s Trust programme, York St John University have committed a member of staff to run the Prince’s Trust sessions (refer to Activity section of this report) as part of their outreach and University of York are in the process of recruiting a graduate intern to support the sessions.

We have developed strong relationships within City of York Council Education, namely their Effectiveness and Achievement Inclusion Advisor. Conversations began by focusing on supporting families who are home schooling their children to meet the criteria needed to evidence their education to the local authority. These conversations, along with our experience of running the Prince’s Trust project, highlighted a need for more holistic educational support for York’s GT young people and the local authority have agreed to fund their Independent Quality Assurance Assessor for Alternative Provisions, to support us in developing a registered alternative provision for young people who are home educated and for those who are in mainstream education but need additional support to ensure that they stay there. We are in the very early stages of developing this and hope to work with existing providers to be able to offer functional skills in English and Maths alongside practical experience in mechanics, hair, and beauty etc. Our work with the local authority also highlighted a lack of data about the experiences of GT young people in York schools so we are working with the University of York to recruit a post-graduate intern to work with our support workers to conduct research into the experiences of GT young people in York education to use as evidence when developing our alternative provision offer.

PARTNERSHIPS – GETTING CLIENTS ACCESS TO THE SERVICES THEY NEED

The Trust has continued to develop connections with a significant number of national and local organisations, building on the power of networks. Locally, the strengthening of these partnerships and growing recognition of YTT’s profile has enabled the Trust to support clients to engage other agencies and gain expert advice, mediation, and practical support. This was noted as important where clients won’t engage with the services that are able to provide the specialist support needed.

“There is a fear that anyone in authority might want to see you as a Gypsy first and not a person. One client feared this and so she didn’t want to engage with the service directly, but through our relationship with them we were able to see that there were other ways they could help. We were able to use our influence to get the advice she needed quickly.” YTT Team Member

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Achievements and Performance (continued)

“One client couldn’t engage with the service that she should be engaging with but by checking conversations and building trust with her we were able to connect her with the right organisation so she could get the help she needed.” YTT Team Member

Safe space conversation with professionals

We have had a good response from our Safe Space Conversation sessions this year. The format is warmly received and engaging. Of note:

Six sessions with approximately 25 individuals per session have been carried out with the Local Government Association (LGA), who invited their membership from across the country, with a focus on GTC planning.
Commissioned by Probation Services in the North East to carry out a Safe Space Conversation with the staff of their Approved Premises in addition to the development of a Safe Space Conversation handbook for them to refer to once back in practice.
Sheffield Hallam University midwifery students, University of York social work students, York St Johns teacher students, BIG TALK Education (who are relationship education deliverers for primary schools), and the Trailblazer GP Group all requested and received Safe Space Conversation sessions.

"I thought the training was excellent. Really fascinating and very thought-provoking. It made me realize how little I knew (and still know) about these communities, and that I'd really like to know more.” Safe Space Conversation participant

“From a training perspective, it was excellent at raising awareness and changing perceptions. Of course, it was just a tiny tip of the iceberg, and it would be amazing if they did a longer training programme over a number of sessions, where you could delve into more detail and have more discussions." Safe Space Conversation participant

"I really enjoyed the training and took so much from it. I found the trainers really interesting and personable, and it was great how comfortable and open they were to share their experiences. In truth I had no real idea of the extent of barriers entrenched in society for Gypsy, Roma and Travellers." Safe Space Conversation participant

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Achievements and Performance (continued)

RAISING THE PROFILE OF GTC

The profile of GTC in York has been raised, evidenced through an increase in support across the city from individuals and stakeholders engaging with the Trust – from the Museum to the High Sherriff of Yorkshire.

Images: The High Sheriff of Yorkshire in attendance at YTT events

The high-quality training delivered by YTT also plays an important role in raising the profile.

“We have a complaint about the training, you charge far too little for your expertise, thank you so much for the session you provided last week for the social work network group. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and I have shared this with the Trust Equality and Diversity.” Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust

“We’re working on an exhibition at the Museum and we’re getting invited to get involved in things so much more –we’ve got more friends now supporting our cause – got more allies. We try to make people understand the issue.” Director, YTT

Gypsy Traveller History Month

June is Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History month, a time to celebrate and to tackle prejudice, challenge myths and to amplify the voices of Gypsies, Roma, and Travellers. The theme of the 2021 Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller History Month was ‘Make Some Space’. As well as making space for teaching time, physical space and the authentic portrayal of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people in TV and the media, allies were being asked to make some space in their days to educate themselves on Gypsy, Roma and Traveller histories and cultures and how to support Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people to uphold their rights.

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Achievements and Performance (continued)

We organised a series of coffee mornings across summer as well as a celebration event at Museum Gardens on Saturday 26 June as part of the History Month. The event included live music from Traveller artists, craft activities and an interactive timeline. Active engagements (asking questions, participating in crafts, games etc.) totalled 34 people, and passive engagements totalled over 20.

“Fantastic! It was lovely to learn about the Traveller people – Yek Folkey ” Participant

“Very friendly and welcoming. Great knowledge and fantastic music.” Participant

“Very interesting loved the music and enjoyed playing coits. Everyone was very informative.” Participant

“Great event and fantastic for the kids.” Participant

York Museums Trust

We have been working for some time with the York Museums Trust (https://www.yorkmuseumstrust.org.uk/), with plans to explore the available items within the museum and create an exhibition. We have also been included in the “Her Story” exhibition (https://www.herstoryyork.org.uk/) – a community history project that aims to make more women’s stories known and celebrated – and invited to comment on a recently acquired Laura Knight work, depicting a Gypsy Encampment.

Image: Her Story article on our Chief Executive

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Achievements and Performance (continued)

Images: Input into Laura Knight ‘Early Morning in a Gypsy Camp’ label, York Art Gallery

WORKFORCE UPDATE

The Trustees, concerned to be good employers, commissioned a comprehensive salary benchmarking exercise which resulted in a new salary structure, including five-point scales to allow for professional progression in addition to a cost of living award.

Abigail, our Community Development Worker (Wellbeing) has been essential to the ongoing development and delivery of our activities, moving into a full-time post following the successful application to a Betty & Taylors Group fund.

Our original Community Development Worker (Trainee) took an extended leave of absence due to before deciding she was no longer able to continue in employment. We subsequently recruited Rodney who has led on several of our youth engagement activities with great success.

Towards the end of 2021 our Centre Manager left YTT for other horizons. We started our recruitment process for their replacement at the end of the financial year, and an appointment was successful made in July 2022.

Staff attended a range of training courses.

EVALUATION UPDATE

Early in the Big Lottery Safe Space Project, monitoring and evaluation were recognised as areas where additional support was required, and the involvement of a team of external consultants (Sara Mair of Mair Education, and Adam Billson of Billson Consulting Ltd) was secured.

Sara and Adam have continued in 2021-22 to work with York Travellers Trust, meeting regularly as part of an ‘Evaluation Steering Group’ to continue to develop and embed a robust approach to evaluation. We decided to use charity database system called Lamplight (https://www.lamplightdb.co.uk/) that creates personal profiles, records work, and tracks onward referrals. Outcome monitoring forms have also been created and tested within the service with the intention to thread these into day-to-day practice so YTT is better placed in consistently measuring and reporting on the impact they have on their, and the wider, community’s’ health, well-being, and welfare.

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Achievements and Performance (continued)

Image: Lamplight landing page

FUNDING

In addition to our major funder, the National Lottery Community Fund, YTT has secured funding from several other sources including the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, University of York, the Two Ridings Community Fund , Betty & Taylors Group fund, Prince’s Trust, the Tudor Trust, Yorkshire MESMAC and MIND, which have contributed to salary and running costs. We are very grateful to all our funders and supporters without which the work described in this report could not have been undertaken.

Plans for future periods

As indicated above this year we have started to work more with young people. Our aim is to grow this activity, and to partner with other organisations to provide Alternative Provision for young people in the GTC. We are also looking to strengthen our work on health and well-being.

As the works to the building are completed, we are planning to make more use of the space both for our activities and to attract other users to fund our activities.

2022/23 will be important for our engagement with the consultation over the York Local Plan and the local planning inquiry.

In addition, we foresee that 2022/23 will be a year when the Gypsy and Traveller culture will be under threat through national legislation, and we will be working with others throughout the country to play our part in making sure the Gypsy and Traveller voice is heard and respected.

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Financial Review

Whilst for the second year income remained at a historically high level (compared to income levels prior to transferring to a CIO on 8 June 2020), this year expenditure also grew significantly, as the work to refurbish and re-design the building to better suit the Trust's programmes progressed significantly. The increased income and expenditure relates closely to the building work. Income of £202,114 (2021 - £215,849) was received during the year. Expenditure totalled £180,309 (2021 - £102,366). This resulted in a modest net surplus of £21,805 (2021 - £113,483). Our total net current assets at £67,042, remain at a similar level to the previous year (2021 - £65,287).

Reserves Policy

The Trustees have agreed that the target level of reserves should be limited to three months running costs. In the current period these costs would be in the order of £15,000. Free reserves, being unrestricted funds not committed to fixed assets, amounted to £58,783. This is well in excess of the target reserves, however, we are carrying forward funds to cover the completion of the renovation project.

Funds materially in deficit

None

Declaration

Approved by the Board of Trustees on 22 September 2022 and signed on its behalf by:

Caroline Hunter Stephen Pittam Chair Treasurer

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of York Travellers Trust for the year ended 31 March 2022.

This report is made solely to the Charity's Trustees, as a body, in accordance with Section 154 of the Charities Act 2011. My independent examination work has been undertaken so that I might state to the Charity's Trustees those matters I am required to state to them in an Independent Examiner's Report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, I do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the Charity and the Charity's Trustees as a body, for my independent examination work, for this report, or for the opinions I have formed.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation 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 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 giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
the accounts do not accord with those records; or
the accounts do 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.

Adrian Rodaway BA, BFP, FCA, DChA HPH, Chartered Accountants 54 Bootham YORK YO30 7XZ

22 September 2022

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Unrestricted Funds £ 22,780 2	Restricted Funds £ 179,332 -	Total 2022 £ 202,112 2	Total 2021 £ 215,845 4
22,782	179,332	202,114	215,849
81,844	98,465	180,309	102,366
81,844	98,465	180,309	102,366
(59,062)	80,867	21,805	113,483
77,407	(77,407)	-	-
18,345	3,460	21,805	113,483
108,684	4,799	113,483	-
127,029 £	8,259 £	135,288 £	113,483 £

The notes on pages 23 to 29 form part of these accounts.

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2022

Charity number: 1189827

Notes Fixed assets: Tangible assets 7 Current assets: Cash at bank and in hand Liabilities: 8 Net current assets Total assets less current liabilities Total Net Assets The funds of the charity: Unrestricted funds 10 Restricted funds 12 Total Charity Funds Creditors: amounts falling due within one year	Total 2022 £ 68,246	Total 2021 £ 48,196
	77,540	113,090
	(10,498)	(47,803)
	67,042	65,287
	135,288	113,483
	135,288 £	113,483 £
	127,029 8,259	108,684 4,799
	135,288 £	113,483 £

Approved by the Trustees on 22 September 2022 and signed on their behalf by:

Caroline Hunter Chair

The notes on pages 23 to 29 form part of these accounts.

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

a) Basis of preparation

The Accounts have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic or Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019) - (Charites SORP (FRS 102)).

York Travellers Trust meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note(s).

The principal address of the Charity is: 20 Falsgrave Crescent, York, YO30 7AZ

b) Preparation of accounts on a going concern basis

The Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the Charity has sufficient resources to be able to continue in existence for the foreseeable. They believe that the going concern basis is appropriate in the preparing the financial statements.

c) Funds structure

Unrestricted funds are funds which can be used in accordance with the charitable objects at the discretion of the Trustees. Restricted funds represent funds received for purposes restricted by the wishes of the donor.

d) Income

Income is recognised when the Charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the item(s) of income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be reliably measured.

e) Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified under the following activity headings:

Expenditure on charitable activities relates to activities undertaken to further the purposes of the charity and includes their associated support costs.

f) Taxation

As a registered charity, the Charity is exempt from the payment of income tax in respect of its charitable activities.

g) Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS - CONTINUED FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

h) Creditors and provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the Charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in a transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.

i) Fixed assets

Tangible fixed assets

Individual fixed assets are capitalised if they can be used for more than one year and cost at least £200. They are valued at cost or, if gifted, at the value on receipt.

Depreciation

Depreciation is calculated at a rate to write off the cost of tangible fixed assets on a straight line basis over their estimated useful lives. The rates applied are as follows:

Fixtures and fittings

Between 1.67% and 2% per month straight line - being the remaining term of the property lease

Office equipment 20% per annum straight line

j) Pension scheme

The charity pays defined contributions into personal pension plans for its employees. Pension costs are charged to the SOFA and represent the contributions payable by the charity in the year.

2. DONATIONS AND LEGACIES

Grants Other donations Donation from York Travellers Trust (Charitable Trust)	Unrestricted Funds £ 18,276 - 4,504 22,780 £	Restricted Funds £ 179,332 - - 179,332 £	Total 2022 £ 197,608 - 4,504 202,112 £	Total 2021 £ 97,178 117,114 4,504
				218,796 £

In 2021, income from donations and legacies amounting to £82,785 related to restricted funds.

3. NET INCOME/EXPENDITURE FOR THE YEAR

ET INCOME/EXPENDITURE FOR THE YEAR
The surplus for the year is stated after charging:	2022	2021
	£	£
Depreciation	19,856	1,581
Independent Examiner's remuneration	1,320	900
Other fees paid to Examiner	3,879	2,085

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS - CONTINUED FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

4. TOTAL EXPENDITURE

TOTAL EXPENDITURE
	Unrestricted			Restricted		Total		Total
		Funds		Funds		2022		2021
Charitable activities		£		£		£		£
Wages and salaries		25,697		68,941		94,638		73,760
Staff and volunteer expenses		3,919		1,279		5,198		2,285
Sessional work		6,560		2,920		9,480		3,360
Activities and outings		883		7,263		8,146		2,741
		37,059		80,403		117,462		82,146
Governance costs:
Independent examiner's fees		1,320		-		1,320		900
Support costs:
Consultancy and advice		-		1,800		1,800		965
Rent and rates		1,288		14,255		15,543		6,427
Insurance		1,273		-		1,273		-
Heating and lighting		5,466		-		5,466		981
Office costs		7,988		2,007		9,995		4,721
Subscriptions		186		-		186		301
Repairs and maintenance		598		-		598		494
Professional fees		3,879		-		3,879		3,285
Sundry expenses		2,930		-		2,930		247
Computer costs		-		-		-		318
Depreciation		19,857		-		19,857		1,581
Total support costs		43,465		18,062		61,527		19,320

Total expenditure on charitable activities	£	81,844	£	98,465	£	180,309	£	102,366

In 2021, expenditure on charitable activities amounting to £77,986 related to restricted funds.

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS - CONTINUED FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

5. STAFF COSTS AND TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION

STAFF COSTS AND TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION
Gross salaries and wages Employer's NIC Employer's pension contributions Cleaner Other staff costs	2022 £ 87,205 2,178 3,695 1,560 - 94,638 £	2021 £ 66,328 1,392 3,090 1,240 1,710
		73,760 £

The average number of employees in the year was 5 (2021 - 5) . There were no employees with emoluments above £60,000 in the year (2021 - none).

No remuneration, benefits or expenses were received by any of the Trustees who held posts during the year in respect of their services to the charity.

The key management personnel of the charity comprise the Directors/Trustees, the Director (CEO) and Centre Manager. The total employee benefits of the key management personnel were £56,059 (2021 - £45,779).

6. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

There were no related party transactions in the period.

7. FIXED ASSETS

Cost: At 1 April 2021 Additions At 31 March 2022 Depreciation: At 1 April 2021 Charge for the year At 31 March 2022 Net book values 31 March 2022 31 March 2021	Computer equipment £ 4,097 632 4,729 819 902 1,721 3,008 £ 3,278 £	Fixtures & fittings (Building improvements) £ 45,679 39,275 84,954 761 18,955 19,716 65,238 £ 84,193 £	Total £ 49,776 39,907
			89,683
			1,580 19,857
			21,437
			68,246 £
			48,196 £

All fixed assets relate to unrestricted funds.

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS - CONTINUED FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

8. CREDITORS: amounts falling due within one year

Trade creditors Other creditors Accruals and deferred income Creditors totalling £5,000 relate to restricted funds. 9. DEFERRED INCOME Grants received in advance Balance at 1 April Released to statement of financial activities Deferred in the period Balance at 31 March 10. UNRESTRICTED FUNDS *Current year* Balance b/f Incoming 01/04/2021 Resources General 108,684 £ 22,782 £ *Comparative year* Incoming Resources General 133,064 £ 11. ANALYSIS OF THE CHARITY'S NET ASSETS BY FUND	Resources Expended (81,844) £	Total 2021 £ 569 4,574 42,660
		47,803 £
		Total 2021 £ - -
		- 41,322
		41,322
		Balance c/f 31/03/2022 127,029 £
Incoming Resources 133,064 £	Resources Expended (24,380) £	Balance c/f 31/03/2021 108,684 £

NALYSIS OF THE CHARITY'S NET ASSETS BY FUND
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds	Fixed assets £ 68,246 -	Net current assets £ 58,783 8,259 67,042 £	2022 Total £ 127,029 8,259
	68,246 £		135,288 £

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS - CONTINUED FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

11. ANALYSIS OF THE CHARITY'S NET ASSETS BY FUND (CONTINUED)

*Comparative year* Unrestricted funds Restricted funds 12. RESTRICTED FUNDS *Current year* Balance b/f 01/04/2021 £ National Lottery Community Fund 3,714 National Lottery Community Fund - Covid Uplift Grant - Clothworkers - Tudor Trust - Two Ridings Foundation - GRTHM - Two Ridings Foundation - Betty's Family Fund - Two Ridings Foundation - Together with Young People - York St John University - York Mind - YCVS GGS 1,085 Yorkshire MESMAC - 4,799 £ *Comparative year* Joseph Rowntree Foundation Two Ridings Foundation City of York Council YCVS GGS National Lottery Community Fund	Incoming Resources £ 85,060 41,322 35,000 3,000 2,000 3,906 2,200 750 1,696 - 4,398 179,332 £ Incoming Resources £ 70,644 4,971 2,000 4,000 1,170 82,785 £	Fixed assets £ 48,196 -	Net current assets £ 60,488 4,799 65,287 £ Transfers £ - (41,322) (35,000) - - - - - (1,085) - (77,407) £ Transfers £ - - - - - - £	2021 Total £ 108,684 4,799
		48,196 £		113,483 £
		Resources Expended £ (85,580) - - (1,800) (2,000) (508) (2,200) (750) (1,229) - (4,398)		Balance c/f 31/03/2022 £ 3,194 - - 1,200 - 3,398 - - 467 - -
		(98,465) £		8,259 £
		Resources Expended £ (66,930) (4,971) (2,000) (4,000) (85)		Balance c/f 31/03/2021 £ 3,714 - - - 1,085
		(77,986) £		4,799 £

YORK TRAVELLERS TRUST NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS - CONTINUED FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

12. RESTRICTED FUNDS (CONTINUED)

National Lottery Community Fund

Funding towards staffing costs, staff training, activity costs, IT costs and overheads.

National Lottery Community Fund Covid Uplift Grant

Funding towards responding to the Covid crisis and adapting the building to facilitate the revised programme.

Clothworkers

Funding towards the building and renovation work at the Centre. This income has been fully spent on fixed assets in the year which has met the terms of the grant. The transfer from restricted funds to unrestricted funds of £35,000 relates to this restriction being released. The capitalised building work is shown within unrestricted funds.

Tudor Trust

Funding towards improving the financial systems.

Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Funding towards staff salaries.

Two Ridings Foundation - GRTHM

Funding towards producing a video for history month.

' Two Ridings Foundation Betty s Family Fund

Funding towards the running of the youth club.

- Two Ridings Foundation Together with Young People

Funding towards Violet's time spent participating in the York Multiple Complex Needs (MCN) Children and Young People Inquiry,

YCVS GGS

Funding towards the gardening project.

York Mind

Funding towards the women's wellbeing project.

York St John University

Funding towards the purchase of furniture for the Centre.

Yorkshire MESMAC

Funding towards staff time spent on women's sexual health groups.