Trustees Annual Report 2022-23
Food Behind Bars Registered Charity 1190462
Introduction
The trustees of Food Behind Bars present their annual report and accounts for the period from 6th April 2022 - 5th April 2023. The trustees confirm they comply with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 and the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice. The trustees have also referred to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission regarding public benefit.
Food Behind Bars
Trustees Annual Report 2022-23
Our objectives
The objectives of the charity are:
To promote physical and mental health and wellbeing of prisoners in the UK and promote healthy eating.
To promote education to enable prisoners, prison leavers and prison staff to learn about healthy eating and good nutrition, and to develop skills which will promote healthy eating whilst in prison and for their future lives.
To improve the quality of food across men’s and women’s prisons to improve prisoners’ lives both during their sentence and on release.
We achive this by:
Delivering food education classes in prisons that teach individuals how to cook, eat well and maintain a healthy relationship with food.
Developing new recipes and delivering training to prison catering teams to help diversify menus, increase nutrition and get more freshly made, healthy food on menus.
Raising awareness around prison food standards and the importance of good food in prison.
Food Behind Bars
Trustees Annual Report 2022-23
Chief Executive’s Summary
“July 2022 marked 2 years since Food Behind Bars became a Registered Charity and almost 6 years since our grassroots beginnings as a national campaign to improve prison food. What started as a belief that good food could hold the key to unlocking improved wellbeing and better opportunities for people in prison, has led to us delivering ground-breaking food projects in men’s and women’s prisons across the South East, the Midlands and the North West of England.
2022-23 solidified our reputation at the forefront of prison food in the UK. We expanded our reach to 9 prison partners by growing our operations, expanding our team and working with volunteers. Holistic food education was at the heart of our activities this year. From planting crops and keeping bees at HMP Swinfen Hall, to training women to become professional butchers at HMP East Sutton Park and teaching over 100 recipes in prison cooking classes across the country, our team gave some of society’s most vulnerable individuals a chance to connect and learn through delicious food.
As the prison service still reeled from the after-effects of the Covid pandemic and regimes took longer than expected to get back to normal, our classes gave individuals desperately overdue time-out-of-cells. They were able to use their hands and fuel their imaginations for even just a few hours - and most importantly, get the chance to eat nutritious and wholesome food.
Rising food costs and staffing pressures proved to be a huge external challenge that impacted our work in 2022-23. The per head per day food budget set by the Ministry of Justice increased by just 2% this year - bringing the average daily food allowance up from £2.12 in 2021/22 to £2.16 for 2022/23. However, with inflation climbing above 11% in October 2022 - its highest level in 40 years - prison caterers were under pressure like never before. Staff shortages were felt as acutely in prison kitchens as they were on the wings, and this inevitably affected the capacity kitchens had to increase their menu offering and provide three freshly-cooked and well-balanced meals per day.
Regardless, we continued to work nimbly and reactively - developing and serving new dishes for prison menus and supporting caterers in making this happen. We were able to embed our staff in the prison kitchen - our Baker Trainer and Head of Food Education worked tirelessly at HMP Wealstun, for example, where they rolled out fresh bread and new options on the menu for over 800 men.
Partnerships proved hugely important for us in 2022-23. From offering prison leavers employment opportunities with street food business KERB to collaborating on an academic research study into prison food with the University of Surrey, we grew our impact by growing our network. We welcomed a new Chair, Iqbal Wahhab OBE, in Spring 2022 and hosted a sell-out fundraiser in August of the same year.
As we look ahead to 2023-24, we’re feeling galvanised by what we’ve achieved but remain razor-focused on the huge challenge ahead. Our third year of operation was one of innovation, testing ideas and refining our services. We now want to put everything we have learnt towards a strategic plan of action that will enable us to scale up sustainably and double down on our mission of better food in prison.
As the prison population swells - it is predicted to exceed 100,000 by 2025 - living conditions, wellbeing and meaningful activity continue to suffer. It has never been more important to ‘get the basics right’ in prison. Whether it’s a hot meal, a decent breakfast or some fresh fruit from the prison garden, good food in prison can restore hope in an environment that can often leave many feeling hopeless. This remains our ultimate goal. Here’s to another impactful year ahead.”
Lucy Vincent, Chief Executive
Food Behind Bars
Trustees Annual Report 2022-23
Impact 6LActivities Food Behind Bar5 Trustees Annual Report 2022-23
Food Education
Delivering food education in prisons was a key part of our strategy for 2022-23. As we came out of the Covid pandemic, many prisons were slow to reintroduce education and activities that were in place before the pandemic hit. This meant prisoners were experiencing a lack of meaningful time-out-ofcell. The Criminal Justice Joint Inspection released a progress report in May 2022 about the impact of Covid-19 on the criminal justice system. It found that “recovery in prisons has generally been slow and inconsistent, leaving many prisoners frustrated as their life remains unchanged while restrictions in the community have been lifted.”
As a charity, we were keen to address this need and also identified a pocket of opportunity within HMPPS (His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service), as many prisons were prioritising wellbeing-centred activities after prisoner wellbeing had suffered so greatly. This put us in a good position to bid on new contracts and secure projects. We successfully secured food education contracts or sales with HMP East Sutton Park, HMP Manchester, HMP Wealstun, HMP Stafford and HMP Drake Hall this year. This resulted in 100 male and female prisoners engaging in cooking, baking, growing or butchery.
There is a growing appetite for this type of holistic, wellbeing-focused cookery education within the prison system. In 2022-23, we were able to capitalise on this demand, securing sales and contracts that enabled us to become less grant-dependent - a key financial goal for us this year. However, budgets were often limited and short-term, which curtailed impactful and in-demand programmes. Educating prisoners about the benefits of cooking and eating well is integral to fostering happier, healthier prison food cultures. In 2023-24, we want to embed education into every aspect of our work and give more people the opportunity to reap the benefits good food can bring.
Food Behind Bars
Trustees Annual Report 2022-23
Cooking
34 cooking classes delivered in 6 prisons 60 prisoners or prison leavers reached 100 recipes taught 3 guest chefs
Whipping up change
Our culinary education programme at HMP Swinfen Hall continued for another 9 months this year, after originally launching in July 2021. We were successful in securing a 12-month follow-on grant from The Paul Hamlyn Foundation and The School for Social Entrepreneurs, extending this project until April 2024. This year, we delivered the programme to a cohort of between 6-8 young men, with fortnightly cooking classes run by our Head of Food Education and supported by 3 guest chefs who brought specialist knowledge and industry experience.
We also secured a new food education project across 3 prisons in the West Midlands - HMP Stafford, HMP Drake Hall and HMP Swinfen Hall. This involved delivering 18 cooking classes to groups of 6 individuals in partnership with the prison healthcare provider, Practice Plus, as part of their social prescribing programme. These sessions reached typically ‘hard to reach’ individuals who were referred to us by the healthcare provider. They were often suffering with mental health or addiction issues, and had little time off the wing. These classes provided a muchneeded outlet to learn cooking skills that they could utilise during their sentence and on release.
A partnership with Bounceback, a charity specialising in the training and employment of ex-offenders, enabled us to deliver in-the-community cooking classes to Londonbased prison leavers. These classes taught the men how to cook on a budget and with limited equipment, as many were in temporary accommodation and struggling with money. Likewise, we continued our work with HMP Isis, running 2 specialist cooking classes with a group of 18-27 year olds who were coming towards the end of their sentence.
“Over the course of an afternoon, I saw the work of Food Behind Bars, a small charity which helps prisons to develop more varied menus and teaches prisoners about cooking and nutrition. Under the supervision of FBB’s professional chef, prisoners employed in the staff bistro produced inventive food for the lunchtime service and then spent the afternoon experimenting with a new dish. One prisoner said that he understood the joy of making his own food for the first time, having survived on takeaways when he was outside, and he was looking forward to cooking for his family and friends on release. Another man seemed hyperactive and unsettled, but became a picture of relaxed concentration when carrying out tasks given to him by the chef.”
– Hindpal Bhui, Lead Inspector, HM Inspectorate of Prisons
“What I get out of the sessions is a growing confidence that I actually know what I am doing when I am in the kitchen. That is mainly down to the instructors and their fantastic guidance. Thank you Nat and the team.”
– HMP Swinfen Hall Participant
“I thought the sessions were absolutely excellent, the recipes were really simple and easy to follow, but really tasty too. Nat is really knowledgeable and helpful. Super pleasant too! I would never have considered peaches in a curry, but it was delicious. I really loved this. Thank you so much.”
– Social Prescribing Participant
Food Behind Bars
Trustees Annual Report 2022-23
Butchery
- 225 hours of butchery training delivered 5 female prisoners graduated
1 prisoner employed on Release on Temporary Licence
In August 2022, we began a 12-month butchery training programme at HMP East Sutton Park, a women’s open prison in Kent. The prison is set within rural countryside and is home to a working farm, butchery facility and a farm shop which is open to the public 3 days per week. We were commissioned to teach a 4 month course to 3 cohorts of around 5-6 women 3 times across a 12 month period. The aim of the butchery programme is to inspire, engage and educate the women in the subject of butchery. By the end of the course, each individual would have been trained in all aspects of butchery, becoming confident, professionally-skilled and work-ready.
Our first cohort of 5 women graduated in January 2023. The trainees were taught a range of modules during hands-on training in the butchery, with all products then sold to customers in the farm shop. An example of the modules covered in the programme include: working with whole carcasses, exploration of primal cuts, ageing meat and hanging techniques, fundamental butchery skills, carcass care, the diverse range of cuts and their culinary uses, knife care, knife handling, hand-tying and food hygiene.
The first cohort were taught by a FBB Butcher Trainer, who we employed when we were awarded the contract. A professional butcher with over 10 years industry experience, he was able to educate and inspire - even organising a group outing to Smithfield Market, where the women were able to meet a range of employers. We also formed a partnership with The School of Artisan Food, in particular their Master Butcher, Andrew Sharp, who is an experienced and renowned butcher and farmer. He visited the prison monthly, delivering specialist sessions that focused on more artisan techniques.
Due to a staff departure in January 2023, the programme was paused whilst we recruited a replacement. This was a frustrating setback but ultimately led to a unique opportunity, and one which opened up a new pocket of impact. One of the women who had successfully graduated from the first cohort and had excelled during the course, showed an interest in applying for the role.
As a Category D prison, women are able to secure employment on Return on Temporary Licence (ROTL), meaning they can seek employment in the community. After conducting interviews, we offered the role of Butcher Trainer to this individual in March 2023, with her due to start in May 2023, when we will resume the course for the final 8 months. We are also supporting her to seek out other parttime employment opportunities to gain as much experience as possible before her release in April 2024.
Food Behind Bars
Trustees Annual Report 2022-23
Baking
19 bakery classes delivered in 1 prison 15 prisoners reached 45 recipes taught
Baking was a key area of education for us in 2022-23. Many prisons are equipped with in-house bakeries but their workforce are often lacking the specialist skills to fully utilise them. Prison menus are bread-heavy - sandwiches or baguettes dominate lunchtimes and are almost always made with ultra-processed white bread, consumption of which is linked to a range of health problems. By breathing new life into existing facilities, prisoners could be trained to bake - they’d learn new skills and, if it was successful, their diets could be impacted as a result.
Our project at HMP Wealstun had involved establishing an in-house bakery, Rise & Prove, in late 2021. It became clear that for the bakery to thrive, it needed a staff presence to lead the training and production. In January 2022, we secured additional funding from The School for Social Entrepreneurs’ Future Fellows Fund. This would enable us to employ a Baker Trainer 1 x day a week for 6 months to lead Rise & Prove.
In June 2022, we launched the project with our Baker Trainer working with 15 prisoners in total in Wealstun’s in-house bakery. The programme covered bread, pastry, biscuits, cakes and viennoiserie. It involved setting up a supply chain with the prison’s staff mess - the men were producing 30-80 homemade ciabattas per week - as well as producing baked goods for the prison menu. Homemade focaccia, spiced apple cake, oat and raisin cookies and specially-designed desserts and biscuits for Black History Month each featured on the prison menu between June and December 2022.
The therapeutic nature of baking meant the programme didn’t just equip the participants with skills, it also enhanced their mental wellbeing, gave them a creative outlet and showed them the power of teamwork. As a Category C establishment, the churn of prisoners coming in and out of the prison meant there was a relatively high turnover of participants. Likewise, security restrictions meant the course was only open to existing kitchen workers, instead of being available to the wider prison population. This meant we weren’t always reaching those who could benefit the most - i.e. individuals who wanted to pursue a career in baking, for example.
Nevertheless, the programme received high levels of engagement and positive feedback across the board. Participants commented on the impact the sessions had on their mental health, as well as how much they had learnt which they were looking forward to utilising in their future lives.
“Every session had clear goals and we would always end up with something tasty for participants to take back to their cells at the end of the day. This made the effort versus payoff very clear for them and so the incentive was always there to complete the recipes. We were able to use high quality, organic ingredients which inspired both me and the cohort to create some great tasting bakes. We also ran a cookbook donation which provided the prisoners with material to take back to their cells, study and inspire. Both of these efforts helped to show the prisoners that their enjoyment of the project was paramount.”
– Isaac Cameron, Baker Trainer
“I really enjoyed today’s session. I am from the North East of England and our favourite bread up there is a stottie cake. Isaac has gone out of his way to find the recipe and I made it in today’s session and really enjoyed it”
“I loved today as always. We were taught different types of bread (cinnamon pecan buns). Loved perfecting the ciabatta”
– Bakery Participants, HMP Wealstun
Food Behind Bars
Trustees Annual Report 2022-23
Growing
80 hours of food growing education delivered
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20 prisoners reached 15 different types of crops planted
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4 raised beds built
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5 staff trained in beekeeping
During 2022-23, our kitchen garden programme at HMP Swinfen Hall - originally launched in July 2021 - continued. Our Kitchen Garden Educator delivered fortnightly sessions to the group of 15 men who worked in Farms & Gardens, teaching them to grow a variety of crops which this year included: leeks, beetroot, carrots, pumpkin, kale, broccoli, courgette, herbs, kohlrabi, purple sprouting broccoli, artichoke, raspberry, blueberry and asparagus. Crops were regularly picked and delivered both to the prison kitchen to be used on menus and the Bistro, where our Head of Food Education used them in cookery classes.
Whilst last year involved establishing the kitchen garden and primarily focusing on the existing greenhouse, this year we wanted to utilise some of the unused land that bordered the greenhouse. After securing a small grant from The Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust, we purchased enough timber for 4 x large raised beds which were then produced by HMP Swinfen Hall’s woodwork department. Prisoners training in woodwork produced the beds which were then installed and planted with more crops.
We began a collaboration with the Sutton Coldfield and North Birmingham Beekeeping Association. Their support enabled us to install 3 x beehives on site. We funded 5 of the grounds staff to enrol in a beekeeper training course with the association, with each of them completing it in Spring 2022. By June 2022, the first swarm of bees was introduced and the staff were able to embed beekeeping into the training they were already delivering daily to prisoners. This approach gave the initiative the longevity and the ‘in-house expertise’ it needed to continue beyond December 2022, which was when our official partnership with Swinfen Hall’s Farms & Gardens ended. The investment and work to improve the space, expand the growing capacity and educate the staff and prisoners continues to have a positive impact, contributing to everyday life in the prison - from equipping prisoners with skills to getting freshly grown food on the prison menu.
Food Behind Bars
Trustees Annual Report 2022-23
Inside the prison kitchen
“The food in prison is very basic. It’s very carb-heavy, it’s very beige. It’s not made with any thoughts or feelings or care. You get your food, you go and sit in your cell - you’re 3 feet from an open toilet - and you eat your food on your own. So it’s not just the food - it’s the environment around consuming the food that had a big impact on me as well.” – Sophie, FBB Ambassador
Cooking up a solution
Our most challenging work in 2022-23 took place inside the prison kitchen. Prison catering teams were experiencing a range of pressures - both internal and external, existing and emerging - which ultimately had an effect on the work we were undertaking to try and improve quality and standards.
Food budgets were squeezed further, despite the official inflation rate in the UK climbing above 11% in October 2022 – its highest level in 40 years. The benchmark food budget set by the Ministry of Justice for 2022/23 is £2.16 per head per day. However, the actual reported spend was higher - between £2.50-£2.70 per prisoner for most establishments. This meant that catering managers were faced with a significant overspend, and therefore under pressure to reduce costs.
Staffing in prison kitchens was also an issue. UK Hospitality reported in May 2022 that there were a record “1.288 million unfilled roles in hospitality. Compared to the same period two years ago this is up 62%, whereas in hospitality it is 93% higher.” The problem was even more acute in the prison sector, where almost every department was experiencing staff shortages. As a result, prison kitchens were often not operating at staff capacity, with catering managers regularly filling in ‘on the floor’ to plug the gap and spending a great deal of time trying to recruit and retain staff. Ultimately, this impacted everything from food quality to training and education for the prisoners working in the kitchen.
At HMP Wealstun, both of these pressures affected our work. However, we continued to develop new recipes, working collaboratively with the catering team to refine them and add them to the weekly menus. In 2022-23, we focused on developing healthier and more inventive versions of familiar favourites, as they were usually the most popular items on the menu and therefore had greater reach. Homemade soup recipes (tomato and roasted red pepper, squash and lentil for example), sweet and savoury bakes and mains and sides such as our fajita-style pasta, chickpea and peach curry and spicy vegetable rice all became regular fixtures on the prison menu.
We consulted with Farms & Gardens, who put a growing schedule in place to supplement the kitchen with ingredients that were either unavailable via the supplier or unaffordable - e.g. fresh herbs, butternut squash etc. A copy of our HMP Wealstun wellbeing guide was given to every individual arriving at the prison via the induction unit. We created food education resources to go out weekly with the menus, meaning every prisoner had access to information on what they were eating, what was in it, why it was good for them or its cultural significance. This led to more individuals picking our dishes and eating healthier as a result.
However, the project was held back by high staff turnover and shortages in the kitchen. New recipes required training and this was often impossible to implement with the pressures the kitchen was facing. Food inflation and cuts to spending made the catering manager’s job difficult and ultimately meant we weren’t able to implement as many of our ideas as we intended, nor as cohesively as we would have liked. This was a key area of learning for us in 202223 and a hugely valuable experience which we are now using to shape our strategy for 2023-24.
Food Behind Bars
Trustees Annual Report 2022-23
Prison food across the country
Our work influencing prison food this year wasn’t exclusive to HMP Wealstun. A partnership with the University of Surrey enabled us to work with catering teams at a range of women’s prisons. The Department of Sociology undertook a research project entitled ‘Doing Porridge’, which explored the issue of food in women’s prisons. As well as contributing to their advisory board, we partnered with the university to host workshops in each of the project prisons. This involved making recommendations and suggesting tangible actions to the senior staff and catering team and providing support to action them. Workshops took place in HMP Send and HMP Styal in 2022-23, with the other 2 project prisons due to take place in 2023-24.
We were inundated with requests for support from prison catering teams and governors alike this year. Despite prisons facing challenges unique to each establishment, most issues around food were universal. Catering managers wanted support with new recipes, ideas, healthy eating and staff training. Governors wanted food to improve as they believed it was impacting rates of violence, disruption and self harm. This demonstrates the scale of the problem, the importance of our work and the need for a robust way of working that tackles the issue in a way that is accessible for prisons, and achievable within prison budgets. We made great strides this year in refining our services, increasing our understanding, expanding connections across prisons and building advocacy. We hope to put this all into targeted action in 2023/24.
“I’ve been working with Food Behind Bars for almost two years and their expertise, support and creativity has allowed us to diversify and innovate our food offering, equip our kitchen workers with additional skills and even upskill our workforce in our successful in-house bakery. They’ve worked collaboratively with us to make a real impact on the health, wellbeing and life chances of the men in the prison and we couldn’t recommend their services more.”
– Catering Manager, HMP Wealstun
Food Behind Bars
Trustees Annual Report 2022-23
Partnerships
Strength in numbers
Collaborating with like minded organisations was a key driving force behind our work in 2022-23. In HMP Isis, we worked alongside street food business KERB, restaurant group Hawksmoor and prison charity The Right Course, to continue setting up and running 180 Kitchen, a community kitchen project in the prison canteen. A group of 5 young men studied for an NVQ in catering whilst preparing freshly-prepared frozen meals for a range of community food projects. In 2022-23, HMP Isis distributed 480 prison-made meals across Greenwich and Lewisham to beneficiaries experiencing food insecurity, such as refugees and the homeless. We helped develop the project, delivering additional cookery classes in the kitchen and worked with the other partners to assist with establishing employment opportunities and further training.
We built on this partnership with KERB further, by acting as a referral partner for their Streets Ahead Programme, which gave prisoners and prison-leavers access to KERB’s online Classroom course (designed to give insight and tips to any aspiring food business owner) and in-person workshops. The programme also offered a 4-week work experience placement at their London markets, as well as the chance to pitch for £10,000 of street food start-up funding. We helped establish this programme at HMP Brixton and HMP Isis, with one FBB referral successfully securing a work experience placement on release from HMP Brixton.
Food Behind Bars
Trustees Annual Report 2022-23
Online & In the media
A fresh new look
A collaboration with design agency Studio La Plage and BA Graphic Design students at the London College of Communication led to an exciting new Food Behind Bars brand identity in April 2022. This fresh look represents where the charity is at today whilst retaining our bold, grassroots spirit. The rebrand was a generous pro-bono project that played a role in our large online presence this year which led to a bumper year for press and record-level donations.
Prison food made the headlines
Prison food remained on the public agenda for 2022-23 as we led important discussions in the media through a range of key outlets. This enabled us to spotlight the voices of some of our beneficiaries, share recipes we were serving on prison menus and highlight the incredible work of our staff members. Press this year the BBC World Service, BBC Good Food, Observer Food Monthly and CODE Hospitality.
Food Behind Bars
Trustees Annual Report 2022-23
Events
A celebration of life-changing food
In August 2022, we hosted our first-ever fundraiser at The Conduit in Covent Garden. This was our first event and a key opportunity to raise funds, promote our work and serve some delicious food. A panel discussion on the importance of prison food featured our FBB ambassador and ex-prisoner, Sophie, HMP Brixton’s catering manager, Felix Tetteh and KERB referral and recent prison leaver, Marcus. A three course menu showcased dishes designed by prisoners, served in prisons and featuring incredible donated ingredients by suppliers such as Natoora, Belazu and Wildfarmed. An online and in-person raffle was entered by 170 people with some limited edition foodie prizes and in total the night raised over £7000. For us, it was an unforgettable night and our first real opportunity since becoming a charity to share our mission, attract new support and raise much-needed funds.
Spreading the message
Events continued to play a big role in spreading the FBB message this year. Panel talks at The British Library and Wilderness Festival put the topic of prison food centre stage. Our Chief Executive was nominated for an Innovator award at the GQ Awards 2022 and she, in turn, nominated HMP Brixton’s catering manager for Catering Manager of the Year at the Public Sector Catering Awards in April 2022, for which he was shortlisted. Promoting positive practice in this way was a key mission of ours this year. Prison catering managers so often don’t get the recognition they deserve, and this was a rare opportunity to truly celebrate those pushing the boundaries of prison food with great results.
Food Behind Bars
Trustees Annual Report 2022-23
Plan for 2023-24
1. Develop a scalable model for change in prison kitchens
We want to inspire change in prison kitchens and empower and upskill catering teams to produce good quality food that makes a difference. In 2023-24, we want to put this strategy into action and double down on our original mission of changing prison food on a national scale. We want to develop a model that enables us to expand our impact, grow our operations and create a sustainable future for the charity.
2. Roll out our food education in a further 5 prisons
Food education is integral to our mission of improving prisoners’ lives through cooking and eating well. We want to roll out our education programme in a further 5 prisons and reach some of the system’s most vulnerable individuals who we believe will benefit from our services the most. To do this, we need to grow our operations by expanding our team of Food Educators and continuing to build our network of prison partners
3. Continue to raise awareness and campaign for change
We will continue to put prison food in the spotlight and raise awareness around the importance of diet in prison. We will also hone the way we measure and evaluate our work, in order to effectively demonstrate the impact and benefits of our projects.
Food Behind Bars
Trustees Annual Report 2022-23
Thank you
Funders
The Nagle Foundation The Paul Hamlyn Foundation The School for Social Entrepreneurs The Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust
Prisons
HMP Swinfen Hall HMP Wealstun HMP Brixton HMP Stafford HMP Drake Hall HMP Isis HMP Woodhill HMP East Sutton Park
Partners
KERB Hawksmoor The University of Surrey Bounceback Centre for Social Justice The Handmade Bakery Studio La Plage London College of Communication The Sutton Coldfield and North Birmingham Beekeeping Association
People
Milli Taylor Ixta Belfrage Nikki Compson Lee Sears And our amazing staff, volunteers and trustees!
Food Behind Bars
Trustees Annual Report 2022-23
Financial Statement
Our total income for 2022-23 amounted to £57,510 compared to £82,637 in the previous financial year. The charity’s expenditure for this year was £77,683, compared to £58,268 in the previous year. During the year, the charity received £42,126 of unrestricted funds and £15,384 of restricted funds. Our cash funds at the end of 2021-22 were £41,119. Our cash funds this year end stand at £20,946 in total. This consists of £6,971 of unrestricted cash reserves and £13,975 of restricted cash reserves.
This was a challenging year for financial growth with several key factors contributing to lower than anticipated income. Our Chief Executive was on maternity leave from August 2022-April 2023 which - as a very small team - impacted our operations significantly. This in turn had an effect on income generation. In addition, the unexpected departure of a staff member in January 2023 meant the temporary pause of a key contract while we recruited for a replacement. The ending of a key grant from The Nagle Foundation in December 2022 also had an impact.
However, despite the challenges, we managed to secure several new contracts and regular income sources, with most due to start in 2023-24. This has enabled us to shift our reliance from grants to a more secure income source, a move we believe will pay off in the long run and help increase our financial security. We ended the financial year with over £20,000 of cash funds and several new contracts due to start in 2023-24.
The trustees regularly review the finances, budget and spend during quarterly board meetings. The Chief Executive completes a monthly cash flow statement per month, as well as consistently monitoring budgets, income and spending. The charity works with an accountancy firm who prepare our end of year accounts, manage payroll and advise on accountancy matters.
Food Behind Bars
Trustees Annual Report 2022-23
Structure, Governance & Management
The charity is governed by a constitution and is currently registered as CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation). The charity holds several published policies, including health & safety, code of conduct, equal opportunities and safeguarding.
Recruitment and appointment of new trustees
Trustee positions are advertised publicly through social media and through websites such as Reach Volunteering, Linkedin etc. Candidates can apply and applications are monitored primarily by the Chief Executive. Interviews are conducted by the Chair, the Chief Executive and other board members. Trustees are appointed in accordance with the terms and conditions of the constitution. All trustees must sign the Charity Commission Trustee Declaration in order to be accepted onto the board.
Role of trustees
The charity trustees are responsible for the overall management and control of Food Behind Bars and meet four times a year. They help make strategic decisions, review financial activity and work in partnership with the Chief Executive to help her achieve the charity’s objectives. They fulfil the six primary duties of a trustee as listed by The Charity Commision:
To ensure your charity is carrying out its purposes for the public benefit To comply with your charity’s governing documents and the law To act in your charity’s best interests To manage your charity’s resources responsibly To act with reasonable care and skill To ensure your charity is accountable
All trustees give their time freely and no remuneration or expenses were paid in the year.
Role of the Chief Executive
The Chief Executive provides leadership to employees and volunteers and manages the day-today operations of Food Behind Bars. This includes project management, strategic direction, income generation and charity expenditure in line with budgets approved by the board. The Chief Executive regularly reports progress to the Trustees and is responsible for promoting the overall aims of the organisation.
Food Behind Bars
Trustees Annual Report 2022-23
Administrative details
Registered charity number:
1190462
Registered address:
74 Brightwell Avenue, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, SS0 9EF
Trustees:
Iqbal Wahhab OBE Josie Bevan Missy Flynn Naomi Burke-Shyne Aaron Taylor (until May 2022)
Chief Executive:
Lucy Vincent
Independent Examiner: Trenfield Croft Ltd Wentworth House West Square Maldon CM9 6HD
Food Behind Bars
Trustees Annual Report 2022-23
Statement of Accounts Food Behind Bar5 Trustees Annual Report 2022-23
| Food Behind Bars | Food Behind Bars | Food Behind Bars | Food Behind Bars | Food Behind Bars | 1190462 | 1190462 | CC16a | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receipts andpayments accounts | |||||||||
| For the period from |
4/6/22 | To | 4/5/23 | ||||||
| Section A Receipts and payments | |||||||||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds | Endowment funds |
Total funds | Last year | |||||
| to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | |||||
| A1 Receipts | |||||||||
| Donations | 13,064 | - | - | 13,064 | 4,273 | ||||
| Grants | - 0 | 15,384 | - | 15,384 | 67,500 | ||||
| Sales | 29,062 | - | - | 29,062 | 10,864 | ||||
| Refunds | - 0 | - | - | - | - | ||||
| - 0 | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - 0 | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - 0 | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - 0 | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) | 42,126 | 15,384 | - | 57,510 | 82,637 | ||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
|||||||||
| - 0 | - 0 | - 0 | - | ||||||
| - 0 | - 0 | - 0 | - | - 0 | |||||
| Sub total | - 0 |
- 0 | - 0 | - | - 0 | ||||
| **Total receipts ** | 42,126 |
15,384 | - 0 | 57,510 | 82,637 | ||||
| A3 Payments | |||||||||
| Staff Costs including pension | 20,011 | 32,360 | - | 52,371 | 35,697 | ||||
| Program delivery costs | 6,799 | 7,339 | - | 14,138 | 14,925 | ||||
| Travel | 5,309 | 2,064 | - | 7,373 | 5,603 | ||||
| Payroll costs | 115 | - | - | 115 | 323 | ||||
| Office admin costs | 3,596 | - | - | 3,596 | 1,608 | ||||
| Advertising | 90 | - | - | 90 | 112 | ||||
| - 0 | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - 0 | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - 0 | - | - | - | - | |||||
| **Sub total ** | 35,920 |
41,763 | - | 77,683 | 58,268 | ||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
|||||||||
| - 0 | - 0 | - 0 | - | ||||||
| - 0 | - 0 | - 0 | - | ||||||
| **Sub total ** | - 0 |
- 0 | - 0 | - | - 0 | ||||
| **Totalpayments ** | 35,920 |
41,763 | - 0 | 77,683 | 58,268 | ||||
| **Net of receipts/(payments) ** | 6,206 |
- 26,379 |
- | - 20,173 |
24,369 | ||||
| A5 Transfers between funds | - 0 | - | - | - | - | ||||
| A6 Cash funds last year end | 765 | 40,354 | - | 41,119 | 16,750 | ||||
| **Cash funds thisyear end ** | 6,971 |
13,975 | - | 20,946 | 41,119 | ||||
| Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | |||||||||
| Categories | Details | Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds | Endowment funds |
|||||
| to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | |||||||
| B1 Cash funds | Natwest | 6,971 | 13,975 | - | |||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| Total cash funds | 6,971 | 13,975 | - | ||||||
| (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) |
OK | OK | |||||||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds | Endowment funds |
|||||||
| Details | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | ||||||
| B2 Other monetary assets | - | - | - | ||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (optional) | Current value (optional) |
||||||
| B3 Investment assets | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (optional) | Current value (optional) |
||||||
| B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use |
- | - | |||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| Details | Fund to which liability relates |
Amount due (optional) |
When due (optional) |
||||||
| B5 Liabilities | - | ||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees |
Signature | Print Name | Date of approval | ||||||
| Iqbal Wahhab | 7/11.2023 | ||||||||
| Mehrunisa Malik-Flynn | 07.11.23 | ||||||||
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report lo the trusteesl mombers of On accounts for the year ended 05 April 2023 Charlty no (if any) 1190462 Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (-the Trusf) for the year ended -"" Responslbllltles and As the charity truslees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basls of report of the accounts in accordan with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('Ihe Act"). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying out my examination. I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under seGlion 145(5Xbl of the Act. I have completed my examination. l nfIrM thal no material malters have come to my attention (other than that disctosed below ') in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in. any material respect: a¢counting rerdS were not kept in accordance wilh section 130 of the Act or the accounts do not accord with the accounting records Independent examinerfs statement I have no cOnmS and have come across no other matters In connection with the examinalion to which attenlion should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply. l.ol.2•J23 Namo: Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: . 6HfS IER October 2018
Thank you. Food Behind Bars Registered Charity 1190462 FOOD BEHIND BARS