**To** 


## **Trustees' Annual Report for the period** 

Period start date Period end date 01 April 2022 31 March 2023 

**From** 

## Section A                        Reference and administration details 

FREETOWN SECONDARY SCHOOL FOR GIRLS EX- **Charity name** PUPILS ASSOCIATION, UK & IRELAND **Other names charity is known by** FSSGIANS UK **Registered charity number (if any)** 1191039 

**Charity's principal address** 68 BELLINGHAM ROAD 

LONDON **Postcode SE6 2PT** 

**Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity** 

|1<br>2<br>3<br>4<br>5<br>6<br>7<br>8<br>9<br>10<br>11<br>12<br>13<br>14<br>15|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole**<br>**year **|**Name of person (or body) entitled**<br>**to appoint trustee (ifany)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||Madlyne Harding|President / Chair<br>Trustee||Annual General Meeting and<br>Elections|
||Sitnah Palmer|Vice President /<br>Trustee||Annual General Meeting and<br>Elections|
||Grace Elizabeth<br>Christiana Akinlusi|Treasurer Trustee||Annual General Meeting and<br>Elections|
||Angela Fubara|Assistant Treasurer<br>Trustee||Annual General Meeting and<br>Elections|
||Harolda C. E. O.<br>Williams-Babin|General Secretary /<br>Trustee||Annual General Meeting and<br>Elections|
||Amorette Decker|Assistant General<br>Secretary/ Trustee||Annual General Meeting and<br>Elections|
||Kadijatu McEwen|Social Secretary /<br>Trustee||Annual General Meeting and<br>Elections|
||Jasmil Cole Smith|Assistant Social<br>Secretary/ Trustee||Annual General Meeting and<br>Elections|
||Leona Macauley|Publicity Officer /<br>Trustee||Annual General Meeting and<br>Elections|
||Willia Olu-Williams|Assistant Publicity<br>Officer / Trustee||Annual General Meeting and<br>Elections|
||Reverend Bernice<br>Lemon-Thomas|Pastoral Office /<br>Trustee||Annual General Meeting and<br>Elections|
||Vida Wills|Pastoral Officer /<br>Trustee||Annual General Meeting and<br>Elections|
||Adekemi Bull|Trustee||Annual General Meeting and<br>Elections|
||Elizabeth Jinadu|Trustee||Annual General Meeting and<br>Elections|
||Doris Crompton-<br>Thomas|Trustee||Annual General Meeting and<br>Elections|



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16 17 18 19 20 

**Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)** 

**Name Dates acted if not for whole year** 

## **Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)** 

|**Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**|**Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**|**Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**|
|---|---|---|
|**Type of adviser**<br>**Name**<br>**Address**|||
||||
||||
||||
||||
|**Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)**|||
||||



## **Section B              Structure, governance and management** 

## **Description of the charity’s trusts** 

CONSTITUTION Type of governing document (eg. trust deed, constitution) CHARITY INCORPORATED ORGANISATION (ASSOCIATION) How the charity is constituted 

- (eg. trust, association, company) 

Trustees are appointed or re-appointed at the biennial Annual General Trustee selection methods Meeting. The term of office for each elected Trustee shall be two years. A (eg. appointed by, elected by) Trustee shall hold the same office for no more than two consecutive terms 

## **Additional governance issues (Optional information)** 

You **may choose** to include additional information, where relevant, about: 

- policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees; 

- the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works; 

Our policies include Code of Conduct (Bye laws), Equal Opportunity and Diversity, Safeguarding, Volunteering, Functions and duties of charity trustees. The charity is managed by the Trustees, headed by the President (Chair) of the organisation. The organisation works in partnership with other alumni branches in Sierra Leone, The Gambia and the United States. The trustees manage the affairs of the charity in good faith and with due regard to the will of members to further the purposes of the CIO. Trustees have a wide range of special knowledge and experience and show due consideration to any major risks that the charity may be exposed to and have established procedures in place to Manage them. 

- relationship with any related parties; 

- trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage 

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them. 

## **Section C                    Objectives and activities** 

The advancement of quality education, particularly for the pupils of the Freetown Secondary School for Girls, Sierra Leone. (2) Support and assist the provision of educational facilities and a safe learning **Summary of the objects of the** environment for pupils at the Freetown Secondary School for Girls, **charity set out in its** resulting in improved pupils’ outcomes **governing document** 

||**Objectives and activities**|
|---|---|
||The advancement of quality education, particularly for the pupils of the<br>Freetown Secondary School for Girls, Sierra Leone. (2) Support and<br>assist the provision of educational facilities and a safe learning<br>environment for pupils at the Freetown Secondary School for Girls,<br>resulting in improved pupils’ outcomes|
|**Summary of the main**<br>**activities undertaken for the**<br>**public benefit in relation to**<br>**these objects (include within**<br>**this section the statutory**<br>**declaration that trustees have**<br>**had regard to the guidance**<br>**issued by the Charity**<br>**Commission on public**<br>**benefit)**|**Luncheon Sale**<br>We had a successful Luncheon Sale on 11 June 2022 that was well<br>attended and we raised a substantial amount (See account).<br>**Africana Night**<br>Our Africana night on 24 September 2022 was a huge success despite<br>the low turnout from members. However, we had the support from non-<br>members and it turned out to be one of our most successful events.<br>**Thanksgiving Service**<br>Our 38thAnnual Thanksgiving Service on 22 January 2023, celebrating<br>our Alma mater’s 97thanniversary was conducted in person at St Giles<br>Church, Camberwell. This was a successful event as we got to meet in<br>person since our last face to face thanksgiving in 2020.<br>Thanks to all our members, patrons and supporters for their continued<br>support and donations made towards the above fundraising events.<br>We continued with our monthly meetings, virtually and we had three face<br>to face meetings which were also successful. We had the privilege to<br>meet with and socialise with some of our senior members who are<br>disadvantaged by technology and have not been able to join in, on our<br>Zoom meetings.<br>Our members continued with their annual subscription and voluntary<br>donations.<br>Trustees are aware of the Charity Commission guidance on public<br>benefit/funds and that none of the income of the charity may be paid or<br>transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend, bonus or otherwise by<br>way of profit to any member of the charity. All funds raised are for public<br>benefit.|



## **Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)** 

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You **may choose** to include further statements, where relevant, about: 

The charity is made up of ex-pupils (Alumni) who are volunteers and give up their time, financial contribution and expertise to improve the standard of the organisation and increase our fund-raising efforts. 

- policy on grantmaking; 

- policy programme related investment; 

- contribution made by volunteers. 

## Section D                      Achievements and performance 

**Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year** 

## **2022 -2023 in review** 

## **Fundraising events** 

Our three main fundraising events i.e. Luncheons Sale, Africana Night and Thanksgiving were all successful and made profits for the association. 

## **Annual returns** 

We successfully submitted our second Annual Returns and within the time frame. We also registered with the HMRC and in the process of claiming Gift Aid from our donations. 

## **Bye Laws and Code of Conduct** 

We completed the Bye Laws and Code of Conduct which will complement our CIO Constitution and this was ratified at our AGM. 

## **Bank accounts** 

With our new status as a Charity Incorporated Organization (CIO), we are required to upgrade our Bank Accounts to meet the Charity Commission standards. 

We successfully opened three Online Bank Accounts with Metro Bank in July 2022 and we transferred our accounts from Natwest Bank into the new accounts. One current account; one subscription current account; and one savings account. These accounts provide instant access to our accounts, easy transactions and statements. 

## **Project** 

In March 2023, we embarked on refurbishing and equipping the Foods & Nutrition room and the Clothing & Textiles room as our identified project in the school. The refurbishment will enable the girls in the Home Economics stream to take their practical lessons, and external 

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## Section D                      Achievements and erformance p 

examinations in a well-equipped cookery room and needlework room, giving the girls better opportunities for higher pass grades. This project was split into two halves due to the financial costs. Phase 1 was the Foods & Nutrition room and this has successfully been completed. Phase 2 will be the Clothing & Textiles room, to be completed the following year. 

I can proudly say we have completed the Foods & Nutrition room. We replaced the entire roof of the wing starting from the Cookery room to the Library. The interior rooms were also refurbished and now equipped with both electric and gas cookers; Deep freezers; gas cylinders; Microwaves; work station tables; white boards etc. We added extra security measures to the doors and windows. 

We plan to furnish the store room with utensils and equipment, before formally handing the finished Foods & Nutrition room to the school for start of Academic Year, September 2023. 

**Benevolent Fund guidelines** March 2023 – Benevolent Fund Guidelines draft completed to be formally ratified at AGM. 

We continue to support the school financially in collaboration with our sister branches in Freetown, and in the diaspora. 

## **Section E                    Financial review** 

The objective of our Charity is to aid our school in Freetown. Most of our **Brief statement of the** income is designated for projects such as the maintenance of buildings **charity’s policy on reserves** and other facilities, improvement to the educational development of the students through provision of adequate teaching equipment. We aim to retain sufficient reserves for our fundraising events, unforeseen circumstances and sustainability and, to enable Trustees to respond rapidly to urgent matters or requests from the school in Freetown. **Details of any funds materially** N/A **in deficit** 

## **Further financial review details (Optional information)** 

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You **may choose** to include additional information, where relevant about: 

- the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising); 

- how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity; 

- investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted. 

Our principal sources of income are our fundraising activities such as annual Luncheon sale, Africana Night and Thanksgiving service. We also rely on members generosity making monetary donations, paying for goods and services or donating items, food and drinks towards events. Their generous donations significantly reduces the overheads when organizing fundraising events. 

Our CIO successfully refurbished and equipped a Foods & Nutrition room in the Home Economics department for the pupils in the school in Freetown. This facility is now benefitting the girls in their practical lessons. 

## **Section F                     Other optional information** 

## **Section G                    Declaration** 

**The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.** 

**Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees** 

|**Signature(s)**<br>**Full name(s)**<br>**Position (eg Secretary, Chair,**<br>**etc)**<br>**Date**|MHarding|Angelafubara|
|---|---|---|
||Madlyne Harding|Angela Fubara|
||<br> <br>President / Chair Trustee|Asst Treasurer / Trustee|
||30/1/2024||
||30/1/2024||



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FREETOWN SECONDARY SCHOOL FOR GIRLS EX-pUP￿s ASSOCLATION UK&I
srATEMENT OF FINANc￿L ACTMTIES YEAR ENDING 31¥t AIARCH 2023
Ch4rlty Rog. no. 1191039
Y••r
èntllng 31
rch 2023
Y•af antllng
31 March
2022
INCOMING RESOURCES
FUNDRAJSING EVENTS
Th8nksgiwng
Global Weekend E¥enl Ivirtuall
Luncheon Sale June 2022
Africana Nuhl September 2022
DONATIONS
Members subscr￿)tK)ns
Birfhdays
MERCHANDISE
Halbands. Masks & Badges
OTHER RECEIPTS
Interest
Hall deposit relund
PrK)r year debt recovered
5.149 50
4,842 41
3,597.39
4.969 00
17.330.87
2,940.00
1.14500
9000
3,277.00
577.00
5822
575 00
526 00
189
500 00
1,970.37
TOTAL RECEIPTS FOR THE YEAR
34,825.S9
12,724.06
EXPENSES
FUNDRWSING EVENTS
Thanksgmng
Global Weekend Event (Mrtuall
Luncheon Sale June 2022
Africana Night September 2022
MEM8ERSHIP. BENEVOLENCE &
DONATIONS
2,877.34
350.00
430.00
2.584.72
10.757 72
Benevolent donat￿n8
Donatb)n lo olher organisatsons
DIREGT SUPPORT TO THE SCHOOL
Contributb)n lo the schth's IFSSGI one
shift programme
Cost of school's kitchen refurbishment
MERCHANDISE
albands, Badge5 & Face masksl Tokens
GOVERNANCE & ADMIN EXPENSES
Bank charges
Website fee8
Zoom charges
AGM & ElectK)n ewen8es
Meeting Hall Hire
TOTAL EXPENDrfuRE FOR THE YEAR
429 92
410.00
1.711 99
30.00
5.538.00
18.000.00
7,660.00
350.00
25.(K)
141.75
115.06
100.65
273.41
150.00
164.00
350.00
43,361.51
9.098.05
Exe08$ of Incom• Ov•r Expon•
Oponlng Balanco 81Fwd
Cl-osing Balanc• CIFwd 31$t Mwrch 2023
8,525.92
3.626.01
38,813.87
30,287.95
35,187.86
38,813.87
Thi¥ k¢ou1￿ h approt4•d by th• Tn￿t•08¥ •lgn•d on th•lr b•haW On
Slgned
Name. Madlyne Ha￿1￿
Trlu•l
Sign•d
Name
Trivsteo
P3ge2
Angela Fubara

Report of the Iodependent ExAD)iner to the members of Freetown Secondary
School for Girls Ex-Pupils Association UK & Ird2nd
Re: FINAL ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR TO THE 31st MARCH 2023
I have examined the accounts of the Freetown Sewndary School for Girls Ex- Pupils
Association vAEicb have been prepared on a Receipts & Payments basis foi the year to
31'March 2023
It is my responsibility to examine the accounts without perfornling an audit and to
report to the Trustees
Respective responsibiltties of the Trnstees
The Trustees are responsible for the p￿paratiOn of the accounts
They are responsKble for keeping prow acwunting records wbich disclose with
reasonable accuracy the financial position of the charity and which enables them to
ensure that the Accounts wmply with th¢ rcgulations under section 43 (7) (b ) of the
charities Act 2011.
They are responsible for safeguarding the &ssets (Its Cash & Bank Acwunts & its
debtors) and hence for tsking reasonable steps to prevent and detect errors fraud or
other irregularities
Independent Examinees statemenL
Based on my examittation Nothing has come to my attentlon which gives me
reasonable cause to ￿lieVe thaL in any material respecL
The iequirements to
l. Keep proper accounting records in accordance wÈth scrtion 130 of the cknities Act
2011
2, Prepare accounts which agree with tbe accounting re￿d5 and comply with
accounting requirements have not been o￿t.
l express my satisfaction that the records kept are in awment with this
Accounts
Independent Examiner
Dated 28" January 2024
CASP Project
702 High Road
Leyton
London EIO.6JP
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