2022-09-30-accounts - Red Box Project

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Annual Trustee Report 2020/21

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Red Box Project
Annual Report
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Annual Trustee Report 2021/22

Red Box Project

Annual Report of Trustees for the year ending 30 September 2022

The trustees of the Red Box Project, registered in England and Wales 1192039, for the year beginning 1[st] October 2020 and ending 30 September 2022.

Trustees During the Reporting Year

During the reporting year there were three trustees, who are noted below:

Anna Miles MBE
Clegg Bamber MBE
Liesl Rose

The trustees noted above have met and agreed with the report before submitting it to the Charity Commission.

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Annual Trustee Report 2021/22

Introduction and Background

The Red Box Project was formed in March 2017, and registered as a charity in October 2020, to provide a practical solution to alleviate period poverty in educational settings in the UK. The principle of the Red Box Project was founded following the media report of a young person asking a teacher for period products whilst in school due to not being able to afford them.

The Red Box Project campaigned for the universal provision of period products in all educational settings so learners could still participate in their education regardless of whether they had the individual was menstruating or not.

At the start of 2019, The Red Box Project formed a partnership with Free Periods Limited to launch a legal campaign. In March 2019, the Government confirmed that they would implement a scheme across state-funded educational settings in England. This followed similar schemes that had been implemented in the devolved nations of Scotland and Wales in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

At the announcement from the Department of Education that the policy change would be implemented from January 2020, the Red Box Project board decided to change the focus from solution-led to advocacy-led, encouraging educational settings to sign-up and be part of the new scheme introduced by the Government.

The Reporting Year

As a result of the government's policy scheme being introduced, and whilst the Board considered the purpose, active fundraising has been paused. Accepting of inkind donations, such as period products, was also paused.

As the next chapter was decided by the Board, it was decided and agreed by the Board that a digital presence refresh would be undertaken. This was agreed to highlight the legacy of the campaign for period products in England and Scotland and ensure that information was easily accessible to the audience.

The Red Box Project was founded in Portsmouth and had a strong presence throughout all parts of the UK. In the middle of the reporting year, in December 2020, Northern Ireland approved a proposal for free period products to be made available to all learners and subsequent legislation passed through Stormont to

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Annual Trustee Report 2021/22

enable the scheme. The scheme was launched at the start of the 2021/22 academic year in September 2021.

Whilst the UK has always been the main focus of The Red Box Project, the concept and principle have reached various parts of the globe. Throughout the reporting year, the Board continued to support overseas projects, including in Moldova, Japan, Hong Kong, Monaco, and Ireland with advice and materials. All overseas projects are responsible for funding themselves through local fundraising, in line with the respective nation’s codes of conduct and legislation.

Fundraising, Finances and Governance

As mentioned earlier in the report, due to a pause in active operations of support, the decision was taken by the Board to suspend active fundraising activities. The Board recognise that new aims of the Charity need to be set, in line with the objectives.

The Trustees acknowledge that spending in the reporting year, totalled £1,148.45. The decision to spend was agreed and met strategic priorities of the Charity as agreed by the Board. The Trustee’s also acknowledge that there should always be a reserve in the bank account. With the current balance of the Charity being £17,295.16, the Trustees acknowledge that there is no significant financial risk to undertake the duties of the Charity.

The Charity remains to have no paid employees and continues to run through the voluntary dedication of the Board of Trustees.

During the reporting year, the Trustees met quarterly.

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Annual Trustee Report 2021/22

Looking to the Future

As alluded to throughout this report, the future of the Charity is begin considered by the Board and is yet to be confirmed. It is also recognised that as the UK continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic there are likely to be unforeseen challenges which could result in more people experiencing a period of poverty.

The outlook and future aims of the Charity will likely be reported in the next annual report of the Trustees.

Conclusion

It is acknowledged by the Trustees that the Charity hasn’t been overly active in the reporting year.

The pandemic, and subsequent recovery, have been testing times for every person, globally. The Trustees agree that this downtime has been used to ensure that any activity undertaken by the Charity can be undertaken with full commitment from the Trustees, an outlook that will continue into the next reporting year.

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Annual Trustee Report 2020/21

– Accounts for Reporting Year (1[st] October 2021 30[th] September 20

	Income - NatWest Account			Expenditure - NatWest Account		Note	Balance
Note	Detail	Value	Note	Detail	Value	11	Opening Balance - NatWest Bank	£ 17,318.46
							Interest	£ -
			1	Digital Presence Upgrade Project	£ 811.75		Closing Balance - NatWest Bank	£ 16,506.71
							Total Income	£ -
							Total Expenditure	£ 811.75
	Income - PayPal Account			Expenditure - PayPal Account
Note	Detail	Value	Note	Detail	Value	Note	Balance
			2	Web Hosting	£ 27.60	11	Opening Balance - PayPal Account	£ 788.45
			3	Period Products	£ 309.10		Interest	£ -
							Closing Balance - PayPal Account	£ 451.75
	Totals			Totals
							Total Income	£ -
	Income - 1st October 2020 to 30th September 2021	£ -		Balance of all accounts	£ 17,295.16		Total Expenditure	£ 336.70
	Expenditure - 1st October 2020 to 30th September 2021	£ 1,148.45

Note

1 The associated cost with the agreed web presence upgrade project, focussing on the legacy of the Red Box Project and making resources and information accessible for educational settings. 2 Associated costs relating to the hosting of the Chairty's website.

3 This cost is associated with the support of period product provision.

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Annual Trustee Report 2020/21

Notes

1. The associated cost with the agreed web presence upgrade project, focussing on the legacy of the Red Box Project and making resources and information accessible for educational settings.

2. Associated costs relating to the hosting of the Charity’s website.

3. This cost is associated with the support of period product provision.

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