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

**From 1st April 2022 To 31 March 2023 Charity name: The Big Community Sew Charity registration number: 1193196** 

## **Objectives and Activities** 

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|---|---|
|Summary of the purposes of<br>the charity as set out in its<br>governing document|THE RELIEF OF THOSE IN NEED, BY REASON OF<br>YOUTH, AGE, ILL-HEALTH, DISABILITY OR SOCIAL OR<br>ECONOMIC DISADVANTAGE BY PROMOTING,<br>FACILITATING AND ENABLING INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP<br>PARTICIPATION IN VOLUNTARY SEWING AND CRAFT<br>PROJECTS FOR AND ON BEHALF OF CHARITIES,<br>COMMUNITY GROUPS AND THE NHS IN THE UNITED<br>KINGDOM, IN ORDER TO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT<br>QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF ITEMS TO MEET THE<br>NEEDS OF SUCH PEOPLE.|
|Summary of the main<br>activities in relation to those<br>purposes for the public<br>benefit, in particular, the<br>activities, projects or services<br>identified in the accounts.|The Big Community Sew has been supporting local sewing<br>group Sew Marvellous Charity Makes Brum, in making items<br>for charities during 2022 and 2023 including:<br>Baby Blankets for Baby Aid Birmingham<br>Period Pouches for Girls in High School<br>Small Animal Carriers for RSPCA<br>Animal Mats for Animal Carriers for RSPCA<br>Mors Bags for Baby Aid Birmingham<br>Banners for the Birmingham Aids and HIV Memorial<br>Heart Shaped Cushions for Mastectomy patient recovery|
|Statement confirming<br>whether the trustees have<br>had regard to the guidance<br>issued by the Charity<br>Commission on public<br>benefit|I can confirm that we have acknowledged and followed the<br>guidance from the Charity Commission on public benefit.|



## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: 

This is not applicable to The Big Community Sew Policy on grant making 



|Policy on social investment<br>including program related<br>investment|This is not applicable to The Big Community Sew|
|---|---|
|Contribution made by<br>volunteers|During the period of 2022/2023, the sewing groups have<br>been hard at work crafting items made from wool, fabric and<br>textiles to benefit multiple charities, as outlined above. We<br>are incredibly grateful for their time and expertise in making<br>the items, and the charities that have received the items are<br>grateful for their contributions.|
|Other|<br>This is not applicable to The Big Community Sew|



## **Achievements and Performance** 

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|---|---|
|Summary of the main<br>achievements of the charity,<br>identifying the difference the<br>charity’s work has made to<br>the circumstances of its<br>beneficiaries and any wider<br>benefits to society as a<br>whole.|The Big Community Sew has been supporting local sewing<br>group Sew Marvellous Charity Makes Brum, in making items<br>for charities during 2022 and 2023. including:<br>Baby Blankets for Baby Aid Birmingham<br>Donated to families on low incomes as part of the bundles<br>given to new families by Baby Aid Birmingham<br>Small Animal Carriers and mats for RSPCA<br>To provide a calming environment for animals travelling to<br>vets appointments in vehicles<br>To provide washable and comfy mats for animals to sit on in<br>transit,<br>Mors Bags for Baby Aid Birmingham<br>Given to Baby Aid Birmingham to hold items given to new<br>families in the city. Previously the items were given in carrier<br>bags which would rip due to the weight of the items.<br>Each item was made from upcycled and salvaged clothing,<br>bedding and donated fabric and made by volunteers who<br>donated their time for free.<br>The Big Community Sew provided the sewing group with<br>labels, storage of fabrics and provided wool, knitting needles<br>and crochet hooks to the volunteers. We also helped to<br>spread the word by writing and sharing social media posts,<br>displaying the projects on the Big Community Sew website,<br>and contacting charities directly to verify project status,<br>credibility and quantity of items needed. We also arrange<br>delivery of the items made through a network of volunteers.|





## **Financial Review** 

|**Financial Review**||
|---|---|
|Review of the charity’s<br>financial position at the end<br>of the period|The Big Community Sew has not been actively fundraising<br>during this period but has retained a small amount of money<br>in the bank (<£1000) to pay for items such as branded labels<br>for the volunteers to attach to larger items.|
|Statement explaining the<br>policy for holding reserves<br>stating why they are held|<br>See above|
|Amount of reserves held|See above|
|Reasons for holding zero<br>reserves|See above|
|Details of fund materially in<br>deficit|See above|
|Explanation of any<br>uncertainties about the<br>charity continuing as a going<br>concern|See above|



## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: 

|The charity’s principal<br>sources of funds (including<br>any fundraising)|The Big Community Sew does not actively fundraise at this<br>time, we are reliant on the donations of fabrics and materials<br>to provide resources for our volunteers to make items for<br>charity. As such, we do not have any major sources of funds<br>with the exception of a few donations made by individuals<br>wanting to support our cause which we use for purchasing<br>labels and materials where needed, the majority of the items<br>owned by the charity are fabrics donated by other<br>organisations or by individuals.|
|---|---|
|Investment policy and<br>objectives including any<br>social investment policy<br>adopted|We do not invest money at present|
|A description of the principal<br>risks facing the charity|Since lockdown ended, there has been a decline in the<br>number of people actively volunteering to make items for<br>charity, however we are looking at ways to engage the<br>crafting community, including repair workshops,<br>crafternoons, evening sewing groups and more in the<br>coming year.|
|Other||
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## **Structure, Governance and Management** 

|Description of charity’s<br>trusts:|N/A|
|---|---|
|Type of governing document<br>(trust deed, royal charter)|Constitution|
|How is the charity<br>constituted?<br>(e.g unincorporated<br>association, CIO)|CIO|
|<br>Trustee selection methods<br>including details of any<br>constitutional provisions e.g.<br>election to post or name of<br>any person or body entitled<br>to appoint one or more<br>trustees|There is now only one trustee at present and we are looking<br>at ways to encourage others to become trustees in future. For<br>the period 2022/2023 we will look to change the charity type<br>to small charity, as it runs happily without the need for any<br>administrative overhead.|



## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: 

|Policies and procedures<br>adopted for the induction and<br>training of trustees|Not Applicable|
|---|---|
|The charity’s organisational<br>structure and any wider<br>network with which the<br>charity works|The Big Community Sew has a close<br>relationship with local charities including<br>Baby Aid Birmingham, Womens Aid<br>Birmingham, Refuge, SAIF Homes, Rubery<br>Swop Shop, The Birmingham Aids and HIV<br>Memorial, Acorns Childrens Hospice and<br>Birmingham RSPCA. The primary sewing<br>group who make items for these charities is<br>called Sew Marvellous Charity Makes and<br>we will be looking to formalise this<br>relationship in the coming year to enable us<br>to spread the word and replicate the<br>relationship we have with Sew Marvellous to<br>other regions of the UK.|
|Relationship with any related<br>parties|Not Applicable|
|Other|Not Applicable|
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## **Reference and Administrative details** 

|Charity name|The Big Community Sew|
|---|---|
|<br>Other name the charity uses||
|Registered charity number|1193196|





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|---|---|---|---|
||Charity’s principal address|39 Peacock Road||
|||Kings Heath||
|||B13 0NZ||
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## **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<br>16<br>17<br>18<br>19<br>20|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole**<br>**year**<br>**Nam**<br>**e of**<br>**pers**<br>**on**<br>**(or**<br>**body**<br>**)**<br>**entitl**<br>**ed to**<br>**appo**<br>**int**<br>**trust**<br>**ee (if**<br>**any)**|
|---|---|---|---|
||Marcelle Porteous|||
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– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved **Director name** 

Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity 

**Trustee name Dates acted if not for whole year** 



|**Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others**|**Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others**|
|---|---|
|Description of the assets<br>held in this capacity|Not applicable|
|Name and objects of the<br>charity on whose behalf the<br>assets are held and how this<br>falls within the custodian<br>charity’s objects|Not applicable|
|Details of arrangements for<br>safe custody and<br>segregation of such assets<br>from the charity’s own assets|Not applicable|



## **Additional information (optional)** 

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

Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details 

## **Other optional information** 



## **Declarations** 

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

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

**Signature(s) Full name(s)** Marcelle Porteous **Position (eg Secretary,** Chair **Chair, etc) Date** 13 April 2024 



|||**Charity Name**|||||||||||**No (if any)**|**No (if any)**|**No (if any)**|**No (if any)**||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**The Big Community**|||**Sew**||||||||**1193196**|||||||||
|||**Receipts and payments accounts**||||||||||||||||||**CC16a**||
|||**For the period**<br>**from**||||||Period start date<br>01/04/2021||||**To**|||Period end date<br>31/03/2022|||||||
|**Section A Receipts and payments**||||||||||||||||||||||
|||**Unrestricted**<br>**funds**|||||**Restricted funds**|||||**Endowment**<br>**funds**||||**Total funds**||||**Last year**||
|||**to the nearest**|**£**|||||**to the nearest £**||||**to the nearest £**|||**to the nearest £**|||||**to the nearest £**||
|**A1 Receipts**||||||||||||||||||||||
||||||||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
||||||||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
|||**-**|**--**||||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
|||**-**|**--**||||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
|||**-**|**--**||||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
|||**-**|**--**||||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
|||**-**|**--**||||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
|||**-**|**--**||||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
|||**-**|**--**||||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
|**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for AR)_||||||||||||||||||||||



||||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for AR)_||||||||||||||||||||||
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|**A2 Asset and**|**investment sales,**|||||||||||||||||||||
|**(see table).**||||||||||||||||||||||
|**N/A**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||||||
||||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
||**_Sub total_**||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
|||||||||||||||||||||||
||**_Total receipts_ **||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
|**A3 Payments**||||||||||||||||||||||
|Hosting Fees for Website - 5.99 pcm|||**-**|**72-**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**72-**|||**-**|**--**||
|Fees for thank you gifts to volunteers for BAHM|||**-**|**130-**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**130-**|||**-**|**--**||
||||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
||||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
||||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
||||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
||||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
||||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
||||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
||**_Sub total_ **||**-**|**202-**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**202-**|||**-**|**--**||
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|**A4 Asset and**|**investment**|||||||||||||||||||||
|**purchases, (see table)**||||||||||||||||||||||
||||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||||||
||||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||||||
||**_Sub total_ **||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||||||
|||||||||||||||||||||||
||**_Total payments_ **||**-**|**202-**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**202-**|||**-**|**--**||
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|**_Net of receipts/(payments)_ **|||**-**|**202-**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**202-**|||**-**|**--**||
|**A5 Transfers between funds**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
|**A6 Cash funds last year end**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
|**_Cash funds this year end_ **|||**-**|**202-**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**202-**|||**-**|**--**||
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## **Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period** 

|||||||**Unrestricted**|||**Restricted funds**|**Restricted funds**||||**Endowment**||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Categories**|**Details**||||**funds**||||||||**funds**||
|||||||**to nearest £**||||**to nearest £**||||**to nearest £**||
|**B1**|**Cash funds**|Bank Balance|||**-**|**1,098-**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
||||||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
||||||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
|||**_Total cash funds_**|||**-**|**1,098-**|||**-**|**--**|||**-**|**--**||
|||(agree balances with receipts and payments account<br>(s))|||Agreement Error||||OK||||OK|||
|||||||**Unrestricted**|||**Restricted funds**|||||**Endowment**||
|||||||**funds**||||||||**funds**||
|||**Details**||||**to nearest £**||||**to nearest £**||||**to nearest £**||



CCXX R1 accounts (SS) 

4/13/2024 

1 



|**B2 Other monetary assets**|N/A|||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**|
|||||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**|
|||||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**|
|||||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**|
|||||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**|
||**Details**|||**Fund to which asset**<br>**belongs**||||**Cost (optional)**|||**Current value**<br>**(optional)**|
|**B3 Investment assets**|N/A||||||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**|
||||||||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**|
||||||||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**|
||||||||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**|
||||||||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**|
||**Details**|||**Fund to which asset**<br>**belongs**||||**Cost (optional)**|||**Current value**<br>**(optional)**|
|**B4 Assets retained for the**|N/A||||||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**|
|**charity’s own use**|||||||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**|
||||||||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**|
||||||||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**|
||||||||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**|
||||||||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**|
||||||||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**|
||||||||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**|
||||||||**-**|**--**||**-**|**--**|
||||||**Fund to which**|||**Amount due**|||**When due**|
||**Details**||||**liability relates**|||**(optional)**|||**(optional)**|
|**B5 Liabilities**|N/A||||||**-**|**--**||||
||||||||**-**|**--**||||
||||||||**-**|**--**||||
||||||||**-**|**--**||||
||||||||**-**|**--**||||
|Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of<br>all the trustees||Signature|||Print|Name||||Date of approval||
||||||Marcelle Porteous||||||13 Apr 2024|
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CCXX R2 accounts (SS) 

4/13/2024 

2 



Transaction Date Transaction Type Sort Code Account Number Transaction Description 16/01/2023 FPO 30-98-97 36007762 MARCELLE PORTEOUS 100000001062116062 BAHM MEMORIAL 202717     10 16JAN23 17:53 

Debit Amount Credit Amount Balance 130 

1097.82 

CCXX R3 accounts (SS) 

4/13/2024 

3 

