Tees Valley of Sanctuary
Charity Reg 1193792
Annual General Meeting 13th October 2021
Trustees Report
Our Purposes:
Supporting, promoting and organising the Tees Valley of Sanctuary network, including identifying the needs of the network and establishing projects or resources to address them.
Raising awareness of the work of Tees Valley of Sanctuary network to the public and media
Encouraging cities, towns, organisations and institutions to become welcome and safe, through the provision of information, advice and support Advancing the education and training of people who are refugees or asylum seekers.
Liaising with other private, voluntary and statutory organisations on relevant issues
The promotion of equality and diversity for the public benefit by promoting activities to foster understanding between people from diverse backgrounds including promoting activities to foster understanding between the general public, refugees and asylum seekers.
Summary of the Main Activities :
TVoS became a registered CIO charity on 12[th] March 2021. The number of active members is slowly growing and currently all the five local authority areas are represented. Contact with the main providers of services for people seeking sanctuary is maintained but has been patchy due to the pandemic.
A strategic plan was formulated in October 2020. One of the objectives was to reach out to all parts of the region. TVoS now has representation of key committee members in each of the local authority areas. Another objective was to involve more people with lived experience in the work of TVoS. The number of sanctuary seekers involved with the organisation has steadily increased although more work needs to be done.
Although the restrictions of the pandemic had a huge impact on the work of TVoS, the charity has continued to expand and develop its work.
Schools of Sanctuary
The practical work of developing Schools of Sanctuary came to a halt because of lockdown however work to promote SoS continued by approaching various education committees in local authorities and other sectors. So far, this work has been confined to Redcar and Cleveland with a view to reaching out to other parts of the region.
Tees Valley of Sanctuary
Charity Reg 1193792
An author visit (Gulwali Passarlay) in September 2021 to schools has generated further interest in schools of sanctuary. There is a need to recruit more coordinators to carry out this work.
In Darlington, TVoS have been supporting an orientation programme for newly arrived school pupils.
Health
In November 2020, TVoS provided training for staff working in the maternity services. This was organised by NHS midwife Rachel Fairbairn. The aim of the training was to improve the understanding of and breaking down the barriers to accessing NHS maternity care for women seeking sanctuary.
Links were formed with Tees Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation and Stockton and Middlesbrough MIND. A six-session training programme was delivered to their therapists and others with excellent feedback. Since the training MIND have employed two part-time link workers being for BAME communities. TEWV NHS are also in the process of employing a full-time link worker.
TVoS continues to work with Somewhere Else to build a specialist mental health service for people seeking sanctuary.
A mental health advisory group has been formed led by Gill Martin (City of Sanctuary), Sarah Hunt (researcher from Leicester University) and Carole Le Darcy (Somewhere Else). The aim of this group is to meet with the mental health CCG, Public Health and other health professionals to enable the formation of the specialist service.
Local Authorities of Sanctuary
This work has begun, and a presentation was delivered to NEMP by our regional coordinator.
Work and Volunteering opportunities
Katharine Lam from CAP has started offering training opportunities for work for anyone interested and volunteering opportunities through the Action Asylum project.
ESOL and conversation classes
TVoS were involved in talks with Hartlepool College of FE regarding ESOL classes for people seeking sanctuary. The classes are now taking place’
Tees Valley of Sanctuary
Charity Reg 1193792
A project involving TVoS ‘Empowering Language Teachers and Non- Specialist Volunteers’ is reaching completion and resources for training volunteers teaching English will soon be available.
Campaigns
TVoS continues to support campaigns that focus on the improvement of the lives of people seeking sanctuary. TVoS continues to work closely with Asylum Matters and has recently focussed on campaigns against the development of an Immigration Removal Detention Centre at Hassockfield in County Durham and the against the New Borders Bill.
Full Membership Meetings these have not been held since the pandemic began. Lockdown meant that all drop-ins had to be closed and organisations were having to deal with many difficulties. Now that things are returning to some normality it is anticipated that the next meeting will be for the full membership.
Finance and Funding
A bid for finance for a project worker was unsuccessful and TVoS accounts may have been the reason. The treasurer had resigned and a new one had not been appointed. It was also very difficult to access money from the account as the signatories no longer lived or worked locally and Yorkshire Building Society required the signatories to be present for any withdrawals.
TVoS have completed an application to Unity Trust Bank and are awaiting approval. The account at Yorkshire Building Society is now closed. Having an account with UTB will allow us greater flexibility by being able to bank online and deposit money using NatWest Bank.
Once the account at UTB is opened TVoS can begin the process of applying for funding.
Appointment of a Treasurer
The treasurer usually takes the lead at board level on:
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making sure the charity keeps proper accounts
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reviewing the charity’s financial performance
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drawing up or reviewing policies for finance and investment
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ensuring that the charity has robust and effective financial controls in place
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liaising with finance staff and with the charity’s independent examiner or auditor
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reporting on financial matters to the members, in a membership charity
Tees Valley of Sanctuary
Charity Reg 1193792
In larger charities the treasurer may share these responsibilities with a finance committee, and staff may carry out day to day finance functions.
A.O.B.
Charity Name Tees Valley of Sanctuary
Receipts and paym
Period start date For the period from Mar-21
Section A Receipts and payments
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Unrestricted funds Restricted funds
to the nearest £ to the nearest £
A1 Receipts
Previous Donations 9,590 -
Abingdon Primary 600 -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
Sub total (Gross income for
10,190 -
AR)
A2 Asset and investment
sales, (see table).
- -
- -
Sub total - -
Total receipts 10,190 -
A3 Payments
SoS work & expenditure 300 -
Mental Health Training Susan 300 -
Mental Health Training Carole 500 -
Mental Health Training Gill 100 -
-
-
- -
- -
- -
Sub total [ 1,200 ] -
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
- -
- -
Sub total [ - ] -
Total payments 1,200 -
Net of receipts/(payments) [ 8,990 ] -
A5 Transfers between funds - -
A6 Cash funds last year end [ - ] -
Cash funds this year end [ 8,990 ] -
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Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
Categories
Details
B1 Cash funds
Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s))
Details
B2 Other monetary assets
Details
B3 Investment assets
Details
B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use
Details
B5 Liabilities
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees
Signature
No (if any) 1193792
CC16a
ments accounts
Mar-22 To Mar-22
Endowment funds Total funds Last year to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
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- 9,590 9,590
- 600 -
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- - -
- - -
- - -
- 10,190 9,590
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- -
- - -
- - -
- 10,190 9,590
- 300 -
- 300 -
- 500 -
- 100 -
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- - -
- - -
- - -
- 1,200 -
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- -
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- 1,200 -
- 8,990 9,590
- - -
- - -
- 8,990 9,590
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Unrestricted Restricted funds Endowment funds
funds
to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £
- - -
- - -
- - -
- - -
Agreement Error OK OK
Unrestricted Restricted funds Endowment funds
funds
to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £
- - -
- - -
- - -
- - -
- - -
- - -
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Fund to which asset belongs
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Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - - Current value (optional) |
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| - | - |
| - | - |
| - | - |
| - | - |
| - | - |
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Fund to which Current value
Cost (optional)
asset belongs (optional)
- -
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Fund to which Amount due When due
liability relates (optional) (optional)
-
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Print Name
Date of approval