2026-01-31-accounts - Fences & Frontiers

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Fences & Frontiers Registered charity number: 1194720

Annual Report 2025/26

February 2025 – January 2026

CEO’s Introduction

I’m delighted to present the annual report for Fences & Frontiers for 2025/26.

As I reflect on the last year, there’s an incredible amount to be proud of. We’ve delivered more in scale and scope than ever before. From Herne Bay to Hampton Court, it's been a year full of action and adventure.

Our partnership work has always been key to Fences & Frontiers - this is the case now more than ever.

Our collaboration with Stanley Arts perfectly exemplifies this – from arts workshops, to theatre productions, to cross-community get-togethers brimming with laughter and friendship, this relationship has gone from strength to strength.

Similarly our partnership with HF Holidays has flourished, enabling us to bring our community to the Lake District, North Downs, and Yorkshire Dales. These holidays give our participants the chance to escape their daily fears, build friendships with each other and other holiday-makers, and benefit from the restorative benefits of nature.

Equally, the support of community partners in London such as The Historic Royal Palaces, the Science Museum, The Postal Museums, Chelsea Physic Garden, Zoological Society of London (ZSL), The Puppet Theatre Barge, Kew Gardens, and many others have transformed what we’ve been able to offer

our participants. In opening their doors to us, they’ve opened the eyes of our participants to some of the most exciting and culturally significant places in the UK, destinations that would usually be far beyond the reach of our participants and organisations of our size.

A special thanks to Laura Hallain MBE and the contributors to her My Words, My Books children’s book podcast for sending books to our families this year, giving our younger participants the opportunity to learn and to dream.

From an operations perspective, 2025 brought significant changes for Fences & Frontiers. While we remain proudly driven by volunteers’ ideas and efforts, this was our first full year as an employer. Having a paid role has strengthened our capacity, and laid the groundwork for long-term sustainability.

On the funding side, we’re delighted to have received multi-year support from Children in Need for our family project, alongside backing from the Foyle Foundation, Big Give, and generous individual donors and fundraisers. This funding has enabled us to expand our reach and impact, while maintaining the quality and integrity of our work.

The positivity around our own growth must be tempered however by a stark reality. Since we founded Fences & Frontiers in 2016, the lives of refugees and asylum seekers in the

UK have become undeniably harder. The country is far from being the “more welcoming, inspiring place” we were set up to create. Refugees and asylum seekers have faced an increase in hostility and, at times, direct violence. In response, we have worked closely with Together with Refugees and Citizens UK to amplify the voices of displaced people and to campaign for their rights and dignity.

Summer 2026 marks 10 years of Fences & Frontiers – a huge milestone. It’s a moment to reflect on all we’ve achieved, as well as the significant challenges that lie ahead. From the start, we believed the most authentic way to welcome people was to share the things we

love about London – its canals and woodlands, its museums and galleries. We have grown and evolved since then, but this belief always remains at the heart of our work.

I want to send a huge thank you to the people who matter most – the incredible Fences & Frontiers community: our volunteers, supporters, partners, and, above all, our participants. I feel incredibly lucky to be part of a community made up of people from across the world who share the belief that everyone deserves not just safety, but dignity and joy. As the song goes, “We fight for bread, but we fight for roses too”.

Lewis Garland, CEO, Fences & Frontiers

Mission statement

Fences & Frontiers exists to make the UK a more welcoming, supportive and inspiring place for refugees and asylum seekers.

We do this by running cultural and nature-based activities that bring people together in the spirit of friendship and solidarity.

Our activities offer people the chance to explore beautiful parts of the countryside and cultural spaces. More than that, we provide opportunities for people to build friendships and gain a sense of community, practise their language skills, and improve their physical and mental wellbeing.

We hereby confirm that the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit.

Achievements and Performance

Operational activities

Fences & Frontiers offers a range of cultural, educational, and nature-based activities, from hiking groups to creative workshops. Our activities provide a caring community, an escape from daily fears, and equip people with cultural and practical knowledge to help them overcome barriers to integration.

Our year-round programme includes rural and city hikes, museum visits, arts events, and creative collaborations for adults and families.

Over the last year we ran 16 walks, 24 family trips, 3 Holidays, and 1 festive fiesta. Overall, we offered 701 activity spaces to refugees and asylum seekers.

Refugees and asylum seekers face significant barriers to wellbeing and inclusion, including isolation, poverty, complex health challenges, and negative media narratives. We aim to remove these barriers by covering all costs of participation and offering a caring community.

These shared experiences offer respite from daily fears, support mental wellbeing, and help build the practical skills, cultural knowledge and confidence needed for integration.

Never Walk Alone

Never Walk Alone is a walking project that connects refugees and asylum seekers with the countryside and urban green spaces through guided group hikes and nature-based activities.

We’ve run the project since 2018, introducing hundreds of people to places of ecological and cultural importance around London, from Kew Gardens to the South Downs.

Our participants benefit from the therapeutic benefits of group walking, immersion in nature, and being part of a caring community.

Walking together in natural spaces has proven health benefits: it reduces loneliness, builds confidence in new surroundings, and eases anxiety. Our walks also provide organic opportunities to develop cultural knowledge and practical integration skills.

Never Walk Alone trips, 2025/26

London, Museums and Me trips, 2025/26

London, Museums & Me

Now in its ninth year, London, Museums and Me enables children from refugee backgrounds and their families to explore London’s museums, cultural events, and natural spaces.

We help children express themselves creatively, build confidence, and develop knowledge - all leading to a greater sense of belonging in cultural spaces.

Through partnerships with organisations including Historic Royal Palaces, Science Museum, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and ZSL; and in collaboration with children’s authors, ecologists and creative educators, we offer a diverse programme of activities.

As of September 2025, this project has been funded by BBC Children in Need.

HF Holidays

Our partnership with HF Holidays enables us to offer short holidays in some of the UK’s most beautiful countryside locations. These holidays provide refugees and asylum seekers with meaningful opportunities to immerse themselves in nature- far beyond what day trips can offer.

Over the last year, we’ve organised three holidays: one in the Lake District and two in the South Downs, benefiting a total of 30 refugees and asylum seekers. Each trip offered time to rest, connect, and create lasting memories in a welcoming and supportive environment.

We are hugely grateful to the guests and supporters of HF Holidays, especially those contributing to the Pathways Fund- whose generosity makes these experiences possible.

Participant feedback

Participant input is central to shaping and improving our programmes. Throughout the year, we gather feedback using a range of methods including structured surveys, in-person and digital polls, open discussions, and informal interviews.

Overall satisfaction with our services remains exceptionally high. 100% of participants rated our services as either “excellent” or “good”, with 86% rating them “excellent” and 14% “good”.

Isolation and Mental Health

Our activities are designed to reduce isolation and support positive mental wellbeing by creating meaningful connections within a welcoming community. Through shared outdoor experiences, physical activity, and social interaction, participants benefit from the therapeutic effects of nature, movement and companionship.

In our February 2026 participant survey:

95% said our activities helped them make friends and feel part of a community “a lot”, with 5% saying “a little”.
91% said the programme improved their mental health “a lot”, 5% “a little”.

improving my language skills. It has really helped my mental health” .

Sense of Belonging

We create opportunities for participants to build lasting relationships through bonding over shared experiences. In the February 2026 survey, 96% of participants said our activities made them more optimistic about their future (81% “a lot”, 14% “a little”).

Participants described how these experiences help them reconnect with the world around them:

“These trips help me get out of my house and be excited about nature and visiting a new place, which improves my mood and gives me a sense of belonging. I love chatting with volunteers and learning more about the UK” .

90% said participation made them feel less anxious.

Participants frequently highlighted the emotional value of these connections.

“I love making new friends from all over the world, learning about different cultures and

Cultural Knowledge and Integration

A key aim of our work is to support participants in developing the cultural knowledge and confidence needed to live and thrive in the UK.

In the February 2026 participant survey, 100% of respondents said our walks improved their knowledge about life in the UK (82% said “a lot”), and 100% said their English language skills improved through participation, (85%) said a lot.

“ I enjoy talking to volunteers and participants, listening to their stories and sharing experiences without being judged. I feel included and I feel comfortable asking questions about life in the UK” .

“It helps me integrate into English society because I meet English people and learn more about the culture” .

One participant said, “I feel like I’m with family when we’re together. I love how little by little we discover many places. It has helped us integrate gradually, especially with my anxiety” (translated from Spanish) .

Participants consistently emphasised the value of informal learning and open conversation:

Physical Health

Many participants face barriers to regular exercise, particularly in supportive social environments. We encourage participants to build healthier routines through accessible walking activities.

Feedback demonstrates a clear impact on participants’ physical wellbeing. In a post-walk survey (September 2025), 100% of participants said they were walking more regularly as a result of the programme and in the February 2026 survey, 100% reported feeling physically healthier as a result of our activities.

Participant Recommendations

Participants are actively involved in shaping the future of our programmes. Feedback from the February 2026 survey, as well as ongoing input, highlighted several suggestions for future development:

More visits to museums, historical sites and cultural spaces for adults.
Opportunities for more immersive
rural experiences.
More overnight stays and visits to culturally significant locations outside London.
Digital tools to enhance participation (such as an app to rate walking locations).
More arts activities.
Ways to make food options fairer for everyone.

These insights will help inform our programme development and the partnerships we pursue.

Partnerships and engagement

Partnerships are central to Fences & Frontiers, enabling us to better serve our community and deliver a wide range of activities, from guided walking holidays to arts workshops. We work closely with trusted refugee-sector partners including Babylon Migrants Project, The Refugee Council, and Hope for the Young.These relationships strengthen participant support and referral pathways.

Our delivery partners are just as important. Our collaboration with Stanley Arts continues to grow, enabling a wide range of workshops, events and community cohesion activities. Our partnership with HF Holidays has also flourished, enabling us to provide life-changing trips to the Lake District, North Downs, and Yorkshire Dales. These holidays offer participants respite, opportunities to build friendships, and the restorative benefits of time in nature.

We are hugely grateful to Laura Hallain MBE and contributors to My Words, My Books for donating children’s books to our families, supporting learning and imagination.

The generosity of community partners such as Historic Royal Palaces, the Science Museum, the Postal Museum, Chelsea Physic Garden, Zoological Society of London, the Puppet Theatre Barge, Kew Gardens, and others, has transformed what we can offer. By opening their doors to us, they have made culturally significant places accessible to participants who would otherwise be excluded.

Thanks to our work with artists, writers, and therapeutic practitioners, we’ve been able to provide even more impactful, enriching activities.

I would also like to give special thanks to Patagonia for contributing to travel costs, and to the amazing Walk this Way community for our shared walk and fundraising work.

We remain active in national refugee-rights campaigns, including Citizens UK’s free bus travel campaign and the Together with Refugees activities.

Looking ahead, we aim to deepen existing partnerships and develop new ones, with plans already underway for arts workshops with the Royal College of Nursing, Footnotes Collective, and visits to Greenwich museums.

Press and Media

This year, we made the strategic choice for our press and media to be more closely aligned with our collective campaign work with Together with Refugees and Citizens UK.

Our campaigns have been covered by the Guardian , Independent , Mirror and Third Sector .

Social Media and

Communication

Our social accounts continue to get strong engagement. Social media remains an effective tool for fundraising and relationship building.

We currently have 1,140 followers on Instagram, and 437 on Facebook.

We have now closed our X account because it was not a supportive environment for refugee organisations.

Our quarterly newsletter focuses on fundraising and communicating with our 330 more engaged supporters.

Financial Review

Main sources of funding

Income and expenditure

During the period under review (1 February 2025 to 31 January 2026), the charity raised £56,363 (of which £23,857 was in-kind contributions) and spent £48,397 (of which £23,857 was in-kind contributions). The charity ended with a final cash balance of £33,278.

As expected we had a large increase in expenditure in 2025, as we sought to increase the number of trips we ran, and introduced one part-time paid staff role.

The charity’s principal sources of funding in 2025/26 continued to be a mixture of grants, partnerships and small donors, and we have continued to increase and diversify our funding over the last year. In particular, this year we received funds from:

Transport for London, via its Walking and Cycling Grants London (WCGL) scheme
BBC Children in Need
The Foyles Foundation
Stanley Arts
Patagonia

Reserves

Six months cash expenditure is anticipated to amount to £12,700 in 2026/27, so our current reserve is set to this amount.

The end of year unrestricted reserves were £25,902. However, we expect to continue steadily decreasing our reserves to the target amount over 2026/27 and 2027/28.

Donations from individual philanthropists
Small monthly and one-time donations

We received significant in-kind contributions of holiday places from HF Holidays, along with smaller contributions, in the form of free tickets from the Puppet Theatre Barge, the Big Beat Playground, Hampton Court Palace, the Tower of London, and the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

Main costs in 2025126 &tnP5 E24.270 Tran5POrt £10.563 5tsff costs £9 Food &Con5UmA5 [2,345 Software &digital É1.052 Equiprnlnt & supplies TOB kn5UTanc f170 DBS thecks Éicl) Volunt••i •xwns•s É45 JAtchindl £3S £i*(¥A) £25,1 Principal sojrces of income in 2025126 123.157 £56.363 £15.311 tsanT5 Is

Structure, Governance and Management

Fences & Frontiers is constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), and governed by a constitution.

(1) Apart from the first charity trustees, every trustee must be appointed by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees.

(2) In selecting individuals for appointment as charity trustees, the charity trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO.

10-Year Plan

We are currently one and a half years into our 10-year strategy. We have grown sustainably and have offered more tailored support to participants across our activities.

Our work is always shaped by participant experiences and needs - through both formal and informal feedback.

Staff and volunteers

We have completed our first full year as an employer. Our CEO was appointed in Sept 2024 (0.2 FTE). This appointment enabled us to bring in significant new funding and relieved capacity issues.

We currently have a volunteer team of 25 people - ranging from specialist onboarding and operations roles to day volunteers.

(3) We prioritise trustees who have lived experience of the UK asylum system.

Reference and Administrative details

Charity name Fences & Frontiers Registered 1194720 charity number Charity’s 62B Hackford Road principal London address SW9 0RG Email Address fencesandfrontiers@gmail.com Website www.fencesandfrontiers.org

Membership of the board of trustees

Our approach to selecting and appointing members to our board of trustees is as follows:

Charity Trustees

Arta Shiroka Chair Cristel Sainz Ben Taylor Treasurer Louise Coady

Neil McGarrigle

Bethan Illman

Kobra Haghdoost Ruki Hashi

The above report has been prepared on a receipts and payments basis in accordance with section 133 of the Charities Act 2011. Signed on behalf of the trustees:

Arta Shiroka, Chair

Ben Taylor, Treasurer

Accounts (Receipts and Payments Format)

Fences & Frontiers

For the year ended 31 January 2026

Cash Basis

Receipts and Payments account

Account	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total	Last year	Notes
Receipts
Donations	13,142	2,169	15,311	6,211
Grants	0	13,496	13,496	2,851
Miscellaneous Income	0	0	0	250
In-kind donations	0	23,857	23,857	13,785	Note: 1
Partnership income	618	3,082	3,700	1,775
Total Receipts	13,760	42,604	56,363	24,871
Payments
Activities and Ticket Costs	286	23,984	24,270	14,281
Beneficiary Equipment and Supplies	467	301	768	547
Transport	2,391	8,172	10,563	7,168
Food and Other Consumables	832	1,513	2,345	1,709
Health and Safety Costs	0	0	0	64
Insurance	72	98	170	154
Merchandise and Promotional Materials	35	0	35	28
DBS Checks	100	0	100	97
Software and Digital Platform Subscriptions	789	263	1,052	1,164
Volunteer Training (Programme Specific)	0	0	0	300
Volunteer expenses	45	0	45	58
Staff Costs	5,267	3,783	9,050	3,583	Note: 2
Total Payments	10,284	38,114	48,397	29,153
Net of receipts/(payments)	3,476	4,490	7,966	(4,282)
End of year
Retained Earnings	22,425	2,887	25,312	29,594
Current Year Earnings	3,476	4,490	7,966	(4,282)
Cash funds this year end	25,901	7,377	33,278	25,312

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

Account Unrestricted Restricted Total Last year Notes

Assets and liabilities
Monetary Assets
Cash at Bank and in Hand
Current Account - Lloyds Business Bank	20,842	9,979	30,820	23,072
Petty Cash - Soldo	5,285	(2,603)	2,682	2,383	Note: 3
Total Cash at Bank and in Hand	26,126	7,376	33,502	25,455
Total Monetary Assets	26,126	7,376	33,502	25,455
Liabilities
Wages Payable - Payroll	(36)	0	(36)	0	Note: 4
PAYE Payable	(144)	0	(144)	(143)
NIC Payable	(44)	0	(44)	0
Total Liabilities	(224)	0	(224)	(143)
Total Assets and liabilities	25,902	7,376	33,278	25,312

Footnotes

1. In-kind donations represent the estimated value of free tickets, accommodation, and other services donated to the charity for use in its programme activities. These are matched with corresponding expenditure under Activities and Ticket Costs.

2. Staff costs: The charity employs one part-time member of staff. Gross wages and employer National Insurance contributions are allocated across restricted grants proportionate to time spent on funded programme activities, with the remainder charged to unrestricted funds. Employer NIC is classified as unrestricted for simplicity.

3. Petty Cash - Soldo: The negative restricted balance reflects programme expenditure on the prepaid card funded by unrestricted top-ups from the main Lloyds account. The unrestricted and restricted splits shown are adjusted to align with fund balances as determined by the receipts and payments account; the net position across all bank accounts correctly reflects total fund balances.

4. Year-end payroll liabilities (wages, PAYE, and NIC payable) represent amounts owed but not yet paid at 31 January 2026, settled in February 2026. These are allocated to unrestricted funds as timing items.

General notes to the accounts

These accounts are prepared on a receipts and payments basis, with all revenue and expenses shown on a cash basis.
The CIO has several funds: an unrestricted General fund and projects-specific restricted funds, here collated for simplicity under 'restricted'. The latter goes towards covering the costs of the charity's specific activities, namely a walking group, a museum visits group, and, in previous years, care packages for refugees and asylum seekers.
The CIO had no outstanding guarantees to third parties nor any debts secured on the assets of the CIO.
No remuneration was paid to any trustee, nor were any personal expenses (e.g. train tickets for trustees) covered for their services as trustees during this period.
Guarantees and indemnities: At 31 January 2026, the CIO had given no guarantees or indemnities to third parties (2025: nil).
Debts secured on assets of the CIO: At 31 January 2026, no debts of the CIO were secured on its assets (2025: nil).

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees Charity Name Fences & Frontiers On accounts for the year 31/01/2026 Charity no 1194720 ended (if any) Set out on pages (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets) I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/01/2026 . Responsibilities and As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the basis of report accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed: Name: Mark Blay Relevant professional N/A qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: 1B Wickham Road, London, SE4 1PF

Date: 01/07/2026

Oct 2018

IER

Section B Disclosure

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).

Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .

Oct 2018

IER