Stories of Hope and Home Registered Charity: 1195224 **ANNUAL REPORT APRIL 2023 - MARCH 2024**
@stories_of_home
hopeandhomestories
www.storiesofhome.org.uk
## **Our Vision**
_For people who have lived experience of the UK asylum system to have spaces for their stories and experiences to be shared and heard, contributing to a more wellinformed and welcoming society in which people who have sought sanctuary feel empowered, included, and re-humanised._
## **Our Aims**
_Stories of Hope and Home_ has dual, complementary aims:
to bring together people with lived experience of seeking asylum: to create safe spaces to build community and to explore and process their experiences.
to facilitate encounters and share stories with others: promoting learning, challenging misconceptions, developing empathy and inspiring action.
_Or, as stated in our constitution:_
_1) The promotion of social inclusion for the public benefit among refugees and asylum seekers in the West Midlands who are socially excluded on the grounds of their social and economic position, by providing a space and community in which to meet others, build friendships, practise the English language, learn communication skills and creatively explore stories and life experiences as a means of integrating into a new community._
_2) To advance the education of the public through the provision of activities and events which inform participants and develop their understanding of the lived experience of asylum seekers and refugees who flee persecution and settle in a new country, help to foster positive attitudes towards diversity and migration and counter misinformation._
## **Context: The Story So Far**
_Stories of Hope and Home_ came into existence in October 2019 and, having survived a pandemic, became a registered CIO (charitable incorporated organisation), with charity number: 1195224 on 20th July 2021.
From the germ of an idea to fulfil a need, Stories of Hope and Home has grown and flourished. This report tells part of that story.
_**"Stories of Hope and Home is a lovely family where we treat each other with love, kindness and respect."** Stories of Hope and Home Participant_
## **Context: The World Around Us**
It has been an exceptionally challenging year for those trapped in the UK asylum system. As the year began, the Illegal Migration Bill was passing through parliament, becoming law in July 2023, and as the year ended, the Safety of Rwanda bill was making its way into law. The already limited rights and protections for people seeking asylum were under attack. Beyond the laws and policies, much of the political and media rhetoric around asylum and migration was designed to sow division, fear and hate. The detrimental impact of all of this on the people seeking sanctuary with whom we have the privilege to work was significant.
In the midst of it all, though, there were still signs of hope. We bear witness to the incredible strength and resilience of so many sanctuaryseekers and to the gestures of compassion and welcome and the commitment to campaigning for change that we see in wider society. We also were delighted to be able to celebrate with those who, in some cases after many years, were finally granted leave to remain. We know our work remains more necessary than ever.
## **A Year in Review: Building Community**
_Stories of Hope and Home_ is ‘home’ to an ever-increasing community of people. United by their common experience of seeking asylum in the UK, they are, in every other way, a very diverse group of people with different ages and genders, different cultures and backgrounds, different skills and personalities, and different aspirations and dreams for the future.
Close-knit and mutually supportive, many participants describe _Stories of Hope and Home_ as their family. Having all experienced what it means to be outsiders, they remain welcoming and hospitable to newcomers and the continued growth of the project stands as testament to that.
## **Regular Sessions**
Our regular, twice-weekly sessions are at the heart of the project: creating safe space to be together, build community, and deepen connections with one another. The content of the sessions varies,
_**"It's a caring and concerned group that makes one feel at home though away from home. Your impact and importance is visible for my life.”** Stories of Hope and Home Participant_
but generally includes some form of creative writing. We have also used sessions to help people understand aspects of the asylum process or of British culture. Plus there is always space for lots of informal conversation, coffee and cake!
## **Individual Support**
The success of _Stories of Hope and Home_ relies on the building of relationships of trust. Away from the increasingly busy group sessions, we offer a variety of individual support. For many participants, the issues they face are not easily resolved, but being present, accompanying people and offering a listening ear are essential.
_**"It is my place of rest and to have great fun with friends."**_
_**“It is where I find strength for not giving up.”**_
_**"Stories of Hope and Home is my second home"** Stories of Hope and Home Participants_
## **A Year in Review: Trips and Celebrations**
When life is hard, it is incredibly important to find opportunities to relax, to forget about your struggles, to laugh, to dance, to have fun and share joy ... and we are always keen to find any excuse for a party! One of the many advantages of such a diverse community is the chance to celebrate so many different religious and cultural festivals.
A number of different trips and visits through the year, including ice-skating as a Christmas treat, have also been wonderful opportunities to spend time together, to enjoy ourselves and to discover the local area.
_**“It helps with my mental health knowing that I’m not alone.”** Stories of Hope and Home Participant_
_**"I had a wonderful trip, it made me forget about everything. I was so happy, I met new people and I got more friends. Sincerely I wanted to stay for more days."** Festival of Stories Participant_
## **Festival of Stories**
At the end of August we had another return visit to St Cassian’s Centre in Kintbury, a place where we always receive such a warm welcome and from which we come away refreshed and uplifted. This year’s “Festival of Stories”, was a chance for us to spend time together as a group, getting to know each other better and exploring our lives, stories and identities.
_**“I loved the conversations and how there was a great balance between reflection, activities and relaxation. When people shared about their lives and we did activities together that gave me a great sense of hope.”** Festival of Stories Participant_
## **A Year in Review: Outreach and Encounter**
While the time we spend together as a community is crucial, the second, outward-facing aspect of the life of Stories of Hope and Home is equally important. We continue to believe in the transformative power of encounter as a way to challenge misconceptions about people seeking sanctuary and helping young people to recognise their humanity.
_**"It improves my communication skills and gives me more confidence speaking to people."** Stories of Hope and Home Participant_
_**"Sharing our stories with them helps heal a wounded soul."** Stories of Hope and Home Participant_
This year’s visits have taken us to meet old friends as well as to many new schools. We have worked with children from reception classes right through to sixth forms as well as with school staff.
At times when the hostile environment has weighed heavily on the lives of people seeking sanctuary, our work in schools has also been a reliable source of hope.
Young people have been consistently open-minded, reflective and compassionate in the way they have engaged with us and the subject matter we present. Once they hear the reality faced by people in the asylum process, they invariably recognise the injustices and want to be involved in creating change. We come away from every school visit believing the future is in good hands.
School visits remain our priority but we are also able to respond to invitations from other groups and organisations and this year that included two visits to universities (Aston University and the University of Wolverhampton), a youth event in Plymouth Diocese, working with a team of young volunteers at a retreat centre, speaking at an inter-faith iftar at Birmingham Progressive Synagogue, and a public-facing event at the University of Birmingham.
_**"It was extremely powerful to watch the reactions of students as the volunteers told their stories. Stories of Hope and Home plays a vital role in debunking myths and spreading the truth about those seeking asylum.”** Teacher_
**A Year in Review: Campaigning and Media** _**“Days like today are important because as asylum seekers we don't have a voice and these children are representing us and giving us their voices.”** Stories of Hope and Home Participant_
Throughout the year, both the laws and policies being implemented, and the political and media rhetoric around the subject of seeking asylum have been exceptionally hostile. Active involvement in effecting change through campaigning and advocacy, and trying to find ways for the so-often-silenced voices of those with lived experience to be heard has felt essential. One significant, positive development this year has been bringing together our campaigning with our schools outreach work.
Outraged by what they heard about the decision to paint over murals at a reception centre, pupils from St Gerard’s School took action and spoke to the media, launching what would become a national campaign. We also worked with several different schools to take part in the Lift the Ban campaign High Street Challenge, campaigning for asylum seekers to be given the right to work while they wait for their claims to be processed.
Other engagement with direct efforts to effect change included participants meeting with Tahir Ali MP, speaking at a meeting with civil servants from the Asylum Support Policy department at the Home Office, sharing stories with the local media and contributing to the Asylum Matters report “Surviving in Poverty”.
_**“When we were going out to ask people to join the campaign I felt a bit nervous but afterwards it felt great and amazing to spread the news and see how people actually care.”** School pupil_
_**“This project helps us to to share our story and counter negative narrative in the public domain about refugee and asylum seekers.”**_
_**“We can help them realise that asylum seekers are not here because they want to be, but for their protection.”** Stories of Hope and Home Participants_
## **A Year in Review: Creative Projects**
## _**"I felt like a famous star or a celebrity when we were on stage and after when we came out to meet everyone from the audience."** Stories Performer_
As the year began, work was underway on our next significant performance project. We had some external support with the script from Steven Camden, some help with the movement and much more with the sound and stage tech from the team at the REP, but without a doubt one of the best things about this year's performance was that it was very much the group's own creation. As “In the Shadow of the Trees” came together, it told the stories they wanted to tell, in the ways they wanted them told. Every idea, the overarching themes and all the little details came from within the group. Creative writing and performance talent, confidence, collaboration and leadership skills emerged, sometimes in unexpected people. After a small, intimate performance during Refugee Week, we performed to hundreds of school students in July 2023, in the main theatre at the REP and it was beautiful!
_**"It was a very inspirational story. The stories were very heart warming and were portrayed beautifully They will do good in the world.”** School pupil, audience member_
There were other smaller creative projects during the year too, including a photography and poetry project “You can see me, but I don’t exist” which included an exhibition at the Library of Birmingham as well as two performances bringing together texts from Shakespeare with texts we had written.
_**"Thank you for the invite. It was a lovely opportunity for our children to experience the stories of people who come to the UK to seek refuge."** Teacher, audience member._
By the end of the year we were hard at work devising and writing our next performance piece. The REP had chosen the theme “Love and Rebellion” for their festival and we were in our element ... but more on that next year!
_**" Seeing the show awoke a lot of emotions in me. I feel very proud when I saw my friends perform.”** Stories Participant, Audience member_
## **Our Impact: a few statistics**
**78 adult participants**
**37 newcomers**
**32 accompanying children**
**32 nationalities**
**77 sessions 20 other trips and activities**
**Every participant who completed our evaluation* could identify positive impacts of the charity on their lives**
_**"Stories of Hope and Home gives me courage to tell my stories, and being heard by many different people. “** Stories of Hope and Home Participant_
_**"My time with the group has been life-affirming and such a privilege: I feel so lucky to be a part of the Stories family - it is such an honour to support the work of amplifying the voices of those with lived experience.”** Volunteer_
_*33 participants completed the evaluation. Identified benefits included improved mental well-being, more confidence, ability to access support, a sense of belonging, feeling able to make a difference, and developing new skills._
## **Our Impact: a few statistics**
**36 school 23 new schools visits visited for the**
**30 different first time schools**
**5800 students (approx) 10 other encounters**
**27 Stories participants involved in school visits and other encounters**
_We asked schools to sum up their encounters in three words: this is what they said:_
**100% of schools said they would like to work with us again 100% of schools were able to identify actions they had taken in response to the encounter**
_**"These visits are invaluable in moving past media headlines and damaging language and supporting pupils, and staff, in recognising the human experiences of others."** Teacher_
## **Who's who**
## **Trustees**
Tawasol Abdelsamad, Musharraf Abdullayeva, Emma Birks, Helena Madden and James Trewby.
## **Staff**
The charity employs a part-time (0.6FTE) Project Manager, Stephanie Neville. Since March 2024, we have appointed a project assistant (0.2FTE), Rebecca Lonergan.
## **Volunteers**
We have been very grateful for the commitment of our regular volunteer, Hannah Lonergan.
## **With Thanks**
We are grateful to all our funders, partners and everyone who supports us in different ways to make what we do possible, including:
- Our funders: _(including funding received before April 2023 which continued to support our work during this year)_
- The National Lottery, The Congregation of the Passion, Westhill Foundation, MSN fund, Hilden fund, Jesuit Fund for Social Justice, Birmingham City Council, Ben and Jerry’s Foundation
- the schools and organisations who have donated or fundraised for us
- the individual donors whose one-off or regular contributions have been so important to us
- The Church at Carrs Lane and Birmingham REP who host our regular sessions.
- All who have collaborated on projects with us during the year: Asylum Matters, The Columban Missionaries, Birmingham REP, Gignoux Photos, Celebrating Sanctuary, St Cassian's Centre,
- The Birmingham Schools Of Sanctuary Network and all the schools who have invited us or engaged with us.
## **Contact Details**
If you are interested in learning more about Stories of Hope and Home, joining the project, or collaborating with us in some way, we'd love to hear from you!
info@storiesofhome.org.uk
07598922095
## **Financial Summary**
## **Income**
_approved by the independent examiner_
|**Income**|_approved by_|_the indepen_|_ent examiner_|
|---|---|---|---|
||**restricted**|**unrestricted**|**Total**|
|Grants|17900|18000|35900|
|Donations and gifts|175|7749|7924|
|Other|431|2826|3257|
|Total Income|18506|28575|47081|
## **Expenditure**
|**Expenditure**||
|---|---|
|Staffing|14380|
|Travel and Subsistence|2694|
|Equipment, materials, resources and refreshments|1243|
|Activity Costs (including room hire)|3411|
|Other|752|
|Total Expenditure|**22480**|
Balance at 31/03/2023: £42,401
_**Our full financial report is available separately on request.**_
||**Stories of Hope and Home**
**Charity Name**|**Stories of Hope and Home**
**Charity Name**|**Stories of Hope and Home**
**Charity Name**|**1195224**
**No (if any)**|**1195224**
**No (if any)**|**1195224**
**No (if any)**|**CC16a**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**For the period**
**from**|01/04/2023
Period start date|**To**||31/03/2024
Period end date|||
|||||||||
|**Section A Receipts and payments**||||||||
|**A1 Receipts**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest**
**£**
**18,000**
**7,749**
**1,541**
**-**
**-**
**890**
**70**
**225**
**100**
**28,575**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**28,575**
**9,146**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**2,641**
**192**
**239**
**34**
**287**
**12,540**
**415**
**-**
**415**
**12,955**
**15,620**
**-**
**13,032**
**28,652**|**Restricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**17,900**
**175**
**-**
**250**
**181**
**-**
**-**
**18,506**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**18,506**
**5,234**
**2,694**
**458**
**786**
**345**
**425**
**-**
**9,940**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**9,940**
**8,566**
**-**
**5,184**
**13,749**|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**||**Total funds**
**to the nearest £**
**35,900**
**7,924**
**1,541**
**250**
**181**
**890**
**70**
**225**
**100**
**47,081**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**47,081**
**14,380**
**2,694**
**458**
**786**
**345**
**3,066**
**192**
**239**
**34**
**287**
**22,480**
**415**
**-**
**415**
**22,895**
**24,186**||**Last year**
**to the nearest £**|
|Grants|**18,000**||||||**21,000**|
|Dontions andgifts|**7,749**||||||**7,244**|
|Gift Aid|**1,541**||||||**542**|
|Payments for participation in Festivals of
Encounter|**-**||||||**1,150**|
|Payment of travel costs for encounter
visits|**-**||||||**1,215**|
|Payments for workshops and
performances|**890**||||||**670**|
|Book Sales|**70**||||||**425**|
|Interest|**225**|||||||
|Misc|**100**||||||**-**|
|**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for_
_AR)_|**28,575**||||||**32,246**|
|||||||||
|**A2 Asset and investment sales,**
**(see table).**||||||||
||**-**|||||||
||**-**||||||**-**|
|**_Sub total_**|**-**||||||**-**|
|**_Total receipts_**
**A3 Payments**||||||||
||||||||**32,246**|
|||||||||
|Staffing|**9,146**||||||**9,554**|
|Travel costs|**-**||||||**3,055**|
|Equipment,material and resources|**-**||||||**100**|
|Refreshments|**-**||||||**275**|
|Room hire|||||||**250**|
|Activitycosts|**2,641**||||||**3,295**|
|Public liabilityinsurance|**192**||||||**192**|
|Payroll Costs|**239**||||||**120**|
|Website and domain name|**34**||||||**82**|
|Other / misc|**287**||||||**100**|
|**_Sub total_ **|**12,540**||||||**17,024**|
|||||||||
|**A4 Asset and investment**
**purchases, (see table)**||||||||
|**Laptop forproject manager**|**415**|||||||
||**-**|||||||
|**_Sub total_ **|**415**||||||**-**|
|**_Total payments_**
**_Net of receipts/(payments)_**
**A5 Transfers between funds**
**A6 Cash funds last year end**
**_Cash funds this year end_**||||||||
||||||||**17,024**|
|||||||||
||**15,620**|**8,566**|**-**||
**24,186**||**15,222**|
||**-**|**-**|**-**||**-**||**-**|
||**13,032**|**5,184**|**-**||**18,215**||**2,993**|
||**28,652**|**13,749**|**-**||**42,401**||**18,215**|
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
19/08/2024
1
|**Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**|**Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**|**Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**||
|---|---|---|---|
|**Categories**
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees
**B1 Cash funds**
**B2 Other monetary assets**
**B4 Assets retained for the**
**charity’s own use**
**B5 Liabilities**
**B3 Investment assets**|Signature
**Details**
**Details**
Laptop
Bus ticket stock (90 adult daysavers
purchased at £3.80 each)
Current account
Instant access savings
Fixed term savings account
**Details**
**Details**
**_Total cash funds_**
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))
**Details**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**2,176**
**-**
**18,476**
**13,749**
**8,000**
**-**
**28,652**
**13,749**
OK
OK
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
general
**415**
travel
**342**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**liability relates**
**Amount due**
**(optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
Print Name|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||OK|
||||**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**Current value**
**(optional)**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**Current value**
**(optional)**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**When due**
**(optional)**|
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||||Date of
approval|
|||||
|||||
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
19/08/2024
2
## **Independent examiner's report on the accounts**
## **Section A Independent Examiner’s Report**
**Report to the trustees/** Stories of Hope and Home **members of On accounts for the year** March 31[st] 2024 **Charity no** 1195224 **ended (if any) Set out on pages** 13-14 (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 31/03/2023.
- **Responsibilities and** As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation **basis of report** of the 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 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:
- accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
- the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
**Signed: Date:** 03/9/24 **Name:** Chris Clements **Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): Address:** 49 St Bernards Road Solihull B92 7AX
**October 2018**
1
**IER**