Christadelphian Aid to Refugees and Asylum Seekers (CARA) (Charity 1199446)
Annual Report for April 2023 to March 2024
The Trustees of Christadelphian Aid to Refugees and Asylum Seekers (‘CARA’) are pleased to present their first Annual Report of the Charity, for the period to 31 March 2024.
Structure and Governance
The Charity, a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (Foundation CIO), was approved by the Charity Commission on 24th June 2022, with the registration number 1199446.
The founding Trustees of the Charity were drawn together from the UK Christadelphian community, each of them bringing direct experience of asylum seeker support, wider charity governance expertise and specific skills required to lead a new organisation. We thank Gordon Dawes for his work as Interim Chair and grateful he continues as a Trustee. We have appointed Andrew Wood to act as new Chair.
There is now a stable group of Trustees and advisors, including two refugees granted Leave to Remain in the UK. We continue to search for Trustees with lived experience as a refugee/Asylum Seeker to provide real insight and balance to our deliberations and decisions, as well as church members with talents that will enhance our Charity.
The Trustees and other committee members met as a Managing Committee once a month, to progress the development and work of the Charity. A considerable amount of work was done via email and Zoom calls between each meeting.
The Managing Committee initiated roles and responsibilities of Trustees in relation to the Charity, and to deploy skills and competencies in relation to the requirements of the Charity and current Charity Commission guidance.
The skills and suitability of applicants for future Trustee roles and committee member roles will be assessed against the anticipated strategic needs of the Charity going forward, a skills matrix and an interview with the trustees. Vacancies will be advertised via appropriate channels through the UK Christadelphian community, to maximise experience and encourage diversity. Prospective trustees and members of the Managing Committee will be encouraged to attend at least two meetings as observers, before formal commitments are made by both the individual and the Charity. Trustee appointments will be on four year terms, and no trustee will serve more than 12 years in total, as per Charity Commission guidance.
The Trustees and other committee members give their time voluntarily and, other than reimbursement of any approved, out of pocket expenses, receive no remuneration or other benefits from their role.
Objectives and Activities
In planning our activities for the year, we kept in mind the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit. The focus of our activities is, as per our registration:
- The provision of grants and other support to UK Christadelphian ecclesias (churches) so that they may relieve the financial hardship of refugees, asylum seekers and those granted Leave
to Remain, and their families, in their locality in particular through the provision of services including but not limited to, English classes, transport costs to and from church activities, food costs and hospitality associated with church work, purchase of basic essentials, costs of seeking accommodation including transport, a bed, cooking and cleaning materials, and advice and support on education, qualifications and job search, and accessing essential public services.
- To advance the education of the community in general about the issues relating to refugees, asylum seekers and those granted Leave to Remain, via upkeep of a website, production of bulletins, webinars and online presentations and the provision of support via phone and other media.
CARA is working to underpin the work of over 100 ecclesias (churches) supporting the still-increasing numbers of both members and non-members seeking asylum. CARA will focus on those churches which are starting to run short of their own resources. Most seeking asylum arrive with very little, receive strictly limited money and are not allowed to work.
Our churches, now with CARA grants in support where needed, will be able to continue to provide some basics - supplemental food, clothing, essential care and other basic needs for those who have come to us.
CARA is also developing a digital library of resources to assist the support of refugees, and a network of skills and experience in this work to help ecclesias respond to this important work.
Achievements and performance
We are continuing have an impact on our objective to relieve the financial hardships on the daunting task of navigating a new life in a foreign land. Over the last year we have:
Developed guidance notes to assist our churches across the country on how to deal with homelessness when leave to remain acceptance has been granted at short notice to our contacts.
We continue to fund smaller churches where the ratio between members and contacts is a challenge to support with basic needs like food, Clothing and medicine, Including school uniforms.
We have funded blessing bags (basic need hampers) in winter months to help alleviate hardship in a period when we celebrate joy at Christmas time.
We have developed a new website to keep updated with the requirements of our Charity.
We continue to build relationships with our churches to make sure that they are aware that funds are available to assist when needed
The economic and politic landscape within the UK in the upcoming year is going to be challenging for our churches and we anticipate deportation, further homelessness and employment issues for our Asylum Seekers/ and Refugees. We are preparing ourselves as Trustees to deal with the challenges and develop plans to continue this necessary work.
Financial Review
In the period ended 31[st] March 2024 the Charity received income of £43,480 and made expenditure of £8,118 (£5,551 grants).
As at 31st March 2024 the Charity held net assets of £84,558 represented by bank balances.
Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees report set out above.
Signed on behalf of the Charity’s Trustees
Andrew Wood
Chair
Date 20[th] September 2024
| CHRISTADELPHIAN AID FOR REFUGEES AND | CHRISTADELPHIAN AID FOR REFUGEES AND | 1199446 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASYLUM SEEKERS(CARA) | |||
| Receipts and payments accounts | CC16a | ||
| 01/04/2023 For the period from |
To | 31/03/2024 |
| Section A Receipts and payments | Section A Receipts and payments | Section A Receipts and payments | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ |
Total funds to the nearest £ |
Last year to the nearest £ |
||||
| DONATIONS | 42,336 | - | - | 42,336 | 53,853 | ||||
| BANK INTEREST | 1,144 | - | - | 1,144 | - | ||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) |
43,480 | - | - | 43,480 | 53,853 | ||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
|||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| Sub total | - | - | |||||||
| Total receipts A3 Payments |
|||||||||
| 53,853 | |||||||||
GRANTS(UK) |
5,551 | 4,250 | |||||||
| BANK CHARGES | 82 | 43 | |||||||
| INTERNET CHARGES | 46 | 334 | |||||||
| WEB DESIGN | 2,400 | - | |||||||
| TRANSLATION COSTS | 39 | - | |||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| **Sub total ** | 8,118 | 4,627 | |||||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
|||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| **Sub total ** | - | - | |||||||
| Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end |
|||||||||
| 4,627 | |||||||||
| 35,362 | - | - | 35,362 | 49,226 | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| 49,226 | - | - | 49,226 | - | |||||
| 84,588 | - | - | 84,588 | 49,226 |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
20/09/2024
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 | 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 | 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 B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B1 Cash funds B2 Other monetary assets B5 Liabilities B3 Investment assets |
Details Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) BANK ACCOUNTS |
Unrestricted funds to nearest £ 84,588 - - 84,588 OK Unrestricted funds to nearest £ |
Restricted funds to nearest £ - - - - OK Restricted funds to nearest £ |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|||
| - | |||||||
| - | |||||||
| - | |||||||
| - | |||||||
| OK | |||||||
| Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|||||||
| - - - - - |
- | - | |||||
| - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | |||||
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (optional) | Current value (optional) |
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| - | - | ||||||
| - | - | ||||||
| - | - | ||||||
| - | - | ||||||
| - | - | ||||||
| Details Details |
Fund to which asset belongs Fund to which liability relates |
Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - Amount due (optional) |
Current value (optional) |
||||
| - | |||||||
| - | |||||||
| - | |||||||
| - | |||||||
| - | |||||||
| - | |||||||
| - | |||||||
| - | |||||||
| - | |||||||
| When due (optional) |
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| - | |||||||
| - | |||||||
| - | |||||||
| - | |||||||
| - | |||||||
| Signature | Print Name RICHARD CHERRY |
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| Date of approval |
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| RICHARD CHERRY | 20/09/2024 | ||||||
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
20/09/2024
2
Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
Report to the trustees/ Charity Name CHRISTADELPHIAN AID FOR REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS (CARA) members of On accounts for the year 31[st] March 2024 Charity no 1199446 ended (if any) Set out on pages 1-2
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/03/2024
- 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 (other than that disclosed below *) 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.
- Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.
| Signed: Name: Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: |
NR Sutcliffe | 06/09/24 |
|---|---|---|
| Neil Sutcliffe | ||
| Fellow of Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales | ||
| 10 Park Lane, Penwortham | ||
| Preston, Lancashire | ||
| PR1 9JB |
October 2018
IER
1
Section B Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight 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 .
Everything appears to be in order
October 2018
IER
2