REGISTERED CHARITY NO : 1201825
HEART Annual Report 2023/24
Supporting those most in need in our community
Welcome
Hastings and St.Leonards experience widespread poverty and deprivation This report shows the profound impact we had in helping people in need over the last year, all thanks to supporters like you
Hastings Emergency Action Response Team (HEART) was founded in March 2020 to assist people cope with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and manage to stay healthy and well throughout prolonged periods of national lockdown.
As the pandemic eased, the organisation recognised that many of the most vulnerable in our community continued to experience considerable hardship and that much of the work the organisation had been undertaking throughout the pandemic was still much needed.
Since then, the organisation has grown considerably, both in terms of the range of services we provide, and in the scale of the numbers of people we support each year. Further, to aid this growth, in 2023 we became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered with the Charity Commission no.1201825 in recognition of the work we and our volunteers undertake in the community.
This year, we have built on the work of previous years, refining and focusing our services on areas where we truly feel we can have the greatest impact.
Hastings Emergency
Action Response Team
A year of transformation
Lorraine Roberts Chair of Trustees
With the country still reeling from a pandemic, years of austerity and now, a cost-ofliving crisis, belts are tighter than ever. All three hit Hastings hard.
The impact has meant the demand for the kind of support HEART provides has never been higher. At the same time, the challenge to secure funds to provide that support has never been greater.
Thus far, the Charity has weathered the storm. But with costs rising all the time, we are constantly having to come up with new ways to finance the organisation to support the community’s growing needs.
In late 2023, the National Lottery Communities Fund awarded HEART a significant development grant to enable us to transform the Charity into the organisation it is today. Based on a detailed action plan, it has helped strengthen the organisation in its working practices, helped developed its capacity, and generated the awareness we needed to sustain our work and grow the support we provide.
Our Community Info Hub in Hastings Town Hall has become a key asset for the town, providing a free, drop-in support and information service for anyone seeking help with debts, housing issues, health challenges, digital challenges, social or legal problems and much more. We’ve been delighted as more and more partner organisations have joined us there, helping us realise the vision of a multi-service hub for all the community.
We continue to provide our other services too, transporting hundreds of people each year to urgent NHS appointments, carrying out shopping trips for people who can’t get out, or need assistance with finding help and support from other organisations.
With your support, we will continue to grow and help even more people in our community to overcome the challenges they face.
Working together for everyone
We are an apolitical charity that works hard to be accessible to all members of the community that may need our support or want to volunteer. Making sure our core values of inclusivity run through everything we do - how we communicate, our volunteer guidelines, help-request form, call-back phone line and website.
Everyone involved, from our Trustees, our management team, our staff and, most importantly, our volunteers are drawn from the very community we seek to support – we live their challenges and understand the difficulties so many in our community face.
Where support already exists, we will help people access it. Where it doesn’t, we collaborate with partners to create new services.
We have been heartened by the continued support we have received from so many individuals, funding bodies and partner organisations who recognise the importance of what we do.
We know many challenges lie ahead, both for our community and for our organisation. We also know that by working together we can find solutions that make us more resilient and sustainable with better outcomes for our beneficiaries.
Hastings
Our Impact
OUT IN THE COMMUNITY
assignments 249 undertaken
164 NHS transport assignments 220 people attending social inclusion cafe
partner leaflets 8000 distributed data breaches 0 0 complaints received
VISION A thriving, sustainable community MISSION To provide relief and support to people in need
KEY STATISTICS
THE INFO HUB
2900 volunteer hoursrecorded
enquiries 2320 supported
increase in referrals 55% from agencies
people digitally 834 included 498 people supportedwith health training days with 357 partners
presentations to 28 partners 8 festivals & events attended
visits including 3900 special events
social media followers
4338
Action
The Community Info Hub
The Hub opened in October 2022 intially as a three-month Pilot project after in-depth research into the low take-up of Covid-19 vaccinations in Hastings. This revealed a broad range of other issues affecting the health and wellbeing of people in the town, from being able to access financial advice, coping with stress or mental health issues, to getting back into exercise or seeing friends.
At the same time, many support services had either been forced, or had for other reasons decided to close offices and provide access online to people needing help, advice or information.
The trouble was people didn’t know where to go.
Today, the Community Info Hub has firmly established itself as the one of the main first points of contact for anyone seeking help or support in the town.
Based in Hastings Town Hall it offers a central, accessible and welcoming drop-in service for thousands of people every year, whether they are visitors simply seeking information about where to go or what to do, people needing help to get online or make new connections in the town, right through to people experiencing significant challenges with health, benefits, finances or legal issues.
And it does so at scale. This year, some 2320 enquiries have been managed at the Hub, with one in six taking up to an hour to resolve and one in 20 taking up to two.
Moreover, the numbers are going up every month. 2023/24 saw an 18% increase in enquiries year-on-year.
Yet every visitor receives the same response – no need for an appointment, a friendly ear to listen to people’s challenges, and a thoughtful and caring approach to finding a solution specific to each person’s request.
By keeping track of every enquiry made at the Hub, Heart can also identify trends in the type of issues people are facing in the town.
visitors this year 2320 so far
Action
Perhaps not surprisingly, the biggest area where people are needing support is with money matters – with one in every four enquiries in 2023/24 seeking information or support with managing debts, energy bills, pensions or benefits.
visits require 3 in 5 digital help
But other fields are just as significant, with one in every five enquiries being about transport, applying for bus passes, taxi licenses or accessing Heart’s own key service providing free transport for people struggling to get to urgent NHS appointments.
Unfortunately, this year has seen a significant increase in the numbers of people experiencing challenges with housing, some 18% in all, whether dealing with issues with their existing social or private landlords or facing eviction notices and needing to get on the housing register to keep a roof over their heads.
But it is in enabling people to be more digitally included where the Hub really takes a lead.
As more and more services go online, and the world moves truly into a digital age, huge numbers are left behind whether because they can’t afford the equipment to get online or – more commonly – they lack the skills or confidence to access the internet without a bit of help.
Today, 3 in every five enquiries require digital help – some 834 people in total in 2023/24. Each one sees our Hub advisors help people get online, taking them step-by-step through the processes involved, either by using a visitor’s own smartphone or tablet or turning the laptop round to show them how to find information, fill in a form, or learn how to manage online at home.
Action
Helping people locate and access the services they may need, or supporting them because they’ve been told to visit the Hub to get the support they require means working with a huge range of service partners.
Not only does the Hub display leaflets and information from a comprehensive spectrum of organisations, our desk advisors and volunteers are trained in knowing precisely which organisation offers what kind of service, whom it is aimed at, and how people can access it.
It also involves helping people by making referrals to those services, either by contacting them direct, filling in a form, providing them with a leaflet or printing off information for them to read at home.
As awareness of the Hub has grown, so too have the number of organisations referring for people to the Hub to get the help or support they might need. Of these, by far the most significant is the town’s own local authority, Hastings Borough Council. Whether it be help with registering with the Council’s online service portal, filling in a council tax exemption or reduction form, or applying for social housing, the Hub is increasingly providing a key support service for a local authority itself struggling to meet the demands placed upon it.
Others now recognise the Hub support’s offer. Citizens Advice, Adult Social Care, the Hastings Advice & Resource Centre, Orbit and Southern Housing Associations and the NHS Social Prescribing teams – all now regularly refer people to visit the Hub to talk to our advisors and get the help they need, whatever their particular challenge may be.
We know it works. While many visitors might just be passing and thought they’d drop in, today nearly a third of people using the Hub have been before, either because they still need help with the challenge they might be having, or because they have a new issue to resolve.
Response
Developing a multi service hub
Central to the philosophy of the Community Info Hub is the concept that people can access all sorts of different help from one place. In 2023/24, we’ve been delighted to see this truly become a reality.
From its launch, people needing help with their health challenges has been a key feature of the Hub’s work. Even though the Hub was forced to close for a period (see below)199 people received support from our partners One You East Sussex in 2023/24, accessing everything from weight loss clinics, stop smoking help, controlling their alcohol intake and free NHS health checks
In May, national charity Macmillan Cancer Support opened a new Community Information Service Hub in the facility – the first of its kind in the country.
With a host of information leaflets and trained volunteer help, the service is aimed to help anyone affected by cancer in Hastings to meet someone face to face to talk about their concerns and find the right kind of support they might need – locally or nationally across the huge Macmillan support network.
In April, the Hastings Library of Things moved to the Hub too. With a growing membership base, this popular service has over 100 items of equipment to borrow, use and return to be used again, including power tools, hand tools, kids fancy dress, camping gear, wheelchairs, folding tables and even a chocolate fountain! On
Fridays, its parent organisation, Umbrella Sussex, also runs “Make and Mend”, where people can bring along a loved, if tired item to get help with repairing it, from teddies to backpacks.
Response
A Band of Brothers is an award-wining charity helping young men grow and develop, matching mentors with young men in the community to consider and move towards the adult man they wish to be. With locations across the country, they now use the Info Hub as a relaxed, informal space for mentors to meet the young men they are seeking to support, brokering those all-important first discussions in their journeys.
Heart has worked closely with Citizens Advice 1066 since it launched, and we particularly appreciate all the support they have given us over the years. However, the growing number of referrals the Hub was making to the organisation for people seeking advice and help on everything from benefits to legals issues has now led them to placing an advisor at the Hub to meet and talk with clients face-to-face, and cope with the growing demand for this key service in the town.
2024 will also be the third year Heart has collaborated with Citizens Advice in rolling out its winter pressures initiative to help people cope with energy bills and the cost-of-living crisis. Its “keep warm and well” campaign provides a range of support for people struggling to pay bills and the Hub recently hosted a special Energy Day to train key workers and let the public learn more about the support available.
training days with 357 partners
Response
Events and the training room
The Hub’s central location, its accessibility and its flexible spaces lend themselves to holding community events also, and 2023/24 saw over 500 people attending the various events staged.
From its official launch in October 23, the facility also hosted the ‘Kickstart 2024’ event for Orbit Housing bringing together a wide range of social housing and support organisations, the ‘Hastings is no place for hate’ event which saw over 200 people attending to meet groups supporting Hastings’ LGBTQ+ community and the Heart Xmas Fayre where charities and not-for profit groups were invited to come along for some festive fun, tell people about what they do and raise money in the process.
The Hub’s facilities also provide an ideal location for community meetings and a growing range of training activities, whether in the main hub room, its private consultation rooms or its fully equipped training room which hosted 357 training days in 2023/24.
In October 23, Heart’s partner the Eastbourne-based Tech Resort held two highly popular free coding sessions for young people to learn how to programme and run Lego robots in half term-time.
The training room has also hosted the town’s Community Response Hub meetings, training for minority ethnic carers, the local Food Network and a series of week-long training courses for the unemployed to acquire all-important online skills to equip them for work, led by the DWP.
Action
Our Amazing Volunteers
164 of those assignments involved transporting people free of charge to urgent NHS appointments – people without transport for whom, without help, might miss a key appointment for their health and wellbeing and which, for the NHS, would cost thousands in missed appointments.
From its early days, Heart’s community support has depended hugely on the incredible work of its volunteers.
Whether providing vital extra capacity at the Community Info Hub or working out in the community to help people struggling across the town, it is the work of volunteers which has made Heart what it is today. We, and many in the community, owe them a debt of gratitude.
The service, known as ‘Road Runners’, can make a critical difference in people’s lives. For example, local treatment for
2023/24 saw over 1400 hours of volunteer work undertaken at the Info Hub alone, 498 separate assignments undertaken in the community – rom shopping to collecting medications – as well as twenty events held for Heart’s “Get Chatting” meetings where people experiencing loneliness and isolation would be transported to the events by volunteers and then taken back home afterwards.
people suffering from glaucoma, cataracts or macular degeneration is carried out in nearby Bexhill. However, getting there can mean four separate journeys on public transport if you live in Hastings, two of them frequently after short-term sight-impairing treatment. Heart volunteers take people door-to-door, making sure they get there on time and back home safely, all free of charge.
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volunteers and then taken back home afterwards.
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Sometimes, we’re able to recognise their support, recommending them as Volunteers of the Year for awards from the town’s Voluntary & Community Service Organisation, Hastings Voluntary Action. But we owe them all a fantastic thank you: without their time, dedication and willingness to help, Heart simply couldn’t exist.
assignments out in the 498 community
Team
Responding to emergencies
When a major water main burst in May 2024, 31,000 properties in Hastings saw their water supply cut off for days. Worse, the issue occurred over one of the busiest weekends of the year for the town – the annual Mayday Bank Holiday motorcycle run and the popular Jack in the Green festival, attracting thousands of visitors to the town.
Within hours, Heart had sprung into action, deploying volunteers to help out at Southern Water distribution points handing out hundreds of bottles of water to queuing motorists.
The year saw multiple emergencies, with the town centre flooding for the second time in October 2023, causing shops, roads and railways to close, houses to be evacuated and Heart’s own Community Info Hub to shut its doors due to the inundation.
As a result, the charity has set up a dedicated Emergency Responders team with support from the Sussex Community Resilience Fund – volunteers willing to be called on to help the emergency services with evacuations, handing out food and blankets at evacuation centres, information to the community and follow-up support to victims to help them get back on their feet.
Emergency
Focusing on health and wellbeing
For an organisation set up to support people in a pandemic, it’s no surprise that Heart continues to help wherever it can to improve the health and wellbeing of our community.
In addition to our collaboration with partners like One You East Sussex and Macmillan Cancer Support at the Info Hub, 2023/24 saw the charity deliver three further programmes to help people live healthier, happier lives.
The Core20Plus5 programme is a national NHS initiative that aims to reduce health inequalities focused on the 20% of the population with the highest socioeconomic inequality, the groups that experience poorer access and outcomes most (particularly coastal communities) and in the five key clinical areas most
likely to reduce life expectancy, including cancer, respiratory diseases mental health and hypertension.
Heart has helped deliver the programme through our Community Info Hub, and the results can be profound, as detailed in the case study described on the next page.
In June 2023, we reported on a major study the charity had been commissioned to undertake for the new NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board. The study involved 200 participants from diverse parts of the community to help identify key influences in healthy lifestyle decision-making and some of the inequalities and barriers they may face.
The results were profound, revealing that while many do Borcelle not report any particular barrier to engaging with healthcare provision, a significant majority still do.
"What would make you more likely to access services and think about your health?"
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4% [2] [1]
10%
33%
18%
33.2%
31%
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Face to face services
Regular NHS health checks
More services in my local area More information
Access to appointments
Transport
Fun activities and social events
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Response
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Core20Plus5 Case Study – Josh 40 years old
On his first visit to the Community Info Hub, Josh sat down and talked about the financial and housing issues he had been struggling with and the stress of living in temporary accommodation. He was told about CA1066, HARC, and the Core20Plus5 Case Study – Josh, 40 years old benefit calculator available online which he could try using on one of the Hub computers. He quickly realised the Hub In his first visit to the Community Info Hub, Josh sat down with one of our Volunteer Connectors and talked about the financial and housing is a welcome, friendly space where he could chat openly and have a cup of tea. issues he had been struggling with and the stress of living in temporary accommodation. He was told about CAB, HARC, and the benefit calculator available online – which he could try using on one of the Hub computers. He quickly realised the Hub is a welcome, friendly space where he could The next time he came in he had no food or money for the weekend and was in the process of arranging a food bank chat openly and have a cup of tea. voucher through Hastings Borough Council. We arranged for one of HEART’s volunteer drivers who agreed to pick up The next time he came in he had no food or money for the weekend and was in the process of arranging a food bank voucher through Hastings and deliver the food parcel that day. He also started opening up about his debts and was put in touch with CAP and Borough Council. The Connector contacted one of HEART’s volunteer drivers who agreed to pick up and deliver the food parcel that day. He also CA1066 for financial advice. started opening up about his debts and was put in touch with CAP and CA1066 for financial advice. The stress had taken a toll on Josh’s mental health and it was clear that he was struggling. He was receiving counselling through Health in Mind The stress had taken a toll on Josh’s mental health and it was clear that he was struggling. He was receiving but wasn’t sure he could continue since they were changing location. The Connector discussed other options like free counselling through counselling through Health in Mind but wasn’t sure he could continue since they were changing location. So we discussed other options like free counselling through Counselling Plus or paid for sessions with Hastings Therapy Counselling Plus or paid for sessions with Hastings Therapy Centre. Centre. At his next visit, Josh shared the good news he’s likely to get a flat through social housing very soon (after being on the waiting list for 5years!). He was still worried he wouldn’t get it due to his debts, and wanted to see if anyone could help him to prepare for the call to talk about his finances so he was then given the contact details for BHT Hastings Advice Centre for free legal housing advice. It seemed very much like Josh was turning a At his next visit, Josh shared the good news he’s likely to get a flat through social housing very soon (after being on the waiting list for 5years!). He was still worried he wouldn’t get it due to his debts, and wanted to see if anyone could new leaf in his life, trying to get help where available. help him to prepare for the call to talk about his finances so he was then given the contact details for BHT Hastings Josh came a few more times, just to hide from the rain or to sit there for a bit while waiting to meet his friend. It shows how safe and well-treated Advice Centre for free legal housing advice. It seemed very much like Josh was turning a new leaf in his life, trying to he felt at the Hub, which can be hugely important for persons living in temporary accommodation, struggling with their mental health and not get help where available. always feeling secure.
Josh came a few more times, just to hide from the rain or to sit there for a bit while waiting to meet his friend. It shows how safe and well-treated he felt at the Hub, which can be hugely important for persons living in temporary accommodation, struggling with their mental health and not always feeling secure.
Throughout much of the year, Heart also ran its popular Chatty Café events to help people experiencing loneliness and/or isolation meet up every fortnight in a local café to make new friends and re-build the kind of social networks so many of us take for granted.
Over 200 people attended the year’s 20 café events staged during the year with many attendees being helped to get there by heart volunteer drivers.
Men’s health is also a key field where Heart gets stuck in and 2023/24 was no different.
In November, Heart co-founder Alastair Fairley teamed up with Hastings Chamber of Commerce to raise over £700 for the annual Movember men’s health charity by getting sponsorship to grow moustaches in the month. Alastair also went out on the road to promote awareness of male cancers, reaching over 2000 people in the town with stalls at Hastings United FC, quiz nights and other events
The charity also collaborates with the Mr.Hastings & St.Leonards Project hosted by Hastings Voluntary Action founded to address the issue locally that men in the town’s most socially deprived areas are expected to live over 11 years shorter than men in more affluent areas.
The Project bases its work on the belief that men in Hastings & St.Leonards will be healthier, happier and live longer if they are in strong, supportive and well-connected communities, and supports men to get together and talk about what matters to them.
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Chatty
Cafe
220 attendees
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Action
A big heart but a small team
Kim Batty is one of Heart’s co-founders and its principal co-ordinator. Kim now also chairs the town’s Community Response Hub meetings and is a key member of the Hastings Community Network Executive which brings together organisations from all over Hastings to enable communications between the voluntary and community sector and who make decisions locally.
Alastair Fairley co-founded Heart with Kim and is now its fundraising and finance lead. A writer and journalist, Alastair is an experienced fundraiser and former member of the SE regional committee of the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Liz Johnson a former system’s analyst is Heart’s information technology specialist. After running a successful ski transfer business in France, Liz now uses her tech experience to keep Heart’s databases and financial systems in tip-top order.
Laura Matthews is Heart’s Volunteer Network Co-ordinator. A successful TV, film and theatre actress, Laura brings her bubbly personality to the fore when matching Heart’s amazing volunteer team to support people in the community.
Maria Piechocka is Heart’s Community Info Hub Manager. A multi-linguist she is also a qualified practising therapist, and has been a driving force in making the Info Hub the welcoming, yet highly professional initiative it is today.
Katrina Palumbo is Heart’s latest addition to the team. Working at the Community Info Hub as a Desk Advisor, Katrina’s welcoming smile and easy manner is matched by a professional, caring approach to helping clients visiting the Hub find precisely the support or information they need.
Team
REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: CE031309 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1201825 REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE PERIOD 3 FEBRUARY 2023 TO 31 MAY 2024 FOR HASTINGS EMERGENCY ACTION RESPONSE TEAM Ashdown Hurrey Chartered Accountants & Business Advlsers 20 Havelock Road Hastlngs East Sussex TN34 1BP
HASTINGS EMERGENCY ACTION RESPONSE TEAM CONTENTS OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE PERIOD 3 FEBRUARY 2023 TO 31 MAY 2024 Page Reference and Admln18traUve Detalls Report of the Tru8tees Independenl Examln6ts Report ststement of Flnanclal Actlvltl88 20 Balance Sheet 11 Notes to the Financlal Statemants 13 D8talled Statem8nt of Flnancial Actlvltles 18
HASTINGS EMERGENCY ACTION RESPONSE TEAM REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS FOR THE PERIOD 3 FEBRUARY 2023 TO 31 MAY 2024 The following people were Trustees of Hastings Emergency Action Response Team CIO on the date of approval of this report or seryed as a Trustee during the reportlng period. Nam• Role Appolnted By Date of flrst appolntment Date of r•tiroment Lorraine Roberts Chalr El8Ctlon at Inaugural meetlng Feb 2023 David Easterby Trustee Electlon at Inaugural meetlng Feb 2023 Lesley (Leah) Levane Secretary Election at inaugural meetlng Feb 2023 Dawn Dublln Trustee Electlon at Snaugural meetlng Feb 2023 Feb 2024 Llz Crew Trustee Co-optlon June 2024 Tru•lae• The Trustees of th8 Charlty are a1801ts Members. They are Indlvtduals drawn from the Ioc81 communlty and th8y nomially reslde Sn the dlstrlcts of Hastings & St.Leonards. There is no maximurn limit on the numbar of Trustees which may be appointed but there Is a mlnlmum requlrement for three Trustees to be appointed at any one tlme. As a new Charity, Tru8te8s were appolnted by way of electlon at the tlme of adoptlon of the Constltutlon to serrf8 for a varylng number of years, namely Lgsley (Leah) Levane for an Inltlal three years, Davld Easterby and Lorraine Roberts for two years and Dawn Dublin for one year. On 22nd January, in consSderation of the above. all but three of the TTUSt8es ware automaticalty re-appointed in line with the Constltution. However, Dawn Dublin did not prasent herself for reelection at thls time and, given her appointment in the Constitutlon for only one year, her position as Trustee for the CIO was terminaled. At its meeting of 20th June 2024, the Trustees fornially c(H)Pted a fourth Trustee, Liz Crew, who had agTeed to put her narne forward for election. Golng forward, all four current Trustees will be re-appointed by way of election at the Charitys first AGM on 17th October 2024. In fijture Trustees will seek. or not seek re-election at the Charity's AGM and will serve for one year al a time until re-electlon.
Trustees are entitled to Co-opt additional Trustees at any Trustee meeting provided the number of cmpted Trustees does not exceed one third of the total number of Trustees. No other persons or bodies extsmal to the CIO are entitled to appoint persons to the Trustee Board. A register of Trustees Is available at the Charity Commlssion and is available to the publlc to vl8W. S8nlor Offlcers durfng the yoar Durlng the reportlng period, th8 Trustees delegatsd day-t(Trday management of the charlty to the following personnel. Klm Batty Joint Co-ordlnator & Operatlons & Policl8816ad Alastalr Falrtey Jolnt C(rdInatOr (untll June 2024) & Flnance & Fundra181ng lead COMPANY 8ecRETARY L D Levane REGISTERED OFFice The Magnet Centre Alfred Street St Leonards on Sea East Sussex TN38 OHD REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER 1201825 INDEPENDENT EXAMINER A8hdown HurT8y Chartered Accountants & Business Advl8ers 20 Havelock Road Hastings East Sussex TN34 1BP BANKERS Metrobank PIC Unlt 70171, 59, Arndale Centre Terminus Ro8d Eastboume BN213NW
HAsnNGS EMERGENCY ACTION RESPONSE TEAM (REGISTERED NUMBER: CE031309) REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE PERIOD 3 FEBRUARY 2023 TO 31 MAY 2024 The Trustees have pleasure is presenting thelr Annual Report and financial stslements for the year ended 31 st May 2024. The flnancial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Memorandum and Artlcles of Assoclation. and Accounting and Reporting by Charltles: Statement of Recommended Practice {Char5tles SORP FRS102) effectlve January 2015. INCORPORATION The charitable company was Incorporated on 3 February 2023. OBJECTIVES AND ACTMTIE8 Objectlve8 and alms The Objects of HEART, a8 Set out In Its Constltutlon, are The rellef of those In need by reason of youth, age,111-health, dlsabllSty, financlal hardshSp In the communlty of Hastlngs & St. Leonards for th8 publlc beneflt,. It seeks to achleve the Objects through two power8, namely: a) The wovlslon of a volunteer servlco to provlde practlcal a88nce servlces, support and advlce, transport, compan5onshlplsoGSal interactlon; b) Slgnpo8tSng to approprlate support oryanlsatbns when requlred. In 8Stablishing the charfty. Hearvs Trusteès pald close attentlon Sn Its Objects to the Charlty Commlsslon's gener81 guldanc8 on publlc benefit when reviewing the alms and objectlves for the charftable Incorporaled organisat5on and in planning any futur8 activities. Throughout, Trustees are satlsfied that HEART fully complies wlth the guldance as set out by the Commlsslon. HEARTS services are therefore also con8lstent wlth the achievement of the Objects through a varlety of way8. Flrst, our core service, which formed the initi81 work the organlsation undertook, Involves a range of pradcal support for people in need. Services Include carylng out shopplng for people who cany get out or who are recendy discharged from hospital. transporting people without access to thelr own transport, or who would find the use of publlc transport unafft)rdable due to financial hardship or inaccessible due to dlsability or infirnlty (particularly to NHS appointments), telephone advice. referrals and other Informatlon ft)r people unable to access the charity's Community Info Hub in person, and the provision of access (both physical and through Informallon) to a wide range of companionship andlor social interaction programmes (induding our own) for people who may be experienclng lonellness andlor isolation.
The second field of service has now grown from the first and is largely (though not exduslvely) delivered via the charitys Community Info Hub at Hastings Town Hall. A significant aspect of HEARTS activitles, whlch has continued throughout the reporting period, Is the extent to whlch HEART engages In collaborative projects wlth both statutory and non-ststutory partner organisations, frequently breaking new ground in ten8 of Innovatlve and efficient service delivery. For example, thls reporting period has seen HEART engage with partners including Hastings Borough Council, Hastlngs Voluntary Actlon, the NHS, Cltlzens Advlce 1066. East Sussex County Council, Sussex Reslllence Forum, Sussex Pollce, Sussex Mental Health Action Group. Orblt Houslng, and Ihe Natlonal Digital Incluslon Network. STrUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT Gov•mance The Charlty Is governed by Its Constttution as adopted on 29th July 2022 and amended on 21 st January 2023. Trustees agreed to observe the Charlty Commlssion guidanG8 wlth regard to their duty and responsibilities as Trustees of a Charlty under UK law. Structurn & fonner Incorporatlon as a Company Llmlted by Guarantee Hastings Emergency Actlon Resilience Team (HEART) was established in March 2020 and formally Incorporatsd as a Company Llmlted by Guarantee on 23rd July 2020, company number 12762581. On 3rd February 2023 It changed Its name to Hastlngs Emergency Actlon Response Team (HEART). Thls was also the dat8 of Its first reglstratlon as a Charitable Incorporate Organisatlon wlth the Charltles Commission under the same name. At Its meeting of 23rd February 2023, It was agreed by Trustees of th8 new CIO that th8 Company Limited by Guarantee should continue to operat8 the organisation up until its year end (3110512023) at which time a final Balance Sheet and Year-end Accounts should be drawn up by its accountants. The Company's flnal Balance Sheet and Accounts were presented to the CIO Trustees at Its meetlng of 25th January 2024. The Directors of the Company all attended the Trustee meetlng and agreed formally at thls point to transfer all assets and liabilitSes of the Company to Hastlngs Emergency Actlon Response Team CIO. It was also agreed by Trustees of the CIO to assume those assets and liabilities as transferred with effect from 0110612023. The Company Llmit8d by Guarantee was fonnally struck off from the gISter at Cornpanles House in February 2024. Perlod of Accountlng & Flnanclal year4nd The final accounts of the Company Llmlted by Guarantee were reported to 31 st May 2023. However, while the Trustees of the Charlty formally assumed responsibility for the assets and liabilities of the Company with effect from 0110612023. the official period accounting for the Charitys initial year of operation must start on the date of its registration as a Charitable Incorporats Organisats'on (eg.0310212023)
As a result, the Trustees present these Accounts and Financial Ststements for a period of longer than one year. starting from the date of rts official registration Of 3rd Felxuary 2023 - in other words, a sixteen-month period. On 5th August 2024, the Charity received confimiation from the Charlti8s Commlsslon that its period of accounting and financial year-end was pemiitted to be changed for future years and, for the year 2024125, the financlal year for which accounts should be presentsd will be from 1 st June 2024 to 31st May 2025. Transfer of assets and Ilabllltles to Ihe charlty Those assets belonglng lo the fomier Company Limited by Guarantee (8nd transferred to the charity on 01106123) are Included In the accounts presented here In the field of 'Donations' in the Detalled Statement of Flnanclal Acllvltles. Organlsatlonal Structurn The buSIn& of the charity is managed by tho Trustees who may exerclse all the powers of the charlty. The Trustee Board meets in formal session at least quarterly to determlne overall policy and supervlse the furtherance of the charlty's objects. Where appropriate, the Trustees also dellberate and make decisions by electronic communications outside formal meeungs. Day to day organlsatlonal declslon8 are delegated to the Jolnt C¢>ordln8tors. Data Protectlon The Trustees take the protectlon of personal data 88rlou8ly. Thay are alert to the rlsk8 of data Ios8, m18use, cyber-attacks and o*h8r extemal threats and also to the changing regulatory envlronment. They have adopted a robust Confidentiallty and Prlvacy policy to safeguard the personal data of cllents, volunteers and paid stsff and to ensure compll8nc8 wlth the Data Protectlon Act . 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulations. Equality, Div•r81ty & Incluslon The Truste8 Board regards dlverslty as an Important strength for the charlty. The Charlty has an Equal Opportunltles Pollcy and, In Its recruitment practlce, Is Gommitted to reflectlng the communities it sepi68. to falmess, and to enabling people to overcome barrlers to participation. It actlvely seeks a wlde range of skills and life experfences in both the composition of Its Board, its stsff and Its voluntee. Staff and Voluntsor9 The charity has a core of 6 employed staff (1 full-time & 5 part-tlme) but it also relies upon the servi8 of a large number of volunteers for the deliv&ry of its services. To date It maintains a roster of 336 approved volunteers of which 157 are available for assignments and have appropriate Disdosure and Barrlng Servlce dearance. The wcffk of volunteers Is fundamental to Heart and they bring a broad dlversity of skills to the charity In all its work. The monetary value of their 8UPPOrt cannot be included in the Financial Statements and indeed thls monetary value Inadequately expresses what they bring to the charity. However, based on a 2024 living wage of £11:44per hour this has an estimate total financial value of some £33,176.
Rlsk Management & Complaints The Trustees regularly revi8W their procedures in the light of charity gov8mancg contained in 'Ac¢ounting & Reportlng by Chanties., the statement of Recommanded Practice,. The fundlng environment in which HEART operates is subject to constant and frequently rapld shifts and changes. As a result, the risks which the charity faces, the actlvities by which It seeks to deliver its charitable Objects, and its internal organisa*ion are constantly evolving. Hearts survival depends In part from successful rlsk taklng and th8 abillty to seize and develop new revenue opportunities as they arise. The purpose of intsmal control 55 not to eliminate risks but to Identlfy, manage and control them appropriately. Trustees revl8w the risks presenting to the organlsatlon each quarter at their regular Trustse meetlngs. These can Involve potential changes to the financlal dlmate and to the framework of soclal policy whlch affect Heart, as well as other technologlcal or legal developments which can Impact the charltys services. The followlng mea8ures are adopted to help mlnlmlse dsks Inherent In any voluntary organ18atlon whlch relles on a dlver88 range of fundlng to meet all Its MM[trnents. 1. The management team and staff recogn186 that they operate under th8 authorlty of the Trustee Board, whlch has the ultlmate responslbility for the organlsatlon. 2. Effectlve appralsal of the Chlef Executlve and Management Team. 3. Intemal managem8nt and supervlsory controls whlch mlnlml88 rlsk of falling to d8llv8r on axlstlng grant agreements and contracts. 4. Staff awareness of sources of fundlng and the consequence3 arl8lng from ary fallure to detlver $8rvlc88 In Ilne w51h grant agreements and contracts. 5. The effectlve use of probatlonary perfods, Job Person Role SpecMc8tlons, staff supervision and HR pollcles to promptly identify and deal wlth issues of cOnrn. 6. Informal and formal staff reviews; tralnlng to ensure quallty. 7. Working toward the securing of external quality control accredltation8. 8. Regular review and analysis of performance statistics to ensure targets are met. 9. Developlng 8dequate financial reserves and cultivatlng good relatlonships wlth funders to identrfy potentlal future fundlng problems and potentlal funding opportunltle8. 10. Quarterly financial monltoring. 11. Good communication between volunteers, staff, the Management Team and the Trustee Board. 12. Maintaining independen, politlcal neutrality and avoldance of conflicts of interest The chartty also maintains a Complaints Register and can report no complaints being re]Ved durtng the reportlng period.
Statom•nt of Trustees. Responsibllitles The Trustees are responslble for preparfng the Trustees, Report and the financial statements In accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accountlng Standards (Untted Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting practi). Charlty law requlres the Trustses to prepare financial ststements for each flnancial year which give a true and falr vlew of the stste of affalr of the charitable incorporated organisation and of the incoming resources and applicatlon of resources, Induding Income and expendlture. of the charlty for that perS0d. In preparlng these flnanclal statements, the Trustees are requlred to: Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently. Observe the methods and prlnclples In the Charities SDRP. Make Judgements and estlmates that are reasonable and prudent. State whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to anymaterlal departure dlsdosed and explained In the financial statements; and Prepare the financial statements on the golng concem b8818 unl888 It Is Inappropriat8 to presume that the chartt8ble company wlll conUnu8 In bu8lnes8, The Twstees are responslble for keeplng proper accountlng record8 that dlsclose wlth r8880nable accuracy at any tlme t finanLyal posltion of the charlty and enable them to ensure that the flnancial statements comply wlth the Charitles Act 2011, They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charltable Company and hence for tsking reasonable steps for the preventlon and detectlon of fraud and other Irregularities. In so far as the Trustees are aware: - there Is Is no relevant Infomiation of whlch the ch8rlty's Independent ex8mln6rs are unaware., and - the Trustees have tsken all steps thal they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant Information and to establlsh that the Independent Examiners are aware of that information. The Trustees are responslble for the malntenance and Integrlty of the charltsbla and financial informatlon induded on the charitys website. Legislation in the United Kingdom gov8ming the preparation and dissemination of the flnanclal statements may differ from legislatlon In other Jurisdlctions. Approved by order of the board of trustees on os J.Iilu>4 and slgned on Its behalf by:. . ... D Levane - Trustee
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF HASTINGS EMERGENCY ACTION RESPONSE TEAM Indepandent examlnerfs roport to the trusteos of Hastlngs Emergency Action Response Team (Ihe Compan) I report to the charlty trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the perlod 3 Febnjary 2023 to 31 May 2024. Re8ponslbllltlos and basls of report As the charity's trustees of the Company (and 85so its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responslble for the preparation of the accounts in accordance wtth the r8qulrements of the Companies Act 2006 ('th8 2006 Act,). Having satlsfled myself that the a¢Unts of the Company are not requlred to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eliglble for independent examination, I report In r8spect of my examination of your charlty's accounts as carried out under Sectlon 145 of the Charities Act 2011 ('the 2011 Act,). In carylng out my ex8mlnaUon I have followed the Directions given by th8 Charity Commlssion under Section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act. Independont examlnerfs Statement I have completed my examinats'on. I conflrm that no matters have come to rny atteritlon In connectlon wlth the examlnallon glvlng me cause to believe.. 1. accounting records wer8 not kept In respect of the Company a8 requlred by Sectlon 386 of th8 2006 Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or 3. the account8 do not comply with the accountlng requlrernents of SO10n 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requlrement th8t th8 accounts give a true and falr view whlch Is not a matter consldered as part of an independent 8xamlnatlon; or 4. the accounts have not been prepared In accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice ft)r accounting and reportlng by charities (applicable to charities preparing thelr accounts In accordance wlth the Flnanclal Reporting Standard applicable Sn the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)). I have no COnrn8 and have come across no other matters In connectlon wlth the examination to which attenlon should be drawn in this report In order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Stuart Rosling FCCA Ashdown Hurrey Chartered Accountsnts & Buslness Advlsers 20 Havelock Road Hastings East Sussex TN34 IBP
HASTINGS EMERGENCY ACTION RESPONSE TEAM STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE PERIOD 3 FEBRUARY 2023 TO 31 MAY 2024 Notss Unrestrlcted funds Restrlcted funds Totsi fvnds INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM Grants, donatlons & legacles 26,577 75,417 101,994 Charltable actfvltles Charitable actlvities 38,350 38,350 Other trading activltle8 Investment Income 544 17 17 Total 85,488 75,417 140,905 EXPENDITURE ON Charltable actlvltle8 Charltable actlvltles 56.078 60,133 116,211 Other 2,901 167 3,068 Totsi 58.979 60,300 119,279 NET INCOME 6,509 15,117 21.626 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 6,509 15,117 21,626 io
HASTINGS EMERGENCY ACTION RESPONSE TEAM BALANCE SHEET 31 MAY 2024 UnStrIcted funds Restricted funds Total funds Notss FIXED ASSETS Tanglble assets 1,019 1,019 CURRENT ASSETS Debtors Cash at bank and In hand 57.536 57,536 15,117 15.117 57,536 15,117 72,653 CREDITORS Amounts fallSng due wlthln one year (52,048) (52,048) NET CURRENT ASSETS 5,490 15,117 20,607 TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 6,509 15,117 21,626 NET ASSETS 6,509 15,117 21,626 FUNDS Unrestricted fijnds Restricted funds 6.509 15,117 TOTAL FUNDS 21.626
HASTINGS EMERGENCY ACTION RESPONSE TEAM BALANCE SHEET 31 MAY 2024 The charitable company is entitled to exempts'on from audit under Section 477 of period ended 31 May 2024. The members have not qUIred the company to obtain an audit of its Ilnanclal statements for the period ended 31 May 2024 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006. The tru8tees acknow18dge th61r responsibilities for (a) ensurlng that the charitable company keeps accountSng re¢ord8 that comply wlth Sectlons 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006 and 2. {b) preparing financial Statements lch glve a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the tharftable company as at the end of each financial year and of Its surplus or defldt for each financial year in accordance wlth the requirements of Sections 394 and 395 and whlch otherwise comply wlth the r•quirements of the Companles Act 2006 relating to financial statements, so far as appllcable to the charitable company. These financial statements have b88n prepared in accordance with the provlslons applicable to charftsble companies subject to the small companles regime. The financlal statements were approved by th8 Board of Trustees and aulhorised for issue on .............. ... and were signed on its behaff by: . L D Levane - Trustee .. L Roberts - Trustee The notes form part of these financial ststements 12
HASTINGS EMERGENCY ACTION RESPONSE TEAM NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE PERIOD 3 FEBRUARY 2023 TO 31 MAY 2024 ACCOUNTING POLICIES Basls of preparlng the flnanclal statements The flnanclal statements of the charitable company, which Is a public benefft entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charltles SORP (FRS 102) 'Accountlng and Reporting by Charities.. Ststement of Recommended Practice applicable to charfties preparing Iheir accounts in accordance wlth the Financial Reportlng Standard appllGable in the UK and Republic of Ireland {FRS 102) (effective l January 2019),, Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable In the UK and Republlc of Ireland, and the Companies Act 2006. The financial Statements have been prepared under the historfcal cost convention. Income All income18 recognlsed In the Slatement of Flnanclal Actlvltles once the charlty has 8ntllJement to the funds, 51 Is probable that the Income wlll be recelved and the amount can be measured rellably. Expondlture Liabilities are recognlsed as expendlture a8 soon as ther818 a legal or constructlve obllgatlon comrnlttlng the ch8rFty to Ihat expendlture, St Is probable that a transfer of economlc beneflts wlll be requlred In sethement and the amount of the obligation can be measured relSably. Expenditure is accounted ft)r on an accruals basls and has been classified under headlngs that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be dSrectly attributed to partlcular headlngs they have boen allocated to actlvitles on a basls conslstent wlth the use of resources. Tanglble flxed assets 08preciaUon Is provided at the follong annual rate8 In order to wrfte off 8ach asset over Its estimated useful Ilfe. Flxtures and fittlngs Computer equipment - 20% on cost - 33% on cost Taxation The charity is exempt from corporatlon lax on Its charltable actlvlties. 13
HASTINGS EMERGENCY ACTION RESPONSE TEAM NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE PERIOD 3 FEBRUARY 2023 TO 31 MAY 2024 ACCOUNTING POLICIES cot'd Fund aGcountlng Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance wlth the charrtab16 objectives at the diSetIon of the tru8tses. Restrlcted funds can only be used for partlcular restrlcted purposes withln the objects of the charity. Restrlctions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes. Further explanatlon of the nature and purpose of each fund is induded in the notes to the flnanclal ststements. Hlre purchase and leaslng commitmanls Rentals paid under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Flnancial Activities on a straight line basls over the perlod of the lease. OTHER TRADING ACTIVITIES Fundralslng events INVESTMENT INCOME Deposlt account Intere8t 17 NET INCOMEI(EXPENDITURE) Net incomel{expenditure)18 Stated after charglngl(credltlng): Independent examlnerfs remuneratlon Depreciation - owned assets Other operating leases 1,800 415 2,640 14
HASTINGS EMERGENCY ACTION RESPONSE TEAM NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - contlnued FOR THE PERIOD 3 FEBRUARY 2023 TO 31 MAY 2024 5. TRUSTEES. REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS Theie were no trustees, remuneratlon or other beneffts for the perlod ended 31 May 2024. Trustses. èxpenses There were no tnJ8t8es' expenses paid for the period ended 31 May 2024. 6. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS Flxtures and Fittings Computer equlpment Totsls COST Additions 1,008 426 1,434 DEPRECIATION Charge for year 202 213 415 NET BOOK VALUE At 31 May 2024 806 213 1.019 7. DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR Trade debtors 57,536 8. CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR Deferred Income Accnjed expenses 50,246 1,800 52,046 The deferred in<x)me relates to an invoice raised by Macmillan for fumlture that will be purchased in the next accounting period. 15
HASTINGS EMERGENCY ACTION RESPONSE TEAM NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - contlnued FOR THE PERIOD 3 FEBRUARY 2023 TO 31 MAY 2024 9. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS Net Movemenl In funds At 31.5.24 Unrestrlcted funds General Fund 6,509 6,509 Restrlctod funds National Lottery Communlty Fund 15,117 15,117 TOTAL FUND8 21,628 21,626 Net movement In funds, Induded In the above are as follows Incomlng resources Resources expended Movement In funds Unrn8trlct•d ftind8 General fund 65,488 (58.979) 6,509 Re$trict funds Police & Crtme Commissioner National Lottery Communlty Fund Foreshore Trust 705 69,888 4,824 (705) (54,771) (4,824) 15,117 75,417 (60,300} 15,117 TOTAL FUNDS 140,905 (119,279) 21,626 16
HASTINGS EMERGENCY ACTION RESPONSE TEAM NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - continued FOR THE PERIOD 3 FEBRUARY 2023 TO 31 MAY 2024 10.RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES There were no related paty transactlons for the period ended 31 May 2024 17