## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period** **From** 9 March 2023 **To** 31st August 2024 **Charity name:** Penrith and Eden Refugee Network **Charity registration number:** 1202270 ## **Objectives and Activities** ||SORP reference|| |---|---|---| |Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|(a) To promote social inclusion for the public
benefit by preventing people, and their
dependants, from becoming socially
excluded, relieving the needs of those
people who are socially excluded and
assisting them to integrate into society.
For the purpose of this clause ‘socially
excluded’ means being excluded from
society, or parts of society, as a result of
discrimination or social and economic
disadvantage on the grounds of race
or ethnic origin, including those with refugee
or immigrant status.
(b) The prevention or relief of poverty among
individuals who are excluded from society, or
parts of society, as a result of discrimination
or social and economic disadvantage on the
grounds of race or ethnic origin, including
those with refugee or immigrant status,
through the provision of emergency grants of
financial assistance.
(c) The promotion of equality and diversity
for the public benefit by promoting activities
to foster understanding and good relations
between the general public and people of
different races and ethnicities, including
those with refugee or immigrant status.| |Summary of the main
activities in relation to those
purposes for the public
benefit, in particular, the
activities, projects or services
identified in the accounts.|Para 1.17 and
1.19|Penrith and Eden Refugee Network’s main
activities were as follows:
**Penrith Welcomes Diversity**
For all people of minoritized ethnic and
migrant background in Penrith and
surrounding area: weekly English Club;
Women’s group meetings; Art and Wellbeing| workshops with partner organisation BlueJam; multiple community outreach events; 1-2-1 case work. **PERN English Classes:** For asylum seekers in Carlisle; We run two centres, with classes on two days a week. On average, 16 volunteers a week run the service, which is open almost every single week of the year. We deliver 4 levels of English classes, alongside personal support for students including registering with GPs and accessing Carlisle College courses. Since April 2024 we have provided classes to an average of 50 students a week, including 5-10 complete beginners. Over the reporting period of this TAR we have had around 3600 student attendances each for a two hour English class. **PERN Legal and Information:** For asylum seekers in West Cumbria and Carlisle; weekly drop-in for asylum application and asylum rights alongside wide ranging triage of other queries. In July 2023 this service gained OISC Level 2 registration in asylum and protection (OISC number N202331531). This service was initially volunteer-led; we now have two part-time paid workers in addition to the volunteers, and an office base in Carlisle. For the four month period from May 2024 to August 2024, we have dealt with 14 asylum claims; 3 family reunions; advised on more than 22 non-legal/ information/ rights issues; and made 21 successful lawyer referrals. **PERN Rent a Room scheme:** For new refugees at risk of homelessness service development July/ August 2023. Under this scheme new refugees lodge in local homes (paying a basic rent). We moved quickly on this project when people in the Carlisle hotels started to be granted refugee status, and some, having had good experience of living in Carlisle, wanted to remain local. We have also supported people into medium and long-term housing, mostly using PERN’s local contacts. From May 2024 to July 2024 , we supported 20 people into private housing. 2 people into social housing, 5 people who were sofa surfing/ street homeless and 1 person into a council hostel. **New Refugee Support:** For new refugees in Carlisle: this service 1 |||began in December 2023 and works
hand-in-hand with our homelessness
prevention work. It provides long-term,
person-centred support and guidance for
new refugees to navigate life and thrive in
the UK, including support on finding a job
and housing and claiming benefits. We
supported 29 people over the period.
**Multiple community events:**
Including an all-day stall in the town centre
during Refugee Week with a new
‘myth-buster’ publication we co-wrote with a
refugee organisation based in Carlisle to
raise awareness of the truth about migration;
a members’ Anti-Racist learning event led by
Anti-Racist Cumbria; fundraisers for
Ukrainian refugees; contact with our local
MP about the UK Government’s Illegal
Migration Bill and raising concern about
national and local intimidation and racism
directed towards asylum seekers.
**Escape to Safety:**we partnered with
Carlisle College and Carlisle Refugee Action
Group to host Escape to Safety, an
interactive, multimedia walk-through
exhibition (designed by Global Link). We
held it at Carlisle College, where students,
lecturers and the general public put
themselves in asylum-seekers’
shoes and listened to and experienced
refugees’ stories as they navigated through
the exhibit and completed activities.Over the
10 days over 900 students completed the
Exhibition experience and were supported by
27 volunteers and a freelance Project
Manager.| |---|---|---| |Statement confirming
whether the trustees have
had regard to the guidance
issued by the Charity
Commission on public
benefit|Para 1.18|The trustees confirm that they have had
regard to the guidance issued by the Charity
Commission on public benefit. This has been
taken into account while planning and
delivering all charity activities as well as
while determining how best to utilise grants
and funds.| ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: ||SORP reference|| |---|---|---| |Policy on grant making|Para 1.38|N/A| |Policy on social investment
including program related
investment|Para 1.38|N/A| |||| 2 |Contribution made by
volunteers|Para 1.38|Volunteer roles at Penrith and Eden Refugee
Network include befriending, English
teaching and session support, as well as
information and advice giving. We had
approximately 55 active volunteers at any
one time and are so grateful for their
support.
Our volunteers have helped us
immeasurably in delivering our activities for
the public benefit. We could not function to
the level we do without their time and
dedication.| |---|---|---| |Other||N/A| ## **Achievements and Performance** ||SORP reference|| |---|---|---| |Summary of the main
achievements of the charity,
identifying the difference the
charity’s work has made to
the circumstances of its
beneficiaries and any wider
benefits to society as a
whole.|Para 1.20|This year our priority was social and economic
needs of housing and work, leading to better
mental health / wellbeing and social inclusion for
asylum seekers, refugees and migrants. We have
provided essential practical support to refugees
and asylum seekers, who are a highly
disadvantaged, vulnerable group, making a
positive difference to their lives.
Refugees on resettlement schemes have lived in
Cumbria for many years, and many more arrived
under the UK government Homes for Ukraine
Scheme in 2022. Asylum seekers began to arrive
in Carlisle in April 2022, and were mostly housed in
two hotels.
By June 2023 there were 390 asylum places
between the two Carlisle hotels. In December 2023
the two hotels were closed but meantime the
Home Office have procured 296 places in
community houses in Carlisle and West Cumbria.
Asylum seekers are not eligible for universal credit
and do not have the right to work. They are not
permitted to attend Government-funded English
classes for the first six months after arrival. They
have many needs, including trauma/ mental health
issues, isolation and poverty.
One of our key aims is to reduce the despair,
isolation and near destitution of asylum seekers by
empowering them to make the best lives possible
through practical support, friendship and upstream| 3 interventions to foster self-reliance and independence. We were able to make a difference by providing regular, quality English classes and legal support in a safe environment where people feel they belong. Both the language classes and Legal and Information workshops built trust between asylum seekers and volunteers, and are places where people are able to express concerns and get help. We have seen that coming to English classes and getting support in the arduous process of applying for asylum helps the students prepare for a new life in the UK, reduces their isolation and helps prevent a decline in mental health. Everyone seeking asylum must make a claim to the Home Office. This process requires legal support. There is a national crisis in the availability of even basic legal information, and there are no immigration lawyers at all in Cumbria. Our Legal and Information service provided beneficiaries access to relevant legal information in a safe environment of mutual support and solidarity. This is the only service of its kind in the area, and our provision of this made a positive difference to beneficiaries’ lives, while helping them to navigate a complex system. Our beneficiaries are very marginalised and by helping them build trust and make connections with the local community through our activities, we are also contributing to social cohesion. The majority of asylum seekers (well over 80%) will be granted refugee status to stay in the UK. As asylum seekers they are preparing to make a new life here. Once granted refugee status they will be eligible to work so learning English is an important part of helping them to be economically active in the future. Cumbria, in particular, needs adults of working age to join the local workforce. Refugees who are in Penrith and Eden on resettlement projects were supported through our Penrith Welcomes Diversity activities. This strand of our work supports people of all minoritised ethnic background, some of whom experience social exclusion, microaggressions and hostility (sometimes amounting to hate crime) on account of their race or ethnicity. Our activities included a weekly conversation group and Women’s group. We ran weekly art and wellbeing workshops jointly with BlueJam Arts CIC, an arts organisation in Penrith. We held two exhibitions in a local gallery to celebrate work by 4 members of our diverse community. Several outings were organised, especially for families, such as a visit to the Greggs local factory, a picnic in the park and a tea at a local church. This gave our beneficiaries somewhere to belong and a supportive community to feel part of, as well as practical skills helping them to navigate life in the UK (e.g. English comprehension) and fun experiences to help make positive memories together. Here are examples of some of the events we held for members and for the wider public, all of which helped to foster understanding and good relations: Stall in town centre in June 2023, as part of the UK’s 245[th] Refugee Week, to raise awareness of the facts about refugees and asylum seekers via our myth-busters publication and through talking to passers-by. Asylum seekers from Eritrea, Ukraine, Afghanistan and Syria spoke about why they sought sanctuary in the UK. We also collected signatures for letters to our local MP Neil Hudson, objecting to the UK Government’s approach to migration policy, in particular the plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda. We wrote press releases for most of these events, which were published in the Cumberland and Westmorland Herald. Where possible we encourage refugees and asylum seekers to speak for themselves, so they have agency in their own stories. We work closely with other voluntary organisations in Cumbria, such as the Carlisle Refugee Action Group, Westmorland and Furness Refugee group. We are grateful for support from churches such as St John’s and St Augustine’s in Carlisle and Carlisle College, which provide venues for our English classes and legal workshops. We have also become closer to the group, Anti Racist Cumbria (ARC), through the need that we recognise to challenge our own unconscious biases and for solidarity against the racially-motivated microaggressions and hate that some refugees and asylum seekers experience. We held an Anti-Racist Learning Event for PERN members in March 2023, at which ARC spoke powerfully, and we also joined them in standing against a far-right hate march that was planned against asylum seekers in Carlisle, also in March 2023. In the summer of 2024, we responded to the racist anti-immigrant Islamophobic rioting. We contacted 5 our members, some of whom felt under direct threat and many of whom felt highly unsettled by the violence. Despite this, many people told us that they know the violence is committed by a tiny minority and they recognise the overwhelming kindness and decency in their communities. The riots were and are a stark reminder of the importance of PERN’s values and of our work in protecting and enabling the most vulnerable and in promoting understanding, justice and compassion. ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: N/A Achievements against Para 1.41 objectives set N/A Performance of fundraising activities against objectives Para 1.41 set N/A Investment performance Para 1.41 against objectives N/A Other 6 ## **Financial Review** |Review of the charity’s
financial position at the end
of the period|Para 1.21|We are in a stable financial position. As
indicated in the end of year accounts the
charity is able to meet the expenditure of
current and future planned activities.
On 31st August 2024 we had £139,897 in
the bank.
£121,251 of this is grant income, which is
restricted and carried over to the next
financial year. This is enabling all of our
services to continue.
£3339 is donations that have been reserved
for items for asylum seekers, which is not
covered by other funding. This includes
things like school shoes, bus fares to
meetings, and emergency food costs.
Of the remaining £15,307:
- £10,000 is held reserves
- £5307 is unrestricted income
Over the almost 18 months that this report
covers, we spent £111,855.| |---|---|---| |Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held|Para 1.22|We hold reserves to ensure contractual
financial commitments can be made in the
event of activity or charity closure and to
ensure stability and sustainability of activities
in the event of unforeseen financial
requirements. The Trustees regard the
reserves held to be adequate to meet the
above.| |Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|£10,000| |Reasons for holding zero
reserves|Para 1.22|N/A| |Details of fund materially in
deficit|Para 1.24|N/A| |Explanation of any
uncertainties about the
charity continuing as a going
concern|Para 1.23|There are no uncertainties; we intend to
continue as we have been into 2024-25.| ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |The charity’s principal
sources of funds (including
any fundraising)|The charity’s principal
sources of funds (including
any fundraising)|Para 1.47|Our principal source of funding was trusts
and grants, as well as donations from
organisations.
From March 2023 to August 2024 we were
grateful to receive grants from:| |---|---|---|---| ||||| 7 |||-
Cumberland Council
-
Westmorland and Furness Council
-
The National Lottery (Reaching
Communities)
-
Cumbria CVS
-
LandAid
-
The Ben and Jerries Foundation
-
NACCOM
-
Cumbria Community Foundation,
including support from Fibrus
-
Frieda Scott Charitable Trust
-
Hadfield Trust
We would also like to thank the generous
companies and individuals who donated to
our cause over this time. We would
particularly like to thank SPB Computers.| |---|---|---| |Investment policy and
objectives including any
social investment policy
adopted|Para 1.46|N/A| |A description of the principal
risks facing the charity|Para 1.46|The principal risk facing the charity is not
being able to meet increased demand for the
services of the charity with regard to
supporting asylum seekers, new refugees
and undocumented people. The charity has
plans in place for growth including
organisation readiness and application
preparation for further grants in order to
remedy this.| |Other||| 8 ## **Structure, Governance and Management** |Description of charity’s
trusts:||| |---|---|---| |Type of governing document
(trust deed, royal charter)|Para 1.25|Constitution| |How is the charity
constituted?
(e.g unincorporated
association, CIO)|Para 1.25|CIO| |
Trustee selection methods
including details of any
constitutional provisions e.g.
election to post or name of
any person or body entitled
to appoint one or more
trustees|Para 1.25|The first Trustees were active members of
the association which the charity emerged
from. The constitution states all stand down
at the first AGM. Four of the initial Trustees
were re-elected by PERN members at the
first AGM, which was held on 17 May 2024.| ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |Policies and procedures
adopted for the induction and
training of trustees|Para 1.51|N/A| |---|---|---| |The charity’s organisational
structure and any wider
network with which the
charity works|Para 1.51|N/A| |Relationship with any related
parties|Para 1.51|N/A| |||| ## **Reference and Administrative details** |Charity name|Penrith and Eden Refugee Network| |---|---| |Other name the charity uses|PERN| |
Registered charity number|1202270| |Charity’s principal address|Penrith and Eden Refugee Network
C/O Mostyn Hall,
Friargate,
Penrith,
CA11 7XR| 9 ## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity** |1
2
3
4
5||**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for**
**whole year**
**Name of person**
**(or body)**
**entitled to**
**appoint trustee**
**(if any)**| |---|---|---|---|---| |||Emma Gray||
Whole Year
N/A| |||Alison Ross||Whole Year
N/A| |||Robert Postlethwaite||Whole Year
N/A| |||Sait Kuzu||Whole Year
N/A| |||Sue Castle-Clark||Until 31st March 2023
N/A| Corporate Trustees - Not applicable Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others - Not applicable ## **Exemptions from disclosure** Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details N/A ## **Other optional information** 10 ## **Declarations** |**Declarations**|**Declarations**|**Declarations**|**Declarations**|**Declarations**|**Declarations**|**Declarations**|**Declarations**|**Declarations**| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |**The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.**
**Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees**||||||||| ||||**Signature(s)**|||||| |||||||||| ||||**Full name(s)**||Robert Postlethwaite||Emma Gray|| |||||||||| ||**Position (eg**
**Secretary, Chair, etc)**|||Chair of Trustees||Trustee||| |||||||||| |||**Date**||2024-10-27||2024-10-28||| 11 ## **Signature Certificate** Reference number: IVMQS-ELJAK-RF9MZ-XUGUS ## **Signer** **Timestamp** ## **Signature** ## **Robert Postlethwaite** Email: robertpostlethwaite@googlemail.com Shared via link Sent: Viewed: Signed: 25 Oct 2024 09:42:57 UTC 27 Oct 2024 13:36:54 UTC 27 Oct 2024 13:37:29 UTC IP address: 86.150.248.207 Location: Harringay, United Kingdom ## **Emma Gray** Email: emma_gray25@hotmail.com Shared via link Sent: Viewed: Signed: 25 Oct 2024 09:42:57 UTC 28 Oct 2024 14:15:56 UTC 28 Oct 2024 14:16:28 UTC IP address: 109.154.68.131 Location: Keswick, United Kingdom Document completed by all parties on: 28 Oct 2024 14:16:28 UTC Page 1 of 1 ## **Signed with PandaDoc** PandaDoc is a document workflow and certified eSignature solution trusted by 50,000+ companies worldwide. Registered number.. 1202270 PENRrrH AMD EDEN REFUGEE NETWORK UNAUDThED ACCOUNTS FOR The PEAXOD 9 MARCH 2023 TO 31 AUGUST 2024 P•nrlth and Eden R•fvye Iletworf( Contsnts Paq• Charity Detalls Approval Accountants. Report Recelpts and Paynpnts Accounts Balan￿ Sheet Notes to the Accounts P•nrith and Eden Refugee Motwork Charfty Details For th• p•r1￿ 9 M•*¢h 2023 to 31 Augurt 2024 C￿rity M**On accounts for the year**
**ended**
**Set out on pages**
**Responsibilities and**
**basis of report**|Charity Name
PENRITH AND EDEN REFUGEE NETWORK|Charity Name
PENRITH AND EDEN REFUGEE NETWORK|Charity Name
PENRITH AND EDEN REFUGEE NETWORK| |---|---|---|---| ||||| ||9thMARCH 2023 – 31stAUGUST 2024|**Charity no**
**(if any)**|1202270| ||||| ||1
(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 period ended**31 / 08 / 2024**.
As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation 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 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 (other than that disclosed below *) 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. - _Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply._ **Date:** 14/10/2024 **Signed: Name:** ELLIE KILLINGTON **Relevant professional** ICAEW **qualification(s) or body (if any): Address:** 7-7c SNUFF STREET, DEVIZES, WILTSHIRE, SN10 1DU **Oct 2018** 1 **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** 2 **IER**