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2025-04-05-accounts

Info Latinos

Report of the Trustees and Unaudited Financial Statements for the year ending 5 April 2025

Administrative details

Charity Number: 1202483 Company Number: CE031812

Registered address: 18 Steward House 8 Trevithick Way London E3 3GE

Trustees at the time of submission and for the duration of the year:

Ivonne Cantu - Chair (appointed 24 March 2023) Maria Ernestina Ferrey Maturana (appointed 24 March 2023) James Martin (appointed 24 March 2023) Nancy Caroline Rivera Connor (appointed 24 March 2023)

Independent Examiner: Accountability Europe Ltd Omnibus Workspace 39-41 North Road London N7 9DP

Bankers:

National Westminster Bank Plc Liverpool St Station (B) Chatham Customer Service Centre Western Avenue Waterside Court Chatham Maritime Chatham ME4 4RT

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 5 April 2025

Info Latinos presents its second report and financial statement for the charity’s year ended 5th April 2025. Info Latinos is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), registered with the Charity Commission.

The charity’s objects are:

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The promotion of social inclusion of primarily but not exclusively Latin Americans, for the public benefit in the United Kingdom, who are socially excluded on the grounds of their immigration status and social and economic position. This may include providing an inter-cultural buddying scheme; opportunities to build connections and relationships with UK residents and citizens to build self-worth and confidence, English language and employability skill building workshops and promoting cultural diversity in communities in the UK.

Mission and objectives

Our vision is to build an inclusive, fair and equal society where migrants can integrate faster and reach their full potential.

Our mission is to support disadvantaged migrants in the UK (predominantly but not exclusively Latin Americans) to integrate faster and reach their full potential.

We do this through a community platform that empowers individuals, including by offering advice, a buddying and mentoring scheme, coaching and networking.

We have a theory of change in place which we use to track the following:

We are in our fifth year of operation and second as a CIO and registered with the Charity Commission.

Our values

Anti-racist and inclusive

Impact oriented

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Empowering

Activities in 24/25:

This year marked significant progress in both our organisational development and community impact. We introduced our first impact evaluation framework and produced a visual impact report, helping us better understand and communicate our outcomes.

We successfully secured £35,000 in new funding from the National Lottery, Tower Hamlets Council, a Housing Association, a family trust, a company and community events. This reflects our growing fundraising capacity and diversification of income.

Across two programme cohorts (cohorts 7 & 8) we supported a total of 165 individuals through mentoring from 40 volunteers, skills development, and social support. Our volunteers came from a range of backgrounds and we focused on recruiting bilingual English/Spanish volunteers - where possible with lived experience of the challenges participants faced.

Our mentoring model continues to strengthen relationships between volunteers and participants, with strong engagement from both groups.

Our digital presence grew steadily, with 1700 monthly Instagram views, 1100 monthly Facebook views, around 250 monthly website users, and an active WhatsApp group of 250 members. These platforms have helped us stay connected and responsive to community needs.

We also deepened our investment in volunteers and peer-led initiatives, which remain central to our approach. Looking ahead, we are confident that the foundations built this year—particularly in impact measurement and financial resilience—position us well for sustainable growth and continued community benefit.

Objectives Achievements
Impact Run two cohorts annually,
benefitting 100 people per year		 2 cohorts
165 individuals supported in 2024-5

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Income and
support		 Develop three fundraising
streams (corporate, grants,
community) supported by better
communication of our USP and
impact
Raise a minimum of £15k		 Submitted£200k worth of grant
applications.
Secured £35k in funding
First accounts and Charity
Commission Return
Service
development		 Segment and strengthen our
mentoring product
Identify partnerships to amplify
our impact		 Developed mentoring training
package
Establishedpartnerships with: -
Animas (volunteer coaches)
-Duncan Lewis (pro-bono legal and
immigration support)
- Microsoft (mentors and funding)
Tested Hatch enterprise
programme suitability
Marketing &
comms		 Grow our online presence and
reach		 First bi-annual Impact Report
Engaged a social media and comms
specialist from the Info Latinos
network
Increased reach - 250/month (web)
1700/month (Instagram) and
1100/month (Facebook)

Quotes and stories:

Kevin was supported by Info Latinos whilst an asylum seeker from El Salvador. Once he was granted refugee status in 2023, his buddy Irene prepared him for job interviews and for life in a new country. He is now settled in the UK and working in customer service, having built up his confidence in English through our programme. Kevin said: “Info Latinos isn’t just a community for Latin Americans in the UK, it’s also like having a little bit of my country over here. I never give up and I know one day I’ll see the fruits of my hard work.”

"I have been in the UK for some time and despite speaking good English I was finding it tough getting interviews with the UK civil service, which is where I’ve always wanted to work. My mentor Fabby was amazing. She supported me in applying for jobs with the Home Office, which allowed me to gain an interview on my first attempt, something I had never managed to do before. Info Latinos is excellent at creating strong connections and genuinely strives to help us succeed." Felice, Venezuela

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“ I came to the UK with my husband and children and focused on the Spanish speaking community for the first few years of my career here. My confidence in speaking English was very low and this was holding me back from my work and academic aspirations. My mentor James was an amazing support, helping me prepare for university interviews and gaining confidence - and I have now started university and understand 80% of what is said on my course!” Diana, Colombia

Participants:
Data Cohort 7 Cohort 8
Number 53 112
Female 46 (87%) 93 (83%)
Refugees 2 (4%) 11 (10%)
Living in London 17 (32%) 73 (65%)

Volunteer:
Data Cohort 7 Cohort 8
Number 14 26
Volunteer hours c. 560 c. 1040

Sessions and events

Over Cohorts 7 and 8 we held 32 workshops with information, skills and inspiration to help people reach their goals, with combined attendance/reach of at least 220 people.

We also held 14 bilingual face to face networking sessions with combined attendance of minimum 160 people. We leveraged our relationships with other organisations to host joint events fostering broader networks for our participants. We held our first artistic competition (sponsored by one of our donors) inviting our programme participants to create a video sharing how they celebrate their roots while integrating into a new culture.

Our areas of focus for 2025/26:

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Impact Support 150-200 Latinos in the UK
by providing INFORMATION, INTEGRATION and EMPLOYABILITY
resources
Income and support Develop a sustainable, long-term fundraising strategy to secure
resources:
•
Raise £30k (£9k corporate, £20k grants, £1k community)
•
Build reserves to cover 6 months of operating costs (c. £15k)
Service
development		 Strengthenone-to-one mentoring programmeby enhancing mentor
training and creating personalised pathways for community members:
•
Develop comprehensive mentor training package with Microsoft
as corporate partner
•
Galvanise 1000 hours of skilled volunteering (20 hrs x 25
volunteers x 2 cohorts)
•
Better outcomes tracking over 3 years
Expand reach and support throughstrategic partnershipsand joint
initiatives:
•
Pro-bono legal partnership
•
Enterprise support modules
Marketing & comms Boost visibility and funding opportunities by:
•
Collecting and sharing impactful stories
•
Implementing a strategic marketing plan
•
Expanding our online presence
•
Organising a community fundraising walk (June/September)

Public Benefit:

The trustees confirm that they have referred to the Charity Commission’s published guidance on the Public Benefit requirement under the Charities Act 2011 when reviewing Info Latinos’s aims and objectives and in planning future activities. The Trustees consider that Info Latinos’s activities are for the benefit of the public generally.

Organisational Structure:

The charity is run and managed by one or the founders. Her work is overseen by the Board who is responsible for governing and directing the organisation ensuring that Info Latinos carries out its purpose for the public benefit. The Board consists of five trustees who attend at least four meetings a year. The charity's trustees were initially recruited by the organisation's two founders bringing together individuals with complementary skills and experience and an interest and understanding of the mission and purpose of the organisation. Two out of the four Trustees have

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been involved from the inception of the organisation as members of an advisory board which was a precursor to the current Board.

All trustees received an induction folder containing key information about the charity. Going forward new trustees will be appointed by existing trustees and positions will be advertised publicly and candidates interviewed for the position.

The organisation currently has two freelance members of staff, including a co-founder who acts as CEO and a Community and Programmes Officer - both delivering work on a project basis. The programme and mentoring is supported by volunteers.

Financial Review

At the beginning of the year the opening balance was £32,612. Total incoming resources for the year 6 April 2024 to 5 April 2025 amounted to £18,008 The resources expended amounted to £28,820. This results in cash funds at year end of £21,799.

It is an objective of the organisation to gradually build a financial reserve to provide sustainability for the future. The trustees have been particularly aware of building this up given the current cost of living crisis and its impact on the charity sector.

Info Latinos aims to build a minimum financial reserve to allow the charity's operations to continue in the event of unforeseen circumstances. The appropriate amount is determined by trustees and reviewed each year but aims to be 12 months of operating costs with a minimum of 6 months.

Funding

Info Latinos is funded primarily through grants from Trusts and Foundations and companies. In 2024/25 we raised grants from the National Lottery, Tower Hamlets Council, a Housing Association, a family trust, a company and community events. We are hugely grateful for this support.

Statement of a Trustees’ responsibilities

Law applicable to charities in England & Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the charity's financial activities during the period and of its financial position at the end of the period. ln preparing financial statements giving a true and fair view, the Trustees should follow best practice and:

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The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the charity and financial information included on the charity's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Approved by the Trustees on 12 June 2025 and signed on their behalf by:

Ivonne Cantu (Chair of Trustees)

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----- Start of picture text -----
Charity Name: INFO LATINOS No (if any)
1202483
Receipts and payments accounts CC16a
For the period Period start date Period end
To
from 06/04/2024 05/04/2025
Section A Receipts and payments
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment
Total funds Last year
funds funds funds
to the nearest
to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
£
A1 Receipts
Benchmark Holdings donation 3,000 - - 3,000 -
Tower Hamlets grant - 2,500 - 2,500 -
Sanctuary/Swan grant - 2,500 - 2,500 -
Treebeard Trust grant 10,000 - - 10,000 -
Interest to savings account 8 - - 8 -
National Lottery Community Fund - - - - 19,940
Treebeard Trust - - - - 10,000
British Red Cross - - - - 5,000
Other - - - 8,451
- - - -
5,000 - 18,008 43,391
Sub total(Gross income for AR) [ 13,008 ]
A2 Asset and investment sales,
- - - - -
Sub total - - - - -
Total receipts 13,008 5,000 - 18,008 43,391
A3 Payments
Project Costs (Including staffing,
23,820 5,000 - 28,820 10,779
volunteer, activites & running costs)
- - - -
- - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
Sub total [ 23,820 ] 5,000 - 28,820 10,779
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
- - - -
- - - -
Sub total [ - ] - - - -
Total payments 23,820 5,000 - 28,820 10,779
Net of receipts/(payments) - 10,812 - - - 10,812 32,612
A5 Transfers between funds - - - - -
A6 Cash funds last year end 32,612 - - 32,612 -
Cash funds this year end 21,799 - - 21,799 32,612
----- End of picture text -----

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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
B5 Liabilities
B4 Assets retained for the
charity’s own use
B3 Investment assets
B2 Other monetary assets
B1 Cash funds		 Signature
Details
Details
Details
Details
Total cash funds
(agree balances with receipts
Details		 Unrestricted
Restricted
to nearest £
to nearest £
21,799
-
-
-
-
-
21,799
-
OK
OK
Unrestricted
Restricted
to nearest £
to nearest £
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Fund to
which asset
belongs
Cost
(optional)
-
-
-
-
Fund to
which asset
belongs
Cost
(optional)
-
-
-
-
Fund to
which liability
relates
Amount due
(optional)
-
-
-
-
Print Name
Ivonne Cantu		 Endowment funds
to nearest £
-
-
-
-
OK
Endowment funds
to nearest £
-
-
-
-
Current value
(optional)
-
-
-
-
Current value
(optional)
-
-
-
-
When due
(optional)
Date of approval
12 June 2025

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CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of INFO LATINOS On accounts for the year ended 05.04.2025 Charity no (if any) 1202483 Set out on pages 9-10 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity for the year ended 0510412025. Responsibilities and basls of report As Ihe charily's truslees, you are responsible for the preparalion 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{5llb} 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 ause to believe that in, any material respect.. the accounting records were not kept in accordan￿ with section 130 of the Charities Act., or the accounts did not accord wilh the accounting records,. or 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 lo be reached. Signed: Date: 23.06.2025 Name: Aamer Shehzad Relevant professional qualification(s) or body lif any): FCA Address: Accounlability Europe Lld Omnibus Workspace, 39-41 North Road London, N7 9DP