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2024-03-31-accounts

2023 2024

LEWISHAM DONATION HUB

Annual Report and Accounts

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Vision, objectives & activities

Chair’s report

Our impact and achievements

Treasurer’s report

Reference and administration details Accounts and examiner’s report

powered by community www.lewishamdonationhub.org

Vision, objectives and activities

“Our vision is of a society where nothing that can be re-used goes to waste; where people do not have to rely on donations to access food and other essential items; where people who find themselves facing hardship receive the support they need; and where everyone can make a home.”

Lewisham Donation Hub was established as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation on 3 April 2023.

The objects in the constitution of the CIO are ;

The trustees have taken due regard of the guidance issued by the Charity Commission and confirm the activities of Lewisham Donation Hub are undertaken for the public benefit.

The first core purpose is carried out through the delivery of support across three core areas: emergency food provision, ‘general’ support, and provision of white goods/furniture.

In particular, Lewisham Donation Hub (LDH):

The second core purpose is carried out through LDH acting as a one-stop reuse organisation. The activities of LDH are focussed on promoting resource efficiency, underpinned by the waste hierarchy and moving towards a circular economy. In particular, it:

Our service area primarily covers people living in SE, BR and CR postcode areas.

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Lewisham
Greenwich
Southwark
Lambeth
Croydon
Bromley
Other
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
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Anyone in financial difficulty can access our support, no referrals are required.

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Food Support General Support
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Low income/unemployed
Asylum seekers/refugees
Homeless
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Our service is predominantly delivered by volunteers, 400 people-hours per week (over 7 days) provide our support. This is currently delivered by a pool of approximately 200 volunteers.

They undertake a vast range of tasks and activities, including office administration, operations, food management, receiving and sorting donations, bicycle repairs and IT maintenance as well as administrative and emotional support for visitors.

Chair’s report

As we look back on our first year as a charity, I am overwhelmed by the generosity of our community and the impact we've made together. This has been a truly momentous year for Lewisham Donation Hub which would not have been possible without the tremendous support received from our local community, other charities, businesses, universities, funders and donors.

I would like to recognise the hard work and dedication of our very first team of employees and of all our volunteers who have worked tirelessly to ensure we provide the best support we possibly can for the most vulnerable people living in south-east London.

Over this year we have also successfully extended the skills and expertise of our Board of Trustees. Our mission has guided every decision and action.

This report outlines our key activities, financial performance, and impact over the past 12 months. It serves as both a celebration of our early successes and a roadmap for our future growth.

At the very beginning of this year on 3rd April 2023, Lewisham Donation Hub gained charitable status. This enabled us to move forward in our ambition to create a more sustainable and effective support service by raising more funding, employing our first core team of staff and expanding our board of trustees.

With grant funding, we employed our first Food Support Co-ordinator and General Support Co-ordinator in November 2023 and our first CEO and Resources and Finance Manager at the beginning of January 2024. These posts are currently offered on a temporary basis and it is our ambition for the next financial year to be able to give our employees more certainty by offering longer term contracts. This will benefit both our employees and the people who come to us for support.

In terms of monetary income, we received nearly £165,000 this financial year which exceeded our business plan ambitions and more than tripled the income received during the previous year. In this coming year, we are aiming to expand our funding base further, through grants, corporate partnerships and individual giving campaigns.

While we celebrate our first-year milestones, we remain acutely aware of both the global climate crisis and the cost-of-living crisis which continues to impact many families, making our work more crucial than ever.

As we move into our second year as a charity, we renew our commitment to being a beacon of hope and practical support for the people living in south-east London. We believe that with a core team of employed staff and a dedicated pool of volunteers, we can maintain the passion and community involvement that has defined our first year while building the professional infrastructure necessary for long-term success and growth.

Yvette Dearden, Chair of Board of Trustees

Impact and achievements

Thanks to the dedication of our staff, volunteers, and donors, our achievements over this past year included:

Treasurer’s report

Income and Funding

Our total income in 2023/24 was £164,458. This consisted of:

£73,530 restricted grant funding

£25,995 unrestricted grant funding

£64,933 individual and corporate one-off and regular donations

We began the year with funds raised before achieving charitable status consisting of £18,615 donations and £17,162 restricted funding (from The Trade Desk and Fat Face Foundation), which are included in the income and receipts schedule—giving a gross income for annual return of £200,235.

Detailed breakdown of income sources:

breakdown of income sources:
2023/24 2022/23
Total grants received £99,525
£17,382
Online giving* £39,504
£18,649
Regular monthly donations from supporters £18,861
£18,990
Gift aid £3,273
-
Corporate donations £1,550
-
Payroll giving and matched funding £1,745
-
£164,458 £55,021

*includes Just Giving, Paypal, CAF, Benevity and Easy Fundraising

We received on average £1,572 per month from regular monthly donors. One-off donations peaked following an appeal on Facebook in October, and then again with the launch of our Winter Crisis campaign on Just Giving (which raised £30k).

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Donations from our supporters
Monthly donations One-off donations
10000
8000
6000
£
4000
2000
0
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We received grant funding from The National Lottery Community Fund programme ‘Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund’, The Lee Charity for William Hatcliffe, London Catalyst and The JUSACA Charitable Trust, enabling LDH to recruit its first employees in November 2023 and then to expand the staff further in January 2024.

The National Lottery Grant also enabled us to make many improvements to our infrastructure and systems, by purchasing large monitors for publicity, ladders, CCTV, walkie-talkies, Wi-Fi antennae, volunteer training and an additional freezer enabling us to increase the number of Felix meals we are able to store.

We also received grants from The Jack Petchey Foundation (for school stationery), Lewisham Food Justice, Axis Foundation and The Co-operative Community Fund (which were used to purchase essential food, toiletries and small electrical appliances). As well as an unrestricted grant from The Indigo Trust.

Expenditure

Our total expenditure for 2023/24 was £101,894. This consisted of

£33,458 on our Food Support service; we spend £400 a week to ensure we have a constant supply of basic food items. We also purchase toiletries, nappies and period products (at substantially discounted prices via InKind Direct).

£28,875 on our General Support service; using grant funding to purchase essential electricals, cover cost of upgrading computers and laptops, as well as supplementing our supply of shoes (at heavily discounted prices).

£24,397 on employment costs (grant funded)

£5,770 on administration and improvements to our systems

£9,394 on volunteer expenses (Our service is made possible by the dedication of our volunteers many of whom are seeking asylum, and we therefore refund travel costs for anyone in need, who volunteers for a minimum of 4 hours per day).

Reserves Policy

Lewisham Donation Hub operates a risk-based reserves policy to protect the operational requirements of the charity from short-term disruption to ensure that we can continue to provide food and general support to service users. If LDH were suddenly unable to operate, there would be serious problems for the vulnerable and disadvantaged people who rely on the hub.

LDH aims to have reserves to bridge any possible delays in receiving promised grants or managing payment in arrears contracts. This has been defined as a minimum of three months budgeted trading activity. Based on this approach, the reserves level needed to be maintained by the charity is estimated at £30,000. At March 31, 2024, actual unrestricted and free reserves were £67,647

Trustees’ consideration of major risks and mitigation strategies

Risk Category Description Impact Likelihood Mitigation Strategies
Financial Risks
Funding Shortfalls Insufficient funding
hindering service delivery.		 High Medium Diversify funding sources, develop
robust fundraising strategies,
establish a reserve fund.
Donation Fluctuations Variability in donation
volume and type.		 Medium High Implement donor engagement plan,
develop partnerships with
businesses, use data analytics for
forecasting.
Fraud and Financial
Mismanagement		 Potential for fraud or
mismanagement leading to
financial losses and
reputational damage.		 High Low Implement strong financial controls,
conduct regular audits, provide
training on financial policies.
Operational Risks
Loss of premises Planned closure of Place
Ladywell premises.		 High High LDH, and in particular the CEO, is in
regular contact with Lewisham
Council to address the planned
closure of the current premises. The
Council is actively searching for new
premises for the LDH.
Service Delivery
Disruptions		 Interruptions due to logistical
challenges or staff
shortages.		 High Medium Develop continuity plan, cross-train
staff and volunteers, review logistics
processes.
Volunteer and Staff
Retention		 Difficulty in retaining
volunteers and staff,
impacting service quality.		 Medium High Implement recognition programs,
provide training and development,
gather feedback regularly.
Technology Failures IT infrastructure failures
disrupting operations.		 Medium Medium Invest in robust IT systems,
implement disaster recovery plan,
train staff on cybersecurity.
Health and Safety Risks
Workplace Accidents Accidents within facilities
causing injuries.		 High Medium Conduct health and safety training,
enforce safety protocols, perform
routine safety audits.
Health Hazards Exposure to health hazards,
such as foodborne
illnesses.		 High Low Adhere to food safety guidelines,
inspect food storage areas,
implement incident management
policies.
Pandemic/Epidemic
Risks		 Health risks from infectious
diseases impacting
operations and health.		 High Medium Develop and implement health
protocols, provide PPE, adjust
operations to minimize contact and
ensure hygiene, monitor public
health updates, and adapt to
changing guidelines.

Simon Williams, Treasurer

Reference and administration details

Charity's principal address

Unit D, Place Ladywell 261 High Street Lewisham SE13 6AY

Registered charity number

1202607

Founder and CEO Laurence Smith Adviser (accountant) Frances Wilde

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity —new trustees are appointed by the Board

Trustee name Office(if any) Dates acted if not for wholeyear
Yvette Dearden Chair
Carolyn Emanuel
Magdalena Sklenkier
Deborah James Resigned 25 Oct 2023
Simon Williams Treasurer Appointed 25 Oct 2023
Christabel Jay Appointed 25 Oct 2023
Gemma del Pozzo Appointed 25 Oct 2023
Olayinka Shittu Appointed 25 Oct 2023
on sabbatical from 24 March 2024
Humberto Rosales Resigned 19 Dec 2023

Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature Name Position Date

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Roport to the trusteesl members of Lewisham Donation Hub On accounts for the year ended 3110312024 Charity no {if any) 1202607 Set out on pages 2 pages below '.emérD •t to 451.;.. J.1& ttr-8 rjy J$ ni4mbèi> of atlrJilir*f.&2 51ifr I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity ("the Trust'l for the year ended I l 03 2 o Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust. you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 {"the Act"}. I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 ofthe 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission und8r section 145(5}(b) of the Act. have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect.. accounling records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or the accounls do not accord with the accounting records Independent examiner's statement I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply. Signed: Date: 111 l ioL Name: Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (If any): Address: rknfvlL140 LJ) (JILIVL &,SL YZLÈ 9& IER October 2018

Accounts (HARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Charity Name Lewisham Donation Hub No jif any) 1202607 Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the period from Period stsrt date Period end date 0110412023 3110312024 Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Endowment funds Total funds Last year to the n8ar8¥t | to the near•8t to th8 n8ar88t £ to th8 n8ar8$t £ to the n8ar8St £ IA1 Receipts Donations Giant Income IGIftAd ITransfer in from piewious onlty 61.660 25.995 3,273 18,615 61.660 99.626 3,273 35,777 73,630 17,162 Sub total(Gross income for AR) 109.643 90,692 200.236 ,'A2 Asset and inveslrnent Isales, {see table). Sub total 109,543 90,692 200,235 IA3 Paym&nts 2.721 2.759 19.720 7,104 2,077 7.252 138 125 104 21,638 13,738 21,771 2.826 24.397 33.458 28,875 2,077 9.394 138 730 ISt8rfiNJ Iclienl ser%ryte . Fotsl support Iclienl serlnce General support IHost Fee5 Ivolunteer travel Ivan hiie IFixtur8s & frttsngs 2,142 606 Sub total 41,896 59,998 101,894 IA4 Asset and investmenl ',purchases, (see table) Sub total Totalpayments 41,896 59,998 101.894 ', Net of receipts/(payments) ',A5 Transfers between funds ',A6 Cash funds last yaar end Cash funds thls year end 67,647 30,694 98,341 67.647 30.694 98.341

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestricted funds to nearest £ Restricted funds to ne•re¥t £ Endowmenti funds to ne•rvJt £ Cate901ies Details ',B1 Cash funds MatroBank Community Account 49,771 30.694 Open Ctlkclwe 17,876 Total cash funds 67,647 30,094 lagreebaLITKes v4th Tecwpls t psymenls ￿Count1 Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Endovmi8nt funds Details to n•4r•t f to n•arv4t £ to n￿r¥t £ ,'B2 Other monetary a88et8 Fund to whl¢h a6$6t b8lonu$ Details C05t loplionoll Current value I ', B3 Investment assets Fund to which 4¥set bdon Details Cost loptlonall Currtrnt valu6 tional ,' B4 A88et8 retained for the Icharity's own use Fund to ￿1¢h lIa￿lIty rolatos Amount due loptlonall When due loptlonall Details B5 Liabilities Isignod by one or1￿0 truskes on I behalf of all the trustee5 Signature Print Name Dale of proval I lo