Trustees' Annual Report for the period
Period start date Period end date Day Month Year Day Month Year From 9th 09 2024 To 9th 09 2025
Section A Reference and administration details
Charity name Other names charity is known by Registered charity number (if any) 1205652
Gift Support Network
n/a
Charity's principal address Office 09
1A Kempshott Road Streatham Postcode SW16 5LG
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 |
Trustee name | Office (if any) | Dates acted if not for whole **year ** |
Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (ifany) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Priscilla Udeh-Nze | Chair | |||
| Immaculata Nnenne Ejionye |
||||
| Caryn Mfon King | ||||
Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)
Name Dates acted if not for whole year
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Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
Type of adviser Name Address
Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)
Section B Structure, governance and management
Description of the charity’s trusts
Type of governing document
Constitution
- (eg. trust deed, constitution)
Charity Incorporated Organisation (Foundation Structure) How the charity is constituted
- (eg. trust, association, company)
Nominated by members and Chair. Trustee selection methods
- (eg. appointed by, elected by)
Additional governance issues (Optional information)
Gift Support Network Conflict of Interest Policy
You may choose to include Gift Support Network Conflict of Interest Policy additional information, where The Board will make decisions based only on what’s best for the Charity. relevant, about: We do not allow personal interests, or the interests of people or • policies and procedures policies and procedures organisations connected to board members, to influence these decisions. adopted for the induction and There are 2 common types of conflict of interest:
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policies and procedures policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees;
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Financial conflicts - when a trustee, or person or
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organisation connected to them, could get money or something else of value from a trustee decision. This does not include the payment of expenses.
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the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;
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Loyalty conflicts - other reasons, a board member might not
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be able to make decisions that are best for the charity.
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relationship with any related parties;
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trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.
Generally, a potential conflict of interest will occur when a board member has a connection to another organisation or person that we have a financial, or other working arrangement with, either as:
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Family – his or her partner, child etc or:
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Organisation – as a trustee, board member, member of
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staff or similar.
Trustee Code of Conduct
As a board, collectively and individually, we:
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Create a safe space – in which everyone is encouraged
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and feels able to speak.
• Positively challenge – each other, but avoid being confrontational - saying ‘no’, ‘that won’t work’.
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Instead, we ask open questions that will help us work together to explore/test an idea, or suggestion - who, what, when and how, but not why, which can come across as accusatory).
Section C Objectives and activities
Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document
Gift Support Network Objects are: The relief of financial hardship, either generally or individually, of people who are socially excluded living in the Uk, Ghana and Nigeria by the provision of grants, goods or services. for the purpose of this clause, ‘socially excluded’ means being excluded from society, or part of society, as a result of youth or old age, disability, financial hardship or relationship or family breakdown.
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Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)
At Gift Support Network, we strongly believe that social exclusion and financial needs are inextricably linked. We know through field experience that social exclusion is accentuated by financial needs which without doubts, creates additional stress for young people between the ages of 16 to 30 years. Thus, our work in our local communities in South London is centred on mitigating high cost of living and supporting adults and young people struggling with basic necessities of life. We have been operating in South London long before our registration with the Charity Commission. And since our registration in 2023, we have been supporting the Elderly, Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Young People, Care Leavers and those living in care. Our popular project around South London is known as the Hot Food Project where we work to mitigate cost of living by providing, preparing and serving cooked meals to those impacted by the high cost of living such as the service users mentioned above. Also, we have visited ‘SIA’ accommodation-based organisations in south Croydon (housing many unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people) supporting them with stipends for daily upkeep and moral support. Furthermore, we visited old peoples’ home in Greater London where we keep them company through our befriending project. Suffice to say that we carry out these projects through donations by our Trustees and volunteers. Suffice to say that our Trustee are keeping their statutory declaration by ensuring that Gift Support Network is carrying its activities for public benefit.
Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)
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Gift Support Grant Policy will consider all applications that fall within our charitable purposes and meet our funding criteria and, for which, the due diligence process has not identified any unacceptable issues.
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Charities - organisations must have a written constitution,
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with exclusively charitable aims, and be run by a minimum of at least 2 trustees.
You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:
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policy on grantmaking;
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policy programme related investment;
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contribution made by volunteers.
In making grants, trustees will comply with Charity Commission guidance, to ensure that it is in the charity’s best interests, check that any money is used as it is expected it to be and the decision recorded in the minutes.
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Governmental Agencies - support will only be considered
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where these is either no, or inadequate statutory provision.
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Other Organisations - in the event that the trustees wished
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to support an organisation that isn’t a charity, they are aware of and would comply with the Charity Commission’s guidance on doing so.
In particular, they would ensure that the grant is only for to further the charity’s purposes, any funding of support costs would be limited to the specified activities, services or outcomes, the grant agreement requires the above be complied with, there is no more than incidental personal benefit and the trustees can demonstrate that the decision is in the charity’s best interests. Grants will be made based on the funding available and solely on merit.
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Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year
In keeping with United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals that are aimed at freeing all people and all segments of society from poverty and hunger and to ensure, among other things, healthy lives and access to education, Gift Support Network through its monetary and moral support has ensured that unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people with no recourse to public fund remained in college to continue with their ESOL programmes.
Our Hot Food Project has contributed in mitigating hunger and ensures that our identified service users benefit from healthy food with less reliance on junk food. This in no small measure has contributed to healthy living and mitigated cost of living crisis among our service users.
In addition, through our befriending activities, Gift Support Network has contributed in reducing loneliness among the elderly service users we visited. Thus, our activities this year (2025) have continued to relieve poverty and mitigate social exclusion within the service users we supported.
Section E Financial review
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Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves
Gift Support Network reserve policy allocates money from unrestricted fund balances, which are not invested in fixed assets, to several designated funds. These funds are:
Continuity Fund
We use this to bridge any possible delays in receiving promised grants or managing payment in arrears contracts. This has been defined as a minimum of a three months budgeted trading activity. Restructuring Fund We use this fund to cover essential trading/activities whilst sourcing income to a maximum of 6 months budgeted trading activity.
Cyclical Maintenance Fund
This fund is to be used for major items of maintenance of the fabric of the buildings such as redecorating the interior and exteriors.
Dissolution Fund
This fund provides for the costs of dissolution should the charity be unable to continue. It is only to be used in the event of the Trustees' deciding the charity should cease to exist. It will be used to pay notice periods, redundancies and the expenses of running Gift Support Network until closure of the organisation.
We acknowledge that as a new charity funding is very difficult. Details of any funds materially However, we don’t have substantial amount of overspend relative in deficit to the total amount received into that fund.
Further financial review details (Optional information)
You may choose to include As a newly registered charity, Gift Support Network in its second additional information, where year of operation after registration as a charity, rely solely on relevant about: grants, donations and contributions from Trustees, Volunteers, • the charity’s principal cultural organisations in UK and the general public. sources of funds (including any fundraising); Gift Support Network Ethical Fund-Raising policy sets out how we manage the ethical issues and social responsibility within • how expenditure has fundraising. Specifically, we aim at all times to be open, honest, fair supported the key objectives and to operate in a legal way that meets not only the law, but also of the charity; fundraising regulation and best practice, including the Code of • investment policy and Fundraising Practice. Everyone who is involved in fundraising has objectives including any a responsibility to be aware of and comply with the ethical issues ethical investment policy and procedures in this policy. adopted.
Currently, our expenditure is on relieving poverty cum needs among ethnic minority service users whom research has identified as the hardest hit in terms of vulnerabilities and cost of living crisis. Gift Support Network Ethical Policy sets out how we manage the ethical issues and social responsibility within fundraising. Specifically, we aim at all times to be open, honest, fair and to operate in a legal way that meets not only the law, but also fundraising regulation and best practice, including the Code of Fundraising Practice. Everyone who is involved in fundraising has a responsibility to be aware of and comply with the ethical issues and procedures in this policy.
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Section F Other optional information
Section G Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Signature(s) PUdeh-Nze
Full name(s) Priscilla Udeh-Nze Position (eg Secretary, Chair, Chair etc)
Date 11th August 2025
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