I'Nig
Iii.
Ill
Wirnbledofi.
l*
## Contents
|Contents||||
|---|---|---|---|
|The Nightwatch Philosophy|3|Independent Examiner's Report|12|
|Chair’s Report|4|Accounts|13|
|Numbers we Serve|6|Fundraising & donations|16|
|Hardship Fund|6|Our Thanks to|18|
|Resettlement Report|7|Information for Volunteers|19|
|Committee Members|7|Nightwatch - Legal Information|22|
|Hot Food Donations|8|Useful Numbers|24|
|Treasurer’s Report|10|||
## The Nightwatch Philosophy
Nightwatch is a charity founded by members of the community in Croydon who were concerned about homelessness. We believe in local solutions for local problems.
Still entirely voluntary, we have been running for more than forty years, adapting to new conditions and applying ourselves to the challenges of homelessness in today’s Britain. Our core activity is a meeting point that is staffed every evening where we give basic help with food and clothing and address more profound needs.
We help people who are street homeless, in squats and other inadequate accommodation, in hostels, in bed and breakfast accommodation, and those who are housed but still need support to help prevent them from again becoming homeless.
Our philosophy is that we treat homelessness as a fluid rather than a steady state – people in need are constantly moving through the system: getting out at the top (becoming housed and needing no further help) or falling off the bottom (becoming street homeless). Our objective is to try to keep people’s motion upwards, so our intervention is tailored to individual needs and aspirations. We assist some people out of street homelessness, others out of
hostels and so on. We address people’s own wishes, working with them to encourage independent living and refurnish new accommodation.
For former homeless people who wish to keep in touch with us, we can help with expensive items such as cookers and fridges, which are beyond their means but without which life is squalid and unpleasant. By maintaining such contact, we help to prevent future homelessness.
Where appropriate, we supply materials to help in re-entering education such as books or travel cards; and we supply appropriate clothing (such as working boots) for people looking for work.
The clients we see have a variety of backgrounds but often have institutional life in common – they have been in children’s homes, psychiatric care or the armed forces, and a number are ex-offenders. Significant problems frequently seen are mental health, drugs, alcohol and marital break-up. It is an important part of our work that we treat all people as individuals and tailor our advice and assistance to their needs. People cannot receive advanced levels of help unless they are willing to address their problems, but everyone gets some help appropriate to their level, with the promise of more as they progress towards independent living.
This work is time consuming and labour intensive, we are the largest volunteer organisation in our borough and we are at work every day of the year.
**Nightwatch** Annual Report 2021 3
## Chair’s Report
of people over the epidemic as we were the only service for our client group, along with the Salvation Army, which kept running through the whole of the epidemic period. People who would normally be looked after elsewhere came to us.
Many partners helped us in our work from commercial concerns like Simply Lunch and Café Deli to faith organisations from the Christian, Hindu, Sikh and Muslim communities.
As will be seen on our financial report on pages 10 to 15, the charity had another successful year. The balances are good with spending returning to pre-Covid levels.
All the challenges of our times, whether it is problems caused by Covid, Brexit or the war in the Ukraine, hit hardest those with the least financial cushion and that means our clients. We are aware of this every night when we do what we can to help homeless and otherwise vulnerable people in Croydon.
I became chair of Nightwatch in 1992 when there was an average of 10 clients a night. A recession and housing shortage were rapidly increasing numbers until we were regularly seeing 20. Now the idea of seeing only as few as 20 on any night would be an unheard-of luxury. We are frequently seeing in excess of 80 people who are desperate enough for food to come out, often in bad weather, and queue up to get something to eat. This is of course not merely a problem of Croydon, food bank use is now a national phenomenon, it is not a trend in which we were happy to have been in the lead.
As we, hopefully, leave the Covid epidemic behind us we can look back with pride at our work over the past years. We worked all though, volunteers were out every night of the epidemic and others were working during the day maintaining food supplies. Our precautions and PPE equipment kept us safe and we organised immunisations for volunteers and clients when Covid vaccinations became available.
Numbers are now down considerably – from 21,000 contacts in 2020 to 15,000 in 2021, as shown on the chart on page 6. We were seeing a very large number
_Donations from City Harvest and UK Harvest continued throughout 2021_
4 **Nightwatch** Annual Report 2021
## Donations
We have been receiving food from City Harvest and UK Harvest which was allocated to local food distributors via Croydon Voluntary Action. CVA had to stop providing this service at the end of 2021 because of cuts in their grant; they were no longer able to support the service. We are hoping to come to new arrangements with partners in a new venue.
Purley Food Hub continues to supply us generously with food. Over the Covid period Croydon Churches Floating Shelter members could not provide their regular shelter during lockdown and so turned to helping us by providing teams to produce sandwiches for which we are very grateful.
Organisations and individuals from the community have been supplying us with hot food to be distributed in takeaway boxes, all co-ordinated by Ayesha Sharma. There are some pictures on pages 8 and 9. Ayesha also took over this year as Volunteer co-ordinator. Thank you to Cindee Low who has filled this demanding position with skill and organisational ability since 2014.
_Wrap Up London gives us 100 warm coats and jackets every winter._
Thank you to all the volunteers and supporters who have given so much through the year.
## _**Jad Adams**_
## Dave Randall
We were saddened to hear of the death of Dave Randall at the age of 70. He was one of the founders of Nightwatch who first went out to care for homeless people in September 1976. Dave was at that time a reporter on the Croydon Advertiser and he was able to highlight the challenges of homelessness in the borough in the newspaper. He later moved on to Fleet Street newspapers, taking on executive positions at the Observer and the Independent on Sunday. Dave joined us at our conference in 2016 which commemorated 40 years of the charity.
5
**Nightwatch** Annual Report 2021
## Numbers we Serve
In 2021 the numbers we saw on Sunday night returned to normal levels with an average of 72. During the week the numbers also returned to being about half of what we see on Sundays compared to last year at about 70%.
Consequently the estimate for total number of contacts reduced from the record level of 21,000 in 2020 to 15,000 in 2021.
## _**Roger Davies**_
**----- Start of picture text -----**
100
Nightwatch
90 Average Numbers in Mint Walk
Sunday Evenings
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
**----- End of picture text -----**
## Hardship Fund
29 payments were made in 2021 totalling £14,965 with an average of £516.04. Over the three years the hardship Fund has been operating, 107 payments totalling £43,762 have been made with an average award of £410.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
No Reason Amount
18 Service Charge 11,282.92
1 Rent Arrears 1,427.40
1 Resettlement Grant 535.30
4 Fuel Vouchers 126.40
2 Funeral Flowers 160.00
1 Removal 149.00
1 Television Licence 159.00
1 Course Fees 1,125.00
29 Total 14,965.02
Average Payment 516.04
**----- End of picture text -----**
In 2021 the largest amount again was for Service Charge debts accumulated in hostels. These are between £15 and £18 per week for utilities. Unlike the Housing Benefit which covers the weekly rent (about £330 per week) paid direct to the hostel, the service charge is paid by the individual from Universal Credit. It seems to be an ongoing problem that the key workers allow individuals to accumulate so much debt and then threaten with eviction.
The payments varied from first year course fees to providing funeral flowers.
This year we introduced a method of paying for gas and electric pay meters by issuing a voucher that can be use to top up payment cards.
## _**Roger Davies**_
6 **Nightwatch** Annual Report 2021
## Resettlement Report
We make full resettlements for former homeless people in new accommodation which means substantial amounts of furniture including cookers, beds and fridges.
This totalled 34 resettlements in 2021, higher than the 20 in 2020 when the disruption from Covid was greater. This figure shows a return to the figures of the low 30s which we had come to expect in 2018-19. We would welcome a return even to these frustratingly low prepandemic levels of resettlement.
Of the resettlements, 7 were female (20 per cent). This is a lower percentage than usual; normally a third of resettlement cases are female.
The division of male to female coming for help at our meeting place was lower this year than last, at 13 per cent women when in 2020 it was 19 per cent.
We give £50 vouchers for B&Q for people who are in new accommodation and need paint, brushes, paper etc so they can decorate it.
We also made 89 deliveries of ‘small’ items short of full resettlements. This compares with 75 last year. These are required because, for example, if a client’s fridge or cooker stops working, they cannot afford the repair or replacement, and we can help out. Former clients often come to see us even though they have been settled for a long time, requesting help with high-cost household goods like this.
We work mainly with the recycling charity Emmaus who receive donations of unwanted furniture from members of the public; they store and recondition it and deliver it to our clients as we request them to do. Their contact details are on the back of this report booklet. We paid them a total of £11,528 which is higher than last year (£10,271) but still only half of what we spent in 2019, our last full pre-Covid year.
We now have a relationship with the Croydon Almshouses for resettling the over 60s among our clients.
Work related expenditure totalled £1,1887, down from last year’s figure of £2,527, the reduction perhaps reflective of the Brexit-related departure of many eastern Europeans who had come to the UK to work.
We supplied four reconditioned laptops and would have supplied more but the chip shortage caused by the pandemic has affected the second-hand computer market and devices are difficult to obtain.
We gave out 7 charged mobile phones so people could keep in contact with Streetlink, the council and other services which can help them.
## Committee Members
_Please use emails to contact committee members for non-urgent communications_
## **Chair**
Jad Adams 020 8699 6718 croydonnightwatch@btinternet.com
## **Secretary**
Nicky Edwards 07828 144645 nicky@croydonnightwatch.org.uk
## **Treasurer**
Roger Davies 07749 007094 roger_davies@talktalk.net
## **Volunteer Co-ordinator**
Ayesha Sharma 07794 325156 ayesha@croydonnightwatch.org.uk
## **Fundraising officer**
Yasmin Halai-Carter yasmin@ethstat.com
## **Committee member**
Cindee Low 07403 456756 cindeenw@gmail.com
## **Committee member**
We also help clients with vocational support such as 108 pairs of steel-toecapped working boots and working trousers for people doing heavy work. Other vocational support included hedge and grass trimming tools.
Nana Acquah 020 8405 8712 acquah.rn@virginmedia.com
## **Committee member**
Tony Packwood packers@gmail.com **Nightwatch** Annual Report 2021
7
**Hot Food Donations**
8
**Nightwatch** Annual Report 2021
**Groups from the community in Croydon contribute hot food to our clients**
9
**Nightwatch** Annual Report 2021
## Treasurer’s Report
## Financial Report 2021
The following chart shows the income, expenditure and reserves for the last 12 years, allowing some interesting views of the way things have changed over that timescale.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Yearly Financial Figures
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Receipts
Donations 15,400 10,000 25,200 43,000 25,000 42,400 46,650 74,000 63,928 50,101 92,684 30,133
Virgin Money 10,733 14,223 26,263 34,543
Lottery/Gift Aid 33,000 27,000 1,281 747 482 1,484
Grants 17,700 31,000 20,200 16,200 16,200 6,000 2,000 4,700 13,100 0
Interest 336 468 258 12
Total Receipts 66,100 68,000 45,400 59,200 41,200 48,400 46,650 74,000 78,278 70,240 132,786 66,173
Expediture
Food and Preparation 1,000 2,100 1,800 9,400 9,300 9,250 10,500 9,350 10,850 15,122 11,310 16.683
Clothing 3,600 2,500 3,300 4,300 4,800 4,700 3,800 3,400 2,527 1,960 4,219 6,116
Training 2,300 850 1,900 1,700 2,300 14
Toiletries/Sleeping Bags 300 200 2,200 2,450 1,900 1,100 1,911 2,280 2,606 3,934
Gifts/Donations 1,700 800 2,000 1,800 1,900 1,600 1,700 2,236 2,749 5,380 3,489
Hardship Fund 10,466 18,331 15,178
Resettlement 41,500 26,100 14,700 17,800 13,800 29,800 27,500 8,500 23,803 26,744 14,230 20,073
Total Clients 50,400 32,350 19,800 35,600 33,600 50,400 45,300 24,050 41,327 59,320 56,091 65,471
Core Costs
Office/Premises 5,400 7,200 4,900 4,700 3,500 2,800 2,650 3,350 3,932 3,504 3,420 4,158
Rent 2,000 2,600 3,800
Insurance 1,400 1,400 1,350 1,300 1,400 1,350 1,400 1,450 1,256 1,276 1,276 1,204
Audit 800 700 700 850 750 750 650 600 625 605 660 851
Total Core Costs 9,600 11,900 10,750 6,850 5,650 4,900 4,700 5,400 5,814 5,384 5,356 6,212
Operational Costs 60,000 44,250 30,550 42,450 39,250 55,300 50,000 29,450 47,140 64,704 61,447 71,687
Net 6,100 23,750 14,850 16,750 1,950 -6,900 -3,350 44,550 31,138 5,536 71,339 -5,514
Capital/Special 7,800 1,000 11,000 1,686 1,445 1,045 973
Covid 19 56,173 17,031
Total Expenditure 60,000 52,050 31,550 42,450 39,250 55,300 61,000 29,450 48,827 66,148 118,664 89,690
Balance 6,100 15,950 13,850 16,750 1,950 -6,900 -14,350 44,550 29,451 4,091 14,121 -23,518
Total Reserves 14,282 30,232 44,082 60,832 62,782 55,882 41,532 86,082 115,533 119,721 133,842 110,325
COIF 42,017 17,173 72,261 92,598 98,163 108,421 88,432
HSBC 14,282 30,232 44,082 60,832 62,782 13,865 24,359 13,821 22,936 21,559 25,422 21,892
**----- End of picture text -----**
10 **Nightwatch** Annual Report 2021
The following review of 2021 includes rounding of the figures for clarity.
Total Receipts
## Income
Income returned to normal levels (£66,200) compared to the record £138,800 in 2020. Thankfully, £10,000 was still received from Barratt Homes in the last month. Virgin Money Giving ceased operating in November 2021 and Nightwatch transferred to JustGiving. The combined record total from both was £34,500 for the year with £9,600 coming from JustGiving. It might be that this reflects the increase in online donations as a result of Covid. Giftaid increased to £1400 as a result of the increases in donations in 2020
**----- Start of picture text -----**
140,000
130,000
120,000
110,000
100,000
90,000
80,000
70,000
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
**----- End of picture text -----**
Total Expenditure
## Expenditure
The direct spend on clients increased to £65,000 from £56,000 mainly due to increases in Resettlement (£14,200 to £20,100) and Food Purchases (£11,300 to £16,900) as a result of the reduction in Covid Restrictions. The spend directly on Covid provisions reduced from £56,200 to £17,000 mainly as a result of not buying provisions from Simply Lunch. 92% of expenditure was used to support clients. 7% on core costs (eg Insurance etc) and 1% on one off purchases (eg Laptop. Laminator etc)
**----- Start of picture text -----**
140,000
130,000
120,000
110,000
100,000
90,000
80,000
70,000
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
**----- End of picture text -----**
Total Reserves
## Reserves
With the total spend of £89,700 the reduction in reserves was £23,500 resulting in total reserves reducing to £110,300. This still represents a robust financial position for Nightwatch. The target is to reduce the reserves by continuing with the Hardship Fund
_**Roger Davies**_
**----- Start of picture text -----**
140,000
120,000
100,000
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
0
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
**----- End of picture text -----**
11
**Nightwatch** Annual Report 2021
## Independent Examiner's Report To the Trustees of Nightwatch
I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31st December 2021 set out on pages 13 to 15 which have been prepared on the basis of the accounting policies on page 15.
## Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner
The trustees of the charity are responsible for the preparation of accounts; they consider that the audit requirement under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act), does not apply. It is my responsibility to:
- examine the accounts under Section 145 of the 2011 Act.
- follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners made under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
- state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
## Basis of independent examiner’s report
My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
## Independent examiner’s statement
Based on my examination, no matter has come to my attention which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect, accounting records have not been kept in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act, or that the accounts presented do not accord with those records, or comply with the accounting requirement of the 2011 Act. No matter has come to my attention in connection with my examination to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Carol Thomson ACA ICAEW 124 Ranby Road, Sheffield, S11 7AL
Date: 09/05/2022
12 **Nightwatch** Annual Report 2021
## Accounts
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st December 2021
|Notes
**Receipts**
Voluntary receipts
Grants and gifts received
Tax refunds under Gift Aid
Other receipts
Interest received
Total Receipts
Payments
**Payments in furtherance of the**
**charity’s objectives**
Direct costs
2a
Overheads
Indirect Costs
2b
Total Payments
Net Receipts/(Payments)
before transfers
Transfers between funds
**Net Movement in Funds**
Balances B’fwd
**Balances C’fwd**|Unrestricted
Restricted
**2021**
2020
General
Funds
**£**
£
64,676
-
**64,676**
132,046
1,485
-
**1,485**
482
12
-
**12**
258|
|---|---|
||66,173
-
**66,173**
132,786|
||82,504
-
**82,504**
112,263
7,186
-
**7,186**
6,401|
||89,690
13,100
**89,690**
118,664|
||(23,517)
-
**(23,517)**
(118,407)
-
-
**-**
-
(23,517)
-
**(23,517)**
(118,407)
133,842
-
**133,842**
119,721|
||110,325
-
**110,325**
1,315|
The notes on page 15 form part of these accounts.
13
**Nightwatch** Annual Report 2021
## Accounts
## STATEMENT OF ASSETS & LIABILITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st December 2021
## **1. Fixed Assets**
Nightwatch has no fixed assets
The charity has use of the premises in at the Quaker Meeting house in Croydon for preparation of food
## **2. Bank & Cash Balances**
## **3. Other Assets & Liabilities**
|Note
HSBC
COIF
_Assets_
Gift aid tax recovery not yet
received
_Liabilities_
Unbilled fee for
Independent Examination|2021
2020
£
£
21,893
25,422
88,432 1
108,421|
|---|---|
||110,325
133,842|
||2021
£
2020
£
-
-|
||-
-|
||660
660|
||660
660|
The accounts were approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by Jad Adams.
Date: 09/05/2022
by Jad Adams, Chair of Trustees.
14 **Nightwatch** Annual Report 2021
## Accounts
## NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st December 2021
## **1. Accounting Policies**
The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis with a statement of assets and liabilities.
|**2a. Direct costs**
Notes
Food, distribution and preparation
Clothing
Client Training
Special Needs i.e Toiletries
Gifts
Resettlement
Hardship Fund
Covid 19 Relief
**2b. Indirect costs**
Equipment
General Administration
Insurance
Independent examination|General
Restricted
**Total**
Total
Funds
Funds
**2021**
2020
£
£
**£**
£
16,683
-
**16,683**
11,310
6,116
-
**6,116**
4,219
0
-
**0**
14
3,934
-
**3,934**
2,606
3,489
-
**3,489**
5,380
20,073
-
**20,073**
14,230
15,178
-
**15,178**
18,331
17,031
-
**17,031**
56,173|
|---|---|
||82,504
-
**82,504**
112,263|
||973
-
**973**1,045
4,368
-
**4,368**3,420
1,204
-**1,204**1,276
641
-
**641**660|
||7,186
-
**7,186**6,401|
## **3. Employees**
There were no employees during the year.
Amounts paid to trustees relate to reimbursement of expenses only.
No trustee is remunerated for trustee services.
15
**Nightwatch** Annual Report 2021
Paul Cooper bringing a donation of bags to distribute from Purley Lodge Freemasons
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Nightwatch Annual Report 2021 17
A donation from Towergate Riskline
Don of Nightwatch and
Des of Temple Road collection
Some of the many sandwiches donated by
Croydon Churches Floating Shelter
School
A Harvest Festival donation from Woodside
**----- End of picture text -----**
## Our Thanks to
stationery ethstat
**----- Start of picture text -----**
WHITGIFTIAN
LD RF
O C
**----- End of picture text -----**
18 **Nightwatch** Annual Report 2021
## Information for Volunteers
## Nightly Teams
Volunteers go out in teams every evening. You should have contact details of other volunteers on your team. Volunteers decide themselves how they handle the work. Some go out and also make sandwiches to take; others collect sandwiches from volunteer sandwich makers; others collect from shops that give us unsold food. Some teams take out more elaborate food than soup and sandwiches. Whatever you wish to do, claim the cost from our treasurer unless we have supplies in the hall (e.g. sandwich fillings).
If anything prevents your usual routine (very bad weather, for example, stranding some volunteers in the south of the borough) buy ready made-up food from whatever shop is available: a garage, supermarket or fast-food outlet. Get a receipt and claim the cost. Maintenance of supply is more important than cost. There should always be at least one man in a group. There should be a person designated as group leader (normally the most experienced person) to whom members should speak if they are unable to go out on a night. The group leader should try to find a replacement if necessary.
A volunteer should also talk to the group leader if they wish to stop volunteering for Nightwatch. The group leader will tell the volunteer co-ordinator. It is important that the volunteer co-ordinator always has a picture of the way each night is working. We do not want to be in the situation where a couple of people leave from one night and the first the volunteer co-ordinator hears about it is when there is a crisis and the night is completely uncovered.
Our volunteers have to be over 18, confident and levelheaded. The age limit is to prevent teenagers from being exposed to experiences for which they are not yet emotionally equipped.
It is advised that all who come into contact with people who fit our client group profile should have Hepatitis B inoculation. You can get this from your GP who should not charge as you are ‘at risk’ but if you are charged, claim from Nightwatch. The injection is not one of the most unpleasant ones but it does have to be boosted twice in the first year to give full protection.
## In the Kitchen
Remember we are running a catering operation and the highest standards of food hygiene must be maintained. Please keep the kitchen clean and respect the needs of other users. Drain unused soup in a strainer and throw it in a bin (solids block the sink or toilet). When rubbish bags are full, throw them out in the big green rubbish bin outside. Recycle tins in the separate bin.
For any problems, call Phil Forester who looks after premises liaison. If we need things such as dishcloths or bags, just buy them, keep a receipt and claim the cost. In general, you can always buy things you need for our work such as torches. If you are in any doubt as to the appropriateness of anything you want to get, speak to the treasurer.
Anything placed in the fridges must be labelled with the date. Treat unlabelled food as out of date and throw it away. Remember that our clients sometimes take away food to eat for breakfast so the food you give them must have sufficient shelf-life to stay unrefrigerated until the next day.
## Reports
Note on the daily log which volunteers were out and which clients we have seen (where you know the names). Note anything unusual which will help following evening: tension, arguments between clients, unexpected behaviour. Note the total number of people and where possible gender and race.
You may take clothing requests but do not under any circumstances assure people that the things they ask for will be provided by the team on the following Sunday. Any requests you make will not be seen by Sally and the clothing team until Sunday, then won’t be bought till the following week and won’t be supplied until, at the soonest, the next Sunday.
Where people are sleeping out and obviously in dire need, by all means supply them with sleeping bags or blankets from the store but note that you have done so.
We have public liability insurance.
19
**Nightwatch** Annual Report 2021
## Parking Permits
We have three parking permits which allow us to park in Fell Road (and nowhere else). If you want to take one, please return it to the log book when you return to the hall. We have had difficulties with people taking permits away and not returning them, to the considerable inconvenience of other volunteers.
## Resettlement
Resettlement volunteers organise furniture deliveries from Emmaus which is a charity that recycles furniture. Home visits sometimes do take place but you must be careful: whenever you are visiting a client at home make sure you write down the address and leave it with someone you know. Visits should be brief. Women volunteers should not be alone with male clients in their flats, and everyone should act with caution.
## At the service area
Always stay within sight of other volunteers. You may need to speak confidentially to a client but do not go far from the main body of volunteers.
Ideally, one person at least should have a mobile phone with them. Threats against volunteers are very rare, but if made should result in withdrawal to the top of the path and then evacuation of the site if you feel unsafe. Incidents of violence should be reported to the police immediately. Volunteers should not carry any cash with them when in the service area and if clients ask, they should be made aware of this policy.
More common is argument between clients in which volunteers are not involved, but the same principle applies: neither we nor the clients should have to be in a violent situation. Other clients will often try to calm a situation down if there is an argument. Stand aside and let them do it, they are probably more experienced at this than you. Do not get involved and try to settle a dispute rationally – it probably isn’t about anything accessible to reason.
If there is trouble down in the service area, make it clear you cannot work in these conditions and you will have to withdraw. If trouble persists, go to the top of the path at Fell Road. If there is no improvement, leave.
In general: always leave the service area together. Never leave one person talking with a client while the body of volunteers goes back to the hall. Do not be alone with clients unless in a controlled environment. This is partly because of the fear of unpredictable behaviour, but also because many of our clients could reasonably be described as ‘vulnerable adults’ and public authorities insist that we should take steps to ensure the clients cannot come into danger from volunteers.
## Hardship Fund
We operate a Hardship Fund which is intended to provide one off hardship payments that will overcome a short-term financial problem and relieve the receiver of immediate worry. Please just send the name and contact details of the applicant to the Treasurer who will review the position and gain approval for payment from the other Trustees.
## Children
Volunteers must not deal with children directly. There are public policies of screening volunteers and protecting the safety of children with which we do not comply. As we almost never see children alone, it has not proved necessary for us to adopt the cumbersome procedures necessary for organisations which do. The needs of our clients’ children should be addressed via their parents.
Obviously this rule must be interpreted in terms of common sense and charitable behaviour: occasionally we see child runaways in the gardens who should be spoken to with appropriate concern.
## Equality Statement
Nightwatch is committed to serving the homeless community of Croydon. Our services are available to all regardless of gender, racial origin, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability or mental state. The sole qualification to be in receipt of help from Nightwatch is to be present at the Queen’s Gardens at 9.30pm expressing need.
Our volunteers are drawn from the community of Croydon and are accepted on the basis of their willingness and ability to make a long term commitment to the needs of the homeless. No other consideration is taken into account.
20 **Nightwatch** Annual Report 2021
## The Committee
The committee oversees resources and the interpretation of policy which is set by the Annual General Meeting that takes place in summer. It consists of a chair, secretary, treasurer, volunteer co-ordinator, premises liaison external liaison officer (who attends meetings with other bodies and reports back) and an administrator. Committee members are happy to help, so feel free to contact them but everyone is a volunteer so time is limited. If you have problems which you can sort out yourself, please do so. For example, if volunteers expect to be short on a particular night, try to sort the problem out before asking the volunteer coordinator’s help.
Current voluntary organisation practice urges us to have a grievance procedure. Anyone with a complaint should take it up with their team leader. If resolution is not easily possible (or the team leader is the person complained of) we have designated the secretary as the committee member responsible for investigating and resolving grievances.
## Ethical Standards – Nightwatch
Nightwatch is committed to maintaining the highest standards in its operation. The following guidelines are presented to give clarity on our procedures regarding personal behaviour.
There are situations in which inappropriate interactions are possible: between clients and volunteers and between volunteers themselves. These guidelines are written with the understanding that some clients are vulnerable to exploitation, while some are manipulative and prone to exploit others, including volunteers.
Any inappropriate behaviour or comment by a client towards a volunteer should be reported to the team leader that night, who will judge whether it is grave enough to be reported to the volunteer co-ordinator or committee. Volunteers should immediately withdraw from conversation with a client who exhibits inappropriate behaviour towards them or uses unacceptable language.
Volunteers are expected to act in an appropriate manner, so as not to bring Nightwatch into disrepute. Volunteers are responsible for reporting any action that may endanger ourselves or our clients, or damage our reputation.
Volunteers should not be alone with clients. On occasions when it is necessary to visit a client where they are living, a volunteer should have someone with them. If solo working is inevitable, they should not enter the premises but stay at the door or meet in a public place.
Volunteers should not have relationships with clients outside of friendly assistance. If a more intimate relationship occurs, either the volunteer or client must stop engaging with Nightwatch (the volunteer must cease volunteering or the client must stop being a client).
Inappropriate language or behaviour between volunteers themselves should be challenged. If persistent, it should be reported to the team leader. If the team leader is implicated, it should be reported to the volunteer coordinator.
If any volunteer is concerned about the behaviour of another volunteer towards volunteers or clients, they should in the first instance discuss it with their team leader or the volunteer co-ordinator. If the volunteer is not happy then they should contact the Chair directly, or another committee member.
21
**Nightwatch** Annual Report 2021
## Nightwatch - Legal Information
The name of the charity is Nightwatch, it is sometimes known as Croydon Nightwatch after the site of its activities. The charity number is 274925 and the mailing address is PO Box 2576, London, SE23 3ZH. The trustees over the period for which this report was compiled, the calendar year of 2021, were Jad Adams, Roger Davies and Nicky Edwards. The secretary was Nicky Edwards.
Nightwatch is governed by a constitution which was adopted in 1976 when the charity was founded and updated in 2003 and (for minor changes requested by a funder) 2005. Its objectives are the care and treatment of persons in need who are homeless, rootless or suffering from psychological or physical infirmity or who by reason of adverse circumstances or being a discharged offender, are in need of help in acquiring a settled way of life. We are further dedicated to the education of those persons so as to develop their physical, mental and spiritual capacities that they may develop full maturity as responsible individuals and members of society, that their conditions of life may be improved.
The Committee meets four times a year to review the activities of the charity including fund raising, the approval of the annual report and accounts prior to their submission to the AGM. The Committee also oversees such issues as insurance, health and safety, assessment of risk, and compliance with legal requirements. It also reviews our contacts with Croydon Borough Council, with funding bodies and with outside agencies doing complementary work. As part of the internal control system, a budget is prepared at the beginning of the year. Management accounts are prepared each quarter, and reviewed by the committee with significant variances being investigated.
The Trustees are required to prepare financial statements for each year. The financial position of Nightwatch is set out in the accompanying annual accounts. The trustees agree that an audit is not required for the financial year, but according to the provisions of the Charities Act 1993 an independent examination is required. Our independent examiner is Carol Thomson Bsc ACA (ICAEW) of 124 Ranby Road, Sheffield, S11 7AL. Our bank is HSBC.
The main activities taken in relation to these
objectives are the maintenance of a meeting point in the Queen’s Service area in central Croydon every night of the year at which we meet homeless and other needy people. This reporting year we supplied food, clothing and other personal items and provided a constant, caring presence in what were often chaotic lifestyles. We gave advice and guidance. We also provided furniture and essential household items to resettle formerly homeless people into new accommodation; and assisted with household goods those who are accommodated but could not afford such items. We assisted with the provision of working clothes and other items to help people into work or education. We operated a hardship fund making one off payments to overcome short term financial problems. A breakdown of these activities is in this report, as is an account of the charity’s deployment of its more than 150 volunteers.
Trustees are elected at an Annual General Meeting from volunteers from among the active membership. Nightwatch is run by a voluntary Executive Committee elected by the Annual General Meeting.
The Nightwatch practice on reserves is to maintain in a COIF account a sum at least equivalent to nine months’ unrestricted expenditure commitment corresponding to £45,000 in cash terms. The trustees are satisfied with the reserves position of the charity. As at 30 December 2021 our reserves consist of £110,000 which will be reduced over three years by an annual spend of £20,000 on the Hardship Fund. There are no restricted reserves.
Charity law requires us as Trustees to prepare financial statements for each accounting year which record the receipts and payments of the charity for the year.
We are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable us to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011.
We also have a responsibility to safeguard the assets of the charity and to take reasonable steps to prevent fraud or any other irregularities.
22 **Nightwatch** Annual Report 2021
Nlghtwat£hAnnual Report 203 23
## **Useful Numbers**
|**Useful Numbers**||
|---|---|
|**Emmaus** (for furniture donations)|0300 123 2001|
||contact@emmausslc.co.uk|
|**Street Link**(for street homeless people)|0300 500 0914|
|www.streetlink.org.uk (online referrals)||
|**Palmer House**(Hostel)|020 7870 8850|
||105-107 Lansdowne Road, CR0 2BN|
|**Croydon Council Single Homeless Service**|0208 760 5530|
|**Routes Home**(for foreign nationals)|020 3092 7455|
||www.mungos.org/routes-home/|
|**Croydon Refugee Day Centre**|020 8689 4527|
|West Croydon Baptist Church, Whitehorse Road, CRO 2JH||
|**CAYSH**(Croydon Association for the Young Single Homeless)|0208 683 0227|
|**Croydon Turn around**(14-21 year olds)|020 8760 5530|
|From 25 March 2022 the Turnaround|Centre is closed until further notice.|
|You can still call for advice and support.||
|**Crisis Skylight**|0300 636 1967|
||13 Surrey Street, CR0 1RG|
|**Rape Crisis South London**|020 8683 3311|
|Helpline|0808 802 9999|
|**MIND in Croydon**|020 8668 2210|
|admin@mindincroydon.org.uk||
|**Albert Kennedy Trust**homelessness among LGBT+ young people:|
020 7831 6562|
|gethelp@akt.org.uk | www.AKT.org.uk||
|**Citizens Advice Bureau Adviceline**|0800 144 88 48|
|For help claiming Universal Credit Freephone: 0800 144 8 444|| Textphone: 18001 0800 144 8 444|
||www.citizensadvicecroydon.org|
## **www.croydonnightwatch.org.uk**
Nightwatch - Homeless Charity
@WeAreNightwatch
@WeAreNightwatch
Financial donations can be sent via **www.justgiving.com/nightwatchuk**
## **PO Box 9576, London, SE23 3ZH**
## Email: **croydonnightwatch@btinternet.com**
**Trustees: Jad Adams MA FRHistS; Roger Davies MSc; Nicky Edwards Registered Charity No 274925.**
Cover pictures: Nightwatch volunteers out during 2020 by Thelma Gossel
Cover picture: ‘Fires of Samhain’ by Bev Jones www.bevjonesart.co.uk