STEPNEY COMMUNITY TRUST (A REGISTERED CHARITY & COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE) Directorn, R•port and Flnancial Statements For the year •nded 31 March 2024 Page 1 STEPNEY COMMUNITY TRUST Contents Page Company Infomiation Directors. Report Independent Examiner's Report Statement of Financial Activities Balance Sheet Notes to Financial Ststement 10-13 Page 2 STEPNEY COMMUNITY TRUST COMPANY INFORMATION Directors.. Bodrul Alom Ahmed Hassan Mohammed Abdul Malik Mohammed Enam Uddin Ms Rafia Khan Ms Ameena Begum Secretary.. Bodrul Alom Registered Office.. 46 Myrdle Street London E1 1HL Business Address: 46 Myrdle Street London E1 1 HL Company Registration Number: 2036918 Charity Registration Number. 297771 Bankers: National Westminster Bank PLC Whitechapel Road (B) Branch Black Lion House 45 Whitechapel Road London E1 1DU Independent Examiner: Muhit & Co Chartered Certified Accountsnts & Tax Advisers 80A Ashfield Street Unit 4 London E12BJ Page 3 STEPNEY COMMUNITY TRUST Directorsffrustee's Report For the year ended 31st March 2024 The Trustees present their report and accounts for the year ended 31 St March 2024 STEPNEY COMMUNITY TRUST is a grassroots community organisation. It operates in areas with high levels of poverty and deprivation, surrounded by prosperity and affluence. Over several decades the Trust has supported deprived and disadvantaged communities in Stepney and surrounding areas of East London. Through grassroots activities, it has developed good expertise in accessing and supporting hard to reach people and providing them with much-needed activitieslservices in a culturally sensitive way. These include vocational training courses designed to inspire, motivate and up-skill disadvantaged people to go fopAiard in lrfe. Structure, Governance and Management The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the accounts and comply with the goveming rule and applicable law. Governlng document The charity was originally founded in 1982. It was registered as a company limited by guarantee in July 1986 (2036918) and as a chanty in October 1987 (297771). How the Trust was founded Stepney Community Trust (formerly St Mary's Centre) was founded in 1982 by Soyful Alom, who was involved with the organisation, directly and indirectly. until 2010. Appolntment of Trusts95 The Board of Trustees has the power to appoint additional Trustees or remove Trustees as it considers fit to do so. Appointment of Directors The Boar(l of Directors has the power to appoint additional directors or remove directors as It considers fit to do so. The Trustees and Directors in office in the year are set out on page 2. The Trustees and Directors have no beneficial interest in the organisation other than as members. Trustees Mohammed Abdul Malik. Bodrul Alom, Mohammed Enam Uddin. Hassan Ahmed, Ms Rafia Khan and Ms Ameena 8egum. Dlrectors Abdul Malik, Bodrul Alom. Enam Uddin, Hassan Ahmed and Ms Rafia Khan and Ms Ameena Begum. Page 4 STEPNEY COMMUNITY TRUST Company Secretary Bodrul Alom Organisation The TrusteeslDirectors meet regularly to manage the affairs of the charity. The day-to4ay running of the charity is the responsibility of the Secretary, who manages staff and volunteers and reports directly to the Board of Trustees. Staff and Volunteers Dr Muhammad Ahmedullah, Shamili Hoque, Rubiya Begum, Rafia Khatun, Elena Hawkins IESOL tulor), Isabel Kidel (ESOL tutor). Shabnam Khan. Rukshana Khanam, Salma Begum, Kate Eaton IESOL tutor), Hayat Attusi. Salma Begum, Israth Jahan Hera, Shayla Sidiqua. Hazera Begum, Shamiine Akther Ruby, Fathema Khanam Jule, Shah Rakibul Hoque and Muhammed Qualam. Volunteers All our volunteers dedicate at least six hours or more a week of their time. They are there to support the charity's various activities and gain new skills and experiences to enhance their employment prospects. Volunteers are regularly recruited. trained. supported and supervised throughout. Publlc benefit Statement The Trustees and Directors considerthat they have complied with Section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 conceming the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission. ObJ•ctlves and Actlvltles STEPNEY COMMUNITY TRUST is a grassroots community organisation that aims: 'To enhance and improve the area's social welfare,. educational, employment and economic prospects,. living environment., and enabling residents to access opportunities for development and improving their physical and mental health and the quality of life in general.. What th• Trust offers to the communlty Following the pandemic the Twst, as a voluntary and charity sector organisation, has experienced increasing difficulties in fundraising. In such a difficult time, the Trust found itself limited by what it could offer to address the changing needs of the local community. Despite the socio-economic and financial constraints, it has worked very hard to deliver the following projects during the last financial year. What the Trust offers to the community Due to the pandemic and lockdowns in recent years, the Trust, as a voluntary and charity sector organisation, has experienced increasing difficulties in fundraising. In such a difficult time, the Trust found itself limited by what it could offer to address the changing needs of the local community. However. despite the socio-economic and financial constraints, it has worked very hard to deliver the following projects during the financial year. Life Skills Project SCT has developed and delivered this exciting 'Life Skills Project., and its activities included ESOL, ICT and Job search. It also included opportunities for local people to overcome social isolation by attending weekly tea momings, promoting community cohesion and developing P8ge 5 STEPNEY COMMUNITY TRUST social skills and self-confidence. Urban Garden Project The food growing project was aimed at local women and managed by volunteers. In the urban garden in the backyard of the Trust's building, local women created a miniature ecosystem with raised beds, a small herb area, peach and pear trees, smaller plants on square and rectangular boxes and Comfrey to generate plant food. The space was divided into small sections and allocated to local women that joined the project. They leamt about sowing and how to look after. grow and harvest organic food, gaining theoretical and practical knowledge. They grew vegetables and herbs and organised a haNest celebration by cooking and eating together with the wider local community. Engllsh for All and Engllsh for Life English for All and English for Life (E4A and E4L> was designed to provide a new way of ESOL training based on flexible leaming approaches combined with social and health activities to promote "connections, leaming together and volunteering". This project was launched in June 2023 which proven to be extremely successful. Sewing Project It was challenging task to find resources to start this project, which offered creative activities to local women. However, local women have widely utilised the project activities by getting involved in making things for themselves to wear and to be used at home. Yet again, this is one of the most popular and widely used activities by local women. More importantly, the sewing class is a popular social gathering that offers the participants time to relax, chat, make friends and leam a new skill. The progress of the participants is enomious in terms of developing tailoring skills- able to cut and make gamients and more importantly, a boost of confidence and a sense of pride. Confidence and Well-belng ProJ•et It offers a weekly meditation class in collaboration with a confidence-building activity. This has been very successful as it aims raising awareness about self-care. mental health and well-being which have helped participantsto realise and develop importance of 'self-esteem' and 'looking after yourself. Let's Talk Project This is a weekly drop-in session for anyone who wants to talk to someone about issues affecting their lives and well-being. In fact, this offers an opportunity for community members to offload any issues of stress and worries they might have been going through. It is a confidential and non-judgmental listening seNice which. is emerging very popular with local women. Communication Class Weekly English communication class is an interactive session which aims to help boost their confidence in speaking English. The focus is on everyday interaction and how to overcome shyness. At present it is offering four weekly ESOL classes delivered in partnership with ELArr and WEA. Page 6 STEPNEY COMMUNITY TRUST Herilage Project- Jute the Golden Fibre of Bengal and an Empire Monopoly How the sweat of Bengal cultivators facilttated the expansion of the trade of the British Empire (1830-1940). The project began in mid-2023 with a launch in April to share details with the public and invite people to join as communty participants. It recruited about a dozen individuals and provided them with training and visits to relevant heritage institutions, such as the London Metropolitan Archives, Kew Gardens and Dundee Jute Museurn. The project has two parts: research and writing about the history of Bengal jute and producing historical and creative crafts. It is envisaged that the project will be completed in October 2024. Employment Pathways Project This is a unique project commenced in January 2024 which aims to develop training and support for local people farthest away from the job market to improve employability skills. It offers complete job search activities and work experience to progress along employment pathways to make positive differences to their lives. The core activities include skills development training; one-tO￿ne mentoring and support; practical job search activities and uwskills training or workshops on communication.. interview techniques; digital presentation, personnel and cv development and work experience andlor voluntary work placements. Networking and Partnership Following the pandemic, we were able to continue with our link and liaison work with a number of local community groups. including Bangladesh Youth Movement (BYMI, Accounts 3, St Margaret's House, Tower Hamlets Carers Association, Fieldgate Mansions Tenants and Residents Association, Brady Arts Cenlre, Tower Hamlets Parents Centre, Bangladesh Carers Association, Tower Hamlets CVS, ELATh and WEA. Achievemenl and Performance During the past twelve months, in addition to our regular programmes. we have successfully organised and facilitated some unforgettable activities and events. including day trips for women users of the project,. riverwalk - Chat N Walk, celebrations of Christmas, New Year, Eid Re- unions parties, etc. Acknowledgement The Board of Directors and Trustees are immensely grateful to Bodrul Alom, Company Secretaryrrrustee for his on-going dedication and effort for fundraising, managing and supporting the day-towday activities of the charity. In addition. we would like lo express our sincere thanks and appreciation to LBTH, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, ELATT (East London Advance Technology Training), WEA (Workers. Educational Association) and Nilupa Rahim. Small Company Provisions This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisioris in Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 applicable to companies subject to the small companies, regime. Signed on behalf of the Board: M A Malik (Director and Chair of Trustees) Approved by the Board on 2024 Pago 7 srEPNeY COMMUNITY TRUST Independenl Examln•rf8 R•port lo th• Dlrfrctors for th• y•ar •nd•d 31° March 2024 The financial slalements lald out in this report on pages 7 have been prepared under th6 hislori¢al cost ¢onvenb'on and In accordance wlh the SORP. A¢¢ounling and Reporting by Charities Commlssion issued In April 2005 and appli¢able AccountirKJ Standards and the Charities Aca 1993. Re8￿CtIv& R•8pon8lbllfti•s of the Trust•OslDlrectorn and the Examln•r As the Charity's Trustees. and the direct￿3 of the company lor the pu￿)Se ofcompany Law you are responsible for the prep8rat￿n of the FinanL?al Stsiements. The Truslees consider that an Audit Is not required this year (under soctlon 144 (2) of the Ch8riti•s A¢t 2011) and thal an IndopeTrJ6nt Examiner is n￿le0. 11 18 our responsibilty to.. Examine the Financial Statements under Sect1￿ 145 of the 2011 Act. Follow the procedufe ￿ld down in the genefal drrectbns 9iven by th8 Ch8rfty Comrnisslon?r8 (under $e¢lion 145(5Xb} of th8 2011 Act ar*d State whether p8rti¢ulOf matters have ¢ome to ow attenllon. B•811 of Ind•ynd•nt Examln•r8' R•port The 6xamination of the accounts W86 ¢8nled oul In accordance wlth tho gornral dir8cUon glv?n by the Cherrt￿5 Commissk)ner. The 6xamInat￿n Indudes.. A revlaw of the accounting records kepl by th8 Charity. A comparison of aw)unts presented with those records m8de avallable. It Includes conslderallon of any unus￿1 ilem8 of di6¢108ur8s In the accounts. Final￿ obtaining explanations fr(xn you as TnJslee$ conwnlng any suGh matters relating to tho account8. The examination 8150 includ86 examination of any such matters of evllence relev8nl lo I account ol disclosures in the fin8ncial stalements. It indudes 8$¥es$ment of the $lgnlficant èsllm8te8 and judgéments made in the preparnt￿n of the fin8nci81 stotements, ond of whelher the 8ccounllrKJ policies are appropriate to the charity's circwnstsnce8 c£￿$161e￿tIY appl￿ and adequ8tely disclo68d. The procedures undertaken do not provKie all the evldonce that would be required In an 8udll. and Consequently I do not express an audst Onion cn the view 9iven by the accounts. Indepfrndent Examln•rn' Statement In connectKJn wlth our ex8min811on no matter has Come to our attention: 11) Which gives L* reasonable ¢au6e lo believe Ihal in any material respect the requlrement5.' to keep accounting ro¢oril$ in a¢cordance wth So¢1￿ 386 of the Companies Act 2006," and to Pfepare 8ccount5 which accNd with the B(￿U￿11ng rnC￿lS and comply wlth the aca)unling requlrements ol sectlon 396 of the Ctynpan￿5 Acl 2006 and with melhods and p￿nCIpleS of the Slatemenl of Recrnnded Prod￿.. Acccwntiro and Reportlw ty Charil*s. have not been mel; or 121 to whlch In our opini￿, attention shtyAd be dr8wn w) order to enable a proper ur*derstandlng of the 8ccounts to be reached. Opinlon In our opinion the financial $tat6m8nl prepared gNe a tn* and falr vK2w of tre charity's state of affal as a131 March 2024 gtvino that the inwming resources and their appli¢aiiM in the year Ihen ended have been propety pr red with general dIreC￿n gNen by the charib.es Commissioner. uhit & Co Chartered Certlfl•d Ac¢ountsnts & Tax A(fvis•rs 2024 Page 8 STEPNEY COMMUNITY TRUST Statement of Financial Activities for the year endod 31 MarGh 2024 R•strrct•d Unr•stri¢t•d Total 2024 Totsl 2023 INCOME AND EXPENDITURE Incomlno Resourc•8 Grants And DonatK)n$ 8ank Inlorest Other Income IHMRC JRSI Total Incomlng R980urc•s R•$OU￿*s Exp•nd¢d 96.842 1,076 ,842 1,076 55,887 132 97.918 97.918 56,019 Dlrect Chantsble Expenditure Govemance Cost Total RMourc•• Exp•nd•d 7,594 55.241 62.835 7,592 55,241 62.833 15.203 37.245 52,448 Nel IncomiThJ Resouw for the year Funds at 1 April 2023 Funds •131 March 2024 35,083 58,140 93.223 3,571 54,569 58.140 23.567 23.567 34,573 69.656 The notes on pages 10 10 13 fomi part of these a¢¢wnls. Pa98 9 STEPNEY COMMUNITY TRUST Balance Sheet a6 at 31 March 2024 Tt)tal 2024 2023 Flx•d Ass•ts TangIb￿ Asssl$ 97.9)7 95.503 Cyrr•nt •$s?ts Cash at Bank and in Hand 81,692 2.193 47,292 2.742 50,034 D&blor$ 83.886 Curr•nt Llabllltl•• Creditorn.. amount$ lalllr¥J wtNn o year 15.010) 13.8371 N•t curr•nt 78,876 46,197 Total as*•ts l••• ¢urr•nt IlabllltS•1 176.783 141.700 Net a•¥•ts 176.783 141.700 N•t assets Aecumul#t•d Fund• Reslri¢ted Fund Unr8slricled Fund C8pII81 Reserve Total Fund8 23.567 69,6S6 23.567 34.573 176.783 141,700 These accounts have been prepared In accordance wth special pro¥iwon8 relating to small companies vthhin part 15 01 Ihe COmpan￿S Act 2006. For the year ended 31 March 2024, the company was entived to exemption Irom audil und $8ction 477 of thg Companigs Act 2006 ant1 no notice has been deposiled undèr s8ction 476. The dioctors 8¢knowledge Iheir ￿SPonSi￿11ties for complyiThJ wth tho requiiements ol th8 Compani&s A¢1 2006 with respect to 8ccountiThJ records and preparation ol accounts. Tho fin8n¢ial Btalements were appToved ty the Board on 14 May 2024 and 9gfbed by.. BODRUL ALOM S•¢r•tsry A MALIK DITXtor I Cfvalr P8gtr 10 STEPNEY COMMUNITY TRUST Notes to the Ststernent of Flnandal Actlvttl•s for the year ended 31 March 2024 ountln olicles The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convenlion and in accordance with the Fin8nci81 Reporting Slandard for Smaller Enbties. They have also been prepareit In accordance with the Charities Acl. 1993 and compty wth the Statement ol Rwnmènded Practice'Accounting by Chanties. lissued on January 20151. Capltallsatlon and d•prnclatlon of tanglbl• fix•d •s*ts: All a$$trtS C051ing more than £1.000 are ca￿￿lised. The cost of iargiN& ffiX￿1 assets is wntten-off by equal Instslmenls over the exp8ctsd useful lives as follows: Freehold propety140% on cosll 2% slrnKJht line bass Fumiture, fittiThJs and equipm8nt 25% r8dun East End Conneclion 9,640 1.500 27,SX15 27,￿5 8￿) 4,906 4,950 1,100 Hall Hire 300 London Borough of Tow Hamlets London Colalyst Other/ cOp￿r Pholocopy Rent The D'oyly Carte Charitable fw8t The Merchant T8ylor¥' Foundation The Nation81 Lottery H8rits9¢ Fund Wakefield and Tatley Tnjst The Worshlplul Company of Basketmakern. TOTAL 10,417 10,417 3.000 3C#) 410 10,200 3,000 4,960 5,530 3.501 2.000 55,887 201 201 10.2(KJ 10.200 43,819 43.819 90,842 90,842 Bank Interest Re¢eiv8d TOTAL 1,076 97.918 1,076 97,918 132 56,019 Page 13 EXPENDITURE Restrlcted Unrnstrlcted Total Total 2024 2023 Accountancy fees Administrative & Development Bank charges Books and Literabjres 1.080 200 12 12 Cleaning and Materials Council Tax Deprgu8t￿n Editorial SeThKes 1.338 1.446 2.396 1.338 1,446 2.396 1.461 3,237 2,393 100 Equip¥nent expensed Flrst H811 Hire 2,600 216 312 1,676 312 342 Insuranc 1,676 1,598 Interviewrg Llghl and Heal Pensions PhotOCDPy and Maintenar Postage prin￿r@ Prcgramm8 on¢J Actlvill&$ Project developrnenl work Pltblicity and Promot Refreshments 4.418 4,418 386 1,732 46 16 16 24 4,544 6.546 6,850 200 811 3.912 3.662 loo 3,912 3,682 100 524 524 Repairs and PAaintenonce Sl81ionary Sub3cripbon$ Telephone and Intemtsl TrainlThJ rnaterials TrainirKJ- Stsff and Management TravelllrvJ Volunleern exper Wages and Sakries Water late$ W¥bgtg man89om&nt Total 1,894 1.894 32 6,871 33 215 813 215 813 35 592 16 615 2.648 4,250 25.878 308 450 4.250 25,878 308 2,553 8,264 543 234 1,193 1,193 É2,835 62,835 52,448 N•¢ SurpluslD•flclt for th• y••r 35.083 35,083 3,571