ANNUAL REPORT 2021
N O E X C U S E F O R D O M E S T I C A B U S E
FROM THE CHAIR
This AGM marks the end of my inaugural year as Chair of Chester Women’s Aid, having taken over from Fiona Neame at last year’s AGM.
2020-2021 has continued to be a challenging year not just in the charitable sector, but in society, and particularly for those experiencing abuse. The continuation of lock downs in the UK and other social restrictions has meant that the ‘shadow pandemic’ of domestic abuse has continued in parallel with the COVID pandemic.
In April, the Domestic Abuse Bill received Royal Assent, which expanded the legal definition of Domestic Abuse to include non-physical abuse such as coercive control, emotional, and economic abuse.
The courts and police have been granted additional powers and victims additional protections in regard to domestic abuse. Importantly, it recognises children as victims of abuse if they see, hear, or experience the effects of abuse. Whilst there are some desired protections and actions left out of the Bill, it is the most significant legal recognition of the scourge of domestic abuse on our society, and in particular for women and children. Chester Women’s Aid’s Board of Trustees welcomed the passage of the bill, having participated in the consultations leading up to its readings in Parliament.
Alongside the Bill, Her Majesty’s government has further recognised that the increase of working from home due to the pandemic has meant an increased risk for those in abusive relationships and as a result, has emphasized the role of employers in keeping their employees safe regardless of their work location. On 14 January 2021, Business Minister Paul Scully called on employers to ensure their organisations are spotting signs of domestic abuse and helping their staff find the right support. His open letter recommends raising awareness, making your support clear, and signposting employees to resources.
P A G E 2
Our most significant achievement in the 2020-2021 year was launching our domestic abuse awareness training for employers, in service of our vision of a “Domestic Abuse Free Chester”. It has been created to help Cheshire businesses recognise domestic abuse and enable them to direct employees to appropriate sources of help. The aim of the training is to support employers with their duty of care to provide a safe and inclusive workplace for all. We have been working closely with UP CIC who deliver the live (virtual at present) training on our behalf. Due to funding received in March of 2020 from the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, we are able to offer the training free of charge to small/medium enterprises and sole traders and continue our emergency grant programme for those escaping and recovering from domestic abuse.
The grant programme itself had a milestone this year with the launch of our “Homes for Hope” voucher programme, utilising Love2Shop cards generously donated by the Appreciate Group. When a successful application is made for one of our grants, the cards can be topped up with our emergency grant funds and given to survivors who are often moving into new homes following an escape from abuse. The funds can be spent at a wide range of shops using the cards.
The ongoing pandemic has also meant another year without in-person events, at which Chester Women’s Aid could raise funds and awareness. Despite this challenge, we have continued to receive donations and support from repeat and new donors following our Christmas and urgent appeals, and personal fundraising efforts by supporters. We sincerely hope for a safe return to live events in the next year so that we can meet our members, donors, and friends again.
We now look ahead to our 2021-2022 year, focusing on the continued development of the training programme, Homes for Hope, and the succession of our Board of Trustees. These will be accompanied by an exciting new website and brand evolution, so stay tuned! The tireless work of our Board of Trustees has resulted in the success of our projects, and I sincerely thank them for their dedication, support, and trust over the last year.
N O E X C U S E F O R D O M E S T I C A B U S E
Our beliefs:
Domestic abuse can affect anyone
The overwhelming majority of victims are women and their children We believe in the right of all women to live free from fear and abuse
Our actions:
Fundraise and provide financial grants to victims who are in crisis need Monitor service provision of relevant local agencies
Promote interaction, good practice and knowledge exchange between organisations Raise awareness of and educate about domestic abuse
P A G E 3
EMERGENCY GRANT FUNDING UPDATE
One of Chester Women’s Aid’s core activities is the giving of emergency grant aid to people experiencing domestic abuse, who may have to leave their home at very short notice. Some are able to “target harden” their home to enable them to stay there safely, but if they have been financially controlled, they may have no access to funds of their own.
People can access these emergency grants via the key workers who are supporting them. We ask that a risk assessment has been completed for each case, so that we can be sure that the person who has been harmed is in a safe place, where the help we give will enable them to start their new life with some personal possessions and other urgently required items, such as new glasses, ID documents, travel to appointments and other necessities too numerous and varied to mention.
Where hardship is still being experienced, for example at the time of moving out of refuge or dispersed housing, we will occasionally make a second grant for household essentials or moving costs. We are somewhat reluctant to do this, because we would always want to have funds available for people at the point of fleeing, however we do review each case individually.
To ensure that the review of the grant funding applications is fair, we have a sub-Committee that discusses every application form, and a majority decision is required, before funds are granted. The subCommittee sometimes increase or decrease the amount requested and will frequently ask supplementary questions for clarification of the circumstances. Each grant application is coded to ensure a degree of anonymity while still being able to monitor number of applications per client, and the grant is issued through the key worker, rather than handed over by CWA.
CWA’s objectives include monitoring local provision of support for people experiencing domestic abuse, so we do report to Cheshire West and Chester’s domestic abuse support services if we notice any trends developing across the range of agencies who request emergency grants for clients. We have noted an increase in the number of grants paid to people who experience so called Honour Based Violence, but this could actually be a positive sign that people now feel more supported to escape this form of abuse.Recently we have written to our MP to raise awareness of and query delays in setting up payment of Universal Credit to people who have experienced domestic abuse, which results in the need for an emergency grant to bridge the gap.
Since the beginning of March this year CWA has given out 40 grants totalling £5,517.00. Whilst we are pleased to be able to help, it is a shocking number of people to find themselves in such desperate need, solely due to the actions of another person who is harming them, and we are only halfway through our financial year for 2021-22.
URGENT APPEAL
Throughout this pandemic we received double the amount of grant requests. As a result we issued an urgent appeal, asking for donations so we could continue giving grants to people in need.
The women needing help, some pregnant and some with young children, needed emergency funding to cover basic items that most people take for granted.
P A G E 4
A NEW PERSPECTIVE
CHESTER WOMEN’S AID FROM A NEW MEMBER’S PERSPECTIVE - HANNAH LANGFORD
During the first lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was restless and at a loss. It was the first time I had ever had so much time on my hands, yet so little I could do. I have always been passionate and a strong advocate of women's rights and empowerment for individuals. I had spoken to Fiona in 2019 when she was the Chair of CWA and discussed volunteering with the charity. However, at the time I could not commit to the charity due to my job role. Then the pandemic hit and I was left redundant, recovering from major surgery and had all the time in the world.
I got in contact with CWA again and applied for the Treasurer role. I was voted in by the committee and was set to work. From the get go I discovered things about the charity and the people they help during my first few months as Treasurer. The charity does so much the general public would never imagine they would do. They lobby parliament, campaign for those fleeing domestic abuse and help victims and survivors of domestic abuse. Furthermore, volunteering for CWA gave me a new perspective on life and how so much of our society is in need of change and how little is known about domestic abuse.
Meeting the committee members and general volunteers has been one of the best things for me, as meeting like-minded individuals who share the same common interests and goals as myself was refreshing. I felt I had made new friendships after feeling the loneliness of lockdown.
CWA has supported me from the moment I started and there is always a friendly face or someone at the end of the phone to talk to. When I started my Masters at the University of Chester in October 2020, they offered me a new position as Marketing Co-ordinator, to aid and develop my skills for when I have graduated and am looking for a permanent job in my desired field.
P A G E 5
HIGHLIGHTS
#STITCH4SURVIVORS
This year, we continued to engage in the community-led project #Stitch4Survivors, in order to raise awareness and show support for all victims of domestic abuse.
As part of our annual White Ribbon Day event, we held a virtual #Stitch4Survivors knit-a-thon, in order to produce pieces which would contribute to the large community ribbon. We additionally asked the people of Chester to get involved with World Wide Knit in Public Day to raise awareness and support for victims of domestic abuse.
It is great to have the community white ribbon to showcase the overwhelming support Chester has given to people who have experienced domestic abuse! The #Stitch4Survivors project has now raised £682 for victims of domestic abuse in Chester, and we cannot wait to continue knitting into the new year.
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Emma in 2019
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16 MEN CAMPAIGN
In November 2020, we ran a 16 men campaign, in partnership with Soroptimists International Chester. The campaign featured men from the local community showing their support for stopping violence against women and girls.
Thank you to everyone involved in making the campaign a success, especially to photographer Kat (Kat Hannon Photography).
P A G E 6
HIGHLIGHTS
OPENING OUR DOORS
During the first two week of the lockdown in 2020, at least 16 Domestic Abuse killings took place in the UK - a figure much higher than that of previous years. Calls to the National Domestic Abuse Helplines had also doubled by the third week of lock down.
This situation highlighted the importance of initiatives such as the multi-agency, Cheshire wide, Open the Door campaign, which aims to ‘open the door’ on unhealthy relationships and domestic abuse, encouraging people to seek help, advice and support.
As a result, in December 2020, we opened our doors to share some of the positive quotes we’ve received from the recipients of our emergency grant programme that year.
FIND, FOLLOW AND JOIN IN
www.chesterwomensaid.org
contact@chesterwomensaid.org
P A G E 7
TREASURER’S REPORT
The financial year 2020-21 has again seen high demand for our emergency grant programme, as the shadow pandemic of domestic abuse continues apace with the COVID pandemic. However, the increase in support for charities combined with an increased awareness of domestic abuse meant that Chester Women’s Aid received funding grants from foundations and other organisations to continue our missions.
We would like to thank the organisations funding our work. Without these funds and without the ability to fundraise as usual, we would have faced a dire financial situation imperilling our ability to provide vital help to people escaping and recovering from domestic abuse.
Funding Grants Received:
Our total income for this year was £59,529, a significant increase over 2019-2020 due to the funding listed above. We received a nearly 50% increase in donations over the previous financial year, including:
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£3,000 donation from the corporation Bristol Myers Squibb
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£2,177 donation from national logistics corporation Kuehne+Nagel
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£1,600 donation from the Chester Business Club
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£1,000 donation from the Masonic Charitable Foundation
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£600 donation from the Chester Round Table
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£333 donation from Waitrose Community Matters
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£322 donation from the University of Chester Events Course team “Eventsify” from their virtual Valentine’s Day event
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£200 donation from Samuel Jackson
Thank you to all of the above donors and additional donors who have helped Chester Women’s Aid continue to weather the pandemic and keep up our grant and awareness programmes.
P A G E 8
INCOME AND EXPENDITURE
Our total expenditure for this year (including fees, expenses, and insurances) was £14,958, a less than £500 increase on 2019-2020’s total costs.
In 2020-21, we did not hold any in person fundraisers or events – all fundraising has been done through virtual events and individual efforts by our committee members and supporters. Having a Just Giving account, and digital tools like Zoom and Hootsuite have enabled our fund and awareness raising efforts. These tools make it much easier to reach a wide range of individual donors and receive donations in a safe and contactless manner.
Our virtual events supported by these tools raising funds included our White Ribbon Day event 2020, a Stitch4Survivors live knit along and discussion group, a Christmas appeal, Spring Steps event, and an urgent appeal.
Looking ahead to 2021-2022, we sincerely hope to revive some form of public event, starting with our 2021 White Ribbon Day event on 28th November in Chester city centre. Conditions and restrictions permitting, we will debut another digital tool to help us raise funds – contactless card readers for easy street collection. We will also continue social media appeals and promotions and seek fundraising events by volunteers and supporters of Chester Women’s Aid.
P A G E 9
WE ARE SO VERY GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE SUPPORT WE HAVE RECEIVED FROM OUR AMAZING SUPPORTERS OVER THE LAST YEAR
A special thank you to the following individuals and organisations:
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Anna Demetriou
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Anne MacDonald
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Bristol Myers Squibb Catholic Women's League Charities Aid Foundation Cheshire West & Chester Council Chester Business Club Lunch Chester Cathedral
We also thank anyone who has made a charitable donation via any of the following:
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Amazon Smile
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PayPal Giving Fund eBay sales Charities Aid Foundation
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Chester Rotary Club Chester Round Table Christine Stockton
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David Bickerton
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Easyspace Eventisfy Hoole United Reformed Church
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Jollifes Law
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Just Giving Kat Hannon
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Kuehne+Nagel
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Masonic Charitable Foundation Paypal
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Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire - David Keane
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Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire - John Dwyer
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Raymond Lea
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Ruth Tunnicliffe
Chester Women’s Aid Board of Trustees 2020 -2021
Chair Angela Benson Vice Chair Emma Rees Treasurer Cara Fletcher then Hannah Langford Acting Treasurer Fiona Neame Secretary Bridie Conboy (on leave) Acting Secretary Rachel Lewis Awareness Raising Pat Daniels Committee Member Kate Wilson (resigned Feb 2020) Committee Member Chiara Lisowski Committee Member Emma Gray Committee Member Chinwe Enyinna
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Samuel Jackson
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Soroptimist International Chester
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Steve Morgan Foundation Storage King
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University of Chester
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Waitrose Community Matters
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WHAG Community Enterprise
Soroptimist International link Pat Higgins, then Geraldine Garrs
With special thanks to Sophie Fullerton for her contributions, and gratitude to CSASS and Soroptimists International for their continued, and mutual, support.
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Women's Aid Federation
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Zoom
Watch this space for:
White Ribbon Day event and fundraising – 28th November, 2021 Chester City Centre 16 Days of Activism #HeForShe – 25th November to 10th December Domestic Abuse Free Chester employer training sessions
P A G E 1 0
Chester Women's Aid
504854
Receipts and payments accounts
For the period 01/04/2020 To from
31-Mar
CC16a
| Section A Receipts and payments | Section A Receipts and payments | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 13,370 - 247 - - 9 60 2,539 - 948 40,000 2,000 355 59,529 - - - 59,529 13,082 136 - - 100 5 - 20 95 161 393 488 107 198 173 14,958 - - - 14,958 44,571 - 13,697 58,268 |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Total funds to the nearest £ 13,370 - 247 - - 9 60 2,539 - 948 40,000 2,000 355 59,529 - - - 59,529 13,082 136 - - 100 5 - 20 95 161 393 488 107 198 173 - 14,958 - - - 14,958 44,571 |
Last year to the nearest £ |
|
| Donations | 13,370 | 4,129 | ||||
| PayPal Donation | - | 687 | ||||
| Activities - International Women's Day | 247 | 272 | ||||
| Grants for IWD event sponsorship | - | 1,300 | ||||
| Activities - White Ribbon Day | - | 1,306 | ||||
| Bank Interest | 9 | 60 | ||||
| MembershipFees | 60 | 60 | ||||
| FundraisingActivities | 2,539 | 571 | ||||
| CCLA balance adjustment 1/4/19 | - | 11 | ||||
| Cheshire Communities Foundation Grant | 948 | - | ||||
| OPCC Domestic Abuse TrainingFunding | 40,000 | - | ||||
| CWAC Covid-19 Community Response Fund |
2,000 | - | ||||
| Steve Morgan Foundation Grant | 355 | - | ||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) |
59,529 | 8,395 | ||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
||||||
| - | ||||||
| - |
- | |||||
| ~~Sub total~~ | - | - | ||||
| Total receipts A3 Payments |
||||||
| 8,395 | ||||||
| Grants | 13,082 | 12,727 | ||||
| Activities- International Women's Day | 136 | 375 | ||||
| Activities- White Ribbon Day | - | 50 | ||||
| Gavin & StacyEvent Expenses | - | 400 | ||||
| WAFE Subscription | 100 | 100 | ||||
| Stamps/stationery/Printer Ink/Raffle Tickets |
5 | 117 | ||||
| AGM/EGM/Other MeetingCosts | - | 164 | ||||
| 16 Men Campain Expenses | 20 | 17 | ||||
| Website | 95 | 98 | ||||
| Insurance | 161 | 181 | ||||
| Other expenses | 393 | 204 | ||||
| Domestic Abuse TrainingExpenses | 488 | - | ||||
| Online donationplatformprocessingfees | 107 | - | ||||
| Just GivingAccount Fee | 198 | - | ||||
| Zoom Account Fee | 173 | - | ||||
| - | ||||||
| **Sub total ** | 14,958 | 14,434 | ||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| **Sub total ** | - | - | ||||
| Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end CCXX R1 accounts (SS) |
||||||
| 14,434 | ||||||
| 44,571 | - | - | 44,571 | - 6,039 | ||
| - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 13,697 | - | - | 13,697 | - | ||
| 58,268 | - 1 |
- | 58,268 | - 6,039 07/12/2021 |
CCXX R2 accounts ISSI 0711212021
| 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 | 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 B1 Cash funds B2 Other monetary assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B5 Liabilities B3 Investment assets |
Signature Details Details Bank Accounts Cash Account Details Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details |
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 57,015 - 1,253 - - - 58,268 - OK OK Unrestricted funds Restricted funds 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 Angela Benson |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| OK | |||
| Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| When due (optional) |
|||
| Date of approval |
|||
| Angela Benson | 07/12/2021 | ||
CCXX R3 accounts (SS)
07/12/2021
3
CHARITY (OMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WAIES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the truslee$l members of Chester Women's Aid On accounts for the year ended 31 March 2021 Charity no {if any) 504854 Set out on pages I report lo the trustees on my examination of Ihe accounts of the above Charity {"the Trus1"} for the year ended 3110312021. Responsibilities and basis of report As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounls in aecordance wrth Ihe requirements of the Charities Act 2011 I'the Act"). I report in respect of my examinalion of Ihe Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charily Commission under section 14515}{bl of the Act. Independent I have completed my examination. I confimi that no material matters have examinerfs statement come to my attention in connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below ') which gives me cause lo believe that in, any material respecl.. the accounting rewrds were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act- or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records., or the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities {Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 olher than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fair, view which is not a matter considered 2$ Part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with Ihe examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in ordei lo enable a proper understanding of the accounts lo be reached. Please delele the words in the brackets if they do not apply. Signed.. Date: 7 December 2021 Name: Joanne Rishworth Relevant professional qualification{sl or body (rf any).. Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales Address: IER O¢t 2018
Section B Disclosure Only complete If the examiner needs to highlight material matters ol concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts.. directions and guidance for examiners). Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose. IER Oct 2018