2025-04-05-accounts

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2024-2025

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
HIGHLIGHTS AND WORK DONE	3
POLISH ABROAD SATURDAY SCHOOL	3
OTHER INITIATIVES	3
MEMBERSHIP IN OTHER GROUPS	4
ONLINE PRESENCE	4
FINANCIALREVIEW	5
FINANCIALPERFORMANCE	5
INCOME	5
EXPENDITURE	6
ASSETS	6
MAJORRISKS	6
ACCOUNTS	7
ADDITIONALNOTES TO THEACCOUNTS	10
INDEPENDENTSCRUTINY	10
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE CHARITY TRUSTEES OFPOLISHABROAD	11
REFERENCE ANDADMINISTRATIVEDETAILS	12
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE, ANDMANAGEMENT	13
OBJECTIVES ANDACTIVITIES	14
CHARITABLE PURPOSES	14
PUBLICBENEFITSTATEMENT	14

Polish Abroad is a registered charity in Northern Ireland Charity Registration number NIC102361

POLISH ABROAD ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5TH APRIL 2025

The trustees of Polish Abroad are pleased to submit their report and accounts for the period 6[th] April 2024 to 5th April 2025.

HIGHLIGHTS AND WORK DONE

The 2024–2025 financial year marked the 17th year of operation for Polish Abroad, during which we delivered a range of initiatives and projects aligned with our charitable aims, objectives, and public benefit.

This was also our eighth full year as a registered charity in Northern Ireland. As always, we remained committed to developing our policies and procedures, and to strengthening governance and quality assurance within the organisation.

POLISH ABROAD SATURDAY SCHOOL

The Polish Abroad Saturday School has remained our largest and longest-running project since its foundation in 2008.

Mrs Paulina Zalewska-Oriola continued in her role as Principal, with Ms Agnieszka Cyrulska serving as VicePrincipal. The continued success of the school would not have been possible without the dedication of our teachers, teaching assistants, volunteers, parents and pupils.

During the year, Polish Abroad secured funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, the Executive Office, Migrant Centre NI, the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland, and Stowarzyszenie “Wspólnota Polska” (KPRM). We continued to operate from the premises of Rosemount Primary School on Helen Street.

We also maintained and expanded our School Library. We are particularly grateful to the parents who managed the library on a voluntary basis. Funding enabled us to significantly expand our book collection, supporting literacy development and access to Polish language resources.

The school operated five age groups for children aged 3 to 15. Classes were delivered across 32 Saturdays, from 10:05am to 1:25pm, followed by five extracurricular clubs until 2:15pm. These clubs were extremely popular and successful, and we hope to continue them in future subject to available funding.

Throughout the school year, we organised a range of cultural and educational celebrations, including Polish National Education Day (Teachers’ Day), Polish Independence Day—combined with a nationwide “Reading Break” initiative—Christmas, Easter, and a drumming workshop for pupils.

OTHER INITIATIVES

We delivered three information sessions covering the EU Settlement Scheme, joining family members and their rights, welfare benefits, and support for victims of race hate crime. A total of 70 people attended. Feedback was very positive, and additional sessions are planned.

In addition, we delivered a project titled “Polish Women’s Cooperation Network.” The aim of the initiative was to create a cooperation and support network for Polish women in the Derry/Londonderry area. The project was implemented through regular meetings and sports activities for women of different ages, encouraging intergenerational participation. All activities were delivered in Polish by a qualified Polish trainer.

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Alongside the physical activity sessions, we organised meetings focusing on local sources of support and assistance available in our Council area, as well as the promotion of physical and mental health. The project encouraged participants to build lasting connections and, in the longer term, aims to establish a women’s support structure within Polish Abroad.

To promote active citizenship within the Polish community, we encouraged participation in local events on topics including voting rights, political debates, cultural tourism and peace, and community planning.

MEMBERSHIP IN OTHER GROUPS

Polish Abroad remains highly involved in work both on a local and regional level. We were one of the founding members of Foyle BME Voluntary Collective and Foyle Race Equality Forum.

On a regional level we cooperate with other Polish organisations in Northern Ireland.

We also have a member representing the BAME community on the Derry City and Strabane District Council PEACE IV Board.

ONLINE PRESENCE

We continue to run our website www.polishabroad.co.uk including a separate page for the Polish Abroad Saturday School. We continue to post on Facebook and Twitter @PolishAbroadNI. Our Facebook account has over 1300 followers with our posts reaching over 50,000 people over the year.

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FINANCIAL REVIEW

Polish Abroad accounts are kept and prepared in accordance with The Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 . This legislation applies to all registered charities and sets out:

• the form and content of charity accounts (receipts and payments or accruals accounts)

• the form and content of the trustees’ annual report

• the level of external scrutiny required, i.e. independent examination or audit.

As per the regulations Polish Abroad has prepared receipts and payments accounts with unqualified report for a charity that is not a company and has an income of £250,000 or less.

FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE

Financial performance in the year to 5th April 2025 has been broadly consistent with the trustees’ forecasts and expectations.

The year ended with fund balance of £42,965 (compared to £48,659 for the same date last year) although this is based on the receipts and payments accounting basis. Detailed accounts can be found on pages 7-10.

INCOME

Income receipts for the year totalled £25,613.

Polish Abroad income is generally healthy and remains consistent with previous performance.

The income shows £7973 of unrestricted funds.

From funding applications made for 2024/2025 financial year we have been paid the following:

Stowarzyszenie “Wspólnota Polska”	£1690
The Executive Office – MEDF	£9750
Consulate General of the Republic of Poland	£1490
Migrant Centre NI	£4010
Business Services Organisation	£400
PECA	£300

Out of restricted grants £9,750 was still to be paid by the funders as the payments were not received by 5th April 2025.

The fees from parents relating to the Polish Abroad Saturday School (monthly fees, clubs and other fees) totalled £7,973.

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EXPENDITURE

Expenditure for the year totalled £31,308 – a slight decrease on the previous year (£38,548). Again, the category-by-category analysis which follows in the full accounts will demonstrate that expenditure is well managed and controlled. There are no outstanding liabilities.

CHEQUES NOT CLEARED AT BANK ON 5TH APRIL 2025 AND OTHER LIABILITIES

On 5[th] April 2025 there were cheques not cleared at the bank totalling £610.

ASSETS

Apart from monetary assets Polish Abroad also has other assets as listed on page 8. The value of the assets is difficult to estimate because of the age of the items listed; however, purchase prices are listed in the accounts.

MAJOR RISKS

In our Annual Report and Statement of Accounts for the year ended 5[th] April 2025 we have not identified any major risks.

Approved and adopted by the Board and Members at Annual General Meeting on 17[th] January 2026 and signed:

……………………………….. ………………………………..

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ACCOUNTS ~~a~~

~~—~~	Charity Name:	Charity Name:	Charity Name:	Charity No.	Charity No.	Charity No.	Charity No.
	Polish Abroad			NIC102361
	Receipts and payments accounts
	For the period from ~~—~~		06/04/2024 ~~—~~	till ~~—~~			05/04/2025 ~~—~~
						~~—~~
Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Total funds Last year ~~—~~
	to the nearest £
A1 Receipts ~~a——=~~	~~a——=~~	~~a——=~~	~~a——=~~	~~a——=~~	~~a——=~~	~~a——==~~	~~a——==~~
Grants ~~a——=~~	~~a——=~~	~~a——=~~	17,640 ~~a——=~~	~~a——=~~	17,640 ~~a——=~~	~~a——==~~	42,953 ~~a——==~~
PASS project fees ~~a——=~~	7,973 ~~a——=~~	~~a——=~~	~~a——=~~	~~a——=~~	7,973 ~~a——=~~	~~a——==~~	7,621 ~~a——==~~
Other charitable receipts ~~a——=~~	~~a——=~~	~~a——=~~	~~a——=~~	~~a——=~~	- ~~a——=~~	~~a——==~~	- ~~a——==~~
A1 Total receipts(Gross income for the Annual Return) ~~a——=~~	7,973 ~~a——=~~	~~a——=~~	17,640 ~~a——=~~	~~a——=~~	25,613 ~~a——=~~	~~a——==~~	50,574 ~~a——==~~
~~a——=~~	~~a——=~~	~~a——=~~	~~a——=~~	~~a——=~~	~~a——=~~	~~a——==~~	~~a——==~~
A2 Payments
Polish Abroad SaturdaySchool - Facilitators' Fees	30		19,260		19,290		20,560
PASS Venue Hire			6,105		6,105		5,440
PASS Resources	257		273		530		1,774
PASS Cultural Celebrations & Events	932		1,800		2,732		6,635
Insurance			413		413		394
Office rent					-		1,740
Bank charges	197				197		212
Women Group Project			1,440		1,440		-
Transport / Mileage	146				146		1,227
Otherproject costs	340		116		456		566
**A2 Totalpayments **	1,901		29,407		31,308		38,548
~~=~~	~~=~~	~~=~~	~~=~~		~~=~~	~~=~~	~~=~~
Net of receipts/(payments) ~~=~~	6,072 ~~=~~	6,072 ~~=~~	- 11,767 ~~=~~	- 11,767	- 5,694 ~~=~~	- 5,694 ~~=~~	12,026 ~~=~~
A3 Transfers between accounts ~~=~~	~~=~~	~~=~~	4,010 ~~=~~	4,010	- ~~=~~	- ~~=~~	~~=~~
A4 Cash funds lastyear end ~~=~~	48,659 ~~=~~	48,659 ~~=~~	- ~~=~~	-	- - ~~=~~	- ~~=~~	~~=~~
Cash funds thisyear end ~~=~~	54,731 ~~=~~	54,731 ~~=~~	- 11,767 ~~=~~	- 11,767	42,965 ~~=~~	42,965 ~~=~~	48,659 ~~=~~

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Polish Abroad - NIC102361	Polish Abroad - NIC102361	Polish Abroad - NIC102361	Polish Abroad - NIC102361	Polish Abroad - NIC102361	Period end date: till	Period end date: till	Period end date: till	Period end date: till	05/04/2025
Section	B Statement of assets and				liabilities at the end of the period
Categories	Details				Funds in account				Total funds		Last year
							to nearest £
B1 Cash funds	Polish Abroad						35,560		35,560		25,520
	Saturday School						7,405		7,405		23,139
	Other						-		-		-
	Total cash funds						42,965		42,965		48,659
					Unrestricted funds		Restricted funds		Total funds		Last year
	Details						to nearest £
B2 Other monetary assets	TEO - MEDF				-		9,750		9,750		9,750
	n/a				-		-		-		-
					-		9,750		9,750		9,750
B3 Other assets							Price at purchase to nearest £		Year of purchase		Comments
	Epson EcoTank ET-4850						£352.80		2022
	ASUSVivoBook 14 K403J						589.00 £		2021
	ASUSVivoBook 14 K403J						589.00 £		2021
	ASUSVivoBook 14 K403J						589.00 £		2021
	Brother HL-L3230CDW						199.00 £		2021
	JBL - Flip 5PortableBluetoothSpeaker						99.00 £		2021
	JBL - Flip 5PortableBluetoothSpeaker						99.00 £		2021
	ViewSonicPA503X						322.96 £		2021
	4Grouter Archer MR400						113.49 £		2021
	ProjectorScreen Metroplan Tripod Screen						85.00 £		2012
	Books, games,resource				s		700.00 £		2008-2021		Approx.
	Details						Fund to which liability relates		Amount due (optional)		Last year
B4 Liabilities	Cheque not cleared						Unrestricted		-		-
	Cheque not cleared						Restricted		610		2,480
	Other						N/A		-		-
									610		2,480
Signed by two trustees on behalf of all the trustees	Signature						Print Name				Date of approval

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Polish Abroad - NIC102361 Notes

Notes Polish Abroad - NIC102361	Notes Polish Abroad - NIC102361	Notes Polish Abroad - NIC102361	Notes Polish Abroad - NIC102361	Notes Polish Abroad - NIC102361	Notes Polish Abroad - NIC102361	Notes Polish Abroad - NIC102361	Notes Polish Abroad - NIC102361	Notes Polish Abroad - NIC102361
Analysis of receipts and payments
1 Grants
Grants awarded for the given financial year (grant payments in accounts may relate to different financial years depending on the payment date of backdated claims)		Unrestricted funds		Restricted funds		Total current period		Total last period
		to nearest £		to nearest £		to nearest £		to nearest £
Minority Ethnic Development Fund				9,750		9,750		9,030
Konsulat Generalny RP w Belfascie				1,490		1,490		520
The National LotteryCommunityFund						-		26,520
Allstate NI						-		2,000
Stowarzyszenie Wspolnota Polska				1,690		1,690		4,483
Migrant Centre NI				4,010		4,010
BSO				400		400
PECA				300		300
PSU Newry						-		400
Total		-		17,640		17,640		42,953
2 Gross receipts from other sources
		Unrestricted funds		Restricted funds		Total current period		Total last period
		to nearest £		to nearest £		to nearest £		to nearest £
Parental fees relatingto Polish Abroad SaturdaySchool		7,973		-		7,973		7,621
Total		7,973		-		7,973		7,621

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ADDITIONAL NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

TRUSTEES' EXPENSES

No expenses were paid to any of the Trustees during the year except to reimburse them for purchases made on behalf of Polish Abroad or to cover fees for professional delivery.

ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 as well as The Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 permit a charity to prepare a receipts and payments account and a statement of assets and liabilities where gross income in the financial year does not exceed £250,000, therefore receipts and payments accounts and a statement of assets and liabilities has been prepared and presented for the year ended 5[th] April 2025.

All Income, including grants is recorded when received.

All Expenditure is recorded when paid.

All outstanding grant payments and liabilities (cheques not cleared) are also included for clarity.

No valuations have been provided for assets held all prices are either estimates or price at purchase date.

INDEPENDENT SCRUTINY

The accounts have been independently examined as required under section 65 of the Charities Act and the examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland under section 65(9)(b) of the Charities Act by Mrs Gabrielle Doherty.

Approved and adopted by the Board and Members at Annual General Meeting on 17[th] January 2026 and signed:

……………………………….. ………………………………..

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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE CHARITY TRUSTEES OF POLISH ABROAD

I report on the accounts of Polish Abroad for the year ended 05 April 2025, which are set out on pages 8 to 10.

Respective responsibilities of charity trustees and examiner

As the charity’s trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008.

It is my responsibility to:

• examine the accounts under section 65 of the Charities Act

• follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Commission under section 65(9)(b) of the Charities Act

• state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of independent examiner’s report

I have examined your charity accounts as required under section 65 of the Charities Act and my examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland under section 65(9)(b) of the Charities Act.

My examination included a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also included consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as charity trustees concerning any such matters.

My role is to state whether any material matters have come to my attention giving me cause to believe:

1. That accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 63 of the Charities Act

2. That the accounts do not accord with those accounting records

3. That the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act

4. That there is further information needed for a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination and have no concerns in respect of the matters (1) to (4) listed above and, in connection with following the Directions of the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, I have found no matters that require drawing to your attention.

Gabrielle Doherty c/o BCDA 283 Ormeau Road Belfast BT7 3GG

Date: …………………………….

Signature: …………………………….

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REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

CHARITY NAME

Polish Abroad

CHARITY NUMBER

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland, N[o] . NIC102361

PRINCIPAL ADDRESS

HOLYWELL - DiverseCity Community Partnership

10-14 Bishop Street Derry~Londonderry

BT48 6PW

CHARITY TRUSTEES AS OF 5TH APRIL 2025

Mrs Anna Stefanska-McEwlee Chairperson Mrs Kamila Parkinson Treasurer Mrs Paulina Callan Secretary Dr Adam Lapicki Officer Mrs Anna Szynkaruk Officer ADVISORS Banking HSBC UK Bank plc Belfast Royal Avenue 25-29 Royal Avenue BT1 1FB Insurance Broker Towergate Dawson Whyte Ansvar Insurance and Underwriter 17-21Bishop Street Ansvar House Derry~Londonderry St Leonards Road BT48 6PR Eastbourne East Sussex BN21 3UR

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STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE, AND MANAGEMENT

GOVERNING DOCUMENT

Polish Abroad is an unincorporated association and is governed by a constitution adopted and last amended 26[th] January 2019 which is available from our website at www.polishabroad.co.uk.

TRUSTEE SELECTION AND MANAGEMENT

Polish Abroad is managed by a Committee also called a Board which consists of all the appointed trustees. The number of Board members is in line with the governing document which is from 4 to 8. The Committee meets typically once every two months and holds a minimum of 6 meetings per year.

Apart from the Trustees, the Board appoints a Coordinator who is responsible for the day-to-day running of the organisation. Since 2011, Miss Agnieszka Luczak has been the Coordinator of Polish Abroad.

At each meeting the Coordinator reports to the Board, the Treasurer presents the latest accounts and these are reviewed against budgets and forecasts; spending is discussed and approved. Officers may authorise some spending, between meetings, within set limits but must ensure such spending is reported at the next meeting.

The meetings also offer a forum to review recent activities on all the Polish Abroad projects and to plan forthcoming events. Further ad hoc meetings are called if required, for example to plan and manage special events or projects.

The Annual Report and Statement of Accounts are prepared by the Coordinator, approved by the trustees and then presented to the members at the Annual General Meeting for approval.

We would like to express our gratitude for the support of Polish Abroad to our funders:

We extend the thanks for ongoing support to:

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OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

CHARITABLE PURPOSES

The aims and objectives of Polish Abroad are set out in our Constitution.

The aims of the Polish Abroad are to:

1. Contribute to the advancement of citizenship and community development through social, cultural and educational projects undertaken either independently or together with organisations sharing the same objectives.

2. Work in partnership with other community and charity organisations, their representatives and officials as well as other relevant organisations and agencies to formulate and implement constructive strategies to encourage the promotion of the Polish Community in Northern Ireland.

3. Raise awareness among the wider community of the needs and rights and the contribution of the Polish Community in the interest of community relations in the North West.

4. Bring together members of the Polish community to develop and advance their arts, culture and heritage.

5. Advance the education of the Polish Community in the North West by providing educational opportunities.

6. Advance the amateur sport among the Polish Community in the North West and its environs.

PUBLIC BENEFIT STATEMENT

Contribute to the advancement of citizenship and community development through social, cultural and educational projects undertaken either independently or together with organisations sharing the same objectives. Work in partnership with other community and charity organisations, their representatives and officials as well as other relevant organisations and agencies to formulate and implement constructive strategies to encourage the promotion of the Polish Community in the North West of Northern Ireland. Raise awareness among the wider community of the needs and rights and the contribution of the Polish Community in the interest of community relations in the North West.

The direct benefits which flow from this purpose include encouraging and extending the participation in the voluntary sector of the Polish Community. The benefits will be demonstrated through records of participation as well as formal and informal evaluation of events and projects.

This purpose of our charity does not lead to any harm.

The charity’s beneficiaries are members of the Polish community in the North West and its environs. It could also benefit the majority community who will improve their understanding about the minority communities living in the North West.

The only private benefit flowing from this purpose is the training that will be available to the members of Polish Abroad and this is incidental and necessary to carry out the functions of the organisation.

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Bring together members of the Polish community to develop and advance their arts, culture and heritage. The direct benefits which flow from this purpose include the preservation of Polish traditions and customs, Polish traditional crafts and the Polish culture and language. These benefits will be demonstrated through records of participation in the cultural events as well as formal and informal evaluation.

This purpose of our charity does not lead to any harm.

The charity’s beneficiaries are the Polish community living in the North West and its environs as well as the local community.

The private benefit flowing from this purpose is remuneration for the project facilitators as well as the training provided and this is incidental and necessary to effectively carry out the purpose.

Advance the education of the Polish Community in the North West by providing educational opportunities.

The direct benefits which flow from this purpose include the better knowledge of the Polish language and culture among the Polish community in the North West and its environs. This benefit will be demonstrated through attendance records of our projects as well as project evaluation.

This purpose of our charity does not lead to any harm.

The charity’s beneficiaries are young people participating in our educational projects as well as their families and extended families living in the North West and its environs.

The private benefit flowing from this purpose is remuneration for the project facilitators as well as the training provided and this is incidental and necessary to effectively carry out the purpose.

Advance the amateur sport among the Polish Community in the North West and its environs. The direct benefit which flows from purpose involves the advancement of angling and the promotion of health among the Polish community.

These benefits will be demonstrated through participation records in amateur angling events.

This purpose of our charity may lead to accidental physical harm, however, this risk will be carefully assessed and managed so potential benefits will outweigh the harm.

The charity’s beneficiaries are Polish community in the North West and its environs as well as the local community.

The only private benefit flowing from this purpose is any training available and this is incidental and necessary to carry out the purpose safely.

Annual Report prepared by: Coordinator – Miss Agnieszka Luczak ………………………………………

Approved and adopted by the Board and Members at Annual General Meeting on 17[th] January 2026 .and signed:

………………………………..

………………………………..

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