SAMARITANS OF L¥EWRY TRUSTEES, REPORT for ihe)Jear io J Isl,Ilarch 2Q24 cOlP.lI. IIFORM.4TION l. Reference gnd administration Full name of Charity: Samaritans ol-Newry. ICLNI 1067761 The Charity is an inLorporated or(yanisation ICLG NI 644871 } and is recognised by the Organi5alion a5 an affili31ed br3nLh of the Oroanisation. The Organisation Trustee Board shall have powcr to dissolve. suspend or wiihdraw recognition of the Charity as a brdnch of thc Organisation. Org9nisgti0n: The Company limiied by guaraniee called Samaritans of Newry 15 allia1¢d to ih¢ wider Samaritan Organisation which wa5 incorporated und¢r the Compatkies Act 1948 on l April 1963 and is a iompany limiied by guarantee not having a share capiial. Company Registered office: 19 St. Colman's Park: Newry, BTJ4 ?BX Charity addre5$: 19 St. Colman s Park. Newry. Co. Down. BT34 2BX Trustees serving 2023124: Oonagh Brown Maire Hughes Martin Darling Ann¢ Carlisle Secretary Martin Darling Treasurer Anne Carlisle Custodian Trustees: Samaritans The Llpper Mill Kingston Road Ewell. Surrey. KT17 ?AF Prineip#l Banker: A.l.B Bank 4244 Hill Sireet. Newry. BTJ4 IAU Principal Solicitors: Thc Elliot Trainor Partncr5hip. 3 Downshire Road Newry BTJ41EE RPB Chartered Accountants 22 Si. Colman s Park Newry. BT34 2BX Aecountgnts: Insurallce Broker5: PIB Insurdnce Brokers Piippleton Grange Low Poppleton Lane York YO?6 6GZ Page2
SAMARITANS OF NEWRY TRUSTEES, REPOR1 foi. Ihe j'ear 10 31si .l/ar¢h 2024 Th¢ TrLLStees h¢r¢by prcscnt their rEputl dnd the unaudited financial statcm¢nis t-or thc pcriod cnded 31 March 2024. These documLnts are prepared in accordance with ihe Companies Act 2006 and the Chari(ies1.4LLounls and Reportsl Regulations (Northern Ireland) ?015 and. voluntarily. in accordance wilh iniernaiional besi praciice Istatement of ReLommended Practice in accordance with the FinanLial Reporting Standard appliiable in the UK and Republic ot Ireland IFRS 10? effective ?0151 as recommcnded by the Charity CommÈssion for Northcin Ireland. The Triistees, Report contains the inforniation required to be provided in th¢ Trustee i Annual Reporl under the Statcmcnts of Recommended Practice guidclincs. The Trustees preseni their report and the unaudited financial statements for the period ended 31 March ?0?4. l. Structure, Governance aDd Management Samariians of NeIY ICLG NI 644871- CCNI 1067761 is. and is recogniscd by the Organisation as an atThliated branLh of the Organis&ion. The Organisation called Samarilans w&s incorporated under the Companies Act 1948 on I l April 1963 and is a company limited by ?uarantee. not having a sharc capital. rcgistercd in En?land and Wales with Lompany number 75737? and a charity registercd in England and Walcs Ichartty registcrcd number ?1943?l and in Scotland Iscottish charity number SC0406041 I'the Central Charity"). The Organisalion's Trustee Board shall have powcr io dissolve. suspend or withdraw recognition of the Charity as a branch of the Organlsaiion. 2. Managemellt. Internal Control gnd Risk Management The day-to-day management of the Charity is the responsibility of the Trustees of the Charity who are respi)nsibl¢ for th¢ ifflplcmcntation of Samarilans stralcgy and to Support the work of Samaritan volunieers in the Charity. The TrustCC5 havcoverall rcsponsibility for thc systcm of intcrnal control forthe charity including the safety of Charity asse(s and (he integrity of ihe ac¢ouniing procedures. The Branch Leadership Team is comprised of= Branch Director, Vice Director. Secretary. Treasurer and 6 members who shall be Deputy Directors. (appointed by the Directorlchairl. who have responsibili(y for Ihe areas of. Hub LiasorL Rccruiiment, Volunteer Care, Publicity, Rota and Training. (iii) 4 Trustees from the above (iv} and may also include ¢o-opted members. Page3
SAMARITANS OF NEWRY TRLISTEES, REPORT foi. Ihe J'edr to 31s1 ,Ilareh ?024 A tnember shall noi serv¢ fi)r mole ihan ihiee ionseiLllive l'ears in a giken rc)le. The exi¢piion io ihis is the BranLh Se¢retary who may setve for six consecutive years. In the event of any vacanLy in the elected members of the BLT (other than ex-otTiLio members) IheBLT shall require the Secretary to Lonvene an Extraordinary General Mecling io elcct a Samaritan to lill such vacancy. Casual vacancies on the BL T may be filled by the Direc(orlChair. The Trustees shall meet as often as may be requTred but at least ihree limes a year. Thrc¢ mcmbcrs ofthc Trustees shall be a quorum. It is recommended Ihal ihe BL T meet al leasi every 6- 8 weeks. 3. Public Benefit Statemellt In planning our activities for the year Trustees have kepl in mind th¢ Charity Commission guidance on PLtblic benefit. Samaritans offcr5 SUPPOrt to ihose at rtsk i)f suicide by being ihere io listcn and cncouragc thc rccognilion and exploration of iheir Opiions. By doing so we aim to help pe(Fple find wayi of coping wilh iheir disiress wiihoul choosing lo dic by suicide. We also seek io support ihose whose disiress is less acutc, in th¢ hopc that thcy will not r¢aLh the point of feeling that they wish io end their lives. We make our support available by ielephone and email. Samaritatis, service is open lo people who arc Suicidal. despairing or in distress. It works with all Samaritans branchcs to ensure ?4-hour availability olthe serviLe across the UK. 4. Objectives and Activities 4. 1 Objecliiies Samarilans of Ncwry main objccls are: To providc confidenlial cmolional support for people ivho are cxpcricncing feelings of cmotional distrcs5 or despair iniluding those Ihal may lead to suicide- To promoie a belter understhnding in sociery of suilide, suicidal behaviour and ihe value olexpressing feelings which may otherwisc Icad to suicidc or impaircd cmotional health. and To support ihe Organisation. Samaritans. registered in England and Wales wilh company number 757i72. registered charity number 21943 4.2 PrincKpul Actiiilies Samaritans of Newry principal activitie5 includc thc following.. Providing confidential emotional support via telephone- Raising awarencss and understhnding of Samarilans; Developing partnerships with relatcd agcncics. voluntary groups and statutory bodies to better implement Samaritans strategic objceiives and improve our service lor 'callers'; Page4
SAMARITANS OF NEWRY TRUSTEES, REPORT for ihe F'eut 10 31si il.lllrch 20?4 Liaising wiih siatuiory bodies on behall- of the charitv: and Implemeniing ihe research policy and best praclice standards gencraied by Samaritans. Network with otheT organisaiions who share similar values and ¢)bjectivcs. 5. Missiou and Values Samaritans, Yision is that fewer people die by suicide. We work to achieve this by making it our Mission io alleviate emotional distress and reduce the incidence of suicidal f¢¢ling5 and suicidal behaviour. We do this by being available round the clock io provide emotional support for people who are experiencing feelings of emoti(Inal distress or despair. includino those which ma). lead to suicide-. Reaching our io high-rk groups and conununities to reduce the risk of suicide. Working in partnership wtth other organisations. agencies and experts to achieve our Vision. Injluencing publicpolicv and raising awarena$5 of the challengcs of rcducing suicide. We are commiticd to ihc following Values.. Listening Confidenfiality People moking iheir own decision5 Being non-judgmentql Conloct 6. Volunteer5 Samaritans of Ncwry could not exist without thr dediLalion. skill and commilmcnt of its voluntcers. We are committed to best practicc in voluntcering and invcst substantially in initial iraining and on-goino training to ensure that the highcst standards ofiraining and volunteer management are mainiained in the branch. All new listening volunieeTS are required 10 clear Samaritans disclosure and baring service before Commencing emolional support dutics. Our volunteers know how important il is that w¢ ar¢ alwaj's availablc. providing a safe place. where people can be themselves when they nced us most. Our voluntccrs arc ordinary people who do cxtraordinary Ihings. and we could do nothing withoul them. Wc owc them an enornious debi olgraiiiude. To this end we have a comprchcnsivc volunteer support sysieTn. comprising of a volunteer care team. mentors, Leaders and on-call Deputy DireLtors 7. Helpline Samaritans branches collectively operate a ?4-hour freephonc and email helpline service. The Newry branch 18 one ()f the eight branLh¢s in Northcrn Ireland connected 10 (he LIK telephony neiwork, LiiFk Page5
SAMARITANS OF NEWRY TRLISTEES'REPORT for ihe year to 3Jsl,¥farcli ?024 The Lillk system is a rtsilicnt dioital platfom] which ensures that callers are connected io rhe servict as quickly as possible and that capacity can be monitored io ensure that the service off¢rs optimal capacity. Samaritans is also signposied to by olher service providers. and many other helplines. not in a position to offer a ?4-hour service. 8. Awareness raising. Outreach and face to face Samaritans of Newry dclivcr a rangc of awarcncss raising scssions in the community. The broad themes of our Br1¢h oulrcachlawareness aciivlly are: To deliver emotional awareness presentations in post primary schools. to help young people cope better with life's challenges and io develop their emotional heaiih and well-being. To lake the Samariians message 10 vulnerable groups: To make the Samaritans servic¢ known to local organisaiionbuSineSSC$. During ihe period of this retATrrt, 'e were involi'ed in the "Darkness into Light" w'alk in Kilbronev Park on 24 Mai. 2023. We a150 wcrc in attcndance at thc Vintage Car Rally in Rostrevor in June 2023. We have been in ¢onta¢t with h0O1$ and businesses and delii'ered emotional wellbeing ta]ks. We raised our profile through social media campaigns and featurcs in the local press. 9. AchievemeDtS• perform¥nce #Dd plans for the futurt In the 12-month period io the end of Marih ?024 the BTanch answered 18)25 calls and 18?9 hou were spent on the ielephone. Showing an increase on the previous years figures. All callers were provided with contidenlial. non- judgmental, ¢motional support. Page6
SAMARITANS OF NEM'RY TRLISTEES'REPORT for ilie }'ear lo S Jsi.Ilarch 2074 Recriiitmeni and Training of ncw vollintcers is ongoing in ihe BranLh. Two cohorts rcceived iraining durino ihe period of the report. one finishing in June ?0? -J and the other. having finished their initial training. are in the process of Embedmeni training. Ongoing Iraining of ¢stablishcd volunieers Lolliinued via digiial modules. In September ?023 we had a very su¢cessful iraining s¢s5ion in a local hotel involving all '0]unIcerS. Our thanks go EO the iraining team for their dediLation in delivering very high quality of training. A nlimber of N'olunteers attended Ihe Regional Conference in Bangor and participated in a numbcr of M-orkshop5 pd information sessions. Tht Branch Director and members of the BLT attended various online confcrcnces. webinars and orkshopS including Samaritans AGM Regional Council meeting. Il'e are celebrating 50 >'c5 in NcH"ry' this l'ear and to raise our profile in the local cotnniunity, we iver¢ featured in the local e"Spaper. The piiblicity. il'as usefijl to our recruitmeni drii"e a150. Samaritans ivas a nominatcd charity bv MNlife and we were charity parkners M'ith Newry Chamber of Commerce in June. 10. Financial Review l O. l Resiiltsfor ihe vear Financial results for the year ended 31 March 20?4 are shown in thc Siatement of Financial Activitics on pagc l O. 10.2 Income Generation Samarilans of Newry raised total income of £J3.082 in ihe year to 3 1st March ?0?4. 10.3 Resources E¥pended TO1 rcsourcc5 cxpcnded by Samaritans of Newry amounted to £?2.2JJ for the year to 31 March 2024. Of the Charities expenditure 60°/0 was spent on dircct charitable activities and 400/0 on govcrnance. Page7
SAMARITANS OF NEWRY TRUSTEF.S' RF.PORT for rhe l'ear to J 1st March 2024 10.4 Resen'e Policv In accordance with recommended best practice. the Trustecs have adopted a Reserves Poliiy which is concerned with hi)w much 'lree' (or unallocatedl reserves the chariry retains. This excludes the following= Restricted funds Designated tunds Income funds ihai could only be realtsed by disposing of fixed assets held for charity use. Samaritans ol. Newry has the responsibility for establishing an appropriate Reserve Policy. Having reviewed the reservcs of the charity. the policy of ihc Trustccs is to retain sufficient restThes to ensure Éhe continuity of operntion5 and to absorb periodic setbacks. while Committing the maximum amount available for ihe PTOViSiOll of services. I l. Statementof r¢sponsibilAtiesofmembersoftheBord in resptctof thefinnti#lstatemeuts The Trustccs arc responsible for preparing ihe Trustee's Report and thc financial statcmcnts in accordancc with UK Law and regulation. The Trusiees have elected io prepare the financial statements tn accordance wilh UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practic¢, includin8 SORP Finan¢ial R¢porting Siandaid l O? 'Th¢ Financial Rcporting Standard applicable in the IJK. preparing thcse financial stsiemenÈS. Ihc Trustces are required io: scl¢ct suitabl¢ acci)unling policies for ihe Chariry financial stateFncnts and thcn apply them consistently- makc judgm¢nl5 atkd accounting ¢5timalcs thai are reasnnable and prudent- state whethcr thc finaniial 5tatcnicnts hav¢ been piepar¢d in accordancc with applicable accounting standards. identify those siandards. andnotetheeffectandthe reasons forany material departure from Ihc)se siandards. and prepare thc finanLial siatemenis on the going concem basis unless il is inappropriate to presume that the Charity will corktinuc in busincs5. Thc Trustees arc responsible for ¢n5uring that thc Charity keep% or causc5 to bc kept adequate accounting record5 which correctly explain and record the transactions of the Charity. enablc at any time the assets. liabilities. finanLi&l position and prolii or loss of ihe Charity 10 be deiermined 1(h reasonable accuraLry and enable them 10 ensure that the financial statements and Directors. Report comply with legislation. They are also responsible for safeguarding thc assets of the Charity and hcncc for (aking reasonable Sicps for thc prcvention and dctcction of traud and other irregularities. On behaifot the Board of Trustees, Anne Cgrlisle Tru51ee Dale.. 26 Jiine 2024 Oonagh Brown Ti-iislee Date.. 2d Jiine 20?4 Page 8