NOURISH COMMUNITY FOODBANK

Report and Financial Statements For 1st April 2015 to 31 March 2016

Charity Number 1154716 Registered Company Number 8303764

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NOURISH COMMUNITY FOODBANK

FINANCIAL YEAR 2015-2016: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In the year April 1st 2015-March 31st 2016 Nourish Community Foodbank

provided three days of emergency food supply for 3,141 people, compared

with 2,345 the previous year. This represents a 34% increase in the number

of Nourish clients. The number of referrals also rose by 38%, to 1,368.

Of these, 43% were children under the age of 18 years of age.

People are referred to Nourish for a wide range of reasons, such as problems

with benefits, low or delayed wages, domestic violence and debt issues.

During this financial year:

o 41% of referrals were due to benefit changes or low paid work

o 13% because of domestic violence

o 12% due to a debt problem

o 9% for an unexpected bill

o 8% because of sickness or an accident

o 7% because of unemployment

o 1% as the result of a bereavement

o 9% for other reasons.

Extensive outreach work with referral agencies means Nourish works with 93

front-line partner teams. Significant growth was seen for those who are sick

or with mental health issues, demonstrating the impact of working with GP

organisations and mental health teams in this year.

Nourish received 31.5 tonnes of food donations during this financial year.

Nourish spent £2,842.68 on food to supplement stock in order to meet

demand.

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STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

The organisation is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated 22 November 2012 and registered as a charity 24 November 2013. The company was established under a Memorandum of Association, which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its Articles of Association. The directors of the company are also charity trustees for the purposes of charity law. All trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no benefits from the charity. No expenses were claimed from the charity during this period. Trustees met monthly during the period to 31 March 2015. The membership of the board of trustees is intended to reflect the knowledge and skills required to manage a local food bank and new trustees are invited to join as necessary areas of expertise are identified. Potential new trustees are interviewed and briefed by the Co-chairs and invited to attend board meetings as observers before joining. The charity has no employees and contracts freelance expertise, such as our Operations Manager, and uses volunteers to manage its food collection and distribution, referrals and administration. Over the last year we have introduced operations handbooks, induction, training and arrangements for meetings (for trustees and all other volunteers) to reflect the current and planned growth of Nourish and good practice for a charity of this size.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Paul Haines (Co-Chair) Olga Johnson (Co-Chair) Carol Stone (Hon Treasurer) Becky Ash Martin Holroyd Helen Lindop Marianne Mac Donald (from October 2015) Jane Mars Adam Snyder Alisa Sweeney Adrian Tofts Carole Wilson

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Postal Address: YMCA, 14-18 Goods Station Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 2BL.

Food Collection and Storage: Big Yellow Storage Longfield Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN2 3UE.

Registered Office: Cripps LLP, Wallside House, 12 Mount Ephraim Road, TN1 1EG.

Bankers: Natwest Bank, 89 Mount Pleasant Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1QJ.

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OUR VISION Nourish is a volunteer-led charity and company limited by guarantee and set up in late 2012 by Town and Country Housing Group and Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. This initiative was in response to the increasing numbers of low income working households who can't make ends meet once they have paid their bills, and those individuals and families hit by welfare benefit cuts, unemployment or domestic violence. Our vision is that "No one need be hungry in Tunbridge Wells".

OUR OBJECTIVES

1. To promote the relief of financial hardship among people living or working in Tunbridge Wells and

its surrounding area by providing such persons with short-term emergency food parcels that they could not otherwise afford through lack of means.

2. To work collaboratively with, and for the benefit of, the inhabitants of Tunbridge Wells and its surrounding area without the distinction of sex or age or political, religious or other opinions, in order to meet local need, challenge social exclusion and to deliver an effective and proactive service that empowers people to access appropriate support and the resources to help them move forward with their lives in a manner which now is or hereafter may be considered by law to be charitable.

HOW WE DELIVER PUBLIC BENEFIT

Nourish provides short-term emergency support to individuals and families in a crisis within the town of Tunbridge Wells, Southborough, Rusthall, Tonbridge, Wadhurst, Goudhurst and Cranbrook. We also work with other local foodbanks and regularly review our areas of coverage in response to need. To qualify for help, families and individuals must be referred to Nourish by a front-line professional care organisation, such as Social Services, Domestic Abuse and Volunteer Support Service (DAVSS), local housing groups, Citizens Advice Bureau, Tunbridge Wells Job Centre and Age UK. We also work with churches, schools and GP surgeries who identify local people in need. We are expanding our operation to meet the growing need for foodbags. We have streamlined our administration to include a new data management system that will provide important operational information to us and our referral agencies so we are better able to measure impact and monitor relevant trends. We are also creating specific roles for volunteers so that their administration, management, fundraising and marketing skills are used effectively. The need for referral to Nourish is usually caused by a complex combination of events that include: benefits delays, unemployment, illness and domestic violence. Where possible we refer people to relevant Agencies so they can get additional help. This enables us to more fully understand the impact of these issues and to monitor the longer- term social impact. As an organisation, Nourish is increasingly asked to form part of case study teams that consider the wider issues affecting individuals.

“To qualify for help, families and individuals must be referred to Nourish by a front-line professional care organisation”

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HOW WE COMMUNICATE

Nourish has a high profile on a range of social media including Facebook and Twitter. In the last financial year, there has been increased promotion of events through Facebook that has increased awareness of the organisation and stimulated interest from potential volunteers. Our website is being re designed to increase traffic and be more interactive.

WHAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED

The following provides an update of what has been achieved in 2015-2016 and outlines the strategic objectives for the forthcoming year.

IT AND WEBSITE The website and IT support has focused on a maintenance approach with information updated on an ongoing basis. This is supplemented via social media through Facebook and Twitter. A regular monthly newsletter has been sent to supporters and volunteers. It has become apparent that there is a need for a revised website that can integrate both visible communications to supporters and provide a back-office function for use by referral organisations and the administrations team.

FUNDRAISING AND DONATIONS Nourish held several events during 2015-2016 giving people the chance to get involved and help raise money for local people in crisis. This helped raise a total of £10,494.38 (for more details on the specific events, see Page 20). Most of our food is donated and people are amazingly generous, with 31.5 tonnes of food donated. This year again saw an incredible Harvest festival where we collected an amazing 7,157.31 kg of food and provisions plus a fantastic £1,748.55 in donations. However, this year has also seen us spend more money than before in supplementing stock, with a total spend of £2,842.68.

Plans for 2016 Nourish is upgrading its online data facility in tandem with revamping its website. This has been possible through the work of an IT specialist Trustee and the availability of free data capture software for charitable use. The revised IT platform will allow referral agencies to submit requests electronically, rather than via paper or electronic pdf, which has been used until now. This will facilitate better capture of data, improved tracking of clients and information and the ability to produce real-time capture of data. This will allow us to better identify trends and forecast demand. It is also expected to have a substantial benefit on administration, allowing the Operations Manager to spend more time in developing the Tonbridge expansion.

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In addition, Nourish received the following:

£11,863 via individual donations

£20,852 via grant applications and charity donations.

We continue to maintain our great relationships with local supermarkets and now have collection points in Sainsbury’s, Asda and Tesco’s. We have increased the number of organisations, businesses and groups who donate food to Nourish and we are so grateful for all the support.

Plans for 2016 Nourish is maintaining its fundraising sub group and has recruited volunteers into specific fundraising roles. Two delegates attended a funding and fundraising conference, with the aim of upweighting its fundraising and events activities. As part of the new volunteer roles, there will be an increased emphasis on securing food donations to try and eliminate the need to purchase foods at busy periods of the year.

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REFERRALS Nourish was set up to support those in need within Tunbridge Wells and surrounding areas. In 2015-2016, there was a renewed focus on ensuring the service reached as many people in need as possible. With this aim, a new Trustee sub-group was initiated that has undertaken extensive liaison with referral organisations to widen the reach of Nourish and ensure there are no population groups that are overlooked. We have continued to hold regular meetings with referral organisations, resulting in increased referrals from charities concerned with older people, Clinical Commissioning Groups and mental health support teams. Insert map setting out the areas we cover

Why we support Nourish: Childrensalon

Childrensalon was founded in Tunbridge Wells in 1952 and is now not only an award-winning retailer but also the world’s largest online store for designer childrenswear. “At Childrensalon we put upmost value on family wellbeing and are constantly striving to support initiatives in our local community. We have been friends of the Nourish charity since 2014, when we had become aware of an increase in local households struggling to afford basics necessities such as food. Realising that many of the vulnerable affected include families of parents and young children, we felt obliged to support such a worthy cause. “Nourish is a compassionate partner in making an impact on the wellbeing of our neighbours in an immediate and personal way. All teams at Childrensalon have enjoyed putting their hearts and time into food collection and fundraising events. We are particularly glad to know that donations benefit those in need shortly after collection, and around key times of the year such as Easter and Christmas. “Childrensalon look forward to organising further events to support the Nourish community, and are particularly excited to hold our second annual dragon boat race in September 2016.” For more information on Childrensalon, visit: www.childrensalon.com.

Plans for 2016 In the past year, Nourish has been increasingly asked to provide foodbags to those living in the Tonbridge and Malling district. Having undertaken a needs analysis and liaised with referral agencies in this district, it is clear that there is a real and pressing demand for the support Nourish offers. Nourish has committed to expanding its service to Tonbridge by the end of 2016. Initially, the central Tunbridge Wells warehouse will serve as the central hub for all deliveries but we are working with other organisations with the aim of securing a central satellite distribution point in Tonbridge to enable clients to collect at a time that suits their needs. Work with referral agencies will continue to ensure no one needs go hungry in this area, with particular focus on developing relations in the Tonbridge area. The addition of a new volunteer to the referrals sub-group with Department of Work and Pensions experience will enhance this objective.

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TRUSTEES Nourish recruited an additional Trustee in 2015-2016 who has worked with us for over 18 months as a volunteer packer.

VOLUNTEERS Nourish has almost 30 volunteers, all DBS (security) checked, ranging in age from 17 to 70. Our volunteers undertake a wide variety of roles that include administration, stock management, packing food bags at our warehouse in Big Yellow and delivering food bags. Three times each week our packers make up food bags in the warehouse as requested by our referral Agencies. The food bags are then delivered to the homes of people in crisis by our volunteer drivers. We operate a doorstep delivery using volunteer drivers rather than asking people to pick up their food from a central point, thus enabling us to ensure confidentiality.

Nourish has worked extensively over the past year to strengthen communications and relations between Trustees and volunteers. A regular informal monthly meeting is held to discuss the latest data and ways of

What Nourish means to our referral agencies

"DAVSS was delighted at the very swift response to an urgent request for food for a domestic abuse survivor who only had tea bags and sugar in her cupboard for a week, until she received money due to her. The request went to Nourish mid-afternoon and by 4:45pm, a food parcel had been delivered to her door with the promise of a further delivery 4 days later to make sure she did not go without. This swift response was all that we could hope for - Nourish provided food yet again for someone in real need when there was no-one else to turn to. Thank you so much for providing this vital service"

“A special thank you to yourselves at Nourish Foodbank and your doubtless numerous supporters for enabling myself and Crossroads to support one of our very elderly patients with cognitive problems and help ensure her welfare. This lady has no relatives or close associates to assist and her former employer with whom she remains on good terms has had major health problems recently and has not been able to have any input.”

“John has received your food parcel and has asked me to email you to thank you for everything, you literally stepped in when he was at his lowest point and enabled me to help him to sort out his multiple issues while being able to safeguard his welfare. The process is so easy and I thank you for yet again being on the other end of the phone at an ungodly hour!”

Plans for 2016 With the expansion into Tonbridge, we will be recruiting two more trustees with skills in fundraising, marketing & communications and strategic planning to enable us to plan and promote our work and driving food and finance donations.

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working to improve our service to clients. These meetings have been welcomed by the volunteers and have helped to foster a shared sense of community among the volunteers, which is critical given that they often work in different roles and on different days. These meetings are supplemented by training sessions, when necessary. In addition, Nourish has actively recruited additional volunteers to help us with the day-to-day delivery of foodbags, via our team of warehouse packers and delivery drivers overseen by a warehouse manager. This will help us to meet the greater demands of an expanded service via increased funding and donations, improve communications and cross-referrals between agencies as well as enhancing the visibility of Nourish at a local level. Nourish has also worked extensively with corporate and group volunteers, such as AXA PPP and local Scouts and Explorers groups who have been kind enough to donate their time to organising collections and helping with warehouse organisation. In addition, we have had regular support from Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and National Citizen’s Service candidates who have provided warehouse support, street campaign promotion and social media communications. Not only has this helped supplement the work of our regular volunteers, it has also stimulated interest from new volunteers and expanded our reach among younger audiences who may not have been aware of our work.

Why I volunteer for Nourish: Vivian’s story “When I see former colleagues, they always ask me what I do now I’ve ‘retired’ and nine times out of ten when I say that one of the things I’m doing is volunteering for the local food bank, they will say, ‘In Tunbridge Wells? Surely not?’.

Little do they know that even such a well-off town has people in great need, and so I tell them that, yes, Nourish has far too many clients and I’m happy to help in any way I can – bag packing, food unpacking, tin rattling, roster arranging and now business co-ordinator in the search for much-needed resources. Food and shelter are the two basic requirements of life and Nourish makes a huge difference to those who require a little bit of help at a difficult time. What’s good is that it’s not a crutch, propping people up, it’s a bridge, helping them get over temporary problems, and on to a better future. And that’s why I feel that Nourish is worth supporting both through volunteering and donating.”

Plans for 2016 To meet the growing need within Tunbridge Wells and to prepare for expansion into Tonbridge, Nourish has implemented a recruitment and retention approach to growing and maintaining our volunteer database. To enable this to happen we have created specific volunteer roles to help maximise the skills our volunteers bring to Nourish. These include schools, business and organisations outreach co-ordinators, donation tin co-ordinators and community awareness and fundraising champions. These new roles also provide our volunteers with opportunities to acquire and develop new skills that they can then transfer into new volunteer roles and paid employment. Increasing the work we do with corporate and group volunteers will be an area of further development going forward.

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MESSAGE FROM OLGA JOHNSON AND PAUL HAINES, OUR CO-CHAIRS

We are proud that Nourish Community Food bank has provided three days’ emergency provisions to 3,141 people in the last twelve months. This is a 34% increase over the previous year. To achieve this we have worked with 93 referral teams to identify individuals and families in genuine need so that we can provide them with foodbags. Our policy of delivering foodbags to those in need at home is extremely cost and resource effective:

Reduces the cost of a centrally located storage space. Thanks to the generosity of the Big Yellow Self Storage Nourish has 375 square foot of storage for £5618 per annum, complete with office service facilities, no other overheads and easy parking for drivers who are collecting deliveries, in contrast, current rental costs for a similarly sized unit in the centre of town is in excess of £7000, not including the cost of overheads, such as heating, lighting, rates, and parking costs for drivers collecting deliveries

Offering a collection-only service would mean the collection point would also need to be staffed by volunteers every day. By offering a three-times a week delivery service we have set times for volunteers to help, which makes it easy for them to commit their time

It ensures the service provided is confidential for clients; this is particularly important for those referred due to domestic violence

It enables us to identify other areas of support needed by those we help. We are shocked that there has been a 63% increase in the number of domestic violence cases we support but pleased that we are able to make an immediate, positive impact on those affected. We have also been seriously concerned about the huge quantities of edible food thrown away by supermarkets and we are now working with M&S Food so that we access their unwanted but still in date food. We are also talking to other food retailers. We continue to work closely with other agencies to monitor the impact of food poverty and ensure that people in crisis get support to help get their lives back. It is of great concern that referrals due to domestic violence are increasing but reassuring that the majority of those in a crisis need only one foodbag. We are fully prepared for increases in the need for foodbags and with your help and our determination to succeed we will continue to be effective. Thanks so much.

Olga Johnson Paul Haines

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MESSAGE FROM DAWN STANFORD, OUR OPERATIONS MANAGER

This year has seen an increase in demand from referrals of 34% on last year. Those of us working on the frontline have not been surprised by this. Welfare reform, low pay, zero hours contracts and benefits changes have had an immediate effect on so many people and the unpredictable expenses will always come from the only flexible budget in a household, the food. Our hardworking and committed teams of volunteers are essential to the smooth running of the organisation and have ensured that Nourish is able to respond and meet the increasing flow of people needing food bags each day. We have increased our storage at Big Yellow Self Storage to hold the growing amount of food we need to store to meet demand but there have been times when stocks have been extremely low. Indeed, this year we have spent more monies than before in order to supply people with the essentials provided within our foodbags. However, increased demand also comes with an increase in area and we are planning for our Tonbridge expansion already by having in place a dedicated volunteer Warehouse Manager to help with stock rotation and plan for stock shortages in advance. As we move from one busy year to another we would like to thank each and every one of our volunteers for all the support, dedication and commitment that they have given so that Nourish had another successful year. They are all amazing!

Dawn Stanford

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PEOPLE FED 1ST APR 2015 – 31ST MARCH 2016

We have seen a 38% increase year on year in number of referrals since 2014-2015 with the total number of people receiving emergency provisions rising to 3,141 (from 2,345). This indicates the volume of people provided with three days’ of emergency food; these are not necessarily unique beneficiaries.

Of the 3,141 people receiving a three-day emergency foodbag supply, 43% were children under 18.

We help people in crisis by providing them with enough food for three days. A food bag contains a mix of tinned food comprising meat, fish, soup, vegetables, puddings and pasta sauce together with dried pasta or rice, tea and coffee. We also add treats for children, pet food and baby food where appropriate. We are keen to encourage people in crisis to eat balanced nutritious meals so we include vouchers in our food bags that can be exchanged for fresh meat, vegetables and fruit. We are pleased to be

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working with J C Rook & Sons to provide fresh meat and Locality in Tunbridge Wells to provide fresh fruit and vegetables. However, we are also keen not to encourage culture of long term dependency so it is reassuring that 65% of those we helped had just one food bag during the 2015-2016 financial year.

1,368 separate referrals were made to us.

Almost two-thirds of clients – 65% - needed only one foodbag. This has increased from 50% on the previous year.

87% of our referrals were for people using our service three times or less (a maximum of nine days food supply over the course of a year). This has also increased from 78% the previous year.

REASONS FOR REFERRAL

Below is a summary of why people had the need for Nourish in 2015-2016. Unemployment/Redundancy, Debt Problems and Benefit Changes tend to follow someone losing their job and all three account for 52% of the reasons why people used our services. The increase in referrals due to domestic violence is also worrying, with a 63% increase in the number of domestic violence cases we supported last year; 1 in 8 foodbags distributed by Nourish are to victims of domestic abuse.

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REFERRAL AGENCIES

We work with a wide variety of referral agencies that are best placed to establish criteria of need and ensure that it is genuine and we have significantly increased the number of referral agencies working with us. During 2015-2016 we worked with 93 frontline referral agencies across Tunbridge Wells who made a total of 1,368 referrals to Nourish. Aside from the notable increase in referrals for domestic abuse, increasing numbers of referrals were seen from doctors’ surgeries, mental health organisations, the early intervention team and YMCA. This suggests Nourish is becoming at the forefront of the mind of organisations working in the preventative fields.

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THE IMPACT OF NOURISH

Behind every one of these statistics is a story. They are all different. The following are just some of the stories from people we have helped this past year. Please note, all names have been changed.

Sarah’s story

Sarah was just 16 years of age, living at home with her mother and two younger siblings when her world changed. Her mother had lived with mental health issues and severe depression for some time and Sarah had taken on the role of a young carer, balancing home and school while taking care of her family.

In 2015, her mother took her own life while Sarah was present. Social services intervened and Sarah’s estranged father moved back in to care for her younger siblings. But this also meant Sarah had to move out. As Sarah had never lived alone and had no income as she was still a child at school, Nourish provided six weeks of foodbags. In addition, we signposted Sarah to a young carers group and child bereavement support via the family support team. Nourish volunteers visited Sarah and became a critical support her during a devastating time in her young life. Just recently, our Operations Manager Dawn received the following text from Sarah: “Hi! Thanks so much for the new diary, I am writing a good thing in every day as promised, last exam tomorrow! Eek!!! Am a little nervous but have revised hard, just hope I remember it all!!! Made cottage pie today and used those little dishes you gave me so can have next week too, am such a cook now! Thank you for the good luck text, will let you know later……. X”. Nourish provided more than a food bag to Sarah at a time when she had literally lost her family, and gave her additional support and a lifeline towards a normal life again.

Sophie’s story

Sophie was 16 years of age and, along with her brother had fled their home country for their own safety. Although she had moved into the Tunbridge Wells YMCA, she had no access to public money or benefits and couldn’t work legally to support herself. Social services arranged for her to learn English and to study for some exams to be able to get a job once her paperwork was completed.

Although Nourish was asked to provide support, this was limited to a maximum of 12 foodbags. In special circumstances, a review panel of Trustees will consider whether to provide longer-term support if there is need. It was agreed we would support both Sophie and her brother until funds were in place, which took around 20 weeks. Thanks to grants we are also able to provide vouchers for fresh meat and fruit/vegetables in every foodbag. For Sophie visiting the butchers and greengrocers not only helped her practice her English, but gave her valuable skills in learning how to live in the UK. Her keyworker at the YMCA showed her how to batch cook so she could make more meals and stretch out her budget.

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Sophie and her brother now have funds and are now studying. But each week when she does her shopping she gets an extra tin or packet and drops it to the YMCA Warehouse for Nourish. She is always the first to say hello to our Operations Manager, Dawn, when she pops into Gateway to use the computer or passes her in the library. It is the kindness of strangers who donate food and monies to Nourish that meant so much to the likes of Sophie and her brother in helping them feel someone cared.

Mark’s story

Mark lived with cognitive issues which made it hard for him to manage day-to-day tasks. Luckily, his old boss provided support in helping him stay on top of things like bills and his medication.

Unfortunately, his old boss was ill. With no-one providing the support he relied on, Mark had let his medicine run out and was now feeling unwell himself. He made an appointment with his regular doctor to get a new prescription. He noticed straight away that Mark had lost weight and asked when he last had eaten. Mark admitted he hadn’t eaten for a “few days” as he had no money in the bank, but he wasn’t sure why that was the case. He did admit that as his friend had been poorly, he had let his letters ‘build up’. Mark was referred to Nourish and we signposted him to get some help sorting out his finances, which turned out to be a simple issue. As Mark had been ignoring his letters, he had failed to sign a declaration and, as a result, his pension payments had stopped. Our rural delivery driver, Ruth, dropped off a Nourish foodbag to Mark on her way home from work each week for four weeks until Mark’s pension payments restarted. For Mark, the Nourish foodbag was vital in helping him manage day-to-day living until his usual support network was back in place.

John and Karen’s story John worked full-time and Karen part-time to support their family of three children. When Karen tripped and suffered a nasty break to her ankle, she had to move to statutory sick pay for eight weeks and then reduce her hours to allow her ankle to rehabilitate and attend physiotherapy.

For the first couple of weeks they dipped in to their food budget to cover the bills and John took on additional overtime, when it was available. But the bills were more than they had coming in and they had fewer stock items in the cupboard to make meals for everyone. Karen spoke to the family liaison officer at the school. She was already aware of the family’s issues as Karen’s reduced mobility had meant friends had dropped off and collected her children from school on occasions. The family liaison officer referred the family to Nourish for food parcels to cover the time that Karen had to stay on sick pay. Karen was surprised to see dog food and sanitary products in the parcels as these were both things that took money out of the food shopping but were essential. The family dog was as old as the eldest child and very much a part of the family.

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Nourish provides people like Karen and John with more than a foodbag, it helps give people dignity during hard times and shows just how much our town cares.

Lisa’s story Lisa emailed Nourish on a Saturday in February. She had been a victim of domestic violence that resulted in an extended period of homelessness. But she had recently been moved to a rural village and was looking to get her life back on track.

However, being in a rural location made it hard to get into Tunbridge Wells. With no money for a bus, Lisa missed a key appointment, resulting in her Jobseeker’s Allowance being stopped. She was now without any money, had slowly used up all her reserve food and now had only enough left for one or two days. As Nourish works only on referral from a partner agency, our Operations Manager Dawn worked over the weekend with various organisations to determine who would be best placed to assess whether Lisa had a legitimate claim for a foodbag. The person with the greatest insight into Lisa’s situation was her local GP and, even though they were not an existing referral agent, Dawn called on Monday morning and set them up as a referrer. By Monday late afternoon Ruth, our rural delivery driver, delivered Lisa a parcel which meant she could enjoy a hot meal and some fresh vegetables. Nourish also contacted the Citizen’s Advice Bureau who arranged to claim back some previous travel expenses so Lisa was able to make her appointments. Within a week of the referral, Lisa’s benefits were reinstated. This is a perfect example of how we rapidly Nourish works to respond to need. We have a can-do attitude so even when there are barriers, like a new referral agent, and even when it’s an issue that has arisen out-of-hours, we work hard to ensure no-one need go hungry in our area.

Why we support Nourish: Search Press

Search Press is a local Tunbridge Wells art and craft book publisher, specialising in publication of craft books for over 45 years. “We were made aware of the vital Nourish service by one of our staff around two years ago, when we received an email with a call for help and donations for Nourish. “On receiving the email, our MD, Martin de la Bedoyere decided that we as a company should offer to help. From that point on, we have been donating weekly parcels (the Nourish volunteers make it easy for us to donate by collecting our donations each week). “Search Press is delighted to support this vital service to the vulnerable in the community. As a local company, we feel that it’s important to give something back and support local people, in their time of need, with the basic essentials that many of us take for granted.”

For more information on Search Press, visit: www.searchpress.com

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FINANCIAL REVIEW The charity is reliant on grants and donations to operate.

FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE AND RESERVES POLICY Overall, income increased from £48,000 in 2014/15 to almost £65,000 in 2015/16. During 2015/16 the charity spent £3,525 on fundraising – which resulted in an increase in income from events as well as from one off and repeat donations. Thanks to careful management, the generous donations of office and storage space and the significant time and resources contributed by trustees and volunteers, the only major increase in expenditure was on fresh food, via the voucher system. This reflects the increased number of beneficiaries. Donated food is not included in the income and expenditure account, nor included as an asset on the balance sheet, due to the difficulty in accurately putting a value on it. The charity ended the period to 31 March 2016 with a surplus of £14,120 bringing its unrestricted reserves up to £21,511. Reserves Policy The trustees have agreed that they should aim to maintain unrestricted reserves of at least three months of operating costs plus sufficient additional funds to allow for the purchase of food for three months in order to ensure continuity of service given the uncertainty of both its sources of income and food donations.

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A YEAR OF NOURISH FUNDRAISING Nourish held several events during 2015-2016 giving people the chance to get involved and help raise money for local people in crisis.

Our quiz night and auction on April 17th raised a fantastic £1,073.95.

Thanks to everyone who took part in our End Hunger Games event raising money for Nourish. The winners were TN2 and the Sherwood Partnership. The total raised was £1,675.65.

The Nourishers took part for the second year in the Dragon Boat Festival at Bewl Water. We managed to raise a fantastic £2,740.17 so a huge thank you to everyone that took part and who sponsored our rowers!

Our Big Bid Off event in November 2015 in conjunction with Childrensalon raised a fantastic £5,004.61 so thank you to all the companies that donated prizes and everyone who came along and supported us.

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A wonderful fundraising idea - Thank you

Huge thanks to Andy Read who raised a fantastic £260 for Nourish by missing one breakfast, one lunch and one dinner each week for the past year and putting £5 a week aside. With Gift aid that’s a whopping £325!! A few words from Andy... "In terms of motivation to donate - I think it is easy in this part of the country to think that there is no food poverty, but it is right on our doorstep. I don't like asking for donations so this method seemed like a good way to get some cash together over a period of time. The idea came originally a few years ago. Up until recently I was an operational member of an international search and rescue team (Serve On - http://www.serveon.org.uk/international-search-and-rescue ); I went to Haiti in 2010 to help locate and rescue people trapped under collapsed buildings following the earthquake. On my return I presented a few talks to groups in order to raise funds for the charity. One large community group had all gone without food for a day and then donated what they would have spent on their food to the charity. This always struck me as a really good way to raise money quite easily - the bigger the group, the bigger the donation! It's been a pleasure to help and I wish you and the team all the best as you approach Christmas - I imagine a time of year when you are stretched even further." Huge thanks from everyone at Nourish!!

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We would also like to thank the following organisations for their generous support in donating over 31.5 tonnes of food. Total food donated to Nourish 2015-2016 (kg)

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A YEAR OF SUPPORT AND DONATIONS

Childrensalon, a local childrenswear retailer who have grown to be the world's largest online store for designer childrenswear has been supporting Nourish throughout 2015-2016 and continue to do so into 2016-2017. They have a true passion to get involved with everything that Nourish does and have been instrumental in our fundraising. They entered a boat in the 2016 Dragon Boat Festival in aid of Nourish which raised an amazing £2,420.00 and they were instrumental in our Big Bid Off fundraiser in November 2015 where we raised a fantastic £5,004.61. Thank you to Childrensalon for all your support!!

We continued to work with Sainsbury’s in Tunbridge Wells as local charity until August 2015. We had pods on all the tills and raised a fantastic £2,636.63. Since August we have continued to have a food collection point in store.

Everyone at Nourish Community Foodbank is grateful to all those who have supported us in 2015-2016. Your generosity is inspirational and we are delighted that you continue to support us with donations of

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food, money, time and facilities such as premises, printing, storage, collection points and general encouragement. Every pound/hour/tin or packet is welcomed and used to help people in crisis. We are able to continue our work thanks to businesses, voluntary groups, charities, churches, local associations, the media, schools and hundreds of individuals who have shown amazing understanding and commitment to the needs we strive to meet. Special thanks go to our funders and supporters below.

Nourish would like to express their huge thanks for the ongoing funding and support of its principal funder, The Town and Country Foundation, which was key in helping turn this project from an idea into a reality.

The trustees would like to thank Tunbridge Wells Borough Council for allowing Nourish to use both the Gateway and an office in the Town Hall as a base for administration as well as making a grant to the charity to help with running costs.

We are delighted to be working with the Big Yellow Self Storage Company in Tunbridge Wells who have provided us with free and discounted storage space, allowing us a safe working environment to collect, store and sort our donated items.

Nourish would like to thank the West Kent YMCA warehouse for providing us with a central Tunbridge Wells point for food donations

Thank you to the Mrs Smith and Mount Trust for their grant of £3,750 which will help fund our fresh food voucher scheme for 12 months ensuring our beneficiaries receive a healthy and balanced diet

Thank you to the Cole Charitable Trust for their grant of £600 which will pay for a new light and new shelving in our second unit at Big Yellow. This will provide a safe environment for our volunteers when packing and sorting donations.

Thank you to the Big Lottery Fund for their grant of £4,064. The funding will be used to pay towards volunteer expenses, a tablet and mobile phone package and petrol costs for food collection and delivery. The funds will help facilitate our expansion into Tonbridge.

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Huge thanks to the South East Water Community Chest Fund. They have chosen to support Nourish with a grant of £454.44 to pay for new collection buckets and volunteer photo ID cards.

Thank you to GACT for their grant of £1,500 which will help fund our second storage unit at Big Yellow Self Storage. This storage space is essential for us to maintain stock levels and store donations to support local people in crisis.

Thank you to the Sir Thomas Smythe's Charity for their grant of £3,000 payable over three years which will help fund our fresh food voucher scheme ensuring our beneficiaries receive a healthy and balanced diet.

We continued to work with Sainsbury’s in Tunbridge Wells as local charity until August 2015 and after that we have continued to have a food collection point in store.

Nourish would like to thank Asda Tunbridge Wells for their support. We have a collection point in store and have been holding collections and bag packing.

Thanks to Cripps for providing us with a registered address.

Huge thanks to Childrensalon who have supported Nourish throughout 2015-2016 with internal food collections and fundraising. They rowed a boat in the 2016 Dragon Boat Festival in aid of Nourish which raised an amazing £2,420.00 and they were instrumental in our Big Bid Off fundraiser in November 2015 where we raised a fantastic £5,004.61.

Additional thanks go to the following for donations made to Nourish

Lloyds Bank Tonbridge. The Tonbridge team raised over £100 and donated food.

All of our regular donators who are in our Friends Of Nourish scheme and all those who donate each month to help us.

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Nourish would like to say a huge Thank You to Graham Jones from Child & Child solicitors for the fantastic donation.

Huge thanks to both Joint Ventures In Property in Southborough and a private donor for their huge generosity in providing the funding and food for us to provide our Christmas parcels.

Huge Thanks to the Don Hanson Charitable Foundation for their amazing donation to Nourish. Huge thanks to the following for their generosity. We received a total of £1,748.55 in donations

over the Harvest period: o St Matthews Church o King Charles the Martyr o Schools of Somerhill o Crowborough Beacon Lodge o Private donation via Speldhurst WI.

Why we support Nourish: Big Yellow

Big Yellow Group PLC is the UK’s brand leader in self storage and operates from a platform of 89 stores with a maximum lettable area of 5.3 million sq ft. Big Yellow Tunbridge Wells provide Nourish with a free 200 m2 storage and a discounted 100m2 second storage unit, in addition to acting as a collection point for donated food. The team at Big Yellow have also supported other initiatives this year, such as rowing for the Nourish Dragon Boat team. “Big Yellow in Tunbridge Wells are proud to support Nourish Community Foodbank by giving them somewhere for donations to be delivered and space to store, sort and pack them. Nourish is a fantastic charity not only do they provide instant support when needed, but they also help people improve their situation by education and signposting to other services and support groups. The whole team of volunteers at Nourish are so passionate about what they do and want to make a difference – and they really do!” For more information on Big Yellow, visit: www.bigyellow.com

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NOURISH ACCOUNTS Independent examiner's report on the accounts Report to the trustees/ members of Nourish Community Foodbank Ltd Charity Number 1154716 Registered Company Number 8303764 On accounts for the year ended 31 March 2016 Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to:

examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act,

to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act, and

to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. Basis of independent examiner’s statement My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by the Charity Commission. 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 the 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 In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention 1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements:

to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; and

to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act

have not been met; or 2. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to

be reached. Signed: R J Young Date: June 2016 Name: Richard Young, ACA, Chartered Accountant Address: c/o Deeks Evans, 3 Boyne Park, Tunbridge Wells. TN4 8EN.

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STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

Unrestricted funds

Restricted income funds

This year 2015/16

Last year

2014/15

£ £

£ £

Incoming resources (Note 3)

Incoming resources from generated funds

Voluntary income

45,544 9,352

54,896 48,459

Activities for generating funds

9,838 -

9,839 -

Incoming resources from charitable activities

55,382 9,352

64,735 -

Other incoming resources

- - - -

Total incoming resources 55,382 9,352

64,735 48,459

Resources expended (Notes 4-8)

Costs of Generating Funds

Costs of generating voluntary income

3,525 -

3,525 2,022

Charitable activities 37,724 9,352

47,077 40,379

Governance costs

13 -

13 -

Other resources expended - -

- -

Total resources expended 41,262 9,352

50,615 42,401

Net incoming/(outgoing) resources before transfers

-

6,058

Gross transfers between funds - -

- -

Net incoming/(outgoing) resources before other recognised gains/(losses) 14,120 -

14,120 6,058

Other recognised gains/(losses)

Net movement in funds 14,120 -

14,120 6,058

Total funds brought forward 7,391 -

7,391

Total funds carried forward 21,511 -

21,511

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BALANCE SHEET

Unrestricted funds

Restricted income funds

This year 2015/16

Last year 2014/15

£ £

£ £

Fixed assets

Tangible assets (Note 9)

- -

Investments (Note 10)

- -

Total fixed assets

- -

- -

Current assets

Debtors (Note 11) 415 - 415 738

(Short term) investments

Cash at bank and in hand 25,612 25,612 6,653

Total current assets 26,027 26,027 7,391

Creditors: amounts falling due within one year (Note 12) 4,516

4,516

Net current assets/(liabilities) 21,511 7,391

Total assets less current liabilities 21,511 7,391

Creditors: amounts falling due after one year

-

Provisions for liabilities and charges

Net assets 21,511 7,391

Funds of the Charity

Unrestricted funds 16,995 7,391

Restricted income funds (Note 13) 4,516

Total funds 21,511 7,391

Audit Exemption Statement For the year ending 31 March 2016 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. Directors’ responsibilities:

the members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476

the directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts

these accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime

Signed on behalf of all the trustees

NAME: Paul Haines SIGNATURE: Paul Haines

DATE: 30 June 2016

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NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS Note 1 Basis of preparation These accounts have been prepared on the basis of historic cost in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities – Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP 2005); and with the Charities Act. Note 2 Accounting policies

This standard list of accounting policies has been applied by the charity

INCOMING RESOURCES

Recognition of incoming These are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) when:

Resources the charity becomes entitled to the resources;

the trustees are virtually certain they will receive the resources; and

the monetary value can be measured with sufficient reliability.

Incoming resources with related expenditure

Where incoming resources have related expenditure (as with fundraising or contract income) the incoming resources and related expenditure are reported gross in the SoFA.

Grants and donations Grants and donations are only included in the SoFA when the charity has unconditional entitlement to the resources.

Tax reclaims on donations and gifts

Incoming resources from tax reclaims are included in the SoFA at the same time as the gift to which they relate.

Contractual income and performance related grants

This is only included in the SoFA once the related goods or services have been delivered.

Gifts in kind Gifts in kind are accounted for at a reasonable estimate of their value to the charity or the amount actually realised.

Gifts in kind for sale or distribution are included in the accounts as gifts only when sold or distributed by the charity.

Gifts in kind for use by the charity are included in the SoFA as incoming resources when receivable.

Donated services and facilities

These are only included in incoming resources (with an equivalent amount in resources expended) where the benefit to the charity is reasonably quantifiable, measurable and material. The value placed on these resources is the estimated value to the charity of the service or facility received.

Volunteer help The value of any voluntary help received is not included in the accounts but is described in the trustees’ annual report.

Investment income This is included in the accounts when receivable.

Investment gains and losses This includes any gain or loss on the sale of investments and any gain or loss resulting from revaluing investments to market value at the end of the year.

EXPENDITURE AND LIABILITIES Liability recognition Liabilities are recognised as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the

charity to pay out resources.

Governance costs

Include costs of the preparation and examination of statutory accounts, the costs of trustee meetings and cost of any legal advice to trustees on governance or constitutional matters.

Grants with performance conditions

Where the charity gives a grant with conditions for its payment being a specific level of service or output to be provided, such grants are only recognised in the SoFA once the recipient of the grant has provided the specified service or output.

Grants payable without performance conditions

These are only recognised in the accounts when a commitment has been made and there are no conditions to be met relating to the grant which remain in the control of the charity.

Support Costs Support costs include central functions and have been allocated to activity cost categories on a basis consistent with the use of resources, eg allocating property costs by floor areas, or per capita, staff costs by the time spent and other costs by their usage.

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ASSETS

Tangible fixed assets for use by charity

These are capitalised if they can be used for more than one year, and cost at least £500. They are valued at cost or a reasonable value on receipt.

Investments Investments quoted on a recognised stock exchange are valued at market value at the year end. Other investment assets are included at trustees' best estimate of market value.

Stocks and work in progress These are valued at the lower of cost or market value.

Note 3 Analysis of incoming resources

This year 2015/16

Last year 2014/15

£ £ Voluntary income

Grants 22,852 21,673 Donations - from individuals and private organisations 24,626 17,568 In-kind donations of storage and office space 7,418 9,218 Events 9,838

Total 64,735 48,459

Donated food is not included in the SOFA due to being difficult to value accurately.

Note 4 Analysis of resources expended

This year 2015/16

Last year 2014/15

£ £ Charitable activities

Support costs (co-ordination and volunteer costs) 18,972 18,423 Food supply (food purchased, storage and distribution) 22,747 15,530 Administration and communication 5,358 6,426 - -

Total 47,077 40,379

Governance costs Professional fees - -

Other 13 -

-

Total 13 -

Note 5 Support Costs

Support cost type

Fundraising activity Charitable Activity Governance

Activity Total Cost

£ £ £ £ Co-ordination and volunteers - 18,972 - 18,972

Total - 18,972 - 18,972

Note 6 Trustee expenses No trustees were paid any expenses during the period Note 7 Paid employees The charity had no paid employees during the period Note 8 Grantmaking

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The charity made no grants Note 9 Tangible fixed assets The charity has no tangible fixed assets (i.e. assets valued at over £500 per item) Note 10 The charity has no Investment assets Note 11 Debtors and prepayments

Analysis of debtors Amounts falling due within

one year Amounts falling due after

more than one year

15/16 14/15 15/16 14/15

£ £

Trade debtors

- - -

Amounts due from subsidiary and associated undertakings

- - -

Other debtors

- - -

Prepayments and accrued income

415 738 - -

Total

415 738 - - Note 12 Creditors and accruals

12.1 Analysis of creditors

Amounts falling due within one year

Amounts falling due after more than one year

15/16 14/15 15/16 14/15

£ £

Loans and overdrafts - - - -

Trade creditors - - - -

Amounts due to subsidiary and associated undertakings - - - -

Other creditors - - - -

Accruals and deferred income 4,516 - - -

Total 4,516 - - -

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Note 13 Movement of Restricted Funds Fund names Fund

balances brought forward

Incoming resources

Outgoing resources

Fund balances carried forward

£ £ £ £

Big Lottery Awards for All - 4,064 3,048 1,016

Gatwick Airport Community Trust - 1,500 1,500 -

Cole Charitable Trust - 600 600 -

Don Hanson Charitable Trust - 3,500 - 3,500

Mrs Smith and Mount Trust - 3,750 3,750 -

South East Water Community Fund - 454 454 -

Total Funds - 13,868 9,352 4,516 Note 14 Transactions with related parties There have been no transactions with related parties or loans during the period

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