Trustees’ Annual Report
& Financial Statements
for the Period
6 March 2021 to 5 March 2022
Reference & Administration Details
Charity Name: Refugee Relief Ynys Môn
Other Name(s): RRYM
Registered in England and Wales, no. 1184413
HMRC Reference Number: EW41157
Address 33 St. Seiriols Road,
Llandudno, Conwy, LL30 2YT
Names of the Charity Trustees who Manage the Charity
Name Office Appointed Resigned
Heulwen Grace Dickinson Secretary 05/03/2016 NA
Barry Dickinson Chair 12/05/2016 NA
Mary Elizabeth Williams Trustee 11/02/2019 NA
Neil Gavin Bannigan Trustee 11/02/2019 21/10/2021
Carys Thomas Trustee 03/03/2020 NA
Structure, Governance & Management
Type of Governing Document:
Constitution,
How the Charity is Constituted:
Charitable Incorporated Organisation
Trustee Selection Methods:
Elected by existing Trustees
How New Trustees are Inducted and Trained:
All Trustees are provided with a copy of the Constitution, Annual Reports, Financial Statements and Minutes of recent meetings.
Objects
The prevention or relief of poverty anywhere in the world by providing:
grants and items to individuals in need and/or charities,
or other organisations working to prevent or relieve poverty.
Our mission is to supply regular shipments of food, warm clothes and other life essentials.
Statutory Declaration on Public Benefit
The trustees declare that they have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission in exercising their powers or duties.
Executive Summary
We use Social Media to keep in regular contact with volunteers and organisations working on the ground in the countries we support. This gives us an insight into exactly what is needed and where. It also enables us to confirm to our donors that the aid we send reaches the correct destination.
A list of the “People We Support” can be found at the end of this document.
We hold regular meetings and work alongside several other charities and groups from Cheshire, Merseyside and North Wales. This enables us to make informed decisions on when and where to provide aid and to make the best use of our limited resources.
Although most of the aid we supply is sent from the UK, it is sometimes more economical for us to grant funds to charities and groups operating in the areas we support. This money is then used to purchase food and essential items locally, reducing transport costs and supporting their local economy. We obtain original receipts for such purchases whenever possible.
Activities, Achievements & Performance
At the beginning of March, 2021, Barry and Heulwen moved to their new home in Llandudno as planned. All donated items had been sent out to organisations various or offered to local charities prior to their move, which made the task of packing much easier. Since then we have had two of our four trustees, Betty Williams and Carys Thomas continuing to collect and pack donations on Anglesey, with the other two trustees, Barry and Heulwen Dickinson working from Llandudno. The fact that Heulwen has been obliged to receive chemotherapy treatment on a regular basis means that Carys has stepped up to take care of most of the packing duties, with Betty continuing to play a major role in receiving donations at her home. Our charity continues to work efficiently despite the miles between us. We have been holding our meetings online, including our AGM which was held on 22/11/2021.
In October 2021, our wonderful friend and fellow trustee, Neil Bannigan, sadly lost his battle against cancer. To say that he has been sorely missed by us all is a massive understatement. We wrote to the Charity Commission at the time to inform them of Neil’s passing.
Between March 2021 and March 2022, we did not ship any boxes of aid to other countries. Customs duties ETC have continued to pose multiple problems which have yet to be resolved. We have kept monitoring the situation in the hope that things may change for the better, but I fear this has been more in hope than expectation. Not to be totally thwarted in our attempts to provide aid to those who so desperately need it, we came to an arrangement with several other charities that allowed us to send aid to their depots in the UK. From there it is put on to pallets or loaded on to containers for shipping abroad.
In December 2021, Barry and Heulwen were invited to take the charity stall to a Christmas fair in Llandudno. We were able to raise a modest amount through the sale of donated items which were not suitable for shipping abroad. We have yet to set up regular fundraising events similar to those we organised on Anglesey. If we decide to do so in the future it will certainly need to involve the recruitment of more volunteers in order to make manning the stall feasible.
Cash Donations and Collections
We showcase the work of our charity and request public donations on our Website https://RRYM.UK and on our Facebook page refugeereliefynysmon.
This year we have received Donations of £4,816 and Other income of £166.
This includes £360 from our Facebook “Gaza Desalination Plant Appeal”.
Fundraising activity
Items which have been donated but which are not required by the displaced people we support are sold either at local events or on social media to raise funds.
Talks and Presentations
Only one event was held this year due to Covid-19 restrictions.
In December 2021, Barry and Heulwen took the charity stall to a Christmas fair in Llandudno.
shipping costs
Due to problems exporting to the EU following Brexit, together with Covid-19 restrictions, we have been able to ship far fewer donated items for distribution to refugees in Europe and beyond.
As a result, our expenditure this year on shipping costs was reduced to £335.
We posted 31 20kg boxes of clothes, some going to Athens, others to Lebanon, all courtesy of UK charities.
Purchasing Aid
Our main expenditure this year has been purchasing essential items and funding local support projects.
Some items are purchased in the UK and shipped in the boxes and containers, but most are purchased on our behalf by trusted volunteers in the countries we support.
These totalled £3,700, which included £1,133 towards the Gaza Desalination Plant and £1,350 to Global Helping Hands to purchase food baskets for families living in the Arsal refugee camps.
For an explanation of these items and details of their recipients, please refer to the accompanying “People We Support” document.
