Financial Report 2023/24

Financial Report 23/24 - David Thrower (Treasurer)

After a very successful first year, we have built on this with more ambitious projects including; the inaugural UkraineFest, the first Ukrainian HMO, and a community allotment. In addition, we’ve continued with the foundational work from year 1; the bike project, choir, trips out, BBQ’s and other social events.
I have summarised below where our funds have come from and how it has been distributed throughout the year.
Pic: Treasurer & Bike Lead Dave Thrower presented with a thank you cake by the Ukrainian community for the team’s bike work.

Income (Last year in brackets)

Our income for the year was £21, 496 (£12,719)

As we had proven ourselves in 22/23, we were able to secure more funding from the council and other bodies (72%) to continue our work and to help deliver the more ambitious community projects.

Swindon Borough Council gave us £14,071 in four instalments. An initial grant was given to continue our “business as usual” work: website, email, bike project, community BBQ’s, trips etc. With a business case we were able to secure additional funding for projects such as UkraineFest and Allotment.

We also received £1,000 from Swindon for Europe for the dance & fashion show and £460 from Swindon Rotary Club for the bike project.

The remaining 28% was raised through bike sales; £1,501, and public donations from events and collections; £4,464.

We are very grateful to all those who gave us money and or bicycles to keep the projects running.

Outgoings

Our total spend for the year was £24,184 (£10,013)

Running costs £1,014 (1,342)

The bulk of the running costs are in the provision of the website; software, hosting, translation and email service. We reduced the costs by reducing the software subscriptions.

All SWU officials and helpers are volunteers and are unpaid giving their time and often transport for free.

Bike Project £3,500 (£6,361)

This year the number of bikes issued to Ukrainians was lower at 115, as the number of refugees coming over had slowed to a trickle. We continued to ensure all bikes were issued with helmets, locks and lights. Bikes were also coming back for maintenance, repairs and punctures.

We continued to receive bike donations from local people and we were able to upgrade some of the heavy users with better bikes or growing kids with bigger bikes. We also received a substantial volume of bike parts from Wiltshire Police that were stolen, recovered and unclaimed.

The growing bike mechanics team continued to work on the donations and we built up a large stock. We sold the best bikes to put funds back into SWU.

In Feb we were asked to vacate our “home” in the Pattern Church, as the floor we occupied was to be developed. No other premises could be found that met our needs and as the demand had slowed to 1-2 bikes a week, we decided to shut down the project.

The stock of restored bikes 100+ was given to other local charities; The Harbour Project, Recycles and Swindon Upcycle. Tools and parts were also donated to the bike team at the Harbour Project and to Run & Repair, who helped us get started. All remaining parts and bikes to be renovated, 100+, were donated to the Salvation Army (Recycles) Head Office, for distribution to teams across the country.

Ukraine Feast £2,334 (0)

Ukraine Feast was a restaurant takeover for a night where the menu was a celebration of Ukrainian food. The event was a sell out and in addition to ticket sales, funds were raised through a raffle of donated prizes. Costs were for the food, venue and waiting staff.

UkraineFest £4,598 (0)

UkraineFest was initiated as a way of celebrating Ukrainian Independence Day and bringing the community together to celebrate and share their culture with the wider local community. Old Town Gardens was chosen as the venue and in 6 weeks UkraineFest was planned and delivered. It was a great success in bringing communities together and for fundraising. Plans were immediately started for a bigger and better Festival in 2024.

Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) £4,056 (0)

One of the issues facing Ukrainians is how to get accommodation to leave their host. Rental costs are high and landlords unwilling to risk tenants with no credit history. SWU volunteers worked with a local landlord to furnish a town house in Swindon that would house up to 6 couples. This wasn’t the best “value for money” benefitting only a few. However, it generated significant TV & media coverage showing how Swindon had presented a solution to a topical issue.

Choir £1795 (0)

A Ukrainian choir formed at the Pattern Church gained members and momentum. This funding was used to cover the costs of the choir lead, premises and equipment hire. The choir has performed publicly on several occasions.

Allotment £3,303 (0)

There is a big culture of “grow your own” in Ukraine. So we seized the opportunity to develop a neglected allotment into a community garden. With the help of many volunteers, a local tradesman and gifted as well as purchased materials, we were able to transform the space. It was divided into a number of raised beds with mulch between, to enable a number of families to benefit from the space. This generated significant media coverage, including 3 TV channels. It has proved very popular. It’s a stress release for many, crops are being grown and they are making friends with the other gardeners.

Coffee in Action £459 (0)

A fund raising event where a Ukrainian Barista from Bristol gave a talk on coffee and prepared his signature “Red” coffee. Funds were used to cover, staff, expenses and venue.

Other Events - £1,397 (£1,032)

Throughout the year we have put on a number of community events for social purposes or for fund raising. These included BBQ’s, a fashion show, art & craft classes and coach trips to cities.

Donations out to Ukraine - £1,728 (£2,050)

All donations came from fundraising events organised by our Ukrainian Committee members who want to help those back home. Donations were made to small charities in Ukraine that were providing humanitarian aid:

· Hromadska orhanizatsiia 'zberezhy dytynu' (Save the Child): £1,038.

· RC Efc (Great Commission) Church of Kherson: £690

End of year cash balance £605

We carried a small balance into the new year but with fixed running costs for website, email etc and events in April this will last only a month or two. Application for a 24/25 grant from the council is pending.

Outlook for 2024/25

SWU continues to build its contribution to the Ukrainian and wider community. We have a good understanding now of what works and what’s less well received. With the volume of new refugees shrinking to a trickle the bike project has now closed. Focus now turns to building on those activities that bring people together to build skills (English, Art, Crafts), for social and mental health enrichment (BBQ’s, Choir, Crafts, Allotment, seasonal events) and to celebrate Ukrainian culture and develop their local business (UkraineFest).

Donations are becoming harder to gather as the visibility of the war reduces, eclipsed by other horrors. Thus, we will become more reliant on grants from SBC and donations from corporate bodies.