OBJECTIVES OF THE CHARITY: to support the education and training of adults resident in the UK whose first language is not English.

CONTRIBUTION TO INDIVIDUAL AND PUBLIC BENEFIT: The Trust helps individuals with inadequate financial means to pursue a course of study or training. It enhances their opportunities to gain qualifications and enter employment appropriate to their ability so that they contribute to the wider economy and social cohesion of the UK, advancing equality for individuals from diverse cultures and backgrounds.

FINANCE: (see attached accounts) Despite the raising of money through our Jubilee celebrations (below) and individual donors, January 2009 calculations showed that by the financial year’s end, assets could be reduced to under £9,000, below the agreed minimum reserve level (£12,000). We were therefore very grateful when, in February 2009, we received a grant of £5,000 from the Hilden Charitable Fund, as well as smaller amounts from NATECLA and the Joe and Beryl Stone Trust. As a result, we completed our financial year with healthier reserves than appeared possible in January.

THE AWARDS: In 2008-9, 177 people received support: a total of £13,561 plus an allocation of 61 OUP dictionaries. We are very grateful to OUP for making these dictionaries available.

THE BREAKDOWN OF AWARDS: I72% of the awards went to applicants following courses at a Further Education level, and 28% to applicants in Higher Education.

Fees accounted for 92% of the money awarded including £200 for the Rose Grant special award. Equipment (including a talking dictionary for a blind student) accounted for £815 (6%), books for £50, a student with a disability was awarded £100 towards travel costs and a student with dyslexia was awarded £115 towards glasses.

THE COURSES Our applicants were studying a wide range of courses, including a Diploma in Public Service Interpreting, a Level 1 in Electrical Installation, a BTEC qualification in Health and Social Care, a BSc in Maths and Management and an applicant from Burundi applying for a course in Mines Awareness Action Training. This year there were fewer applications from qualified doctors seeking support to qualify to practise in the UK. We continued to help students applying for support on ESOL courses.

SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS again reflected the world’s troubled areas, originating from 42 countries in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe. The largest number (111) came from 20 countries across Africa. Overall, the largest single group came from Congo, followed by Iraq, Iran and Eritrea. The majority, 63%, lived in London and the South East. The rest were spread right across England and up into Scotland. There was a slight increase in the proportion of asylum seekers, 36% as against 30% last year. The Grants Committee noted that a number of these had been in the UK for as many as 8 years awaiting the result of their application for permission to stay. However, the majority (64%) of applicants had UK or EU citizenship or had been granted leave to remain in the UK. Most of this group had originally entered as refugees. As in past years, the majority (67%) were adults over the age of 25. 49% were women and 51% men. Over the last 4 years there have been more successful women applicants than men.

RAISING MONEY:(see attached accounts for detailed breakdown)

EVENTS AND MEETINGS Our Silver Jubilee event at South Africa House raised £1,856 in tickets and sales, NATECLA meetings raised £734, other meetings £283, the Chicago Marathon £80, sales £62 and interest £391.

OUR SILVER JUBILEE YEAR:
PRESENTATIONS AND AUCTION AT SOUTH AFRICA HOUSE.
A very successful occasion, as reported in NATECLA News, made possible through the generosity of our patrons, supporters and the donation of the elegant venue by Her Excellency Lindiwe Mabuza. All our patrons contributed either by donating to the auction, or by contributing to the presentation, chaired by Sue MacGregor, with Janet Suzman reading, and excellent support from Ruth Rosen. The programme was varied and the audience greatly appreciated violinist Mateja Marinkovic’s contribution. We were particularly pleased to welcome a doctor, a lawyer and a community interpreter to whom we have given awards. They related their experiences of adversity overcome, showing how even modest financial support can help to gain qualifications.

A GENERAL SILVER JUBILEE YEAR APPEAL, accompanying our Annual Report resulted in an increase of individual donors.

STUDENT FUND-RAISING: AN EXCITING NEW DEVELOPMENT: During March, 2 groups of enthusiastic Croydon ESOL students and teachers raised £237.75 (to appear in next year’s accounts) for the Trust as part of the citizenship curriculum. We are most grateful for this contribution. Plans are being made to extend the idea to other parts of the country.

MONITORING AND QUALITY ASSURANCE: Our policy is to follow up all non-presented cheques, and, where they have been lost in the post, or the payee has changed, to issue another cheque. However, as the end-of-the-year accounts show, cheques still un-presented (for a variety of reasons) at the end of the financial year amounted to 10% of the total awarded. Unused funding is reallocated during the following financial year.

One college had been converting RUTH HAYMAN TRUST cheques for fees into cash for the students. Following representation from the Trust, the college agreed that cheques would be used only for the purpose agreed by the Grants Committee.

GOVERNANCE, TRUSTEES AND PATRONS
Our governing document is the 31.03.1983 trust deed (amended 03.10.2007). Trustees are appointed after unanimous agreement by all trustees. New trustees are invited to attend sub-committee meetings before choosing where they wish to focus their efforts.

TRUSTEES: S K Chand, S Colquhoun, S Gardener, J Lee, L Murphy O’Dwyer, G Panchapagesan, S Rosenberg, S Shah, M Simpson, M Siudek, J Smith, J Wainman, F Weinreich, S Zagor. (We particularly wish to express our pride in Shabibi Shah who, in person, in the media and through her autobiography Where Do I Belong? has achieved national prominence as an eloquent voice for refugees).

Trustees are responsible for all the Trust’s day-to-day administration. Contributions made by them (and their families) in kind, professional expertise and money (e.g. postage) reduce our running and administration costs to 1.1% of expenditure. Trustees keep abreast of latest regulations affecting their work. Grants Committee members ensure their awareness of all new regulations concerning Higher, Further and Adult Education courses and fees, and categories of applicants eligible for fee remission.

The Trust maintains close regular contact with its founding body, the National Association for Teaching English and Community Languages to Adults (NATECLA), and keeps in close touch with practitioners and the wider issues affecting learners in the UK with English as a second or other language.

PATRONS: We are deeply grateful to all our patrons for their continued support of the Trust.

Income and Expenditure April 1st 2008 - March 31st 2009