The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and the Charities SORP "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)".
Objectives
The Charity advocates for immigrants and refugees who are suffering hardship, distress or are in need.
Mission and activities
The charity provides emotional and practical support through its volunteer visitors, to asylum seekers and immigration detainees during and after detention at Tinsley House and Brook House removal centres, near Gatwick Airport. The mission of the Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group is to improve the welfare and wellbeing of people held in detention by offering friendship and advocating for fair treatment.
The charity has ten paid employees (six full-time equivalent), which includes two interns. The Charity has approximately 90 volunteers who are visitors to people held in detention in the Gatwick area, or support our charitable aims in other ways.
The trustees have referred to the guidance in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity's aims and objectives in planning its future activities. In particular, they have considered how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives they have set.
In 2025 Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group (GDWG) continued its core services visiting and supporting people during and after detention in Brook House and Tinsley House. GDWG trained volunteer visitors visited 75 people. Volunteers offered intense emotional support to people frequently in crisis. GDWG staff and volunteers met a wide range of emotional and practical needs and assisted 2185 people in 2025, including one person initial assessment visits.
In detention work, frontline staff assisted detained people to access legal advice, supported victims of trafficking, supported people in detention who were under-age, people who experienced ill-health and people who lacked mental capacity. Assistance was given to many people in detention who faced delays in release due to lack of accommodation and to people who were isolated by language and for whom our use of interpreters was essential to their understanding of their situation. GDWG published research into interpreter provision 'Silenced by the System: Access to Interpreters in Immigration Detention' by Karris Hamilton and a Guide to Interpreter Access for Migrants by Dr Teresa Pilgrim.
GDWG staff carried out casework for 497 detained people. In 2025, GDWG gave out phone credit 2615 times to 1575 people, and distributed 1030 clothing parcels to 639 people.
GDWG marked the tenth year of Refugee Tales with a Walking Festival and the reading of tales of the detention experience in Parliament by people who had themselves been detained alongside writers Abdulrazak Gurnah and Kamila Shamsie. GDWG outreach work included talks to 1202 students through our education programme. Through our post-detention support, GDWG gave assistance to people released from detention to homelessness and made 71 referrals for people after detention to enable them to make local connections on release. Supermarket vouchers were given out to 65 people who were destitute after detention.
GDWG'S income for the year was £468,252 (2024: £461,000) and its expenditure was £429,274 (2024: £459,726).
Net incoming resources for the year totaled £38,978 (2024: £1,274), as shown on the Statement of Financial Activities on page 4. All the assets of the charity are used to carry out its objectives.
It is the policy of the charity to maintain unrestricted funds, which are the free reserves of the charity, at a level which equates to three to nine months' turnover. This enables the Charity to fund its planned future activities with a reasonable level of confidence. The target level of free reserves has been calculated by reference to future unrestricted expenditure and future shortfalls in committed restricted grant income compared to projected restricted expenditure. The actual level of free reserves of £210,487 at 31 December 2025 is within the desired range.
Governing document
Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group is a company limited by guarantee, registered company number 04911257, and also a charity, registered number 1124328. The Charity was incorporated on 25th September 2003 as amended by resolution dated 25 March 2009 and its governing document is its Memorandum and Articles of Association.
The trustees are appointed by the members at the AGM and they meet approximately four times a year. The governing document allows for a member of the charity to be appointed to fill a casual vacancy or as an additional trustee. This appointment must be ratified by the members at the AGM. The maximum number of trustees is 12.
Risk management
The trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks. A review of risks is undertaken whenever required and at least annually by the board of trustees, and actions are identified and implemented where necessary to ensure that the charity is not exposed to major strategic risks. This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group (the charity) for the year ended 31 December 2025.
Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act 2011.
Since the charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000, the independent examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the ICAEW, which is one of the listed bodies.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 386 of the Companies Act 2006.
the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 other than any requirement that the financial statements give a true and fair view, which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
the financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group is a charitable company registered in England and Wales. The registered office is The Orchard, 1-2 Gleneagles Court, Brighton Road, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 6AD.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and the Charities SORP "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)". The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities not to prepare a statement of cash flows.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.
Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.
Donation income is recognised at the point the charity receives the income.
Grant income is recognised at the point when the charity becomes legally entitled to the income and may be deferred in accordance with the terms of the funders at the time of receipt.
Other trading activities represents income from the sale of books and cards and is recognised when the charity becomes legally entitled to the income.
Investment income is recognised as it is received.
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
Resources expended are accounted for on an accruals basis as a liability is incurred.
Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries.
Allocation and apportionment of support and governance costs
All support costs have been allocated to the activity relief to immigrants and refugees.
Support costs include office running costs, as well as staff costs and depreciation. They also include governance costs which are those costs associated with meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements of the charity.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
Assets costing less than £500 are not capitalised.
The charitable company only has financial assets and liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are measured at transaction price including transaction costs. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors are recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.
The costs of short-term employee benefits are recognised as a liability and an expense, unless those costs are required to be recognised as part of the cost of stock or fixed assets.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee's services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the company is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the charitable company's pension scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate.
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
The only key accounting estimate included in the accounts concerned the recognition of deferred income which is deferred based on the dates the income relates to.
The income and expenditure directly related to the Refugee Tales Events (walks in solidarity with refugees and detainees) was as follows:
Other service provision includes £2,620 paid to volunteers acting in their professional capacity.
None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration during the year. None of the trustees were reimbursed travelling expenses during the year (2024 - nil)
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The trustees consider one staff member to be key management personnel, the total benefit paid to them was as follows:
Deferred income is included in the financial statements as follows:
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity in an independently administered fund.
The restricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used.
Crawley Borough Council provided a grant towards Crawley volunteer expenses.
The Bernadette Charitable Trust gave a grant towards the expenses of 'Refugee Tales'.
The National Lottery Community Fund provided grants towards salary costs, other core running costs and urgent priorities for beneficiaries arising from Covid-19.
The Three Oaks Trust gave a grant towards the 'Walk with Us' initiative, which arranges weekend walks for asylum seekers who have experienced detention in the UK, walking in the company of GDWG volunteers and supporters. An additional grant was given for interpreter costs.
The Henry Smith Charity provided a grant towards the running costs of the charity.
The Sussex Community Foundation provided three grants towards food vouchers, staff costs and general running costs.
The Swan Mountain Trust made a grant towards staff costs and general running costs.
Souter Charitable Trust gave a grant towards phonecards.
Evan Cornish provided a grant for expenditure towards phonecards, Walk with us project and transaction costs.
The London Churches Fund for Destitute Asylum Seekers gave a grant towards the cost of phone cards.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton provided a grant towards interpreting and translation costs.
Paul Hamlyn Foundation provided a grant towards salary, training and interpreting costs.
Surrey Community Foundation gave a grant towards Refugee Tales.
Bayliss Charitable Trust gave a grant towards salary costs.
Rolfe Foundation gave a grant towards interpreting costs.
Lloyds Influencing Fund gave a grant principally towards salary, interpreting and walking inquiry costs.
St Andrew’s University gave a grant towards costs incurred at the Labour Party Conference.
John Young Charitable Settlement fund gave a grant principally towards phonecards.
52 lives fund gave a grant toward Detainee welfare.
The unrestricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants which are not subject to specific conditions by donors and grantors as to how they may be used. These include designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2024 - none).