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2024-01-31-accounts

Listening Post Annual Report

Counselling and Training

1 February 2023 31 January 2024

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Listening Post Counselling Service Limited

(Limited by guarantee and registered in the UK) Company Number 2619615 Charity Number 1013442

Registered Office St Mary de Lode Church, St Mary’s Square, GL1 2QT Telephone Number 01452 383820 Email Address counselling@lpost.org.uk Website www.listeningpost.org.uk Facebook Listening Post Counselling Twitter @ListeningPostco Instagram @listeningpost_

Patron

The Right Revd Rachel Treweek Patron

Dr David Drew

Patron

Chair Dr David Drew

Mrs Rosie Clifford

Chair

Vice Chair Mrs Rosie Clifford

Cheltenham Centre Hesters Way Community Resource Centre

Cassin Drive, Cheltenham, GL51 7SU Telephone Number 01242 256060 Email Address: counselling@lpost.org.uk

Mr Alastair Sammon Appointed: 15/7/19

Vice Chair

Treasurer Mr Alastair Sammon Mr Robert Kingston Appointed: 27/9/21

Treasurer

Stroud Centre Northcote House, Middle Street, Stroud, GL5 1DZ Telephone Number 01453 750123 Email Address counselling@lpost.org.uk

Trustee Mr Robert Kingston Mrs Christine Dale Appointed: 11/09/2023

Trustee Trustee

Independent Examiner

Mr Julian Owens BSc FCA, GCSD Accountants Ltd

Chartered Accountants & Registered Auditors

701 Stonehouse Park, Sperry Way, Stonehouse, GL10 3UT

Mrs Sheila Appleton Mrs Sheila Appleton Appointed: 20/5/19

Trustee

Trustee

Mrs Sue Ingleby Mrs Pauline Bayliss Jones Resigned 16/05/2022 Appointed: 20/03/2023

Trustee

Bankers

Charities Aid Foundation Bank Ltd, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, West Malling, Kent, ME19 4JQ.

Redwood Bank, The Nexus Building, Broadway, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, SG6 3TA.

Ms Arlene Hanson Trustee

Ms Arlene Hanson

Trustee Resigned: 11/09/2023

Mr David Monument

Trustee

Mr David Monument Trustee Appointed: 15/11/21

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Foreword from the Chair:

Rosie Clifford

Past months have not, on the whole, been filled with the best news. We have heard of the many families who are struggling to make ends meet, of failures of trusted national institutions, and on the world stage, of escalating conflicts between countries, and the looming climate emergency.

In such a challenging environment many businesses and charities are finding it hard to make ends meet, we at Listening Post included. But we remain committed to our core aim of making counselling available to all adults regardless of ability to pay. No other agency locally advertises this commitment. But will we be able to meet the ongoing demand for our service without running out of resource? Sometimes it has felt as if a strong headwind makes our steps slow and difficult.

Despite this very testing environment, we celebrated significant moves forward this last year. With the Diocese of Gloucester planning to sell St Aldate’s church we looked extensively for new Gloucester offices but could not afford commercial property rates. And then in 2022 came the offer of the use of St Mary de Lode church within Gloucester’s city centre near the Cathedral.

The trustees voted for this as the ideal base for our new Gloucester office and we began discussions with the Benefice’s Parochial Church Council who had been looking to partner with others in the use of their historic building. We eventually moved in over Christmas 2023 after many long months liaising with the Diocese of Gloucester and contractors over permitted alterations to a Grade 1 listed, starred building. The protracted negotiations took time, energy and persistence.

Now installed with three warm and welcoming counselling rooms, an upstairs office, and the use of a well-fitted kitchen, in the coming years we are hoping it will welcome many who will find it a place of hope and support - including those from the local community. We are most grateful to the Diocese of Gloucester, Canon Nicky Arthy, Churchwarden Richard Lane and St Mary de Lode PCC, Roberts Limbrick Architects, and Men in Sheds.

Our long-term aim of acquiring a customer relationship management (CRM) system remains extant, in order to better manage our client journey from first contact to final counselling session. Having decided to use the funds originally earmarked for a particular system towards bespoking a different one, better suited to Listening Post needs, Daniel Whisson and Alice Wheeler are working towards a spring 2024 implementation. The system will include appointment and donation reminders, clinical notes and measures and will be semi-automated to reduce the administrative burden on Listening Post staff and counsellors. We hope this will enable us to work much more efficiently and effectively providing a more coordinated experience for our clients and counsellors. <a—_ — : -

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Foreword from the Chair continued...

The clinical team headed by Vicki Paterson, have been providing great support as ever to our 70 to 80 counsellors, allocating clients, inducting new counsellors and providing safeguarding advice. They have worked hard to reduce the numbers on our waiting list although it remains longer than we would like.

We did not run a Diploma course this September but will restart in 2024. The Level 2/3 course was resited to our Cheltenham base as we moved from St Aldate’s.

Jo Patrick, a very welcome addition to our team, joined us in the summer as our part-time fundraiser, bringing significant experience to the role. Alice Wheeler has been so effective over the past couple of years in securing significant grant funding, but her time is limited with many other responsibilities.

Linda and Jo have been engaging with the NHS and with other local charities to discuss the possibility of work in partnership, supporting those living with multiple challenges. Increased partnership working is a specific focus for these next three years, agreed as part of our strategic plan in March 2023. We remain committed to be:

a professional and caring organisation, which delivers affordable, appropriate and timely counselling, trains people to be counsellors and enables the church and local community to play a part in alleviating emotional and psychological suffering.

Through our PeoplePlus contract we continued providing counselling to carers. Our work providing reflective supervision to the NHS has expanded to include Health and Wellbeing Coaches, as well as Social Prescriber Link Workers.

None of this would have been possible without our dedicated staff team, and all our volunteers, most of whom are counsellors. Huge thanks to them all. Many counsellors say how much they value the support of their peers in their counselling role, and the friendliness, warmth and welcome of the organisation.

I also want to thank the team of Trustees for steering the charity though these challenging times. Alastair Sammon, Vice Chair, is a man of many parts and has lent his considerable practical expertise to the Stroud and Gloucester offices, as well as giving of his astute mind to our debates. Robert Kingston, our treasurer, has an increased role as we expand our activity and see additional staff on the payroll. We bade farewell to Arlene Hanson as she stepped back from her role as Trustees to give her more time for her family. We thank her for her commitment over these past few years and her contribution.

We are very grateful to those organisations who have faithfully supported us financially over a number of years. Each contribution is greatly valued, especially in these stringent days.

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For all blessings we, and those counselled have known,
we thank God.
<a—_ — : -
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Our Organisation

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COUNCIL OF Sub Committees
MANAGEMENT
Strategy Group
(Board of Trustees)
Trusted Charity Group
CEO
TRAINING FUNDRAISING CLINICAL Manager OPERATIONS Manager
Manager Manager
Training Centre Team Leaders Finance & IT Admin
Team
Contract Volunteer Receptionists
Supervisors
Assessors
Volunteer
Supervisors
GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT
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Our Vision

To walk alongside the broken-hearted and restore them to fuller life

Our Values

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Our Strategic Plan: 2023-2026

Our three year Strategic Plan has been updated based on many months of discussions between Trustees and staff which were informed by client feedback forums. They will continue to govern our plans going forwards.

Strategic Aim

Strategic Objectives

To deliver counselling that is accessible, affordable, appropriate and available/ timely

  1. Build on our established strengths by continuing to offer professional long-term counselling employing differing modalities, with positive client feedback.

  2. Build organisation to a capacity of 100 counsellors; min of 2 sessions/ week each: a. Develop support to counsellors which makes retention attractive

  3. b. Provide incrementally more earning opportunities

  4. Develop closer community and church integration:

  5. a. Pursue opportunities for counsellors embedded in community spaces

  6. b. Take a multi-disciplinary approach to counselling by providing mutual support to community organisations.

  7. c. Develop closer links to churches through counselling and training opportunities

  8. Robustly demonstrate the difference counselling makes to a client:

  9. a. PHQ and GAD scores consistently applied and monitored.

  10. b. Client qualitative feedback gathered throughout process.

  11. Offer clients:

  12. a. Assessment within one week of first contact

  13. b. 95% of clients offered support within 4 weeks of first contact

  14. c. Develop psychoeducation and personal contact to waiting list clients

  15. Create a welcoming and warm environment at all centres.

To deliver training in

counselling

  1. To continue to run Listening Post training courses to high professional standards with a fully resourced training team:

  2. a. Promote Listening Skills course and deliver it twice per year

  3. b. Promote (Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB) Level 2/3 Course and deliver it annually

  4. c. Build towards running a sustainable L4 Diploma

  5. Provide dedicated administrative and leadership support to training team.

  6. To deliver six short courses to Churches and Businesses per year.

  7. To continue a CPD programme that is well advertised and attended.

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Strategic Plan continued...

Strategic Aim Strategic Objectives

To be a professional and caring organisation

  1. Secure funding that enables the organisation to meet the current demands upon it well, to continue to develop professionally and interpersonally and to support:

  2. a. Appropriate staff hours

  3. b. Appropriate staff pay

  4. c. Increased paid counselling roles

  5. d. Subsidised Continuous Professional Development (CPD)

  6. e. Volunteer mileage for qualified counsellors holding a minimum of 3 clients/ week each.

  7. f. Better access to services.

  8. Focus on successfully managing the move to St Mary de Lode with ambitious and modern designs.

  9. Use the new space available at St Mary creatively and in a community spirit.

  10. Gain level 1 accreditation with "Trusted Charity" (formerly PQASSO), a quality standards framework for the Charity sector.

  11. Conduct annual staff and volunteer reviews.

  12. Conduct an annual staff and volunteer survey with satisfactory indicators.

  13. Have an on-going three-year strategic plan.

  14. Implement the CRM with minimum friction and excellent training.

  15. Redeploy admin hours freed by the CRM with a focus on clients and training.

  16. Consider how best Trustees can support:

  17. a. High profile members and associates to help network

  18. b. Members and associates to more accurately reflect social representation of Gloucestershire

  19. c. Planning and implementation of best possible methods of oversight.

To enable the Church community to play a part in alleviating emotional and psychological suffering

  1. To be known, acknowledged and respected professionally for counselling and training and as a Christian organisation within churches and the local community.

  2. To have established partnership working:

  3. a. With local churches and in the Diocese

  4. b. With the NHS

  5. c. With other teaching organisations

  6. d. With local communities (Including Community Mental Health Transformation (CMHT) projects)

  7. Equip church members to support members with mental health needs- correspondent with point 3 of ‘Deliver training in Counselling’

  8. Through the fundraiser and church liaison roles, to develop and nurture contact with

  9. church members and churches through prayer-letters, financial support schemes, training courses and speaking engagements.

  10. : -

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The reports that follow are aligned with our organisational structure

Management - Governance

Progress on our strategic plan: report from the Strategy group: February 2023– January 2024

A newly created strategic plan for 2023 – 2026, published on pages 6-7, was developed and refined by the Strategy Group, then discussed in depth at a professionally facilitated Strategy Away Day attended by Trustees and senior staff and incorporated client feedback from client feedback forums. The plan was presented to the AGM in September 2023 and has been adopted as our vision for the next three years, informing our day to day work.

As has been referred to in detail in the Chair’s opening comments, the two major practical drives in the organisation have been to move to St Mary de Lode in Gloucester as our headquarters offices and to implement a Customer Relations Management (CRM) system.

With a strong lead from Jo Patrick, fundraising strategy has featured regularly in our discussions.

The length of our waiting list is a constant concern. Guided by and inspired by Vicki Paterson and driven from the client feedback groups, the strategy group has looked at ways to reduce the waiting time for counselling. This has been challenging in a situation where we are successfully increasing the number of clients completing treatment, and at the same time attracting more clients. We have looked at ways to ‘hold’ our clients in a better way - to offer regular and effective ‘wraparound’ support for those waiting for counselling and hope to attract the funding needed to implement these plans. Alastair Sammon

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Management – Governance

Trusted Charity Report: February 2023– January 2024

In 2016 Listening Post’s Council of Management decided to work towards achieving the Trusted Charity Standard (at that time known as PQASSO). Built on eleven areas of quality, each aspect is broken down into two levels:

Level 1: to demonstrate organisation is operating effectively Level 2: to demonstrate organisation is operating strategically

Organisations self-assess, with an option to go for external assessment for the award of the Trusted Charity Standard. As well as being a benchmark and a useful tool to ensure the right foundations are in place, it is a confirmation that the organisation has reached a recognised quality standard providing assurance for statutory and independent funders, users and other stakeholders. In 2021, NCVO handed over the oversight and support for the programme to the Growth Company.

We would have liked to have made further headway in these last twelve months, but we have needed to reserve our time and energies for fundraising, the relocation of our Gloucester office, and the development of our Customer Relationship Management system.

Members: Linda Bullock, Rosie Clifford (Chair), Robert Kingston, Alice Wheeler. Rosie Clifford

Risk Register and Risk Management

The Governance Review Group met four times during the year and updated the Risk Register on an ongoing basis. The updated Risk Register was presented to the Board of Trustees for approval.

Robert Kingston

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Management – Clinical

This year has been a year of stability and growth in the Clinical Team. This is reflected in the 15% increase in client sessions across our centres this year. Vicki Paterson has remained as Clinical Manager, with Alice Wheeler supporting her in a crossover role in the organisation. Vicki’s ethos of the staff team looking after counsellors as well as they possibly can, so that in turn our counsellors can look after clients as well as they possibly can, is evident throughout the organisation. Feedback of counsellors as they leave is consistently that they felt well supported and cared for. Clients often report the warmth and kindness of everyone they encountered in the organisation. Retention of counsellors is better than ever and the centres are getting busy.

Client Feedback

The highlight of the Clinical year was perhaps a series of 1:1 feedback calls with former clients followed by two client feedback forums. We learnt so much about what would be helpful and also what new initiatives were superfluous to need and were so encouraged by the depth of change clients related to us from having experienced counselling. We intend to move forward with coproduction in the future, recruiting a steering group of former clients to help monitor service and vet new initiatives. As a direct result of these conversations we plan to implement check-in calls to clients every 6 weeks whilst on the waiting list, offer holding sessions for some clients and a drop in coffee morning for prospective, current and completed clients.

Bank counselling

Vicki suggested a ‘Bank Counselling’ initiative this year which has been successfully trialled and implemented, which aims to support newly qualified counsellors as they begin to find their feet in readiness for private practice. It also acts as a retention incentive and more of our counsellors feel able to continue to support us with voluntary hours as a consequence of this.

Team Leaders

As Team Leader, Natasha Dancy has continued to hold the Cheltenham centre with great efficiency, and care. She has been a driving force for positive change in the organisation, such as initiating guidelines for counsellors. Rachel Eggleton continued Team Leading both our Stroud and Gloucester centres, her counsellors will tell you how much she goes out of her way to look after them and she has been a wise voice in our Clinical team.

Paid counsellors

Our counsellors who see our most complex clients deserve so much thanks. Without them the waitlist for these clients would be untenably long. They work in a long-term manner with many trauma survivors and for this work, which is deeply rewarding as change happens, the counsellors also need emotional resilience and an incredible level of commitment to their caring work. Our counsellors delivering short term counselling to carers via the PeoplePlus contract are a wonderfully motivated and efficient team who have been receiving glowing feedback.

Our Volunteer Counsellors

Our sincere thanks go to our team of counsellors for your kindness and support of each other, the staff and your incredible commitment to of all our clients. <a—_ — : - Here is a recent client quote:

‘ Please keep this enormously important service going. It has been life-changing for me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.’

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Management – Clinical continued... Key Statistical Outcomes

Due to the work Jo Patrick has pioneered in Listening Post, in future years a breadth of clinical and wellbeing statistics will be available demonstrating the impact of counselling with longitudinal follow up embedded.

Currently we use the NHS outcome measures for depression and anxiety, PHQ-9 and GAD-7 and qualitative feedback.

The following data has been gathered from clients who ended in the year with at least two completed sets of data. In each case, their earliest set of data was compared with the most recent. In total, this produced 224 clients with GAD/PHQ data for the 2023-24 year.

Key Statistics:

10,093

People helped since 1991

100,350

Sessions run since 1991

5784

Sessions run in 2023-24

1259

Carers Sessions 2023-24

22.5

Average sessions attended

(clients with PHQ and GAD data)

406

New people helped in 2023-24

£14.42

Notes

Average client donation

£36.02

Mean cost of a session

172 out of 224 clients 166 out of 224 clients tested showed an tested showed an improvement in their improvement in their GAD-7 score PHQ-9 score

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Management – Clinical continued… Key statistical outcomes:

Reason for referral

Counselling Delivery Counselling Delivery Key Statistics Key Statistics Face to Face / Remote

Sessions: Face to Face / Regular Clients: Remote 1,432 (30%)

Regular Clients: Face to Face 1,142 (23%) 4222 (73%) Telephone Face to Face 2,296 (47%) 1273 (22%) Video Link Video Link

289 (5%) Carer Clients: Telephone 132 (15%)

Carer Clients: Face to Face 544 (62%) 541 (43%) Telephone Face to Face 201 (23%) 240 (19%) Video Link Video Link

478 (38%)

Telephone

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Management – Training

Listening Post provided the following training courses during the year:

Foundation Course in Counselling Skills and Studies (CPCAB L2 & L3)

(L3 Course commenced 2[nd] February 2023, ended 6[th] July 2023)

Tutors—Jill Evans and Julie Gates

12 students completed the combined course, gaining their L3 qualification.

Foundation Course in Counselling Skills and Studies (CPCAB L2 & L3)

(L2 Course commenced 17[th] September 2023, ended 25[th] January 2024) Tutors—Jill Evans and Julie Gates

14 students completed and gained their L2 Qualification

Diploma Course in Therapeutic Counselling (CPCAB L4, Year 2) (Ended 29[th] June 2023)

Tutors—Nicky Harber & Catherine Jones

15 students completed and gained their L4 Qualification.

Listening Post held the following CPD during the year:

‘Working with Trauma’ parts 1, 2 & 3 with Margaret Landale.

‘Working with Bereavement’ with Aileen McCormack

‘Working with Neurodiversity’ with Orly Koppel

‘How to Write Session Notes’ with Vicki Paterson

‘Creative Counselling’ with Vicki Paterson and guests

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Management - Operations

PeoplePlus

In September 2019 Listening Post were sub-contracted by PeoplePlus to provide counselling services to Carers within Gloucestershire and we are delighted to report that the contract has been renewed for a further 2 years. Between 1 February 2023 and 31 January 2024, 204 carers were referred to us for counselling, a 12% increase from the previous financial year. During the period Listening Post provided 1259 sessions of counselling to these carers. Current statistics show that over 78% of the carers, who have received counselling, saw a positive improvement in both PHQ and GAD scores.

Networking

Our CEO Linda Bullock and our fundraiser, Jo Patrick have been extremely active in networking. Jo has forged relationships with multiple other agencies and has submitted various partnership bids. Linda maintains connections with third sector organisations and Alice Wheeler has been connecting with individuals and organisations who can help Listening Post build the platform of counsellors and clients to better represent the diversity of Gloucestershire residents. Maintaining links with the Community Mental Health Transformation initiative has remained a priority and funding bids have been made to develop an initiative in the Forest of Dean.

Organisation Systems (CRM)

In the previous reporting period, Listening Post had been successful in fundraising for a much-needed client management system. We used the funding to bespoke an off-the-shelf system which is free to charities. This considerable work of introducing integration and automation with our current processes has been steered by Alice Wheeler with her small team. Listening Post is indebted to Daniel Whisson’s expert IT capacities for readying this CRM for a hoped for Spring ‘24 start. We will roll out a second phase of this project to enable ready data impact reporting and have sufficient funds to access two further much needed CRM components– a fundraising management platform and an HR management platform. We feel with this suite of new tech that the miracle of the fishes has been enacted in 2023 in Gloucestershire as much as in 1st century Galilee!

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... Management - Operations continued

A Listening Post Christmas

Once again we moved our Christmas tree and a car full of decorations from centre to centre to celebrate together in our local teams. The Team Leaders did a fabulous job of the drinks and nibbles.

Move to St Mary de Lode

The move felt like a team building exercise, with amazing volunteer help from Rachel Eggleton’s husband, the Neill family, Vicki Paterson’s fortifying and delicious soup, bread and cheese and some precarious lifting operations; somehow we got a series of hulking cabinets up and over the balcony.

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Management - Fundraising and finances

We recruited a committed and experienced Fundraising Manager, Jo Patrick, who helped to activate significant strategic and operational discussions around funding and finance. Predicting that core funding for our services would decrease, she began to help Listening Post explore innovative projects and partnership bids, to increase the quality of our service and develop our interconnectedness with the other statutory and non-statutory mental health service provision in the county. Since most of our service users are signposted by the NHS, Jo has been seeking ways to partner with the NHS, as a way to improve their offer and to help ensure Listening Post can continue to function as the lynchpin to accessible counselling in the county that it is. The fruit of this work may take some time to fully be realised and in the meantime, fundraising from trusts and funds has become ever more difficult since many are refining their priorities in the face of an overwhelming number of applicants; some of our regular donors have explained to us that they can no longer support Listening Post work for this reason. Jo and the Strategy group have been working hand in hand to find a viable way forward to secure sustainable funding for Listening Post.

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Management - Fundraising and Finances continued...

Our grateful thanks go to the many Charitable Trusts, individuals, friends, members, churches and organisations who have supported us so generously with their time, donations, equipment, and use of facilities during this financial year. Thank you to each and every person and group who has contributed to us to meet the incredible and increasing demand for affordable mental health services in Gloucestershire.

Charitable Trusts &

Churches- £2,182

Organisations- £74,550

Langtree

Spirax Sarco

Jack Lane

Co-op

James Tudor

Benefact

St Andrew’s Church, Churchdown Cambray Baptist Church

St Mark’s Methodist, Cheltenham Cheltenham Quaker meeting Highbury Congregational Church Mariners’ Church, Gloucester St Mary’s Church, Tetbury

Barnwood Trust

High Sheriff

Sylvanus Lysons

Gloucestershire Community Foundation Anchor Foundation

Poverty Hurts

General Donations- £8,993

Perdie Bennett (LP Christmas Card) Jacobs Well (Esther the Musical) Deer Park Archers (Community fun day) Nicky Harber (collection)

Severn Sport (Football collection)

LP quiz night:

Friends and Members- £8,653

Jim Jones (host)

Asda (raffle prizes)

Morrisons and Tescos (food)

Legacies:

Gladys Dyson and Joan Vaughan-Hayes

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Finance Report

For the year ending 31 January 2024, total income rose by 3.5% increase to £319,195. Training income fell due to the absence of a diploma course, and Trusts and Foundations income fell from £95,399 last year to £74,550 this year, for reasons referred to in the fundraising report. There was a 51.8% increase in counselling related income due to an increase in demand for our services. Most of the increase came from two new sources. Firstly, a short-term NHS contract to provide supervision to social prescribers. Secondly an initiative to increase the number of clients we can help by enabling clients who can pay a fixed price for counselling with a paid counsellor to obtain a quicker service. Expenditure rose quite significantly overall, with a 17.8% increase to £326,436, reflecting inflation, the initiatives mentioned above and the recruitment of a fundraiser.

We finished the year with a deficit of £7,241, compared to last year’s surplus of £31,347. However, the deficit understates the challenges we face mentioned elsewhere in this report. Accountancy rules for charities require restricted grants to be included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) when the money is received, usually some time before it is spent. The SOFA shows that the unrestricted funds deficit is much greater at £21,417.

During the year our general funds fell from £176,523 to £155,106. Following Charity Commission guidance, we have changed our reserves policy to focus on uncommitted unrestricted funds not invested in fixed assets. This figure fell from £169,893 at 01 Feb 2023 to £132,778 at 31 Jan 2024. Our reserves poli-

cy aims to retain uncommitted funds at between 4 and 6 months of planned operational expenditure. For 2024-25, budgeted operational expenditure (after deducting project expenditure covered by restricted funds) is £329,758 and thus we were holding 4.8 months of this in our uncommitted general funds.

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A Final Word from the CEO:

Linda Bullock

Our Charitable Trust funders tell us that we are a great organisation. Organisations that signpost clients to us say the same. Ninety-five percent of our clients rate our service at the highest level (excellent).

I concur: Listening Post both maintains its core commitment to provide affordable counselling to adults in Gloucestershire and seeks to develop into a better service. It never rests on its laurels and constantly finds ways to maximise resources, incorporate client feedback and change for the better.

Yet despite the love for Listening Post and the excellent work that we are doing, it is becoming increasingly hard to access funds to cover our core costs, as you will have read in the financial reports contained in this Annual Report. This means that we fall more behind sector wage averages and staff feel pressure to over-deliver.

We are not unique, charitable trusts are telling us that there just aren't enough resources to fund all applications, even to those who they have given to consistently in the past. Signposting organisations don’t have the budgets to accompany their service user into counselling with us, meaning we carry the cost.

We hope that these financial challenges will be like the irritant in an oyster which cause a pearl to grow. We are actively pursuing new sources of funding and ways to become more self-sustaining. We owe it to the mental health of the people of Gloucestershire, and our founders to keep

finding our way forward. Our clients tell us that counselling works. Our statistics show us that counselling works. Research tells us that counselling works:

Hundreds of meta-analyses…on the efficacy of psychotherapy…[show] around 79 percent of clients who have therapy do better than the average person who has not had therapy… substantially larger than many medical or surgical procedures. ’ Cooper, 2008:22. Essential Research Findings in Counselling and Psychotherapy, Sage.

Through our fantastic team of volunteers and staff we will continue to do all we can to ensure that Listening Post is able to continue to provide much-needed counselling support for many years to come and I just want to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to all, including our friends, members and supporters for getting us this far and supporting us in our mission!

Linda Bullock

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Company Number.. 02619615 R8glslered ¢harlty'. 1013442 LISTENING POST COUNSELLING SERVICE LIMITED (Limited by Guaranleel ANNUAL REPORT AND UNAUDITED ACCOUNTS 31 JANUARY 2024

LISTENING POST COUNSELLING SERVICE LIMITED ANNUAL REPORT AND UNAUDITED ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JANUARY 2024 CONTENTS PAGES Company Informallon The Report of the Councll ol Management Sialernenl ol Financlal Aclivilitrs B818nce Sheel Noltss lo the Unaudiled Accounts 71010 The following r8port do&s not lormpart oflhese un8udited8ccounls.' Independent Exarniner's Report lo Ihe Councll ol Management 11

LISTENING POST COUNSELLING SERVICE LIMITED ANNUAL REPORT AND UNAUDITED ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JANUARY 2024 CHARITY AND COMPANY INFORMATION COMPANY NUMBER 02619615 CHARITY NUMBER 1013442 PATRONS Dr D Drew The Right Reverend Rachel Treweek CHIEF EXECUTIVE Mrs L Bullock COUNCIL OF MANAGEMENT Mrs S M Appleton Ms P B8yliss-Jones Mrs R Clifford {chairperson} Mr R D Kingston Mr D Monument Dr A M Sammon TREASURER Mr R D Kingston COMPANY SECRETARY Miss A E Wheeler REGISTERED OFFICE St Mary de Lode Church Sl Marys Square GLOUCESTER GL1 2QT INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Mr J Owens Bsc FCA GCSD Accounlanls Limiled 701 Slonehouse Park Sperry Way STONEHOUSE Gloucestershire GL10 3UT BANKERS CAF Bank Ltd 25 Kings HS11 Avenue West Malling Kent ME19 4JQ Page 3

LISTENING POST COUNSELLING SERVICE LIMITED ANNUAL REPORT AND UNAUDITED ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JANUARY 2024 THE REPORT OF THE COUNCIL OF MANAGEMENT The Council of Management, who are the directors of the company and Iruslees of the charity. present their annual report with the unaudiled accounts of the company for the year ended 31 January 2024. The trustees have adopted the provislons of Accounting and Reporting by Charities Statement of Recommended Praolice applicable lo charities in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland IFRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015). CONSTITUTION AND OBJECTIVES OF THE CHARITY LSstenlng Post is a company IlmSted by guaranlee and governed by Ils Memorandum and Articles of Association and is a registered charity. The objects of the company, as stated In Ils Memorandum and Articles of Associallon {revSsed in 2016), is the relief of distress in Christian and non-chrislian adults wSlh emotional and psychological problems in such ways as the Council of Management may thlnk fit and particularly by.. Training and educating local ChrislSans and non-chrlslians in counselling and related subject areas, providing counselling and related services within a Christian ethos and following Christian principles. This continues to be carried out within Gloucester, Cheltenham and Slroud. ORGANISATION OF THE CHARITY The charity is managed by the Council of Management and a Director of Service with a large team of volunteers without whom il would not be able to operate as effectively. COUNCIL OF MANAGEMENT {DIRECTORS) The directors who served the company during the year were as follows: Mrs S M Appleton Mr R D Kingston (Appointed September 2023) Ms P Bayliss-Jones (Appoinled March 2023) Mr D Monument Mrs R E Clifford Dr A M Sammon Mrs C A Dale {Resigned January 2023) Mrs A Hanson (Resigned September 2023) The directors are appolnled in accordance wSlh paragraphs 24 to 32 of the Articles of Associallon. Signed on behalf of the Council of Management on... Mrs R E Clifford Chalrperson Page 4

LISTENING POST COUNSELLING SERVICE LIMITED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JANUARY 2024 Unrestricted funds Restrlcted funds Total Prlor perlod funds Total funds Further detalls See note.. Income from: Donations and legacies 56,350 40,500 96,850 117,23t Charitable activities: Training Counselling 40,440 174,171 40,440 174,171 73,504 114,749 Other trading activities: Fundraising 3.390 3,390 1,818 Investments 4,257 4,257 1.203 Olher 87 87 Total 278,695 40,500 319,195 308,505 Expendlture on: Raising funds 29,409 29,409 13,499 Charitable aclivilies.. Training Counselling 45,423 225,280 45,423 251,604 62,265 201,379 26.324 Other 15 Total 300,112 26,324 326,436 277, 158 Net Incomel(expenditure) 21,417 14,176 7,241 31,347 Extraordinary Items Transfers between funds Net movement in funds 21,417 14,176 7,241 31,347 Reconciliation of funds: Total funds brought forward 176,523 25,807 202,330 170,983 Total funds carrlad forward 155,106 39,983 195,089 202,330 The notes on pages 7 10 10 form part of these accounts Page 5

LISTENING POST COUNSELLING SERVICE LIMITED BALANCE SHEET AT 31 JANUARY 2024 Note Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds 2024 Total 2023 Total Fixed Assets: Tangible fixed assets 22,328 22,328 6, 630 Current Assets: Debtors Cash at bank and in hand 16,406 142,207 158,613 16,406 182,191 198,597 19,612 190,598 210,210 39,984 39,984 Liabilities: Creditors.. Amounts falling due within l O one year 25,836 25,836 14,510 Net Current Assets 132,777 39,984 172,761 195, 700 Total Assets Less Current Liabilities 155,105 39,984 195,089 202,330 Total Net Assets 155,105 39,984 195,089 202, 330 Funds: General Funds Restricted income fund 155,106 39,983 195,089 176, 523 25,807 202,330 11 Total charity funds The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 January 2024. The members have not required the charitable company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 January 2024 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006. The trustees acknowledge their responsibility for ensuring that the company keeps proper accounting records which comply with Sections 386 and 387of the Act, and for preparing accounts which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company as at the end of the financial year and of its surplus or deficit for the financial year in accordance with the requirements of Sections 394 and 395, and which othetwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to accounts, so far as applicable to the company. These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small charitable companies. These accoijnts were approved by the Council of Management on behalf by: and are signed on their (tr CUJKa ffli Mrs R E Clifford Chairperson Mr R D Kingston Treasurer The notes on pages 7 to 10 form parl of these accounts Page 6

LISTENING POST COUNSELLING SERVICE LIMITED NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JANUARY 2024 1) ACCOUNTING POLICIES Basis of accountlng The financial slalemenls of the ¢harilable company have been prepared in accordan￿ with the Charities SORP IFRS 102) Accounting and Reporting by Charilies Statement of Recommended PraGlice applicable lo Gharilies preparing Ihelr accounts in accordance wlh the Financial Reporting Standard applicable IFRS 102} leffeclive 1 January 20151 and Companies Act 2006. The flnancial statements have been prepared under hlslorSc81 cost ccsnvenllon. Cash flow statement The charity has taken advantage of the disclosure exemption, as permilled by FRS 102, the requirements of Section 7 Statement of Cash Flows. Donallons Income from donatlons represents Income recelvable durlng the year Includlng eslimaled amounts not yet recelved where these can be determinecS with reasonable accuracy. Glfts In kind are recognised as InGoming resou1￿$ at a reasonable eslimate of their value lo the charity as required by the Slalemenl of Recommended PraclicR- Accounting by Charities. Tangible fixod a$$ets Tangible fixed assets are included at cost less an appropriate provislon for depreclalion. Deprèclatlon Depreciation Is calculated so as lo wrile off the cost of each asset over ils estimated life as follows.. Properly improvements Office furniture and equlpmenl 20 /0 sliaighl line 20010 slraighl Ilne Support costs Supporl costs Include central functions and have been allocated lo activity costs categories on a basis consistent wlh the use of the resources. e.g. staff costs are allocated by lime spent, property costs by floor space and olher costs. such as telephone, by apportioned eslimale. 21 Incomg From Donatlons, Grants and L&gacles Unrestrlcted Restrlcted Funds Funds 2024 Total 2023 Total Donallons Trusls 22.300 34.050 56,350 22.300 74.550 96,850 21,832 95,399 117,231 40,500 40,500 31 Income from Charltable Actlvltles Unrestrlcted Restrlcted Funds Funds 2024 Total 2023 Tolal al Trainlng & Sgmlnars: Training Courses Training SemSnars 39,200 1,240 40,440 39,200 1,240 73,504 73,504 bl Counsglllng Servlcgs: Counselling Placement Adminislrallon Fees Counselling Charged Cllenls Counselling Cllenl Donations Counselling Cllenl Assessment Booklng Fees Supervlslon Fees 1,125 79.015 67,728 7.146 19,157 174,171 1,125 79,015 67,728 7,146 19,157 174.171 1, 196 46,630 59,817 7, 106 114, 749 Page 7

LISTENING POST COUNSELLING SERVICE LIMITED NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JANUARY 2024 Icontlnuedl 41 Expenditure on Ralslng Funds Unrestrlcted Restricted Funds Funds 2024 Total 2023 Total Direct costs Support costs (see note 61 24,425 4,984 24,425 4,984 29.409 10,268 3,231 13,499 51 Expenditurg on Charltablg Actlvltle$ Unrestrlcted Rgslrlctgd Funds Funds 2024 Total 2023 Total al Tralnlng & Semlnars: Dlrecl staff costs Regislralion fees Other Direct costs Support costs (see note 61 25,221 7.327 6,291 6,584 45,423 25,221 7,327 6,291 6,584 45,423 35,871 12,254 4,870 9,270 62,265 b} Counselling Sorvlces: DiTecl staff wsls Professional indemnity Insurance Contracted Counsellors Contracted Supervision Supervision Other Direct costs Support costs (see note 61 130,048 1,200 9,987 11,820 24,143 8,898 39,184 225,280 8,601 138,649 1,200 9,987 11.820 24.143 9,531 56,274 251,604 109,948 1,200 20,331 11,300 58.600 201,379 633 17,090 26.324 61 Analysls of Support Costs Ralslng Funds Tralnlng Counse115ng Grand Total Bas1$ of Allocatlon Support staff costs Governance Telephone Rent & rates Heal & Ilghl Insurance Depreciallon Pholocopier Total Support Costs 452 1,983 564 1,557 2.277 3,063 188 519 6,438 16,964 2,634 21,279 933 374 6,602 1,050 56,274 9,167 22,010 3,386 23.355 933 498 .773 By Ilme In proporllon wth costs By estlmated usage By estlmated usage By estimated usage By esllmated usage Per item by use By eslimaled usage 93 31 171 335 6,584 335 4,984 67.842 Page 8

LISTENING POST COUNSELLING SERVICE LIMITED NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JANUARY 2024 Icontlnued} 7) Staff Costs and Employee Benefits 2024 2023 Wages and salaries SoGial security wsls Employer pensSon scheme conlrlbullons 204,321 184, 775 43 1,093 185.911 1,875 206,196 No employee12024.' nil) earned £60,000 or more. No direclorllruslee received any remuneralion or payment of expenses In the year12024'. nlll The average number of employees durlng the year was.. 2024 No. 36.1 2023 No. 33.08 Average number of part lime staff.. Avera9e number of full 1Sme equivalents.. 81 Tanglble Flxed Assets Property Improvements Offlce Furnlture & Equipment Total COST Al 1 February 2023 Addlllons Dlsposals at 31 January 2024 13,660 19.470 22,641 36,301 19,470 33,130 22,635 DEPRECIATION Al 1 Febru8ry 2023 Charge for year Al 31 January 2024 10,274 2,498 12,772 19,397 1,268 20,665 29,671 3,766 33,437 NET BOOK VALUE Al 31 January 2024 20,358 1,970 22.328 At 31 January 2023 3,386 3,244 6,630 9) D8blor$: Amounts du& wlthln one year 2024 2023 Other Debtors Gift Aid Claim Prepayments Student Debtors 11,150 1,187 4,069 4,200 1,102 6,689 7.621 19,612 16,406 Page 9

LISTENING POST COUNSELLING SERVICE LIMITED NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED ACCOVNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JANUARY 2024 Icontlnuedl 101 Credltors: Amounts falllng due wllhln one year 2024 2023 Trade Creditors Advance Trainin9 Fees Taxation, Pension and Social Security NHS CTedSlor Accruals 4,822 1,257 1,525 16,558 1,674 25,836 1,256 1.147 11,333 774 14,5to 111 Restrlcled Funds Balance at Incomlng 31 January 2023 Resources Outgolng Resources Balance at 31 January 2024 Stroud Refurblshment (Mrs Wlnklemanl Stroud Centre ISLOF, Renlshaw) CRM System (Bènèfactl Counselllng & Admin Araas (Sylvanus Ly50n'. CRM Syslfrm (Barnwood Trust) Admin Salarles IGCFI Hlgh Severlty Cllents {Anchor} Cllents who Pay £5 and Under IGCFI Complex or Aged 18-25 Cllents (High Sherlffj Total 693.39 115.38 25000.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 632.83 115.38 3486.01 61 21.514 111-, 0,00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 25,807 12500.00 14000.00 5000.00 4000.00 2500.00 2500.00 40,500 12500.00 0.00 5000.00 2565.10 1470.00 555.00 26.324 14,000 1,435 1,030 1,945 39,985 Stroud Refurblshment A grant was obtained towards refurbishlng the Slroud Centre Stroud Cgnlre Grants were oblalned towards runnSng costs of the Slroud Centre CRM System Two grants were oblaSned lo pay for a new CRM System Grant for Creatlon of Counselllng & Admln Areas A grant was obtsined to pay for building work lor the Gloucester office move Admln Salarles A grant was obtsined to pay for adrnin staff salarles Hlgh Severlty Clients A grant was obtained lo provlde counselllng for high severitylcomplex needs clients Clignt$ who Pay £5 and Under A grant was oblalned to provlde counselllng for low Income cllents Complex or Aged 18-25 Cllents A grant was obl8lned to provlde counselllng for cllenls aged 18-25 or with complex needs Page 10

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORTTO THE TRUSTEES OF LISTENING POST COUNSELLING SERVICE LIMITED FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JANUARY 2024 I report on the accounts of the charlty for the year ended 31 January 2024, whlch are sel out on pages 3 10 10. This report Is made solely lo the charity's Iruslees, as a body. In accordance with section 145 of the Charilles Act 2011. My work has been undertaken so that I mlghl slate to the charills Iruslees those mallers l am required to slate lo them In Ihls report and for no other purpose. To the fullest exlenl permilled by law. I do not accept or assume responslbllity lo anyone other that Ihe Gharily and the charity's Iruslees and a body. for my work, for this report, or the opinions I have formed. Rèspectlvg rgsponslbllltles of trustees and examiner The charlly's Iruslees are responslble for the preparation of financlal slalements. The charlty's Iruslees consider that an audll Is not required for the yeaf under Section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 {'The Charities Acl'l and that an independent examination Is needed. 11 is my responsibility lo.. examine the financlal slalements under section 145 of the Charities Act; lo follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the CharSty Commlssion under sectlon 14515llbl of the Charities Act., and lo slate whether partlcular mallers have come lo my allenllon. Basls of Independènt examlnerfs rgport My examination was carried oul In accordan￿ with the General Directions given by the Charlty Commission. An examlnatlon indudes a review ol the 8ccounling records kept by the charity and a comparlson of the accounts wlh those records.11 also Includes conslderalion of any unusual items or dlsclosures In the financial slalemenls, and seeklng explanallons from you as Iruslees concernlng any such mallers. The procedures undertaken do nol provlde all the evidence Ihal would be required in an audll, and consequently no oplnion Is glven as lo whether the financial slalemenls present a 'lrue and falr (al vlew and the report Ss Ilmiled lo those mallers sel out in the statement below. Independent examln•r'$ $latoment In connection with my examinalSon, no mattel has come lo my allenllon: which would glve me reasonable cause lo believe Ihal In any malerS8l respect the requlremenls= Ib) to keep accounling records In accordance wlh section 130 of the Charilles AGI., and to prepare financlal slalemenls which accord with the a￿OUntIng records and comply wlh the accounting requlrerrsenls of the Charities Act., have not been mel. or lo whlch, In my opinlon. allenlion should be drawn In order lo enable a proper underslandlng of the flnanclal statements lo be reached. Mr J Owens Bsc FCA GCSD Accounl8nls Llmlled 701 SlonehoLtse Park Sperry Way STONEHOUSE Glou¢eslershlre GL10 3UT Page 11