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2024-03-31-accounts

Company number: 2835637 Charity Number: 1048788

Women’s Health Matters

Report and financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2024

Women’s Health Matters

Reference and administrative information

for the year ended 31 March 2024

Charity name Women’s Health Matters

Company number 2835637 Charity number 1048788

Registered office and operational address

44a-48 The Refinery, Sugar Mill Business Park, Oakhurst Avenue, Leeds, LS11 7DF

Trustees

Trustees, who are also directors under company law, who served during the year and up to the date of this report were as follows:

Alison Cater Chair of Trustees Shirley-Anne Paul appointed May 2023, Vice Chair of Trustees from 23/5/24 Emma Dickens Vice Chair of Trustees until 23/5/24, remains as a trustee Amita Fearon Treasurer Federica Angeli appointed December 2023 Lillian Ayala resigned November 2023 Tessa Johnson Jones Hannah Jones Nicola Rhodes Sarah Salahuddin Aimee Ward appointed May 2023

No trustees are related or live at the same address

Key management personnel Rachel Kelly Chief Executive Bridget Walker Finance & Office Manager

Bankers

Unity Trust Bank plc 4 Brindley Place, Birmingham, B1 2HB

Solicitors

Ison Harrison Duke House, 54 Wellington Street, Leeds, LS1 2EE

Independent examiner

Jennnifer Daniel FCCA DChA Slade & Cooper Limited Beehive Mill, Jersey Street, Manchester M4 6JG

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Women’s Health Matters

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31 March 2024

The Trustees present their report and the unaudited financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024.

Reference and administrative information set out on page 1 forms part of this report. The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements, the memorandum and articles of association and the Statement of Recommended Practice - Accounting and Reporting by Charities: SORP applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with FRS 102.

Objectives and activities

Objects (as set out in the company’s articles of association on the Charity Commission)

Trustees reviewed our Articles of Association in 2022/23 and these were approved in October 2023 by the Charity Commission.

The Charity's objects are restricted specifically to:

(a) preserve and protect the good health, both physical and mental of Women in Leeds and the surrounding area;

(b) the prevention or relief of poverty of Women and Girls and their families, residing or working within Leeds and the surrounding areas; and

(c) the advancement of education to improve knowledge and understanding of the rights and freedoms for the benefit of disadvantaged Women, and Girls and their families, so they have a fair chance at a better life

In particular by:

(a) the provision of advice, counselling, assistance, training, and other support services; (b) providing grants to individuals in need and/or charities, or other organisations working to prevent or relieve poverty

With the support of Lloyds Bank Charitable Foundation Enhance programme, Women’s Health Matters’ trustees, staff, beneficiaries, and stakeholders took part in a process to establish a new strategic direction, vision, purpose, mission, and values in 2023/24.

Our Vision: All women and girls are safe and healthy.

Our Purpose: Supporting disadvantaged and marginalised women and girls to have a fair chance at a better life.

Our Mission: Women's Health Matters exists to support women and girls to live safe and healthy lives. We achieve this by providing a holistic, trauma-informed service for women and girls who are socially, economically, or politically marginalised. This includes, but is not limited to, those affected by domestic abuse, those whose children live elsewhere, those accessing maternity services, women seeking asylum, women with disabilities, and women and their children experiencing trauma.

We take a woman-centred holistic approach, creating a safe, nurturing environment to help women and girls recover their confidence, explore their own needs, regain control of their lives, and build secure and healthy relationships.

Our Values:

By women, with women

A women-led organisation, working with, and responsive to, the needs of women, their families, and girls.

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Warm

We are respectful, compassionate, and kind. We provide welcoming and safe spaces and remove barriers to engagement.

Brave

We are bold, resilient, and courageous in our approach, and encourage bravery and strength in those we support.

Empowering

Women are the experts in their own lives. We work holistically to empower, inspire, and support them.

Our Strategic Priorities for April 2024 – March 2027:

Priority 1: Identify the needs of women and girls and develop effective services in response.

We provide a supportive, holistic, trauma-informed approach to women and girls with a range of complex, interconnected issues. It is imperative that we maintain this safe, non-judgemental, and effective approach, and increase our capacity in Leeds and surrounding areas, to provide the best quality services to women and girls who need them the most.

Priority 2: Ensure that we can continue to meet the needs of women and girls. We will develop income from diverse sources, continually monitor and review our working practices, and expand our partnerships and influence, to ensure women and girls are supported fully, and that we can deliver value for money to our supporters.

Priority 3: Give voice to the experience of women and girls .

We support women and girls to build their confidence; to work towards a more positive future for them and their children; and to find and use their voice to influence and improve the systems in our society, which could help women and girls in the future .

From our 2023/24 survey of women and girls we intensively support, over half live in the top 3% most deprived wards in England and almost all live in the 20% most deprived wards. The women we work with face significant health inequalities. The State of Women’s Health in Leeds report noted 23% of women (98,556) live in the most deprived areas of Leeds, with only 8% in the wealthiest. In addition that deprivation has a major impact on the health of the population with the mortality rate in women in the more deprived areas of Leeds 40% higher than that in the wealthiest areas. 63,914 domestic abuse related incidents were reported to Police in West Yorkshire last year. 60% of women who experience DV also experience mental health problems.

We specialise in group work, peer support, and providing one to one support. We work intensively with women and girls who are most at risk, including those experiencing domestic violence, sexual and emotional abuse; those with children in care or at risk of being removed; young mums and disadvantaged parents and their children; women seeking asylum; women with learning disabilities; and women with complex needs or mental health and wellbeing needs. We take a woman-centred holistic approach, creating a safe, nurturing environment to help women recover their confidence, explore their own needs, and regain control over their lives. Where capacity allows, we undertake outreach work that enables us to broaden our reach to a wide range of women who have often found it more difficult to work with statutory services.

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Our funding limits the number of women we can help. For some services we hold waiting lists when necessary. We ensure that women have information about other services available in the city and are referred appropriately when additional support is required or is not within our remit.

Our aim is to make our services accessible. All are provided free of charge. We work in ways that help overcome barriers to participation, for example specific services working with women with learning disabilities, women seeking asylum with interpretation support and young women. We build in costs (where funding permits) for crèche, interpreters, and access costs travel into our services and use safe and accessible venues from which to run services and events.

We undertake equal opportunities monitoring to try to ensure women from multiple backgrounds are accessing our services. Women’s Health Matters (WHM) has an Equal Opportunities Policy that supports recruitment, monitoring, induction, training and all the services we deliver. We recognise that there are disadvantaged groups in our society and affirm that the charity has a responsibility for combating the causes of these disadvantages. We strive to ensure that all women have full access to employment, voluntary work, services provided and Board of Trustees membership. It is fundamental that no one is treated less favourably by WHM on the grounds of race, colour, nationality, religion, disability, age, marital status, class, sexual orientation, or responsibility for dependants.

We ensure that staff members are experienced, trained and supervised to carry out the work of the charity and we strive not to embark on areas of work that will cause detriment or harm. Volunteers support some services to achieve their aims and objectives. They receive induction and ongoing support as well as out of pocket expenses.

The trustees review the aims, objectives, and activities of the charity each year. This report looks at what the charity has achieved and the outcomes of its work in the reporting period. The trustees report the success of each key activity and the benefits the charity has brought to those groups of people that it is set up to help. The review also helps the trustees ensure the charity's aims, objectives and activities remained focused on its stated purposes.

The trustees have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity's aims and objectives and in planning its future activities. In particular, the trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives that have been set.

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Achievements and performance

The charity's main activities and who it tries to help are described below. All its charitable activities focus on women and girls in disadvantaged areas of Leeds and surrounding areas, and with groups of women and girls who experience additional disadvantage. Activities are undertaken to further Women’s Health Matters charitable purposes for the public benefit.

In 2023/2024, we worked directly with 1554 women and girls; 1219 women and girls accessed intensive group and 1 to 1 support (2022/2023: 1209) and a further 335 were reached through lighter touch support. In addition, we supported 387 (2022/2023: 303) children. We ran 1221 group sessions (2022/2023: 869), 2712 one to one sessions (2022/2023: 1728) and carried out 2411 light touch contacts.

We delivered our work across 28 services during the year: Art Therapy Being You Leeds Bluebirds Breastfeeding Peer Support Breathe Free Creche Digital Support and Inclusion Emergency Fund, Household Support Fund, and Product Bank Energise and Empower Family Canvas Feel Good Growing Together 1-1 Family Support Growing Together support group Healthy Holidays Inside Out Leeds Domestic Violence Service LDVS Sanctuary Support Maternity Voices Partnership Pregnancy Choices Advocacy Service Rainbow Hearts Referrals and Short Term Work Migration support Rosebuds The Key Change Women’s Lives Leeds – Empowering Systems Change Women’s Health Matters Drop In Women’s Health Matters external training for professionals Women’s Health Matters Volunteering Programme and Student Placements

During the year, we recruited three new trustees to the board. Our trustee board currently numbers ten, and is representative of the women we support, with trustees from a range of personal and professional backgrounds and experiences, nationalities and ethnicities, sexual orientation and disabilities. 50% of our trustees and 70% of our staff team have declared lived experiences of Domestic Abuse and Violence.

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This year we engaged with 79 volunteers across our services, including 5 student placements, plus 13 external workers, seconded to us, to provide support in our groups. These areas continue to be part of our future growth plans.

WHM have continued to implement our social media strategy to ensure a social media presence across all platforms, raising awareness of the work we do and to encourage donations to support our services. Creating content can be time-consuming, even with support from volunteers. This can affect our presence on social media over short periods of time.

Followers: X/Twitter: 2615 / Instagram: 772 / Facebook: 984 / MVP closed Facebook group: 1,122 / Facebook MVP: 217 / Linked In: 229: Total 5939 (2022/2023: 5609) Post Reach in 2023/2024 of 65,200 (2022/2023: 63,565): X/Twitter: 47.5k (+5%) / Instagram:1.8k (-46%) / Facebook: 15.7k (+44.4%).

We continued to develop and deliver Domestic Violence Awareness training for professionals ensuring the voice of victim-survivors continues to be heard.

We delivered a celebration event in December 2023 with all our service users, joining forces with artist Bobby Baker. As part of Leeds 2023 Year of Culture, EPIC DOMESTIC presented the Practising Propaganda Party: a takeover of The Tetley in Leeds including the presentation of Subversive Sandwiches created by women supported by Women’s Health Matters. The aftermath of the party – a total installation in which traces and evidence of the party could be encountered – remained open to The Tetley’s public audiences from 14 to 17 December. This was supported by Unlimited, Arts Council England and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

We were delighted to win two awards at the 2023 Leeds Compassionate City Awards and be highly commended for another. The awards celebrate the unsung heroes and showcase the best that Leeds has to offer, highlighting those who go above and beyond to help make Leeds a special place to live and work.

Rainbow Hearts and Feel Good won Health & Wellbeing Project of the Year. Hala Wadi, our Health & Wellbeing worker, won Unsung Hero of the Year. Leeds Domestic Violence Service was highly commended as Diversity Project of the Year.

Beneficiaries of our services

As of 31 March 2024, 71% of women supported by WHM were aged 26-50, with 13% aged under 26, and 13% aged over 50 (3% unanswered).

46% of women do not identify their ethnicity as British. 9% chose not to disclose this information.

With regards to residency status, 27% of women state they are not British nationals, of these 46% are seeking asylum, 26% are refugees, 8% have limited or indefinite leave to remain and 2% have settled status. The remaining 18% include those on a spousal visa, and those with unknown status.

30 different languages were spoken, and 39 different nationalities were represented in the women we support including Afghan, Albanian, Eritrean, Iranian, Iraqi, Nigerian, Pakistani, Polish, Sudanese, Syrian, and Ukrainian.

39% of women identify as having no religion, 24% as Christian, 14% as Muslim, 4% as another religion including Buddhist, Hindu, and Sikh. 19% chose not to disclose this information.

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40% of women report having a disability including physical or learning disability, mental health, or long-term health condition. 48% report having no disability and 12% chose not to disclose this information. Of those with a disability, 17% report multiple disabilities.

Our 2024 survey of beneficiaries ran between January and February 2024 School/Work/Benefits

Statutory Services

Finances

Police Contact

Health, Disability and Emotions

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Personal Experiences

Feelings

Support Received

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Financial Support

Children

Supporting Children

Of the women who have children:

Improved Lives

Feedback from women:

I feel listened to, understood, and it’s given me hope. I’m starting to feel more positive about the future. I have also had the strength to leave an abusive relationship.

Brave, I can say no. I have a voice and use it.

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I feel confident in my everyday life, making friends and happy getting out of the house, meeting other people, going to the park and walking.

Coming here has definitely helped me to understand better what I went through, understand better who I am, and much more, it has helped to build my confidence.

I am more confident now about understanding what has happened to us. I have been given the tools and support to help me improve my mental health. I feel understood and more informed.

I am so much more positive about the future. I believe in myself a little more and realise it wasn’t my fault.

I’m not alone anymore.

Further information about each of our services and examples of key activities are included below with case studies:

Domestic violence and abuse work

Bluebirds

Overview: Funded by the Ministry of Justice via West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Bluebirds is a project for women and girls aged 11+ who have experienced domestic abuse and/or sexual violence, and as a result, are experiencing mental ill-health. Bluebirds offers three groups (one online, one in-person, and one for girls) and one-toone support to aid in trauma recovery.

Numbers supported in 2023/24: Women/girls: 131 Group sessions: 19 1 to 1 sessions: 36

Light touch support: 15

Highlights: Managing the transition of the venue from The Tetley to the Women’s Health Matters base. This transition went smoothly with women transferring to the new venue, and we have seen an increase in numbers since delivering the group at WHM. Challenges: Initially, the Bluebirds group ran with one new cohort starting each month, one online and one meeting in person. This was challenging as we found it did not give enough time for enrollment between cohorts. We decided to create a buffer of two weeks between each cohort starting, meaning a new cohort now starts every six weeks. This has given flexibility at the start and end of each cohort and allows more time to register women in each group.

Looking to the future: We are building on our work with girls and creating trauma recovery workshops during the school holidays. We are working in partnership with LSTen to deliver Bluebirds workshops to the girls who attend the LS-Ten Youth Group. We are increasing our 1:1 provision for women and girls to help them gain confidence and self-esteem, offering up to six sessions of support in addition to attending the trauma recovery group.

Case Study: A joined Bluebirds group having been referred externally by a family support worker. A bonded with her peers in the Bluebirds group and began engaging more each week in the sessions. A was supported by the Bluebirds Project Worker on a 1-1 basis, working alongside other professionals. This ensured her issues were dealt with

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holistically and helped to maintain her safety and wellbeing. Over the course of the Bluebirds group, A built a good working relationship with WHM enabling her to trust us to where she felt able to try a new, longer-term group. She has now started a 20-week Domestic Abuse recovery group with WHM.

Breathe Free

Overview: Breathe Free is a 24-week course for women (those who identify as women, aged 16+) living in Leeds who have experienced domestic abuse and complex trauma. The course is run three times a week. The group is two hours long and travel costs and creche are provided. Funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, Breathe Free’s course is structured with the first six weeks being the ‘Stabilisation’ aspect of the programme. This section of the course supports women to engage in groups (some for the first time), the focus is on well-being, safety planning and linking in with partner agencies, e.g. Linking Leeds. The following 18 weeks focus on Domestic Violence and Abuse (DVA) Awareness & Healthy Relationships. Breathe Free also offers one-to-one support on a needs basis to individual women. Multi-agency working, referrals and signposting are key aspects within Breathe Free. Once women have completed the course there is an opportunity for them to become Breathe Free volunteers. Numbers supported in 2023/24:

Women: 74 Group sessions: 137 1 to 1 sessions: 155

Light touch support: 5

Volunteers in the project: 24

Highlights: Running six cohorts of the course in 2023/24, some feedback from participants:

“I've gone on a journey of self-discovery and I'm very proud of myself for keeping an open mind and letting staff lead us through the course. It has introduced me to gateways and other help. It has been the key to motivating me and accepting it. Also being surrounded by people who are aspiring to change, even in different ways to me.” “It was the most empowering experience”

“I have learned so much about how abuse affects a person and I have healed so many of my wounds while attending this course. I have achieved everything that I was hoping to from this course and I feel a lot stronger and loving the new version of myself.” Once women complete the course they can become volunteers, the volunteers have worked on:

As part of the Breathe Free course, conversations take place around ‘reclaiming your space,’ for example redecorating rooms, moving bedrooms to lounge, but women said they do not have the skills or experience to do this. In response, practical workshops for anyone who has been involved in the Breathe Free course over the three years have been offered in partnership with Seagulls Reuse. 30 women attended four workshops over two months which were organised in response to direct feedback from women who have said they struggle to feel relaxed in their homes after experiencing domestic abuse. Challenges: Throughout year three of the project, continuous efforts have been made to collaborate with sister organisations that support women from minority communities. Breathe Free offers a condensed version of the course in their community setting,

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alongside one of their staff. The aim was to raise awareness of DVA and to facilitate onward referrals to the full Breathe Free course. Despite the efforts of Breathe Free staff, these sessions have not been taken up. The feedback from a meeting where Breathe Free staff had presented handouts translated into Urdu / Punjabi was deemed too advanced for the target group regarding educational ability, and it was suggested that the sessions focus on well-being and crafting activities instead. Taking into consideration the time constraints, only delivering crafting sessions, and the lack of onward referrals to Breathe Free, it was decided that we would not offer the sessions as they wouldn’t meet the outcomes of the programme and they didn’t fall under the remit of Breathe Free. All the resources that had been prepared were given to the organisation for them to use as and when appropriate.

Looking to the future: Breathe Free 2

Having secured a further three years of funding from The National Lottery, Breathe Free will deliver 6 cohorts per year of a 20-week course that is co-delivered with a woman with lived experience who has recently completed the Breathe Free course and who is a paid sessional worker. There is an added element of employability skills and opportunities integrated into the course and women will be able to apply to be the next co-facilitator.

Case Study: B is originally from South Africa, but lived in France for many years before coming to Leeds where she has been granted settled status. She has three daughters aged 12, 14, and 17. Her ex-husband remains in France, and he was extremely abusive during their relationship. B experienced verbal, psychological, physical abuse, and coercive control. B moved to Leeds with her children, escaping the abuse from her husband, but has been experiencing Child-to-Parent abuse from the two older daughters. B made a self-referral to Breathe Free stating:

“My children hit me and call me names. They monitor me and tell my ex what's happening in my life. My ex keeps threatening to take the children to France and filing for custody even though he hasn't seen them in 7 years. My middle child has accused me of sexual abuse - I feel that my ex is poisoning them against me. Social Services has decided that this is a fabricated story as the children declined medical checkups. They steal money from my purse.”

B was enrolled on the course and within two weeks of attending, she informed staff that this was the first time in 10 years that she felt listened to and supported and that people had made onward referrals for specific support for her. By week 3, B felt empowered to go to the police to report her continued coercive control from her ex-husband via social media and his influence on her children, and the abuse she was experiencing from her children.

Referrals made for B during her support:

Breathe Free staff advocated for B, not only organising professional meetings to plan support, but also highlighting previous barriers identified in B accepting support in the past including language and cultural barriers, and a lack of understanding of what support entails. Breathe Free staff have spent over 50 hours outside of group time to

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support B in a 1 to 1 capacity, to liaise with professionals and coordinate support, to complete referrals, and to raise safeguarding incidents and complete actions.

Leeds Domestic Violence Service (LDVS) Domestic Abuse Education and Support Groups , funded by Leeds City Council Public Health and DLUHC New Burdens funding. As part of the LDVS consortium of Leeds Women’s Aid, Behind Closed Doors, and Women’s Health Matters, WHM run and deliver the Domestic Abuse Education and Support Groups. There are five groups in total, delivered in various locations at contrasting times across the city. A creche is available in four of the five groups. Every week we talk through issues that affect the safety and wellbeing of women experiencing domestic abuse and violence. We know that women are the experts in their own situations and that with the right support women themselves will find the best way to move forward. We offer advice and referrals for other support where it is needed . Numbers supported in 2023/24: Women: 181

Group sessions: 190 1 to 1 sessions: 145

Light touch support: 20 External workers in the project: 2

Highlights: The highlight of the year is always being part of a woman’s journey and supporting recovery from trauma. Women are often subjected to the ‘blame game’ when it comes to domestic violence and abuse, we know that this leaves victim-survivors feeling responsible for their abuser’s behaviour, guilty, and ashamed. We help women to understand that the abuse was never their fault, abuse is always on the abuser. Challenges: Staffing has been a major challenge for the groups this year. Historically Linking Leeds and Engage Leeds have provided support in two groups, unfortunately due to their own staffing and capacity issues they are no longer able to continue with the partnership.

Looking to the future: We have a highly skilled team who each bring a unique and invaluable quality to the groups. The upcoming challenge is funding uncertainty and potentially having to cut the number of weekly groups from five to two next year. Case Study: When C enrolled in the group, she was living in an abusive relationship with her husband of 8 years. C had met T when she was in her early 20’s, she was a school teacher at the time and loved her job. They married and C soon became pregnant with their daughter. T had his own business and encouraged C to leave work to focus on being a ‘stay at home mum’. T was extremely controlling and manipulative. T would make all the decisions for the family, to the point that C would have to ask if she needed a bath or a shower. C was undermined as a parent, and T didn’t like her spending time with family or friends and she became extremely isolated.

C wanted to end the relationship but was fearful, she had no money of her own and felt that her situation was hopeless. Throughout her journey in group we were able to visibly see C growing in confidence. We gained her additional support to safely leave the relationship and offered her some interview coaching after group, this helped C to feel confident enough to apply for a teaching assistant post.

We are happy to say that C and her daughter are doing really well, C is financially independent and in full time work.

Testimonial: from Federica Angeli, 11 March 2024

Professor of Management and Deputy Dean of School (Strategy and People) at the University of York and Women’s Health Matters trustee

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I attended the LDVS group driven by the curiosity to learn more about WHM's work in the domestic violence space and its impact on the participating women. Little did I know I would leave the meeting emotionally and personally touched on a very deep level. Abuse is a societal plague that concerns us all and that cuts across professions, ethnicity, culture, socio-economic backgrounds, and education. It takes many forms and can be extremely subtle and difficult to recognise, until its effects become clear and often irreversible: increasing social isolation, destroyed sense of selfworth, burning self- and societal blame, fear to speak up, loss of trust and loss of understanding of what a healthy relationship sounds and feels like. Through the extremely sensitive and highly effective coaching provided by (worker), women attending LDVS learn how to recognise abuse and react to it over the 14 weeks of the course. But crucially, they have the opportunity to co-create a community and a weekly safe space that acts as powerful hooks against isolation, nurturing self-worth, and self-care, undermining the sense of guilt and self-blame. This ultimately breaks the psychological chains that abuse creates, and that manipulates women into 'thinking that there is something fundamentally wrong about them'. In LDVS women are able to 'find their voice again': because of the group support, they find again the capability to be assertive, to learn how to say 'no' and have it respected. The group acts as a life jacket out of the lethal isolation that abuse creates, where sharing and listening to others' experience becomes a source of strength and a way out, for life.

Thank you WHM and LDVS, to (worker) for her outstanding guidance, and thank you to all the women I met. I learnt a lot from you and I will hold on to my self-care box (the one we designed and crafted together) dearly.

Leeds Domestic Violence Service – Sanctuary Support Scheme

Overview: The Leeds Domestic Violence Services (LDVS) Sanctuary Support Scheme started in January 2022, funded by Leeds City Council Public Health, is a partnership of 9 organisations led by LDVS. The Sanctuary Support Scheme aims to provide ongoing support safety planning and experiences of domestic abuse for recipients of sanctuary measures. The project aims to widen access to tailor one-to-one support for marginalised groups who’ve experienced domestic abuse. These groups include LGBTQIA+ people, people seeking asylum, culturally diverse and migrant communities, those with disabilities, forced marriage and honour-based violence, older people, and pregnancy and maternity. Referrals mainly come through Leeds Housing Options or internally through partner agencies. The Sanctuary Support scheme then offers emotional, practical support and advocacy.

Disability specialism

This role specifically specialises in working with clients with both physical and mental disabilities.

Numbers supported in 2023/24: Women: 26

1 to 1 sessions: 951

Case Study: When I first began working with D , she was struggling with severe depression, anxiety, and strained relationships with her children after fleeing an abusive relationship. She struggled with irregular sleeping and eating patterns and felt immobilized by overwhelming thoughts. Her new, partially unfurnished home exacerbated her feelings of despair. Together, we developed a safety plan and slowly sourced household items to make her house feel more like a home, despite her initial resistance. We worked together to set small daily tasks and using a checklist, which helped D to start structuring her days, gradually improving her self-care and household management. This approach helped her organise her thoughts and gave her a sense of

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accomplishment. As we continued our work, D rediscovered her interests and began engaging in activities she once enjoyed, like reading and helping with friends at a charity shop. Our discussions on mental health empowered her to communicate openly with her sons and seek professional support, leading to therapy through the Leeds Mental Wellbeing Service. D’s increased presence and emotional support significantly improved her relationship with her children. When she entered a new relationship, she trusted her intuition to end it when it didn't feel right, demonstrating her regained sense of control. D is now thriving, enjoying her interests, being present for her children, and confidently seeking support when needed. Her progress and self-awareness make me proud, and she is ready to continue her journey independently.

Pregnancy and Maternity Specialism

This role works with women who are pregnant and includes those who have young children.

Numbers supported in 2023/24:

Women: 18

1 to 1 sessions: 720

Highlights: A highlight of the year has been having a Creche worker at WHM, enabling more accessibility for service users.

Challenges: The challenge this year has been around the current housing situation and the strict policies which create barriers for people being able to move to certain areas, such as local connections. The policies have repeatedly been challenged by professionals, as women fleeing abuse need to move to areas away from perpetrators.

Case Study: E was pregnant and had a young son when she came into service. A victim-survivor of Domestic Abuse, E was living in a property known to the perpetrator and was keen to find a secure home in an area unknown to the perpetrator. E was supported around her housing and housing needs panel attendance. Baby essentials were provided near to her due date such as a Moses basket, clothes, nappies, and comforters. Emotional and financial support was provided by WHM and through referrals/signposting. E has now secured a property in a different town and was supported around further safety planning. E and her children are doing well and have settled into their new area. E is attending a Baby group nearby, socialising with other mums and her baby is developing new interaction skills. E feels this is her dream home and was feeling more optimistic about the future for herself and her children.

The Key Change

Overview: Funded by Children in Need over three years The Key Change works with girls from the age of 11-18 years. The project facilitates structured coursers of between six to eight weeks within schools across the city. The Key Change offers group support within a school setting to young women and girls who have witnessed, experienced or are at risk of experiencing unhealthy or abusive relationships. Over the course of 6-8 weeks, The Key Change offers a flexible, tailored programme of support covering topics such as healthy and unhealthy relationships, domestic violence, consent, CSE, assertiveness, confidence building and self-esteem.

Numbers supported in 2023/24:

Girls: 55

Group sessions: 55

1 to 1 sessions: 4

Highlights: Keeping the course flexible has worked well as this has allowed us to tailor it to specific groups and individual service users. The flexibility of the course also allowed

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us to tailor it to the special educational needs of the specialist inclusive learning centres. This was appreciated by the schools and teachers who gave us excellent feedback this year.

Challenges: The main challenges we faced included finding enough time to deliver oneto-one support which was needed by the girls due to their high risk level. Looking to the future: Moving forward, The Key Change will be funded by The Masonic Charitable Foundation and Baily Thomas Charitable Fund, and we aim to replicate the success of the Children in Need funded programme by delivering The Key Change to schools and Specialist Inclusive Learning Centres across Leeds. Case Study: F lives in one of the most deprived areas of Leeds (quintile 1) and nationally (English decile 1). She has learning disabilities and attends a special needs school. She was referred to the group due to having witnessed domestic abuse at home. She was very mistrusting of professionals as she had been told by her parents that she could be put into care.

Through the group, F started to understand more about appropriate and inappropriate behaviours in relationships and began to gain the confidence to ask questions and challenge assumptions in the group. She finally asked for 1-1 support, and this was arranged with our young people’s specialist worker.

The 1-1 sessions continued after the course sessions had finished, due to F’s needs. The sessions covered healthy and unhealthy relationships and when asked what she had learnt, she said that people in relationships need to be kind and nice, not nasty or hit each other. She also said that people need to know everyone needs space and not isolate each other from other people. When asked who they would speak to if she was worried about being in an unhealthy relationship, F said her Dad, school or Childline.

Pregnancy, parenting, and support for women whose children are being cared for by someone else

Breastfeeding Peer Support

Overview: Working in partnership with Health for All – funded by Leeds City Council Public Health.

Providing advice and support from specialist, trained advisors to mums with breastfeeding babies and training mums as breastfeeding peer supporters to offer support in groups, at hospitals, online, and over the phone.

Numbers supported in 2023/24 (WHM element):

Women: 60

Group sessions: 63 1 to 1 sessions: 189

Light touch support: 5

Children supported in creche: 55

Highlights: In January there was a citywide breastfeeding conference bringing together professionals and peer supporters to celebrate all the work done to support breastfeeding mums across the city.

Each week there are 10 separate groups across Leeds, offering support to mums who are experiencing difficulties with breastfeeding – allowing them to overcome the problems and continue breastfeeding their children.

Challenges: Alongside the general support provided to the service, we are working to increase the support offered to young mums in Leeds. Due to the lack of specialist support specifically for young mums now offered in Leeds, this has proved difficult as it

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is extremely hard to find young breastfeeding mums to engage with. We are producing s leaflets specifically for young mums which we will distribute through midwives.

Creche

Overview: Creches are provided for all of the Breathe Free groups that Women’s Health Matters runs; for four of the Leeds Domestic Violence groups that are run by Women’s Health Matters; for Coffee and Conversation (formerly Drop-in), family work in the school holidays, and for special events that are run by Women’s Health Matters, such as the Celebration Events. We have a creche worker, who works at most of the creches, who is qualified as an early years teacher, and we also use workers from an agency, who are also very experienced with these kind of creches and who will where possible provide the same worker for the same creche each week, so that the children and the mums get to know the workers and there is consistency in care.

Numbers supported in 2023/24:

Children: 44

Group sessions: 240

Volunteers in the project: 2

Highlights: We successfully applied for a grant for £1500 for creche resources and we have been able to provide high-quality toys and equipment to help enhance the children’s learning in the EYFS curriculum. The creche is often the first setting a child attends, and it is a lovely, safe, and gentle introduction to a nursery environment, for the child and for the mum. The mums can build confidence in talking to early years / educational professionals and we can model what those conversations hopefully will look like when the children start to attend school or nursery. We have good relationships with the staff at the three children’s/outreach centres which we regularly run creches from, and we have started to get referrals to groups from the workers at these centres. Case Study: Child G started attending creche in May 2023 when she was five months old while her mum attended a LDVS group. Her mum finished LDVS in April 2024 and G is now attending creche while her mum attends a new Breathe Free group. Creche is the only setting that G attends without her mum, and she has settled well into the environment. She has learned how to select her own activities, as she would in a nursery, and to make attachment bonds with a worker – G’s mum reports she uses language such as ‘Shall we go and see (worker)?’ when she sets off for creche, and G responds positively. G has formed positive relationships with the other children who attend the creche – she is now the oldest child in the creche she attends, having been the youngest in the first she attended, and she likes to help to look after the babies, giving them toys etc. G’s mum can see that G is able to settle elsewhere and this gives her confidence for G joining a nursery when she goes back to work. G’s mum is also happy to talk about any concerns she has regarding G’s behaviour and development, and we offer reassurance, and signpost where needed.

Growing Together Group

Overview: The Growing Together Group was funded by Awards for All. It is a group run from a nursery room in a children’s centre where women and their preschool-aged children can mix with other families, benefit from peer support, and access expert support from the worker. Sessions are planned but loosely so, so that the women can introduce and identify the areas that they need support with. There is a focus on health, behaviour and of a gentle and safe introduction to early years settings.

Numbers supported in 2023/24: Women: 11

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Children: 11

Group sessions: 36

Highlights: The relationships built between the families who take part in this group have been very solid, and the mums are all incredibly supportive of each other and of each others’ children. I have been able to work with most families on a one-to-one basis and promote various government health initiatives such as vaccinations and If They Could Tell You. We have made onward referrals and signposting through this group. Challenges: The group was quiet at first, even with lots of promotion internally and externally. This did mean that on the weeks there was only one family present, I was able to work with them on a 1:1 basis.

Looking to the future: We have applied for funding to continue this group and are hoping to run it twice a week, at two different venues, going forward. We would like to continue to reach out to new families via this group. This group has been valuable in promoting the other support available from Women’s Health Matters.

Case study: H started in the group in January and comes every week with her now sixmonth old baby boy. She was referred by the Children’s Centre as she accesses help from them, and she has also started to come to Women’s Health Matters Coffee and Conversation group, formerly Drop-in. H’s baby also attends a creche while H attends another Women’s Health Matters DV support group. H is frank and open and can access immediate peer and professional support while attending the group, in a very natural way, by starting and taking part in conversations e.g., about weaning; baby’s sleep; attachment.

H is going back to work in a few months, and she had a lot of trepidation about leaving her baby in a nursery before starting the Growing Together Group. Attending Growing Together group, along with the other support Women’s Health Matters are offering her, has enabled her baby to settle with other people and has made her feel confident and comfortable with leaving him in a nursery. She has made friends with other women who go to the group, as well as a woman whose baby attends the creche that she uses.

Growing Together 1-1 Family Project

Overview: Growing Together 1:1 is funded by Leeds Community Foundation. It is a project to work with women and their children up to the age of 18 to rebuild relationships after trauma. Each family has a series of sessions with the project worker, customised to the needs of the family and to the needs of the individuals within that family.

Numbers supported in 2023/24:

Women: 34

Children: 52

Family sessions: 60

Highlights: Growing Together families have clearly and noticeably benefitted from the work they have done, and this is seen in so many ways other than in written evaluation. The trust that has grown between the families and the worker has been very apparent when the women who have closed with Growing Together have approached WHM at a later date with further issues they would like support with.

Challenges: Some families referred are too high-risk and we cannot meet them in their homes, we have overcome this by meeting on parks chosen by the family.

Looking to the future: We have applied for funding to continue Growing Together 1:1 from October 2024, as the current funding finishes then.

Case Study: J and her two children R and T started with the Growing Together project in February last year and closed in November. The family were referred originally

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because of the children’s behaviour at home, and J felt that this was impacting her parenting and her wellbeing, whilst understanding that the behaviour was probably caused by the children being direct witnesses to the abuse she suffered. J, R and T were easy to work with, open and very honest and we had frank conversations, and I was able to offer practical ideas as well as onward referrals, such as to Family Canvas and Kidzclub. I provided resources to the family, and demonstrated how they are used. The whole family attended all the trips that Women’s Health Matters hosted alongside Healthy Holidays, and they made connections and friendships with other families through this. J is still supported by Women’s Health Matters for DV.

Healthy Holidays

Overview: This was a joint venture between Healthy Holidays Leeds (Leeds City Council) and Women’s Health Matters to provide family trips out in the main school holidays for the families that Women’s Health Matters works with. The coaches, extra staff, equipment, booking, and admin were all provided by Healthy Holidays and Women’s Health Matters provided staff on the day and managed the attendance administration. In the 2023 summer holidays, we visited Eureka (children’s museum); the Royal Armouries Museum, and the Yorkshire Dales. In the Christmas break, we went to a pantomime in Leeds Central Library.

Numbers supported in 2023/24: Women: 32 Children: 51

Group sessions: 4 Light touch support: 4 Volunteers in the project: 1

External Workers in the project: 5

Highlights: The Yorkshire Dales trip was a particular success. We were provided with guides who work at the centre we started from, and they provided interesting activities for the children and then a nice walk, ending at a waterfall. The staff who came with Healthy Holidays were all teachers or playworkers and were effective on each trip. The background administration, safety and weather equipment, and lunches all provided by Leeds City council were good and there was highly effective communication between all the professionals involved.

Looking to the future: We are hoping to partner with Leeds City Council in the upcoming summer holidays and provide trips for current families we are working with. Case study: K had completed an LDVS course at Women’s Health Matters, and she and her son A had recently also completed Growing Together 1:1. K and A attended all four of the trips provided. K is a single mum and has had several referrals to the Household Support Fund and has struggled with getting out with her son. Her and A really enjoyed all the trips and fully participated in all the activities within each trip e.g.: doing craft at Eureka and playing outside in the sand; watching a jousting tournament at the Royal Armouries; interacting with the outdoors staff at the Yorkshire Dales; taking part in the audience participation in the pantomime. K and A have a lovely relationship and there were plenty of positive interactions between them on each trip, and they made friends with another family who were on all the trips.

Inside Out

Overview: Funded by The Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation. Inside Out is a parenting course for women whose children are being looked after by somebody else, such as through adoption or kinship care, or who have Social Care involvement.

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Numbers supported in 2023/24: Women: 40 Group sessions: 39 1 to 1 sessions: 117 Light touch support: 2

Highlights: We have delivered 3 courses, supporting 35 women. Of these women, 11 women either passed Social Care assessments or were given additional time to complete their assessments, and 18 said they felt that they had better relationships with Social Care which improved their engagement with things like assessments and managing child contact times.

Challenges: The impact of the trauma faced by women who have had children removed from their care can make it difficult for them to attend groups and courses. They often have poor mental health and suffer from anxiety, creating barriers to engagement. When women are going through assessments and court, or have contact time with their children, they have many conflicting appointments which can create more problems around being able to attend consistently. Working with Children Social Work Services before the courses start can help with managing these conflicts.

Looking to the future: We continue to offer courses to women who want to improve their understanding of their own and their children’s needs, aiming to improve their relationships with other professionals or family members who have the care of their children. The feedback we have received from women who have already completed the course is that it improves their sense of understanding of an arduous process and leaves them with greater, healthier ways to manage these often-difficult relationships. Case Study: L is a young mum, who had her first child at 15 who lives with L’s grandmother. L had another baby, with a man who was much older than she was, who died suddenly. Social Care were involved and placed her in a mother and baby unit to conduct an assessment. Unfortunately, this assessment failed, and L and her baby went to live with her mum. This was often a difficult relationship as L’s mum had to leave her job to be at home with L and her child. L felt very resentful of the decision to not allow her to live alone with her baby and could not understand why she had failed the initial assessment. This was getting in the way of her engagement with her new assessment. Through the course, and with additional 1-1 sessions, L was supported to manage these challenging relationships and given space to work through these frustrations and find more positive ways to address her concerns. L has had a positive outcome of this assessment and the plan is now for L to find her own property for her and her baby. L feels her confidence really grew due to attending the course and is now looking forward to a better future for her and her baby.

Maternity Voices Partnership (MVP)

Overview: The Maternity Voices Partnerships is funded by the NHS and is a city-wide forum that brings health professionals and funders for maternity services together with those who have used maternity services in Leeds. The forum enables professionals to listen to those who have recently been pregnant and given birth to identify issues with care and work together to find solutions. From 2024, the MVP is now Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership.

Numbers supported in 2023/24: Women: 57 Group sessions: 20 1 to 1 sessions: 5 Light touch support: 2

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Volunteers in the project: 14

Highlights: A diverse women’s group was set up in November 2023, and has run monthly since then. The group brings together women from different ethnicities living in Leeds with experience of using Leeds maternity services. The group has been consulted on several issues by the MVP including access to interpreter services, care in the community, and support on postnatal wards.

Challenges: The MVP recruits for what is known as Parent Representatives – volunteers who have used maternity services in the last two years and would like to input into improving services. While there are currently around fifteen Parent Representatives signed up, they often cannot make meetings due to childcare or work. This has at times meant a small number of voices being involved in Parent Rep projects. Looking to the future: In 2024/2025 there will be several focus groups held with racially minoritised women across Leeds to hear their experiences of patient voice – both using their voice during their maternity journey and feeling that their voice was listened to. These feedback themes will inform the policy and practice of health professionals and midwifery lecturers.

Case study: During a diverse women’s group meeting, it was raised by M that some women had contacted the GP to register their pregnancy at the ten-week mark but had been told to come back at a later date by the receptionists. This directly contradicts the public awareness campaign encouraging women to register at ten weeks and is particularly important for racially minoritised women. Since the MVP fed this back to the health professionals, a letter highlighting the ten-week campaign has been recirculated to all GPs in the city and put in regular community practitioner newsletters.

Pregnancy Choices Advocacy Service

Overview: Funded by NHS Leeds Health and Care Partnership and providing 1-1 support to girls, women, and people who are pregnant and would like to talk through the options available to them. Offering support and advice around midwifery, abortion, and adoption. Support to attend appointments and/or travel costs to appointments where needed. Post pregnancy support is also offered.

Numbers supported in 2023/24: Women/girls: 31 Light touch support: 6 1 to 1 sessions: 46

Looking to the future: Funding has now ended for this piece of work; however, Women's Health Matters recognise the importance of support for women during this exceedingly challenging time. With no other provision offering this kind of support, we have decided to continue to offer a pared-down service, offering impartial 1-1 emotional support and practical advice for girls, women, and pregnant people around pregnancy choices.

Case Study: N is a young mum with two children at home and was supported to attend a late-stage termination appointment outside of Leeds. Previous appointments had to be cancelled due to not having someone to attend with her, due to lack of family support. She had accessed an early abortion (using the abortion pill) but had found out later that this had not been successful and had to travel to have a much later abortion. Without this support, she would not have been able to have this treatment and would have had a severely negative impact on her mental health and her family. N stated, “This is the first day of the rest of my life.”

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Rosebuds

Overview: Funded by Jimbo’s Fund until 31/8/2023 and The Charles Plater Trust from 1/9/2023. A mix of peer support, structured learning sessions and visits from other support services to offer support, learning and healing for women living apart from their children. Over 6 months, women develop coping strategies to manage difficult situations and emotions, alongside increasing their understanding of abusive relationships and the long-term impact on them.

Numbers supported in 2023/24: Women: 40

Group sessions: 38 1 to 1 sessions: 20

Light touch support: 10

Highlights: We took the women on a trip to Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Collaborating with staff from the sculpture park, the women were shown around and encouraged to engage with their environment and the art and to produce their own versions of the art they saw. The women absolutely loved the day – none of them had ever been before. They continue to talk about their experience with some members having returned to visit again.

Challenges: Women living with the trauma of losing their children can find it extremely hard to attend groups, with extremely elevated levels of mental health issues and anxiety faced by the group members. It can take a prolonged period of pre group support for them to feel confident to start.

Looking to the future: We have a strong programme of visits from other services in Leeds planned. We feel it is important for women to increase their knowledge of what services are available across the city to improve their wider support system. Case Study: O has two children who live with her parents in another part of the country. O’s children were removed due to addiction and placed in her parent’s care. O moved away from the area to aid and support her rehab and her new drug free life. O has been living drug free for a few years and visits to see her children every two weeks. However, things have been difficult with her relationship with her mother, with O feeling like despite the incredibly positive changes she had made and sustained, her mother was still behaving as if she was still using drugs, and contact continued to be supervised by her mother. O has been supported to work through these difficulties and find ways to rebuild her mother’s trust. O’s oldest child is now visiting O and spending weekends with her. She is working towards her youngest child also being able to visit her – something O feels confident will happen given the improvements she sees in her communication and relationship with her mother.

Specialist support for women seeking asylum and refugees

Energise and Empower (ended 30/11/2023)

Overview: Energise and Empower was funded by Yorkshire Sport to provide Afghan women and their children living in hotel accommodation across Leeds with physical activities to boost their physical and mental health.

The project began in January 2023 working with women and their children living in two hotels in Leeds delivering weekly circuit, relaxation, and family fun sessions. However, after changes made by the Government, the hotels were closed, and the project moved to work with women in the asylum system living in the community across Leeds and delivered a variety of fitness and exercise sessions ranging from a regular weekly

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walking group to circus skills for families in the school holidays and classical Indian dance sessions.

Numbers supported in 2023/24: Women/girls: 48

Group sessions: 28

Children supported in creche: 33

Highlights: The highlight for Energise and Empower was the 4-week classical Indian dance classes that we took part in. The classes taught women relaxation skills and breathing techniques along with a simple dance that we learnt together over the sessions. We finished with a performance of the dance and shared refreshments as we reflected on the project. The dance sessions were a celebration of the end of Energise and Empower and women reflected that it gave them space away from their busy lives to come together and celebrate the community they have created through the Project. Challenges: The challenge of the Energise and Empower project was making the transition from working in the hotels to working out in the community. We had to build up a new group of women to attend the sessions and find activities that were low-cost and accessible to all. We reached out to contacts with Leeds Girls Can who supported the transition and helped us run taster sessions where they supported with room hire costs which meant we were able to invite new women to join the group.

Looking to the future: Unfortunately, the Energise and Empower project funding from Yorkshire Sport ended in November 2023 and we have been unsuccessful with other funding applications. We have however continued to work the classical Indian dancer who has linked in with Rainbow Hearts and is planning to deliver work with the women there.

Case Study: P discovered Energise and Empower through Rainbow Hearts, a group she has attended for a long time as a woman seeking asylum. P is in her 60s and suffers from ill health, she walks with a stick and struggles with asthma. P came to the second walking group we ran out in the community and from her first day showed a commitment to the project. P went on to attend every single session and activity – from the walking group each week, to yoga, spin classes, circus skills and Indian dance. She also encouraged others to come along, bringing friends and telling other members of Rainbow Hearts about the sessions.

By the end of the project P’s fitness had improved, she was able to walk faster and needed fewer rest stops along our route. P disclosed that her doctor had been impressed with the physical changes to her health and P also found her mental health had benefitted from the sessions, in particular the walking group. She said she was too scared to walk in parks on her own and that being able to walk once a week had been a boost to her wellbeing. At the end of the project P was referred to Being You Leeds women’s walking group.

Rainbow Hearts

Overview: Rainbow Hearts is a well-being and social group for women seeking asylum and newly granted refugees. It is funded by Leeds City Council, with additional support funding from The Evan Cornish Foundation. We run informative and social sessions focusing on health and well-being, self-care, and the therapeutic arts. Women also have the opportunity to learn English with our qualified ESOL teacher. We aim to support the women to develop support networks, engage in activities to improve their wellbeing and feel more familiar with their city.

Numbers supported in 2023/24: Women: 87

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Children: 32 Group sessions: 43 1 to 1 sessions: 14

Light touch support: 2 Volunteers in the project: 2

Highlights: We partnered with several organisations this year, which allowed us to expand the variety of activities we were able to offer in our sessions. We took part in a singing workshop with Stitched Up Theatre; visited the Yorkshire Dales and explored Ingleborough cave; created ‘recipes for life’ with the Women and Girls Alliance; had trips to Leeds City Museum and the central library; enjoyed a swim and sauna session at The Edge gym; and took part in a series of photography workshops with Leeds Art Gallery as part of their ‘Lost Cities, Found Objects’ exhibition. The women have fed back how much they enjoy the breadth of activities Rainbow Hearts offers.

Challenges: At the beginning of 2024, we saw an increase in women receiving their refugee status and being made homeless after the 28-day move-on period, due to a lack of council housing. Women found themselves being moved to different temporary accommodations, often in other cities (such as Bradford and Huddersfield). This made it difficult for them to attend Rainbow Hearts, during a period when they most needed the support. We provided 1-1 support to these women, signposting them to services such as Leeds Housing Options and RETAS (Refugee Education Training Advice Service). We also supported them financially through WHM’s Household Support Funding.

Looking to the future: We are looking forward to building on the partnerships we developed this year. We are planning another project with Leeds Art Gallery that focuses on sculpture. Leeds Discovery Centre have invited us to visit their archive to learn about the items in their collection. We have also met with the Get Cooking enterprise to discuss running cooking sessions in Rainbow Hearts that incorporate learning English. Case Study: Q is 45 years old and fled Albania to seek asylum in the UK. She was referred to Rainbow Hearts in September 2023 by her GP’s social prescribing team. She spoke little English and was isolated due to having no friends or family in the UK, which was impacting her mental health. Q lacked confidence using public transport, so we arranged to meet her outside the bus station before the group to show her how to get to the venue. Q was emotional and told us “I am a single woman alone in this country”. At the group, she was pleased to spend time with other women who shared her experience and enjoyed joining our ESOL class. Q disclosed that she regularly didn’t have enough money to buy food so we referred her to Give a Gift’s ‘Cultural Food Hub’ to receive weekly food parcels. She also told us that she couldn’t communicate with her family in Albania, due to issues with her phone. We were able to loan Q a smartphone and SIM card loaded with unlimited calls, texts and 20GB of data from WHM’s Digital Support project to help her stay connected. We also referred her to PAFRAS for legal advice to help with her asylum case.

Within a few weeks of joining Rainbow Hearts, Q told us “I think things will be better from now on”. She looks forward to joining each week and has made some friends in the group. She has become more confident practising her English and uses her smartphone to watch English classes on YouTube at home. Q’s mental health has improved significantly and she feels optimistic about the future.

Rainbow Hearts (Migration funding– started 01/01/2024)

Overview: At the beginning of 2024, we received funding from Leeds City Council’s Migration Team to further the support we offer to women seeking asylum and newly granted refugees. Adding to the Rainbow Hearts offer, the project consists of a second weekly peer support group where women can socialise and participate in activities to

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improve their well-being. Women can practice their English, learn about other support services in Leeds and participate in physical activity, by joining our monthly walking group. There is also the opportunity for one-to-one support, especially for women in the 28-day move-on period. We support the women to feel settled in Leeds, by building their support networks and helping them feel more familiar with their city.

Women: 35

Children: 7

Group sessions: 11 Volunteers in the project: 1

Highlights: Within the first 3 months of the project, we supported 35 women. We set out to engage 100 women over a period of 18 months, therefore we are on track to meet this target. This is a mix of new referrals and women who formerly attended our Tuesday Rainbow Hearts group but had to stop coming due to other commitments (such as ESOL classes and therapy). Our monthly walking sessions have been particularly successful. We have visited various places and taken the bus together which has increased the women’s confidence in going to unfamiliar places and navigating the public transport system. We have received positive feedback about the benefits that walking has had on their health and wellbeing, particularly their mental health. Additionally, the women have discussed feeling safer walking as a group, due to fears of getting lost on their own.

Challenges: When the project started, we expected to accommodate 15 women at each group, however after the first few weeks, we decided to limit the numbers to 13 women plus 2 preschool children. Although the group room has a capacity of 20 people, this felt safer and more manageable. However, this has created a barrier for the women with preschool children. We have encouraged these women to attend our other Rainbow Hearts group if possible, due to it being a more suitable space to facilitate children. We are continuing to monitor the number of women with children who wish to attend the group and, if necessary, explore whether we need a creche. Unfortunately, we do not have room in the budget for a this and would need to source further funding. Looking to the future: We will be continuing our monthly walking group and hope to get the women more involved in planning where we go, by providing them with options to choose from. The Yorkshire Dales Millenium Trust have invited us out to explore Brimham Rocks in June and we are looking forward to taking the women somewhere further afield. We hope to secure additional funding to allow us to continue the group when the grant funding ends in June 2025.

Case Study: R is 47 years old and came to the UK from Iraq to seek asylum. She had only been in Leeds for two days when her housemate brought her to a Rainbow Hearts session. She spoke no English and did not know how to write her name on the group sign-in sheet. Our Project Worker spent time showing her how to write the letters in her name and getting her to practice from memory. R has been attending the group early to learn basic English.

R has also benefitted from attending our monthly walking sessions. We have been meeting the group in the city centre and taking the bus together to the location of the walk. We showed R how to use Google Maps to work out which bus to take and how to follow the journey, so she knows when to exit the bus. This has helped R to feel more confident going to unfamiliar places.

As R has no family or friends in the area, she has benefitted from the social aspect of the group and has made friends with other women who speak her language. She now accesses other services in the city such as Conversation Club and Meeting Point, and her support network has grown in a short period of time.

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Support for women with learning disabilities

Feel Good

Overview: Feel Good is a health and wellbeing course for women with learning disabilities and autism, funded by Leeds City Council. We cover topics on healthy relationships, looking after our bodies, being confident, and staying safe. We also invite speakers into the group to talk to the women about specific issues such as scams, safety, and domestic abuse. We aim to provide a safe space where women can learn about themselves and their bodies and ask questions without judgment. Numbers supported in 2023/24:

Women: 18

Group sessions: 35 Volunteers in the project: 2

External workers in the project: 1

Highlights: Alongside our usual sessions, this year the women participated in coproducing a leaflet about menopause with the NHS Health Facilitation Team. The group looked through the first draft of the leaflet and thought about what could be improved. The women suggested adding more information about Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and perimenopause as they were unsure what these things were. This is now being used in the community with the people they support.

Challenges: Feel Good has been delivered in partnership with People in Action (a Leeds based charity that supports learning-disabled and autistic people) for several years. They have managed the referrals and promotion of the course due to their reputation and expertise in this field. Unfortunately, due to changes to People in Action’s funding, our formal partnership ended in March 2024. Consequently, the group is undergoing changes, including moving venue. This has affected our budget for the next financial year due to added staffing and venue costs.

Looking to the future: Our focus for the next year is to promote the course more widely to increase referrals. We have been advertising the group in newsletters, speaking with local Learning Disability organisations, and attending relevant events and forum meetings. We know that there are women with learning disabilities in Leeds who would benefit from attending the group, so we hope this will spread the word and bring new women to the group.

Case Study: S was referred to Feel Good because she showed difficulty understanding boundaries in relationships. Consequently, she struggled with maintaining friendships and felt isolated. During a session on friendships, we played the ‘Traffic Light’ board game: an educational game to help adults with learning disabilities understand and manage relationships, identify risks, and avoid unsafe situations. The women took turns moving around the board and responding to scenarios about everyday life and social situations by displaying a green, amber, or red card based on whether they would 'go ahead', 'need time to think' or 'don't do it'. S benefitted from practicing her response to everyday situations from within the safety of the group environment. At the beginning, S was hesitant to answer and seemed unsure of how to respond. However, by listening to the other group members explain their choices, she was able to assess the risks involved and identify the appropriate action.

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Support for women with complex needs, mental health, and wellbeing needs

Being You Leeds

Overview: Being You Leeds (BYL) is funded by Leeds Public Health and launched on 1 July 2023. This service provides groups, activities, training, and awareness sessions for community wellbeing across Leeds. BYL is run by a partnership of third sector organisations. This partnership is made up of: Touchstone, Barca, Hamara, Health for All, Holbeck Together, LS14 Trust, Women’s Health Matters, Community Links and Humans Being.

BYL promotes positive wellbeing with people aged 16+ in Leeds in 3 ways:

Women’s Health Matters & BYL have delivered 3 women’s wellbeing groups this year: Women’s Make & Do group in Beeston, Women’s Walking Group (citywide) and Women’s Brunch Club in Lincoln Green. We have co-created and supported 2 semi-sufficient groups: Disco Tuesdays in Richmond Hill and Women’s Wellbeing Group in Beeston.

Numbers supported in 2023/24:

Women: 78

Group sessions: 106 1 to 1 sessions: 38 Light touch support: 57 Volunteers in the project: 3

External workers in the project: 3

Children supported in creche: 8

Highlights: The Women’s Make & Do group members engaged in new crafts and arts projects co-designed with group members and one volunteer. Some group members now meet regularly outside of the group for social engagements, and there is evidence of strengthening friendships & peer support within the group.

Some of the most popular Women’s Walks locations/activities were a city walk around Granary Wharf & Holbeck discovering local history & urban art such as the Dark Arches instillation & Tower Works, Primrose Valley with panoramic views of Leeds and wildlife and Middleton Park; an accessible walk including single mothers with babies, and mindfulness activities. Our project worker has collaborated with WHM project workers & partner organisations within the service and additionally - Opera North, Active Leeds Walk-it-Ride-it project, Shantona, and South Leeds Communities Team to co-create the programmes of activity & engagement.

Challenges: Our groups are at full capacity and community members are waiting to access the service. Engaging more volunteers would be helpful to increase capacity, however it can be challenging to engage new volunteers for out-of-hours sessions. The project budget does not allow for regular creche and so it is difficult for many women to access some of the sessions, especially those which are out-of-hours

The project allows for just 1 worker per group, and so this limits the amount of 1-1 support which can be offered – often which is high-demand.

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Looking to the future:

A new group Sister Songbirds is being launched and BYL project workers are cofacilitating sessions with RHEA Women’s Wellbeing Group, Walk it Ride it project team, and Leeds Discovery Centre

Case Study: The Women’s Walking Group started in August 2023 for BYL and includes group members from the former Your Space & WHM Women’s Walking Groups. The group focus is on exercise/fitness, outdoors & nature, mindfulness, social experience, discovery of new places and increasing confidence for women to access to green spaces. The sessions run in North, South, East and West Leeds and on main bus routes, in order for women to access the sessions who live in all locations of the city. 2 volunteers and 5 regular group members help informally and co-produce the programme. This year we have engaged women who have learning disabilities and Autism, physical disabilities, mental health issues, single mothers with young children, women seeking asylum and women who experience domestic violence.

Group members communicate via a shared WhatsApp group with 30 members, and the group members share photos, information and moments of connection and joy – both within and outside of group session times.

Many group members report that they have seen new places – including locations within their own neighbourhoods/postcodes which they may not feel safe to explore by themselves; the sessions offer an opportunity to travel further and experience healthy challenges. They report that their fitness has increased, and that they feel more confident in walking in diverse routes/terrains. Since there is a wide age range and cultural diversity of group members, and there is a great deal of sharing of local knowledge, history, culture, nature & wildlife, and support between group members - including women emotionally sharing and supporting one another around relationships, parenting and home life. 3 members have accessed Ramblers Walk Leader training though Active Leeds Walk it Ride it Project this quarter and plan to co-facilitate & coproduce future sessions. T said: I joined the walks in Jan 2024 and every other week it has given me something to look forward to. My mental health has improved greatly since starting the walks and I feel far more a part of society and my anxiety is much better. I've had a lot of bad weeks recently and once I get to the walk it's as if the outside world doesn't exist and I can just have 2 hours away from life's worries. The group is very inclusive and everyone is very friendly and makes you feel welcome.

Family Canvas and Art Therapy

Overview: Funded by The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, Family Canvas offers short-term Art Therapy to women and their children. Through art making, women and their children can explore themes such as family, memories, and hopes. The project also helps to build bonds between women and their children as the artmaking encourages sharing, turntaking, mutual reflection, and boundary setting. Sessions are delivered by an HCPC registered Art Psychotherapist. Art Therapy is offered to women who are already in service with Women's Health Matters. Sessions offer the opportunity to work creatively in an encouraging and non-judgemental environment, with a choice of materials at hand. Sessions are delivered by a trainee Art Psychotherapist. There is no one reason why women and children may be referred to Family Canvas, though we often support families where there have been periods of separation, experiences of domestic abuse, or childhood trauma.

Numbers supported in 2023/24: Women: 46 Children: 36 Sessions: 138

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Case Study: Our Art Therapist described her experience of the sessions as follows: “It has been such a joy to run these sessions. The issues we deal with in the art room can be really heavy; domestic abuse, children living apart from their parents, disconnected family relationships. These sessions give mums and kids a way to communicate their feelings without having to say them out loud, or head on. I have been able to gently offer some bridges in understanding and watch families leave sessions with a greater sense of togetherness. Also, it is lovely to see families have fun together, and surprise each other with how much fun they can have. At the minute, when everyone is struggling for money and time, that feels like a really positive thing”.

One mum, U , said “I’ve enjoyed spending some family-focused time together… I find it difficult to organise activities with the kids and this has helped me to feel like I have done something positive with them. My children were asked to pick words they felt had described their experience, and they picked “happy”, “excited”, “relaxed”, “perfect”, “freedom”, and “creative” among other positive reflections. My therapist has taken the time to get extended support for me in place for after our sessions have ended… she has gone above and beyond to try and help”.

Support across Women’s Health Matters and beyond

Digital Support and Inclusion

Overview: The Digital Support Project has been funded by the Good Things Foundation (April-August 2023), and by High Speed Training (September 2023 onwards). The Digital Support Project provides women access to digital devices such as Chromebooks, Mobile Phones, and Data to increase digital exclusion. Through High Speed Training Funding, the digital support project has also provided women access to online courses to increase online skills and employability. The project also has the capacity to provide one-to-one support for women with little to no IT literacy skills, increasing their confidence to use devices such as laptops. Numbers supported in 2023/24: Women: 45 1 to 1 sessions: 6

Highlights: An increase in numbers of women accessing digital support (almost double last year), being able to provide access to online courses for women, scope to provide additional one to one work with women to improve basic digital literacy.

Looking to the future: Since we have established a weekly digital drop-in, the uptake of support offered is increasing. Women can complete more courses and seek additional support with IT literacy skills. We are hoping to complete more work in WHM groups and will be offering more 1-1 work with women to improve digital literacy. Case Study: Quote from woman V accessing the project:

“I have really enjoyed the courses. I have ADHD and dyslexia and normally when I do courses like this, I find it really difficult to read the content so I have to speak to someone who passes me on to someone else to get the course made easier or have a ‘read aloud’ thing enabled, but this wasn’t like that. It was all already there and it made it so much easier. I really liked the amount of pictures that were included too, it broke it up a little bit and helped me to process the information. I find that doing these courses is much better than in college, it’s much more relaxed and less stressful. I can do it in my own time after my little boy has gone to bed, and I can take a break when I need to. Like with the Excel course I’m doing at the minute. I’m struggling to take in some of that information so I’ve decided to step away from it for a few days and I can come back to it once I’m ready and try again. There isn’t the pressure of deadlines and things like that that you get in college. I’m also a really anxious person and it makes me nervous

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meeting new people so I like that I can do it in the comfort of my own home and not have to be pushed into meeting new people when I don’t feel ready to do that.“

WHM Drop In

Overview: Our Women’s Health Matters Drop-in is funded through the Ministry of Justice / WYCA Bluebirds funding and The National Lottery Community Fund. It is a space for women who are currently in service or have accessed support at Women’s Health Matters. We offer women a social space to connect with others but also offer light-touch support and signposting to additional services. We also run a weekly digital drop and a monthly Legal drop-in, in partnership with Ramsden’s Solicitors. Women from all WHM projects can access legal advice on issues such as obtaining injunctions, care proceedings, and family and divorce law.

Numbers supported in 2023/24:

Women: 65

Group sessions: 39

Volunteers in the project: 1

Children supported in creche: 7

Looking to the future: Moving forwards, Drop-in will be funded by Jimbo’s Fund and changing its name to Cuppa & Conversation which will offer more of a holistic support service to our women. With this funding, we can provide women with various activities in the session such as pot planting, colour-scratching pictures, no-bake recipes, and other activities that the women will enjoy. Through the funding from Jimbo’s, we are now also able to offer women breakfast foods such as fruit, croissants, and pastries. Securing the new funding has allowed us to offer more which has increased the number of women attending our sessions.

Case Study: W is in her late twenties and is a single mum to her seven-month-old baby. W started to attend our Drop-in after accessing Growing Together. Following a period of social isolation, W wanted to join groups and meet new people. W now attends our social peer support sessions weekly and interacts with other women and workers in the session. W has accessed our product bank for herself and her baby and has been referred to our support services.

WHM Emergency Fund, Household Support Fund, and Product Bank

Overview: WHM have an Emergency Fund to support women in crisis. Emergency funding has been used to support women with, for example, purchasing food, paying bills, transport to and from appointments, moving from a violent home. The funding comes from WHM core funding. In addition, we secured funding from Leeds City Council’s Household Support Fund to provide food vouchers, energy costs, and a product bank of non-perishable food, clothing, footwear, toiletries, sanitary products, and nappies. 77% of women supported by WHM have accessed the product bank or accessed financial support from WHM.

WHM External training for professionals

Overview: WHM continues to deliver a full-day, in-person training course that has been co-produced and is co-delivered with victims-survivors of Domestic Violence and Abuse (DVA). The training is designed to share our knowledge built from years of specialist work in the field of DVA.

Numbers supported in 2023/24: Attendees: 31 Training sessions: 3

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Volunteers: 1

Feedback:

‘(Co-facilitator) was amazing and it’s so much more impactive to lived experience on training.’

‘Really powerful to hear the voice of service users.’

‘It’s brought a paper story that I read all the time to life and fights compassion fatigue.’

WHM Volunteering Programme, Student Placements, and External Workers

Overview: WHM hold the Volunteering Quality Kitemark. Our volunteers include those helping in groups and corporate volunteers offering strategy and operational support. We have also hosted five students on placements in Art Therapy, Nursing, Sexual Health, and Psychology and have welcomed 13 external workers who help with facilitation of our groups.

Numbers supported in 2023/24: Volunteers: 79 (including 5 student placements) External workers: 13

Women’s Lives Leeds – Empowering Systems Change

Overview: Empowering Systems Change is one of the projects run by the Women and Girls Alliance Leeds (funded by the National Lottery). It runs an advisory group made up of women who have used the twelve Alliance services, who meet every six to eight weeks to input into Alliance internal decision-making and external voice and influence projects.

Numbers supported in 2023/24:

Women: 13

Group sessions: 6

Highlights: Throughout the year there have been six in-person meetings with women from ten of the twelve organisations attending at least one meeting. Group members have supported the Alliance in identifying their priority areas of focus, have been consulted three times by the Women Friendly Leeds team on their activities, and contributed to wider projects across Leeds including the Women of the World Barn, and a consultation for a new women’s centre in Leeds.

Looking to the future: In 2024/2025 group meetings will continue, with meetings being held at a variety of Alliance venues, providing group members and CEOs the chance to meet. The group will inform the Alliance’s focus areas for their Violence Against Women and Girls strategy, be consulted on the Women Friendly Leeds team’s new campaigns, and support Alliance organisations with projects specific to their work.

Further information about any of our projects can be sought by requesting the specific reports for each programme.

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Women’s Health Matters

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31 March 2024

Financial review

WHM continued to raise sufficient funds to continue its main areas of activity. The inflationary increases required to maintain salaries, overheads, and running costs continued not to be met in full by some funders. We continued our strategy to secure the long-term future of our work by diversifying and securing multi-year income.

Our total income for the year was £752,364 (£813,032 in 2022/23, £528,678 in 2021/22; £506,388 in 2020/21; £489,480 in 2019/20; £442,484 in 2018/19 and £373,453 in 2017/18).

Our total expenditure was £717,354 (£655,528 in 2022/23, £526,306 in 2021/22; £442,478 in 2020/21; £491,524 in 2019/20; £399,792 in 2018/19 and £393,477 in 2017/18).

Reserves policy

Our Reserves policy was reviewed and approved in January 2024 as below: Women’s Health Matters believes that for the Board of Trustees to act prudently they must maintain a reserve of funds principally to allow for any unexpected or unforeseen events that cannot be met from current funds.

Reserve funds will be built up from two sources:

Reserves will be available for the following purposes:

The Trustees have agreed to a target level of Reserves of:

This policy and calculations are updated annually. Trustees monitor actual and forecast expenditure of reserves quarterly. Reserves are invested in a high interest account to maximise earnings. In making this policy the Trustees have taken into consideration the costings involved with a planned closure including staff redundancies.

At the end of the 2023/24 year, the level of reserves was £488,891 (2023: £453,881); £41,531 (2023: £194,774) in restricted income funds, £92,506 (2023: £80,679) in designated reserves, and £354,854 (2023: £178,428) in free reserves. This equates to 5.93 months of running costs (2023: 3.26 months).

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Women’s Health Matters

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Plans for the future

The Trustees’ plan for the charity’s services activity in 2024/25 remains focused on supporting vulnerable women, their families, and girls in and around Leeds through our Domestic Violence work, support for young women and girls at risk of violence and abuse, women whose children are at risk of or have been taken into care, women seeking asylum, women with learning disabilities, maternity and parenting, and women with complex and wellbeing needs. We will continue to support families through our work with woman and their children together. Each service has an agreed set of targets with funders. Our themes of effective service delivery, increasing our reputation and reach, and ensuring a robust and sustainable organisation remain integral to our plans. We continue to look for and develop partnerships and collaborative working with other organisations.

We will:

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Women’s Health Matters

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31 March 2024

Structure, governance, and management

Structure and governance

The organisation is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 13 July 1993, and registered as a charity on 22 August 1995.

The company was established under a memorandum of association that established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its articles of association.

The Articles of Association were reviewed and updated in October 2023. Only Directors (trustees) are Members of the charity and guarantee to contribute an amount not exceeding £1 to the assets of the charity in the event of winding up. The total number of such guarantees as of 31 March 2024 was 10.

The Trustees are members of the charity, but this entitles them only to voting rights. The Trustees have no beneficial interest in the charity.

All Trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no benefits from the charity. Any expenses reclaimed from the charity are set out in note 12 to the accounts.

Recruitment and appointment of Trustees

Board of Trustees members are recruited through advertising and via networking, interviewed independently by the Chair and Chief Executive and attend a Board meeting. The Board of Trustees approves any appointment. New trustees complete all relevant paperwork before joining. There is specific guidance when recruiting former service users as trustees.

Induction and training of Trustees

New Board of Trustees members complete a skills audit and receive a comprehensive induction session with the Chief Executive, as well as receiving good practice guidelines such as the Good Trustee Guide (NCVO) and additional Trustee guidance from the Charity Commission. Trustees are offered training in areas where there are gaps in skills e.g. governance and financial management. Trustees are also offered the support of a Buddy trustee.

Organisational direction

The Board of Trustees is responsible for the direction of the organisation and ensuring that effective plans supporting the achievement of the strategic direction are in place and being met. They review policy and are responsible for ensuring effective governance including the financial management of the organisation. The Chair of Trustees line manages the Chief Executive who has day-to-day operational management responsibility. The Board meets at least six times a year and aims to hold an Away Day for strategic planning and an Away Day with staff once a year. There is also a Finance committee attended by the Treasurer, the Chief Executive, Finance Manager, and another trustee.

Operational management

Rachel Kelly was appointed as Chief Executive in 2019. The Finance and Office Manager, Projects Manager, and the Operations Manager, along with Project Leads, support the Chief Executive in the day-to-day management of the organisation.

Related parties and relationships with other organisations

WHM retains good relationships with its funders and delivers multiple services in partnership with other agencies, under partnership agreements and service protocols. There is a breadth of referrals into services from statutory and charitable sector agencies. We are a partner of the Women and Girls Alliance Leeds, a partner in LDVS and LDVS Sanctuary Support, in Being You Leeds, and in the Breastfeeding Peer Support

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Women’s Health Matters

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31 March 2024

Service. In addition, we are active members of a range of Leeds strategic networks, including Women’s Lives Leeds Empowering Systems Change, Women Friendly Leeds, 3P Network, Leeds Domestic Abuse Voice and Accountability Forum, the Domestic Abuse & Violence Strategy Working Group, West Yorkshire Improving Women’s Lives, EVAWG (Ending Violence Against Women and Girls), Third Sector Safeguarding Group, Forum Central Networks (Mental Health and Third Sector Health and Care Leaders), Leeds Migration Partnership, and Young Lives Leeds, and also chair the Leeds Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership and, we are a member of NCVO. Our Chief Executive is a member of ACEVO and the national GSK Impact Awards Network and was the Third Sector representative on the Maternity population board for the NHS in Leeds in 2023/24.

Remuneration policy for key management personnel

When appointing a Chief Executive of WHM, the Trustees benchmark the salary with other similar positions within Leeds and surrounding areas. All senior and junior staff are appointed in line with similar positions within Leeds. Key management personnel receive the same annual cost of living increment as applied across all the staff.

Risk management

WHM has a risk register and management plan, which is reviewed at every board meeting. Organisational risks are assessed. Risks are categorised such as People, Operational, Financial, Governance, etc. and a scale of probability and impact and steps taken to mitigate are agreed and monitored with a RAG rating.

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Women’s Health Matters

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31 March 2024

Statement of responsibilities of the Trustees

The Trustees (who are also directors of Women’s Health Matters for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the trustees’ annual report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime of the Companies Act 2006.

The Trustees’ annual report has been approved by the Trustees on 26 September 2024 and signed on their behalf by:

Alison Cater Chair of Trustees

36

Independent examiner’s report

to the members of

Women’s Health Matters

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the company for the year ended 31 March 2024 which are set out on pages 38 to 64.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (‘the 2006 Act’).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your company’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner's statement

Since the company’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, 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:

  1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the company as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

  3. the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view’ which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or

  4. the accounts 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 accounts to be reached.

Jennifer Daniel FCCA Slade & Cooper Limited Beehive Mill, Jersey Street Manchester, M4 6JG

Date 11[th] October 2024

37

Women's Health Matters

Statement of Financial Activities (including Income and Expenditure account) for the year ended 31 March 2024

Unrestricted
funds
Note
£
Income from:
Donations and legacies
3
27,744
Charitable activities:
4
2,432
5
2,311
Investments
6
463
Total income
32,950
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
8
15,719
Charitable activities:
7
(160,718)
Total expenditure
(144,999)
10
177,949
Transfer between funds
10,304
Net movement in funds for the year
188,253
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward
259,107
Total funds carried forward
447,360
Other trading activities
Net income/(expenditure) for the
year		 Restricted
funds
£
100,000
619,414
-
-
719,414
424
861,929
862,353
(142,939)
(10,304)
(153,243)
194,774
41,531		 Total funds
2024
£
127,744
621,846
2,311
463
752,364
16,143
701,211
717,354
35,010
-
35,010
453,881
488,891		 Total funds
2023
£
157,221
650,337
5,097
377
813,032
10,772
644,756
655,528
157,504
-
157,504
296,377
453,881

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.

38

Women's Health Matters Company number 2835637

Balance sheet as at 31 March 2024

Note
£
£
Fixed assets
Tangible assets
15
3,560
Total fixed assets
3,560
Current assets
Debtors
16
34,435
Cash at bank and in hand
17
495,711
Total current assets
530,146
Liabilities
Creditors: amounts falling
due in less than one year
18
(44,815)
Net current assets
485,331
Total assets less current liabilities
488,891
Net assets
488,891
The funds of the charity:
Restricted income funds
20
41,531
Unrestricted income funds
21
447,360
Total charity funds
488,891
2024		 £
£
5,375
5,375
17,696
499,982
517,678
(69,172)
448,506
453,881
453,881
194,774
259,107
453,881
2023		 £
£
5,375
5,375
17,696
499,982
517,678
(69,172)
448,506
453,881
453,881
194,774
259,107
453,881
2023
5,375
448,506
453,881
453,881
194,774
259,107
453,881

For the year in question, the company was entitled to exemption from an audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Directors' responsibilities:

These accounts are prepared in accordance with the special provisions of part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies and in accordance with FRS102 SORP, and constitute the annual accounts required by the Companies Act 2006 and are for circulation to members of the company.

The notes on pages 41 to 64 form part of these accounts.

Approved by the trustees on 26th September 2024 and signed on their behalf by:

Alison Cater (Chair)

Amita Fearon (Treasurer)

39

Women's Health Matters

Statement of Cash Flows for the year ending 31 March 2024

Note
2024
£
Cash provided by/(used in) operating activities
23
(3,624)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Dividends, interest, and rents from investments
463
Purchase of tangible fixed assets
(1,110)
Cash provided by/(used in) investing activities
(647)
(4,271)
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year
499,982
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year
495,711
Increase/(decrease) in cash and cash
equivalents in the year		 2023
£
206,700
377
(1,728)
(1,351)
205,349
294,633
499,982

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Women's Health Matters

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024

1 Accounting policies

The principal accounting policies adopted, judgments and key sources of estimation uncertainty in the preparation of the financial statements are as follows:

a Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with 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), second edition - October 2019 (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006 and UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice.

Women's Health Matters meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note.

b Preparation of the accounts on a going concern basis

The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern. The trustees have made no key judgments which have a significant effect on the accounts.

The trustees do not consider that there are any sources of estimation uncertainty at the reporting date that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amount of assets and liabilities within the next reporting period.

c Income

Income is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the item(s) of income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.

Income from government and other grants, whether ‘capital’ grants or ‘revenue’ grants, is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred.

For legacies, entitlement is taken as the earlier of the date on which either: the charity is aware that probate has been granted, the estate has been finalised and notification has been made by the executor(s) to the charity that a distribution will be made, or when a distribution is received from the estate. Receipt of a legacy, in whole or in part, is only considered probable when the amount can be measured reliably and the charity has been notified of the executor’s intention to make a distribution. Where legacies have been notified to the charity, or the charity is aware of the granting of probate, and the criteria for income recognition have not been met, then the legacy is a treated as a contingent asset and disclosed if material.

Income received in advance of a provision of a specified service is deferred until the criteria for income recognition are met.

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Women's Health Matters

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

d Donated services and facilities

Donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised as income when the charity has control over the item, any conditions associated with the donated item have been met, the receipt of economic benefit from the use by the charity of the item is probable and that economic benefit can be measured reliably. In accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102), general volunteer time is not recognised; refer to the trustees’ annual report for more information about their contribution.

On receipt, donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the charity which is the amount the charity would have been willing to pay to obtain services or facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open market; a corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of receipt.

e Interest receivable

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the Bank.

f Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are available to spend on activities that further any purposes of the charity.

Designated funds are unrestricted funds of the charity which the trustees have decided at their discretion to set aside to use for a specific purpose.

Restricted funds are donations which the donor has specified are to be solely used for particular areas of the charity’s work or for specific projects being undertaken by the charity.

g Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified under the following activity

Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.

42

Women's Health Matters

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

h Allocation of support costs

Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the charity but do not directly undertake charitable activities. Support costs include back office costs, finance, personnel, payroll and governance costs which support the charity's programmes and activities. These costs have been allocated between cost of raising funds and expenditure on charitable activities. The bases on which support costs have been allocated are set out in note 9.

i Operating leases

Operating leases are leases in which the title to the assets, and the risks and rewards of ownership, remain with the lessor. Rental charges are charged on a straight line basis over the term of the lease.

j Tangible fixed assets

Individual fixed assets costing £500 or more are capitalised at cost and are depreciated over their estimated useful economic lives on a straight line basis as follows:

Furniture & equipment

4 years

k Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

l Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

m Creditors and provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.

n Financial instruments

The charity only has financial assets and financial 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 with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

43

Women's Health Matters

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

o Pensions

Employees of the charity are entitled to join a defined contribution ‘money purchase’ scheme. The charity’s contribution is restricted to the contributions disclosed in note 10. There were no outstanding contributions at the year end.

The money purchase plan is with The People's Pension managed by B&CE Holdings Ltd plc and the plan invests the contributions made by the employee and employer in an investment fund to build up over the term of the plan a pension fund which is then converted into a pension upon the employee’s normal retirement year age when eligible for a state pension. The total expense ratio of the plan is 1% and this is deducted from the investment fund annually. The trust has no liability beyond making its contributions and paying across the deductions for the employee’s contributions.

2 Legal status of the charity

The charity is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales and has no share capital. In the event of the charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the charity. The registered office address is disclosed on page 1.

3 Income from donations and legacies

Current reporting period
Donations
Core funding
The Henry Smith Charity
Postcode Neighbourhood Trust
The Edward Gostling Foundation
The Brook Trust
Sir George Martin Trust
Lloyds Bank Foundation
Other grants < £5k
Total		 Unrestricted
£
2,744
-
-
-
-
-
25,000
-		 Restricted
£
500
40,000
25,000
25,000
5,000
-
-
4,500		 Total 2024
£
3,244
40,000
25,000
25,000
5,000
-
25,000
4,500
27,744 100,000 127,744

44

Women's Health Matters

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

Previous reporting period
Donations
Core funding
The Henry Smith Charity
Trusthouse Charitable Foundation
The Edward Gostling Foundation
Garfield Weston Foundation
Sir George Martin Trust
Lloyds Bank Foundation
Other grants < £5k
Total		 Unrestricted
£
13,073
-
-
-
-
3,500
25,000
648		 Restricted
£
-
40,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
-
-
-		 Total 2023
£
13,073
40,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
3,500
25,000
648
42,221 115,000 157,221

45

Women's Health Matters

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

4 Income from charitable activities

Current reporting period
Women's Health Matters
Other
Domestic Violence
Breathe Free - National Lottery Community Fund
Drop in Group - National Lottery Community Fund
LDVS - Leeds City Council Public Health
LDVS Access - Leeds City Council Public Health
LDVS - DHLUC Funding
LDVS - Sanctuary Support - Pregnancy post
LDVS - Sanctuary Support - Disability post
Women's Lives Leeds
WLL ESC post via LWA
Voices - Comic Relief
Other projects
Breastfeeding Peer Support via Health for All
Being You Leeds - Touchstone
Rainbow Hearts - Leeds City Council Migration Team
Pilgrim Trust
Rosebuds - The Charles Plater Trust
The Key Change - Children In Need
Inside Out - Albert Gubay Trust
Family Canvas - D'Oyle Carte
Growing Together - Leeds Community Foundation
Digital Inclusion - Good Things Foundation
Digital Inclusion - High Speed Training
Household Support Fund - Forum Central
Your Space via Touchstone
Total
Rainbow Hearts & Feel Good - Leeds City Council Public
Health
West Yorkshire Combined Authority - Local Victim
Services
Bluebirds- Ministry of Justice via West Yorkshire
Combined Authority
Maternity Voices Partnership - NHS West Yorkshire ICB
and WY&H Local Maternity & Neonatal System
Maternity voices partnership - Leeds Teaching Hospital
Trust		 Unrestricted
£
400
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2,032		 Restricted
£
-
-
48,709
99,208
14,812
19,863
8,000
61,516
34,593
37,778
22,355
-
8,516
31,057
18,608
11,646
63,926
17,359
(5,000)
25,000
32,529
22,500
6,000
10,000
2,000
7,000
13,000
8,439		 Total 2024
£
400
-
48,709
99,208
14,812
19,863
8,000
61,516
34,593
37,778
22,355
-
8,516
31,057
18,608
11,646
63,926
17,359
(5,000)
25,000
32,529
22,500
6,000
10,000
2,000
7,000
13,000
10,471
2,432 619,414 621,846

46

Women's Health Matters

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

Income from charitable activities continued

Previous reporting period
Women's Health Matters
Other
Domestic Violence
Breathe Free - National Lottery Community Fund
LDVS - Leeds City Council Public Health
LDVS Access - Leeds City Council Public Health
LDVS - DHLUC Funding
LDVS - Sanctuary Support - Pregnancy post
LDVS - Sanctuary Support - Disability post
Women's Lives Leeds
WLL ESC post via LWA
Voices - Comic Relief
Other projects
Breastfeeding Peer Support via Health for All
Maternity Voices Partnership - NHS West Yorkshire ICB
Rosebuds - Jimbo's Fund
The Key Change - Children In Need
Rainbow Hearts - Evan Cornish Foundation
Inside Out - Charles Hayward Foundation
Growing Together - Awards for All
Growing Together - Leeds Community Foundation
Jubilee fund - Leeds Community Foundation
Digital Inclusion - Good Things Foundation
Energise & Empower - Yorkshire Sport Foundation
Household Support Fund - Forum Central
Your Space via Touchstone
Total
West Yorkshire Combined Authority - Local Victim
Services
Bluebirds - West Yorkshire Combined Authority -
Mayor's Safer Communities
Breathe Free Impact Activities - University of
Birmingham
Rainbow Hearts & Feel Good - Leeds City Council Public
Health
Pregnancy Choices Advocacy Service - NHS West
Yorkshire ICB		 Unrestricted
£
15,773		 Restricted
£
-		 Total 2023
£
15,773
15,773
-
-
-
2,000
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
18,280
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
544		 -
50,784
5,936
98,371
-
19,863
8,000
87,820
21,277
21,277
18,072
1,700
8,516
2,000
57,747
56,000
9,219
31,961
10,000
25,000
9,998
10,000
10,000
2,000
9,454
4,991
33,754		 15,773
50,784
5,936
98,371
2,000
19,863
8,000
87,820
21,277
21,277
18,072
1,700
8,516
20,280
57,747
56,000
9,219
31,961
10,000
25,000
9,998
10,000
10,000
2,000
9,454
4,991
34,298
20,824 613,740 634,564
36,597 613,740 650,337

47

Women's Health Matters

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

5
Income from other trading activities
Fees, Charges and other income
All income from other trading activities is unrestricted.
6
Investment income
Current reporting period
Income from bank deposits
Previous reporting period
Income from bank deposits		 2024
£
2,311		 2023
£
5,097		 2024
£
463
2,311 5,097
Unrestricted
£
463		 Restricted
£
-
463 - 463
Unrestricted
£
377		 Restricted
£
-		 2023
£
377
377 - 377

48

Women's Health Matters

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

7 Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities

Core
Women's Health Matters
Domestic Violence
The Key Change
Women's Lives Leeds
Other projects
Total		 Staff
costs
£
13,119
(3,448)
256,593
27,764
23,786
235,087
552,901
-		 Admin
costs
£
24,381
(3,536)
-
-
-
70
20,915		 Premises
£
31,590
-
-
-
-
-
31,590		 £
-
2,925
-
-
-
-
2,925
Depreciation		 Other
project
costs
£
£
(83,303)
3,024
(49,098)
-
110,531
-
5,161
-
2,895
-
103,670
-
89,856
3,024
Restricted expenditure
Unrestricted expenditure
Governance
costs
(see note 9)		 Total
2024
£
(11,189)
(53,157)
367,124
32,925
26,681
338,827
701,211
861,929
(160,718)
701,211

49

Women's Health Matters

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities continued

Previous reporting period

Core
Women's Health Matters
Domestic Violence
Snowdrops
The Key Change
Women's Lives Leeds
Other projects
Total		 Staff
costs
£
85,877
(86)
205,866
19,812
26,427
16,600
159,937
514,433		 Admin
costs
£
(13,362)
(1,028)
15,741
461
1,231
445
13,121
16,609		 Premises
£
(4,636)
-
18,859
318
3,460
622
18,806
37,429		 £
-
2,647
-
-
-
-
-
2,647
Depreciation		 Other
project
costs
£
£
(2,321)
(257)
(11,477)
1,080
47,530
764
647
460
836
-
585
-
35,260
531
71,060
2,578
Restricted expenditure
Unrestricted expenditure
Governance
costs
(see note 9)		 Total
2023
£
65,301
(8,864)
288,760
21,698
31,954
18,252
227,655
644,756
648,156
(3,400)
644,756

50

Women's Health Matters

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

8 Cost of raising funds

2024
£
Staff costs
-
Fundraiser's fees
16,143
16,143
Restricted expenditure
424
Unrestricted expenditure
15,719
16,143
Analysis of governance and support costs
Current reporting period
Basis of
Support
apportionment
£
Independent examiner fees
Governance
-
Board costs
Governance
-
-
Previous reporting period
Basis of
Support
apportionment
£
Independent examiner fees
Governance
-
Board costs
Governance
-
-		 2024
£
-
16,143		 2023
£
-
10,772		 Total 2024
£
3,024
-
16,143 10,772
-
10,772
16,143 10,772
Governance
£
3,024
-
- 3,024 3,024
Governance
£
2,578
-		 Total 2023
£
2,578
-
- 2,578 2,578

51

Women's Health Matters

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

10 Net income/(expenditure) for the year

This is stated after charging/(crediting):

This is stated after charging/(crediting): 2024 2023
£ £
Depreciation 2,925 2,647
Independent examiner's fee - accountancy 2,304 1,978
Independent examiner's fee 720 600

11 Staff costs

Staff costs during the year were as follows:

costs during the year were as follows:
Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Pension costs
Consultancy & HR fees
Recruitment & staff expenses
Volunteers' expenses and training
Holiday pay accrual		 2024
£
476,461
43,182
18,921
3,484
13,554
247
(2,948)		 2023
£
447,290
36,247
14,599
5,943
8,386
1,053
915
552,901 514,433

No employees has employee benefits in excess of £60,000 (2023: Nil).

The average number of staff employed during the period was 20 (2023: 18). The average full time equivalent number of staff employed during the period was 16.2 (2023: 13.2).

The key management personnel of the charity comprise the trustees and the Chief Executive Officer and the Finance and Office Manager. The total employee benefits of the key management personnel of the charity were £95,886 (2023: £93,289 (figure amended to include employer national insurance and pension contributions)).

52

Women's Health Matters

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

12 Trustee remuneration and expenses, and related party transactions

No (2023: Zero ) trustees, were paid paid in the year (2023: £Nil).

No (2023:Zero) member of the management committee received travel and subsistence expenses during the year (2023:£nil).

Aggregate donations from related parties were £Nil (2023: £Nil).

There are no donations from related parties which are outside the normal course of business and no restricted donations from related parties.

No trustee or other person related to the charity had any personal interest in any contract or transaction entered into by the charity, including guarantees, during the year (2023: nil).

13 Government grants

The government grants recognised in the accounts were as follows:

Leeds City Council
NHS West Yorkshire ICB
Ministry of Justice via WYCA - Safer Communities
West Yorkshire Combined Authority - Ministry of
Justice		 2024
£
91,789
20,608
48,709
-		 2023
£
85,610
20,280
50,784
(44,848)
161,106 111,826

There are no unfulfilled conditions and contingencies attaching to the grants.

14 Corporation tax

The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within Chapter 3 of Part 11 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 or Section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects. No tax charges have arisen in the charity.

53

Women's Health Matters

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

15 Fixed assets: tangible assets

Cost
Additions
Disposals
Depreciation
Charge for the year
Disposals
Net book value
16
Debtors
Grants receivable
Trade debtors
Other debtors
Prepayments and accrued income
At 1 April 2023
At 31 March 2024
At 1 April 2023
At 31 March 2024
At 31 March 2024
At 31 March 2023		 Furniture &
equipment
£
14,202
1,110
-		 £
14,202
1,110
-
Total
15,312 15,312
8,827
2,925
-		 8,827
2,925
-
11,752 11,752
3,560 3,560
5,375 5,375
2024
£
24,805
930
3,556
5,144		 2023
£
10,355
2,749
2,569
2,023
34,435 17,696

54

Women's Health Matters

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

17 Cash at bank and in hand

Short term deposits
Cash at bank and on hand
18
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Trade creditors
Short term compensated absences (holiday pay)
Other creditors and accruals
Deferred income
Taxation and social security costs
19
Deferred income
Deferred grant brought forward
Grant received
Released to income from charitable activities
Deferred grant carried forward		 2024
£
70,000
425,711		 2023
£
70,000
429,982
495,711 499,982
2024
£
3,804
3,011
9,928
18,646
9,426		 2023
£
6,435
5,959
6,992
29,292
20,494
44,815 69,172
2024
£
29,292
7,000
(17,646)		 2023
£
-
29,292
-
18,646 29,292

Deferred income received in advance of the period to which it relates

55

Women's Health Matters

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

20 Analysis of movements in restricted funds

Current reporting period Balance Balance at
at 1 April 31 March
2023 Income Expenditure Transfers 2024
£ £ £ £ £
Core
The Henry Smith Charity - 40,000 (40,000) - -
Garfield Weston Foundation 30,000 - (29,000) (1,000) -
Postcode Neighbourhood Trust - 25,000 (25,000) - -
Trusthouse Charitable Foundation
6,844 - (6,844) - -
The Brook Trust - 5,000 - - 5,000
The Leigh Trust - 1,000 (1,000) - -
The Seedlings Foundation - 1,500 (1,500) - -
The Edward Gostling Foundation 22,771 25,000 (25,000) (22,771) -
Souter Trust - 2,000 (2,000) - -
Other 24 - - - 24
Women's Health Matters
Small grants - - - - -
Domestic Violence
Bluebirds - Ministry of Justice via
West Yorkshire Combined Authority
- 48,709 (48,709) - -
LDVS (includes Access and DLUHC)
37,210 89,379 (131,213) 4,624 -
LDVS - Sanctuary Support -
Disability post 4,323 37,778 (42,101) - -
LDVS - Sanctuary Support -
Pregnancy post 5,300 34,593 (39,893) - -
Breathe Free - National Lottery
Community Fund 4,000 99,208 (105,208) 2,000 -
Drop In - National Lottery
Community Fund - 14,812 (14,812) -
Women's Lives Leeds
WLL ESC post via LWA 3,417 22,355 (24,481) - 1,291
Voices - Comic Relief 1,700 - (1,700) - -
Other projects
Family Canvas - D'Oyle carte - 6,000 (6,000) - -
Inside Out - Albert Gubay Trust - 22,500 (22,580) - (80)
The Pilgrim Trust - (5,000) - 5,000 -
Rosebuds - Jimbo's 7,663 - (7,663) - -
Being You Leeds - Touchstone - 31,057 (31,057) - -
Maternity Voices Partnership - NHS
West Yorkshire ICB and WY&H Local
Maternity & Neonatal System 2,000 18,608 (20,608) - -
Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust - 11,646 (11,407) 239
Rainbow Hearts & Feel Good -
Leeds City Council Public Health - 63,926 (63,926) - -
Rainbow Hearts - Leeds City Council
Migration Team - 17,359 (5,180) 12,179
Rosebuds - The Charles Plater Trust
- 25,000 (13,271) 11,729
Rosebuds - Duncan Norman Trust
- 500 - - 500
Your Space via Touchstone (1,520) 8,439 (10,769) 3,850 -

Analysis of movements in restricted funds continues on following page

56

Women's Health Matters

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

Analysis of movements in restricted funds continued

Other
Total
The Key Change - Children In Need
Rainbow Hearts - Evan Cornish
Foundation
Breastfeeding Peer Support via
Health for All
Pregnancy Choices Advocacy
Service - NHS West Yorkshire ICB
Household Support Fund - Forum
Central
Digital Inclusion - Good Things
Foundation
Energise & Empower - Yorkshire
Sport Foundation
Growing Together - Awards for All
Growing Together - Leeds
Community Foundation
Digital Inclusion - High Speed
Training		 912
10,000
-
9,998
6,260
-
34,133
597
7,651
-
1,491
194,774		 32,529
-
8,516
-
10,000
7,000
-
2,000
-
13,000
-
719,414		 (32,925)
(10,000)
(8,516)
(9,998)
(9,667)
(2,944)
(34,133)
(2,597)
(7,651)
(13,000)
-		 (516)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
(1,491)		 -
-
-
-
6,593
4,056
-
-
-
-
-
(862,353) (10,304) 41,531

57

Women's Health Matters

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

Analysis of movements in restricted funds continued

Previous reporting period Balance Balance at
at 1 April 31 March
2022 Income Expenditure Transfers 2023
£ £ £ £ £
Core
The Henry Smith Charity - 40,000 (40,000) - -
Garfield Weston Foundation - 30,000 - - 30,000
The Brelms Trust CIO (4,649) - - 4,649 -
Trusthouse Charitable Foundation 24,082 20,000 (37,238) - 6,844
The Noel Buxton Trust 7,539 - (7,539) - -
The Leigh Trust 914 - (331) (583) -
Kelly Family Charitable Trust 490 - - (490) -
The Edward Gostling Foundation - 25,000 (2,229) - 22,771
Other 24 - - - 24
Women's Health Matters
Small grants 40 - - (40) -
Domestic Violence
Bluebirds - West Yorkshire
Combined Authority - Mayor's Safer
Communities - 5,936 (5,936) - -
West Yorkshire Combined Authority
- Local Victim Services - 50,784 (40,294) (10,490) -
LDVS (includes Access and DLUHC) (4,624) 115,683 (73,849) 37,210
The Brelms Trust CIO (354) - - 354 -
LDVS - Sanctuary Support -
Disability post 8,153 21,277 (25,107) - 4,323
LDVS - Sanctuary Support -
Pregnancy post 8,326 21,277 (24,303) - 5,300
Breathe Free - National Lottery
Community Fund 14,886 98,371 (108,782) (475) 4,000
WOW
Leeds City Council 1,336 - - (1,336) -
Covid 19
Leeds City Council 5,590 - - (5,590) -
SNOWDROPS
Awards For All 5,264 - (5,264) - -
Postcode Neighbourhood Trust 16,432 - (16,432) - -
The Edward Gostling Foundation 6 - - (6) -
Women's Lives Leeds
Big Lottery Fund (17) - - 17 -
WLL ESC post via LWA 790 18,072 (15,445) - 3,417
Voices - Comic Relief - 1,700 - - 1,700
Other projects
Rosebuds - The Leeds Fund 684 - - (684) -
Inside Out - Charles Hayward
Foundation 1,203 25,000 (26,149) (54) -
Rosebuds - Labyrinth 2,406 9,219 (11,578) (47) -
Rosebuds - Jimbo's 19,650 - (11,987) - 7,663
Sunflowers - Lloyds Bank
Foundation 11,791 - (11,475) (316) -
Maternity Voices Partnership - NHS
West Yorkshire ICB 3,694 2,000 (3,694) - 2,000

Analysis of movements in restricted funds for previous reporting period continues on following page

58

Women's Health Matters

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

Analysis of movements in restricted funds for previous reporting period continued

Your Space via Touchstone
Growing Together - Awards for All
Other
Total
Rainbow Hearts & Feel Good -
Leeds City Council Public Health
The Key Change - Children In Need
Rainbow Hearts - Evan Cornish
Foundation
Breastfeeding Peer Support via
Health for All
Growing Together - Leeds
Community Foundation
Jubilee fund - Leeds Community
Foundation
Pregnancy Choices Advocacy
Service - NHS West Yorkshire ICB
Digital Inclusion - Good Things
Foundation
Energise & Empower - Yorkshire
Sport Foundation
Household Support Fund - Forum
Central		 4,409
(759)
905
5,000
48
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,491
134,750		 57,747
33,754
31,961
10,000
8,516
9,998
10,000
10,000
56,000
2,000
9,454
4,991
-
728,740		 (56,687)
(34,515)
(31,954)
(5,000)
(8,564)
-
(3,740)
(10,000)
(21,867)
(1,403)
(1,803)
(4,991)
-		 (5,469)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-		 -
(1,520)
912
10,000
-
9,998
6,260
-
34,133
597
7,651
-
1,491
(648,156) (20,560) 194,774

59

Women's Health Matters

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

Name of
restricted fund Description, nature and purposes of the fund
Core This funds the administration and management of the charity as
a whole.
Women's Health Matters
Domestic Violence
Bluebirds Bluebirds offers three groups (one online, one in-person, and
one for girls) and one-to-one support to aid in trauma recovery.
LDVS Domestic Abuse Education and Support Groups, funded by
Leeds City Council Public Health and DLUHC New Burden
Funding.
LDVS Sanctuary Support The Sanctuary Support Scheme aims to provide ongoing
support, safety planning of domestic abuse for recipients of
sanctuary measures.
Breathe Free Breathe Free is a 24-week course for women (those who identify
as women, aged 16+) living in Leeds who have experienced
domestic abuse and complex trauma.
Women's Lives Leeds Women's Lives Leeds funding to reimbure expenditure of
hosting a Project Worker and for engagement activities.
Other projects
Rosebuds - Charles Plater and Group work supporting women whose children are being looked
Duncan Norman after by someone else.
Inside Out - Albert Gubay Trust A parenting course for women whose children are being looked
after by somebody else, such as through adoption or a kinship
order.
Rainbow Hearts - Weekly emotional support group for women seeking asylum.
Feel Good - Weekly healthy relationships group for women with learning
Leeds City Council Public Health disabilities.
Rainbow Hearts - Leeds City Weekly emotional support group for women seeking asylum.
Council Migration Team
Maternity Voices Partnership - A forum bringing together health professionals and women who
NHS West Yorkshire ICB and access maternity services.
WY&H Local Maternity &
Neonatal System
Your Space via Touchstone Hosting of a Community Wellbeing Worker.
The Key Change - Children In Project to provide early intervention work around domestic
Need violence and child sexual exploitation.
Breastfeeding Peer Support via Breastfeeding peer support trains experienced mums to peer
Health for All support through social media, face to face and on the
telephone. Also provides advice and support from specialist,
trained advisors.

Pregnancy Choices Advocacy Service - NHS West Yorkshire ICB

The Pregnancy Choices Advocacy Service offers impartial information on midwifery and termination options and 1-1 support.

60

Women's Health Matters

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

Growing Together - Leeds Growing Together is a project to provide in-depth whole family Community Foundation, Awards support for children and their mums, working with each for All individual family according to their needs. Digital Inclusion - Good Things Support and families engaged in WHM programmes with an IT Foundation, High Speed lending library, access to online learning modules and 1-1 Training support to enhance digital skills. Household Support Fund - Funding enabling WHM to financially support women affected Forum Central by cost of living crisis engage in our services with practical Other projects Donations to specified projects or groups. Transfers Transfers from unrestricted funds to cover overspends. Transfers out are in respect of support given to projects from unrestricted funds in previous periods.

61

Women's Health Matters

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

21 Analysis of movement in unrestricted funds

Training
General fund
Name of
unrestricted fund
General fund
Redundancy and notice period
liability
Redundancy and notice period
liability
Designated funds
Previous reporting period
Training
General fund
Designated funds
Training
Current reporting period
Designated funds		 Balance
at 1 April
2023
Income
Expenditure
Transfers
As at 31
March 2024
£
£
£
£
£
178,428
31,540
145,456
(2,743)
352,681
79,459
-
-
13,047
92,506
1,220
1,410
(457)
-
2,173
259,107
32,950
144,999
10,304
447,360
Balance
at 1 April
2022
Income
Transfers
Balance at
31 March
2023
£
£
£
£
£
82,168
84,292
(7,372)
19,340
178,428
79,459
-
-
-
79,459
-
-
-
1,220
1,220
161,627
84,292
(7,372)
20,560
259,107
Description, nature and purposes of the fund
The free reserves after allowing for all designated funds.
This is a fund that ringfences net income from training in order
Expenditure
Funds designated by the management committee for the
support and development of existing work.		 Expenditure
£
145,456
-
(457)		 Transfers
£
(2,743)
13,047
-		 As at 31
March 2024
£
352,681
92,506
2,173
144,999 10,304 447,360
£
(7,372)
-
-
Expenditure		 Transfers
£
19,340
-
1,220		 Balance at
31 March
2023
£
178,428
79,459
1,220
(7,372) 20,560 259,107

This is a fund that ringfences net income from training in order that it can applied to this service.

62

Women's Health Matters

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

22 Analysis of net assets between funds

Current reporting period
Tangible fixed assets
Net current assets/(liabilities)
Total
Previous reporting period
Tangible fixed assets
Net current assets/(liabilities)
Total		 General
fund
£
3,560
349,121
352,681
General
fund
£
5,375
174,273
179,648		 Designated
funds
£
-
94,679		 Restricted
funds
£
-
41,531		 Total
£
3,560
485,331
94,679 41,531 488,891
Designated
funds
£
-
79,459		 Restricted
funds
£
-
194,774		 Total
£
5,375
448,506
80,679 194,774 453,881

23 Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net cash flow from operating activities

Net income/(expenditure) for the year
Adjustments for:
Depreciation charge
Dividends, interest and rents from investments
Decrease/(increase) in debtors
Increase/(decrease) in creditors
Net cash provided by/(used in) operating		 2024
£
35,010
2,925
(463)
(16,739)
(24,357)		 2023
£
157,504
2,647
(377)
(9,026)
55,952
(3,624) 206,700

63

Women's Health Matters

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

24
Prior year Statement of Financial Activities (including Income		 24
Prior year Statement of Financial Activities (including Income		 24
Prior year Statement of Financial Activities (including Income		 and Expenditure account) and Expenditure account)
Unrestricted Restricted Total funds Total funds
funds funds 2023 2022
Note £ £ £ £
Income from:
Donations and legacies 42,221 115,000 157,221 80,010
Charitable activities:
36,597 613,740 650,337 440,812
Other trading activities 5,097 - 5,097 7,591
Investments 377 - 377 265
Total income 84,292 728,740 813,032 528,678
Expenditure on:
Raising funds 10,772 - 10,772 13,380
Charitable activities:
(3,400) 648,156 644,756 512,926
Total expenditure 7,372 648,156 655,528 526,306
Net income/(expenditure) for the
year 76,920 80,584 157,504 2,372
Transfer between funds 20,560 (20,560) - -
Net movement in funds for the year 97,480 60,024 157,504 2,372
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward 161,627 134,750 296,377 294,005
Total funds carried forward 259,107 194,774 453,881 296,377

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.

64