Mid Surrey Dementia Care Trust Charity No 1051814
What we do
The Trust was set up by deed dated 13 December 1995 for general charitable purposes, with particular reference to those who need care as a result of living with dementia. The Trust owns and maintains a conservatory where it runs a small social club for people in the early and middle stages of dementia; the club’s location in the conservatory has given rise to its name: The Conservatory Club.
The Club operates five days a week and is open from 10am to 3pm each weekday, with capacity for up to eight members to attend daily. A senior club manager runs the Club from Monday to Thursday with a second club manager running it on Friday; each club manager is assisted daily by a volunteer.
Potential members initially attend a free trial day to allow an assessment of whether the club is appropriate for their needs and, if so, further assessment takes place over the following month before membership is mutually agreed and confirmed.
The conservatory is adjacent to the Fairfield Centre in Leatherhead, a social centre for the over-60s run by Mole Valley District Council (MVDC). Conservatory Club members and staff are also members of the Fairfield Centre in order to access its catering and other facilities while enjoying their own discrete club room in the conservatory.
Membership this year has been high with 88% of available places booked and attendance levels at 91% of the booked places. Daily activities include arts, crafts, games, quizzes, music and general conversation and reminiscence to help members maintain their mental and physical activity, communication skills and interest in life. On occasion, and when appropriate to their needs, members also join in with the Centre’s classes and social events. As funds allow, members are also taken on outings such as lunches out, walks around the town and visits to local garden centres.
An important aspect of the club is that it provides carers with a 5-hour period of respite from the unremitting task of caring. This respite helps many to continue caring for their loved one at home for longer than might otherwise have been possible, often to the end of life.
Management
The trustees manage the affairs of the Trust as a management team through bimonthly meetings, regular communication and personal contact.
Our Fundraising Trustee and our Treasurer retired in June 2023 and August 2023 respectively and we were fortunate to recruit two new trustees in April and May followed by the appointment of a new Treasurer in early July bringing the Board of
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Trustees to six: a new Deed of Appointment and Retirement was completed in
November.
Staff, Trustees and Club volunteers are all DBS checked and subscribed to the DBS update service which enables us to monitor all DBS checks on an annual basis.
Both GDPR and Safeguarding policies and associated required procedures are in place.
Finances
Our bank balances have remained healthy due to the level of membership referenced earlier, and also donations received during the year. We have been able to run the day-to-day operation of the Trust without needing to draw on our reserve funds.
We have been fortunate to receive donations from the Ernest Hecht Foundation, Age Sentinel Trust, the Royal British Nurses Association, The Girdlers and Liveries Company, from personal supporters and also the families of past members through /n Memoriam donations. Plus, many local organizations have nominated us to receive donations from their own fundraising events: Leatherhead Horticultural Society, Ashtead WI, Liberham Lodge Care Home and Ashtead Walking Group.
Our Building
There are two areas where water leaks into the conservatory during very heavy rainfall and we repair them as best we can but neither leak results in damage that might cause us to close the Club on any given day. Given the potential relocation to alternative premises described later in this report, the trustees have taken the decision to not carry out expensive work on the conservatory to address the leaks more permanently.
The term of our 20-year lease with MVDC for the courtyard area that our conservatory stands upon expired on 10* January 2024 and discussions with the Council began in June 2023 with a view to renewing it. MVDC made clear that a new lease would be granted but that it would have to be for a much shorter term due to major redevelopment planned for Leatherhead town centre. The extent of the redevelopment works will require the Trust to vacate the conservatory on safety grounds, most likely in May 2026.
Risks
DAY-TO-DAY RISKS
The most significant risks on a day-to-day basis are injury to and security of members, and fire. Staffing the Club also presents a significant risk as described below.
- e There is always a risk of injury to our members, some of whom are unsteady on their feet or have failing eyesight, and to volunteers and staff. Members must be able to walk unaided for at least a short distance. An on-going dialogue is maintained with each carer about a member’s state of health and behaviour. We require carers to make a signed commitment that they will inform us of any changes in a member’s behaviour. We also require a carer’s signed authority that 2
we may administer medicine, which must be provided in a container with the correct dosage along with details of potential side-effects.
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e Confidential records and photographs are kept of all members as a check for changes or trends that may indicate a need for action. In the event of accident or injury, the Fairfield Centre Manager, or deputy, is the responsible First Aid Officer and they are based within easy reach of the conservatory. We hold records of the medication that a member is taking so that this information can be supplied, should a doctor or paramedic have to be called upon.
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e All who are in regular contact with members are DBS checked.
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e Risk of fire is low and the conservatory opens onto a large brick courtyard through doors that give easy access to it.
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e Funding security: Members pay a daily fee of £23 and membership at this year’s level has enabled us to cover our running costs. As mentioned earlier, donations have been used to fund members’ outings and special events at the Fairfield Centre and we have closed the year with a healthy balance and been able to maintain our reserve fund. We will consider increasing our daily rate should costs rise to the extent that we find our reserve fund being significantly depleted by regular calls upon it to cover our running costs.
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e Shortage of members: Although this is currently not a problem, we are mindful that this can change throughout the year. Low membership levels would result in a loss of income, which could mean that we are unable to operate the club ona daily basis but at the close of the year we had a waiting list for places. However, please see comments under Costs Risk below.
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e Staffing issues: our vulnerability in this area was made clear when our senior club manager was absent for a month due to a health issue that persists despite her return to work. Stand-in managers were appointed during her absence and, with the help of our volunteers and the trustees filling in where necessary, we kept the Club open but this did emphasize our vulnerability in respect of both paid staff and volunteers. During the coming year the trustees will be considering options to strengthen our base of paid staff.
The club cannot operate on any day without a volunteer in place to assist the club manager and although we have been fortunate to have four volunteers in place covering Monday to Thursday, unfortunately, during 2023/24 we have not been able to recruit a volunteer to work on a Friday. Consequently, during the past year, the trustees have been operating a rota to cover the Friday role but the trustees were all put under extra pressure when the Manager’s health issue arose in autumn 2023.
Ideally, we would like to build up a bank of volunteers available to assist at the
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club and we are always trying to think up new ways of attracting them including our registration with Central Surrey Voluntary Action (CSVA) who also have our “volunteer needed” leaflets in their Dorking office. So far, with little success.
MAJOR RISKS
Closure Risk
As our 2023/24 reporting year drew to a close, negotiations with MVDC were still ongoing on a new short-term lease that would, allowing for notice, take us up to the start of redevelopment in Leatherhead when we will have to vacate the conservatory. MVDC cannot guarantee that we will be able to return to the conservatory postredevelopment and the Council is unable to offer us alternative premises. The trustees feel that we must plan for a permanent relocation but we are at risk of being unable to find alternative premises that would meet our needs.
At the likely time of the termination of our lease, the majority of trustees will be in their mid- to late-70s and be looking to retire rather than commit to many years further service to the Trust and they will not be available to oversee its relocation and ongoing operation.
The major risk is that unless both alternative premises and new, younger trustees present themselves, the Club will have to close. As a precaution against closure of the Club and to ensure that we withdraw our service to those relying upon it from as few people as possible, the trustees decided in February 2024 to quietly run down membership of the Club and, should spaces become available, not invite new members to attend but to allocate those spaces to existing members should they request additional days.
Costs Risk
Over the next couple of years, we will be facing the cost of:
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e finalizing the new short-term lease with MVDC. Michéle
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e potentially, the cost of dismantling the conservatory and making good the courtyard area upon which it is built should MVDC require it.
and should new trustees be in place:
- e the permanent relocation of the Conservatory Club and the setting up of new permanent premises.
At present, we have no idea what level of costs might be incurred in the next two to three years but it is highly possible that our current reserves will all be needed to see us through this coming unsettled period. This will leave us vulnerable in terms of affording the provision of a full service to our members, particularly if daily fees reduce as members leave and are not replaced. Our efforts will be focused on planning for these eventualities during the 2024/25 year so that we have a plan, either for closure of the Club or for our future operation.
Our partners
We work with Surrey County Council Adult Social Care, MVDC and other voluntary organizations including CSVA. MVDC manages the Fairfield Centre to which our
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conservatory is physically attached; we use their catering services and our members enjoy many of the events that take place there. MVDC also provides a Community Bus service for some of our members.
Our plans for 2024/25
As described above, our efforts during 2024/25, will be focused on planning for the Club’s future, or its closure should our efforts to recruit more trustees and volunteers be unsuccessful.
We will also be recruiting a new paid staff member to work alongside our current Senior Club Manager on ajob share basis.
Review
The Conservatory Club provides members with the opportunity to socialize, which is vital to their wellbeing, and provides carers with some much-needed respite from their caring responsibilities. Living with dementia can be very isolating and a key aspect of the Club is the social interaction that it provides to our members who respond well to the activities and the friendly, relaxed atmosphere in the conservatory. The increase in our membership and the fact of our waiting list are evidence of the need that exists in the local communities that we serve and we are thankful that we have been able to provide the support that brings benefit both to our members and to their carers.
Glynis Peterkin, Chairman 19% August 2024
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MID-SURREY DEMENTIA CARE TRUST (Charity Commission registered number 1051814)
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024
| 2024 | 2023 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |||
| GENERALFUND (Unrestricted) | ||||
| Income - Receipts | ||||
| Members attendance | 471,321 | 33,285 | ||
| Donations | 5,343 | 4,202 | ||
| Job Retention Scheme | - | - | ||
| Interest | 656 | 136 | ||
| Tax refund | - | . | ||
| TOTAL RECEIPTS | 47,320 | 34,623 | ||
| Expenditure - Payments | ||||
| Charitable Activities | ||||
| Staff costs and cleaning | 23,180 | 19,831 | ||
| Members’ lunches & refreshments | 16,217 | 13,585 | ||
| Equipment and repairs | 302 | 251 | ||
| Outings and activities | 4,711 | 1,646 | ||
| Sundries | - | 394 | ||
| 41,409 | 35,707 | |||
| Management and Administration | ||||
| insurance | 704 | 631 | ||
| Administration | 2,959 | 199 | ||
| Website | - | 295 | ||
| Training | 1,303 | |||
| Fundraising | - | 47 | ||
| 4,966 | 1,172 | |||
| TOTAL PAYMENTS | 46,375 | 36,879 | ||
| NET (PAYMENTS)/RECEIPTS FORTHE YEAR | 945 | - | 2,256 | |
| Bank and cash balances | April 2024 | 40,449 | ||
| Bank and cash balances 31 March 2024 | 42,403 | 40,449 | ||
| Check | 40,449 | |||
| Net above | 945 | |||
| Bank Should be | 41,394 | |||
| Bank currentAccount | 1,392 | |||
| Bank Savings | 39,442 | |||
| PettyCash | 560 | |||
| 41,394 |
MID-SURREY DEMENTIA CARE TRUST (Charity Commission registered number 1051814)
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AS AT 31 MARCH 2024
| 2024 | 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| £ | E | ||
| TOTALCASH FUNDS 31 March 2024 | 41,394 | 40,449 | |
| General Fund (Reserve Fund) | |||
| Balance brought forward 1 April 2023 | 12,969 | 15,225 | |
| Net (payments)/receipts forthe year | 945 | - | 2,256 |
| 13,914 | 12,969 | ||
| Transfer to Conservatory Replacement Fund - Note 4 | - | ~ | |
| Balance carried forward 31 March 2024 | 13,914 | 12,969 | |
| Conservatory Replacement/RepairFund (Designated) - Note 1 | |||
| Balance brought forward 1 April 2023 | 27,480 | 27,480 | |
| Transfer from General Fund | - | - | |
| Balance carried forward 31 March 2024 | 27,480 | 27,480 | |
| TOTAL FUNDS 31 MARCH 2024 | 41,394 | 40,449 | |
| DEBTORS 31 March 2024 | - | 368 | |
| CREDITORS31March2024 | 1,146 | 626 |
Note 1 . Due to the limited life expectancy of the conservatory building, the Trustees have created a Conservatory Replacement Fund, to replace or repair the conservatory or to provide alternative accommodation.
Note 2 The Debtor in March 2023 Was Sheldon and payment was received The Creditors includes the amount owed to HMRC for PAYE £778 and £368 overpaid by Mark Burgess for Kent Diprose
On behaif of the Trustees
G Peterkin (Trustee)
N FT TennentEa LL _ (Trustee)a Date ' {se, , Aaly, 2a 5bp
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MID-SURREY DEMENTIA CARE TRUST (Charity Commission registered number 1051814)
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2024
| report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity ("the Trust") for the year ended 31st March 2024.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ("the Act")
| report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, | have followed the applicable Directions given by Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
independent examiner's statement
| have completed my examination. | confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that, in any material respect:
- accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or ~ « the accounts did not accord with the accounting records
| have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
JChartered WhittakerAccountant Bsc 10 Taleworth Road Ashtead Surrey KT21 2PT
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