2025-05-31-accounts

Wiltshire and Dorset Deaf Association (A company limited guarantee)

Report and Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31st of May 2025

Charity number: 1103335 Company number: 05038090

Wiltshire and Dorset Deaf Association (A company limited by guarantee)

Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31 May 2025

Contents

Report of the Management Committee

Financial Review

Legal and administrative information

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Wiltshire and Dorset Deaf Association Report of the Management Committee for the year ended 31 May 2025

The Management Committee presents its directors’ report and independently examined financial statements for the year ended 31 May 2025.

Reference and Administrative Information

Charity Name: Wiltshire and Dorset Deaf Association Charity registration number: 1103335 Company registration number: 05038090

Registered office: Lockyer Hall, 27A Morley Road, Pokesdown, Bournemouth BH5 2JJ Address for correspondence: 25 Portman Road, Boscombe, Bournemouth BH7 6EU

Management Committee

Keith Simmons Chair George Peter Raggett Trustee Donna Cheese Trustee Jas Barley Trustee

Administrator – Zoe Keeping, 25 Portman Road, Boscombe, Bournemouth BH7 6EU

Independent Examiner – Robert Field, AIMS Accountants, 9 Hinton Wood Avenue, Christchurch BH23 5AB

Bankers - HSBC

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Our Aims and Objectives

Purposes and Aims

Our charity’s purpose as set out in the objects in the company’s memorandum of association is to:

• TO PROMOTE ANY CHARITABLE PURPOSES FOR THE BENEFIT OF DEAF AND HEARING-IMPAIRED PEOPLE RESIDING IN OR CONNECTED WITH WILTSHIRE (INCLUDING SWINDON) AND DORSET ("THE OBJECTS").

The aims of our charity are to offer a range of services to ensure that deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people in Dorset and Wiltshire enjoy equal access, opportunity and have the same independence as hearing people and to provide information about the services available across Dorset and Wiltshire, to offer assistance and act as an advocate in the campaign for equal access for all. Our charity also offers a range of training courses, including deaf awareness, communication tactics and British Sign Language. Our aims fully reflect the purposes that the charity was set up to further.

Ensuring our work delivers our aims

We review our aims, objectives and activities each year. This review looks at what we achieved and the outcomes of our work in the previous 12 months. The review looks at the success if each key activity and the benefits they have brought to those groups of people we are set up to help. The review also helps us to ensure our aim, objectives and activities remained focused on our stated purposes. We have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aim and objectives and in planning our future activities. In particular, the trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives they have set.

The focus of our work

Our main objectives for the year continued to be to:

• Promote Deaf Awareness.

• Increase access to information and services in BSL.

• Provide advocacy and sign posting to connect service providers and the

• deaf communities.

• Increase the involvement of all deaf people in the actions needed to achieve the aims of the Charity

The strategies we used to meet these objectives included:

• Provision of courses and training in Deaf Awareness and communication including Lip Speaking and Sign Language

• Maintaining a signposting service via our website.

• Provision of financial support to deaf people to access courses and training.

• Provision of financial and other support to the training and development of BSL Interpreters.

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• Campaigning and events.

How our activities deliver public benefit

Our main activities and who we try to help are described below. All our charitable activities focus on increasing public awareness to ensure that deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people in Dorset and Wiltshire enjoy equal access, opportunity and have the same independence as hearing people and are undertaken to further our charitable purposes for the public benefit.

Who used and benefited from our services

The main areas of charitable activity are the provision of British Sign Language and Deaf Communication Skills training. These activities and the achievements that flow from our work are described below:

• Signature accredited training courses:

The charity is a Signature approved centre with accreditation from the UK’s leading awarding body in deaf communication qualifications and delivers a portfolio of qualifications including Level 1 British Sign Language, Level 2 British Sign Language, Level 3 British Sign Language and Deaf & Deafblind Communication Skills and Tactics.

Our BSL Level 1 course with Lynn, face to face at TESCO with communication support from Helen Steele and Richard Neale, completed, with all 8 Learners achieving the full certificate in June 2025.

The flexibility of Lynn and her support team have continued to engage and manage the differentiated teaching and learning for those joining late and at a slightly lower level, with 2 students under 16 attending, chaperoned by a responsible adult.

A BSL Level 1 Course started from September 2024 at the Deaf Club on Monday evenings taught by Louise Allen and supported by Caroline Watton in a paid capacity and Tracey Davies as a development opportunity. All of the teaching team have benefitted from this course from the experience gained and it will increase our flexibility of the Level 1 offer going forward. The 7 learners all achieved their qualification in June 2025.

BSL Level 2 course taught by Louise and Amber on a Tuesday evening face to face at the Deaf Club ran to its conclusion with 6 Learners achieving their full Level 2 certificate in July 2025. 3 others passed resits in October 2024 to maintain our 100% pass rate again.

BSL Level 3 Access course running weekly at the Deaf Club ran to its conclusion in July 2025, taught by George and Louise and assisted by Jas. 3 students attended regularly and achieved their individual aims of preparing for the full qualification course starting in September 2025. This group successfully integrated with those attending the same evening to complete their full level 3 studies. 3 learners from this group took and passed 1 or 2 assessments for the full Level 3 qualification.

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BSL Level 3 course had 5 learners successfully achieving their full qualification in August 2024. Once again David attended to support the teaching and learning as did Richard as part of his development towards a level 6 qualification and to gain teaching experience at this level.

The 2 courses were again combined this year and were supported by members of the local Deaf community and 2 more who are students at Bournemouth University. There is strong potential for 1 of these to become a BSL tutor.

BSL 101 at BSG. Just 1 group of 20 6[th] form students again this year, taught by George and Richard supported by Jas. Amber and Lynn again helped to run the assessments in December 2024, when all students achieved the qualification. One learner has joined Lynns Level 1 class and, being at the same level, easily integrated.

BSL Level 1 closed group was run at home for a family with a young son week-day boarding at Mary Hare school for the Deaf and HOH who has additional learning needs that preclude him from working in larger groups. Mum, an audiologist passed her full level 1 and is continuing to study at Level 2. Dad achieved the 2 units he took and the boy really enjoyed developing his sign language with them. The course was run on a non-profit, cost only basis.

BSL Level 2 access Lynn has continued to meet informally on line using Zoom to keep a small group who are unable to attend classes in person, engaged.

The Conversation group has continued to run for 6-8 students on a Tuesday morning, taught by Amber, assisted by Jas, at Longfleet Baptist church in Poole where the hall hire is partially covered by course fees. This class makes no contribution to administration costs but otherwise breaks even. All of the attendees, 80% of whom are Deaf or hard of hearing and either retired or not in employment, greatly value these accessible, low cost day time sessions. They benefit socially while continuing to develop their signing skills. It provides links with Dorset CC Deaf Children’s pre-school Group who also meet there once a month.

• Bespoke training packages

Deaf Awareness and Communication Sessions for NHS Staff have not yet restarted due to pressures on staffing levels due to covid and industrial action, the option for shorter on-line and lunch time sessions have not been taken up. However, as a precursor to the Live Well Dorset Health check initiatives, Lyn, Caroline and Richard ran a short 3 hour course for the 4 nurses involved in running the health checks, at County Hall, Dorchester.

SAMEE (Support and Mentoring Entrepreneurs) invited us to deliver Deaf Awareness & Communication session for their board of Trustees one of whom is deaf using speech. This will help them to be more inclusive to deaf people using their mentoring services.

Castle Court School invited us to run 2 short BSL Intro sessions for year 5 & 6 classes in May

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2025 Attended by George and Donna.

Canford School have and are continuing with termly classes of 8 + year 11 students and a teacher, attending 2 hour sessions over 12 weeks taught very successfully by Amber on Monday afternoons.

3 BSL All Levels Workshop ran quarterly at the deaf Club in this period one in Led by Lynn, Louise, Amber, Donna, Richard and Caroline, supported by Jas, who also provided the catering. They provide good leads for beginners and support students preparing for exams on full-time courses.

Hyacinth House Care Home invited us to run a basic BSL session for staff and residents in September 2024 as part of International Sign Languages week. George attended to deliver a short session to 9 residents and staff.

Sturminster Marshall WI invited us to deliver an Intro to BSL session at their Christmas meeting in November 2024. George attended to teach them some BSL Basics and a few Christmas Carols for a £50 donation.

Bournemouth Arts University (BAU) invited us to deliver 2 BSL Intro sessions for members of the student Union. George and Louise attended supported by Ruby a former student of ours who works there. We aim to develop these links, going forward.

Bluebird Care – Ferndown requested some short BSL sessions to enable staff to communicate with a Deaf client who had been let down by previous Care organisations that made no attempt to address his communication needs. George and Richard attended 4 sessions in March 2025 to develop some basic skills and their recommendation that 1 or 2 staff members attend a full level 1 course from September 2025 has been taken up.

• Teacher Recruitment

Richard Neale, a long-standing student and supporter of ours, who suffers from a reducing level of hearing has been developing his teaching skills with us and he achieved his City and Guilds Level 3 Teaching Qualification, subsidised and supported by us. We continue to promote opportunities for Deaf and Hearing people to become tutors of BSL and Deaf Awareness and Communication courses, supporting some to observe our classes as part of their teacher training program.

• Accessible Performances and Public Events

Significance Signing Choir attended the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show in August and entertained members of several clubs and Care homes in this period. National Sign Choir competitions did not take place in 2024.

They joined with St Clements Signs in Worship choir for fully signed services at Easter and Christmas at St Clements church that were also live streamed to a wider audience on the church YouTube channel. Extensive use of our online Zoom channels facilitated practice and

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rehearsals for these events.

Social Coffee Mornings & Craft Sessions at Bournemouth Deaf Club is a continuing success story for 2024/25. The events run on alternate Friday mornings the National Lottery funding in received to finance the thoroughly enjoyable craft sessions by Rosie & Anna from CoCreate at Bournemouth Deaf Club on the last Friday of the month and the communication support provided by DCS Ltd, there. The lion’s share for catering, setting-up and running the sessions in Bournemouth has been taken on by Jas Barley supported by members of the Deaf Club, particularly David, Sharon and Gilly Cobbin.

A weekly art session also takes place on Monday mornings in Dorchester, now located in Dorchester Museum.

The events have provided a warm and welcoming space for people to socialise and relax helping to establish the Deaf Club as a focal point for the Deaf and hard of hearing communities still trying to cope with the impact cost of living crisis.

We are particularly pleased to have been able to provide links for BCP Adult Social Care Services involved in supporting the Deaf Community, who are now committed to attending the monthly Social Coffee Morning. Alongside Citizen’s Advice Bureau representatives, they are able to hear and understand, first hand, some of the issues that the local Deaf Community have with their services and the additional support they need.

We hosted consultation events for NHS services at the Deaf Club coffee mornings. One, coinciding with Deaf Awareness Week, was part of a research project to establish the accessibility of A&E services for Deaf people in University Hospitals Dorset. We attended the launch of the new development of the Emergency Department in Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospital.

The second, was the exclusive provision of Health Checks for Deaf BSL users as part of the NHS Live Well Dorset programme. The take up in Bournemouth was low but valuable insights were gained to help develop future events in the wider Dorset County area.

We have continued to support Zenith Theatre company by providing Non-Professional signed interpretation of their shows. George signed the 2 shows they produced in November 2024 and June 2025, attended by BSL students and a few Deaf BSL users.

In a similar vein we are aiming to provide professional interpreting services for public tours of exhibitions exclusively for people who have BSL as their first language. Jas secured a donation from a charitable organization to pay for an interpreter at an event at The Etches Museum of Jurassic Marine Life that took place in March 2025. Kat, a former student of ours who is now a qualified professional interpreter signed for this event and the BSL Easter Service at St Clements church

Bournemouth Pride Louise interpreted for their 2-day event in June 2024 as a replacement for a professional signer who was unable to attend the assignment at the last minute.

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Tabitha, another former student of ours, recently qualified as an Interpreter and has returned to Dorset to provide professional interpreting services here. We have been pleased to find assignments for her including acting as a liaison person to assist BSL users to book onto the “Live Well Dorset Health Checks on line”. She also stood in at short notice to sign at a cremation service for a family from Wiltshire.

Sign’n Time sessions for pre-school age children and their carer(s) to develop BSL skills through play and song have started again in the Community room at Tesco, Littledown, led by Caroline and supported by Hind, a Deaf Mum of a hearing toddler. The foundations have been laid to develop this initiative going forward

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Financial Review

The Charity accounts show a deficit of £23,035.70 as at 31 May 2025. We received no grant income in 2024/25. National Lottery funding of £19,972 was received in the previous financial year that was restricted. Expenditure occurred in 2024/25 (£14,513) for the CoCreate 'Hands Together' sessions and Social Coffee Mornings. Delivery costs of our training courses increased in 2024/25 resulting in a situation whereby the Charity is generated just enough income to breakeven. Moving forward the Charity will need to consider whether training courses should be generating income to support its core costs or whether it is necessary to apply for longer term grant funding to support the day-to-day running costs of the Charity to ensure its sustainability.

The Charity’s bank balance as at 31 May 2025 was £37,423.30. This includes restricted and unrestricted grant income carried forward from previous years including £5,459 from the National Lottery Community Fund awarded in April 2024 and £8,900 income from UHD for delivery of a training programme that was due to start in March 2021 but was delayed due to the pandemic and pressures on NHS staff. The Charity will need to ensure that sufficient monies to meet the future costs of delivering this training programme and retained within its budget.

The Charity operates without any reserves. The Charity does not employ any staff or hold any liabilities.

Structure, Governance and Management

Organisational Structure

Wiltshire and Dorset Deaf Association has a Management Committee of at least three and not more than twenty-one individuals, all of whom must be members of the Charity. At present the Committee has three members from a variety of professional backgrounds relevant to the work of the Charity. The Management Committee meets at least twice a year.

The Trustees as Charity Trustees have control of the Charity and its property and its funds.

Governing Document

The organisation is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 9 February 2004 and registered as a charity on 22 April 2004. The company was established under a Memorandum of Association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its Articles of Association. In the event of the company being wound up members are required to pay up to £1 towards the costs of dissolution and the liabilities incurred by the Charity while the contributor was a member.

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Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees

The directors of the company are also Charity Trustees for the purposes of charity law and under the Company’s Articles are known as members of the Management Committee. Under the requirements of the Memorandum and Articles of Association one third of the Trustees must retire at each AGM, those longest in office retiring first.

All members of the Management Committee give their time voluntarily and received no benefits from the Charity.

Keith Simmons, George Raggett and Donna Cheese retire by rotation and being eligible, offer themselves for re-election. Keith Simmons retired in October 2024. Jas Barley was appointed in January 2025.

The Management Committee seeks to ensure that the needs of the d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing community are appropriately reflected through the diversity of the trustee body. To enhance the potential pool of trustees, the Charity has sought to identify individuals with direct experience of living with hearing loss, children of deaf adults and/or working with the deaf community who would be willing to become members of the Charity and use their own experience to assist the Charity.

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Responsibilities of the Management Committee

Company law requires the Management Committee to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of the affairs of the charitable company as at the balance sheet date and its incoming resources and application of resources, including income and expenditure, for the financial year. In preparing those financial statements, the Management Committee should follow best practice and:

• Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

• Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and

• Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is not appropriate to assume that the company will continue on that basis.

The Management Committee is responsible for maintaining proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 1985. The Management Committee is 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

Members of the Management Committee

Members of the Management Committee, who are directors for the purpose of company law and trustees for the purpose of charity law, who served during the year and up to the date of this report are set out on page 3.

In accordance with company law, as the company’s directors, we certify that:

• So far as we are aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the company’s auditors are unaware; and

• As the directors of the company, we have taken all the steps that we ought to have taken in order to make ourselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the charity’s auditors are aware of that information.

Independent Examiner

The Charity’s annual income for the year ended 31[st] May 2025 was over £25,000. Accordingly, the trustees appointed Robert Field BSc FCA to carry out an independent examination of the charity’s accounts.

Approved by the Management Committee on 12th January 2026 and signed on its behalf by:

Mr George Peter Raggett (Trustee)

Date: 12/01/26

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THE WILTSHIRE AND DORSET DEAF ASSOCIATION

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT

01/06/24 TO 31/05/25

RECEIPTS: Donations Grants Training Total receipts PAYMENTS: Training Promotion Admin/ Other charitable activities Total payments NET (DEFICIT) FOR YEAR CASH FUNDS: 31/05/24 CASH FUNDS: 31/05/25 STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AS	UNRESTRICTED FUNDS RESTRICTED FUNDS £633 £28,039 £28,672 £26,498 £14,513 £10,697 £51,708 -£23,036 £60,459 £37,423 AT: £37,423 £37,423 £1435 £0 £38,858	TOTAL 2025 £633 £28,039 £28,672 £26,498 £14,513 £10,697 £51,708 -£23,036 £60,459 £37,423 31/05/25 £37,423 £37,423 £1435 £0 £38,858
CASH FUNDS: Bank current account Total cash funds FIXED ASSETS: Equipment Total investment assets TOTAL SECURITY ASSETS

Approved on behalf of the trustees by: MR GEORGE PETER RAGGETT, TRUSTEE DATE: 12[th] January 2026

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees/ THE WILTSHIRE AND DORSET DEAF ASSOCIATION members of On accounts for the year 31/05/2025 Charity no 1103335 ended (if any) Set out on pages 1 of the “THE WILTSHIRE AND DORSET DEAF ASSOCIATION” “Receipts and Expenditure Accounts/Balance Summary” to 31/05/2025

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/05/2025

Responsibilities and basis As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in of report accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).

I 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, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner's I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to statement my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

• the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or

• the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or

• the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 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.

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.

Date: 18/02/2026 Signed: ~~ho |) [|~~ Name: ROBERT FIELD BSc FCA ~~PO~~ Relevant professional ICAEW qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: AIMS ACCOUNTANTS 9 HINTON WOOD AVENUE BH23 5AB

Oct 2018

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