CONFIDENTIAL Trustee's Annual Report Norfolk Blood Bikes Trustees Annual Report for the perlod: Aprll lrt 2023 to March 31*¢ 2024 Who are we. On 22nd August 2012 Norfolk Blood Bikes, formerly SERV Norfolk, became registered as a charity with the Charity Commission. Our registered number is 1148669. In 2019, the name was changed to Norfolk Blood Bikes to reflect more accurately the work the charity does and enable enhanced engagement with the geneEBI public. Throughout our existence we have maintained our membership of the Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes which provides guidance and support to all the UK Blood Bike charities. Objectives and Activities. Following many years of successful operations and the charity's objectives linked simply to their output, the charity undertook a strategic review in Autumn 2023 and updated the objertives of the leadership team to reflect the changed environment in Post-covid UK and enable a more sustainable future with potential to respond to operational growth from our service users. The Charity's fomially stated objects remain - To transport blood, samples and any other items needed by doctor5, t￿pital5, 47nd laboratOA7es for the medical or surgfrcal treatment of pètient5. during the ftAght, at weekends, and on Bank Holidays free of charge to the IV3tional Health Servi￿. ro co-opetate with the emergency servlces as may be requi￿d. and additionally to co-operate and enter into ag￿ements with other Government authoritNe5i persons companies or associations Following consultation with the leadership team and ratification by the membership, the organisation now works to the following vision To be recogntsed as Norfolk's most loved tharity by our members, our service users and the public. With the following objectives To provide the reliable. timety and free of charge delivery of ur9ent and er¥wgency items to Norfolks NH5 care providors and Alr Ambulance. To build a comfflunity of volunteers that enables the charity to deliver for the future needs of our Servi￿ usets. To grow a level of public awareness that seojres our attnual funding requirements and enables the tharfty to achieve ts fullest potential. With these objectives, the leadership team have established a more cohesive framework for goal setting and declsion making. With this vislon, the leadershlp team have been able to establlsh a number of work streams focused on improving operatlonal efflclency, member engagement and income security. Cont. AGG 11411212024 CONFIDENTIAL Trustee's Annual Report Norfolk Blood Bikes Achievements and Performance. Flee At the beginning of the reporting period, we had a dedicated liveried fleet of 11 motorbikes and 5 cars. These are constantly assessed by our fleet management team to ensure their continuing capability to function, and to facilitate the advanced planning of service, repair and renewal. Based on aged and maintenance history two of our older cars were earmarked for retirement. Following the previous successful year of fundraising. including a significant donation from the Sandringham Association of Royal Warrant Holders, over a number of months the charity acquired three new Ford Focus Estate cars through the relationship with Ford UK and the beneficial Service they provide to charities and public services. In the latter part of 2023 It was identified that the fleet of I I motorcycles was continuing to cause hardship and irritation to members having to collect vehicles whilst increasing average annual mileage per vehicle. The Leadership team undertook to explore adding a number of bikes to the fleet. Following a three month road test of a bike on loan from Lings Triumph, the charity committed to acquire four additional bikes at the beginning of 2024. Further to price negotiation resulting in significant discounting by Lings and Triumph, these were purchased in March 2024 and went into service within a few days. With 15 bikes in the fleet, we have been able to reduce average annual mileage per vehicle and reduce the distance that the majority of members have to travel to uplift a vehicle for their on-call duty, further reducing mileage and the time-burden on volunteers and their families. All our operational cost5 are covered by collections and charitable donation5 from philanthropic organisations and the general public. Early during the reporting period the charity experience several significant changes in personnel undertaking fundraising activities. With the loss of a number of key volunteers dedicated to this function, the leadership team undertook a different approach by reaching out to the wider membership to cover fundraising activities. Over the year, this has seen a threefold increase in the number volunteers participating in public engagements and despite changes of established team members and the financial challenges on the general public, the charity has delivered another year of consistent income. As part of the charity s strdtegic plan. new fundraising approaches a￿ being adopted. During the second half of the reporting pertod several applications for grant ￿ndIng were made. Whilst results were not anticipated in the period, two out of three applications have resulted in funding received from the National Lottery and West Norfolk Lives Matter in the latter part of 2024. These funds will be used to finance replacement vehicles during reporting period 2024125. Several significant donations were received from the estates of supporters who had left instrurtion in their wills. Donations were also received from the Charitable Foundation5 of two large UK corporate businesses. Collectively, these funds supported the previously mentioned acquisition of additional motorcycles. increasing the fleet numbers to 15 bikes. erati It should be noted that for the period covered in this report, our volunteers travelled 155,201 mile5 whilst undertaking the 2345 tasks requested by our service users. This incredible commitment equate5 to driving around the equator more than six times! The equivalent cost to the NHS for our service, if using taxis and specialist couriers (at between £51 to £173 per task) would work out at over £250,000 this year. By offering our voluntary service, Norfolk Blood Bikes has been able to help the NHS divert funds back into critical patient care. This benefit to the NHS and others Is not limited to a simple financial calculation. Our relationship with each of our service users is governed by Service Level Agreements (SL4'5) with agreed response times and auditable records that ensure that we perform to an agreed AGG11411212024 CONFIDENTIAL Trustee's Annual Report Norfolk Blood Bikes and accepted level, with accountability for the services we provide. As a trusted partner under these agreements, Norfolk Blood Bikes are increasingly asked to undertake urgent tasks where samples must transported within very speclflc time limits to enable the medical professionals to administer the appropriate Ilfesaving treatment. We have continued to meet all the key performance indicators Within our SLA'S and the feedback we have received remains consistently positive. We continue to be proud to be considered part of the local health system and live up to our motto 'we'll go no matter what,. The charity functions solely to transport products for the benefit of the NHS and Air Ambulance, consequently. it does not work for, nor receive reimbursement from any private company. In March 2021 we were awarded The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service our members continue to wear this badge with incredible pride. Over the course of the last two years, when replacing or reprinting materials, the emblem for the Queens Award has been incorporated into most of our internal and external facfing collateral, insuring that the public and local businesses can be aware of this special recognition. During the Autumn of 2023 the charity was nominated in the "BBC Make a DIffe￿nCe awards" managed by BBC Radio Norfolk. This led to exposure on the BBC and later on two local radio stations, We were "highly commended" at the award ceremony in September and asked to return to BBC Radio Norfolk to help launch the nomlnation programme for 2024. Coll tion. During the reporting period, Norfolk Blood Bikes were chosen by several local organisations to be their charity of the year. These include Norwich Classic Vehicle Club, PML Motorcycles and Crane Garden Buildings. The economic benefits of these partnership5 will be felt in our next reporting period with pledges including £15,000 to fund a new motorcycle. Our relationship Lings Motor Group has developed from being simply supportive awareness driving activity through social media and promotional events, to a true charity partnership where Norfolk Blood Bikes and the volunteer members are receiving beneficial terms that enable the charity to deliver the core objectives, whilst insuring that our volunteers are using high quality. well maintalr)ed, modern machinery. Lings network of TriLJmph dealerships in the South East, and their additional servicing facilities, enable our charity to access unique mechanical support throughout the whole county. No other manufacturer or dealer network can offer a similar level of support in Norfolk. Administration. During the course of the reporting period NBB introduced several additional procedural documents which were incorporated as.bye laws" under the constitution clause 32.2. Social Media Policy and Sabbatical/Long term absen￿ guidance were adopted at the beginning of 2024 following a notice to the membership. Cont. AGG 11411212024 CONFIDENTIAL Trustee's Annual Report Norfolk Blood Bikes Structure. Governance and Management. The structure and governance of Norfolk Blood Blkes was established wlthln the constitution flrst adopted on 1st Jul 2012, as amended at the Annual General Meeting on 2711012024. The trustees and officers of the charity a￿ elected from within the established membership at AGM or if vacant mid-term, a volunteer may be co-opted into the leadership team following a majority vote by remaining trustees. Incumben t the commencement of eriod 2023 24 James Duncan Trevor Beckford Ralph Hardwick Roger Goshawk Richard Ward Nigel Pollard Anthony Tungate Chair Treasurer Independent Trustee Independent Trustee Independent Trustee Independent Trustee Independent Trustee 0611112022 0610712023 0611112022 - 06/0812023 06/1112022 0610812023 0611112022 - 1610612023 06/1112022 - 02106/2023 0611112022 - 0510512023 06/1112022 - 03/0712023 Due to several Trustee resignations during the Summer of 2023, the remaining Trustees agreed to call the AGM early in order to stand down and facilitate the forming of a new leadership team. Management of the charity is by the Trustees with the elected leadership team covering the day-to-day responsibilities for events, fundraising, fleet maintenarice, hospital liaison, membership, rota, social media, and training. Trust Alexander Gourlay Paul Southwell Beth Grainger Shane Finch Jasmin England Phil ip Sherriff Graham Horton Chalr/Fundrai5ing Dept -chair Treasurer Treasurer seC￿tary/1ndependent Training Manager Independent Trustee 06108/2023 ongoing 0610812023 - ongoing 0610812023 - 0310512024 1810512024 - ongoing 0610812023 ongoing 06108/2023 ongoing 06/0812023 ongoing During the reporting period and following the resignation of the elected Treasurer, the Trustees invited the Shane Finch { Fleet Operdtions) to take on the role. At a similar point, Jasmin England stepped down in the role of Secretary. The Trustees invited her retain a place on the team as an Independent Trustee which was accepted. Havlng previously served as a Trustee and Secretary, Stuart Scott was asked to join the leadership team as Interim Secretary in order to fulfil the mle until the AGM in Oct 2024. During the reporting period, all other supporting roles have been delivered by artive volunteers helping contribute to the success of the leadership team. As part of the charity's ongoing development and in line with constitution clause 17. 1, the following roles will become Trustees following election at next AGM. Hospital Liaison, Fundraising, Membership, Rota within the Leadership team. All incumbent members of the Leadership team anticipate standing for re-election at the next AGM. AGG 11411212024 CONFIDENTIAL Trustee's Annual Report Norfolk Blood Bikes Flnancial. Thanks to a concerted efft)rt from our volunteers and the generosity of the general publlc, annual income of £85.071 has risen to its highest level slnce the pandemic. Combined with the benefit of a bank account balance more than twice the value of our reserves policy, the Trustees were able to make several important investment decision5 in order to improve operational efficiency and volunteer engagement. It is generally stated that it costs approximately £5,000 per month to run the charity at current levels of demand however, this year the charity has seen a 400/0 increase in repair costs of the ageing fleet. After a number of years with a lack of investment in fundraising and promotional materials, several one off costs were borne in order to modernise the charity's gazebos and awareness materials for public events and the fundraising merchandise used to promote donations. The charity also faced costs In excess of £1,800 to support the legal requirements of several "subject access requests" made via the Information Commissioners Offfice. The most noticeable impact on the balance sheet has been the increase of £22.000 in depreciation costs which ￿flert5 the investment in new, additional motorcycles purchased in March 2024. Follow these year-end investments, the balance at bank of £92,946 whist a marked reduction from previous year, maintains the ongoing reserve fund of £35,000 representing 7 months operation costs and a further reserve of £56,768.50 for fleet replacements. This leaves an operational cash balance of £1,178.01. These reserves mean that if future circumstances should restritt the ability of the charity to generate income from the public collections, Norfolk Blood Bikes could continue to function through a crisis whilst establishing a reformulated operating plan. We are therefore satisfied that the current financial plan5 and projected income from events and public donations will enable us to continue to provide the service outlined in this report and have sufficlent headroom to respond to future demand and potentially increase select provision to our current users should it be requested. With a view to the provision detailed above and the state of our finances, it is believed that there is little or no risk which might prevent the charity from continuing its current function for the foreseeable future. The objectives of the charity for the public benefit have and are being fulfilled and it is proposed to continue in this manner. Aprll 2024 forward. Following a successful Autumn and Winter. the new leadership team have malntalned a focus on both building momentum with the volunteer membership, and external fundraising opportunities. Newly introduced monthly coffee mornings, started in January, have proved popular with members, often meeting face to face for the first time. These activities have continued and been complimented by an all-members, friends and family social evening in April, a barbeque in August and a team field trip to visit the Trlumph motorcycle factory. Income continued to remain very positive in the early part of the new year with corporate donations and fundraising activities boosting the bank account. Given the success of the additional new Triumph motorcycles funded from last year's balance, the Trustees agreed to purchase four more and retire the two oldest Yamaha and BMW bikes. AGG 11411212024 CONFIDENTIAL Trustee's Annual Report Norfolk Blood Bikes Whilst these acquisitions temporarily took the bank balance close to reserve levels, once VAT was returned and the funds from the retired assets were received, the account was returned to good operating levels. The volunteer community at Norfolk Blood Bikes have supported the busiest Summer of fundraising and promotional activity the charity has ever seen. With more than fifty activities this year and at the time of writing this update, income has already achieved IOOO/o of the full previous year. During their tenure, the Trustees of Norfolk Blood Bikes have reviewed cUr￿nt existing policies, updating where necessary and have added a policy detailing the agreed Delegation of Authority for all members of the leadership team. This formally details where members of the of the team can individually approve spending levels or where Trustee sign off is required. Whilst thls has been customer and practice to date, no record had been committed. This has been a challenging year, establishing new ways of working behind the scenes to enable a positive direction for every volunteer, whilst maintaining IOOO/o delivery of our core activities. Cont. AGG 11411212024 CONFIDENTIAL Trustee's Annual Report Norfolk Blood Bikes tr*)RFOL#ALIOD*kES ¥L14735 W&54 7D 1741.97 375 rnJ& A514.Y 52 iJ¥ JID.95 JJbtAT ?W7 L6 llA5 IJWJ IAUWII qYkJ7 t7Jll 145 2,Y7.10 JJ¢? 7T5n7ry17 17W&17 WJJTI .511￿5 5*7 sJJ .711 110JIJJI L55JJy J5AWL 5&M50 31￿￿￿7* 4W5.J Chair: Alexander Gourlay Signed: Date: Treasurer: Shane Finch Signed: Date: ILtr--11-LQL* AGG 11411212024 The Willows, Ipswich Road Long Stratton, NR15 2TG Tel. 01508 333040 office@abcabacus.co.uk www.abcabacus.co.uk ## **Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of “Norfolk Blood Bikes”** I report on the accounts of the above charity number 1148669 for the year ended 31 March 2023 ## **Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner** The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 (the Act). The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Act 1993 and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to: - examine the accounts under section 145 of the Act; - to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission under - section 145(5)(b) of the Act; and - to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. ## **Basis of independent examiner’s report** My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. ## **Independent examiner’s statement** In connection with my examination, I have identified the following matters of concern, namely that due to significant changes in Trustees involved in the management of the charity without a full and proper handover, that a higher degree of risk existed in all operational and financial areas, although the records were kept in reasonable order and agree to the bank. I confirm that no other matters has come to my attention which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect: - the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the 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 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. Peter Bussey FFA FIPA **20[th] January 2025** abc abacus ~ the name you can count on !