MOORLANDS HOME LINK TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR 202312024 Registered Charity Number: 1158361 Registered office and operational address: Black Horse House 4 Tape Street Cheadle Staffordshire Moorlands ST10 1BD At the start of this report, we would like to reflect on another operating year which has continued to challenge our day-to-day operations, seNice provision, and finances. During the past year, we were extremely grateful for the support of the many organisations and individuals who continue to enable our work, these included Staffordshire County Council, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, Support Staffordshire, Cheadle Town Council, local Parish Councils, local community groups, and businesses, for their donations of financial support, equipment, and advice. All of this support is gratefully acknowledged and appreciated. We were also grateful for the many generous donations totaling £9202 received from people who can see the value of the organisation in the community and its supportive service provision. We currently re￿1ve a direct grant award of £70,000 from the NHS North Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Integrated Care Board to support elements of our health-related work in the community. Therefore, the Managing Trustees acknowledge a small surplus of £5630 in this year's financial accounts. The Trustees continue to recognise that they must always aim to ensure the resilience and sustainability of the Charity, whilst upholding the Charity's vision and values. As part of this ongoing commitment two new Trustees were recruited during this year to further enhance the skill set of the Managing Board. All Trustees then took part in a full day of training to learn more about the role of a Trustee,. this was provided by Support Staffordshire. As part of our ongoing commitment to support the future growth and sustainability of the organisation two members of the senior management team will be completing a two year Capability Development Programme funded by the Dunhill Medical Trust which will end in June 2025. The Trustees are very grateful that the organisation can be involved in this valued opportunity. The Trustees are wholly committed to ensuring that the day-to-day operation of the Charity remains a vital support mechanism within the Staffordshire Moorlands community for all of our clients and their families. Finally, the Trustees would like to take this opportunity to gratefully acknowledge the dedication and support throughout the past year of everyone who holds our organisation close to their heart within the Staffordshire Moorlands community. Best wishes, The Managing Twstees of Moorlands Home Link The following is a summary of the services to older people the Charity is currently engaged in providing. CHEADLE DAY CARE Our Day Care support service is provided in the main room at Black Horse House, Tape Street, Cheadle, on three days per week and supports clients who may require a higher level of care. Our Day Care staff and our Transport team work closely together to ensure high standards of Gare are delivered throughout the day, from collection via our minibuses in the morning to retum home at the end of the day. The wheelchair accessible minibuses collect clients from both Cheadle and surrounding villages including Tean, Werrington, Kingsley, and Blythe Bridge. INhile attending our Day Care service, clients can enjoy a light breakfast followed by a three- course nutritional meal at lunch, along with snacks and drinks throughout the day. Our clients look fonNard to their day and the friendship and laughter encouraged through a program of activities including gentle exercise, armchair zumba, reminiscence, crafts and brain games. This service provides essential respite and support for carers and families, as well as providing socialisation and care for those who also may live alone,. enabling individuals to maintain their independence for as long as practicable. We have found that clients and their families are especially grateful to receive the support of the Day Care service which provides social inclusion within the local community. This service also provides respite for carers and families to maintain their own health and mental wellbeing. Every prospective client is visited by the Day Care Manager who undertakes a full needs assessmenl of each client to ensure a person-centred approach and that the needs of the client are met. This assessment usually takes place at a prospective client's home and the care plan is co-produced with the support of family, friends, or health professionals, where appropriate. The Day Care setting monitors the day to day physical and mental wellbeing of each client. Therefore, should a client's presentation deteriorate, we can signpost or guide the client to an appropriale healthcare professional andlor service in a timely manner before the need escalates. Additionally, the service helps to support community health professionals to monitor health and maintain long term health conditions. This helps to support people to get the right care, at the right time, in an optimal care setting and improve upstream prevention of avoidable illnesses and their exacerbations, LEEK OUTREACH GROUP This group meets at Leek Rugby Club on Friday each week and supports clients with a lower level of need to be together for social care and support. The group is facilitated by a Group Co- ordinator and two volunteers. A hot two course lunch is supplied by our Catering team based in Cheadle. Transport is provided by our Transport team using one of our minibuses to collect and return clients to their homes in the Cheddleton and Leek area. A varied programme of activities takes place each week, including chair-based exercise, crafts, quizzes, and singing. This group has been very well received and is currently supporting 12+ older people each week to socialise and improve their mental wellbeing. BEFRIENDING SUPPORT AND PHONE LINK Valued volunteers make weekly contact with older people,. many friendships have been formed and continue to thrive between the volunteers and the people they connect with. Both the face to face and phone link services are delivered across the Moorlands. Assessments are completed for each client by the Service Manager and this assessment forms the basis of a match with a like-minded volunteer with similar interests. The Befriending Servi￿ is a low level, high impact, preventative support service which gives a sense of communtty inclusion and improves mental wellbeing. For some people who receive the Befriending service, the only contact that they may have each week is with the volunteer, particularly in the most rural of areas within our community, and for this reason the service is very well received and greatly appreciated. This servi￿ does not currently receive any statutory funding and the Managing Trustees are determined to safeguard its future through further fundraising and relevant grant funding applications. TRANSPORT We continue to operate two specially adapted minibuses; the two minibuses are provided under a leasing agreement with CVM World. The Transport team provide transport for our clients from and to their homes to Day Care and the Leek Outreach Group and also support with Meals on Wheels deliveries. The Voluntary Transport Scheme continues to operate for Cheadle and the surrounding area, in partnership with Moorlands Voluntary & Community Transport of Leek. Based from the Moorlands Home Link office in Cheadle, requests for transport are made over the phone by clients Monday to Friday from 1 Oam to 12noon and these requests are handled by a volunteer telephonist. This is a much used and appreciated service and allows clients to access medical and social appointments with the help and support of a volunteer driver. MEALS ON WHEELS The Meals on Wheels service provides the opportunity for older members of the local community to receive a nutritional, hot, home-style cooked meal delivered straight to their table. The meals are delivered Monday to Friday by volunteers and staff, in Cheadle and the surrounding area, with chilled meals delivered on a Friday to be reheated over the weekend. On average, 90+ freshly prepared two course meals are delivered to the local community each week and as part of this service a subtle safe and well check is carried out at each delivery. We are very grateful to the volunteers who give their time freely to support this service. FUNDING 202312024 All clients make a contribution towards the cost of all of our services, with the exception of the Befriending and Phone Link Service. During this financial year, grants have been awarded from the North Staffordshire and Stoke- on-Trent Inlegrated Care Board, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, Cheadle Town Council, Local Parish Councils, and individual local Councillors. The grant funding from the North Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Clinical Commissioning Group is currently reviewed on an annual basis. The decision was also made to be part of the SMDC Community Lottery in order to raise additional funds throughout the year to support our work. As stated earlier in this report, we move forNard into the next financial year with a surplus of £5630. The MHL Board of Managing Trustees recognise that during the next financial year additional efforts will need to be made to secure further funding through appropriate grant applications, donations and fundraising, to ensure the sustainability of the Charity and to build up financial reserves. The Trustees receive regular financial information covering income and expenditure and a cash flow forecast for the financial year ahead to support their decision making. The Trustees will continue to monitor and review expenditure throughout the next financial year, to ensure financial efficiency across the whole organisation, and will take any necessary decisions to preserve the future of the Charity. Donations received by the organisation during this financial year totalled £9202 and in addition we were extremely grateful to receive a legacy to support our work. We are extremely grateful for these funds which have been received from the many groups, organisations, local businesses, and individuals in the Moorlands area who continue to support the aims of the Charity. We have also been very grateful again to receive donations of various useful items of equipment. advi￿. and support, from local businesses this year. PARTNERSHIPS Throughout this financial year, MHL has partnered with Fareshare, the UK'S largest charity fighting hunger and food waste, this partnership also includes regular donations of food from Asda, Cheadle. We have also worked in partnership with Cheadle Allotment Association who have donated surplus fruit and vegetables, to support our Meals on Wheels servi￿ provision. We continue to have a supportive partnership with Leek Building Society who regularly hold fundraising events to support ourselves and other local charities. This partnership gives a greater community connection for the society and its staff who will be giving their time throughout the year to support our work. We are also proud to have supported students through partnerships with Keele University in being able to offer student placements within our organisation. These valued pla￿MentS provide training and insight into Adult Social Care and the role of the Voluntary Sector within health. We currently provide placements to Paramedic, Pharmacy, and General Medical students throughout the academic year. During this year, two new partnerships were formed with the Alzheimer's Society, North Staffs Carers, and Douglas Macmillan Hospice. Both organisations will now provide support groups on a regular basis from our venue. We have also worked in partnership with various local nursery, primary, and secondary schools to provide intergenerational opportunities for our clients and their students. STAFF AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM The Managing Trustees and Senior Management team are responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Charity. The Senior Management team during 202312024 were.. Executive Manager- Sharon Ball Day Care Manager- Lynn Everill Transport Manager- lan Collier Befriending and Phone Link Service Manager - Diane Sellers Catering Manager- Rebecca Snowden Office Manager- Ellen Ball Each member of the senior management team is supported by their staff who are all a vital part of the organisation. All staff deserve a very big thank you from the Managing Trustees and clients for all their hard work, passion, commitment, and care throughout the past year. BOARD OF MANAGING TRUSTEES All of the Managing Trustees of Moorlands Home Link are volunteers who give their time freely to the Charity and no remuneration is paid to them. Members of the Managing Board of Trustees of Moorlands Home Link during 202212024 were as follows: Neil Alkins Elaine Cunningham Nigel Dodd - resigned April 2023 Pauline Gowland Charles Macadam Andrew Savage Rev David W Watson - resigned April 2023 An elected representative of Cheadle Town Council also attends the Managing Board of Trustees meetings and from May 2023 this role was undertaken by Cllr Kate Mills. CIIARITY NUMBER: 1158361 MOORLANDS HOME LINK REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 Independent examiner's Report to..the Trustees of Mo.oilands Home I report on th* a￿D￿ntS of,the Tfugt for.the year,eBded 31.Marth'2024, whlch are'6et out on pages 2 Re8ponsibilities and basls of rep-ort. .As'thÈ charitys trLbStees, you'are:.re¥ppnslble for the preparation of the'accounts In accordance with. the r8quirements of the Charllles Act 2011 {'Ihe Acf. ). I report In respect of ffty &'xaMlr(atiott'oY the Trust's'atcounts'carriéd out under Secllon 145 Of th¢ 2011 Act and in carrylng out my examination, I have followed all the applicable. Directions given by th¢ Cttarfly Commisslon under sectlon 145(5){b). of the Act. It 18 my respo.nslbility lo., ex'amlne the att¢ount5 under sectlon.146 of the CharttiEs Aci. o follow the procedures taid down in the General Dlfertlons glven by the Charity Commissioners {under sectlon 145(5)