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← Lingen Davies Cancer Fund Charitable Incorporated Organisation

2025-03-31-accounts

LingenDavies Cancer Fund 2024125 ANNUAL REPORT

WELCOME TO OUR ANNUAL REPORT 2025

Lingen Davies exists to enhance cancer services and improve lives, here in our community.

In line with our constitution, the object of the charity is:

(a) The relief, wholly or mainly of cancer patients residing in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, and Mid Wales (the charity’s area) in particular but not exclusively by providing:

i. Grants to support the work of cancer healthcare professionals, based within and serving cancer patients in the charity’s area; and

ii. Services direct to cancer patients if the Trustees deem appropriate

(b) The prevention of cancer by raising awareness in the charity’s area. Notwithstanding that these may also benefit additional cancer/ non-cancer patients residing outside the charity’s area.

The Trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake. The Trustees consider the objects and activities of the charity are of a public benefit.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

01. ACTIVITIES OF THE 04 07. INCOME 23
CHARITY 08. RECOGNITION 25
02. WELCOME FROM 05
THE CHAIR 09. OUR TEAM 26
03.MESSAGE FROM 06 10. LOOKING TO THE 28
THE CEO FUTURE.... WHAT’S NEXT FOR FUTURE.... WHAT’S NEXT FOR
LINGEN DAVIES
04. THE DIFFERENCE WE 07
HAVE MADE 11.TRUSTEES REPORT AND 29
ACCOUNTS
05. PATIENT STORIES 16
06. HOW DO WE ACHIEVE 20
ALL OF THIS? WITH
THANKS TO YOU...

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ANNUAL REPORT

01. ACTIVITIES OF THE CHARITY

GRANT MAKING

The charity raises funds for projects which make a positive difference to the lives of people living with cancer in our region. Grants are made to local hospitals, charities, and other bodies to assist with purchasing specialist equipment, improving treatment spaces and supporting communitybased projects to improve the health and wellbeing of people living with and beyond cancer.

RAISING AWARENESS OF CANCER

The charity delivers the LiveLife Cancer Awareness Service, a free healthpromotion service working throughout Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, and Mid Wales.

Our LiveLife Cancer Awareness team have worked with organisations and businesses across the community, delivering cancer information, bespoke presentations, and encouraging people to be cancer aware.

The team also dispenses free suncream at summertime events to help protect our community.

We continue to recruit new Cancer Champions and engage volunteers from across the community, empowering them to be well-informed and have conversations with their peers about cancer signs and symptoms, and encourage uptake of screening programmes.

We have now trained over 712 Cancer Champions across our region – 427 in Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin, and a further 285 in Mid Wales.

FUNDRAISING

This year our amazing community has helped us raise £1,473,021. This comes from a variety of sources that we nurture, protect and develop. This includes...

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ANNUAL REPORT

02. WELCOME FROM THE CHAIR

I am very proud to have become Chair of Trustees of Lingen Davies Cancer Support in Autumn 2024.

I have been involved with the charity for more than 30 years, and have always been inspired by the dedication, enthusiasm and huge achievements of our fundraisers, volunteers, trustees and staff.

We have grown our cancer awareness work, our wellbeing programme, and our grant making this year. Our fundraising has also grown to support this; it is wonderful to announce another record-breaking year of fundraising at Lingen Davies Cancer Support, with a total of £1,473,021 raised. This is down to the incredible support of our fundraising community, as well as the continued commitment, determination, and talent of our staff team. On behalf of the trustees, I thank all of you for your hard work.

This year, we have committed grant funding of £617,145.71 to a wide range of projects which will benefit patients with their clinical treatment, and further our support for those living with and beyond cancer in the community. These include Surface Guided Radiotherapy (SGRT) equipment, a Six Degrees of Freedom (6DoF) couch to improve accuracy of radiotherapy treatments, and another successful year of the iCan Cancer Rehabilitation service. We also invested almost £50,000 in smaller projects focussed on improving wellbeing for

people living with and beyond cancer. This area of work is growing fast, and we have already committed over £100,000 to our wellbeing work in 2025/26. We have also invested in our internal service delivery team, building capacity for our cancer awareness and early diagnosis promotion work.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our Trustees who stood down this year - Mandy Thorn MBE, Mark Harris, and Andy Killey - for their commitment and dedication to the charity. Your experience, guidance and support has been greatly appreciated.

I look forward to another successful year, as we kick off our biggest appeal to date – the Sunflower Appeal, bringing chemotherapy services to Telford for the first time, and doubling capacity across the region. We have recently celebrated the charity’s 45th Anniversary, and as we look towards our Golden Anniversary in 2029, we are excited to see what the next five years has in store.

Thank you all, once again, for your continued support. I look forward to seeing what we can achieve together next year.

Tim Cooper Chair of Trustees

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ANNUAL REPORT

03. MESSAGE FROM THE CEO

I am so pleased to be presenting this report at the end of another exceptional year for the charity.

Lingen Davies has moved forward in many ways this year, with huge growth in our wellbeing programme, our investments in equipment and technology, and our continuing partnerships across the local health economy. Our amazing delivery partners have had a huge impact on thousands of lives throughout our communities, as they support people’s mental and physical recovery through their cancer journey.

We have now trained over 700 volunteer Cancer Champions to understand the signs and symptoms of cancer and the importance of early diagnosis, giving them the confidence to convey these messages in their communities. Our Bins for Boys scheme has been launched, engaging with businesses to encourage them to provide sanitary facilities for men who may need them as a result of cancer or the side-effects of treatment. The lack of appropriate toilet facilities can be hugely limiting, leading to men not going out to the places they would like to, which in turn leads to social isolation and other health issues. We believe that everyone should be able to fully participate in society, and this is a small but significant way in which we can contribute to this.

Overall, we invested £973,060 directly to enhance cancer services and improve lives in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, and Mid Wales this year, via grant making and our own service delivery.

Our updated name, Lingen Davies Cancer Support, was announced in June 2025, recognising this growth and the continually changing nature of the charity as we respond to local needs. As we embark on our £5 million Sunflower Appeal, aiming to double chemotherapy

capacity across the region, we are committed to maintaining and developing our wellbeing projects across all our communities.

While this year has had great outcomes, it has not always been an easy one. The economic climate continues to present us with fundraising challenges, and demand for support from those living with cancer continues to grow. The NHS is under pressure, and the cost of living is high. Internally, three out of our four fundraising staff moved on to new opportunities in quick succession, and three of our talented trustees retired from the board, leaving significant gaps to fill.

However, our staff, trustees, volunteers and supporters have more than risen to the challenge. We took the opportunity to restructure our fundraising team, creating Community and Philanthropy teams to focus on diversifying our income and ensuring our activities are sustainable. We’ve recruited five skilled new trustees to lend their time and expertise to aid our development and grown our pool of willing and able volunteers across the region. Our fundraising events programme went ahead (almost) as planned, and we grew our presence in local networking groups and in the media.

This year, of all years, it is amazing to be able to announce a record-breaking year for fundraising. This has been a tough year for lots of reasons but this is the power of people working hard, digging in and making great things happen.

Thank you, to everyone who has contributed in any way this year; this achievement is yours.

Naomi Atkin Chief Executive Officer

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ANNUAL REPORT

04. THE DIFFERENCE WE HAVE MADE

Improving Cancer Prevention and Early Diagnosis

We strive to make a positive difference throughout our whole community - not just to those living with and beyond cancer but to the wider population too.

Our LiveLife Cancer Awareness Service continues to deliver a powerful impact throughout the region. By raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer we aim to contribute to more people seeking an all-important early diagnosis – delivering the best treatment options and overall outcomes.

We continue to offer our free LiveLife Service to local businesses, organisations, community groups, colleges, and at other public venues and events. We distribute free suncream at summertime events and share information about where to access cancer support. Lingen Davies is wholly committed to funding the LiveLife Cancer Awareness work, and we are pleased that NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board (ICB) agreed to part fund the Cancer Champions stream of work for the 2024/25 financial year.

The Cancer Champions project was established in partnership with NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, and local charity partner Qube, to support the national Core20+ health inequalities agenda. Its aim is to raise awareness of cancer, encourage open conversations, reduce taboos around cancer and cancer screening, and help drive earlier diagnoses wherever possible.

This work continues to grow in scale, greatly surpassing any early estimates. We have now recruited more than 700 volunteers throughout Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, and Mid Wales – all given the skills and support to encourage conversations about cancer in their own networks. We are committed to growing this work further in the future.

This work has also been recognised as an example of best practice nationally and has enabled us to feedback to regional health partners to influence service design and change. This is a major development for the charity, and we are proud to be recognised as a voice of authority on cancer.

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ANNUAL REPORT

THE DIFFERENCE WE HAVE MADE

Ensuring those impacted by cancer locally can access the best possible cancer services, here in our community

Grant Making

Grant applications are assessed by the Grants and Projects sub-committee of the Trustee Board, and then confirmed by the Trustees where the value of the grant requires this (anything of £10,000 or above). Grants are assessed against the aims and objects of the charity, ensuring that the proposal shows a clear benefit to cancer patients and services within the region.

Close communication is maintained with grant recipients to ensure the grant making process is as successful as possible and achieves maximum public benefit. We are working increasingly closely with grant recipients, specifically looking for projects that meet needs we have identified, and co-producing projects with partner organisations.

Enhancing cancer treatment and services locally

6DoF Couch

Surface Guided Radiotherapy (SGRT)

£167,350.00 - To be fitted to the new LINAC at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital in Spring 2025. The first 6 Degrees of Freedom (6DoF) robotic couch was funded in 2017, designed to deliver advanced radiotherapy techniques with a higher level of accuracy. The 6DoF couch enables enhanced care for patients receiving radiotherapy for head and neck cancers, avoiding the need to re-scan when they lose weight, reducing the time taken for each treatment and ensuring accurate and targeted delivery can be more easily reproduced. The funding of this second couch means all radiotherapy patients will be eligible to receive treatment on the 6DOF couch, extending use to other tumour sites as well as head and neck.

£181,500.00 – We reported in 2023/24 that, with the generous support of Telford Plaza Ltd, we had funded SGRT to be installed on two LINACs and on the CT scanner used to plan radiotherapy treatments. However, upon review, the new CT scanner (purchased after the initial SGRT application was made) already has the functionality included. The donor therefore very kindly agreed to fund the difference in cost between the device for the CT and the LINAC, so that we are now able to provide SGRT on all three LINAC machines. As with the first two machines, we have agreed that Lingen Davies will fund maintenance costs in year two and three (first year under warranty), after which the full costs will be picked up by the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trusts (SaTH).

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ANNUAL REPORT

THE DIFFERENCE WE HAVE MADE

Ensuring those impacted by cancer locally can access the best possible cancer services

Cancer Centre Tea Trolley

Cancer Care Video

Water Bottles

£233.56 – We were approached by the Radiotherapy team at SaTH to deliver a Lingen Davies tea and coffee service in the Cancer Centre for both patients and their friends/ relatives, whilst attending for treatment. After initial start-up costs, local company Lyreco have supported the service by providing free supplies.

£10,000.00 – We provided funding for the SaTH Personalised Care team to produce a series of 25 information videos for those living in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, and Mid Wales who may be vulnerable, immunocompromised or may not wish to come to a group session. These videos ensure they still have access to information in order to safely self-manage four topics, that are covered within the face to face community Living Well Sessions: fatigue, physical activity, emotional wellbeing and nutrition.

£1,054.80 – The Radiotherapy team asked us to provide water bottles for patients awaiting radiotherapy to ensure that patients’ bladders were full before any scans or treatment. Existing stock from our merchandise

supply was initially used, and the project proved so successful that new stock was ordered and supplied.

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ANNUAL REPORT

THE DIFFERENCE WE HAVE MADE

Non-clinical wellbeing support

We also now commission our own non-clinical support services for people with cancer to meet gaps identified through stakeholder consultation. Our ‘projects for patients’ offered in 2024/25 included activities such as yoga and horticultural therapies to improve the wellbeing of those living with cancer. We have developed this area of work in 2025/26 with the launch of the wider £100,000 Wellbeing Programme.

As part of our commitment to fund patients in the wider community we have also provided funding for the following:

Flex and Flow Yoga

Joy in your Journey Soundbaths

Nordic Walking

Horticultural Therapies with Bloomin Lovely

Open Water Swimming

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ANNUAL REPORT

THE DIFFERENCE WE HAVE MADE

Supporting people to live well, with and beyond cancer

ICan Cancer Rehabilitation £172,305.00 -

iCan delivered its third successful year of the programme in 2024/25. Sessions have run across the region, both in person and online and we have recently launched iCan Start as a ‘taster session’ for the main programme. We are delighted that an academic paper on the benefits of the programme was published in the Journal ‘Diseases’ in October 2024, a clear acknowledgement of the beneficial effects of the iCan programme upon the physical/functional and psychological health of its participants. We have secured funding from the West Midlands Cancer Alliance to support this programme for 2025/26, and will be working closely with SaTH and NHS Shropshire, Teldord and Wrekin ICB to develop a longer-term plan to maintain this service.

Complementary Therapies £15,333.84 - Following a previous three-year programme, Trustees agreed to fund a further three years of the programme with an improved model. The programme is delivered in collaboration with Severn Hospice (who provide an experienced, trained therapist) and SaTH, who support the delivery of services for patients and their families across both the hospital sites. We have now moved into the second year of funding and are awaiting a full evaluation of the first year of the service. However, reports from Q1 to Q3 show that recipients find the service highly beneficial for their wellbeing.

people’s support group, and various activities for a cancer group being delivered in Bridgnorth.

ICB Patient Engagement £2,021.89 - We were

delighted to be invited to work collaboratively with NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB to deliver two patient engagement events (in Telford in November 2024 and Shrewsbury in March 2025) to explore patient experience of their cancer journey across the pathway, with other system partners. The data captured at those events will be invaluable for the strategic development of the organisation and will ensure that we continue to fund and deliver equipment and services that are of most benefit to people impacted by cancer.

Radar Keys £2,928.75 - We continue to fund keys to access disabled toilet facilities. Each key is attached to a Lingen Davies keyring and distributed across the region from various sources including primary care, the Lingen Davies Cancer Centre and directly from the charity itself. Access to disabled toilet facilities helps to ensure that those who need to can continue to live their day to day lives as normally as possible, and without unnecessary restrictions.

Support Groups £1394.02 - During the last year, we have funded several small cancer support groups, including materials to promote a local breast cancer support group, refreshments for the first session of a young

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ANNUAL REPORT

Bins for Boys £239.43 - A new project which launched in 2024/25 to engage local businesses and public venues to provide sanitary bins in men’s toilets. Incontinence can be a side effect of cancer and cancer treatment. For example, men with prostate cancer can experience bladder and bowel problems following treatment. Lack of sanitary bins in male toilets in public places affects men who need to wear pads, pouches, stomas, catheters, colostomy, or ileostomy bags. Outside their home, men with incontinence need to be able to dispose of their sanitary waste in the places they visit, such as cafes, pubs and public toilets, and there is significant evidence that the lack of such facilities prevents men from going out when they want to, leading to social isolation and other health problems. We are creating Bins for Boys venues; encouraging pubs, restaurants, cafes, leisure centres, workplaces - any community venue with customer facilities - to commit to providing a sanitary bin in their men’s toilets.

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ANNUAL REPORT

THE DIFFERENCE WE HAVE MADE

Wellbeing Programme

Our Wellbeing Programme provides activities and workshops for people living with and beyond a cancer diagnosis. Our aim is to provide holistic support for overall wellbeing, bringing people with a shared experience together to try something they may not have done before. A range of activities were offered throughout the year, with the majority aimed at someone living with a cancer diagnosis, although some projects can include a support person.

These sessions are delivered by a variety of local partners who are keen to support the wider community. Such was the response to the wellbeing offer in 2024/25, it has been extended for 2025/26 with a wider range of

activities being delivered across throughout the region, the year, to enable as many of those in our community to access as possible.

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ANNUAL REPORT

Our Wellbeing Programme for 2024/25 included:

Fordhall Farm Renew and Restore £1,348.00 - A variety of hands-on activities in natural surroundings, including growing and cooking, woodworking and walks. The first year ran from May 2024 to December 2024, with the second year running from February 2025 to February 2026.

Horticultural Therapies £6,346.55 - A twelve-week horticultural course led by Bloomin’ Lovely to enhance recovery and provide an avenue for physical and emotional wellbeing. Based at the Men’s Shed in Shrewsbury in 2024/25 and ran for two cohorts. This has been extended to four cohorts in 2025/26 and now includes sessions in Oswestry.

Jenna Blair Yoga £4,500.00 - Gentle yoga sessions led by experienced instructors from Jenna Blair Yoga Community to promote connection, community, and kindness. Delivered in Shrewsbury during 2024/25, this has now been extended to Newtown for 2025/26.

Flex and Flow £4,207.36 - Gentle movement to enhance mobility and strength, and to promote relaxation, delivered by Lynne Stephenson at Admaston Community Hall, Telford. For 2025/26, this has been expanded from one to two sessions per week.

Tai Chi £8,040.00 - A traditional Chinese martial art combining slow flowing movements with deep breathing and meditation, delivered at the Chinese Arts and Cultural Centre in Telford.

EL Beauty & Therapy £12,000.00 - Tailored treatments, including targeted scar therapy, by EL Beauty & Therapy in Telford to help improve wellbeing through emotional and physical recovery. This has been recommissioned for 2025/26.

Sound Baths £916.79 - Katy Groves from Find Joy in your Journey delivered a pilot over six weeks, starting in October 2024 to create a peaceful environment using the sounds of different sized crystal singing bowls – reducing stress and promoting relaxation. The programme has been recommissioned in 2025/26 to also be delivered in Oswestry and Telford.

Open Water Swimming £721.07 - Delivered once per month at Alderford Lake in Whitchurch for people with a breast cancer diagnosis. Directly delivered by Lingen Davies but supported by two of our volunteers, who work as a Breast Cancer Nurse Specialist and a Breast Cancer Navigator in their professional lives. The group undertook fundraising during the year, to a total of nearly £2,500 and has been expanded during 2025/26, shortly to be open to other cancer diagnoses.

5K Your Way Newtown £1,000.00 - There is now persuasive evidence that a healthy lifestyle during and after cancer is associated with improved physical and psychological well-being, reducing risks associated with treatment and recurrence rates, as well as enhancing self-esteem and improving survival.

This funding covers the start-up costs for this group, which already operates successfully as a model at both Shrewsbury and Telford Parkruns. The benefit to participants covers both physical and mental wellbeing with the social engagement being as important as the physical health improvements gained through walking, running or volunteering.

I Can Dance £995.00 - Different styles of dance through expert-led classes with Sarah Bright. Lots of fun and great for emotional and physical wellbeing. The group was delivered in Shrewsbury in 2024/25 and has been extended to include Oswestry and Telford in 2025/26.

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ANNUAL REPORT

05. PATIENT STORIES

Anne Liston, 77, had always attended her routine mammogram appointments because she had ‘so much cancer in her family’. Both of her parents had cancer, as well as aunts, uncles and cousins. Following one of her routine mammograms in 2006, she received the news that would change her world.

The beginning of treatment

“I started chemotherapy soon after my diagnosis which, as anyone who has been through it knows, was really hard. Back then people in Shropshire had to pay for Herceptin (a cancer drug often used to treat breast or stomach cancer) and those in Wales didn’t. I remember there had been a lot of amazing women protesting about that but when the protests were happening, I didn’t know I had cancer so I hadn’t really paid attention to it because it wasn’t relevant to me. By the time I was diagnosed they’d agreed to fund Herceptin for people living in Shropshire. I’m incredibly thankful it was freely available. Going through chemotherapy was horrible enough but to know what it would cost me to fund the drugs would have been appalling.

By February 2007 I’d had six rounds of chemotherapy and 15 rounds of radiotherapy in the space of 19 days. They then broke the news that it had spread to my bones and metastasized.”

Anne was told her cancer was uncurable, but she would receive treatment to keep it in check for as long as possible, or until it stopped being effective. “Fortunately, I’ve tolerated it all this time – that’s almost 20 years!”

Looking back

With almost 20 years on her cancer journey, Anne has spent some time looking back at some of her earlier treatment experiences. She said: “I used to have my treatment in a tiny ward just off Ward 21. It was very cramped, and we were given knitted blankets. We had to sit for half a day with a canula.

“I lived in Wellington at the time so had to journey along the M54 every time I had treatment. My husband Ian used to bring me, but he passed away 12 years ago with stomach cancer. He’d also had a stroke.” Following the loss of her husband, Anne moved to a new home in Shrewsbury.

I go to town on the bus, and I have lovely neighbours. I do pilates, I volunteer at the Food Hub in Battlefield, and I meet a social group once a week. I really do love living here!”

The Lingen Davies Cancer Centre

“As soon as you step foot in the Centre everyone is so wonderful. I’ve seen so many people over the years and it’s lovely to see staff I’ve known since the beginning.

I used to sit there with the canula for half a day, just listening to the machine beeping. It would really

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ANNUAL REPORT

Born under a lucky star

Anne feels like she was born under a lucky star in 1948 and says she had a wonderful childhood growing up with lots of friends.

“Most of my family have died from some form of cancer. Unfortunately, they didn’t have all the advantages of modern treatments that I’ve had. I’m not special, I just go to the hospital when I’m asked and do what I’m told.

“I was going to go back to work after my operation but then I was told about the cancer in my bones, so I took an early retirement. I’m so pleased I did because Ian and I had some time together. He really looked after me.”

knock me out. Since then, there’s been a phenomenal improvement on what we had and it’s still developing even now. The rollout of holistic extras from Lingen Davies Cancer Support really does make a difference. It’s amazing!”

Anne’s treatment has now developed to an injection in her thigh – a process which only takes 30 minutes.

“It’s funny because I didn’t like the new Centre when it first opened. It felt so big and clinical and was usually quite empty. I soon got used to it though and quickly appreciated the new equipment and privacy.”

(Almost) two decades later

“I used to have regular scans every three months. Now, every six months, I have a CT scan and heart checks because the Herceptin I take can damage that. I then have an appointment with the consultants who have, so far, always said there’s been no change and I’m stable. It’s just not going away.

to stop the Herceptin, but I’m not too concerned about that. There are lots of other choices available to me now – another thing that’s really changed since I was diagnosed in 2006.”

The 300th treatment

In the build up to her 300th cancer treatment in May, Anne decided she wanted to donate to Lingen Davies Cancer Support to mark the occasion and give something back to a place that’s been such a big part of her life.

“Having cancer doesn’t rule my life. I’ve got other things to worry about that are more to do with old age. I’ve been asked by people how I manage and cope with the knowledge that I have cancer. I’ve just had to accept it.”

“It’s been stable for 20 years because of the treatment I’ve had, I know that. At one point I thought I would have

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ANNUAL REPORT

PATIENT STORIES

Derek, 67, from Bings Heath was diagnosed with grade five prostate cancer in March 2024 after visiting his GP to discuss troubles with his waterworks. Derek was sure something wasn’t ‘quite right’, so he was persistent and continued to visit his GP until a biopsy was done.

Signs that something was wrong

Derek Thompson first visited his GP because he was getting up multiple times in the night. He was told it was just ‘old man troubles’ and his prostate was probably just a bit enlarged. But he knew something wasn’t right.

“So, I just kept going back and saying I think there’s more to it. Thankfully I had also been having regular PSA checks and I happened to have a spike in the numbers. My GP said he didn’t like the spike from the last results, so he wrote to the urologist at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

“I was called in and had a digital rectum examination. They said they thought it was just enlarged but asked if I wanted a biopsy to check. I was brave and because I said yes, I got test results that came back positive – grade five aggressive prostate cancer,” he said.

More tests and scans followed and unfortunately due to a lack of face-to-face appointments Derek was told his results during a phone call. He was called in for a bone scan to see if it had spread outside the prostate. The results of the scan took an initial three weeks.

He then had another call outlining his treatment plan, once the Multi-Disciplinary Team had reviewed his results.

A waiting game

Derek remembers taking the initial phone call when he was in a shop, he went and sat in his car while they told him the news.

“They said: ‘I’m very pleased to tell you it hasn’t spread,’ so that was fabulous news. Then I waited. I lost two months of my life waiting,” said Derek.

“I had meetings with the consultants and was told my options and asked what I would like to do? They told me it was really aggressive. I expected there to be a recommendation, but it was up to me - hormone therapy or surgery,” he added.

Derek had already discussed the side effects of both options with his wife Tracey, those being possible incontinence and erectile dysfunction.

“A lot of men bury their head in the sand about this. One of my neighbours told me he had decided to go down the monitoring route, but I just thought ‘get it out’. I had grade 5 cancer growing inside me and I just wanted it out. So, I had a prostectomy in July,” said Derek.

In late September PSA tests showed that thankfully the procedure had done the trick and he had an almost undetectable PSA score. Derek says he went from being “absolutely rock bottom” to “euphoria.”

He then went on a three-week holiday with Tracey, and he did a PSA test beforehand.

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ANNUAL REPORT

Side effects of treatment

“I did have quite severe side effects – incontinence was very bad for a while,” shared Derek.

“We went on holiday and thankfully because it was summertime I could just jump in the sea when I needed,” he added.

He also had a few big mishaps like standing at the beach bar with urine gushing down his leg.

He set an alarm on his phone to remind him to do pelvic floor exercises – 3 x 100reps.

He also told one of his friends about the cancer and treatment when I was on holiday and his friend admitted that he had been through the same thing five years before.

“He’s a very private person who doesn’t share what’s going on,” said Derek. “I’m the complete opposite and I wanted to talk about it. Things are slowly improving now. I reached a huge milestone the other night when I had my first totally dry night. I always take a bag with me when we go out with supplies in, as not everywhere is geared up to help men in my shoes. I went to a pub in September and had to change myself. I told the landlord I had left a binbag in the toilet because there was no bin. The more people who know this is an issue the better. I have a card from my Cancer Care Specialist so I can access private toilets.”

“I’m six months on from my operation now, I’m glad to say my incontinence issues have improved vastly and going away shouldn’t be as challenging as in September,

Joining groups to keep his spirits up. Derek joined the Men Like Us group which he loves and will continue to go to. He has also attended the Lingen Davies grantfunded horticultural therapy course in Telford which he also loved.

“I’m the only bloke most weeks and we have a great laugh” he said. He also attended Telford Tai Chi with Faye Yip, also funded by Lingen Davies.

“I’m lucky that Tracey has been really supportive, not everyone has a person like that. It must be so easy to just give up. The support I’ve had from doing all these things including the Tai Chi is very empowering and uplifting. For about four to five years I was told my symptoms were just age related and not to worry. But I continued to press. I was lucky it spiked and was noticed. Thankfully now my PSA levels are normal.”

Some men are at higher risk of prostate cancer than others, use the Prostate Cancer UK Risk Checker on their website to understand your risk and when to see your GP to get checked out.

Derek has three holidays booked already for 2025 and describes himself as a positive “get out and do it kind of guy.” But he says his confidence really took a knock when he had a huge heart attack ten years ago. He almost died following the incident and his confidence really dropped. He also had serious spinal surgery.

“I retired because of all that and I thought ‘great I will get that all out of the way, and then wham… I got cancer.”

“You have just got to stay positive. You’ve got to not let it beat you and just keep going, which is very hard.

“Going through chemotherapy must be so hard for people, I’m so lucky I didn’t have to do that,” he added.

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ANNUAL REPORT

06. HOW DO WE ACHIEVE ALL OF THIS? WITH THANKS TO ALL OF YOU...

Our total income this year is £1,473,021 (£1.342m 23/24). We are very proud to have once again broken our own fundraising record, and it is testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone across the Lingen Davies community. We have big ambitions for the future, not least a challenging £5 million target for our Sunflower Appeal. To achieve these, we will continue to grow our existing funding streams, embrace new opportunities, and make sure we are using our time and resources where we believe we will get the highest return on investment.

Volunteers

We are fortunate to have 100 active volunteers to call on who assist with all manner of activities including office administration, events support, deliver teas and coffees to patients, act as charity ambassadors and deliver patient stories at selected events.

A special mention goes to our dedicated volunteer retired Major Brian Harper, who was named National Volunteer of the Year at the Third Sector Awards in London, in September 2024. At the age of 88, Brian continues to support our office team at least two days every week and goes all over the region to manage collection cans, sell Christmas cards, support bucket collections and acting as an ambassador for the charity.

Caroline Venables was named the Lingen Davies Volunteer of the Year at our own AGM and Awards ceremony - also in September 2024. Caroline joined us in 2023, bringing a wealth of volunteering and retail experience with her, gained during her time working for Oxfam. She supports our patient tea trolley in the Lingen Davies Cancer Centre every week, ensuring patients see a friendly face and have a drink while they wait for their treatment. She has also used her retail experience to help us revamp and expand our range of merchandise and online shop.

Volunteers like Brian and Caroline are critical to our success. We appreciate every hour of time that volunteers give us; we couldn’t do what we do without them.

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Montgomeryshire and Shrewsbury Fundraising Committees

We also continue to receive great support from our community fundraisers. Alongside many individual fundraisers, we have volunteer fundraising committees set up in Shrewsbury and Montgomeryshire. These committees are highly effective and make a great contribution to the charity.

The Shrewsbury Committee by 31 March 2024 has raised £95,048.01. £33,594.87 of this was raised in 2024/25.

The Montgomeryshire Committee started after we opened our new office in Plas Dolerw, Newtown in the Spring of 2023, giving fundraisers in the area a more local base to visit. This team has raised £101,628.21 by 31 March 2025. £72,497.50 of this was raised in 2024/25.

We have plans to expand this model to other areas of the region in 2025/26.

Corporate Supporters

Our corporate partners are a much-valued part of the wider Lingen Davies community, and we a pleased to have strong and effective relationships with a wide range of businesses. The time, money, resources and energy they offer the charity enable us to do and deliver more, benefitting more people, and making more of an impact.

Whether small donations, or large-scale ongoing partnerships, we truly appreciate all that our corporate partners bring to the charity.

Some of our amazing corporate supporters from 2024/25 include:

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Community Fundraising

Our dedicated and passionate local community really is the backbone of Lingen Davies fundraising. Individuals and organisations give to us for a variety of reasons – often to say thank you for the care given to themselves or a loved one. In September we invite more than 200 people to join us for our annual celebration evening where we recognise and thank the hard work of so many.

Challenge Events

We remain in awe of those who take on physical challenges to benefit others. For some that could be completing a mile walk, for others it could be scaling mountains or running a marathon. Thanks to everyone who has pushed themselves to the limits for us.

Duncan Lewis – 7 x 10km races

When Duncan’s partner Selina was diagnosed with breast cancer, he decided to do something positive to help himself and others and developed his running skills. Not content with taking part in one or two races, Duncan signed up to seven different challenges – and relished each and every one of them. His fundraising total stands at £4,860.18.

John Adamson

John has been a dedicated skier his whole life but at the age of 85, and with insurance premiums rising, he decided to turn his final foray on the slopes into a fundraiser for us. Having been treated at the Lingen Davies Cancer Centre for cancer of the tongue, John was pleased about being able to give back – and raised the brilliant sum of £1,425.65.

Denis Wicks – Coast to Coast

This intrepid fundraiser took on a 193 mile trek across the breadth of England in the Coast-to-Coast challenge. He took two weeks to complete the course starting in St Bees and finishing in Robin Hood’s Bay, taking in three national parks, experiencing a variety of weather, and often finding himself knee deep in puddles. Denis’ bold efforts raised £3,111.75.

Brandon Tanomjit

Brian won the accolade of challenge event of the year for 2023/24 after completing 47km to mark what would have been his Mum’s 47th birthday. He carried on with his challenge for 2024/25 to complete not one, not two, but seven marathons in seven weeks raising a further £16,973.11 for us. Brandon took on the fundraising in memory of his mum Nichola who he lost to cancer.

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07. INCOME

We continue to develop and deliver a fun, engaging in-house events programme that has wide appeal and geographical reach. Despite significant personnel gaps at the height of events season, the team worked hard together to deliver an exceptional range of events across the region.

Some of our fundraising events this year...

Colour Runsincome £40,801

We expanded our hugely popular Colour Run offering into Telford this year, following previous successes in Shrewsbury and Newtown. With the generous support of our sponsors and venues (Sansaw Estate, Apley Estate and Meadow Springs Holiday Park), around 1,000 people completed the 5k courses on one day, being drenched in colour along the way.

Secret Garden Ballincome £19,513

Held at the beautiful Pimhill Barn, the Secret Garden Ball was a fabulous evening of food, drinks and dancing under the stars. This event was an operational challenge, with initially slow ticket sales and a plan that was going to be expensive to deliver. With the exceptional support of the venue, we made additional creative decisions and reimagined the event, and ultimately it was a huge success, garnering overwhelmingly positive feedback and a good profit.

Snowdrop Walkincome £5,639

Our traditional annual Snowdrop Walk was kindly hosted once again by Charles Whitaker at Winsley Hall. We were lucky with the weather, and the event was well supported, with hundreds of people lacing up their walking boots for a rare look at the beautiful snowdrops on the private grounds at Winsley.

Sadly, our Pedal the Borders and Gin and Jazz events were cancelled this year, due to low ticket sales. Above all, we have a responsibility to manage the financial and reputational risks around all our activities, and on both of these occasions ticket sales were insufficient, at the point at which major outgoing payments were required, for us to feel confident that the events would be in profit.

While events are a great way of engaging with our community, they are first and foremost a fundraising exercise, and we must bear this in mind while making decisions. We believe it was the right course of action to cancel these events, limit our losses and focus our attention on other events that had a greater chance of success.

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Eaton Manor lunchincome £6,054

Christmas Carol Concertincome £2,505

Titty Trailincome £23,986

Working with Eaton Manor, a new destination events partner in South Shropshire, we had a Sunday lunch in November 2024. The fundraiser sold out, and it was great to have such a success in an area of the region where we have historically held a lower profile. Feedback was excellent, and we will be holding this event again in 2025.

We re-evaluated our annual Christmas Concert this year and moved the location from Shrewsbury Abbey to Christchurch in Bayston Hill. The event has previously been profitable, but costs were high, and we wanted to reduce the risk associated with the event while also placing it in the heart of a community. This was a good decision, with a packed room and a wonderful festive evening. The income on this event was very similar to 2023, but with significantly reduced costs, and so profit was almost doubled. We thank the Shrewsbury Light Orchestra and Shrewsbury Male Voice Choir for their wonderful performances on the evening.

The second year of the Titty Trail was based at the Secret Hills Discovery Centre in Craven Arms. Once again, over 200 brave walkers took on the Shropshire Hills challenge, which raised breast cancer awareness as well as funds. Following the repeated success of this event, we have launched a second event for 2025, with Titty Trails running in both Bishops Castle, Shropshire, and Aberystwyth, Mid Wales. We have also entered into an agreement with Sky Blue Adventures to roll out the Titty Trail brand nationally, with other charities being able to make use of the branding and event support to run their own events. We hope this will both raise the profile of the challenge and generate additional income from branding rights as the brand grows nationally.

Other Income Streams

Other income under development includes our Trusts and Foundations applications. This year we have been fortunate to receive £10,000 from the AKO Foundation. We are aware that we have not proactively pursued Trusts and Foundations income this year, due to a lack of internal capacity. In June 2025, we appointed a Trusts and Foundations Fundraiser to address this capacity gap, and we hope to significantly increase income from this area in the future.

We have big plans to diversify our fundraising further, particularly as the demand on cancer services, and for wider wellbeing support, only continues to grow. Our £5 million Sunflower Appeal, launched in June 2025, will generate further growth in our fundraising, and we have increased our staff resources in this area to explore new, and underperforming areas of income generation.

Fundraising remains at the heart of what we do, and we continue to partner with health providers and delivery partners to ensure our fundraised income is being used in the very best ways necessary to support our community.

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08. RECOGNITION

We’re tremendously proud of the impact we’ve made, and our people and work have been recognised on a local, regional, and national level.

We were also nominated in the Chartered Institute of Fundraising’s national fundraising awards, and the Charity Awards.

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09. OUR TEAM

President:

The Honorable Lady Jane Heber-Percy

Patrons:

Thanks

Mandy Thorn MBE DL, Graham Wynn OBE

Trustees:

The Trustees, who served during the year were:

The Trustees wish to thank the people of Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, and Mid Wales, whose support for the charity has been exceptional once again.

Along with our community, we continue to face challenges including tough economic conditions, pressure on cancer services, and the everincreasing demands for all types of support. We cannot solve all of these challenges, but with the support of our community we are able to make a real difference to peoples’ lives when they are going through cancer.

New Trustees are elected by the existing Board. Mark Harris, Mandy Thorn MBE DL, Dr N Srihari and Andy Killey resigned from the Board during this year; we thank them all for their service and dedication. In April 2025, we were delighted to welcome five new Trustees to broaden the skill set and diversity of the Board.

We would also like to thank the staff team and congratulate them on another outstanding year of fundraising, development, and service delivery for the charity. The team have worked extremely hard this year and have exceeded expectations in the face of challenges and disruption.

We also thank our President, Lady Jane Heber-Percy, for her continued support and generosity. None of the charity’s work would be possible without the commitment of the staff, volunteers and supporters, and the Trustees are very grateful for this.

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Staff

The day-to-day responsibility for running the charity is delegated to the Chief Executive Officer, Naomi Atkin. Emma Backhouse has now been appointed as Chief Operating Officer on a permanent basis. The senior management team is supported by a wider Heads of Department team and other members of staff.

Helen Knight, Lizzy Ellis and Tarrah Lewis all left the fundraising team in 2024, to pursue new opportunities. Catherine Buckley was a valued member of the communications team from September to December 2024 but left due to other freelance work commitments. We thank them for their hard work and dedication during their time with us.

Following a restructure of the fundraising team, we appointed Steph Smith in September 2024 as Relationship Fundraiser; she has since become Head of Philanthropy, and oversees our corporate, major donor and Trusts and Foundations work. Claire Purcell has rejoined the team, having been previously employed as LiveLife Project Coordinator in 2022. Claire joins us as Community Fundraising Manager, overseeing our community focussed fundraising work.

Emilie Kerr has diversified her role and now takes significant operational responsibility for event delivery alongside her marketing work, and Angela Hill moved into the fundraising team. Alongside these changes, we have appointed additional staff in fundraising, communications and service delivery. We have also appointed James Turner as Grants and Projects Coordinator, in response to challenges in our capacity to manage relationships with our grant recipients and to ensure the impact of our funding is properly evaluated.

The staff team is now in a robust, highly effective place, and while we continue to adjust our working practices to accommodate our growth, we are lucky to have such a highly motivated team, who want to make real change for people living with cancer.

We are committed to treating our staff well, providing good employee benefits and ensuring a positive working environment for all.

An external HR consultant is engaged to support the management team in ensuring appropriate HR policies and procedures are in place and to help manage any HR issues as they arise.

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10. LOOKING TO THE FUTURE… WHAT’S NEXT FOR LINGEN DAVIES?

Our strategic themes remain unchanged, and we will continue to focus our resources on:

We have ambitious plans to make a huge impact on our community in the coming years. We will grow our wellbeing services, deliver the Sunflower Appeal and other capital projects, and develop our income generation to make these things happen.

We are in the process of refining our governance and exploring setting up a trading subsidiary to ensure we are managing our activities and finances as best we can as we manage our growth and development. We are developing our impact measurement and improving our monitoring and evaluation processes across our work.

have recently launched support services for carers and family members of those living with cancer (including children); we know there are real gaps in provision for this group of people, and this is a significant stress on patients as they worry about the impact of their diagnosis on their loved ones.

We are growing our physical presence across the region, with our new office in Meeting Point House in Telford, and Plas Dolerw, Newtown both operational, and plans for shared space in the Princess Royal Hospital, alongside SaTH partners, due to come to fruition in Summer 2025.

We continue to explore options for new income through commercial activities, and we ultimately wish to open our own space, where we can welcome people from across the community in a supportive, therapeutic and inspiring environment.

We continue to work with partners in Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust, NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, Powys Teaching Health Board and other partners, to deliver existing schemes and develop new projects for 2025/26. We have secured funding from the West Midlands Cancer Alliance, via NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, to extend the iCan project for another 12 months, and are in conversations with SaTH about how this can be brought in to form part of a wider programme of prehab and rehab support for patients.

Internally, we have a strategic plan for team growth and have appointed a number of new staff in fundraising, communications, and service delivery to ensure that we are appropriately resourced and able to deliver our ambitious plans. Emma Backhouse has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer (COO) on a permanent basis and continues to focus on strategic governance developments alongside operational responsibilities.

In Summer 2025, we promoted our Patron, Lady Jane Heber-Percy, to the position of President. To support her, we have appointed Mandy Thorn MBE DL as our Shropshire Patron, and Graham Wynn OBE as our Telford Patron. We intend to appoint a third Patron for Mid Wales, and look forward to working with our President and Patrons to build the presence of the charity.

We are investing more than ever in our wellbeing projects and continue to build relationships with our delivery partners to develop these services, ensuring we can reach as many people in need as possible. We

We are looking forward to an exciting 2025/26, and hope that you will come with us on the next steps of our journey.

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11. TRUSTEES REPORT AND ACCOUNTS

Legal and Administrative Information

The Trustees present their report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity’s governing document, the Charities Act 2011 and “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)” (as amended for accounting periods commencing from 1 January 2019).

The charity makes us of the Flagstone investment platform, allowing us to easily spread and transfer funds between a range of bank accounts. This protects our assets in the event of bank failure and also allows us to access more favourable interest rates. The accounts in which our funds are invested change regularly, in order to maximise the benefits of the platform. We were introduced to Flagstone by Throgmorton Associates Wealth Management Ltd, Willow House West, Shrewsbury Business Park, Sitka Dr, Shrewsbury SY2 6LG.

Fundraising Standards Information CA162A

The charity receives the majority of its funds from the public.

Principal address:

Fundraising Office c/o Hamar Centre

Royal Shrewsbury Hospital

Shrewsbury Shropshire SY3 8XQ

Charity number 1160922 The Charity’s Bankers and Auditors are:

Auditor :

Dyke Yaxley Limited 1 Brassey Rd Shrewsbury Shropshire SY3 7FA

Bankers:

Santander PLC Bridle Road Bootle, Merseyside L30 4GB

Lloyds Bank PLC 2138 Coventry Road Sheldon, Birmingham B26 3JW

Flagstone Group Ltd 1st Floor Clareville House 26-17 Oxendon St, London SW1Y 4EL

a. The charity undertakes fundraising though our internal resources and staff team. We do not commission a professional fundraiser/commercial participator for these;

b. The charity is registered with the Fundraising Regulator and abides by good practices standards set out by the regulator. The charity’s internal Guide to Fundraising reflects these and gives information to staff and volunteers about how to fundraise legally, ethically and within good practice standards;

c. The charity monitors fundraising activities via the Trustee Board;

d. The charity received no complaints about activities for the purpose of fundraising during this year;

e. The charity has adopted principles of GDPR legislation and also has safeguarding policies to protect the data of vulnerable people and other members of the public from:

i) Unreasonable intrusion on a persons’ privacy;

ii) Unreasonable persistent approaches for the purpose of soliciting or otherwise procuring money or other property on behalf of the charity;

iii) Placing undue pressure on a person to give money or other property.

Structure, Governance and Management

The Lingen Davies Cancer Fund, Fundraising Office, Hamar Centre, Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Mytton Oak Road, Shrewsbury, SY3 8XQ is registered with the Charity Commission in England and Wales, number 1160922, as a

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charitable incorporated organisation and the Charity was entered on the Charity Commission Register on 16 March 2015.

On 5 June 2025, we announced to the public that we would be using the working name of Lingen Davies Cancer Support from now on, reflecting the breadth of activities we now undertake. Our working name is registered with the Charity Commission whilst our legal name remains unchanged.

The Trustees have implemented a Scheme of Delegation, giving responsibility to the Chief Executive Officer for operational risks. The Chief Executive Officer attends subcommittee meetings and escalates serious risks to the Chair of Trustees as appropriate.

The trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed, and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks.

Financial review

The charity maintains a primary base at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and has a Fundraising Office within the Cancer Centre itself. A second office is located in Plas Dolerw, Newtown proving a useful base for both fundraising and service delivery work, as well as developing relationships with co-located service providers such as the Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations (PAVO). In 2024/25, we have also taken office space at Meeting Point House, in Telford Town Centre. This allows for better engagement with the local community in the east of the region, supporting fundraising efforts.

At 31st March 2025, the charity had nine Trustees. The maximum number of Trustees is 15 and there must be a minimum of five. Trustees are appointed for a term of five years and new Trustees are appointed with regards to skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the charity. New Trustees go through an induction process to ensure they are fully informed about the charity and its aims and objectives.

The Board of Trustees meets at least quarterly but there are also various sub-committees as follows:

The sub-committees meet in between Trustee meetings, as required, and the Chair of each sub-committee reports back to Trustee meetings and makes recommendations to the Board.

Risk Management

The Trustees have examined the major strategic, business and operational risks which the charity faces. The Chief Executive Officer reports regularly to trustees on matters of risk management. Each sub-committee of the Board reviews risks appropriate to their responsibilities and reports back to the Board. The Trustees then recommend the steps that should be taken to minimise these risks, wherever possible.

The attached Statement of Financial Activities for the period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 reflects the incoming resources, resources expended and the overall movement in funds for the year.

As described above, this has been an exceptionally successful year, with our community once again showing their strong support for people living with cancer in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, and Mid Wales.

Reserves

The Trustees aim to keep £272,400 (2023: £200,000) in designated reserves, to cover running costs in the event of a serious cash flow problem or other major unforeseen expenses.

The Trustees have also designated a legacy received from a Powys resident to extend our LiveLife and iCan project work into Powys.

There are several restricted funds held at present, aiming to support the charity’s future development, as well as those held to provide funding to pre-agreed internal and external projects.

The Trustees are of the opinion that the resources they retain and anticipate receiving in the future will enable them to meet effectively the current and future aims for the relief of cancer patients in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and Mid Wales.

Total funds held £1,544,761

Restricted funds £39,356

Designated funds £1,020,315

Tangible fixed assets £43,982

Free reserves £441,108

The unrestricted free reserves of the charity as at 31 March 2025 were £441,108 (2024: £825,317).

We are commited to complete a £5,000,000 capital appeal by 2029 for a new chemotherapy unit. This is not included in the capital commitments, and therefore excluded from the free reserves calculation.

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Investments

The Trustees are authorised to invest the assets of the charity in whatever way they believe to be in the best interests of the charity and its objectives. In light of the current economic situation, the Trustees have considered the most appropriate policy for investing funds and have agreed that retaining funds in cash investments best meet their requirements to generate income whilst maintaining capital for the long term.

We are now using the Flagstone investment platform, which allows us to spread our cash investments across multiple accounts more easily, allowing us to move funds to where the best interest rates can be found. This also allows us to keep more of our funds under the £85,000 FSCS protection limit as we can easily access a wider range of account providers.

Statement of Trustee’s responsibilities

For the year ended 31 March 2025

The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The law applicable to charities in England and Wales 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 charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that year.

In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping sufficient accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with

the Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the trust deed.

They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Trustees’ report was approved by the Board of Trustees.

Signature: ..............................

Mr T Cooper

Chair of Trustees

Date: 18/09/2025

Independent Auditor’s Report

To the Trustees of Lingen Davies Cancer Fund CIO

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Lingen Davies Cancer Fund CIO (the ‘charity’) for the year ended 31 March 2025 which comprise the statement of financial activities, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion, the financial statements:

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in

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accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the Trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue. Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the Trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The Trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report.

Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 require us to report to you if, in our opinion:

Responsibilities of Trustees

As explained more fully in the statement of Trustees’ responsibilities, the Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the Trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the Trustees are responsible for assessing the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Trustees either intend to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

We have been appointed as auditor under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with the Act and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.

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We assessed the susceptibility of the charity’s financial statements to material misstatement, including obtaining an understanding of how fraud might occur, by:

making enquiries of management as to where they considered there was susceptibility to fraud, their knowledge of actual, suspected, and alleged fraud; and

considering the internal controls in place to mitigate risks of fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations.

To address the risk of fraud through management bias and override of controls, we:

our auditor’s report.

This report is made solely to the charity’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity’s trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity’s trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Signature: ..............................

19/09/2025

Date: ………………………………..

Stacey Lea FCA (Senior Statutory Auditor)

For and on behalf of Dyke Yaxley Limited (Statutory Auditor) 1 Brassey Rd, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY3 7FA

Dyke Yaxley Limited is eligible for appointment as auditor of the charity by virtue of its eligibility for appointment as auditor of a company under section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006.

In response to the risk of irregularities and non-compliance with laws and regulations, we designed procedures which included, but were not limited to:

There are inherent limitations in our audit procedures described above. The more removed that laws and regulations are from financial transactions, the less likely it is that we would become aware of non- compliance. Auditing standards also limit the audit procedures required to identify non-compliance with laws and regulations to enquiry of the trustees and other management and the inspection of regulatory and legal correspondence, if any.

A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc. org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of

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1.2 Going concern

At the time of approving the financial statements, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus, the Trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.

1.3 Charitable funds

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives unless the funds have been designated for other purposes.

The financial statements were approved by the Trustees on

Signature:…………………. Date: 18/09/2025 Mr Tim Cooper - Chair

Notes to the Financial Statements

For the year ended 31 March 2024

Statement of Financial Activities

1. Accounting policies

Charity information

Lingen Davies Cancer Fund CIO is a charitable incorporated organisation, registered in England and Wales.

Unrestricted funds are donations and other income received for the general objects of the charity.

Designated funds comprise funds which have been set aside at the discretion of the Trustees for specific purposes. The purposes and uses of the designated funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors or grantors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.

1.4 Income

Income is recognised when the charity is legally entitled to it after any performance conditions have been met, the amounts can be measured reliably, and it is probable that income will be received.

1.1 Accounting convention

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity’s governing document, the Charities Act 2011 and “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)” (as amended for accounting periods commencing from 1 January 2019). The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.

The accounts are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £. The accounts have been prepared on the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.

Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.

Legacies are recognised on receipt or otherwise if the charity has been notified of an impending distribution, the amount is known, and receipt is expected. If the amount is not known, the legacy is treated as a contingent asset. Assets given for use by the charity are recognised when receivable.

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 grant have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.

Turnover is measured at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable and represents amounts receivable for goods and services provided in the normal course of business, net of discounts, VAT and other sales related taxes.

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1.5 Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.

Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.

1.7 Tangible fixed assets

Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses. Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:

Equipment 20% p.a on cost

Software 33.33% p.a on cost

Motor vehicles 20% p.a on cost

The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the statement of financial activities.

1.8 Impairment of fixed assets

Direct Charitable Expenditure

The objects of the charity are to raise funds to provide grants to support the work of cancer health care professionals for the treatment of cancer patients in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and Mid Wales, the provision of services directly to cancer patients and raising awareness of cancer prevention in the area. Any expenditure specifically to achieve these objects is included in direct charitable expenditure.

Governance costs

Administration expenses of the charity relate to the costs of running the charity, such as insurance, accountancy fees and costs of statutory compliance, and include any costs which cannot be specifically attributed to another expenditure classification.

1.6 Intangible fixed assets other than goodwill

Intangible assets acquired separately from a business are recognised at cost and are subsequently measured at cost less accumulated amortisation and accumulated impairment losses.

Intangible assets acquired on business combinations are recognised separately from goodwill at the acquisition date where it is probable that the expected future economic benefits that are attributable to the asset will flow to the entity and the fair value of the asset can be measured reliably; the intangible asset arises from contractual or other legal rights; and the intangible asset is separable from the entity.

Website 33.33% p.a. on cost

At each reporting end date, the charity reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible and intangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).

1.9 Stocks

Stocks are stated at the lower of cost and estimated selling price less costs to complete and sell. Cost comprises direct materials and, where applicable, direct labour costs and those overheads that have been incurred in bringing the stocks to their present location and condition. Items held for distribution at no or nominal consideration are measured at the lower of replacement cost and cost.

Net realisable value is the estimated selling price less all estimated costs of completion and costs to be incurred in marketing, selling and distribution.

1.10 Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks and other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less.

1.11 Employee benefits

The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received. Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.

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ANNUAL REPORT

1.12 Retirement benefits

6 Expenditure on raising funds

Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.

1.13 Debtors

Debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any discount offered.

1.14 Creditors

Creditors 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.

7 Expenditure on charitable activities

2. Income from donations and legacies

The amounts shown above include unpaid legacies which due to the time and complexity taken for legacies to crystallise, this income may not be received within 12 months. Within debtors at the year end unpaid legacies amount to £348,768 (2024: £165,701).

8 Grants payable

3 Income from charitable activities

4 Income from other trading activities

Grants payable from unrestricted funds amount to £434,116 (2024: £318,703) and from restricted funds £183,029.91 (2024: £416,666).

5 Income from investments

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ANNUAL REPORT

9 Support costs allocated to activities

13 Taxation

The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.

14 Intangible fixed assets

Support and governance costs have been allocated based on the trustees estimated costs incurred being 37.5% to fundraising (2024: 37.5%), 37.5% to grant making (2024: 37.5%) and 25% to service delivery (2024: 25%) as well as the depreciation expense on the van.

15 Tangible fixed assets

10 Net movement in funds

11 Trustees

None of the Trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration during the year, but two trustees were reimbursed a total of £518 for travelling expenses (2024 - nil). The above amount was still outstanding to be paid as at 31st March 2025 (2024 - nil).

During the year the charity received donations from three trustees (2024 - four), without conditions totalling £1,859 (2024 - £1,763).

16 Stocks

17 Debtors

12 Employees

18 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

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ANNUAL REPORT

19 Restricted funds

The restricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used.

22 Purpose of funds (material funds only)

Unrestricted funds

The unrestricted reserves represent accumulated funds received which are free to be used within the objectives of the charity. These funds are available for the future funding needs and working capital of the charity.

Designated reserves

Funds have been designated:

To meet the six months running costs of the charity, if funding sources ceased or reduced.

20 Unrestricted funds

The unrestricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants which are not subject to specific conditions by donors and grantors as to how they may be used. These include designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.

To provide fund for the LiveLife operational costs for 2025/26, enabling us to secure this project while new fundraised income is focussed on the Sunflower Appeal

To enable us to make small grants (grants of less than £10,000), without the need to fundraise at the time

To fund the development of our strategic governance and cancer hub project

The Powys Project Fund was set aside from a legacy received in 2021/22. It is being used to extend the LiveLife and iCan project work to the Powys area.

With the generous support of Telford Plaza Ltd, we have funded Surface Guided Radiotherapy (SGRT) to be installed on all three LINAC machines at Shrewsbury & Telford Hospitals NHS Trust (SaTH). We have also agreed that Lingen Davies will fund maintenance costs in year two and three (first year under warranty), after which the full costs will be picked up by SaTH. The cost of maintenance in 2025/26 will be £31,000, taken from designated funds.

Payment of the £160,000 from restricted funds was paid out in early 2025/26 in full.

21 Analysis of net assets between funds

Restricted reserves

The charity is working with NHS Shropshire Telford and Wrekin to delivering the Core20+ and Health Inequalities projects, designed to increase the uptake of cancer screening in Telford and Wrekin. This is partially funded by NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB and this portion of the funding is restricted to this project.

With the generous support of Telford Plaza Ltd, we have funded Surface Guided Radiotherapy (SGRT) to be installed on all three LINAC machines at Shrewsbury & Telford Hospitals NHS Trust (SaTH). We have also agreed that Lingen Davies will fund maintenance costs in year two and three (first year under warranty), after which the full costs will be picked up by SaTH. The cost of maintenance in 2025/26 will be £31,000, taken from designated funds.

Payment of the £160,000 from restricted funds was paid out in early 2025/26 in full.

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ANNUAL REPORT

23 Operating lease commitments

24 Capital commitments

Amounts contracted for but not provided in the financial statements:

In addition to the grants already made in Note 8, at the end of the year, the Charity has committed to pay grants from current funds and future fund raising for the following:

Unrestricted Funds

A total of £313,183.13 has been committed for 25/26 for the following outgoing grants:

ICan - £80,000

Complementary therapies - £15,327 Qube Cancer Champions - £31,435 SGRT Maintenance - £31,000 Kids Counselling - £9,614 Horticultural Therapies – £11,302 Jenna Blair Yoga - £13,125 Flex and Flow Yoga - £9,740 Tai Chi - £4,653 Beauty Therapies - £18,000 Walking Tennis - £2,000 Sound Bath - £5,520 Creative Workshops - £11,983.33 Nordic Walking - £738.80 Wigs - £40,000 I Can Dance - £3,417 5K Your Way (Brecon) - £1,000

Designated funds

SGRT - £40,500

25 Related party transactions

is the partner of the Lingen Davies CEO. For the event, all bar equipment was loaned free of charge, and stock was sold to Lingen Davies at cost price, so no profit was made by Pop Up Shrop Ltd. The total paid to Pop Up Shrop Ltd was £437.80 (2024: £12).

Pippa Tait of SalesGeek was engaged to delivering staff training on two occasions during the year. Pippa is the daughter of one of our trustees, Dr Jeremy Johnson MBE, but her services were recruited independently of this relationship, via local business networks. Dr Johnson listed this relationship on his Declaration of Interest, and there was no financial benefit to him. Pippa was paid a total of £594.00 for her work.

During the year, Lingen Davies made grants totaling £6,000 (2024: £nil) to Bloomin Lovely in respect of

Horticultural Therapy Programmes. Bloomin Lovely is a related party as Director Alexis Stones is a friend of

Lingen Davies CEO, Naomi Atkin.

During the year Lingen Davies made purchases totaling £11,664 (2024: £14,839) to Reech Media Group

Limited in respect of Website costs. Reech Media Group Limited is a related party as director Dena Evans is a trustee of Lingen Davies.

During the year Lingen Davies received £800 (2024: £nil) from Hatchers Limited in resect of sponsorship.

Hatchers Limited is a related party as director Valerie Edwards is a trustee of Lingen Davies.

During the year Lingen Davies made purchases totaling £62 (2024: £70) in respect of licenses for events held.

Pete Jackson trustee of Lingen Davies is employed by Shropshire Council.

During the year Lingen Davies made payments to Severn Hospice totaling £15,353 (2024: £11,111) in respect of grants for complementary therapy services and meeting refreshments. Severn Hospice is a related party due to Nicola Crosby trustee of Severn Hospice being the partner of David Crosby, trustee of Lingen Davies.

26 Cash generated from operations

Transactions with related parties

During the year trustees purchased merchandise and tickets for events from the charity at full cost totalling £690 (2024: £135).

For our Summer Ball at Pimhill Barns in August 2024, Lingen Davies worked in partnership with Pop Up Shrop Ltd. Pop Up Shrop Ltd is owned and managed by Darren Tomkins, who

www.lingendavies.co.uk

Lingen Davies The Fundraising Office Hamar Centre Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Mytton Oak Road Shrewsbury, SY3 8XQ Tel: 01743 492396 Email: hello@lingendavies.co.uk