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2021-03-31-accounts

ANNUAL REPORT 2020 - 2021

The trustees present their report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2021.

The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the accounts and comply with the Restoration Trust’s constitution, the Charities Act 2011 and the Statement of Recommended Practice, "Accounting and Reporting by Charities", issued in March 2005.

Objectives and activities

Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in the governing document.

The objects of the CIO are:

  1. The promotion of social inclusion for public benefit among marginalised people, in particular those who suffer or are at risk of mental ill health, by therapeutic engagement with the arts, culture and heritage, through:

  2. Projects that encourage people to flourish through therapeutic cultural engagement;

  3. Research into the wellbeing and other benefits of therapeutic cultural engagement in order to show what works;

  4. Disseminating information about the wellbeing and other benefits of therapeutic cultural engagement;

  5. Improving equal opportunities for therapeutic cultural engagement.

  6. Such charitable purposes for the public benefit as are exclusively charitable according to the laws of England and Wales as the trustees may from time to time determine.

Summary of our main activities

The Restoration Trust helps marginalised people, and in particular those who suffer or are at risk of mental ill health, by therapeutic engagement with the arts, culture and heritage. We call this culture therapy. We set up, fund and run projects that are partnerships between cultural organisations such as galleries, historic and archaeological sites, archives, museums, orchestras and theatres, and organisations that work with people marginalized by mental ill health and by contributing factors, such as homelessness, poverty, crime, abuse and drug and alcohol misuse. We research and evaluate our projects to add to the evidence base of what works for people's wellbeing and recovery, and we use every possible means to tell people about what we do, while fully respecting privacy.

Statement confirming that the trustees have had regard to Charity Commission guidance on public benefit

The trustees are satisfied that we meet Test B of the Charities Exception under the Equality Act, and the trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission

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in deciding what activities they should undertake. Our governing document restricts benefits to people with a shared protected characteristic, being mental ill health, which is a disability. The restriction can be justified as being a fair, balanced and reasonably necessary way of carrying out a legitimate aim, which is to improve people's mental health by therapeutic cultural engagement.

Evidence on cultural engagement for people with mental ill health suggests that:

Contributions by volunteers

Volunteers play an essential part in achieving our purposes, by helping to organise and deliver projects. They are people who have participated in our projects, or who want to gain culture therapy experience. In 2020/21 we worked with 12 volunteers, who supported projects and our core activities, including through membership of our Expert Advisory Board.

Covid-19

When Covid 19 caused lockdown in March 2020, we rapidly transferred sessions to Zoom with posted culture therapy parcels and private Facebook groups to help people stay connected at such a difficult time. This hybrid way of working online, with post and meeting outdoors in a Covid Secure way, is now incorporated into our methodology. We are especially grateful to our freelance contractors who were quick to adapt their practice so that they continued to engage people in interesting culture therapy experiences. We developed a Covid-19 Risk Assessment for core and project activities, and kept in touch with project funders who supported us as we found new ways to engage people.

Achievements and performance

Summary of our main achievements

This extraordinary year, dominated by responding to Covid-19, began with the initiation of three new projects, Dr Hills’ Casebook, Conservation for Wellbeing and Like Minds Norfolk. Burgh Castle Almanac reached its closing phase by March 2020, but was extended due to Covid 19. During 2020-2021, we completed our Burgh Castle Almanac film, began a new project, Stay In Touch, a fortnightly Zoom drop-in for people on all our projects, and ran an online version of Human Henge. We were commissioned to produce a report on Heritage, Creativity and Mental Health and at the very end of the year were funded to run two new projects, Exploring Caistor Roman Town and Burgh Castle Almanac Experience.

Existing funders consolidated their commitment to grantees by unrestricted funding, or through emergency resilience grants. Funding or contributions in kind from City Bridge Trust, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Cultural Recovery Fund, Locality and Cranfield Trust enabled

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us to do the following: develop and implement a Strategic Plan 2020 – 2026; improve our project accounting; review our policies and implement a Diversity Action Plan; appoint and support an Expert Advisory Board of people with lived experience of our projects; train trustees, staff and expert advisors in governance and diversity; create a fundraising strategy; explore social prescribing opportunities; improve digital expertise and carry out a digital access audit; purchase and use a Client Management system; buy IT equipment and training for staff, volunteers and participants; join the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and the Heritage Alliance. We used the Kickstart scheme to employ two young people on Universal Credit, and a CHASE-funded University of East Anglia PhD placement enabled writer Ellen Hardy to work with us from January 2021.

We raised our profile by winning the 2020 Arts and Humanities Research Council/Wellcome Trust Medical Humanities Community Collaboration Award.

Impact and engagement

Project Like
Minds
Norfolk
Conservation
for
Wellbeing
Conservation
for
Wellbeing
Stay In
Touch
Dr Hills’
Casebook
Human
Henge
Online
Burgh
Castle
Almanac
Total
People
Number of
registered
participants
14 12 34 13 9 26 108
Average
participants
attending
sessions
6 6 12 8 7 8 47
Number of
staff (including
facilitators,
creatives,
researchers,
experts)
9 6 8 25 10 7 65
Number of
volunteers
0 2 0 10 0 1 13
Total 23 20 42 43 19 34 181
**Partnerships **
Heritage and
culture
1 2 0 1 1 2 7
Mental health
and social care
1 1 0 1 1 1 5
Research 1 1 0 1 1 1 5
Total 3 4 0 3 3 4 17
Sessions,
events
media/publica
tion

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Number of
sessions
23 8 21 44 10 18 124
Number of
events/exhibiti
ons
0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Press, digital
media and
professional
publications
0 6 0 3 0 3 11

In 2020/21 our projects:

This is a significant increase from the previous year, largely because we could engage with people on Zoom. Our online projects Stay In Touch and Human Henge Online were able to involve people who would not attend sessions in person. We could also work with artists and experts from across the UK and beyond; for example Armenian Duduk master Arsen Petrosyan joined Human Henge Online’s final session inside Stonehenge’s Stone Circle.

Our work is described under four headings: projects, research, marketing and organisation.

Projects

Dr Hills’ Casebook is an archives, theatre and wellbeing project aimed at improving the wellbeing of people in South Norfolk living with mental health challenges, and to stimulate public conversation, comparing past and present treatments. It is part of the Change Minds programme and is a partnership with Norfolk Record Office, UpShoot Theatre Company and South Norfolk and Broadland District Council funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Norfolk Archives and Heritage Foundation. The project was reconfigured to enable delivery during the pandemic, with most sessions during this period held on Zoom and the planned live theatre production was restructured as a filmed performance screened via YouTube. We published a research resource, Dr Hills’ Casebook Aide memoire, written by volunteer Research Coordinator Richard Johnson

Burgh Castle Almanac involves local people with complex needs in walking, recording and publishing work based on one of Britain’s greatest Roman forts, with fortnightly meetings alternating between Burgh Castle and Time and Tide Museum in Great Yarmouth. We are the delivery partner, Homegroup and Access CT are the client liaison organisations and the project is led by Norfolk Archaeological Trust. Funding is from the Heritage Lottery Fund

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Landscapes Partnership Scheme award to the Broads Authority ‘Water Mills and Marshes’ project. This year delivery was blended face-to-face and online, and sessions ended in October 2020.

Burgh Castle Almanac Film . The Restoration Trust was funded by the National Lottery Community Fund to create a film of the project. This film, ‘The Return of Happy Times’ directed by Julian Claxton, was premiered at the Seagull Theatre in Lowestoft in September 2020, afterwards being made available on our YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODVpf0bwVQI&t=7s

Burgh Castle Almanac Experience . At the end of March 2021 we heard that we had gained funding on behalf of the Burgh Castle Almanac Community Group from the National Lottery Community Fund to run public walks and film showings to promote the groups’ vision of sharing the benefits of walking in this and other ancient landscapes for mental health.

Like Minds Norfolk is a 24-session pilot project that connects excluded people living with mental health challenges in North Norfolk, Broadland and Norwich with Norfolk’s amazing landscape, heritage, arts and culture so that their mental wellbeing improves. It is a partnership with Norfolk Library and Information service co-designed with people who have participated in Restoration Trust projects. It is funded by Charles Hill Littlewood Trust, Geoffrey Watling Charity, Arts Council England. After the first meeting in February 2020, the programme was reconfigured as a hybrid, and as we could not meet in libraries, the Norfolk Library and Information Service’s contribution was restricted to some staff input to online sessions.

Conservation for Wellbeing is a 13-session pilot programme plus evaluation at London Metropolitan Archives, where Londoners living with serious mental health conditions learn conservation skills so that their wellbeing improves. It is funded by City Bridge Trust. Partners are the Institute of Conservation, St Many Abbotts Rehabilitation and Training (SMART), London Metropolitan Archives with University College London research oversight. The project was suspended in March 2020 due to Covid 19, and it reopened in September 2020 as an online experience, with a culminating online exhibition curated by participants and the Coordinator.

Human Henge Online explores what happens when Human Henge, an existing programme that creatively engages mental health service users with the ancient and natural landscape of Stone Henge is adapted for delivery online. The partnership with English Heritage and Richmond Fellowship was funded by the Cultural Recovery Fund. Participants met online to engage remotely with the ancient landscape and archaeology of Stonehenge, ending with an exclusive experience of virtual access to the Stone Circle close to the Spring Equinox. The 5- session pilot ran from January – March 2021 with one successor in-person session scheduled for summer 2021. Fortnightly online meetings for a maximum of 12 participants were supplemented by posted Culture Parcels, with things to do or think about between each meeting. The project was also supported by a private Facebook Group. A digital support package - including equipment, data, training and support as necessary - enabled all participants to join online sessions regardless of digital skills or resources. At the end of the programme, participants were offered a free pass to visit Stonehenge.

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Stay in Touch is an online drop-in culture therapy group for everyone who is or has been a member of a Restoration Trust project. It began in November 2020 and meets fortnightly on Zoom, where sessions are led either by the Coordinator, by an external expert or creative, or by a member of the group. It is funded from unrestricted funds. The group has a mutually supportive dynamic, with different members coming forward to facilitate and share passions, creativity and expertise.

Creatively Minded and Heritage is a report consisting of 18 case studies with an introduction by our Director that the Baring Foundation commissioned in February 2021, for publication in November 2021. Our Chase Placement Ellen Hardy compiled the case studies, which focused on historic landscapes, local history and archives projects involving both heritage and creativity, and exemplifying UK-wide best practice in person-centred project development and delivery.

Exploring Caistor Roman Town is an archaeology, creativity and wellbeing pilot project at Caistor Roman Town that is a partnership with Caistor Roman Project, Julian Support, Norfolk Archaeological Trust, funded by Norwich Consolidated Charities. The grant was awarded at the end of March 2021 and the project was on site from August – October 2021.

Research

Research is core to our mission of making culture therapy an everyday part of the offer to people with serious mental health problems. During 2020/21 we commissioned, or were in the midst of, evaluations by Jane Willis (Willis Newson) for Burgh Castle Almanac and Human Henge Online; Prof. Karen McArdle (Aberdeen University) for Dr Hills’ Casebook; Daisy Rubinstein with Dr Linda Thomson (University College London) for Conservation for Wellbeing. Evaluation of Like Minds Norfolk will be carried out by Norfolk Libraries and Information Service using Narrative Inquiry.

Research supported our view that our culture therapy model is robust and scalable. Our inclusion ethos is evidenced as effective, as is partnership structure for projects. Our heritage focus on ancient landscapes, local history and archives, with creativity being integral to all projects is beneficial and innovative.

Marketing and communications

We have a website (www.restorationtrust.org.uk), Facebook and Twitter accounts. Each project has its own website and a private Facebook group for internal communications, in addition to text, phone and email. We appointed a Digital Assistant through the Kickstart Scheme to implement recommendations from a digital access audit by DCN with Embed, and Robert Fairclough wrote and designed three editions of The Restoration Times, a periodic newsletter.

Media appearances included an interview with the Director in the Mirror Online and local newspapers, and on BBC Radio 3 Free Thinking as a result of winning the AHRC/Wellcome Trust prize; features on BBC Radio Norfolk’s evening show, on BBC TV Look East, and in Eastern Daily Press; articles in Who Do You Think You Are magazine, on the National Lottery Heritage Fund website. We appeared in blogs by the Baring Foundation, the Culture Health and Wellbeing Alliance and presented at events run by the Heritage Alliance, the

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Community Archives and Heritage Group, the First Fortnight Grange Gorman Histories Festival.

In terms of networks our Director was a member of the Wellcome Trust 2020 Ideas Hub cohort and the Digital Heritage Lab, and we joined the National Council of Voluntary Organisations and the Heritage Alliance.

Organisation

The Director Laura Drysdale manages the organization, being paid through restricted grant and project funds. Our Coordinators are self-employed contractors. Like Minds Norfolk is coordinated by Dave Pullin. Dr Hills’ Casebook is coordinated by Darren France, as is Exploring Caistor Roman Town. Conservation for Wellbeing is coordinated by Helen Lindsay. Human Henge Online is coordinated by Yvette Staelens. Burgh Castel Almanac and Burgh Castle Almanac Film are coordinated by Laura Drysdale and facilitated by Tod James, Burgh Castel Almanac Experience is coordinated by Ian Brownlie. Stay in Touch is coordinated by Ian Brownlie. Charity Backroom carries out Disclosure and Barring Service checks of volunteers, staff and trustees on our behalf. We are based in Laura Drysdale’s home office in Cromer.

People-led growth

Our board and project boards include people with lived experience of serious mental health problems, people who are members of NHS Patient Public Involvement groups, and people who have been members of our projects. Our Expert Advisory Board made up of 12 people who are or have been members of our projects met twice in 2020/2021, and is a source of guidance to trustees on all aspects of our work. We encourage participants to use their skills as contractors or volunteers for the Restoration Trust, and we reward people appropriately for their time.

Financial review

Review of our financial position at the end of the year

By the end of the financial year our income had increased to £120,401 from the previous year end figure of £103,574. Fortunately, we received grant funding in the final quarter of 2019/20, as funders then closed funds to new applications while affirming support for existing grantees. It is notable that our unrestricted income from charitable activities rose from £2,467 to £18,733, reflecting funders’ understanding of the need to support organisations through Covid-19 with core rather than project funds. This sum includes donations of £5,240, of which £5,000 was our prize for the AHRC/Wellcome Trust Award. It has become increasingly clear and is an objective of our Strategic Plan, that we must diversify income to reduce dependence on grant funding and thus protect our viability. We manage financial risk by making viability a routine agenda item at Board Meetings, and through utilizing the expertise of our trustee with charity accounting expertise, Debbie Tilson.

Reserves policy

The board considered the level of reserves that is prudent for the Restoration Trust to have at its first meeting and now does so annually. Our Reserves and Risk Management is based on what we need to cover current liabilities, which are small given that we do not employ staff except on contracts covered by restricted funds or where staff are funded externally,

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for example by the government’s Kickstart Scheme. We anticipate that the bulk of the Restoration Trust’s funds will be restricted; that its assets will be functional. It will accrue sufficient reserves to cover emergency expenditure and liabilities for at least 1 but not more than 3 months. It will not accrue excess reserves.

Amount of reserves held

£500 wind-up fund.

Principal sources of funds

Our income is largely restricted funding, raised for projects. We also receive income from consultancy on projects led by other partners, for example Burgh Castle Almanac, and latterly from sharing our expertise and knowledge, for example the Baring Foundation’s commission to write the Creatively Minded and Heritage report for £6,250. Our unrestricted funds incorporate an overhead charge for delivering projects, which the trustees have agreed should aim to be at least 12% of project costs.

Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognized at the time of the donation.

The trustees agree that we will raise funds by the following means:

Principal risks facing the charity

We believe that the Restoration Trust's purposes do not pose a risk of detriment or harm. However, we have identified risks of detriment or harm that could result from the way we carry out our purposes. We consider that the benefits of our purposes and related activities outweigh the risks of detriment or harm to our beneficiaries or the public at large.

Detriment or harm to participants could be caused by:

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Detriment or harm to staff and volunteers could be caused by:

Financial, operational and reputational risks are:

We minimise the detriment or harm from the above by:

Policies and practice

We have the following policies in place to manage the risk of detriment or harm: Safeguarding vulnerable adults policy; safeguarding young people policy; volunteer policy; data protection; privacy; disclosure of information policy; health and safety policy; equality, inclusion and diversity policy; financial management and controls policy; reserves and risk management policy; conflict of interest policy. We maintain and annually review a corporate risk register and each project has its own risk register. All registers include assessment of Covid-19 risks.

Structure, governance and management

The Restoration Trust was established by a charitable trust deed on 7 April 2015 as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO).

Trustee selection

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Trustees are selected on the basis of the skills, knowledge and experience that can contribute to the achievement of our purposes. They are appointed by the existing trustees. As the organisation works with vulnerable adults we carry out all trustee eligibility tests that are required by law. Our constitution has the following provisions:

Functions and duties of charity trustees

The charity trustees shall manage the affairs of the CIO and may for that purpose exercise all the powers of the CIO. It is the duty of each charity trustee:

Eligibility for trusteeship

Number of charity trustees

Trustee induction

The board inducts trustees according to the following policies and procedures:

Board organisational structure

The Restoration Trust is a small charity with a simple organisational structure. The board had three formal Board meetings in 2020/21, and a facilitated session on our Strategic Plan 2020- 2026. All meetings were held online. The trustees are led by the Chair Alison Richmond. Frances Halahan is Secretary to the Board.

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Changes in the Board of Trustees

In February 2021 Melanie Rogers, a member of our Expert Advisory Board who was a participant on Human Henge, and Debbie Tilson, who brings expertise in charity accounting, joined the board. Darren France resigned at the same meeting because of potential conflicts of interest in his roles on Dr Hills’ Casebook and as a Social Prescribing consultant.

Trustees are responsible for:

The Director is contracted to:

Relationship with related parties

We cooperate with a number of other charities and organisations in pursuit of our objectives, as ours is a partnership model. These relationships are managed by partnership agreements agreed and signed by all parties, approved by the trustees and accepted by funders. Conflicts of interest in the relationship between trustees and the activities of the Restoration Trust are managed the other trustees by using our constitution, notably items 5 (Application of income and property); 6 (Benefits and payments to charity trustees and connected persons; 7 (Conflicts of interest and conflicts of loyalty). Our Conflicts of Interest Policy applies.

These relationships are as follows

Reference and administrative details

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Name: The Restoration Trust Registered Charity Number: 1161196 Principal address: 3 Vicarage Road, Cromer, NR27 9DQ

Trustees who served during the year

Nic Allen Frances Halahan, Secretary Dr Sara Lunt, Chair Human Henge Project Board Johnny Tipler Danny Whatmough Alison Richmond, Chair Darren France (resigned February 2021) Debbie Tilson Melanie Rogers

There are no corporate trustees, and no trustee holds title to property belonging to the charity. We do not hold funds as custodian trustees on behalf of others. Trustees are appointed for a three-year term, with a maximum of two term renewals.

Advisers

Our accountants and independent examiners are Timothy Highnett and Partners, 7 High Street, Cromer, Norfolk NR27 9HG.

Staff

Laura Drysdale is our Director.

Declaration

The Trustees declare that they have approved the report above.

Alison Richmond

Chair of the Trustees

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The Restoratlon Trust Balance sheet As at 311t March 2021 2031 2020 Currnnt •M•t• D8bloTS Ca6h al bank in hMd 10 6,616 66,751 1,608 75.172 Curr•nt aM•ts n.367 76.780 Cr•dltorn: •mounts l•lllng du• Tlthln t)n• y•w 11 115,100> (10.8311 58.267 65.949 Total •H•t• l•#• eyrr•nt Ilbllltl•• $8,267 65.949 Incom• lund• Restr￿ted fund8 Unrestricted lunds Designated fvnd Unrestricted.. Stsy in touthlBwlng fvryj 13 37.105 19.615 500 1.047 65,145 304 500 ,267 65.9 Th• $t•lèm8nts worn apwowd by lh• lnjBto￿ ￿ 23rf Odrtw 2021. Mr¥ l•oh Rl¢hmond Ch•lr ol Th• RMt¥)rnll•n Tru•t bovd

The Restoratlon Trust Balance sheet As at 311t March 2021 2031 2020 Currnnt •M•t• D8bloTS Ca6h al bank in hMd 10 6,616 66,751 1,608 75.172 Curr•nt aM•ts n.367 76.780 Cr•dltorn: •mounts l•lllng du• Tlthln t)n• y•w 11 115,100> (10.8311 58.267 65.949 Total •H•t• l•#• eyrr•nt Ilbllltl•• $8,267 65.949 Incom• lund• Restr￿ted fund8 Unrestricted lunds Designated fvnd Unrestricted.. Stsy in touthlBwlng fvryj 13 37.105 19.615 500 1.047 65,145 304 500 ,267 65.9 Th• $t•lèm8nts worn apwowd by lh• lnjBto￿ ￿ 23rf Odrtw 2021. Mr¥ l•oh Rl¢hmond Ch•lr ol Th• RMt¥)rnll•n Tru•t bovd