## TRUSTEE’S ## ANNUAL REPORT 01/06/21 – 31/05/22 Kindred Minds - CIO registered in England and Wales (1161849) Kindred Minds, The Activity Room, 1[st] Floor, Lee Valley Millennium Centre, Childwall Valley Road, Liverpool L25 2PR - Email kindredmindsliverpool@gmail.com Facebook Kindred Minds Merseyside. ## **1. INTRODUCTION AND PERFORMANCE/ACTIVITIES** ## **CHARITABLE STATUS AND OBJECTS** The organisation was first constituted in April 2012. The charity was incorporated as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation with the Charity Commission on 27/05/2015, under the terms of the Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 23/03/2015 The objects of the charity are: To relieve the needs and to promote and preserve the good mental and physical health of those suffering from any form of mental ill health resident in the Merseyside area, in particular, but not exclusively by: A) The provision of help, support and advice through peer support; B) The promotion of social inclusion by providing access to creative health and wellbeing activities; C) To provide a "safe place" where information, problems and experience can be exchanged and discussed; and D) Promoting a better understanding of mental health and helping to reduce the stigma, oppressive attitudes and behaviours associated with it. ## **PRINCIPAL ACTIVITY** Our organisation was born out of the need to provide a safe place where people with poor mental health could meet to offer each other support. We are based in Liverpool and run activities using space and facilities from our base in Lee Valley Millennium Centre Belle Vale L25. We also deliver from time to time activities at other sites across Liverpool and visit various locations as part of the excursions/walking activities. Overall, our work assists our service users with their mental health recovery and wellness, which enables them to lead more positive, confident and active lives both in society and with their families. ## **REVIEW OF THE BUSINESS/OPERATIONS** ## **Organisation and administration** The charity's board of Trustees meet every 6 weeks. The charity did not have any employees in the year under review however did engage freelancers/self employed workers to support the trustees with the development of the charity and its programme and to provide 2 | P a g e sessions/workshops/courses as part of the programme of activity. The charity is largely volunteer-led and has in-kind support from various stakeholders including PSS. The trustees of the charity during the year under review were: - Ø Kathleen Whitehead (Chair) - Ø Veronica Hughes (retired 9[th] March 2022) - Ø Anj Anwar - Ø David Stevenson - Ø Rosemary Kay - Ø Ruth Worthington (appointed 4[th] February 2022) ## **Members** All Trustees are the members – there is currently no wider membership. The charity is limited by guarantee and does not have share capital, and therefore the trustees have no beneficial interest in the share capital of the charity. All Trustees are members of the Board of Trustees, and do not receive remuneration for their services in this capacity. Training and capacity: In the period, trustees attended training on trustee roles and responsibilities delivered by LCVS on site; safeguarding training; minute taking training needed to be postponed. Forthcoming training includes roles and responsibility of employer vs client, further training on being an effective trustee and a bespoke package of safeguarding training. During this period, we held a Strategic Planning Day on 11[th] November 2021 which resulted in actions including further strengthening the skill base of the Board of Trustees, and identifying areas of potential growth for charitable activities. Trustees reviewed Kindred Minds’ risk register and reviewed and updated a number of policies. Partnership working was identified, and scoped opportunities enabled by additional in year funding. A strategy to secure matched funding for existing grants was planned. ## **ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS JUN 2021– MAY 2022** Our charitable work and programme in this period were supported by **The National Lottery Community Fund; Liverpool City Council (Liverpool Community Mental Health Grant) Eleanor Rathbone Charitable Trust; Foyle Foundation; Ford Foundation.** We held a Christmas Party fundraiser in December 2021 We offered a varied programme of support and activities (a mix of former, adapted and pilot) in the period of reporting. By the end of the reporting period, we had 154 registered service users, an increase of 37% over the 12 month reporting period. 119 unique individuals attended activities, an increase of just under 20%. 3 | P a g e We embarked on the year with some key priorities which were to continue to deliver our programme of activities. We continued to offer a hybrid programme of in-person and online activities and support in response to service user preference after government guidelines were removed. Over 80% of our programme reverted to in person delivery in the course of the reporting period. Community Mental Health Grant Funding from Liverpool City Council enabled a project specifically to provide access to arts and crafts by Kindred Minds services users. These have been delivered in a variety of media by qualified instructors and have proved immensely popular. ## **Details of our activities are as follows:** - Mindfulness and meditation – delivered by a volunteer, 34 x 1 hr online weekly sessions - Yoga – delivered by a qualified Yoga instructor in person, 46 x 1.15hrs in person weekly sessions. - Tai Chi – delivered by a qualified Tai Chi instructor online 2x1hr weekly sessions accessed by 5 Kindred Minds service users - Pottery and Arts & Craft – 45 sessions covering a wide range of media including acrylics, photography and pottery, delivered in person and online - Walk & Talk – weekly 22 weeks x 2hrs per walk - Coffee mornings – weekly x 48 weeks x 2hrs per coffee morning - Buddy scheme – on demand – resumed Feb 2022 – 1 service user referral - this was due to DWP not holding face to face interviews until Jan 22 resumption. The scope of this service is now under review - Massage therapies – volunteer therapist, resumed Aug 21 – 3 x1hr appointments a week delivered over 18 weeks - 2 x Kindred Explorer outings to Llangollen (Sept 21) and Chester (Dec 21) - 1 x Christmas Party Evidence has been collated over the year to reflect the positive impact these activities have on the mental health of Kindred Minds service users. Quotations below are drawn from their feedback via questionnaires and online forms. ## **Improved mental health recovery and wellness, enabling service users to lead more positive, confident and active lives both in society and with their families;** 4 | P a g e _‘Kindred Minds is outstanding in looking after our mental health wellbeing. The staff put on so many activities & group sessions that there is always something to suit everyone. Their kindness & support is truly appreciated. I have been helped immensely & for this I am so grateful.’_ Christmas party feedback _‘Yoga with Cath is excellent. I have tried lots of different types of yoga over the years but this is the one that has given me the greatest confidence and flexibility.’_ Yoga participant _‘I feel less lonely, depressed, improved my mood and I felt less anxious’ –_ Pottery course participant _‘Just by being out with other people helped me with my anxiety and emotional feelings’_ – Llangollen trip participant ## **reduced boredom, isolation and reduce self-isolation through uptake of activities and support services and the formation of self-help and user led clubs generating a sense of purpose, unity and togetherness;** _‘Good to share with friends and meet new people’ –_ Christmas party feedback _‘Really lovely workshop - I learned a lot and made new connections’ –_ Pottery feedback _‘I became closer to some people I didn't know very well which was nice’ –_ Llangollen trip feedback ## **increased energy levels, mood and motivation - Often those with enduring mental health conditions both the medication or the symptoms of their condition can suppress energy levels, activity levels, experience low mood or motivation, anxiety etc.** Many of our service users report that the activities support their energy levels, mood and motivation. Yoga, in particular, is one of our most well attended activities and 90% of yoga attendees surveyed reported that this activity improved their energy levels and mood. 5 | P a g e _‘Helps me a lot the yoga and definitely have noticed an improvement in my overall health’–_ yoga participant ## **facilitating the forging of new friendships and building of relationships;** _‘I’ve made some friends in the class and I feel less lonely, depressed, improved my mood and I felt less anxious.’ –_ Pottery course feedback _‘It was enjoyable to take in the atmosphere Of Chester. Especially having all been so restricted with lockdowns. Good to socialise with familiar faces. Seemed to take years off me, even though it was just one day.’ –_ Chester Christmas markets trip ## **increased self-confidence and self-worth** ; _‘Thoroughly enjoyed being creative . In past I’ve never had confidence to be creative as thought everyone else’s work was better than mine . Really enjoyed it . Thankyou’_ _‘A sense of achievement doing something new.’_ _‘Given my confidence to mix more outside with small groups.’ – Trip to Llangollen participant_ ## **VOLUNTEERS & BENEFICIARIES** In total we had 3 volunteers delivering the weekly mindfulness sessions, alternative therapies and buddy scheme/event support. The buddy scheme is now under review to broaden the role of volunteers to provide broader based support. 100% of our beneficiaries where people living with a mental health condition or have/are experiencing mental ill health. 6 | P a g e We have not captured all of the ages of our service users, however from those we have the majority are over 40 years of age. Promotion and sharing of our work: we have maintained our relationships with sector organisations, including CCG, LCVS, Healthwatch, Richmond Fellowship, and PSS amongst others. We’ve engaged with social prescribers and take referrals through this pathway, including Citizen’s Advice Liverpool, and local GP practices. This is enabling us to reach new service users which is evident in the increase in engaged service users. Kindred Minds continues to promote our work via targeted mailings, Facebook, Twitter, our own dedicated website and blog, flyers, posters, word of mouth, health directories and informal community feedback networks. To reach a wider audience we have linked with local media partners such as BBC Radio Merseyside, most recently with our programme manager promoting mental wellbeing on the Helen Jones drive time show, generating positive feedback and increased referrals. ## **THANKS & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS** Throughout this period, we said our goodbyes to Helen Osborne, former Programme Manager in early March 2022 and welcomed current Programme Manager at that same time. We would like to thank Helen for her dedicated contribution to the work of our charity and wish her the very best in her new role. The Trustees were very pleased to appoint Andy, who brings with him a broad scope of experience in the area of mental health and wellbeing. They were also glad of the continued dedication and resourcefulness of Carol Soutar in her role as Activity and Volunteer Coordinator as well as providing moral support and encouragement to all our service users. We also give thanks to all the brilliant team of sessional workers that have successfully and productively provided services throughout the year, including Cath (Yoga), Angela (Tai Chi), Narissa (Arts & Crafts), Marc (mindfulness), Kath (Pinto Arts) **,** Alex (Pottery). Thanks also goes to Denise Bernard (Momentum Expedite Consultancy LTD) who continues to support Kindred Minds in a consultancy capacity, following 4 years spent as our development worker. Her support, insight and continued commitment to the charity has helped support us through this difficult year. We’d like to give thanks to Christine (Belle Vale centre manager) and Viv (Valley Community Food hub) for their support, in particular regarding supporting our coffee mornings and positive promotion of our work. Our sincere thanks also go to our funders who have supported us throughout the pandemic, The Yapp Charitable Trust, Liverpool City Council Community Mental Health Grant; The National Lottery Community Fund; Foyle Foundation and the Ford Foundation, without whom we could not have supported our service users throughout this year. 7 | P a g e Our penultimate thanks goes to PSS and their personnel for their continued support and partnership work. Together we have collaborated to provide positive services for those in need within the community. Finally our thanks goes to our fellow trustees for their tireless efforts, commitment and tenacity. ## **2. 2021-22 TRUSTEES FINANCIAL REPORT INCLUDING INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS REPORT AND RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS** ## **FINANCE** Income/funds are generated through: - Applying for grants to support the delivery of our activity programme - We hold an annual fund raiser with our members and stakeholders which contributes towards core costs - We accept donations ## **YEAR UNDER REVIEW** The Receipts and Payments Accounts appended show a total income for the year of £48,092, a total expenditure of £38,325 resulting in a total net income of £33,692 (including 2021 funds carried forward). The charity carried over from 20/21 financial period £23,925 of which £23,795 was restricted grant funds to be spent in the 21/22 financial year and £130 unrestricted. At 31/05/2022 the charity carries forward £33,692 which represents a restricted fund balance of £33,414, all of which is for committed spend in the 22/23 period; and an unrestricted fund balance of £275. The restricted fund balance includes a grant from John Moores Foundation of £4,259 was received in advance and is wholly for spend in the 22/23 financial year. ## **FUTURE STRATEGY** The charity holds a planning event annually. Our annual planning event usually focuses on the needs of our beneficiaries, evaluation of our work and our ability to manage the charity effectively and income generation and fundraising plan. The charity’s core fixed costs are low, however in order to deliver activities we are reliant on securing grants and donations. The charity was successful in being awarded grant funding for 5 years for the period Apr 20 – Mar 25. ## **RESERVES POLICY** 8 | P a g e The charity currently has no employees or long term liabilities and therefore our current reserves policy is to build up the equivalent of 3-months’ worth of core (non grant funded) fixed costs/ liabilities. The trustees are devising a strategy as to how this can be achieved. ## **RISK REVIEW** The charity has relatively low fixed core costs but can only deliver its activity programme if grants or donations are secured. The charity achieved its strategy to identify multi-year funders for revenue with the 5 year grant funding award from The National Lottery Community Fund in Dec 2019. The Trustees’ strategy switched from applying for annual match-funding grants to identifying multi-year match funding grants. We are glad to report that in April 2022 and May 2022 we secured three year matched funding for core programme from Eleanor Rathbone Charitable Trust and John Moores Foundation. The charity will continue to identify additional funding for add-on projects as well as to enhance and increase core activities in respect of ongoing and increasing unmet need, identified through independent evaluation and service user feedback. 9 | P a g e INH I 1111 111111 11111 111 111 111111 11111 111 111111 ll] Iiim,:fflfflitui 111111 111111 11111 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of Kindred Minds On accourts for the year ended 31 May 2022 Charity no lif any) 1161849 Set out on pages 14 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (Yhe TNst') forthe year ended 31105 12022. Responsibilrties and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the account5 in accordance wth the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 nhe Acf,). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Diredions given by the Charity Commission under section 14515}(bl of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confim that no material matters have come to my attention (other than that disclosed below "} in connection wth the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: accounting records were not kept in accordan￿ with section 130 of the Act or the accounts do not accord with the accounting records Independent examiner's statement I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Please delete the words in the btackets rfthey do not apply. Signed: Date: Name: P Taylor Relevant professional qualifi¢ation(s) or body (if any): ACCA Address: 74 Brook Vale Liverpool L22 3YB IER October 2018 Section B Disclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounls: directions and guidance for examiners). Give here brief detalls of any iterns that the examiner wishes to disclose. IER October 2018 INH I 1111 111111 11111 111 111 111111 11111 111 111111 ll] Iiim,:fflfflitui 111111 111111 11111 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of Kindred Minds On accourts for the year ended 31 May 2022 Charity no lif any) 1161849 Set out on pages 14 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (Yhe TNst') forthe year ended 31105 12022. Responsibilrties and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the account5 in accordance wth the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 nhe Acf,). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Diredions given by the Charity Commission under section 14515}(bl of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confim that no material matters have come to my attention (other than that disclosed below "} in connection wth the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: accounting records were not kept in accordan￿ with section 130 of the Act or the accounts do not accord with the accounting records Independent examiner's statement I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Please delete the words in the btackets rfthey do not apply. Signed: Date: Name: P Taylor Relevant professional qualifi¢ation(s) or body (if any): ACCA Address: 74 Brook Vale Liverpool L22 3YB IER October 2018 Section B Disclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounls: directions and guidance for examiners). Give here brief detalls of any iterns that the examiner wishes to disclose. IER October 2018