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2021-03-31-accounts

Annual Report and Accounts 2020-21

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Wetherby in Support of the Elderly Annual Report 2021/22

Contents

3 Chair’s Introduction

4 Trustee’s Report

5 A Message From Our Chief Operating Officer

7 Strategic Report Our Strategy for 2021/22

Chair’s Introduction:

As Chair of Trustees, I present the Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending the 31st of March 2021 on behalf of Wetherby in Support of the Elderly.

The trustees hope this document provides a comprehensive overview for stakeholders, our service users (often referred to as friends), volunteers, commissioners and other interested parties- of the work of the organisation has undertaken within an unprecedented 12 month period.

The charity has, again, delivered its charitable objectives. We have also taken on extra demands as the operational hub for the Outer North East area of Leeds, providing support for vulnerable people during COVID-19.

During the course of the reporting period we had one trustee who stepped down and we thank Nicky Pagett for her hard work for the organisation.

In April 2020 - the beginning of the reporting period, the majority of our core services had already been suspended through the outbreak of COVID-19 and the implications around the first lockdown during spring and summer that year.

This coincided with our commissioners at Leeds City Council, and others, developing hubs which would offer support for specific areas of Leeds. WiSE immediately stepped forward to fill that gap for the Wetherby and Harewood areas, and working with key partners such as Voluntary Action Leeds, coordinated the relief effort for vulnerable people. This meant the charity provided vital services including emergency food parcels, shopping, prescriptions and delivery of medicines, along with weekly well-being calls.

The trustees would like to take this opportunity to thank the many volunteers who stepped forward in this period to help with this enormous task and, in addition, we would like to thank our Chief Operating Officer Mark, his team and our existing volunteers who, in the early days of the pandemic, were working seven days a week to provide these essential services. It has been an enormous, challenging, but worthwhile undertaking.

As mentioned in my comments on the report for 2019-2020, loneliness and social isolation can be devastating for older people, and impacts their health and well-being. The vital work that the organisation undertook this year, reaching out to hundreds of lonely and vulnerable people through weekly well-being calls was an essential lifeline for many. It was also a way for us to pick up more complex cases and work with individuals to provide support in what has been one of the most difficult periods for all of us.

It is pleasing as I write these comments that we are now in the process of, hopefully, emerging from the pandemic and re-starting our core services, such as our popular social activities, transport scheme, our grass cutting offer and a whole range of new services. We have been able to plan these during this period, where we were unable to have those fantastic interactions with the public that has been the bedrock of the organisation for the last 18 years.

I have been proud to chair the charity through this period and the trustees believe that more than ever, when we were needed, the staff and volunteers really stepped up to deliver for our extended community. Despite this being one of the most difficult periods in all our lives I will look back on it with great pride as to what we have achieved as an organisation.

Without your continued support this would not have been possible so, to conclude, I will simply say thank you and here’s to a brighter future.

Mark Storey Chair of Trustees.

WiSE Wetherby in Support of the Elderly

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Wetherby in Support of the Elderly Annual Report 2021/22

A message from our Chief Operating Officer:

In a completely unprecedented year for everybody, WISE has had to quickly step forward to deliver a whole range of new services to support not just the over 60s, but also people shielding and vulnerable due to the onset of the pandemic from March 2020.

This meant quickly stepping up and becoming the operational hub for Wetherby and the surrounding villages. It involved offering that essential support to people including basic services such as shopping, food parcels, prescription deliveries and a much-needed lifeline through the telephone befriending system we quickly established at the beginning of the pandemic.

Sadly, many of our popular core services had to be quickly suspended. I am proud to say though that each member of the team, our trustees and our amazing volunteers quickly adapted to the new reality to offer that much-needed support to the vulnerable.

We have been fortunate that our in-demand advice and information service has been able to continue throughout the reporting period.

It was also a year when the organisation expanded and developed our key partnerships by working closely with the local authority, our local councillors, Voluntary Action Leeds, church and community groups across the area and a new cohort of volunteers who stepped forward during the first lockdown to help deliver essential services on the ground.

In the face of an uncertain future, this is work we intend to continue where and when needed but, equally, we now think it is time to begin to re-emerge from the clouds of the last year and begin to deliver many of our core services in a safe, Covid-19 compliant way. This will be our mission into the next reporting period and beyond.

For me the most important element of this last, difficult, period has been the immense amount of goodwill and community support we have received in our attempt to deliver a vital range of services under the most trying of circumstances.

We could not have done this without the massive support of the community. More than ever, we feel incredibly positive about moving forward into better times to deliver not just our existing services but also new and exciting options for the new friends we have made over the last 12 months of reporting period.

Thank you and sincere best wishes from myself and my team.

Mark Dobson Chief Operating Officer WiSE

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Wetherby in Support of the Elderly Annual Report 2021/22

Strategic Report Our Strategy for 2021/22

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, our strategy for 2021/2022 is in keeping with last years- given we changed our key services to adapt to local requirements.

We will continue to focus on the provision of much needed services for older people who live in Wetherby and its satellite villages. We aim to do this to ensure older people are supported to retain their independence and continue to live active lives within their community.

Through the implementation of our strategic framework, we are challenging ourselves to improve our services to be first‐class and in high demand, so that the health and wellbeing of those we support is truly enhanced.

Our strategic framework is made up of five core aims:

Continual development of our performance to deliver our operational aims

We are outcome‐focused and constantly keep our services under review to ensure they reflect best practice, changing demand and to ensure our services match the needs of our clients, commissioners and broader health and wellbeing agenda.

Our services are outcome focused and have clear objectives. We set and measure these using evidence.

Reflective practices and monitoring practices are in place including performance appraisals and review.

Our database is kept under review to ensure data capturing is up‐to‐date, robust and accurate.

Statutory and regulatory requirements are understood, implemented and complied with.

To provide safe and secure services for our client base

Policies and procedures are in place for safeguarding, with a strong focus on adult and child risk, and these are reviewed regularly.

Policies and procedures are in place to ensure we operate within a safe work space and we employ safe working practices and these are reviewed regularly.

Information and data is stored securely in line with regulatory requirements.

An appropriate risk management framework is in place.

To be well led

We are up‐to‐date with our policies and procedures and ensure these are adhered to. We have effective management systems including a robust trustee body and a management structure that feeds in to the trustees.

Managers proactively support a positive culture which is person‐centred for both staff, volunteers and the people we support. It is open, inclusive and empowering.

Governance structures are clear and transparent, clearly documented and are regularly implemented and reviewed through meetings.

Current legislation and regulations are complied with.

To be effective in our strategic and operational aims and objectives

We ensure our services are reviewed to reflect our clients needs.

We have the correct amount of staff and staff knowledge to undertake strategic and operational requirements.

Changes in need and local priorities are identified and responded to.

We work effectively with other agencies and our commissioners. We are inclusive and accessible to all within our client base.

To engage with our friends to ensure they are involved with our services to help steer the organisation

We engage with our clients in a variety of ways and ensure involvement has taken place.

Our client base is given opportunities to be involved with the delivery and changing nature of our services. We listen and act upon client feedback.

Through our policies and procedures, our client base and others know how to complain or pass compliments to the service to help steer client involvement and service delivery.

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Wetherby in Support of the Elderly Annual Report 2021/22

Plans and Objectives 2021-2022

In line with the delivery of our strategy, the key objectives for 2021/22 are:

We will conduct a survey of friends, their families and other stakeholders in order to inform a future study of social impact.

1. We will be a well led organisation

Develop a Customer Service Charter focussing on how we promise to work with our friends and others.

3. We will build our reputation and raise our profile

Continuing our assessment of our charity against the Charity Governance Code for Small Charities, ensuring the high standards of governance which form part of the principles and recommended practice are met. How we contribute to the Code will be explained.

We will develop our workforce, providing appropriate training opportunities which contribute to improving staff skills and knowledge.

Ensure our Human Resources policies are fully reviewed to ensure full compliance with legislation and that best practice is adhered to.

We will provide more opportunities for volunteers, both in terms of varied roles, and meaningful skill development and access to learning.

We will work towards diversity of the board of trustees and will recruit a minimum of two new trustees with relevant skills and qualities.

We will seek external recognition for the organisation through independent external evaluation and assessment. We will ensure that all opportunities for the publicity and promotion of our services are maximised.

2. Services offered by Wetherby in Support of the Elderly will be reviewed

4. We will strengthen the organisation by diversifying income

We will involve our friends in a more focused way to make sure our services are relevant to their needs.

Outcome measures will be investigated and an appropriate methodology will be adopted which contributes to service development and delivery.

We will review our fundraising strategy and case for support and a new plan will be implemented which reflects our ambitions.

Other matters of significance

Throughout the 2020/21 reporting period, the Covid-19 pandemic has clearly dominated our work programme and the way we have operated.

During the reporting period, 1st April 20 – 31st March 21 we acted as a Covid hub, and:

With the exception of the information and advice service and our befriending scheme (which was run remotely) many of our core services have been suspended through an inability to provide them in a safe Covid-secure way.

We have remained mindful, at all times, that public health has to be paramount which lead to the suspension of our core services.

However, it was also clear that there was a need to provide a service for residents on a broader footprint of both the Wetherby and Harewood wards and to expand our friends to include people under 60 who were shielding or clinically vulnerable due to the impact of the pandemic.

We also:

Through our Covid related activity, our partnership work has increased significantly over the reporting period working with key partners such as Leeds City Council, Voluntary Action Leeds, local NHS providers and a whole range of third sector charitable groups and churches.

From the beginning of the reporting period to the present time we have been operating as the lead hub in terms of providing vital support such as prescriptions, medicines, food parcels, shopping and wellbeing calls for any clinically vulnerable person within the area we cover.

Looking ahead:

Our transport provision and our community café remain suspended, but we hope these services will be resurrected within the next reporting period and possibly as early as July 2021 depending on the government roadmap for exiting the pandemic.

Similarly, we are hopeful we can resurrect our activities and events during the next reporting period, again dependent on government guidance.

We are currently working with Voluntary Action Leeds on the prospect of becoming the community anchor from Outer North East Leeds post-June 2021. This would be around offering a broader range of support for vulnerable people - not just relating to the pandemic, but also increasing and enhancing our core services.

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Wetherby in Support of the Elderly Annual Report 2021/22

Achievements and Performance

2020-2021

What did we do?

What did we say?

We would continue to monitor Our monitoring remains compliant with the needs of our commissioners but, and evaluate our services and in this reporting year, we have drastically altered the range of activities we have activities and respond to need. undertaken to reflect the needs of the community throughout the pandemic. This has involved ensuring vulnerable people have access to food, shopping, prescriptions as well as our wellbeing calls.

What did we do?

What did we say?

During the reporting period we have ensured the work we have undertaken as the operational hub throughout the pandemic, supporting the Wetherby and Harewood wards, has been fully funded through our active progression of grant funding opportunities. This means we have been in a fiscally sound position to carry out our work supporting vulnerable people.

We will continue to increase our fundraising and community activities secure the future of our provision.

Our legacy giving continues to grow and we have also now included a range of options for donations on our new website.

What did we do?

What did we say?

During the last year we have significantly increased our profile both in print and broadcast media, with 64 pieces of press coverage in print, online and broadcast media since November 2020.

We would continue to improve our profile within the community.

In January, we developed and launched our new website, www.w-ise.org.uk.

Our social media presence continues to increase, with our Facebook page alone reaching 20,897 people, groups and pages up 428.5% from the previous year.

What did we do?

What did we say?

We would increase our volunteer base and wider opportunities for volunteers.

During the reporting period, despite our core services being suspended, we engaged with many new volunteers who stepped forward to help with the pandemic via Voluntary Action Leeds and these volunteers were deployed in such vital areas of support as shopping, going for prescriptions, delivering food parcels and carrying out wellbeing calls.

What did we do?

What did we say?

Ensure the charity meet the high standards listed in The Charity Governance Code.

We continue to employ high standards, regularly checking our policies to ensure they are fit for purpose. We also work tirelessly to ensure our staff, volunteers and trustees carry out our ethos in word and deed.

We continue to complete the self-assessment against The Charity Governance Code which we review annually.

We said?

We would continue to monitor and evaluate our services and activities and respond to need.

We said?

We will continue to increase our fundraising and community activities to secure the future of our provision.

We said?

We would increase our volunteer base and wider opportunities for volunteers.

We said?

We would ensure the charity meets the high standards listed in The Charity Governance Code.

Year like no other highlights breadth of our work

During the first year of the pandemic, WiSE made nearly 5,000 wellbeing calls to people shielding alone, delivered 15 editions of activity packs to keep more than 100 older people entertained and organised dozens of online sessions from line dancing to singing to keep spirits high.

An unprecedented year also saw our army of volunteers and tiny team of paid staff deliver food and medicine to vulnerable people of all ages, after being made a Voluntary Action Leeds and Leeds City Council referral hub.

All this on top of our usual day-to-day work supporting older people throughout Wetherby and its surrounding villages, which includes befriending visits and information and advice sessions- all of which had to be delivered remotely.

Co-op shoppers bag us community fund windfall

WiSE benefited from a £375 cash windfall thanks to Co-operative members, who selected us for support after hearing about our memory café for those living with dementia and their carers.

The café, although it was suspended during the pandemic, offers wellbeing support to up to 20 service users in Wetherby and nearby villages. Wetherby Co-op members chose WiSE to receive support through the Co-op Local Community Fund. Every time members buy selected Co-op branded products and services, two pence from every pound spent goes to support community organisations and local causes.

Longest serving volunteer backs call for others to support our work

One of our longest serving volunteers has backed calls for more people to come forward to support our work. Jacqueline has volunteered for six years and says the best bit about her role is knowing the difference she makes to an older person’s life.

Jaqueline said: “I started to volunteer at one of the regular memory café meets. I was very nervous, but the other volunteers and the then events coordinator Karen made me feel very welcome.

“WISE is a great charity which supports the older community. You only have to listen to the people around Wetherby to know it is doing a good job. For people who are thinking of volunteering- just do it. It’s so rewarding to think that you have helped someone to feel better about themselves.”

Lord Mayor’s honour for WiSE’s coronavirus community support

We were privileged to be hand-picked for a special mayoral award, after switching our services to support residents hit by the pandemic.

We quickly stepped up to deliver food parcels, shopping and prescriptions to people of all ages, having had to suspend many of our much-loved older persons services when lockdown first hit.

Local councillors nominated us to be honoured for special recognition by the Lord Mayor of Leeds, as a way of thanking our army of volunteers for their kind-hearted work. We were awarded the certificate at an online meeting hosted by the Lord Mayor, Councillor Eileen Taylor.

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Wetherby in Support of the Elderly Annual Report 2021/22

Our Activities - An overview

We carry out a wide range of services and activities in line with our charitable objectives.

Our activities and services are promoted in a variety of ways. We actively engage with local parish councils and community groups and more than 700 newsletters are sent out each month, via e‐mail, post or hand.

We have employed a part time communications officer who provides publicity material to the media in Wetherby and Leeds and we continue to advertise in parish magazines. GP Surgeries, local Churches, Town Hall, and the One Stop Centre all display information on our services and activities together with our newsletter. We also promote our events and activities on our new website and social media platforms.

WiSE Owl Café

Transport scheme

The café is based in Boston Spa Village Hall and is currently in its eighth year. It is still a popular event, acting as a regular meet up for many of our customers, be it for coffee and a chat, or lunch. The café has two part‐time members of staff supported by a dedicated band of volunteer servers and bakers. It sources its food from local suppliers and volunteer bakers make the delicious cakes and scones.

A volunteer driver will collect a friend and drive them to an appointment, activity, or to meet up with friends. A friend pre‐books this service via a dedicated transport telephone line, which is run by our Transport Co‐ordinator. The scheme has been running for six and a half years and is greatly valued by our friends. We currently have a trusted team of volunteer drivers, although the transport scheme was suspended during the reporting period due to Covid-19.

The Elderberries

Soup and a Smile

The Elderberries is a monthly social gathering which takes place at Wetherby Social Club. All Friends and carers are welcome to attend The Elderberries where they are entertained by professional musicians or by local entertainers.

Once a week our volunteers deliver hot soup, a roll and a piece of cake to a member of the community who finds it difficult to get out. The volunteer stays with the friend and keeps them company while they eat their lunch.

Chatter and Batter

Once a month friends are invited to gather together for a fish and chip lunch. This is a very well attended group. Friends who attend enjoy the company and the quizzes that ‘Chatter and Batter’ provides.

Knit One Purl WiSE

This is a weekly knitting group which meets at our Boston Spa Village Hall. The group works on projects and produces items which WiSE can sell to raise funds and for the group’s equipment and outings.

Poetry

Twice a month a poetry group meets at Boston Spa Village Hall. Friends recite their own poetry or the works of other poets.

Christmas and Summer Madness

We organise a large get together for our friends twice a year. The venue holds 100 people and we are always oversubscribed. It is an opportunity for all the groups to get together for an afternoon tea. A professional entertainer is booked and supported by our local volunteer entertainers.

Singing Group – ‘Rockin’ Robins’

This singing group takes place at Boston Spa Village Hall. They provide the opportunity for friends to gather together and sing along using song sheets.

Chairobics

Chairobics is offered on a weekly basis. It is a popular activity with between 40 and 50 people attending regularly - enabling people to interact in the community and thereby reducing social isolation.

Line Dancing

Line dancing promotes balance, coordination and is an excellent cognitive exercise which is relevant for our target age. Julie who runs the sessions is very popular with our clients, and has provided us with weekly online dances to keep our regulars in practise.

Volunteers

We actively recruit volunteers over the age of 16 to assist in the delivery of our services. Volunteering is a worthwhile and enjoyable activity and there are a wide range of opportunities with us. Our Volunteer Co‐ordinator is based at our Wetherby offices and welcomes enquiries from people who want to support those in the local community. All volunteers undertake an induction and receive training appropriate to their role.

Volunteers are vital to our success. Without them we could not continue to develop our services and programme of events. Their help in delivering our services, through roles such as activity helpers, befrienders, dementia supporters, drivers, fundraising, Soup and a Smile and trusteeship means we can continue our much needed work.

At the end of the reporting period, we had 148 volunteers across our programmes. The volunteers range from young people to ‘very senior’. In 2021/22 we aim to improve our support through training, recognition and communication. We are also continuing to develop additional volunteering opportunities.

Partnerships

The trustees are particularly grateful to our community partners for all their support. All have helped us to meet our objectives and benefit older people and their carers in our area.

We are especially grateful for the support of Boston Spa Village Hall. The venue is home to our much-loved Wise Owl Café. The hall actively supports WiSE and provides a venue for many of our activities.

Other local partnerships include:

Dementia Friendly Community

One of our aims of providing a Dementia Friendly Community continues. All of our activities are dementia friendly. We have a member of staff who is a ‘Dementia Friend’.

Meet Up Monday

This is a wellbeing café for those living with dementia and their carers. It enables people to meet up, have something to eat and drink, take part in activities or simply chat. It has been an invaluable support to all. We work closely with Over the Rainbow to deliver this scheme.

We welcome local groups, whether small and informal or larger in size, to contact us through our Activities Coordinator.

Other activities

On the following pages we will highlight some of the other main schemes we deliver.

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Information and Advice

Information and Advice – a case study

CASE STUDY

This service provides information and advice to over 60s on a range of issues, including how to apply for allowances and benefits, support for people with form filling, guidance on finding trusted tradespeople or carers and directing clients to appropriate support services and organisations.

We have an experienced and knowledgeable Information and Advice Coordinator based at our Wetherby offices, but who also provides a roaming service at local venues.

From April 2020 at March 2021 there were 490 Information and Advice contacts with clients.

More than half of these contacts resulted in signposting/ referral to appropriate organisations and sources of support, including Department of Work and Pensions, Leeds City Council and Leeds Directory.

Almost 50 clients received intensive one-to-one support, which included completion of 36 forms, from Council Tax discount claims to care ring pendant alarm applications.

The Information and Advice service also completed 16 blue parking badge applications and filled in 14 attendance allowance forms using telephone appointment only service.

During the reporting period, there were 36 new referrals to WiSE, which came from NHS health practitioners, One Stop Centre and Connect Well, amongst others. Information and Advice contacts during the pandemic were completed over the phone, rather than face-to-face.

Information and Advice Service – Mr. A

Mr. A used WiSE services for the first time in 2018 when he needed help to apply for a blue parking badge. Mr. A, aged 86, was aware his badge was due to expire. Mr. A contacted WiSE to take up the offer of help to apply online by telephone from home.

What we found:

What we did:

• We made an appointment date and time to fill out the application with him

• Mr. A was able to renew his blue parking badge with our help.

Mr. A said:

I do not have a computer so this would have been a difficult process. I spoke to Nicola in the office who did it all on the system. I felt really pleased with the service and with Nicola’s friendly nature. Thank you for your help.

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Wetherby in Support of the Elderly Annual Report 2021/22

Befriending

Befriending: ‘Sheila’ – a case study

CASE STUDY

Our befriending service matches an isolated older or vulnerable person living alone with a volunteer who gives up their time to regularly provide friendly conversation and companionship.

Where possible, matches are made based on shared interests and both parties living in the same area. Once a befriending match has been made, each person is introduced in the company of one of our co-ordinators.

We have a team of 30 befriending volunteers who come from all walks of life and are asked to commit to a minimum of one hour a week, which involves dropping in for a cup of tea and a chat.

Since the pandemic, face to face visits have been replaced by weekly telephone calls. In the last year alone, our volunteers made more than 275 befriending calls to our older friends.

For an older person, regular social interaction helps to break their feeling of isolation and helps to make them feel a part of the community.

For the volunteer, the visits are often satisfying, enjoyable and an opportunity to meet someone new to hear about their stories and experiences.

‘Sheila’ says weekly phone calls gave her the strength to keep going during the pandemic, despite being isolated and housebound. She began speaking to telephone befriender Christine when lockdown first hit last spring.

She said: “I started speaking to Christine soon after the first lockdown in March last year. I now speak to her every week and it’s something I’ve come to rely upon. It’s doing me a lot of good simply to talk to someone. It’s kept me strong and kept me going.”

What we found:

• Sheila was left isolated and housebound during lockdown.

How we helped:

It was Friday and I was the first person she’d seen all week – there was a sparkle in her eyes when I left as she loves to talk and my visits make a world of difference.

Grass Cutting

WiSE has a long standing partnership with Children In Need (CIN) and Wetherby Young Offenders Institute (WYOI) to provide a grass cutting service for older people who find it difficult to maintain their lawns.

Once we identify older people in need of help, WYOI provide a trained horticulturist to supervise young offenders who have expressed an interest in developing horticultural skills.

The gardeners have all been risk assessed for suitability to earn Release or Temporary Licence before they take part in the project. The aim is for them to use this work experience to go towards a relevant qualification, giving

them a great chance for future employment.

The scheme helps to improve relationships between young and older people and is greatly valued by those who use this service.

The scheme is the only one of its kind in the country. It was granted a ‘Connecting Communities Award’ for the impact it has made so far.

During the reporting period, the grass cutting service was postponed due to the pandemic, but restarted from June 2021.

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Governance Structure and Management

Our constitution

The Charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). It is governed according to a Charity Commission Foundation Model Constitution dated 22nd September 2015 and is therefore detailed and fit for purpose and protects the continuation of the Charity.

Our objective

The objectives of the CIO are all for the public benefit. Chiefly, our aim is to support older people, and those who care for them, who live in the Wetherby area (Wetherby, Linton, Boston Spa, Thorp Arch, Walton, Clifford, Bramham, East Keswick, Harewood, Collingham, Bardsey, Scarcroft and Thorner) and who are socially isolated, or living with chronic or degenerative conditions, so that they can retain their independence and continue to live active lives within their community.

Public benefit

In planning our activities, the trustees consider the specific objectives of the charity, along with our vision, mission and values. We review our aims, objectives and activities annually. As part of that process, we consider the outputs of our activities, assess the benefit of those outputs on the lives of older people and develop future activities to make sure our work continues to deliver the most benefit against our charitable objectives.

This report contains more information on the way our work has benefited older people over the last 12 months, measured against objectives set at the beginning of the year.

The trustees confirm they have complied with the duty in Section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit.

Activities

This is our 18th year supporting Wetherby’s older people. During that time we have seen our organisation grow, both in terms of services we provide and the requests for help we receive. It is a well-known fact that older people are living longer and need more support to enable them to live a comfortable and independent lifestyle and through our range of activities and services we aim to ensure this can happen.

We want to place WiSE at the heart of its community. To do this effectively we continually monitor and evaluate the services and activities we provide to ensure they meet the needs of our friends and their carers. Our current provision includes:

The schemes are co‐ordinated by a team of staff and a large amount of the work is carried out by volunteerscurrently numbering around 148. These volunteers work in many different roles in the community, back office or directly with friends, not only making many of our schemes possible by giving their time freely, but also bringing a true community perspective.

All our work is based on supporting the wellbeing of older people in Wetherby and surrounding areas. This means we help people to stay safe, well and live independently in their community for as long as possible. During the 12 months covered by this report the schemes have helped 1,686 older people and their families and received 971 referrals.

Whilst these numbers illustrate our activity levels, they do not indicate the significant positive ripple that comes from many actions, bringing additional benefits to our friends, their family, wider networks and community and this is something we are looking to measure in the future. The social benefit that WiSE brings is without question, but as yet we cannot attribute a value to that benefit and this is something we wish to be able to do.

We are committed to collaborative working and this continued in 2020/21 with renewed partnerships with voluntary, statutory and private sector organisations, all of which were focused on promoting and supporting the welfare of older people living locally. Adopting a joint approach means we can keep our friends and their families as the focus of our attention when designing and delivering new services.

Governance and management

The overall management and control of the Charity rests with the individual members of the board of trustees

who give their time freely and receive no remuneration or other financial benefits. The Charity’s trustees meet in accordance with the Constitution which requires the presence of at least two or, if greater, a third of its members to form a quorum. The Board may appoint a Chairperson and revoke such appointment at any time. All business is decided by a simple majority, each Trustee having one vote. In the event of an equality of votes, the Chairperson of the meeting has a second or casting vote. The trustees are responsible for decisions taken in relation to the strategic running of the charity but the day to day running of the Charity is delegated to staff.

Trustee committees

The trustees delegate responsibility for more detailed consideration of the charity’s affairs to four sub groups, each including at least two places for trustee members, chaired by a trustee and reporting to the board of trustees. These subgroups are:

Recruitment and appointment of new trustees

The existing trustees are responsible for the recruitment of new trustees. The trustees undertake a skills audit which identifies specific skills needed to enhance the existing board. In selecting individuals for appointment as appointed charity trustees, the charity trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO. In addition, individuals who apply to become trustees must demonstrate a personal or professional interest in the care and well‐being of older people.

Every appointed trustee must be appointed for a term of three years by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of trustees. Trustees retiring at the end of their term are eligible for reappointment. A trustee who was served for three consecutive terms of three years may not be reappointed for a fourth consecutive term, but may be reappointed after an interval of at least one year.

There shall be a minimum of four trustees and a maximum of 10. At the end of the reporting period there were four trustees.

Following appointment, new trustees are introduced to their new roles and given a Trustee’s Handbook which covers all aspects of the role. This includes a copy of the Charity Commission’s guide ‘The Essential Trustee’ and copies of the Charity’s Governing Document, financial statements and a guide to the policies and procedures

adopted by the charity. An induction checklist is included to ensure everything is covered and signed off. All Trustees are Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checked and references obtained.

Voluntary support

Whilst voluntary help is not valued for the purposes of the financial statements, we benefit immensely from the services provided by volunteers.

During the reporting period, we had around 140 volunteers completing several thousand volunteer hours between them. This volunteer contribution supports all of our schemes as well as back office functions and fundraising.

The trustees thank all our volunteers for their continued support. Without their time and skills, our impact would not be as significant as it is.

Risk management

The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error. Strategic risk management is regularly overseen by the board of trustees. There is an overarching risk management policy which involves a regular review of key risks faced by the charity, and setting up systems and procedures to address those potential risks and to minimise any impact to the charity if the risks materialise. An annual review of the risk register also takes place.

The trustees also have in place policies addressing the main operational risk areas. The trustees consider the following to be the key risks facing the organisation;

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Wetherby in Support of the Elderly Annual Report 2021/22

Fundraising

The majority of our voluntary income last year was raised through charitable trusts and foundations which supported our projects and services. A small amount of income came from service users and individuals supporting our work. All our activities deliver on our fundraising promise.

We proactively comply with all fundraising related legislation and marketing regulation. All of our fundraising activity has been led by staff and volunteers.

As part of our approach, policies and standards, we ensure that we protect vulnerable people and other members of the public from inappropriate behaviour ‐ we proactively train everyone involved in fundraising, with clear processes in place to monitor and manage every interaction. In the past year, we have not uncovered any failure by staff or volunteers to comply with these schemes and standards and we received no fundraising complaints in 2020/21.

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Wetherby in Support of the Elderly Annual Report 2021/22

WiSE Wetherby in Support of the Elderly

Financial Review

FINANCIAL REVIEW MARCH 2020 TO 30 APRIL 2021

2020-2021 Financial Year have been an unusual year with COVID restrictions and isolating. But we are proud to report that WiSE, has performed beyond all expectations. This can be seen in our Financial Statements.

The Charity has three accounts:

CURRENT ACCOUNT:

For operational income and expenditure.

ALLOCATED FUNDS ACCOUNT:

The Charity received monies for specific projects or areas of service and the trustees are mindful that there must be a clear audit trail to account for these funds. Records of the funds are maintained monthly.

RESERVE ACCOUNT -

RESERVE POLICY

The Trustees of WiSE recognise that they have a responsibility to ensure that:

The Reserves are maintained in a savings account with the Yorkshire Building Society. This amount is reviewed on an annual basis.

PRINCIPLE FUNDING:

The Charity’s principle sources of funding are from Leeds City Council Adult Social Care. This year WiSE have received funds from LCC to assist the charity with maintaining assistance and care to our community during the COVID pandemic. The funds were allocated to COVID related expenses in our surrounding areas. Records are kept on an ongoing monthly basis, and are presented to our Accountants for verification purposes.

FUNDRAISING:

Very little fundraising was done the past financial year, with all activities on hold.

We trust 2021-2022 will be a healthy year filled with new activities.

Financial Statement and Reports

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Wetherby in Supportof the Eldety Annual Report 2021r22 Financial Statement and Reports A(￿￿1￿ x •131 2021 lAa￿k 2021 31.939.18 39.057. 148,167.49 10.073.SJ 147.775.64 24.862.61 5.059.42 191.86 Ctye Fun 3.4e6.74 10.890.65 138.59 2.W).ts) 7W.$4 12 Tramino FwthrwJ 110. ,/ WISE 1.345.LKI 1.356.(Xl 187.33 1,350.(KI 18212 3.￿.76 8.YA.18 420 5.ClJ7.C6 618.C4) 3.303.75 687.01 &>JkkeewrYd F• 1.987.72 22.93820 37.166.37 15.45 Cafè IN Ey 474.88 1,167.76 6,956.30 1.105.07 6.744.29 665.C( L•gal arxl Pnfes4￿1 Fws MOM Exp 13.997.46 1.795. 2.155 2r 3.99827 5,600.04 117.5V2.50 4.152.f•) 142.(1) 2.056.75 2,413.51 8.464.14 {5.054.141 2.038. 4.733.￿+ 1,415.65 5.600.04 117.CJ9.73 v, aflTrwitrrtJ Wletherby in Support of the Elderly 213.C 2.101.36 242.52 110.55 T•lwh(m & InwTM>t Tmel- Natscmal Wethby Hub E Au•ts Ac4ulrnd ¥•w 143.98 1448.111 757. ce EwIF4￿11 pknt& Mathr8ry 1•J67.n 208 Cmh Fund¥ 10B.110.65 140.223.36 394.91 1172.811 11X.014.37 47.412.53 180.04 1172.811 Cash HaTrJ 278.374.47 771 113.173.$3 Talal 24 25

Wetherby in Support of the Elderly Annual Report 2021/22

Corporate information

Wetherby in Support of the Elderly (WiSE) (A charitable incorporated organisation).

Principal address:

The One Stop Centre Westgate Wetherby LS22 6NL

Thank You

The trustees would like to offer their thanks, again, to everybody who has supported the organisation either through volunteering, offering their valuable time and skills or through invaluable financial support.

In this most trying of years the support and goodwill shown to the organisation has been exceptional with many people stepping forward to help and assist in a way that has meant we have been able to support a huge number of extremely vulnerable people.

We remain as committed as ever to supporting older people in Wetherby and our surrounding communities and facing the challenges of a still uncertain future.

Telephone 01937 588994

Website www.w‐ise.org.uk

Due to your support we can, and will, rise to these challenges. So again, thank you!

Registered charity number- 1163698

Trustees

The charity trustees are appointed as and when appropriate by the body of trustees in office. The trustees who served during the period and those currently in office are:

Mark Storey (Chair)

Caren Rowe (Treasurer)

John Wardley Norma Harrington Nicky Pagett (Resigned in 2021)

Chief Operating Officer Mark Dobson

Independent Examiner

GL Barker & Associates, 47-49 Austhorpe Road, Leeds, LS15 8BA

Bankers

Barclays Bank Yorkshire Building Society 24/26 Market Place 12/14 High Street Wetherby Wetherby LS22 6NF LS22 6LT

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© Wetherby in Support of the Elderly 2021.

WiSE Wetherby in Support of the Elderly

The copyright of all material appearing in this publication belongs to Wetherby in Support of the Elderly, it may not be reproduced, duplicated or copied by any means without our prior written consent.

CIO Registration No. 1163698

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